Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
May’s first patient of the day was three-week-old Noah Jensen.
His mother, Claire, sat beside the exam table, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion. Her black hair was pulled into a loose knot and wisps escaped around her face, and the shadows under her eyes spoke loudly.
Noah’s relentless cries pierced the small room.
Claire bounced him gently, her movements automatic but strained.
“He just won’t settle. I feed him, I burp him, I change him.
Freddy is great with him and walked around with him all last night, but the poor kid keeps crying.
I’m afraid something is wrong.” She looked at the door and blinked rapidly.
“Let’s check him out. I’m glad Freddy is fully involved.” The guy seemed pretty decent to May.
Claire snorted. “He’s so sweet, but this morning, when he left for school, he walked right into the wall.” She placed a hand over her mouth, her bloodshot eyes glimmering with amusement. “I think he considered canceling class today, but he was giving a test, so…”
May smiled. “I bet the kids would’ve loved to miss the test.” She’d heard that Freddy was a pretty tough grader with his math classes at the school. She glanced at the chart. “Noah is gaining weight appropriately, and you say there hasn’t been a fever or vomiting.”
“Nope, and his diapers are normal, from what I can tell.”
May stepped closer to examine the baby.
Noah flailed immediately, his tiny fists jerking as his protests escalated. May loved babies. Always had. His skin was warm and his heartbeat strong. Those lungs worked well, and his abdomen was soft beneath her fingers, exhibiting no distention, no guarding, and nothing suggesting acute pain.
May straightened. “Okay,” she said gently. “This is classic colic.”
Claire’s eyes widened. “So nothing’s wrong?”
“Nothing harmful,” May reassured her. “Colic is tough. For babies and parents. But he’s healthy.”
Claire exhaled, relief mixing with lingering doubt. “He sounds miserable.”
“He is, but it passes.” May outlined the plan. “I’ll prescribe simethicone drops. They can help with gas discomfort. Smaller, more frequent feedings sometimes make a difference. Burp him thoroughly.”
Claire watched her baby.
“You can also try gentle leg movements. Slow bending and extending,” May added.
“And the crying?”
“It usually peaks around this age,” May said. “Then improves.”
Claire shifted Noah against her shoulder. “I hope so.”
“I usually don’t lie about these things.”
That pulled a faint, tired smile from the young mother.
May handed over the prescription and printed instructions. “Watch for fever, vomiting, or any change that worries you. If you need to talk, call me any time. You have my cell phone number.” The entire town had it, and that was fine with her.
“I will. Thank you, May.” Claire left with Noah bundled tightly in her arms, his cries fading gradually down the hallway.
The clinic door closed. May took a deep breath and let herself dream about babies for a moment. Of course, the one in her brain had light green eyes and unruly black hair. One good kiss from Ace Osprey didn’t lead to babies. The guy had issues. Too many of them.
“We’ve got another patient,” Ivy said from the doorway.
May resisted the urge to sigh. Ivy’s tone warned her this would be interesting. “Of course we do.”
Ivy’s mouth twitched. “Exam Room Two.”
May grabbed fresh gloves and headed down the hall, already bracing herself. The clinic smelled faintly of antiseptic and coffee. Outside, the morning light was bright and relentless. Alaska didn’t ease into the day.
She stepped into the room and stopped short.
A man in his early thirties sat stiffly on the exam table, shoulders locked, head hanging at an awkward angle. He wore a white T-shirt and had folded his blue flannel next to him.
“Hi,” May said automatically.
“Hi.” He turned.
May winced.
A treble fishing lure was embedded in the side of his neck, one barb buried deep just below the sternocleidomastoid. The remaining hooks dangled uselessly, metal glinting under the overhead light.
“That has to hurt,” she said.
He kept perfectly still. “Caught a little fish this morning.”
Ivy snorted behind her, quickly disguising it as a cough.
May stepped closer, shifting into calm clinical mode. “Name?”
“Mick Thompson. Up from California.” He gave her a crooked grin despite the situation. “Saw you at the bar the other night.”
“You probably saw everyone at the tavern,” May said, already assessing the wound. No active bleeding. Good. No expanding hematoma. Even better. “Want to tell me how this happened?”
