Читать книгу The Doctor's Dating Bargain - Teresa Southwick, Teresa Southwick - Страница 9

“I put a patient in exam room one. And I use the term patient loosely, if you know what I mean.”

Ben looked at the disgusted expression on nurse Ginny’s face and was afraid he did know what she meant. It was another single woman faking a sprained ankle or wrist or something else as an excuse to put the moves on him.

“Does she have a casserole?”

Ginny grinned, a sign she was enjoying this way too much. “Yes.”

“Okay. Is there a chart?”

“Uh-huh.” She handed it over. “The home phone number is highlighted and underlined and asterisked.”

He looked at the paperwork inside the manila folder. Cherri Lyn Hoffman. Twenty-five. Worked in accounting at the Blackwater Lake power company. Single. Discomfort in right ankle. “Well, I guess we should see what’s wrong with her.”

“Or not.” Ginny headed down the hall to the break room.

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

“You’re a big boy. I think you can handle this.” She kept walking, then turned into the last room and disappeared.

Ben sighed as he knocked once on the exam room door. “Miss Hoffman?”

“Come in.”

He did. In this Victorian house donated to the town and turned into a clinic, the rooms were bigger. There was a sink in the corner and walls filled with charts and posters. One for nutrition, with portions of fruit and vegetables dominating. Another was a skeleton with bones labeled.

The patient was sitting on the paper-covered exam table with her legs dangling. Brown hair fell to her shoulders and teased the tight white T-shirt. Some shiny stuff sparkled on the front of it. A denim skirt the size of a postage stamp hit her just below the curve of her thigh and barely covered her…assets.

He left the door open, then went to the sink to wash his hands. “Hi, Miss Hoffman. I’m Dr. McKnight.”

“Please, call me Cherri.”

And you can call me Dr. McKnight, he thought, but couldn’t say it. “What seems to be the problem?”

“I think I twisted my ankle.”

“Let me take a look.” He sat on the rolling stool and moved toward her, and the very high heels she was wearing. That was the first clue she was faking. He looked at both legs. “Which one hurts?”

“The left.”

He looked in the chart where Ginny had noted that, per the patient, the injury was to the right ankle. “I don’t see any swelling or trauma.”

Cherri stuck her leg out. “Maybe you can feel something.”

He could feel it was a sham without touching her or looking at an X-ray. “Why don’t you walk across the room for me?”

“All right.”

She slid to the step at the end of the table, then stepped to the floor with an exaggerated wince as her right leg took her weight. Turning toward the doorway, she limped on the right leg. After a pivot she came back and favored the opposite side before stopping at the exam table next to him.

She blinked her big blue eyes. “What do you think, Doctor?”

God, he hated this. Several times a week this happened. He wanted to tell her not to waste his time. This wasn’t a game and he wouldn’t order needless diagnostic tests or prescribe medication for a nonexistent condition. But he was a professional and couldn’t say any of that.

“I don’t think it’s serious.” He kept his tone neutral with an effort. “When it bothers you, take over-the-counter medication for pain. Elevate it and alternate cold and heat.”

“Thank you. I’m so relieved it’s nothing serious.”

It was serious, but not in a way she would understand. He stood and headed for the door. “All right, then. Have a good day.”

“Wait.” She moved quickly to stop him. “Don’t I need to see you again? Another appointment? Or something?”

“No. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

She lifted a covered casserole dish from the chair next to the door beside her purse. “This is for you. I thought you being a bachelor and a busy doctor that you might like something home-cooked.”

“Thank you.” He took it but couldn’t manage a smile. “Goodbye.”

“Are you going to call me? To see how I’m doing?”

“I’m sure you’re fine.”

Before she could stop him again, he walked out, down the hall to the break room. Once safely inside, he shut the door. There was a refrigerator on the wall beside it and he opened the freezer, then shoved the food in with the five or six others there. The fridge was running out of room.

Ginny was sitting at the oak table having a cup of coffee. “We usually leave that door open.”

“I know.” If only it had a lock.

“Are you hiding?”

“Damn straight,” he said.

“How’d it go with Cherri Lyn?”

