Page 4 of Lost in Love

“You work at the abbey?” she enquired, pointing her pen at the logo on Anna’s sweatshirt.

Anna looked down and swept her long, brown hair behind her shoulder to better reveal the logo.

“Yes. I give the tours,” Anna replied, unsure where this new direction of the conversation was going.

“I have a friend visiting this weekend. We were planning on visiting.”

“Oh, I might see you, then?” Anna replied with a neutral tone. She wasn’t sure if the presence of the doctor at her place of work would be a positive thing.

“Yes, you might.” Dr Atkinson smiled again and then wheeled over to the printer to retrieve the prescription.

She passed the slip to Anna, who took it as their cue to leave, helping her dad to his feet. She led them back into the bustling waiting room.

“Goodbye, Mr Walker. If you have any concerns or questions, do let me know.”

“Thanks, doc,” Anna’s father replied.

Dr Atkinson narrowed her eyes and smiled at Anna. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Walker.”

Anna was about to respond when the doctor shouted the name of her next patient and disappeared back into her office.

As she directed her dad out of the surgery, Anna checked her watch. She felt as if time had slowed down in the doctor’s office, and her stomach knotted at the sudden panic that she might be late. She had fifteen minutes to get back to work. Plenty of time to get Dad settled and sprint back to work. Slipping her arm around her dad, Anna helped him cross the road.

“How do you feel about it all?” Anna asked as they reached the front door.

“It is what it is, love. No use fighting it, eh?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll look after you. I’m not going anywhere,” she said, giving him a little squeeze on the shoulder.

“I know you will, love, and I’m grateful to you.”

“I wasn’t here for mum, so I’m going to make sure you get the best care there is, I promise.”

As she took the short sprint back to the abbey, she realised that the knot in her stomach was still there, and she knew why. Dr Katherine Atkinson was the most attractive but infuriating woman she had met. She had single-handedly made her feel ashamed and embarrassed by her behaviour, but what niggled her most was that Dr Atkinson had no idea why it was her instinct to behave like that around doctors, especially those she didn’t fully trust yet.