by Katie Dowe
She tilted her head to look up at him, a smile playing around her lips. “How about I also throw in a free physical at a time of your choosing?’
His body stiffened slightly at that. “I'm actually due one.”
“I know, I also inherited the files from Dr. Herringbone.”
He fought hard as he thought about her examining him thoroughly and wondered how that would go. “I'll let you know when I'm free.” He held out a hand for her to shake on their deal. “So Saturday at say seven?”’
She nodded, placing her small hand in his. “Just so you know I'm the better athlete.”
“I have no doubt about that,” he told her gravely. He let go of her reluctantly and stepped back. “I have to get back, so I'll see you on Saturday.”
She waved at him and took off a at run with him watching her. He shook his head wryly and went in the opposite direction.
***
“I'm sorry to come by without an appointment,” Hillary said as soon as she came into Robyn's small office two days later.
“It’s okay, I accept walk-ins and I have to be in your good graces because I've fallen in love with your two daughters.” Robyn indicated the chair next to her desk for the woman to have a seat. “How are they?”
“They've been rhapsodizing about the tour of the facility, especially the fish tank they saw,” Hillary said with a shake of her head. “They told my husband and I that they asked their uncle for an aquarium and I'm afraid that Timothy spoils them rotten.”
Robyn laughed at that as she took out her folder. “They're very easy to spoil. Now, what can I do for you?”
“I'm sure it's nothing but I haven't been feeling like myself lately.”
“Tell me what's been going on,” Robyn encouraged her.
“I'm feeling especially tired lately and dizzy. I have a problem with my iron but I'm taking something for it. I have to admit that taking care of two very energetic little girls is not exactly a walk in the park and I also entertain on behalf of my brother-in-law and my husband. As you know, the McLaughlin name is something of a big deal in Fallen Oaks and we're required to host several functions as a result.” She looked at Robyn. “The annual spring festival is on Sunday, I hope you'll come.”
“I've already received several invitations,” Robyn said with a smile as she examined the woman’s eyes and took her pressure. “Your pressure is normal,” she murmured. “When did you start feeling this way?”
“Few weeks ago.”
“When was your last period?’
“What?” Hillary stared at her in shock.
“I'm just ruling out possibilities. When was it?”
Hillary shook her head “I can’t be pregnant,” she added firmly.
“Okay, let’s rule that out by taking a urine sample.” Robyn got to her feet and asked Hillary to follow her into one of the examination rooms. She handed her a plastic container and told her to go into the bathroom.
Within a few minutes she came back with the sample. “I'm just going to check the sample and you can have a seat on the table.” Robyn pulled the stool over to the small counter she used to test samples and took out a strip stick to use. “You don't want to have more children?” she asked as she did he test.
“We haven't really talked about that,” Hillary admitted shakily. “I had the thought of maybe going back to work. I used to be an administrative secretary at the company before I married Malik and then I was pregnant right after we got married.”
Robyn made several notations on the folder in front of her, a frown on her face. The test wasn't conclusive which meant that she would have to do another one in a couple of weeks. There was no proteinuria which was a good sign.
“So am I pregnant?” she demanded as soon as Robyn got to her feet and discarded the urine in the nearby sink.
“I'm not sure so I'll have to do a series of tests and wait for the results. In the meantime I'm going to give you something for the weariness that won't affect a likely pregnancy and I would like you to come back and visit me in another two weeks.”
Hillary twisted her hands in her lap, an uncertain expression on her face. “I'm not sure how to feel about this. I love my girls, please don’t get me wrong, but the thought of another child means that the plans I have to get back to my life would be over.”
Robyn thought about the other people she had waiting for her in the waiting room but pulled up a stool and sat in front of her patient. “The first thing I usually tell my patients is not to look for trouble where there is no indication of any. It's not a surety that you're pregnant, Hillary. Your symptoms could mean a lot of other things. I want to rule out those possibilities before you start deciding what you should be feeling. Maybe it's just good old fashioned weariness; maybe it's the fact that your iron is low. And if in fact you are pregnant, I'm sure you can get through that as well. You have a partner who is in full support of you and that should account for something. But take my advice, go on home, take a long hot bath, read a book, eat some ice cream or drink a glass of wine and renew your mind. Don’t think about this visit or anything pertaining to it until you absolutely have to.”
Hillary stared at her for a moment. “Thank you,” she said softly.
“No problem at all and if you need to talk just call me.” Robyn dug into her lab coat and handed her a card.
“Even if it's after working hours?” Hillary asked, looking at the card.
“Even after working hours,” Robyn said with a smile as she got to her feet. She showed Hillary out and called her next patient, a smile on her lips.
