Blessings

“I prefer to retain a degree of formality in the office, Dr. Brandt. It engenders patient trust.” His eyes flashed an unspoken warning.

The words slipped out before she could control them.

“Are you saying that your patients don’t trust you unless you call them by their surnames?”

As a joke, it fell flat.

His whole body stiffened.

“My patients think of me as their doctor, their physician. When they walk through those doors, they expect me to treat their diseases.” His lips pinched white. “What they believe or chatter about outside of this office is none of my concern. Now, if you’ve nothing else, your first patient is waiting.”

Dr. Joshua Darling turned on his heel and left the room.

“Ouch!” Nicole flopped down on the edge of her desk, her eyes wide with shock. “Why do I feel as if he doesn’t really want me here?”

“Because he doesn’t.” Penny slipped through the door and whipped it closed behind her. “I mean, he does want your help. He can’t possibly function without it anymore. But he hates change and lately he’s had to deal with a lot of that.”

“Miss Winifred told me about his wife. How sad.”

“It was horrible, of course. Cancer always is. But that was only the beginning.” Penny straightened a tilting stack of files and opened the first one on the desk. “Sign here.”

“You mean about his partner leaving for South America?” Nicole took the hint and moved to sit while she scrawled her name across the papers presented. “Yes, I can understand how difficult that must have been.”

“He never said a word, of course, but I think he felt abandoned. They’d been quite close. Then, when you add all of that to his problems at home. Well.” She threw up her hands. “I guess it’s no wonder he gets a little testy now and then. The next one, too, please.”

“At home?” Nicole signed. “What’s wrong at home?”

Penny chuckled. “Stick around, Doc. You’ll understand after a few days. Those little cherubs you saw can wreak a lot of havoc. We’re trying to make allowances for him.”

And that, Nicole guessed as the nurse scurried out of the room, was blatantly obvious. She knew from Miss Winifred that Dr. Darling’s wife had died of cancer almost two years ago. But he was a doctor—he’d seen death before. Of course, it was far worse when it was someone you loved, but he had his daughters. Surely he was learning to cope?

“Your patient is in examining room two, Dr. Brandt. May I show you the way?” He stood in the doorway, watching her.

“No, thanks. I just need a second or two more with this file. I promise I won’t knock your schedule off too far.” She smiled, then glanced back down at the case history.

“See that you don’t.”

Nicole made a face at his back, then snatched up the file and stalked toward the room. Tonight she was going to give Professor Adams a call and beg, bully, even bribe him to push up her place on the waiting list. She’d made up her mind, and coming here had only reinforced it.

General practice was not her forte. Hadn’t she always known that? She wasn’t good with people. She was a loner, used to dealing with her own idiosyncrasies. But when it came to reading others, she’d always been a flop. Wasn’t that why surgery seemed so perfect? Technique was number one with surgeons. People skills came a distant second when you were removing an appendix.

But that’s not the only reason you’ve chosen it, is it?

Nicole paused, her hand on the doorknob.

You think your father will finally love you for yourself if you can do the one thing your mother never achieved.

Sometimes being a loner wasn’t so great, especially when you talked to yourself—and yourself talked back.

Thrusting that little voice to the back of her mind, Nicole opened the door and breezed inside the treatment room, a smile pasted on her face.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Brandt. How can I help you today?”

Twenty past five and she still had three patients to see!

“I’m really glad to have met you. I think you’ll find that medication will take care of your rash with no problem. Okay?”

Nicole tried to hurry the woman, but to no avail. To tell the truth, she’d rather enjoyed the garrulous Millicent Maple. Her words shed new light on Dr. Darling and his rambunctious daughters.

“I’m sorry to babble on so, doctor. But you promise you’ll stop by our bake sale on Friday? We’re featuring quilts, too.”

“I’ll try my hardest.” Nicole waffled her fingers in a wave and scurried out the door.

Maybe he wouldn’t notice. Maybe he was tied up with his own chatty granny, catching up on all the latest Blessing news.

“You’re behind, Dr. Brandt.”

She almost groaned. Instead, Nicole fixed a saccharine-sweet smile on her lips and turned around.

“Yes, I am, Dr. Darling. Since every patient is new, it does take some time to go through the case histories. I’m sure you can understand that. Excuse me.” She opened the door and walked inside, determined to meet each need without watching the clock.

At ten after seven Nicole sat down to finish her files. At twenty after eight, with Penny’s help, she managed to get the whole lot off her desk.

“There we go. All ready to start fresh and clean tomorrow.”

Penny grinned, but her next words were cut off.

“Dr. Brandt, why have you kept my staff overtime?”

Nicole twisted to face him, her face burning.

“Just a moment, please, Dr. Darling.” She turned to Penny. “Thanks so much for all your help. I’m really sorry I’ve kept you so long, but I don’t know what I’d have done without you.”

“Not a problem. Actually, I enjoyed it. Good night.” Penny lifted the stack of files, grinned at Dr. Darling and sauntered out of the room.

Nicole closed the door behind her.

“Now, Dr. Darling. What was it you wanted to talk about?”

“Your lack of organization,” he muttered, staring at the mess she’d made of her office.

“I am not disorganized—I am new in this town. I am trying my best to do a good job here, but I will not sacrifice time with my patients to satisfy your need for a timetable. I’m sure that, given time, your ‘quotas’ will be met.” She got up, pulled on her jacket and lifted her purse. “Now, if that’s all, I’ve had a very long day. I’d like to get home.”

She was too tired and too frustrated to wait for his assent. She walked out of her office, out of the building and down the street toward Miss Winifred’s.

It really was a glorious evening. The sun was just beginning its descent and the spring air had cooled off enough to bring a quickness to her step. It felt good to stride along, stretching muscles that had been tense for far too long. Her stomach rumbled as she walked, reminding her that lunch had been a long time ago and rather puny at that.

Once on “her” street, as Nicole had begun to think of it, the tension slipped away as she strolled under awnings of newly budded maples, drawing in the scent of crocus, hyacinth and daffodils that blossomed in every yard but the last.