I unwrap the chocolate chip muffin tucked securely inside the white paper bag and take my first bite. The chocolatey goodness explodes in my mouth, and I quickly devour the rest of the sweet treat. By the time Allison comes back and lets me know the next patient is here, my breakfast is gone and I’m smiling.
I’m just not certain if it is the chocolate muffin or the man who took the time to send it to me that has the effect on me...
My phone vibrates in the pocket of my scrubs, but I don’t retrieve it.
“Got a minute, ladies? Doc wants to talk to us up front,” Fiona states after popping her head inside our little station.
“Of course,” Allison replies, giving me an odd look.
Without saying another word, we follow the older woman up to the front and find Becky already there, waiting. The office just closed, the last patient left only minutes ago, so the fact we’re being summoned to an impromptu meeting is a tad concerning. At least it is for me. Maybe this is normal, but gauging by the odd looks on both Allison and Becky’s faces, I’m assuming it’s not.
“All right, I’m going to make this fast. I know you all want to get out of here for the evening,” Doc says as soon as he rounds the corner and finds us all waiting.
Becky is sitting on her office chair, as is Fiona, while Allison and I both lean against the back counter.
Dr. Houston exhales. “Well, I won’t drag this out. You know Cheryl has been to an oncologist for her thyroid cancer. They’re going to do surgery this coming Monday to remove her thyroid and some lymph nodes. They’ve discovered the cancer has spread, and we’re being aggressive. I’m going to take the next month off to be with her as she has surgery and radiation.”
“Oh, Doc, please send our love to Cheryl,” Fiona says, her eyes filling with tears.
“They feel they caught it early enough, and we’re both happy with the plan of attack her oncology team has come up with. I’ll be here through this Friday and then will return in about thirty days,” he says.
“Who are they sending to cover for you?” Allison asks.
He sighs. “Well, my usual backup is Dr. Martinez, but she just opened the new clinic in Haven. I’m told they’re going to shift physicians from both the hospital and other clinics to cover. It won’t be the same physician every day, but we will have the schedule the week prior. Their goal is to keep it to two or three doctors in our office rotation, so it’s not confusing to patients and staff.”
He gives his attention to Becky and adds, “When we call to confirm appointments, we’ll want the patient to be made aware of the change in physician. I made it very clear to Dina, the clinical manager, I want us to know the week prior who will be seeing patients that next week. If a patient doesn’t feel comfortable seeing another physician, then we can reschedule them for when I return if we feel the appointment can wait. But I have my utmost confidence in whoever they send here to help cover. We have some of the best physicians and medical staff in the area.”
“We do,” Fiona agrees.
“And Dina will be on-site two days a week for the next month. I know she usually makes appearances for a half day or full day as needed, but to help coordinate physicians, she wants to be here more.” He clears his throat and continues.
“This is probably a good time to also tell you we’re going to add specialty services to our calendar soon. It’s part of the reason they insisted on hiring another nurse again instead of a medical assistant. They’re bringing in a rotation of specialists two days a week to start. Dina will dive into it more when she’s here next week, but the back two exam rooms we use for emergencies will now be used for those specialists.”
“So, we’ll be seeing twice as many patients those two days?” Becky asks, clearly realizing her work load those afternoons will increase.
“We will, but they assure me it’s nothing you all can’t handle. The clinic in Rutledge already does this, and their existing staff manages just fine,” he states.
No one says anything else as we all process the news Doc shared.
“Things will be a little different, especially with me being out of the office for the next month, but I trust you all will manage and adapt just fine. Dina will be here to help as much as she can, and if she’s not in the office, she’s a call away. Fiona can call her for anything,” he adds.
We all nod, processing the information he’s shared.
“I’ll let you all get finished up. If you have any questions, come see me or Fiona tomorrow. Dina’s planning to be here Friday, I believe, and she can answer any additional questions you have too.”
“We’ll be praying for Cheryl,” I say, returning the topic back to his wife. I’ve met her once, when she stopped by with lunch to share with Doc. They’re a wonderful couple, recently celebrating their twenty-fourth wedding anniversary. They share two sons, nineteen and twenty-one, who are both in college, and from what I’ve gathered in my short time in town, the entire community loves them.
“Thank you,” he replies with a hard swallow.
“Please let us know how the surgery goes,” Allison adds.
“I will.”
With that, we disperse from the meeting and get to work shutting down the clinic for the night. I get the rooms prepped for tomorrow’s first patients, while Allison finishes computer work and sending the last round of prescriptions to the pharmacy. When everything is complete, I grab my purse from the back of the door and meet Allison near the doorway.
“Ready?” she asks.
“Yep.”