“My brother’s a moron.”
May’s lips twitched. “That’s usually the mechanism of injury in cases like this.” She examined the entry point carefully. The barb was seated firmly, and removal wouldn’t be pleasant. “All right. It’s lodged pretty well. I’m going to numb the area and remove it. Do you have any known allergies?”
He shook his head carefully. “None.”
May glanced at the chart Ivy had handed her. Mick had done a good job filling out the questionnaire. No allergies. No significant medical history. Thirty-five years old. Healthy. “Have you been drinking alcohol, Mr. Thompson?”
“Call me Mick, and it’s ten in the morning.”
She studied his clear eyes. “Yeah, but you’re on vacation.”
He gingerly reached toward the wound. “No alcohol. Not even a Bloody Mary. We got up early and went out for some simple fishing at Naluk’s Pond.”
May paused mid-prep. “Naluk’s?”
“Yeah.”
“That pond’s on private property owned by Ben Naluk,” she warned him.
Mick blinked. “It is? A couple of locals told us all about it. Said we could relax and drop in a line for a little while to catch some Arctic Char.”
“The pond has delicious Arctic Char,” May agreed.
In fact, Ben paid her with copious amounts of the sumptuous fish whenever the elderly man needed medical care, which was rare.
“However, Mr. Naluk doesn’t like trespassers and is absolutely fine leading with his shotgun and not his words.
” Oh, Ben probably wouldn’t have shot them, but he might’ve fired at a tree or two.
Mick’s eyes widened. “That’s not good.”
May accepted the syringe from Ivy. “This will pinch a little.”
He held still as she infiltrated lidocaine around the wound.
“You’re lucky you weren’t shot at the pond.” May might as well help Ben keep visitors off his property. She waited a beat, then tested the area gently. “Can you feel this?”
“Nope.” Mick carried the scent of pine and cold morning air.
“Good.” With steady hands, she clipped the trailing hooks, advanced the barb slightly, and then backed it out cleanly. A thin line of blood followed. “All done.”
Mick exhaled. “That’s it?”
“You need a tetanus shot.” She pressed gauze to the site.
“Just got one a month ago.”
Good enough. “This is just a small puncture wound that you want to keep clean. Watch for redness, swelling, fever, and drainage. Basically perform standard wound care.”
He nodded. “About that property. We didn’t see any signs posted.”
“Mr. Naluk isn’t big on posting.” May studied the lure now resting in the tray. “Also, that’s the wrong lure choice for a pond like that.”
Mick blinked. “It is?”
“You’d want something smaller. A size six Panther Martin would work better. There are several local ponds that are state run you can fish at legally. Drop by the city center for a map,” May said.
He grinned. “Thanks for the tip, Doc.”
“My best tip?” May peeled off her gloves. “A, stay off private land. B, stay out of your brother’s casting radius.”
Mick laughed. “Noted. Do I check out up front?”
“Nancy will take care of you on your way out.”
He hesitated while drawing his flannel on over his T-shirt. “So… I couldn’t help noticing you’re not wearing a ring.”
May glanced at her hand. “I’m not.”
“How about dinner tonight? As a thank you.” He was charming. Confident without being pushy. Attractive. Relaxed.
“That’s kind of you,” she said gently, “but it’s really not necessary.”
Ivy watched him and then looked at May with a slight jerk of her head. An encouraging one to take the handsome guy up on his offer. With his beard and lighter eyes, he was good looking.
“I know it’s not necessary, but I think we’d have a good dinner. I saw a restaurant called the Green Plate that looks pretty good. I’d love to take you out,” he said.
“Thank you, but no,” May said.
He winked at Ivy. “Maybe I’ll see you both at Sam’s Tavern.” Then he walked out.
Ivy nudged May’s shoulder. “Why not? He’s cute.”
“I’m not dating a tourist.”
“I would.”
May started to clean up. “Then you should’ve said yes when he winked.”
Ivy grinned. “I can’t go out with him after he asked you out. Plus, I took Jack Jones all night fishin’ up the river the night before last. We had a good time. For a city guy, he can fish.”