***
Timothy studied the figures in details, a small frown etching his brow, his fingers tapping his desk absently. The two men who'd been called into the meeting waited on him to say something, their consternation increasing when the silence lengthened. They didn't dare break the silence because they didn't want his displeasure to rain down on their heads. The latest project that had been undertaken by the diversified company was an old historical building that was a part of the town’s and Timothy was determined to restore it in the exact replica of what it had been almost one hundred years ago. So far there had been countless delays:From the wrong hardwood floors to continuous delays in shipments for the work to be done. Timothy had studied the architecture of the building in detail, so much so that he knew exactly how he wanted the building to be. It was an old church that had fallen into ruins, it was rumored to be inhabited by ghosts and other mythical creatures but it was a lovely old building and the architecture was still solid even after so many years. He lifted his head at last and his dark blue eyes pinned the two men seated there in front of him. “What’s the excuse this time?”
“No excuse,” the middle aged man told Timothy calmly, one weathered hand going up to dig at his greying beard. “You wanted fancy and you wanted a special kind of fancy. Bart here has been scouring the earth looking for the kind of brick you specified and we just discovered where it can be had. It takes time, Tim, and you know that. You can sit there and look at us with that frightening look on that pretty face of yours but you're the one who's going to chew us up and spit us out if we don't give you what you want.”
Timothy saw Bart stiffen in shock as his gaze flew from the man next to him, he could tell the man was worried for his job.
“You think you can talk to me like that?” Timothy’s voice was silky as he stared at Bob. “You think years of working for me give you the right to talk to me like that?”
Bob sighed loudly and rubbed his palms on the legs of his faded jeans. “I think that knowing what I'm doing gives me the right to talk to you like that, and mutual respect for each other over the years is also an added advantage. The boy here and others inside the company are scared spitless of you and will never work up the courage to tell you the truth. I'm an old man who doesn't give a damn about offending anyone and you know that.”
Timothy opened his mouth to eviscerate him, friend or no, but his intercom sounded. “I said no calls
!” he snapped.
“It’s a Robyn Faulkner,” the hapless assistant said desperately.
Timothy felt his heart slam against his ribs and he angled his chair so that the two men seated in front of him couldn't see his expression. “Send the call through.”
He picked up the phone and wondered briefly if she was calling to cancel the date. It had been two days since he'd seen her and he was missing her like crazy!
“I hope you're calling to apologize yet again for cheating on our race,” he said teasingly.
She laughed and he closed his eyes at the sound of it. “I'm calling to remind you about your physical. I have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I'm free at seven and I was thinking you could come over and get it done. I promise that it would be just something routine and nothing invasive.”
He wanted to tell her that she could be as invasive as she wanted to be. “That sounds like a plan. Seven it is.”
“And for your reward I can maybe provide a bottle of wine and maybe some Chinese food.”
“Sounds like a date,” he teased.
“It does, except the part where I'm going to ask you to take of your shirt and let me examine you.”
“Definitely sounds like a date,” he murmured. “See you at seven.”
He hung up the phone and ignoring the amazed looks on the men’s faces he got back to business, no longer feeling the need to launch into a tirade.
***
He decided that it was irrational and a little overboard for him to go back to his apartment to take a shower. He'd left the office at precisely six and had cancelled dinner with an associate. He'd taken a quick shower and had shaved, standing inside his vast closet as he decided what to wear. It wasn't a date, he kept telling himself, but his body was deciding otherwise. With a frustrated sigh he dragged down tan dress pants and a russet colored shirt. He had no idea how he was going to control his body’s reaction to her touching him but he couldn't think about that right now. There must be some way he would be able to get through that part of the evening and he was going to do his damnedest to try. She'd called him and that was all that mattered right now, everything else could fall into place. He finished getting dressed and pulling the comb through his thick hair he stared at himself in the mirror before stepping away from it. He hesitated when he reached the living room and decided that he would bring a bottle of Costa Fruity that had been sitting in the fully stocked cabinet for the past year or so, figuring that the occasion called for it. With that in mind he glanced at his watch and made his way out of the apartment, careful not to think of her touch on his skin.
***
She wasn't wearing scrubs and the argument he'd been having with himself on the drive to her place didn't hold a hell of a lot of merit right now. She was standing before him smelling like strawberries, her hair tumbling past her shoulders and wearing an off the shoulder blouse that did so many things for her complexion and her curves. The snug-fitting faded jeans she had teamed it with didn't make it easier on his pulse either and he knew he was going to have a very hard time keeping his hands off her.
“Come on in.” She smiled up at him, glancing at the bottle of wine in his hand. “You didn't have to bring that.”
“It’s a special Costa blend.” He had to tear his eyes away from her mouth.
“I've tasted quite a few of their blends and find them to be very exotic and addictive,” she told him as she led the way into the living room. He put the bottle on the table and stood there waiting for her to tell him what to do next. He wanted her and it was hard to hide the fact that he did.
“Sit, please.” She gestured to a single straight back chair near to the window. “I thought about you going into one of the examination rooms but decided that we can do it right here.”
Her words unwittingly brought the images full force to his mind of him taking her right in the sofa. His hands clenched into fists and he forced himself to calm down.
