I get up and walk toward the hall, grabbing the chart from the door to check the notes. When I see what exactly he’s ordering, I step inside and ask the patient to follow me. We walk to the small room we use for labs and testing. I verify patient information and set up the system to print the stickers. Fortunately, the woman is an easy stick, and I have what is needed drawn within a few minutes.
“All right, we’re going to head back over to Room 2, and Dr. Williams will be back in shortly to finish up.”
She nods and steps inside the room, while I return to the lab and make sure everything is set for the pickup later today. The hospital has a transport for testing, and the service picks up labs both morning and afternoon. Results are usually back same-day, but in some instances, can take up to twenty-four hours. Since I’ve worked here, that hasn’t happened, but I’m told it can from time to time.
I pop my head inside Doc’s office to tell Lance his patient is waiting, but I don’t see him. He’s probably in the private bathroom, so I turn to go across the hall to the nurses’ station to wait. That’s when I see him standing at my workstation. I can’t tell exactly what he’s doing until I step inside the room and move past him. That’s when I see the white bag.
And he’s reading the message written on the side.
“What are you doing?” I ask, stepping forward and snatching the brownie bag from his hand.
He slowly lifts his gaze to mine, his eyes narrowed into little slits. “Is this from the same man who sent you the flower?”
“None of your business, Lance. We’ve been over this,” I reply, setting the bag on the counter. That’s when I see the note Cade had written on the bag. It must have been backward when Becky dropped it off, and I didn’t notice it before.
Saying hello to you is the best part of my day. ~C
I didn’t even realize I was smiling until the jackass practically snarls.
“This is completely unprofessional,” he retorts.
“You know, just when I think you can’t be any more of an asshole, you prove me wrong,” I whisper, rubbing my hand over my forehead where a headache is already starting to form. “Lance, this doesn’t concern you, and the fact you’re imposing yourself into something personal makes you the one who’s unprofessional.”
“Hey, Oaklee,” Allison says, coming around the corner and practically slamming into Lance. “Oh, shoot, Dr. Williams. I didn’t know you were in here. Is there something I can help you with?” she asks sweetly.
“No,” he responds, turning and exiting the room.
We watch him go before she turns to me. “Why must he slither out of his hole?”
“Because even snakes need sunlight every now and again,” I reply, making her laugh.
Allison spots my treats, her grin growing. “I see your special delivery arrived.”
“It did,” I reply, sitting down and pulling up a chart, making notes. Dr. Murphy, one of the specialists, pops his head in the room and talks to Allison about a patient. She makes notes and they discuss treatment plans for a fungal infection.
To be honest, I’m kinda glad I didn’t have to work directly with the specialists. Podiatry is the one field I don’t think I could do every day. Feet don’t necessarily bother me, but some of the stuff I’ve heard come through here in the last few weeks is a little nauseating.
When Dr. Murphy walks away, I glance over at Allison. “Did you need something?”
“Hmm?” she asks.
“When you came around the corner, you hollered my name.”
“Oh. Oh! Shoot! I was up front and heard we have a workman’s comp injury coming in.”
“Okay,” I reply, grabbing the chart for my next patient.
“It’s Cade.”
My eyes widen as I give her my complete attention. “What? Are you serious?”
She nods, not really seeming too concerned. “Apparently, he cut his leg on something on the jobsite, and they’re sending him in to have it looked at and get stitched up.”
“Okay, that doesn’t sound too serious,” I reply, my brain starting to spin.
“Nope. His boss called and said he insisted on driving himself,” Allison announces with a snort.
“Of course he did,” I mutter, standing up and running my hand down the pant leg of my scrubs. “Okay, I’ll go ahead and take the next patient back to the room but prep the triage room.”
