Page 23 of Protecting What's Mine

Mack followed them into the exam room and closed the door. She arranged herself in the corner like a resident on rounds and tried to look non-threatening.

Trish made quick work of the physical exam while the boy seemed determined to burrow back into his mother’s flesh. The mother looked worn out to the point of giving up.

“Looks like Tommy’s got that rhinovirus that’s going around,” Trish announced.

“Nothing serious. Okay,” Colleen said, nodding. “Does it make me a horrible mother that I really wished for some kind of magic cold medicine to give him that would make him sleep through the night?”

Trish’s laugh was one hard-hitting “Ha!” She shook her head, curls shaking. “Honey, that makes you normal.”

Relief that you weren’t a bad person was sometimes as much of a balm as actual medicine.Mack knew that from experience.

“Now, here’s my prescription for you. We just started to get you back into good health. Tommy here has been a challenge since you first found out you were pregnant with him. No offense, kiddo. I was a challenge to my parents, too. You can’t parent or work or wife or whatever other verbs you’ve got going on when you’re completely depleted.

“So. Fluids. Easily digestible meals for the little guy here. If he’s not better in another two or three days, call the office. Dr. Mack here will give you a script for antibiotics if she thinks this thing has turned bacterial. Okay?”

Mack gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

“Okay.” Colleen paused, bouncing Tommy on her hip. “What if he doesn’t help me?”

“Your husband? If he refuses to help raise the child he had a fifty-percent hand in creating, then you leave Daddy and Tommy for two nights and get yourself a hotel room. Two nights. Not one.”

Mack blinked.The country doctor was prescribing her patient to leave her husband.

“Anyone can function on one night of bad sleep,” Trish continued. “But you need him to feel the pain of chronic depletion. Two nights of him not sleeping will give him a whole new perspective on the last three years for you. And if it doesn’t, tell his mama on him. She’ll scare him straight.”

Colleen nodded, her face blank. “Hotel. His mother. Got it.”

“Good. Now go on and get your lollipop at the front desk. It’s all gonna be fine.”

Mack watched them.

“Is that typical? To get that involved in a patient’s personal life?” she asked, feeling uneasy. “I’m not qualified to give marital advice.”

The doctor’s guffaw could probably be heard a block away. “Welcome to small-town family medicine, Mack. You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you.”

“I have zero experience with patient relationships. Mine begin with most of them unconscious and end with me handing them off before they regain consciousness.”

“Good! Then this will be a good learning experience for you,” Trish said, patting her on the shoulder. “I’d hate for you to be bored. Just remember, we focus a lot on preventative care. We’re still saving lives, just in slower motion.”

This was a definite shift in gears. Mack was used to slapping on metaphorical bandages and leaving the details up to the hospital. Now, she’d be in charge of the details.

“Let’s get to that tour,” Trish suggested.

The tour was short. Two offices. Two exam rooms. A room with X-ray and ultrasound tech. A sunny kitchen/break room with a new fridge and an old table. There was the supply closet that housed both medical paraphernalia and office supplies. Employees parked in the back. Mack’s office was Trish’s office.

“Want me to clear out any of this personal crap?” the doctor asked, making a sweeping gesture at the bookcase in the corner that sagged under the weight of photos of the Dunnigans’ wedding day, framed certificates, and an intriguing number of bobbleheads.

Mack shook her head. “No, it’s fine. You’re coming back. I don’t need to personalize anything.”

“Still. Feel free to slap up some pictures or at least order a new desk chair. This one can be temperamental if you’re not used to it.” To demonstrate, she flopped down and leaned back. The entire seat assembly bucked backward.

Mack reached out to catch her.

“Don’t worry,” Trish snickered. “Hasn’t thrown me yet. I’m a professional. But don’t let it sneak up on you. Catch you unawares.”

LUNCH WASTRISH’S TREAT.She devoured half an order of spring rolls and the lunchtime cheesesteak special. “I can feel your nutritional judgment,” she said, washing a bite of cheesesteak down with a gulp of raspberry iced tea. “But I’m about to embark on a four-month world tour with my opinionated, vegetarian wife. I’ll be lucky to sneak a cheeseburger once a month.”

Mack smiled. There was something sonormalabout the doctor.