May stilled. The younger guy who worked for Kyle? “Ivy, I’m glad you’re having some fun. Also, that’s the night that the college student was killed. Did you see anything when the two of you left town?”
Ivy sobered. “No. Nothing. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing, and we didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
We were at Sam’s Tavern that night before leaving to fish.
I already gave a statement to the troopers, and I’m pretty sure that girl was still at the bar when we left? But I’m not a hundred percent on that.”
Before May could respond, Nancy called down the hallway. “Doc? We’ve got a walk-in.”
It was a busy morning, now wasn’t it? May moved quickly toward reception, Ivy right behind her, and stopped short.
Jack Jones leaned heavily against the counter, pale and sweating. His older companion supported him, arm locked firmly around his waist. A running shoe sat abandoned near the door, and a muddy sock clung to an obviously injured foot.
“What happened?” May asked.
“I’m Jack. We met the other day. I think my foot’s broken.” Pain etched into the lines of the young man’s face. He wore muddy gray sweats with a blue tank top that showed edged muscles.
Ivy gasped. “Jack? Oh no. It’s broken?”
“Let’s not decide that from the lobby.” May pointed toward the hallway. “Bring him back.”
His friend helped him hop past a watchful Nancy at reception, down the hallway, and into the second exam room to sit on the table.
“What happened?” May asked.
“I went for a run and hit a slick patch. My ankle rolled hard,” Jack hissed out.
May eased the sock off carefully. “Okay. Let’s take a look.”
Ivy inhaled.
Swelling had already set in, with deepening purple discoloration along the lateral ankle. May focused. “I’m going to examine it. Let me know where it hurts most.” Her fingers palpated gently, mapping bone, ligament, joint line. He flinched when she reached the lateral ligaments. “Here?” she asked.
“Yes.” He paled.
“And here?”
“Yes.”
Despite the bruising, there was still movement. “I don’t think it’s broken,” she said calmly. “But we’ll confirm with an X-ray.”
The older man cleared his throat. “I’m Peter. Is he going to be okay?”
“I think it’s most likely a sprain. We’ll know more once we image it. The hospital is attached to the clinic, and we’ll do X-rays there,” May said.
Jack exhaled shakily, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Worst vacation timing ever.” He winked at Ivy. “Although I’ve learned to fish at night, even if it was light outside.”
May allowed herself a small smile. It was nice to see Ivy having some fun, even if her new love interest worked for Kyle the jackass senator.
“Dr. Smirnov?” Peter asked.
She looked up.
Peter was dressed in a polo shirt and jeans, leaning casually against the far wall. “Since we have you here, do you think you could take some photographs? Maybe out by the trees near the river. Just a few photographs with Kyle. Fishing shots, maybe.”
“Why would I do that?” May asked.
Peter smiled politely. “He says you’re getting back together. We’d like to show a more romantic side of him. Voters love that kind of thing.”
May didn’t hesitate. “We’re never getting back together.”
The man straightened. “Ah. I’m sorry, May. I didn’t introduce myself properly and just gave you my first name. I’m Peter Langford, Kyle’s chief of staff. I joined the team a couple of months ago and wasn’t there when you used to date.”
“Dr. Smirnov, not May,” she said evenly. “If you want to help your candidate, tell him to stay away from me.”
Peter’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh?”
“Yes. If he doesn’t leave me alone, I’ll go to the media.”
Jack shifted on the table. “Whoa.”
Peter glanced at him. “We thought you two were just on a short break?”
“No,” she said.
“Oh.” Peter cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize there was a problem. So, uh, I’ll talk to Kyle. If you’re not interested, we’ll have to find another angle.” Curiosity glimmered in his eyes. “But we didn’t need to come all the way to Knife’s Edge, though.”
“You really didn’t,” May agreed, her body feeling chilled.
Peter hesitated. “Also, I’m out of my blood pressure medicine. What do I do about that?”
May gestured toward Ivy. “She can help you sort that out. You’ll need a refill from your primary physician, but we can have medication flown in if necessary.”
“Oh. Good.” Relief filtered across Peter’s face, although he still looked confused. Exactly what had Kyle told him?
May stepped back. “All right, Jack. Let’s get that ankle imaged.”