“We don’t have another doctor. Dr. Bradford is the only doctor in town,” she drawls slowly, as if I’m stupid instead of new.
“Is there a nurse here?”
“Yeah, Sarah’s in the back,” she answers, without moving to get her.
“Wonderful. Can you go get her for me?”
Brittany looks at me for a second like she’s going to refuse, but after glancing at Paula and Lev, she does as I ask and walks back to find Sarah. She comes back two minutes later with a tiny but beautiful platinum blonde woman.
“Hi Dr. Michaels, I’m Sarah,” she introduces herself. “I’ve been Dr. Bradford’s nurse for the last three years, and I’m thrilled you’re here to help while he’s out.”
“Sarah, it’s nice to meet you. I’m hoping we can use your knowledge and expertise for a minute?” Drawing her closer, I explain, “Apparently, we have patients scheduled for this afternoon. I don’t really want to inconvenience anyone, but I’m not prepared to see all these patients today. Ideally, I like to study a patient’s history prior to their visit, unless it’s not possible due to urgency or illness. Would you mind identifying those who have an urgent need and those who can possibly wait until tomorrow or next week?” I ask. “Once you have a final list, we’ll regroup together and look through their charts, so I can get your thoughts on their backgrounds.”
“Absolutely,” she responds, approval showing in her eyes.
Turning around, I walk over to the waiting area and address the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, and little kids,” I smile and wait for them to look up at me, “I’m Dr. Kate Michaels, and I’ll be your physician while Dr. Bradford recovers. Unfortunately, there’s been a bit of a mix-up. As you can see, I’ve just arrived today, and without knowing your history a bit, I’d like to be sure and give you the best care possible. If your visit is urgent or this is the only day you can take off from work or get a babysitter, I’m happy to take care of you today. There will be about a thirty-minute delay, but we should be able to see you. If your visit is not urgent and you have flexibility in your schedule, we’d like to ask you to reschedule for tomorrow or another day more convenient for you. We appreciate your support and patience as we transition the practice. If you can reschedule, please see Brittany at the front desk. If you need to keep your appointment, please see Sarah, and we’ll get you back to the rooms shortly. Thank you.”
Brittany scowls and flounces off. Sarah smiles and steps over to speak to the crowd forming on her left. Lev stares at me for a second, then nods his head as if I’d passed some unknown test. He motions to the hallway, and I follow him back to Dr. Bradford’s office.
As I enter the office, I look around at my new space for the foreseeable future. Thick, built-in shelving, painted dark grey, covers the wall behind the desk. Each shelf is full of pictures, medical tomes, and other odds and ends. A large wooden desk, in a natural light wood, sits directly in front of the shelving and presents a nice contrast to the dark backdrop. On the desk is a tablet and laptop, and a few pens and papers. In front of the desk, two camel leather swivel chairs sit side by side. In the corner, opposite where I’m standing, is a gold bar cart with a few bottles of whiskey on top, including a very nice 25-year-old Macallan, if I’m not mistaken. This is definitely a man’s office. You would think it would feel dark or dreary, but it only feels masculine, with touches of warmth. It makes me wonder about the man himself. Did he decorate the office himself, or did he pay someone to do it?
A throat clears, and I look over at Lev. His expression is bleak as his gaze moves across the room, stopping on individual pictures or pieces. Memories play in his eyes, but as he turns to look at me, he wipes the expression off his face. Given the sensitivity of the situation, I sit in one of the swivel chairs and motion for him to take the other. As he sits down, I realize how close together this puts us, but I'm reluctant to move away.
He studies me for a few seconds. “You handled that situation really well,” he praises. “With consideration and compassion, but also with a firm hand. I’m impressed.”
“Thank you. Unfortunately, I often find myself in this situation. The staff doesn’t know what to do, so they fall back into their regular routines. It’s fine. We’ll figure it out and get a temporary system in place to help things run smoothly. However, it doesn’t leave us much time to walk through things right now. What are the essentials I need to know today, and what can wait until later?” I question as I look at my watch.
Lev hands me a piece of paper with instructions typed on it. “Here’s the security code for the practice, and the security code for your apartment. The apartment is upstairs, and I’ll walk through it with you in a second. My brothers and I have power of attorney, so we’ll pay the bills and manage all the necessary business-related items. As long as you can manage the medical practice part of it, we should be fine. Anything that comes up, you can call me, Shaw, or Lowell. I’ve put all our numbers on that sheet. Shaw’s a rancher and hard to get a hold of during the day, but he’s available at night. Lowell’s a writer and can be available any time, although you may have to ring him more than once, as he tends to live in his own world. Daytime is best for me, but I own the bar down the street called The Black and Gold if you need something at night or just want to come in for a drink.”
We talk through a few other essential items, then he leads me to the back of the practice and up a set of stairs. At the top of the landing are a door and keypad. He asks me to punch in the apartment security code. Squeezing past him to get to the landing, I feel every line of his hard body brush up against mine, causing tingles to race down my body. I close my eyes for a microsecond and savor the shivery feeling; it’s been a long time since I felt physical attraction. I take a slow, deep breath and turn around to face the keypad. As I turn, my butt grazes against his front, and I hear him inhale sharply. I quickly type in the code and wait for the green light per the instructions in my hand. Once the keyboard lights up, I open the door and hear him exhale slowly behind me. It takes a moment to clear my cloudy thoughts, so I miss what he says in the next few seconds.
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
He smiles knowingly and gives me the instructions again. “When you get inside, enter the second code, or an alarm will trigger. I’ve already entered it this time.”
I make a quick note on my “cheat sheet.” Finally coherent enough to look around, I see a beautiful apartment. A living room is situated off to the left in front of a large bank of windows, which are letting in a tremendous amount of light. In front of the couch stands a tall fireplace, wrapped in white shiplap, with a TV above it. To my right, in the kitchen, is a massive black island covered in a white marble slab, with eight barstools situated around it. Running my hands over the sleek marble in appreciation, I’m guessing this is where I’ll eat. The kitchen includes all the amenities and aesthetics of my dream kitchen: White shaker cabinets to the ceiling; gold drawer pulls; and gorgeous state-of-the-art appliances, including a gas stove. This kitchen tempts me to pull out my very dusty cookbook.
Lev gives me a quick tour of the bedroom and bathroom (also gorgeous), then asks for the keys to my vehicle so he can bring up my luggage.