Page 33 of Axe-identally Married
“I’m sure he’s a fine young man,” she said, head down and very concerned with the contents of her purse.
“To answer your question,” I said, smiling at Kayleigh as I pulled my prescription pad from my pocket. “I don’t have one yet. But we’ll get one soon.”
Once I’d torn the script from the pad, I explained to her mom that I’d call with the results of her strep test once they were in.
Once I’d ushered them out, I turned and headed to the second patient room. It wasn’t even ten, and the day was already off to a roaring start.
I skipped lunch because I was so far behind, and I hadn’t even updated charts yet. So while Dr. Walters talked me through which labs should be ordered when the patient presents with hypertension, I shoved a protein bar into my mouth.
“Dr. Savard,” Mellie said, poking her head into the office I now shared with Dr. Walters. “Mr. Moran is here for his physical in exam three.”
Standing, I threw the wrapper away and picked up my laptop.
When I stepped into the exam room, I was greeted with a wide, warm smile. “My favorite doctor.”
“My favorite patient,” I said, returning the expression.
Bob Moran had retired from the timber business a few years ago and now drove a school bus in town. He was only sixty-one, but his health was poor.
“Have you started the vitamins we talked about? And added a little exercise?” My dad’s notes showed that he’d been trying to talk him into exercise for a long time. Heart disease ran in his family, and his blood work was not great.
“Exercise is boring. Let’s talk about the fact that you got hitched.”
I rolled my eyes. “Small habits can have a big impact on your health.”
He huffed. “You sound like my wife.”
With my hand on my hip, I gave him a pointed look. “Your wife is right, but I expect that’s most of the time.”
“Oh, is that how it is? Now that you’re married to the town hockey star, you know everything?”
“About heart health? Yes, pretty much. Multivitamins and fish oil and exercise. I mean it.”
“Fine, Doc. But only because you’re my favorite.”
“I mean it.” I eyed him for a long minute so he’d understand I was serious. “And if that cholesterol isn’t getting lower in three months, we’re adding medication.”
As he was leaving, Mr. Moran turned and gave me a wink. “You’re doing a great job, kid.”
I thanked him, but his compliment did little to counteract the way every other patient questioned my capabilities.
After a case of the flu, a case of eczema, another ear infection, and a few well visits, I collapsed in my office chair and massaged my temples. My massive water bottle sat full on the top of my desk, calling to me. So I picked it up and chugged.
When I’d set it down again, I opened my email, praying I’d find notifications that indicated I had applicants for the job I’d recently posted.
Instead, there was nothing.
My shoulders sank. I was getting desperate. We needed more staff. Sure, my father had always run a lean operation, but he’d worked himself into a stroke. And with the recent closure of clinics in Heartsborough and Millinocket, we were more in demand than ever. Medicine was changing, and in order to offer the best care to our patients, we needed to change with it.
In residency, I’d been introduced to the community care model that had been adopted in a lot of big cities with vulnerable populations. The more I learned, the more I believed that type of approach would be beneficial to rural communities as well. People up here had few options, which made it even more important for me to bring comprehensive care to my patients.
But right now, my grand plans were on hold. There was no time to work out the best way to tackle the problem while I was struggling to keep up with my day-to-day tasks.
Dr. Walters, the cranky pain in my ass, was the key to my sanity. So for now, my number one priority was keeping him happy.
“You were totally right about RSV prevention dosing . Thank you for helping,” I said as he put on his coat and headed toward the door.
He snorted. “I may be old, but I know what I’m talking about.”
