Chapter 6 #2
“Your first patient is Cutler ‘Beefcake’ Heart. You know all the single women in town are obsessed with his father,” Lana said, stretching out the Beefcake part and handing me Cutler’s file.
The kid was definitely going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up.
He had all the women under his spell already.
“Really? Is he that good-looking? I hadn’t noticed.” I smirked, and her head fell back in laughter.
“Sure, you didn’t. You haven’t told me, even though I’ve tried like hell to pry it out of you… do you have a special someone back home?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I’m single. And the only relationship I want at the moment is one with myself.”
She raised a brow. “Ohhhh… do tell. Those are words of a woman scorned.”
“Nothing to tell. Just dated the wrong guy and am happy to be single and on my own right now.”
“I get it. Before I met Carver, I dated this absolute jerk. I don’t know what I was thinking back then. But once I kicked his ass to the curb, I met my sweet husband. It can happen when you aren’t even looking for it.”
“Well, then, it would have to bite me in the ass because not only am I not looking, I’m making a conscious effort to stay the hell away from all men for a while.”
“I guess he really did a number on you.” Her gaze softened, and all the humor was gone. I hated that. When I showed how hurt I was. It made me feel weak. I was already dealing with being blindsided, but I sure as hell was not weak.
My head was held high. My heart was still beating. And I’d proven I could survive just about anything.
“Well, I would say he surprised me with who he was. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit that being on my own has been really nice, and I feel like I can breathe for the first time in a long time. So maybe I was settling all along, you know?”
“I get that.”
“All right, I need to go reply to a few emails and get my doctor coat on.” I chuckled and knocked on the counter twice. “Let me know when they get here.”
I called for Winnie to follow me as I opened the back door, and she ran out to the yard, dropping down to lie beneath her favorite tree.
I spent the next thirty minutes responding to emails and reading about some new asthma treatments that were working well for kids. I jotted down some notes just as Petra knocked on the door to let me know that Cutler and Nash were in room one.
“Nash said Cutler has been coughing a bit this morning, and he was glad they had an appointment already scheduled today so that you could listen to his chest.”
I nodded. I was happy he hadn’t thrown a fit that Doc wasn’t here.
He was here for a follow-up, and I was glad he wasn’t fighting me about doing it.
Doc wanted to retire, and he’d earned it.
But he felt guilty completely walking away, so he was doing this the only way he felt comfortable, and he still popped in twice a week.
“Okay, I’ll head in there now. Thank you, Petra.”
“Don’t tell anyone, but Cutler’s my favorite. I think he’s everyone’s favorite. And for good reason.” She winked and handed me his file, and I walked down to room one.
“Hey there,” I said when I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.
“Dr. Emerson! We just stopped by to see my girl Demi, and she told me you’re going to ride horses with us on Saturday.”
I chuckled. Clearly, there were no secrets in this town. I patted the examination table for him to hop up where I could take a look. “Yes. I said I’d give it a try. It’s been a while.”
Nash was standing against the wall, and he moved beside me. The smell of pine and mint filled the air around us, and I was making every effort not to be distracted by him.
I hate men. Well, at least the ones I’m not directly related to. I have no interest in men romantically. Single men are the enemy.
There. The world was better now.
Cutler coughed, and I could feel the large man beside me stiffen. I turned to look at him. “Seasonal allergies can cause someone to cough. All coughs are not bad.”
He raised a brow, clearly surprised that I was picking up on his nervous energy, and he gave me the slightest nod.
“Pops worries a lot since what happened at my baseball game, so I try not to cough around him now.”
“What?” Nash said, sounding completely offended. “You better not be holding in a cough on my account.”
I tried to hide my smile and shook my head at him. “What if you take a seat over there so I can listen to Cutler’s chest without you hovering?”
“Hovering? What is this? Two against one?” Nash said with a laugh, his tone lighter now. He appeared more relaxed as he stepped back and leaned against the wall a few feet away. “I’ll move over here, but I’m not sitting.”
“Spoken like a very mature person.” I smirked before looking back at Cutler, who was laughing hysterically now.
“Sorry, Pops.”
“He’s fine,” I said, and heard him bark out a laugh from behind me. “I need to listen to your chest, so no more laughing for a minute, okay?”
“Okay.” Cutler straightened, and damn if this kid didn’t melt my heart.
His hair was gelled straight back, and he wore a white tee and a pair of basketball shorts.
His gold aviators were in his hand, and it looked like he was heading to a meeting with the head of the mob from the neck up, and from the neck down, he looked like a six-year-old kid going to camp.
I put the stethoscope on his chest, and the room was silent now. “Take a deep breath in for me.”
He did as I asked, and his chest was clear. I listened several more times and moved behind him and did the same, listening as he breathed, completely aware that his father was watching us intently.
“He’s all clear. There’s no wheeze or congestion in there. I’m guessing he has seasonal allergies that can often cause a little cough.” I had him lie back so I could check his stomach, and everything looked good.
I spent the next few minutes with them telling me all about the peak flow meter and how it’s part of their morning routine now, and adapting to the new medication had been a smooth transition.
“All of my uncles have done the meter thing with me. I taught them how to use it,” Cutler said proudly.
“How many uncles do you have?” I asked as I looked at his vitals in his file that Petra had taken.
“I have four uncles. Uncle River, Uncle Ro, Uncle King, and Uncle Hayes.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of uncles.” I set the file down.
“I don’t have any brothers or sisters, so my uncles are my family.
And now I’ve got my girls, Demi and Ruby and Saylor and Peyton.
And now you’re my girl, too.” Cutler shrugged, and I glanced over to see the way Nash was smiling at his son before Cutler asked me a question.
“Do you have any brothers and sisters, Dr. Emerson?”
“Ohhhh,” I groaned dramatically, which made Nash laugh. “So many.”
“What are their names?” Cutler asked. He was so curious in the way he listened intently to everything people said around him.
“Well, I have a twin brother named Easton. And then I’ve got Rafe and Clark and Bridger.” I shook my head and laughed. “And my two cousins are more like brothers to me because they lived in the house next door when we were growing up. Their names are Axel and Archer.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of brothers. You’re the only girl?”
“Yep. I’m the only girl in the family.” I shrugged.
“Oh, man. Do you have a best friend, Dr. Emerson?”
My heart sank at his words.
I thought I did.
But I just stared blankly, as if I couldn’t answer the question.
Because the truth was too painful to say aloud.