“Same as always. Couldn’t keep the limp consistent.” He leaned back against the counter. “That’s actually a good thing, because otherwise it would have been tempting to order unnecessary X-rays just to be sure.”

Ginny’s blue eyes sparked with mischief. “So, are you going to call her?”

“Of course not. What she did is inherently dishonest. You can never trust someone like that.”

Talking about trust made him think of Cam, who clearly had issues with it. As far as he could tell her checkered past was isolated in her rebellious youth. Anyone should get a pass on that. Now she seemed straightforward and sincere. He couldn’t picture her faking a medical problem. In fact, he’d seen her do a number on her foot and refuse to let him look it over. He wouldn’t mind seeing her any time, for any reason. Or no reason.

He looked at Ginny. “I’m losing my patience.”

“From where I’m sitting, patients of the female persuasion are on the rise here at Mercy Medical Clinic.”

“You know what I mean.” He snapped out the words, then drew in a deep cleansing breath. “Sorry. But I’m really frustrated with this situation. This is a medical facility, not a speed-dating event. I have a professional reputation to maintain.”

“You’ve got a reputation, and being a doctor is only part of it. The other part is bachelor.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” She grinned.

“Well, that makes one of us. The thing is, it could be dangerous. What if I blow someone off who really has a medical issue because of all the women who are faking it?”

“They shouldn’t have to fake it if you’re doing it right.”

“Ginny—” he warned.

“All right.” She held up her hands in surrender. “This is the thing. It’s your own fault.”

“Mine?” That hit a nerve. “What did I do?”

“How can I put this delicately?” She thought for several moments. “Tough love time. And I do love you. A doctor who isn’t married and doesn’t have a girlfriend is fair game for every marriage-minded woman or matchmaking mother within a five-hundred-mile radius of Blackwater Lake.”

“God help me.” He shook his head. “And there’s no immunization?”

“Nope.”

“So, you’re saying I need a wife?”

“Or steady girlfriend.”

“That’s just wrong,” he said.

“Are you gay?”

“No.”

“Confirmed bachelor?” she persisted.

“Not exactly.”

“Then, what exactly are you?”

“Just a guy who wants this to stop.”

“Then you need to hook up with someone so the women will leave you alone.”

“I haven’t met anyone to go out with.” No one except Cam Halliday and she’d only be around another few months. She was leaving town.

And just like that he realized she would be perfect. It wouldn’t exactly be faking it, not if she knew exactly what was going on.

The best part was that no one would get hurt.

Try talking to her like a very nice person. Cam recalled Ben’s advice as she waited for the employee in question. When she heard the knock on her office door, she swiveled her chair away from the computer and called out, “Come in.”

She hoped Ben was right about this, because so far nothing had worked. Her role model had taught her the scare-the-crap-out-of-employees style of management. Her father had managed family the same way.

The door opened and Mary Jane Baxter took a hesitant step forward. She was a very attractive blonde in her early thirties, with blue eyes and square black glasses. “You wanted to see me, Ms. Halliday?”

“Yes. Thanks for coming, Mary Jane.” She folded her hands on her desk. “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“All right.”

“Please shut the door. And have a seat,” she added.

The woman’s expression said she was terrified, but she did as instructed and they faced each other across the desk. But Mary Jane’s leg was moving nervously and she looked everywhere but at Cam.

What would Ben do to put her at ease? Probably ask a personal question.

“How long have you worked here at Blackwater Lake Lodge?”

“Almost eight months.”

“Are you married?”

“Yes.”

“Children?”

“Yes.” Mary Jane almost smiled. “A girl and a boy.”

“That’s really nice. Are they in school?”

“When the youngest, my daughter, started first grade, I decided to go back to work.”

The woman still looked tense enough to snap in two. What else could she try? Mary Jane was already scared, so maybe it would be effective to do the exact opposite of her father. Take down the barriers.

Cam stood, rounded the desk and sat in the other chair beside her employee. And stop keeping her in suspense. “I might as well come to the point. We need to talk about your unscheduled breaks from the registration desk. Because that’s the first place our guests see, there really needs to be someone behind it at all times to greet and take care of the customer.”