Page 15 of Beating Heart
“You did it,” I said. “How about we take a few sips of Gatorade, and you lie down here for a few minutes while we check this for you?”
She nodded, and her mother handed her the drink as I stepped out of the room.
Her results were instant, and she definitely had strep throat, so I was able to get her started right away on meds that would help her feel better quickly.
I was surprised when she hugged me goodbye, and her mother thanked me, as well.
But we were slammed shortly after, and the day had gotten away from me. Lana stopped by my office and said goodbye as she was heading home, and Petra was standing in my doorway shortly after.
“Dr. Chadwick,” Petra said, and Winnie lifted her head to look at her from where she lay beside my desk.
“Petra, you really don’t need to call me that. You can call me Emerson.” I stopped writing my notes and looked up at her.
“Okay. Well, Emerson,” she said, her lips turning up in the corners just the slightest bit. “You were pretty amazing today. You have a gift for calming small humans. Especially the really challenging ones.”
“Thank you. Like I said, I have a big family. I’m well trained with the challenging ones.” I chuckled.
“I think Doc is right after all. We are lucky to have you.” She gave me a quick nod before turning to leave. “Don’t stay too late.”
“Thank you. And don’t worry, I’m heading out soon.” I was happy that Petra and I were finding our way.
It had been a long day, and I was looking forward to a large glass of wine on my back porch as I watched the sun go down over the lake.
It had become my new favorite way to end the day.
five
. . .
Nash
Cutler and his best friend, J.T., were climbing on the jungle gym in our backyard while I flipped burgers and hot dogs on the grill. They’d been at summer camp all day, and I was hoping they’d be worn out because I sure as hell was. It had been a full day doing the build-out on a new restaurant downtown. Kingston and I were both working this job, since it was a large one. Installing a commercial kitchen was no joke, and we had our work cut out for us. We were adding on a large addition and dining area, along with renovating every square inch of the place.
“Almost time to eat, Pops? We’re hungry!” Cutler shouted from where he sat on the swings.
“Yep. Go wash your hands. Let’s go.” I piled the food on a plate and set it on the outdoor table. I’d already poured the baked beans into a bowl and placed those beside the condiments.
They both sprinted past me and ran into the house. They clearly weren’t tired just yet, so it was going to be a long night. J.T. was spending the night, as his parents had an event to go to, and I was always happy to have him here. Cutler was an only child, and he spent a lot of time with my friends, so anytime he wanted his buddy to stay over, I was good with that.
They took their seats beside one another, across from me.
“Pops,” Cutler groaned. “Why do I have to have veggies every night?”
I’d put some carrots and cherry tomatoes on their plates. My boy wasn’t a fan of salad, but he’d eat the veggies this way, so I always had them clean and ready for him.
“They’re vegetables,” I said, making sure to pronounce the word vegetables slowly. “And you want to grow big and strong, right?” I asked.
“But Uncle Ro says I am big and strong already,” Cutler said.
“I don’t know if I’m going to get big because I don’t like carrots. But I do like this hot dog,” J.T. said over a mouthful of food, and I laughed.
Out of my peripheral vision, there was movement, and I turned just as the horse-sized dog from next door came sprinting toward us.
“Winnie!” Cutler shouted, and the crazy-ass dog jumped right onto the wooden bench next to him and licked his face. Her paws were giant, and she rested one on his shoulder as he giggled.
“That’s a big dog,” J.T. said. “Where’d it come from?”
“Oh, no! I’m so sorry.” Emerson came running toward us. I hadn’t seen her since the day she’d moved in, and I’d fixed her fence. I’d left shortly after the movers had finished unloading her stuff. She’d left a plate of cookies on our front porch with a thank-you note the following day, and that was that. I’d seen her out on her porch a few times, but we hadn’t done more than share a quick wave, and she’d always hurry inside like she didn’t want to do more than that.
