3
Early the next morning, Annie Fisher checked the message machine in the shanty, as she always did before doing anything else. Sure enough, there was a message waiting from Dok. “I’ll be late to the office today,” Dok’s voice crackled. “Still waiting on the Glick baby, who’s apparently taking his sweet time making an appearance. Move my appointments to later in the day.” A pause, long enough for Annie to glance at the clock. “And, Annie, until I get there, you’ll be responsible for the three new ... candidates.” Another pause, as if Dok had needed a moment to swallow that last word.
Unfair! First, Annie was still overcoming a crippling shyness, and talking to strangers made her stomach churn. She gave herself a pep talk as she scootered her way to the office, telling herself to act like Gus, Mr. Wonderful—warm and friendly and welcoming. She reminded herself of what good practice this would be for her. As a soon-to-be EMT, she’d be thrust into all kinds of uncomfortable situations. This was an excellent opportunity to work on her social skills. Consider it, she told herself, to be like building a muscle. As she veered around the last curve in the road, she tried to make herself smile. Inside, she was shaking like a leaf.
Ten minutes later, Fern drove her buggy into the Bent N’ Dent parking lot and the three climbed out. What was it Dok called them? Something like ... candidates? Which sounded like politicians. Annie preferred to think of them as medical professionals, just like EMTs. She watched from the window as they left the buggy to approach the practice.
The young man veered off to give the horse a pat. Annie noted his dark hair in a lady’s topknot. A woman marched across the parking lot in a determined way. She looked like she belonged on the cover of one of Dok’s magazines for the waiting room. Fancy.
The other woman, more friendly looking, kept glancing back at the young man, slowing, waiting for him to catch up.
Annie watched them with a detached curiosity, wondering how these three would fit into Dok Stoltzfus’s practice.
Then her nerves kicked in and she remembered that she was responsible for them. Gus would love connecting with three medical professionals, because he was one himself as an EMT. She wished he were here right now. She found herself wishing that more and more and more.
So, she thought, do what he would do.Pretend I’m Gus.
She opened the door for them. “Welcome,” she said, smiling. “I’m Annie Fisher. I’m Dok’s office assistant.”
She took them on a complete tour of the office building, which took less than three minutes. And then she ran out of things to show them or to talk about. Her act-like-Gus show had quickly fizzled out. Not knowing what else to do or say, she walked them over to the Bent N’ Dent. Sarah Blank, blessed with the gift of conversation, was working the register.
“So you’re Dok’s new right hands!” Sarah said. “We are so glad you’re here because poor Dok works herself to the bone. Well, let me get you some coffee and we can get to know each other! David Stoltzfus isn’t here right now, which is too bad, but that’ll give us time to chat.”She winked at them. “Wanndie Katz fatt is,schpiele die Meis.”When the cat’s away,the mice will play.
The two doctors exchanged a look of confusion, but the nurse, Evie, had a look on her face like she was swallowing a smile. Annie probably should have stayed, but as soon as she saw Sarah pour coffee into mugs, she slipped out the door to head back over to the office. She needed to make phone calls to a long list of patients and rearrange the morning’s appointments. To her delight, she noticed Dok’s car had arrived in the parking lot, and she took off running.
She found Dok in her office rummaging through the pharmaceutical cupboard. “Dok! I thought you weren’t coming in at all this morning.”
Dok didn’t even turn to look at her. “Pretend I’m not here. I’m heading right back out. Another house call. Shelley Yoder is either out of meds or she did something with them, like threw them out. Either way, I want to get her a fresh supply.”
“But your three ... medical professionals ... they’re...”
Dok stopped what she was doing and turned to Annie. “Where are they?”
“I took them over to the store.”
“Oh, good!” Relieved, she closed the pharmaceutical cupboard and locked it. Then she picked up her medical bag. “I’ll try to return by lunchtime.”
“Can’t they go with you?”
Dok shook her head. “Not to an Amish home with mental illness. Dave Yoder would send me packing.”
“But ... what do I do with the three of them until you get back?”
Dok frowned. “There must be something they can do.”
“Maybe ... they could see patients.”
“No! No unsupervised interaction with patients. Be sure to tell them.”
Annie’s eyebrows shot up. “Me?” It came out like the squeak of a mouse.
If Dok heard, she didn’t pay her any mind. At the door, she stopped and spun around. “Actually, now that I think about it, the nurse can see patients. Have Evie handle the patients who are in for a recheck.” With one hand, she brushed a lock of fallen hair out of her face. “Did I tell you she has relatives who are Mennonites?”
Twice, Annie thought, nodding.
“Sadly, she’s only here for a few months. The other two ... will be staying on.”
Annie couldn’t quite figure out how Dok felt about Charlie and Wren. The look on her face was inscrutable. Did she think they didn’t want to be here? Or didshenot want them to stay? Something felt off to Annie.
