“So? Are you suggesting he’s too old to be taken in by my feminine wiles? I’m offended, Aiden! Some men, not you, but some, find me quite appealing.”
I snorted. “I have no doubt.”
Liliana was gorgeous inside and out. Straight men would probably run into traffic for a chance with her. But she’d never flirt her way into a supply of medication. She just liked to yank my chain.
She unloaded her stash of meds, then came to read over my shoulder. “I’ll get Ruby into Exam 1. Dr. Meadows will be reviewing your charts remotely today.”
“He’s not coming in?”
“It’s just you and me, babe.”
Nerves coiled in my stomach. “Okay. I’ll try not to make any mistakes.”
“No one expects you to be perfect. That’s why he’ll still review the charts. You’ve already pulled a few shifts. You’ve got this.”
I nodded. Right. Perfectionism was one of my weaknesses. I needed to excel. Not just excel, but exceed expectations. I was pretty sure it started when my dad turned his harsh words and hard fists on me for the smallest of infractions. It’d been a survival instinct. The more perfect I could be, the less he’d hurt me. In theory, anyway. I’d never really been able to please him, no matter how hard I’d tried.
It’d only gotten worse when Flynn went off to prison. He’d sacrificed his freedom for me. Now, I had to beworthit.
To reassure myself, I reviewed the charts I’d filed on my last shift, along with any changes Dr. Meadows had recommended. They were all minor suggestions. I’d made all the proper diagnoses, but he’d suggested an extra strep test on one patient. On another, he’d pointed out an alternative medication that would work just as well with fewer side effects. I made mental notes so I wouldn’t make those mistakes again.
I couldn’t do the exam until Liliana finished her intake, and I found my thoughts drifting back to this morningwith Knight. He’d taken it well when I blurted out I didn’t want him to fuck me. How verynotsmooth of me.
Knight seemed to roll with anything I threw at him. He was the most easygoing guy I’d ever met. Except for the night he’d confronted me about avoiding him, anyway. And I could hardly complain about that since it’d led to so many pleasurable things.
“You’re in a good mood!” Liliana singsonged, jolting me from my thoughts. “Who’s the guy?”
“What?”
“Nobody grins at charts like that, Aiden. Fess up.”
I rolled my eyes as I slid off the stool. “Exam 1 ready for me?”
She sighed. “Fine, go be responsible. But I’ll get the truth out of you!”
I slipped down the hall, sure that she would.
A mother and toddler waited in the exam room.
“Hi, Ruby,” I said to the little girl seated on the exam table, who had an adorably chubby face and little copper-colored pigtails. “Are we feeling icky today?”
She looked at me with big blue eyes, then turned to look at her mother. Carrie Anderson was a pretty woman, with auburn hair cut in stylish layers and a sprinkling of freckles over a pale complexion.
“She’s had an upset stomach,” Carrie said. “She has diarrhea that just won’t quit.”
“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound fun. How long has this been going on?”
Carrie gave me a rundown of her daughter’s illness while I reviewed Liliana’s notes. I asked a few follow-up questions about the foods she’d been eating, whether they’d traveled recently—to rule out parasites—and concluded she had a stomach virus that would pass on its own.
I did an exam, just to be sure there were no underlying problems Mom hadn’t noticed.
“Okay, she’s a little dehydrated,” I said. “So my prescription is simple. Give her Pedialyte to replenish those lost liquids. Avoid sugary juices. Those can make the diarrhea worse. And bland foods only. Think banana, bread, rice, pudding. Nothing too challenging for her digestive system.”
Carrie stood close to the table, keeping a hand on Ruby’s back. “She loves bananas, so that should work.”
I smiled at Ruby. “Well, who doesn’t love a good nana, huh?”
She giggled and repeated, “Nana!”