Page 59 of Love's Cure

Emmett’s cell rang. He clicked on the call and listened. “Okay, I’ll be right there.” He ended the call. “Emergency. A little boy has broken an arm. I’ve got to leave.”

“I’ll come with you,” Crystal said, placing her napkin on the tabletop.

Emmett studied her. “Okay, let’s go.” He turned to his mother. “We’ll have dinner another time, Mother. Goodnight to both of you.”

He helped Crystal out of her chair, and she gave his mother and Diana a bob of her head before turning and following Emmett out of the room.

As they were waiting out front for the valet to bring his car, Diana rushed out to them. “Emmett, I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me. I just wanted to have some time with you.”

“I’m on a date with Crystal. We can talk later,” he said as his car was driven up to the front. He helped Crystal down the stairs to his car, and after getting in himself, they took off with a roar.

“What was that all about?” Crystal asked. “You didn’t know Diana was going to be there?”

“My mother suggested it, but I told her no, that I wanted her to get to know you. I’m sorry. She can be so irritating, hurtful.”

“That was humiliating.”

Emmett reached over and took hold of her hand. “You handled yourself well. I’m just sorry you had to go through another terrible scene with my mother.”

“Maybe we’d better cool it,” said Crystal. “It’s obvious I’ll never be acceptable to your family, your mother in particular.”

“It’s my life, not theirs,” said Emmett quietly but firmly. “Do you understand now why I’ve done what I did by changing my name, educating myself, and demanding independence?”

Crystal nodded but it didn’t make her feel any better.

“I’m going directly to the clinic. Do you want to go with me?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Crystal. “If we have time after that, I can whip up dinner at my apartment. Then the entire evening won’t be wasted.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Emmett driving to the outskirts of town where his practice was located.

When he got there, a mother was waiting in the car with her eight-year-old son who was crying.

“I’ll open the office. Will you help them get inside?” Emmett said to her.

“Sure.” Crystal got out of the car and walked over to them.

The mother was sniffling as she helped a crying boy out of the car.

“Hello, I’m Crystal, here to help Dr. Chambers. He’s getting ready for you inside. Please come with me and he’ll get you all fixed up.” She knelt in front of the boy. “It’s going to be all right.”

Crystal led them inside where Emmett had turned on the lights and was waiting for them.

“Hello,” he said. “I’m Dr. Chambers.”

With tears still wet on her cheeks, the woman said, “Hi, Dr. Chambers. I’m Samantha Butler, and this is my son, Jeffrey.”

Emmett knelt in front of the boy. “Hey, Jeffrey, we’re going to take a look at your arm and then get you fixed up.” He looked up at the boy’s mother. “Tell me what happened.”

“We were having a picnic at one of the lakeside parks, and the kids were all running around like crazy. I called to Jeffrey to tell him to stop, and when he turned towards me, he tripped on a toy truck and fell.” Her eyes welled with fresh tears.

Emmett stood. “Things like this can happen, especially with active young children busy having fun. He’s not a regular patient of mine. Is there any medical information I should be aware of? Is he up to date on a tetanus shot?”

“He’s up to date on all medications,” Samantha said. “I tried to tell him to be careful ...”

Crystal walked over and put an arm around her. “Don’t blame yourself. I remember when something similar happened to my sister. I felt terrible, thinking it was my fault. But kids are bound to have accidents from time to time. It’s how we all learn.”

Emmett glanced at her and smiled. He turned to Jeffrey. “We’re going to get a picture of your arm. Why don’t you come back with me, and I’ll show you how we’re going to do it. Mom, you might want to join us.”

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