Page 12 of My Heart's Doctor

As I was going down in the elevator, I felt that my mood was also falling with that speed. Why the hell did I feel this way? The best thing would be to stay as far away as possible from Devon Dulcet.

Chapter 4

“Give a little love to a child and you will gain a heart”

—John Ruskin

Devon

Afew days had passed since my encounter with Cavaller, and I would always catch myself thinking about him at some point. I sensed it was because that man had impacted me like few people, or to be honest, like no one else had, but I was at peace knowing we wouldn’t see each other again, or perhaps I was disappointed—I couldn’t really say.

I was examining my last patient of the day, a two-month-old baby, when the office phone rang. The nurse accompanying me answered the call.

“Good afternoon. Dr. Dulcet’s office.”

—…

“The doctor is with a patient. You can leave a message or call back in a few minutes.”

—…

“Give me a moment while I find a paper to write down your message.”

—…

“Very well, I’ve written down the name and phone number. The doctor will contact you. Good afternoon.”

—…

When I finished the consultation, the nurse told me someone had left a message and that the details were on a piece of paperinside a folder on my desk. I read the message after closing the patient file on the computer.

Mrs. Alba, Aurora Cavaller’s nanny. Please contact her at tel. 09*******

I couldn’t help thinking about the father, but I tried to stay calm. Although I had no intention of seeing or speaking to him again, I didn’t question calling Alba because I would never disrespect her like that. I picked up the phone decisively and called her.

“Hello?” said a woman’s voice.

“This is Dr. Dulcet.”

“Doctor, how wonderful to hear from you. This is Alba, Aurora Cavaller’s nanny. How are you? Thank you so much for returning my call.”

“No problem, Alba. How are you and Aurora doing?”

“We’re fine, but I should tell you that this little one still remembers you and asks for you. I think you made quite an impression on her. Every time she puts on her princess dress, she says your name.”

I smiled hearing what she told me. It was very touching to know that the little girl remembered me.

“Aurora is a very sweet child.”

“That’s why I was calling. Today she’s a bit down because her father has been away on business for a few days and she’s probably missing him. To cheer her up a little, I thought perhaps you could meet so they can spend some time together, if you’re available and it’s not too much trouble.”

My brain was trying to process all this information. The father was away on a trip, which gave me the assurance that I wouldn’tsee him. On the other hand, having the chance to spend time with Aurora made me very happy, so I didn’t hesitate.

“It’s no trouble at all. I’ve finished with my appointments for today and I don’t have to work the emergency room, so I can meet with you. Would you like to come to my place or should we meet somewhere?”

“I don’t want to take advantage of your generosity, but could you possibly come here?”

Go to Cavaller’s house? The idea didn’t appeal to me because I felt like I would be invading his privacy. Alba must have noticed my hesitation because she added: