Still, there was so much to be learned through hands-on experience, beyond what a textbook could teach, or even observing another doctor. You just had to do things to get the feel of them, even something as simple as giving a flu shot. The first time she’d handed an injection needle to Charlie, she assumedhe knew how to hold it. Not so! She stopped him right away. “Hold the needle at a ninety-degree angle, and make sure to inject quickly and smoothly,” she had said. “That creates the least discomfort to the patient.”
Like always, Charlie was quick to listen and make adjustments—then he’d thank her for pointing out the needed correction. It never failed to surprise her how open he was to being taught, especially when she thought about how Wren usually reacted to Evie’s suggestions—so eye rolly.
After every lunch study session, Charlie would shower Evie with gratitude, telling her how much he appreciated their time together. She loved spending that time with him, but the more she did, the harder it was to keep her feelings in check. And whenever he tossed out a significant Wren reference, which he did quite often, she just wasn’t sure that this was good for her.
Late in the day, instead of heading home when the last patient left, Annie knocked on Dok’s office door. She’d been dreading this conversation for months, but now she was dreading it for a different reason. Ich wees net wu mir der Kopp schteht.I am at a loss toknow what to do.
Dok glanced up, immediately noticing Annie’s discomfort. “What’s up? You look a little pale. Are you sick?”
Annie shook her head. “My EMT final exam is coming up.”
“Oh, right!” Dok leaned back in her chair. “Oh ... right.” She rubbed her forehead. “You’re here to give me your leave of notice, aren’t you?”
Not exactly. Annie took a shaky breath. “There’s a tiny glitch.”
“Come in and sit down.”
Annie sat down in the chair, fidgeting with the edges of her apron. “As a child, I suffered from severe motion sickness. Ithought I had outgrown it, until ... that day with you ... when you drove me home after work on a Saturday...”
Dok gasped. “I remember. Iknewsomething was wrong with you!”
“I thought it was just your wild driving—”
“I don’t drive wild.”
But she did. Everyone knew that about Dok. Annie kept her eyes on her hands, wrapped up in her apron. “So I did some tests. I’ve been taking bus rides during lunch ... and now ... it seems that it wasn’t just because of your wi—uh, your driving. It just keeps getting worse.” She glanced up at Dok and suddenly felt she may not be able to control her tears. She’d tried to be stoic through this ordeal, but in the face of Dok’s obvious concern, she could barely keep herself from falling apart. This must be what it felt like to be Dok’s patient. Her eyes were on Annie with such a focused intensity, full of empathy, like nothing was more important in the world right now than this conversation. “I don’t know how I can be an EMT with this”—she patted her abdomen—“problem.”
Dok’s brow furrowed. “Are the symptoms mild?”
Annie shook her head.
“How bad?”
“Really, really bad,” she whispered, clamping a hand against her mouth to stop a sob from escaping.
Dok cleared her throat. “Whatarethe symptoms?”
Annie took a moment to shove down her emotions. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her apron and took in a deep breath before answering Dok’s question. “Dizziness, nausea, fainting, vomiting. As long as I’m in a moving vehicle that goes faster than a horse and buggy, I can’t even function.”
“What about afterward?”
“I’ve had to sit down on the side of the road for a long time. Usually, I’ve—” Annie started to feel her face grow warm. “I’ve gotten sick.”
“How long does it take to recover?”
“At least an hour, but usually a couple of hours. Sometimes, it’s taken the rest of the day before I feel completely steady again. And I always end up with a headache.”
“Oh Annie,” Dok said, her voice full of empathy. “I’d hoped you were going to say ten or fifteen minutes.”
“That,” Annie said, “would be lovely.”
“What have you tried?”
“All kinds of treatments—wrist pressure points, breathing exercises, ginger. Nothing’s helped.”
Dok nodded thoughtfully. “When is it worse? In the morning or afternoon? Any specific triggers?”
Annie shook her head. “I can’t pinpoint any triggers. It just ... happens whenever the bus or car gets going, speeding up, then my stomach starts churning. Then I get hot or cold or both, and woozy ... and then...” She imitated yanking on the cord for the bus driver to pull over.
