Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
“Hey, Doctor Lofton!”
Xavier looked up from his tablet to see Darla Maroney waving at him from where she sat in the waiting area of his practice.
“Darla, hi,” he said, then frowned. “Wait. I don’t have you on my schedule today, do I? Is something wrong?”
“Oh, not at all,” she said reassuringly. “I’m only here for a blood draw, so I don’t think I’m scheduled with you, just the nurse.”
“Phew,” he said, relief coursing through him. “Not that it isn’t nice to see you… but as a doctor, you never want to see a patient unexpectedly. It’s never good news when that happens.”
“You mean people don’t just swing by to tell you that they’re feeling perfectly healthy?”
“Almost never,” he said, shaking his head like this was a huge disappointment.
She laughed and he glanced at his watch. He actually had a little bit of time before his next appointment, so he could pause for a chat. He knew the nurse was a little backed up today, so this would help Darla pass the time while she had to wait a bit longer than was typical for a small-town practice.
“Now that you’re here,” he said, “indulge me a little in doing the whole ‘doctor thing.’ How are you feeling? How’s everything going with the specialist in Providence?”
“Good,” she said. “This blood draw is supposed to help us know when to schedule the first round of implantation or something.” She rolled her eyes at herself playfully. “You know, science, science, something, something. But that means that’s coming up soon, so…” She trailed off.
“Nervous?” he asked. “Excited? Both?”
“Both,” she agreed. “And a little nervous about getting too excited. I know thinking positively is a good thing, but I’m also a little worried that I’ll get my hopes up too high.”
He nodded in understanding. He’d seen enough patients go through this process to understand the complex emotions that often came with fertility journeys.
“If it helps,” he said, “my official position is that you’re doing great. You know that nothing is guaranteed, but you’re still looking forward to things. That’s the best you can do.”
“Thanks,” she said, smiling gratefully. “And some days are highs and some are lows. Sometimes I’m sure that I’ll have a baby pretty soon, others I feel like it’ll never happen. But most days are in the middle.” She made a slicing motion with her hand. “But enough shop talk. Like you said, I’m not on your schedule for today. How have you been? Rick told me about how you ran into him with the guys at the dog park. He said your dog is adorable.”
Xavier grinned. Thinking of Coco always got that reaction from him.
“Not to be ‘that guy,’ but I have to show you a picture,” he said, pulling out his phone to show a perfect action shot he had of Coco, midair, as she caught a frisbee.
“Whoa!” Darla exclaimed. “I don’t know what to say first, that she’s so cute, so good at frisbee, or that you’re an amazing photographer.”
“The last two are luck,” he said, laughing. “She catches the frisbee like once every twenty throws, and I get a good picture like once every fifty tries. The cuteness thing is very real though.” He thought warmly of his canine companion as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.
He took in a fortifying breath before admitting the next part.
“It was really good for me to spend time with people socially,” he admitted. “I’ve been so busy with work the past few years… the past many years, actually, that I’ve neglected my social life a tiny bit. And I love Coco, but she doesn’t talk back, so that’s one point against her.”
Darla gave him a sympathetic look. “I get that. I was so wrapped up in my art when I lived in New York City that I didn’t build as many friendships as I would have liked. And I was just painting, not saving lives!”
“Art is important too,” he insisted.
“Oh, it is,” she agreed. “I meant more that I can see how easily your kind of work could suck you in. You’re doing such good things for this town! And then one day you look around?—”
“And all that’s there is work,” he concluded. “Exactly.”
She nodded with understanding, then something lit in her eye. “You know, if you’re thinking you want to be a little more social…” She trailed off.
“What?” he prodded.
“Okay, I have an idea. What if you let me set you up on a blind date? I know somebody who I think you might really hit it off with.”
He hesitated. He’d dated, of course, but he’d never gone on a blind date. He was the kind of guy who liked certainty and order.
On the other hand, wasn’t that what had gotten him into this rut in the first place? Too much certainty and order?
Maybe a new experience was what he needed, especially if it pushed him out of his comfort zone.
And maybe dating would help him stop thinking about the woman at the bank so often.
"You know what? Let’s do it,” he said, feeling a rush of excitement at his own bravery.
“Yeah? Awesome!” Darla looked delighted.
Just then, the practice’s nurse stuck her head out of the small lab. “Darla, hey, I’m ready for you now. Sorry to keep you waiting.” She smiled at Xavier. “Thanks for keeping her company, Doctor Lofton.”
Darla quickly gathered her things and stood.
“Let me get the details arranged,” she told him. “And then I’ll be in touch. But get excited. I have a good feeling about this.”