Page 105 of When You Blush

And I’m getting impatient.

I need more of her. I just don’t know how to make that happen.

An hour later, I’m in my office, typing notes on my first patient of the day before I go into the next exam room. My schedule is packed, but I’ll be damned if I’m staying late today. I need the medical gods to shine down and not give me anyone who needs labs drawn late in the day that I’ll have to stick around for.

I need smooth sailing.

And before Harper, I never had these kinds of thoughts. That’s not lost on me.

She’s changed everything.

And it doesn’t scare me at all.

“Room 11 is ready for you, Dr. Blake,” Sharon says, poking her head in my office.

“I’ll be right there.”

I close the laptop, loop my stethoscope around my neck, and knock twice on the door before pushing it open.

“Good afternoon, Hillary.”

“Hey, Doc.” She pushes her hair back behind her shoulder and bats her eyelashes.

Yeah, I fucked Hillary a few years agobeforeshe was my patient, and she won’t let it go. I took her off my patient list and passed her to someone else, but she’s a work-in, and there was no one else to see her. I’m taking overflow this afternoon.

“What’s going on today?” I ask as I open my computer and look at the vitals that Sharon got for me. “Your blood pressure is pretty low.”

“I’ve been woozy,” she says, nodding. “And I get this warm sensation that floods over me, and it’s really unsettling.”

“Makes sense with the blood pressure. Dizziness is common. Hop up on the table and let me hear your heart.”

She does as I ask. I’m relieved that she’s not touching me inappropriately today.

“Take a deep breath for me.” We go through the four more breaths, and I frown. I don’t like the way her heart sounds. “Have you ever been diagnosed with a heart murmur?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “Not that I’m aware of.”

I press my stethoscope over her heart again and close my eyes, listening.

Definitely a murmur.

“Hillary, I’d like to get an EKG and a chest X-ray before you leave. I hear a bit of a murmur in your heart, which can sometimes be associated with low blood pressure. How much water are you drinking in a day?”

“Probably not enough,” she admits. “I forget.”

“Keep a bottle with you and get that water in you. Do you eat foods rich in iron?”

“I eat on the run a lot. It’s wedding season, Blake. I’malwayson the go.”

Hillary is a baker and is known for her wedding cakes.

“You need to eat well. That’s part of your problem. Add a little salt to your water, that will help the blood pressure a bit. If you feel like you’re going to pass out, sit down. You don’t want to fall and hit your head.”

“I’ve passed out a few times,” she admits, and I frown.

“Let’s get those tests. Don’t leave until I get the results. It shouldn’t take long.” I open the exam room door and point to the left. “The EKG and X-ray department are just at the end of the hall. Take this paper down there, and they’ll take care of you.”

“Thanks. Hey, before you go, we should get a pizza sometime or something.”