“Sounds good. Night.”
“Night, Creed.” Hud followed him to the door and threw both the lock and the deadbolt behind him.
****
Wednesday morning hit like it usually did, fast and without mercy.
Blair had known before she even pulled into the parking lot that it was going to be one of those days. The waiting room was full by eight fifteen, the phone hadn’t stopped ringing, and Sara, the temp covering the front desk three days a week, was doing her best but was clearly in over her head. Blair caught her eye across the counter and saw the quiet panic there.
“I’m so sorry,” Sara said.
“Don’t be. You were thrown into the deep end.” Blair leaned over and helped her sort the morning’s sign-in sheets into some kind of order. “Wednesdays are our busiest day. We’ll all help you as much as we can.” She waited until Sara looked at her. “You’re doing fine.”
Sara let out a small breath. “I appreciate it.”
Blair squeezed her shoulder, picked up a chartand called the next patient back.
The morning found its rhythm after that. Not a comfortable one, but a rhythm all the same. They moved patients through as quickly as they could without making anyone feel rushed. Blair had just settled into an exam room with Mr. Talbot when she heard it from the front. A voice, loud and sharp, the particular tone of someone who had decided that volume was a substitute for patience.
“I’ll be right back,” she told him and stepped out.
Sara was backed against the desk, clipboard pressed to her chest, while a heavyset woman in a floral jacket leaned over the counter at her.
Blair moved in beside Sara without breaking stride. “Mrs. Carpenter. There’s no need for that.”
“I have been waiting for over an hour.”
“As you can see, so have a number of other people.” Blair kept her voice even and gestured toward the waiting room, where a dozen faces had turned to watch. “None of them are causing a scene. We’re short staffed today and doing the best we can. Patients with appointments are seen first. You walked in.”
The woman’s jaw tightened. “Where’s the pregnant girl? She’s always on the ball.”
“She’s in the hospital.” Blair held her gaze. “She had her baby this morning.”
That landed. Mrs. Carpenter blinked.
“If you can sit down and wait your turn we’ll get to you as soon as we’re able. But if you can’t do that, I’d ask you to come back another day after making an appointment.” Blair paused. “Your choice.”
The woman held the stare a moment longer, then turned without a word and went back to her seat.
Blair glanced at Sara, who was wide-eyed.
“You okay?”
Sara nodded. “How do you do that?”
“Years of practice.” Blair picked up the next chart. “Call me if it happens again. Maya will be back in a few minutes and she’ll help you.”
“Thank you,” Sara whispered.
“You’re welcome.” Blair was already heading back down the hall to Mr. Talbot.
By the end of the day her shoulders felt like they’d been carved from granite. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as the last of her colleagues gathered their things and filtered out to the parking lot. Blair stayed at her desk, hunched over her keyboard, working through the day’s entries.
What a day.
She glanced toward the front desk. Poor Sara. By noon the girl’s ponytail had been coming loose, mascara smudged beneath eyes that had gone from anxious to simply worn out. Blair doubted she’d be back Friday and couldn’t blame her. Charlene, their reliable fill-in with ten years of front desk experience, was already committed to the dental office across town. Of all the days for Sara to get thrown in, she’d landed on a walk-in Wednesday with a packed waiting room and a phone that hadn’t stopped until four thirty.
Blair massaged her temples. If Sara didn’t come back they’d be starting over with someone new. Training, explaining the system, all of it, while Meridith was home with her newborn and six weeks of leave stretching ahead of her.
