Page 4 of Beating Heart
Being young.
If I had a nickel for every time I was asked if I was a real doctor, I’d be a very wealthy woman.
But this guy—he was a close-minded prick.
He’d judged me before I even spoke.
I understood being worried about his son, but he didn’t need to be an asshole to me. I was here to help.
I’d come here to Magnolia Falls—the last place on the planet I’d expected to be.
But you know what they say… when life gives you lemons, pack up your shit and get the hell out of town.
Maybe I’ll make that the new saying.
I let out a long breath and stared down at Cutler’s file. “I suggest that we start by putting together an asthma action plan. I’m assuming you had one of sorts with Doc Dolby because you knew what to do when Cutler had that asthma attack after his baseball game. But this would be far more specific.”
“All right. What would that entail?”
It’s progress. At least he isn’t growling at me anymore.
“I’d like to get you a peak flow meter, which will let us know how well the lungs are working. This is a handheld device that you can use before you notice symptoms. It’s a helpful tool to know when to adjust the treatment, or it can give us a heads-up if a flare-up might be coming.”
He nodded. And his lips twitched, which I guessed was the closest I’d get to a smile from this grump of a man. “I can do that. We’d use it daily?”
“Yes. I think it will help with peace of mind, as well, because you’ll know how his lungs are doing each day.”
He cleared his throat and started to speak but stopped himself.
“What is it?” I pressed.
He shrugged. “I’m fucking nervous that this is going to happen when I’m not there. That it’ll happen at summer camp or at school, and the teachers and counselors won’t know what to do.”
“I get it. You have every reason to feel that way. So, we come up with an asthma action plan, and everyone in Cutler’s life will be aware of what that entails. Everyone needs to know what to do if this happens again.”
“Okay. I can get on board with that.”
It was the first time I’d noticed his steely gray eyes. His chiseled jaw was peppered in day-old scruff, and his dark hair was shorter on the sides and longer on top. The man looked like he’d just stepped off the set of a magazine photo shoot with his effortless good looks and broody demeanor.
I’m sure women drooled over his presence, but lucky for me, men were not on my radar. I’d officially sworn off all men two months ago—and even the hottest man on the planet wouldn’t get a reaction from me right now.
“We have a lot of different options for medications. I know you have an inhaler now, but Doc Dolby and I discussed running a few tests and then deciding where to go from there. There are other meds that we could try, and I’d be happy to go over those with you now.”
He let out a long breath and sighed. “All right.”
“I want to make sure you know that I will do everything in my power to provide the best care for your son. I may not be from Magnolia Falls, but I promise you, I’m here to help.”
At least for the next six months, which is the contract that I’ve accepted.
I’d needed to get away to somewhere I could think and figure out what I wanted to do with my life moving forward.
After all that had happened, I’d never been more lost.
And somehow, I ended up here.
We spent the next thirty minutes discussing different options such as inhaled corticosteroids he’d already been using and combination inhalers that would offer two types of medications at the same time, as well as filling him in about biologics, which are shots that target certain parts of the immune system.
He listened, and we agreed the best plan would be to start slowly and change the inhaler Cutler was currently using now with a stronger medication before we try a different option. He agreed, and I saw the fear and exhaustion there, and I actually felt bad for the guy.
