“This guy’s still the life of the party, I see,” he directs at Claire when he doesn’t get a verbal response from me.
“How do you think I met him?” she replies smoothly.
“Well, he didn’t graduate first in our class by accident,” Jalen says with a chuckle. “By the way, how’s your buddy Reed doing? You guys still in touch?”
I accidentally let out a growl while Claire snickers in the corner. “Sore subject, Doc,” she whispers. Jalen cocks an eyebrow at me.
“He just married one of my sisters,” I mutter, and he lets out a low whistle.
“Damn, and I would have put my money on you getting hitched before any of us.”
“No kidding,” I deadpan.
“So, any other symptoms to report?” Jalen asks cheerfully, returning to my chart as if he hasn’t been making my life miserable for the past few minutes.
“I’m fine,” I say through my teeth.
“Oh, babe, shouldn’t you tell him about yourtummy trouble?” Claire volunteers, mouthing the last part and gesturing over her stomach.
Jalen’s grin widens. “Experiencing a little bit of the bubbly gut, are we?”
I blow out a breath, wishing I’d never stepped out of Tiana’s car. “Tummy’s all better now.”
“Must have been that toot he let out in the waiting room,” Claire tells Jalen, and he snorts.
I shoot her a pointed glare, but the way she’s biting her lip to keep herself from laughing distracts me from my irritation. By the time she starts giggling, I can’t help but join her.
“All right, my man,” Jalen begins after a while. “I’d hate to keep you in here any longer than necessary, since you’ve obviously got a party to get back to, but there’s always the slight risk of a biphasic reaction. You’ll need to be under close observation for the next few hours. Got anyone willing to spend the whole night tending to your needs?” he poses, winking at Claire.
She lifts her hand in a mock salute, and I gulp.
“Great. Let’s get you hooked up with a dose of diphenhydramine and a script for some hydrocortisone cream,” he continues, pulling out a prescription pad. “Need a refill for your EpiPen?”
“Uh, yeah, thanks,” I say faintly.
“Get this filled on your way home, and make sure you apply that cream as soon as possible. He can take another dose of Benadryl if he’s still itchy, but I want you to call me directly and bring him back in if any of his other symptoms worsen. I’ll leave my personal phone number on his discharge paperwork,” he explains to Claire, his tone more serious.
“Thanks, Doc,” she replies and takes the prescription from him.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Claire. Take care of my boy, would you? He’s one of the good ones,” Jalen says conspiratorially.
Claire aims a sultry look my way, and my stomach dips. “He’s in good hands.”
“Rowan, great to see you, bro. Behave yourself.” Jalen clasps a hand on my shoulder and lifts his brow in a smug “you can thank me later” gesture, then he disappears through the curtains before I can say another word.
“Well, he was nice,” Claire remarks.
“I guess he was,” I reply absently, just as Mrs. Ethel returns with a tiny cup of pink liquid.
“One shot of the pink drink, courtesy of your friend, Dr. Theriot,” she says with a wink. “But he said the next round is on you, since he expects an open bar at your wedding.”
CHAPTER FIVE
rowan
“So, how about that coffee?”I ask Claire when we make it back to the waiting room.
She bites her lip. “Guess I could use the caffeine boost, since it looks like I’ll be up all night.”
