“Wonderful,” she said.Mercedes signed her response.“The doctor will be in shortly.He’ll remove the stitches and check that the wound has healed properly.Have a seat on the table.”
The wait wasn’t long before his regular doctor, Dr.Stuart, walked in, a nurse behind him with a tray of supplies.
“How are you today, Evan?”the doctor asked and Mercedes signed.
“Ready to get these out.They itch a lot, and it’s driving me crazy.”
Dr.Stuart’s eyebrows moved near each other as he picked up Evan’s arm and checked the stitches.“That’s because the wound is healing.Does it hurt when I touch it like this?”
Evan shook his head.“Not much.”He couldn’t lie and say it was completely fine.The injury had been deep and had bruised the area.
The doctor probed around the wound, then swabbed it with an alcohol wipe.“Any discharge from the wound in the last few days or so?”
Evan shook his head.
“Okay, let’s get these out.”
The procedure only took a few minutes, then the doctor swabbed the area again.He said a few things to the nurse with him, who typed something into the laptop near her.
“You also had a concussion.Any blurred vision or feeling dizzy lately?”
“No.The headaches have stopped, too.”
The doctor smiled his way.“Good.Make sure to call back if you see any fluid near the wound or if it seems to have opened up again.”
“Will do,” he said and stood from the table.They shook hands, and the doctor and nurse left.
“Do you want me to drop you back at work, or are you taking the rest of the day off?”Mercedes asked as they walked back to the car.
“Do you need to get back to work?”
Her smile beamed his way, making him lighter inside.“I took a half day off.”
He returned her smile with one of his own.“Can I buy you lunch, then?My boss said to make sure I eat something before I came back.It’s only twelve-fifteen.If we go somewhere casual, I could be back by one or so.”
“Lunch would be good, but you don’t have to pay.I have money.”
They got in the car, and after she started it up, he took her hand and squeezed.“I appreciate you coming with me today and taking care of me when the accident happened.It’s my treat, especially as you took time off work both days on my account.”
“How about that diner over on Main Street?They’ve got good food and fast service.”
He gave a thumbs up, and Mercedes put the car in drive.The place was busy at this time of day, but they managed to get a booth in the back when a group of businessmen got up to leave.
“I’ve only been here once before.Years ago,” Evan said,“and I think I only got a burger.Anything good or anything to avoid?”
Mercedes checked the menu.“Their meatloaf has lots of veggies, like onions, peppers, and celery in it.I know you prefer yours plainer.”
“Good to know.I wouldn’t have been happy getting meatloaf and finding a bunch of gross stuff in it.”
Mercedes head fell back as she laughed.“Many people don’t think of onions, peppers, and celery as gross stuff.”
Evan made a face.“To each his own.”
The waitress came over, and Mercedes ordered an iced tea and a chicken Caesar salad while Evan got a Mountain Dew and bacon cheeseburger.
Once the server had brought their drinks, Evan decided to broach the topic he’d been thinking about for a while.
“Carli and Blake’s wedding is the weekend after next.”
