Читать книгу Healing His Widowed Heart - Annie Hemby - Страница 13

Chapter Three

A few patients had wandered into the free health care clinic this morning, but the pace had been slow. Dr. Marcus definitely could’ve handled this on his own, but Lexie was glad to be here. And hopefully, as word got out about the clinic, there’d be more patients.

When a teenage boy walked in the front door that afternoon, she turned to Dr. Marcus.

“Do you mind seeing him?” Dr. Marcus asked, pretending to be busy.

Lexie nodded thankfully and led the young boy back to her examining room.

“Where is your mother?” she asked as he climbed onto the table.

“At home. She told me to come here. It was just a skateboarding accident. Happens all the time,” the kid said. Lexie recognized him from the Teen Center the other night. He was wearing an oversize button-down shirt and had a backward ball cap on his head. There was a grin on his childlike face despite the intermittent grimace that came when he moved his arm.

Lexie nodded, turning her focus to his wrist. She’d already palpated the bone and he’d nearly jumped off the table. His wrist wasn’t broken, just sprained. A dark pool of purple blood resided just below the skin between his forearm and hand. She gently placed an ice pack over it.

“Ouch!” The boy shifted uncomfortably.

Lexie lifted her gaze to the rectangular bulge in his front pocket. “I’m more concerned about those cigarettes in your pocket. You’re not even eighteen.”

His mouth dropped slightly. “They’re not mine. They’re for my mom.”

“I see.” She twisted her mouth to one side thoughtfully, knowing a lie when she heard one. In the sterile room, she could smell the stale smoke clinging to his clothing. “Do you know the harmful effects that smoking can have on a body? You’re young now and probably think you’re invincible, but cigarettes are bad for your health,” she warned.

The teenager stared at her, his eyes glazing over. He wasn’t listening. He might as well have had earbuds blasting music in his ears like all the teens she’d seen around did lately.

“By the time you’re my age, you’ll be short of breath just going up a flight of stairs if you keep that up. You certainly won’t be fit enough to ride your skateboard.”

“They’re for my mom,” the teen said again, his gaze skittering to the wall behind her.

She frowned. “Well, in that case, you should tell your mother that I advise her to quit the habit and take care of herself, because she’s worth taking care of. And so are you.” Lexie pulled a pen out of her white lab coat and jotted down something on her prescription pad. She wasn’t sure her patient was fully listening to her right now, and she wanted to make sure he followed her instructions. “Rest your wrist. Keep ice on it over the next few hours and take over-the-counter ibuprofen for the swelling. You should be fine by tomorrow, but if you’re not I want to see you back here in my examining room.”

The kid nodded. “Okay.”

“And I’d give the skateboard a rest for the next few days. You don’t want to fall on your arm again while it’s healing.”

The kid jumped down from the examining table. “Thanks, Doc.” He took the paper and started to walk toward the door.

“And remember to tell your mother my advice about those cigarettes,” she said, even though she was really advising him. “Quitting now will be easier than trying to quit later. Taking care of yourself is important.”

Lexie opened the door for him and froze at the sight of Mason on the other side of it. “Mason. What are you doing here?”

His mouth was set in a deep frown just like last night. His gaze moved from her to Trevor. “I told you that you could call me anytime,” he told the boy. “I would have taken you to the hospital.”

“I just saw this doctor,” Trevor said, pointing at Lexie. He held up the piece of paper she’d handed him, which outlined her care instructions. “See? Rest and ice. That’s all I need.”

“And stop smoking the cigarettes,” Lexie added.

Mason’s brow lifted. “Really?” He shook his head. “We’ll talk later. Right now we’re getting a second opinion on that wrist.”

Lexie crossed her arms and took a deep breath, mentally counting to five before speaking. “I’m sure Dr. Marcus wouldn’t mind doing that for you if that’s what you need to feel better about my treatment of Trevor.”

“I want the best for him.”

Meaning that she was not the best.

She rolled her lips together and held her tongue, turning to Trevor. “Is that okay with you?”

The teen shrugged. “Mr. Mason is overprotective. He acts like my father sometimes.”

She forced a smile, trying not to take Mason’s behavior personally. “Nothing wrong with that. I’ll just go see if Dr. Marcus can take a quick look.” She gestured for him to take a seat in her examining room again. Mason followed behind him.

He was right. She was a new doctor, not skilled enough to complete brain surgery. But she’d known how to treat a sprain since she was in the Girl Scouts.

“Dr. Marcus?” she called, poking her head into her mentor’s office.

He turned and offered a quick smile. “Everything okay?” he asked. “I saw Mason come in.”

She nodded. “And he wants a second opinion on my patient.” She blew out a breath. “Would you mind?”

Dr. Marcus stood and patted her shoulder. “I’m sure you did a great job, but if it eases Mason’s mind, I’ll take a look. He tends to hover over the kids from the Teen Center. That place means a lot to him.”

