Worry flared. “Did your first day go okay?”
He shrugged. “Kind of boring. You know how first days are.”
“Ah. Well, maybe tomorrow you’ll have more to report, huh? If you want, we could coordinate our dinner plans. Seems silly to cook for one.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ll be working late. I’m volunteering at the free clinic, plus I want to observe surgery whenever I can.”
“Sounds like a busy schedule.”
“It is.” He shrugged. “I told you the other day. We’ll be like two ships passing in the night.”
He went into his room and closed the door. Well, damn. I’d hoped to break the ice and make up for my misstep this morning. But if Aiden wanted to avoid me after I’d drooled over him half-naked, I couldn’t really blame him.
I’d just have to respect his boundaries and hope he’d give me a second chance.
CHAPTER 9
AIDEN
I enteredthe exam room at the free clinic to find a woman in her mid-forties. She straightened and smiled when she saw me, but I could see the effort it took her. She was worn down around the edges.
“Hey there, I’m Dr. Donovan. I’m a volunteer resident working under Dr. Meadows’ supervision today.”
“Hi, Doctor. Thanks for seeing me.”
Warmth spread through my chest. Today in the clinic had been the first time I got to use my title as a doctor working with patients. Back in med school rotation, we always had to announce ourselves as student doctors.
With me going into research instead of a more hands-on residency, my change in status hadn’t felt real before. Suddenly, it did. This woman, and the few people I’d seen this morning, were counting on me for their medical care.
It was a big responsibility, one that I took seriously.
I skimmed the electronic chart the nurse had updated. “So, Sandra, we’re not feeling so hot today, huh?”
“No,” she said, voice rasping. “Can’t seem to get rid of this cough.”
She broke into a series of barking coughs as if to demonstrate. Just from the sound of it, I was leaning toward bronchitis.
“All right, let’s take a look at you.”
I shined a penlight into her nose, ears, and throat.
“We’ve got some redness and swelling. Let’s listen to your lungs.” I hooked the stethoscope into my ears and pressed the metal diaphragm against her upper back. “Take a big breath for me.”
She inhaled a shaky breath, then released it.
I shifted the stethoscope’s diaphragm lower. “Again.”
She started to inhale and broke into another coughing fit. I waited it out.
“Sorry,” she wheezed.
“That’s all right.” I’d heard the low-pitched gurgles, the whistles, and crackles to make my diagnosis.
I reached into my pocket and fished out a butterscotch candy for her. “This should soothe your throat until we get you the good stuff.”
She laughed a little and took it with a grateful smile, unwrapping the yellow candy and popped it into her mouth.
I always carried a few around, a habit I’d picked up from one of the attending doctors in Maple Grove. It was for me, more than the patients. With long, unpredictable hours between meals as a student doctor, I’d sometimes needed a boost in blood sugar.
