Page 27 of A Secret Chance
Both sisters looked to the door as Dr. Dupont stepped back into the room. The new doctor had caused quite a stir in Chance Rapids when he arrived. The man could’ve stepped off the set of a soap opera, and all of the single women in town had lined up to take the open spots in his roster. He brushed his sandy brown hair back and smiled when he saw Charlotte in the room, redness rising up his neck from the collar of his shirt.
“Dr. Dupont.” Charlotte shook his hand.
“Miss O’Hare. I’m glad you’re here.”
Dr. Dupont picked up the clipboard from the end of Lauren’s bed. “How are you feeling, Lauren?” he asked.
“Great,” Lauren said. She peeled the sheets back. “Can I go now?”
“Hold on a minute,” he said as he shook his head. “Your blood sugar appears to be stable, and all of your vitals are good.”
“What’s the hold-up?” Lauren asked. She was starting to get frustrated and wanted to get the hell out of that hospital.
“It’s our hospital protocol.” He turned to face Charlotte. “She can’t drive. And she’ll need someone to keep an eye on her.”
“Do we need to wake her up throughout the night?” Charlotte asked. It was a valid question, the level of precaution usually relegated to concussion patients.
“If she had head trauma, yes, but the ambulance attendants said that someone caught her before her head hit anything.”
Lauren remembered the coffee shop spinning before she blacked out. “There was someone playing the ukulele,” she tilted her head, trying to remember if there was a band at the coffee shop.
“You’re free to go, Lauren.” Dr. Dupont scribbled some notes on her chart. “Keep up with the electrolytes and try to not work too hard.”
“Good luck,” Charlotte huffed. “She’s the lead counsel in opposition to the Sugar Peaks Mountain Development.”
“That might explain it.” Doctor Dupont rubbed his chin. “Charlotte, you make sure that she takes it easy. Stress can do strange things to the body.”
“I’ll do my best,” Charlotte said. “Thanks, Doctor.”
Doctor Dupont stepped back and his heel caught on the leg of the bed. His arms flailed, but he managed to spin on his heel and catch his balance before he fell to the ground. Lauren looked at Charlotte and shook her head. This man was literally tripping over himself in her sister’s presence.
***
LAUREN SQUINTED ASCharlotte’s car emerged into the light of day as they entered the Sugar Peaks side of town. The local radio station had issued a weather warning, but Charlotte lowered the volume when they started into their corny jokes.
“What did you mean about the ukulele?” Charlotte asked. “Are you really losing your mind?”
Lauren rubbed her forehead. “It’s so weird. Every time I try to remember what happened, I can just smell the coffee beans and hear a ukulele playing.”
Charlotte kept her eyes on the road, but Lauren could see her sneaking glances at her from behind her oversized sunglasses. “So, you were getting coffee and fainted.”
“No, I was having a meeting. A business meeting,” Lauren quickly corrected.
“Right, with the developer,” Charlotte said. She steered the car onto her wide heated driveway and put the car into park. She pulled her sunglasses off and turned to face Lauren. “Maybe the doctor is right. This case might be a bit much for you. Can you get some help?”
The heat rushed to Lauren’s face. “I can handle it.”
“Well, your medical records say otherwise,” Charlotte said. “Look, Lauren. I know what stress can do to a person. I just don’t want you to get sick.”
Lauren sighed. She knew that her sister was just worried about her.
“Eddie Vedder,” Lauren said.
“What?” Charlotte’s brow was knitted.
“There wasn’t a live band at the café. The developer. His ringtone was a song by Eddie Vedder.”
“The one from that movie?”