“I'll just go and get my stethoscope and my blood pressure cuff.”
She was going to listen to his heart and hear it pounding inside his chest and she was going to realize that his pressure had skyrocketed the minute he'd seen her. He couldn't let her do the exam. He got to his feet and started pacing, stopping as she came back into the room armed with the wretched instruments that were about to give away his desire. “I was thinking,” he said with a disarming smile as she wound the stethoscope around her neck. “I had a very trying day at the office and I'm afraid you aren't going to get a proper reading on that thing. I'm bent on restoring this historical church building and I have this idea of getting it done specifically the way it was when it was first built more than a hundred years ago. Only that hasn't been the case and there have been so many delays that have quite gotten on my nerves.” He was babbling and that was surprising as he was never one to talk so much, or so fast, but he had to get her to give up the idea of examining him. “I think we should maybe do the exam after I've had maybe two glasses of wine and maybe something to eat. What do you think?”
She stared at him for a moment and Timothy wondered if she'd seen through his evasiveness. It was so transparent, how could she not know that he was lying?
“You're right,” she told him with a smile as she removed the instrument from around her neck and placed it on the sofa. “Eat first and exam later. I already ordered the food. How does egg salad and honey chicken sound?”
He closed his eyes briefly in relief before following her. “Sounds delightful.”
Chapter 6
They ate at the kitchen counter and drank several glasses of wine while she told him about some of her patients who insisted on bringing her food and fruits. He smiled as she related her stories and couldn't take his eyes off her. She reminded him of a painting that he'd seen at an auction a few years ago and had contemplated buying but had changed his mind at the last minute. The painting had been of a woman sitting in the midst of a flower garden with her head thrown back and the sun on her skin. It had been by a lesser known artist but he'd found himself staring at it and at the unreserved joy and light coming from the woman. The painter appeared to have had intimate knowledge of the woman and had captured the true essence of her. Looking at Robyn, he could relate. She was witty, kind, beautiful and a true healer. He had no idea how that bastard who had been engaged to her could have let her go, could have cheated on her with someone else.
“Am I boring you?” Her soft cultured voice pulled him out of his reverie and he shook his head with a laugh.
“Not likely.” He sipped his wine and stared at her. “You were telling me about your medical school experience. I have to tell you that I have a very weak stomach and cannot stand the thought or sight of blood.”
***
She laughed at that. She liked talking to him and realized that in the few short weeks since she'd known him that he'd stopped her from sinking into deep despair and she really appreciated him for it. She had no idea why a man like him—handsome, wealthy and more than likely extremely busy—would take the time to be there for her but she was very grateful. “When I was little I got a scraped knee and I cried so hard that my mother had to reassure me that I wasn't going to die. I saw all this blood and I panicked, thinking that every drop of blood inside me would be gone by the end of the day.”
“And yet you became a doctor,” he murmured.
“I became a doctor because I became fascinated with the workings of the body and thrilled by the makings of each vein and artery. I dissected frogs and looked at entrails and learned to stop the revulsion I felt the first few times. Then it became natural to me and I realized that it was something that I loved. I couldn't turn it off! Even when I was on break—which being a medical student you never really are—but when I was on break, I would have my head buried inside a book. I'm afraid I really missed out on the whole college experience: the partying, the letting go and drunken binges that you're supposed to indulge in when you get to college.”
“Ever regrett
ed it?” he asked her softly.
She wrinkled her brows. “I wasn't much of a party person anyway.” She looked at him. “How about you?”
“Was I into drunken binges?” he asked her teasingly.
“What about your college experience?’
“I went to night school while pumping gas during the day,” he said matter-of-factly. “The whole college experience eluded me, I'm afraid.”
“You didn't miss anything much,” she told him quietly.
“I figured as much.”
She held his gaze for a moment and then finished her wine. “It’s getting late—”
***
“And it's time for my physical.” He finished his wine and realized that although his blood pressure was still a little chaotic he could safely allow her to examine him without fear of his secret being discovered.
He followed her into the living room and sat back down on the same chair he'd been sitting in when she'd first wanted to examine him. He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, placing it on the back of the chair. “Should I take my t-shirt off?”
“No, it’s fine.” Robyn pulled a chair close to him and started her examination, first listening to his heartbeat before running the instrument over his chest. He waited until she was done before he asked her. “What’s the verdict? Will I live?’
She pushed back her hair and looked up at him. “I'm afraid to tell you that you have a week to get your affairs in order,” she told him with mock gravity. “I hope you've already written a will Mr. McLaughlin, as I am afraid all that wealth will now be going to someone else. Maybe those adorable nieces of yours.”
He stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. “Your bedside manner sucks, Dr. Faulkner.”
“I'm actually not at your bedside so it doesn't count.” She grinned at him as she pushed back her chair and got to her feet. “Everything is fine except that your heart rate is a little high.”