Thankfully, Cora steps forward. "Hey, Charlie. I was hopin' you'd be workin' tonight. Austin here needs a doctor."
Charlie's eyes drop to my napkin-covered arm, her eyes flashing with concern. She nods and holds out a clipboard to Rhett. "Can you fill out this while I take Austin into an exam room. You've come at a good time so I can take a look myself." She rounds the desk and waves her hand toward a sterile-looking corridor, the familiar scent of antiseptic filling the air.
"Bet you didn't expectmeto be the one treatin' you," she says warmly, and it takes everything in me not to tremble.What the hell is wrong with me?I nod, still not trusting myself to speak.
"OK, let's take a look at this arm of yours," she says once we’re in the room, her voice soothing yet professional. She reaches for a pair of gloves and puts them on, her movements fluid and confident. There's a sense of familiarity in the way she handles everything, as if she's done this a thousand times before.Probably because she has, idiot.
Memories of Charlie's unyielding determination flood my mind – she was always the one who wouldn't give up until she achieved what she set out to do. Be it jumping off the highest rock at the watering hole in town or topping the senior class two years in a row. There was nothing she couldn't do or wouldn'ttryto do.
Yet I know this isn't the same woman I used to know, she's so much more now. Something that's obvious as I get to experienceDoctorCharlie when she approaches me with a warm and gentle smile. "Alright, Austin. Let's see what we're dealin’ with here."
I move my trembling hands away, focusing on steadying my breathing andnotlooking down at the mess on my arm. I don't need to see it again to know that she's looking at one raw sore and angry red skin around it.
Charlie's eyes widen but she stays calm and composed, her professional demeanor taking over. She reaches for a magnifying glass on the counter and leans in closer to examine the rash.
"When did this start?" she asks, her calm voice soothing me.
I shrug. "Not sure. Been real itchy since before Christmas.”
"OK. Any other symptoms or medical conditions I need to know about?" she says, writing some notes down.
Regret. Overthinking. Insomnia. A racing heart whenever I think about you?
I shake my head. "No. Nothin’ like that. Just feelin' a bit off my game, I guess."
She arches a brow. "That doesn't sound like nothin', Austin. How about fevers? Heart palpitations? Headaches? Dizziness?"
"No fevers. Felt dizzy when I saw I'd scratched myself raw, but…"
Her eyes gentle and her lips quirk up on the side just a bit as she shoots me a cute smile. "Still don't like the sight of blood, huh?"
"Nope," I say with a huffed-out breath. "Never got over that."
"What about the other things? I need to know the symptoms you've been experiencin' so I can diagnose you correctly," she presses.
"Haven't been sleepin' well," I mutter.
"OK. That's good to know. And palpitations?"
I go to shake my head but stop when her eyes bore into mine, a silent warning not to lie to a doctor. "Yeah, a little. More like my blood's pumpin’ real hard sometimes."
"Thank you for sharin' that, Austin. Anythin’ that's out of the ordinary for you could be important, no matter how small or insignificant you think it might be." She makes another note.
"What about anythin’ you might've been exposed to? How about any new chemicals or substances you've been usin' on the ranch since before Christmas?" she continues.
“Not that I can think of, doc.” Her eyes slide up from my arm to my face and I can see amusement in her gaze.
“Always thought about you callin’ me that. Never thought I’d get the chance.” I freeze at her words as our eyes lock and it’s as if the whole world fades away and we’re the only two people left. Then as quick as it arrives, the moment’s gone when there’s a knock at the door. Charlie snaps out of her daze and straightens, looking over her shoulder as Rhett and Cora walk in.
Cora's gaze is curious whereas Rhett is staring at me.
“What’s the verdict?” he says gruffly, and I can tell he’s worried about me so I set out to put him at ease.
“You know me, Rhett. It’ll be nothin’. Doc here was just about to tell me what she thinks it might be,”
Charlie looks to Cora as both women roll their eyes. “Has he always been like this?” Cora asks. “Or is it just a Graham male thing? Cause I swear to all that’s holy, they’re all the same.”
Charlie snickers. “Yep. Never wantin’ to bother anyone.” She turns her attention back to me. “How ‘bout you letmebe the judge of whether this is nothin’ or not.”