She watched Dr. Marcus head toward the examining room that she’d just left, staying back and deciding to keep her distance right now because she didn’t enjoy being doubted. And also because Mason made her nervous for more reasons than his scrutinizing gaze. He was handsome and she admired the fact that he wanted to look after the teens that he volunteered with. He was one of the good guys, even if he didn’t trust that she was any good at the moment.

* * *

Mason glanced around as he walked out of the examining room with Trevor at his side. Lexie was nowhere to be seen, probably off treating another patient, he guessed. Good. He was a little embarrassed by the fact that Dr. Marcus had given Trevor the same diagnosis and medical advice that she had.

“No shooting hoops for you for at least a week. Your arm needs some R & R,” Dr. Marcus said, following them out of the tiny room.

Trevor shrugged and mumbled an inaudible agreement.

“Trevor.” Mason bumped him gently.

With a sigh, Trevor met Dr. Marcus’s eyes. “Yes, sir,” he said. “No shooting hoops for a week. Got it.”

“And?” Mason urged.

Trevor grinned. “Thank you, Dr. Marcus. And that other doctor lady, too.”

Dr. Marcus laughed. “You’re very welcome, Trevor. Anytime.”

Mason was as proud of his teaching the kids at the Teen Center as he was of putting out fires and helping kittens out of trees. “I’ll take you home,” he said, his gaze falling on the rectangular bulge in Trevor’s front pocket. “And we’ll talk on the way there.”

“Hey, Mason,” Dr. Marcus called as they started to leave. “The clinic’s open house is next weekend. I was hoping you’d help.”

“Help?” Mason turned back to look at the older doctor.

“Well, I know you’re trying to raise money for the Teen Center. You could set up something outside to raise money for your group and to draw people in for us. It would help with the clinic’s outreach efforts, as well.”

Mason considered this. It wasn’t the clinic that he had a problem with. Dr. Marcus was a great doctor and he’d told Mason just now in light conversation that other experienced doctors from Carolina Medical would be volunteering their time here, too, in the coming weeks. It was really just the inexperienced physicians that Mason didn’t trust. Mason glanced around the room for Lexie, not seeing her. “I wanted to talk to you in more depth about those outreach efforts.”

Dr. Marcus frowned. “Dr. Campbell is a fine doctor. And she’s here in part to be mentored by me. She’s not going to do anything to intentionally harm anyone.”

Mason nodded. “She’s been great with the teens this week.” Not that he was happy about having one of them in her examining room. “If the wildfire is out by that point, I could spare some time for the open house. I’m sure a few of the other guys could, too.”

Dr. Marcus clapped another hand along his back and gestured to one of the patients in the waiting room. “Great. I’ve got to get back to work. Good seeing you, Mason. Trevor. I’ll see you Sunday at church.”

Mason nodded. Then he led the boy to his truck and headed down the road, already knowing where Trevor lived. Mason had been to the run-down house a few miles away a couple times to fix a broken heater and a leak in the roof. Mason also knew that Trevor’s mother wouldn’t be home right now. She was working tonight, either at the gas station down the street or at her second job caring for one of the elderly members of the church they both attended. She was a well-intentioned mother who had little time to invest in her son, at least if she wanted to keep him fed and clothed. What time she did invest, however, appeared to be quality time.

“So, tell me what really happened.” Mason glanced over at Trevor in the passenger seat of his truck.

“What’re you talking about?” the teen asked.

“If you got that sprain on a skateboard, where’s your skateboard?”

Trevor stiffened and his gaze averted out the passenger-side window.

That was what Mason thought. “We’ve talked about this. Fighting doesn’t resolve things.”

Trevor glanced back, but he didn’t say anything, which told Mason he was on to something.

“And neither does smoking.” Mason tipped his head at Trevor’s front pocket.

“You sound like that woman doctor you treated so bad back there.”

Mason stiffened now. “What are you talking about?”

“She was nice. Is it because she’s a girl?” Trevor asked.

“I don’t have a problem with girls being doctors. You know that. Besides, Dr. Campbell is a woman, not a girl.”

“A pretty one. Is that why you don’t like her? ’Cause she’s pretty?” Trevor was smiling now. The kid was too smart. Somehow in the first two minutes of their “talk,” he’d flipped the cards and was trying to shine the spotlight on Mason.

Mason frowned. “I know what you’re doing, and it won’t work. You’re trying to make me forget about lecturing you on those cigarettes and fighting. You know better than that. How’re you going to play pro basketball if you’re carrying around an oxygen tank?”

Trevor crossed his arms at his chest, then winced at the pain in his bandaged wrist. He leaned forward, looking at the surroundings outside the window. “I thought you said you were taking me home. This isn’t the way to my home.”

“I called your mom on the way to the health care clinic. Told her you’d be going to the Teen Center with me tonight if you checked out all right. And then Mr. Dave would be taking you home afterward. She agreed.”

From the corner of his eye, Mason could see Trevor trying not to smile. He liked the Teen Center. “Fine. You got ice there? Both of those doctors said to rest and ice my arm. Means you shouldn’t make me clean up when we’re done, either.”

