Don’t Fall for the Doctor by Lacey Bolt
Chapter 10
Michael stepped through the doors to the inpatient unit and checked his watch. Twenty-eight minutes behind schedule. He sped up his pace and walked around the intern who stood in the middle of the hallway. If he couldn’t stay focused, he’d be here all night.
He lifted his chin quickly and pasted on a smile for the nurse at the front counter. “Erica, welcome back. How was your vacation?”
She glanced up from her paperwork. “I wondered when you’d make your way up here. Running late?”
His face stiffened, and he strained to keep his smile casual. “Just a little behind schedule. Any urgent cases this morning?”
“No.” Erica raised her head, flipping her hair over her shoulder the same way Ashley did when she wore it loose. He shifted slightly and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“Alright. I’ll check in before I leave the floor.”
Erica nodded absently and returned her focus to the paperwork in front of her.
Michael plodded to the end of the long counter before his feet stopped working. He glanced back at Erica, absorbed in her work like he should be.
He hesitated, then glanced down the hall. A patient shuffled slowly down the length of the hall, with a nurse walking alongside for support. Someone else, probably a family member, filled a reusable bottle at the water cooler. There were no cleaning carts or other signs of cleaning staff.
Erica cleared her throat behind him. “Is there anything else you need?”
He shook his head. “No, just . . . do you know . . . umm, who is . . .” He cleared his throat and adjusted the stethoscope around his neck. “Never mind. I-I’ll see you later.” He took off down the hall before he wasted more time thinking about Ashley.
Michael entered the first room and pulled out the printed list of patients from his pocket. Henry Velm, age 74, congestive heart failure, admitted yesterday morning. The vomiter. Michael gave Henry a few tests, which all came back negative. Until Michael knew the cause of his symptoms, he’d need close monitoring. Worst case scenario, his symptoms were related to worsening heart failure.
Henry lay in bed, awake when Michael entered the room. Henry lifted one trembling hand in greeting.
“Henry, how are you feeling?”
“Not too bad. Think I can go home today?” He spoke with a strong voice, which didn’t match his appearance.
“Maybe,” Michael mumbled noncommittally as he looked at the computer monitor next to Henry’s bed. He opened Henry’s chart and most recent lab reports. After a long pause, Michael glanced at the older gentleman.
“I’m not thrilled with all of your lab work. I don’t think anything too serious is going on, but I want to keep you here another day or two. I’m ordering an EKG for this afternoon and a stress test tomorrow morning.”
Michael removed his stethoscope from his neck and positioned it to listen to the man’s heartbeat. Slightly irregular.
Michael stepped back and stared at the older man. “If anything changes, if you start to feel any different, tell the nurses, and they’ll page me immediately.” Michael placed his stethoscope around his neck and turned towards the door.
“Alright, thanks, Dr. Love.” Michael stopped and turned back to Henry, who grinned broadly from his hospital bed.
He sighed. “So you saw the article too?”
“Three nurses showed it to me yesterday, and another one showed it to me this morning. You are quite the talk around this wing. People are taking bets on who you’ll date next.”
“People here have too much time on their hands if they are talking about my dating life.”
“Take it from me, doctor. If a nice woman comes your way, give her a chance. Don’t get caught up in all the attention from all the women who read the article, women who are only interested in looks and money.” Henry coughed.
Michael tried to suppress a groan. Unsolicited advice should be against hospital rules.
“I know, you didn’t ask me, and this is none of my business. However, my wife and I celebrated fifty years of marriage, so I might just know a thing or two about relationships. If you’re smart, you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
Michael took the bait. Hopefully, listening to the old man now would save him from getting an even longer earful next time he stopped by the room. He sat on the edge of the visitor chair and leaned forward. “Alright, let’s hear it.”
Henry grinned and pressed the button to raise the top half of his bed until he reached a sitting position. “First, all the women around here are talking about you and how to get you. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Believe it or not, I was once a lady’s man. Lots of women chasing after me.” Henry laughed as he traveled down memory lane. Michael waited.
“You have to be patient, though. I met my wife at the post office, of all places. Started chatting with her in line. She had wit. Charm. Something about her that I couldn’t describe. I couldn’t stop thinking about her after I left the post office. Before you know it, I asked everyone around town about her. Took me three weeks to track her down again. Once I did, I wasted no time asking her out on a date. She said yes before I even finished asking. Turns out, she couldn’t stop thinking about me either.” Henry paused for breath. Michael passed him a glass of water. After a long sip, Henry continued.
“That’s the kind of woman you need to look for. There’s lots of great women out there, and many of them might chase after you, especially now that you are Dr. Love.” Henry grinned, emphasizing Michael’s new nickname. “Focus on the woman who gets under your skin. The woman you can’t stop thinking about, no matter how hard you try. Don’t settle for less.”
Michael stood and patted the man’s hand. Hopefully, he had listened long enough to satisfy Henry and avoid any additional lectures on how to lose focus at work and watch his career go down the drain. “Push your call button if you start to feel worse or have any new symptoms.” He stood up and walked to the door again.
“Ahh, you young ones never listen. But that doesn’t mean I’m not right.” Henry coughed again as he spoke.
Michael turned to give the older man one last look. He didn’t like the sound of his cough. He was going to have to speak with the nurses and have them keep a close watch on Henry for the rest of the day.