“That’s still plenty of time to get you in fighting shape for the season. You’re absolutely right, that's your meal ticket, which means you need to take good care of it.”
He shrugged again in a way that suggested he knew that I was right but didn’t want to admit it.
“Sure, sure. You’re the doc, I guess.”
“I’ll see you again in two weeks, alright? If you stick with the physical therapy regiment, I don’t see any reason why we can’t have you back in practice in a month.”
“That works, doc. And thanks.”
I led him to the exam room door and the two of us stepped out.
“Stop and see Olivia at the front desk, she'll get your next appointment set up. And don’t forget what I said about yoga.”
“I won’t.” He flashed me a grin over his shoulder. “And don’t forget whatIsaid about the other thing.”
“Uh...” That was all I had a chance to stammer out before Clay’s huge frame disappeared around the corner.
“That’s a face I'm not used to seeing you make, Doctor.”
“Huh?”
I turned to see Melanie, one of my senior nurses, leaning against the nearby wall with a knowing expression on her face. The office bustled with its usual daytime activity, nurses and aides zipping here and there and handling the patients.
“First, you walk in with a big grin on your face, that was strange enough on its own.Now, you’re looking totally flummoxed, like Clay said something that you have no idea how to respond to. I’m not used to seeing you happy, and I'm definitely not used to seeing you taken off-guard.”
She was right. I was wearing my emotions on my sleeve in a way that I never did.
“It’s... complicated. Personal life stuff.”
Her grin only deepened. “Has the good doctor finally found love? Oh mygosh, the girls here are going to be—”
“Let’s keep conversation work-related,” I said, cutting her off with a stern tone of voice. “You know that I'm not big on personal matters being discussed in the office.”
The smile stayed on her face. “Nowthere’sthe Doctor I know and love.”
I chuckled, in spite of myself. All the same, I quickly wiped the smile off my face just in time to hear familiar laughter from the front reception area.
“No way,” I muttered under my breath as I excused myself.
The laughter continued, and I arrived to see my mom, Karen, chatting away with Olivia at the front desk.
“You’rekidding. Clay Johnson was here?” she asked. “How the hell did I miss him?”
“That’s a really good question, actually,” Olivia replied. “The guy’shuge; even bigger than Dr. V.”
“And that’s no small thing. Did I ever tell you how big he was on the day he was born?Tenpounds. Can you believe that?”
“It’ssohard to imagine Dr. V. as a baby,” Olivia said. “He’s always so serious, you know?”
Mom swiped her hand through the air, shaking her head. “That’s just his way. Believe me, he has a soft side once you get to know him.”
“Alright, alright,” I said, entering the reception area and putting a stop to the conversation. “That’s enough talk about me as a baby.”
Mom grinned. “Speaking of babies...”
My stomach jumped and my eyes went wide.
“Wait, what?” Olivia, one of our summer interns from the University of Denver Med, was trim and blonde-haired with big blue eyes. Right away she caught the scent of gossip in the air.
