But all she could manage to say was, “Ich kann vun wunners net saage.”I don’t know what to say.
“Say yes.” Gus took a step closer, his voice full of hope. “I can talk to the captain and see about setting up an interview for you.”
At this, Annie hesitated. “That’s kind of you, Gus, but I really would like to talk to Dok before I start interviewing. I wouldn’t want her to hear about it from someone else. I have been trying to talk to her—I just need to figure out the right time.”
Gus closed the gap between them, his gaze intense. “And then there’s ... us. We need to figure that out too.”
The door opened wide. “Gus!” Mom said. “Are you still here?”
“Just leaving now, Sally.” Under his breath, he whispered, “Your mother’s timing is impeccable.” He gave Annie a wink and headed to his buggy.
Even this morning, as she scootered to work, Annie couldn’t keep the grin off her face. Not even when the waiting room filled with patients and there was still no sign of Dok. Not even when the phone rang and she picked it up. “Dok Stoltzfus’s office,” she said with a little bounce in her voice. She couldn’t help it!
“Annie, it’s Dok. I’m going to be a little delayed.”
Annie’s happiness burst like a balloon. “Delayed? Dok, how late will you be?”
Murmurs all around—not happy ones—as patients cued into Annie’s call and realized their wait just got longer.
“An hour. Two, tops.”
That meant three hours. Annie scanned the waiting room, then shifted to a whisper. “Dok, you have a schedule crammed with appointments. The waiting room is already full.”
“I know, I know. I picked up Evie at Windmill Farm early this morning to go on the house call with me, otherwise I’d let her see to them.”
“Dok, why not let Charlie and Wren see some of these patients? A lot of them are just return checks. Like, Billy Yoder needs his stitches out in his knee. And Edith Lapp wants a refill prescription for her eczema. Honestly, I think I could even take care of half of today’s patients.” Did Annie really say that? She felt shocked by her own boldness. Where did it come from? Gus’s influence, she thought. He was always encouraging her to speak up, to have confidence in her own opinion.
But there was only silence on the other end. Long enough that Annie wondered if she’d crossed a line with Dok.
“That sounds shockingly insolent, Annie Fisher.”
Oh no. Shehadcrossed a line.
But then Dok surprised her with an enormous laugh. “Keep it up,” she said.
Annie let out a sigh. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath.
“What have the two candidates been doing?”
Dok, Annie noticed, never called them doctors. “Charlie is always down in the basement. Lots of construction noise. There’s already been a truck delivery of something or other this morning. I put some of those bills on your desk.”
“I don’t mind the bills. The basement keeps Charlie busy.”
Right. Annie had a hunch that Dok had an ulterior motive with that basement renovation. She sure wasn’t paying attention to the basement, or to the two young doctors.
“What’s the other one been doing?”
“She always asks for things to do and I try to keep her busy. But she’s quick. It’s hard to find things for her to do. So when she finishes up, she returns to Windmill Farm to study for the board exams.”
“Charlie’s supposed to be taking the boards too, isn’t he?”
“I think so. He doesn’t seem nearly as concerned about them as Wren.”
Dok huffed. “Too bad I can’t put Charlie and Wren in a paper bag and shake it up.” She laughed. “Actually, if I did, the result would be Evie. She’s a dream come true.”
After reassuring Annie that she’d be in the office by noon—one o’clock, tops—Dok hung up, conveniently sidestepping Annie’s question about letting Charlie and Wren handle patient visits.
Annie slowly spun her chair around to face the sea of unhappy patients, preparing to explain why their morning appointments needed to be rescheduled.Thistask, she wouldn’t miss.
