Page 26 of Tumbleweed Temptation
Ginny waved him off and turned her attention back to the computer. She didn’t know what he’d been so uptight about. The program was pretty simple, pretty intuitive. Yeah, she would have liked more time to learn how to use it before he abandoned her, but she was no dummy. She could figure this out on her own.
She liked the quiet of the office. The phones weren’t ringing, she could only hear the quiet hum of Austin’s voice through the door of the exam room.
She wasn't used to sitting down, though, so after a few minutes of studying the program, she pushed to her feet and walked around the area. The coffee pot needed cleaning, so she did that real quick before she made a fresh pot. At least Austin had picked a decent coffee brew. Or maybe Melissa had. She poked around and found his office, surprised how neat it was. Of course, he hadn’t been seeing patients all that long, so he couldn't have accumulated much paperwork. She stepped out again, looking back in one more time. He hadn’t done anything yet to personalize it, either, to make it his own. She didn't really know who he was anymore, and nothing in the office gave her a clue.
She didn't need to know who he was, though. She was just here to help out today, since Melissa and Sofia couldn’t. She was less sure of Sofia’s reasoning, and for a while she’d wondered if Austin had put her up to calling Ginny. But his surprise at seeing her this morning dispelled that theory.
She meandered back to the coffee pot, poured herself a cup, checked the clock. Austin had been in with Mrs. Paladino for a while. Pretty impressive, she thought.
Just when she was sitting back down to work on figuring out the computer, the door opened. Mrs. Crowley walked in with her husband.
“Good morning, Ginny. I didn't expect to see you here today.”
“Just helping out until Melissa gets back. How can I help you today?” Ginny had scanned the list of patients for the day and she hadn’t seen either Mr. or Mrs. Crowley on the list.
“We were hoping Dr. Driscoll could fit us in today.”
“Um, he has a full schedule today, but we can make an appointment for you.” Ginny scrolled through the program’s calendar. “How’s a week from next Wednesday?”
“Nearly two weeks away?” Mrs. Crowley’s voice rose in a screech. “Are you sure you don't have something sooner?”
Ginny scrolled, and maybe she didn't understand the scheduling program as well as she thought, but she didn't see any openings. Austin seemed pretty consistent at giving everyone an hour, which she thought made sense since he was getting to know everyone.
“Nope, nothing here for anything before October, I hate to say.”
“That’s ridiculous. We pay all this money for a doctor to come to town, and then we don't even get to see him when we need to?”
Ginny blew out a long breath and met Mrs. Crowley’s gaze. “Maybe, if it’s an emergency, I can talk to him and see what he wants to do.” He hadn’t given her directions for emergencies. Surely he had a contingency plan for someone who was really sick.
“Of course it’s an emergency. Do you think I’d be here if it wasn’t?”
“Well, I don't know.” Ginny kept her voice even. “What’s the emergency?”
“My husband and I,” Mrs. Crowley said with a hard cough. “We both have this gunk in our chests we just can’t get rid of. Maybe it’s allergies, maybe it’s pneumonia, I just don't know, and only seeing the doctor can help.”
Ginny frowned. She hadn’t thought the cough was genuine, but Mr. Crowley didn't look so great.
“Y’all have a seat, I’ll talk to Austin—Dr. Driscoll—as soon as he’s done with his current patient. I’ll bring you the paperwork so you can have it done, either now or for the time we schedule the appointment.” She carried over two clipboards, one for each of them. Mr. Crowley still hadn’t said a thing, and Ginny wanted to tell him to stretch out on the couch because he did not look good.
She waited for Austin to step out of the exam room before she accosted him and guided him back to his office for some privacy.
“Mr. and Mrs. Crowley are here,” she said, keeping her voice low.
“Do they have an appointment?”
“No, but she says it’s an emergency. She was kind of fake coughing, but I think he might actually be sick. He looks just terrible. I know you told me to turn walk-ins away, but I really don't think it’s a good idea in this case.”
His lips, which he’d pressed together during her soliloquy relaxed a little. “Send him back to the second exam room.”
“Her, too?”
“If it’s okay with him.”
Mr. Crowley didn't have much of a choice, because Mrs. Crowley ushered them both through the door to the exam room, dropping the two clipboards on the counter with a clatter. When Ginny glanced at them, only one had been partially filled out. She finished up with Mrs. Paladino just as the nine o’clock appointment, Mrs. DeWinne, walked in about twenty minutes early. Ginny gave her Mr. Crowley’s untouched clipboard and started entering Mrs. Crowley’s information into the computer.
“Hey, Ginny,” Austin said from behind her. “Could you come here for a minute?”
“Sure.” She saved her entry and pivoted in the chair. When she walked into the exam room, though, she saw Mrs. Crowley in the chair with her hand over her mouth and Mr. Crowley on the exam table, shirt open, head lolling to one side, oxygen mask over his face.
