Page 109 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

“Okay,” she said. “Lucas, do you remember everything that’s happened since your fall?”

“Yeah. I argued with them about coming here. Then I got something to eat, and I accepted my awards, but my head hurt, so we came here.”

Dr. Chen looked at Doc and Juliette. “Mom? Dad? Does that sound about right?”

“Yes,” they both said.

“Good. Lucas, are you in any pain?”

He pointed at his head. “My head hurts.”

“On a scale of one to ten, one being no pain and ten being the worst pain imaginable, how would you rate your pain?”

“Five, maybe.”

“And do you hurt anywhere else? Your arms, legs, back, neck?”

“Not really. My upper back is a little sore, but it doesn’t really hurt.”

“Can you rank it on a scale of one to ten for me?”

Lucas’s brows furrowed. “Three, I think.”

“So, bad enough to be annoying, or worse?”

“It’s not annoying. It’s just sore.”

“Okay. That’s not unusual after an incident like yours. I’m going to do a quick exam, and we’ll see what’s going on.” She put on gloves and did a neurological exam, and then she checked his reflexes and had him scrunch his shoulders and wiggle his fingers and toes. She moved behind him and palpated his back, asking if it hurt when she touched certain areas.

Lucas didn’t seem bothered by any of it.

She loosened the cervical collar and began examining his neck. “Does this hurt?”

“No,” Lucas said.

She repositioned her fingers. “How about this?”

Lucas shook his head. “No.”

She continued feeling around. “Tell me if anything hurts. Even a little.” Her brows knitted. “How long have you had this lump on your neck?”

“I didn’t know I had a lump,” Lucas said.

“Have you been sick recently or had a cold or a toothache?” she asked.

“No,” Lucas said.

“Then it could be from the fall,” she said. “Does it hurt when I apply pressure?”

“No.”

Doc thought back to Lucas’s practice last week. He’d taken a hard fall, and Doc had checked him out, but he didn’t remember anything unusual on Lucas’s neck at that time.

Dr. Chen refastened the cervical collar and had him lie down so she could complete her exam. When she was done, she took off her gloves and addressed Doc and Juliette. “I don’t feel any broken bones, but I’d like to get some blood work and a CAT scan of Lucas’s head and neck and X-rays of his back, so we can make sure there’s nothing going on that we should be concerned about. Nurse Jacob will bring in the orders, and then you can go up to radiology.”

“They’re going to do them now?” Lucas asked.

“It might take them a while to get to you, depending on how many other patients there are, but yes, they’ll do them tonight. Then you’ll come back to see me for the results.”