Page 9 of Choosing Happily Ever After

“Brody’s a great guy,” Hope agreed. He was also the chef and owner of the local restaurant Birchwood, and the two of them had worked together on more than one occasion for catering. “He’s pretty hot, too, don’t you think?”

Sarah’s face turned bright red, but her wide smile vanished at the same time. “I hadn’t noticed.” She shook her head and looked down. “You can go into room four, Hope. Doctor Friesen shouldn’t be too long.”

Hope hesitated, unsure of what more she should say, having clearly hit on a sensitive topic. “Thanks,” she finally muttered. “And let me know when Rory has her first game. I’d love to come cheer her on with you. And maybe we can catch up a little.”

The smile returned to her friend’s face as she looked up. “I’d like that, Hope. Thanks.”

A few moments later, Hope found herself perched on the edge of the examination bed, the thin paper crinkling loudly beneath her, just the way she had been since she was a kid and Doctor Friesen had taken over for his predecessor, whom she could never remember. She took in all the posters on the walls that advertised various medications, including one for birth control. She almost laughed out loud. It had been averylong time since that had been a consideration.

But it might not be that way for long.

The thought popped into her head so unexpectedly it actually caused her to blush. Just because Levi was back in town didn’t mean that anything was going to happen between them. And the fact that she’d entertained it, even for a second, was more than a little disturbing.

Was it?

A knock on the door followed by the doctor’s arrival saved Hope from herself and her thoughts that were rapidly taking a turn. “Hi, Hope. It’s good to see you.” The doctor made his way into the room, and sat on his stool before turning and giving her his familiar friendly smile. She swung her feet, feeling like a child.

“It’s nice to see you, too.”

“But not that nice, or you wouldn’t be here today, would you?” He transitioned smoothly into doctor mode. “What brings you in today? Your chart says you’re tired.”

It sounded even more ridiculous when it came from the doctor’s mouth. She was wasting everyone’s time. Hope shook her head, but then nodded with a shrug. “I am. I know it sounds really stupid and—”

“Not at all.” His kindly face didn’t reflect any annoyance at all, only concern. “In fact, I think it’s very important to listen to your body and if you’re not feeling right, like something is off, you shouldn’t ignore it. Now, tell me, what exactly is going on with you?”

Despite her initial urge to turn around and leave, Hope was put at ease the way she always was with Doctor Friesen. It must be a skill they teach at medical school, how to get patients talking. For the next few minutes, she relayed all of her symptoms, which consisted mostly of complete and utter exhaustion no matter how much sleep she was getting and some occasional pain in her abdomen.

“This pain.” Doctor Friesen stopped her. “Can you describe it?”

Hope shrugged. “Kind of like a menstrual cramp, I guess. But different. More pressure.” She shook her head. “I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. I actually thought it might be period related, but…”

The doctor tilted his head. “And how have your periods been? Normal?”

She hadn’t stopped to think about it until he asked, but she’d always been regular with her cycle, and it had been a littleofflately. “Heavier,” she told the doctor.

He made a note in his chart. He still used paper charts, a fact that she knew drove Sarah crazy, because she’d been trying—and failing—to move him to a computerized system. Hope stifled her smile as he continued to ask her questions. “And how is your appetite? You look like you might have lost a little weight from the last time I saw you.”

She shrugged. She hadn’t given her appetite any thought. She was eating. Mostly. “I guess I’m not actually that hungry these days.”

He nodded and continued to make notes for a few minutes before putting down his pen and spinning on his stool to face her. “Okay. I’m going to listen to your heart, look in your throat, and all that stuff, but we’re also going to send you for a blood workup, and my chart shows you’re due for a physical, so we should probably take care of that, too.”

Hope sighed.

“I know, no one likes to visit the doctor, but not to worry, Hope. We’ll figure it out. It’s not normal for an otherwise healthy young woman like yourself to not feel one hundred percent.” He pulled out his stethoscope and pressed it to her chest. “I hear that you have help around the ranch finally.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “News travels fast around here.”

He winked. “You’re not surprised, I hope? Besides, I think it’s a good thing. Especially while you’re not feeling on top of your game. A little help around there is exactly what the doctor ordered.” He looked her in the eye. “At least until we figure out what’s going on with you, okay? It’s never a good idea to wear yourself down.”

She nodded, because there didn’t seem to be much of a choice. Doctor Friesen always did have a way of taking her right back to her youth. She followed his orders when she was a child; she wasn’t about to stop now.

Levi could stay.

For now.

Levi

“I know I keep saying it every day, but I still can’t believe you’re here.”

---