Mason laughed. “Talk to Mr. Dave about that. I’m not staying. Not tonight.” He had something else he needed to do. Something that was suddenly weighing on him like a ton of bricks. He wasn’t a mean guy. The fact that Trevor had accused him of treating Lexie badly had convicted him just now. Lexie was just trying to help, which he admired about her—even if she was young and inexperienced, and he absolutely did not want her providing medical treatment for the people in his life.

* * *

Lexie finished writing in the last chart and released a long breath. They’d had a steady stream of people earlier in the morning, but the afternoon until closing had been slow. “I’m not sure you really needed me today,” she said, turning to Dr. Marcus as he walked into the room.

He sat in a rolling chair beside her and laughed. “I couldn’t have done today without you. I’m glad you’re here. I hope you know that.” His gaze narrowed.

Lexie shook her head as her mind trailed back to the incident with Trevor earlier in the afternoon. “I’m not sure everyone in town feels the same way.”

Dr. Marcus frowned. “You’re talking about Mason Benfield. Don’t take that personally. It’s not you. He...” Dr. Marcus’s brows knit tightly together as he considered what to say. “He hasn’t had the best of experiences with doctors.”

“He didn’t have a problem with you seeing Trevor.”

Dr. Marcus smiled warmly. “You didn’t learn this in school, but some people want a doctor to look a certain way. Whether it be male or female, old or young. There’s at least one person in this town that thinks it’s time for me to retire. She’s accused me of practicing ‘old medicine’ on her. I just have to shrug it off and do the very best I can for every patient who comes to see me. Sometimes that means letting someone else treat them.”

Lexie considered this. “You are still the very best teacher I’ve ever had.”

“Thank you, Lexie. And you’re the best student I’ve ever had, which is why I invited you to Carolina Shores to help me open this clinic. I’m sure there are a lot of opportunities in Raleigh, but this will be a great experience, I think.”

Lexie nodded. “I think so, too.”

Dr. Marcus stood, pulling off his white doctor’s jacket and draping it on the back of the chair. “It’s time for me to go home to my new bride.”

The b-word sliced through her. She’d been so busy today that she hadn’t even thought of her canceled wedding and happily ever after.

“You coming? Time for you to go home and get some rest, too.” Dr. Marcus turned to her, oblivious to her sudden heartache. She wasn’t sad because she regretted not marrying Todd, but because she regretted not having the wedding she’d put so much time and effort into. It was going to be a beautiful wedding, just like she’d always dreamed of, with white roses and bridesmaids’ dressed in shades of pink.

Lexie rose to her feet and began to collect her belongings. Home. She wouldn’t exactly call the Carlyles’ place home, but Clara and Rick certainly did make her feel that way. Mason, on the other hand, did not.

She waved good-night to Dr. Marcus in the parking lot and got inside her car. As she drove, she listened to her voice mail. There was one from her best friend, who was currently preparing for a baby-moon with her husband.

“Last chance,” Trisha said into the phone. “You can still decide to go to Hawaii by yourself instead of gifting the trip to me.”

Lexie smiled at the message. She’d rather spend her summer days doing exactly what she’d done today. The next message was from her mother.

“Are you coming home yet?” her mother asked. “I’m worried about you being all alone in a strange place. And the news says there’s a forest fire there. Are you okay? I love you.”

Lexie turned her phone off and tossed it onto the seat beside her. She’d call her mother back after dinner. Pulling her car into the Carlyles’ driveway, her heart sank as she noticed Mason’s truck. She was hoping he’d be at the Teen Center tonight. She couldn’t bear to see the disapproval or judgment in his eyes again today.

No, thank you.

In fact, maybe she wasn’t feeling well anymore. Her stomach was no longer rumbling. Instead, it was tying itself into tiny knots. Clara would understand if she just went straight to bed. It’d been a long day at the new health care clinic, after all.

Getting out of the car, Lexie took a step toward the Carlyles’ side entrance.

“Lexie?”

The voice was deep and even though they were still strangers to one another, she recognized it immediately. Turning, she faced Mason, who was standing in the dimly lit driveway. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. She didn’t want to fight. Like Dr. Marcus had said, some people had preferences for what their doctors looked like. She had to respect that. Don’t take it personally, Dr. Marcus had told her. Except Mason’s rejection since she’d arrived in Carolina Shores had felt very personal to her.

A soft word turns away wrath, she reminded herself. “Hi,” she said softly. She tried to summon a smile as she looked up to meet his gaze. She didn’t see judgment or disapproval there this time, which relieved her. “What’s going on?”

He took a step closer, coming out of the shadows. He’d been waiting for her in the driveway. She could only imagine why. Trevor had come to see her just like any other patient. She couldn’t apologize for treating him. She’d taken an oath to help people who were sick, hurt and troubled. Looking into Mason’s eyes now, she wondered if he was one of those things, too.

Soft lines formed off the side of his eyes as he returned her smile. It was the first time she’d seen him smile so fully, and...it suited him.

“Can we talk?” he asked.