by Krista Lakes
It didn't take long before the rest of the table started talking to the doctor. I'm sure it was a common occurrence. Being one of the two doctors in town meant that he was bombarded with health questions constantly. I admired his patience, though, as he spoke with everyone there. His demeanor was so relaxed and happy, which was pretty much the opposite of how I had been feeling before he'd shown up.
I watched him dreamily as he spoke and only stopped when my mom nudged her elbow into my side.
“Hannah,” she said. “Earth to Hannah.”
Embarrassed for my staring, I turned away from Dr. Matthews and faced my mom.
“Hey, sorry, I was just listening to the Doctor,” I said.
She glanced across the table to Jacob and then back to me with a frown. “I can see that.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” I whispered.
“He's practically engaged to Katie,” my mother whispered. “At least according to his mother.”
“Practically isn't actually,” I reminded her, repeating back a phrase she used to say to me all the time. “And he and his mother don't exactly get along.”
“What makes you say that?” Mom asked, a frown creasing her brow.
I thought back to our high school days and just how much Jacob hated his mother. I wasn't going to tell my mom about that time though. She'd just say it was too long ago to count anyway.
“In the month I've worked at the office, I haven't seen Katie once. I haven't even seen things from her bakery, or even heard him mention her or the bakery,” I told her. “If they were practically engaged, don't you think she'd have stopped by at some point?”
“Dr. Matthews is a busy man, and love works in mysterious ways,” my mom replied, raising her chin. She looked over at Dr. Matthews talking to another guest and shook her head. “I love you, but he's not the man for you.”
I sighed and picked at my corn. “Thanks, Mom.”
My dad came back from the grill with a plate covered in food. He set it down in front of Jacob.
“Now this looks incredible,” Jacob said, eyes widening. “Thanks, Frank.”
“Of course,” Dad said. “Anything for the Doctor. We're just glad you made it to the party. Eat quick, though, because after this we're playing tag football. Aiden's on the other team, so we need a good quarterback, too. You in?
“Most definitely,” he said. “Under one condition.”
“What's that?” Dad asked.
“I want Hannah on my team,” he said casually.
My eyes lit up. “Really? I'm not that good at football.”
“It doesn't matter,” Jacob said. “We make the best team ever at the clinic. I think that would apply to a football game as well.”
“Alright, I'll play,” I said, excited to spend some more time with him that wasn't in the clinic. “Count me in.”
“Omaha, Omaha,” Jacob called out as he stood behind me. “Blue forty-two...”
I was bent over in front of him, holding the football to the ground. My legs were parted just slightly, enough for me to crane my neck and look between them. I saw Jacob's hands hovering between my knees, waiting to accept the football from me.
I'm enjoying being bent over in front of him right now way more than I should be, I thought. I'd borrowed a pair of my mother's shorts, so I wore the dress like an over-sized shirt. Even though I was bent over in front of him, there wasn't anything to see. It was too bad.
“Hike!” Jacob yelled out.
I snapped the ball to him and then jogged forward. We had eight players on each team and half of them were kids. Jacob lobbed the ball to Zachary, who juggled it as he ran. He nearly dropped it, but managed to hang on. The adults on the other team chased him down, but were unable to catch him. In the first throw of the game, our team scored.
“Yes!” I said, giving Jacob a high five.
“Good job, as always, Hannah,” he said.
It was of course just a football game meant for fun, but it was still nice to score some points, especially with Abigail's husband as the quarterback for the other team.
We played football all afternoon until the sun began to slide downward toward the horizon. By then, we were all exhausted. The adults were anyway. The kids had just as much energy as they did when I first got there.
After winning the last game 21 to 14, Jacob and I walked toward the picnic table. We sat down next to each other, facing outward toward the yard. We watched the kids run around for a bit. It seemed they were still hyped up from the football. The mass amount of fruit punch they'd drank probably didn't hurt their energy level either.
“That was fun,” I said.
I sat close to Jacob, but not too close so that it was weird.
“Yeah, it was.” He glanced over at me and smiled. “Thanks again for inviting me. It's nice to get out once in a while. Seems like most of my life is spent at the office and when I have any free time, I'm usually just trying to keep my house in order.”
“Do you live by yourself?” I asked casually.
“I do,” he said. He glanced over at me. “You seem surprised.”
My eyes had widened and it must have been clear how shocked I was.
“I guess I kind of am,” I admitted.
“I'm surprised that you didn't know that,” he said. “Yeah, I live by myself. Well, it's me and my dog, Wilfred.”
“I just didn't know,” I said. “I guess I never asked. It's really none of my business, though. I just thought you were probably seeing someone.”
“You mean like Katie?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Yeah,” I replied, feeling a little silly. “I heard that you were practically engaged.”
He sighed and picked a discarded piece of corn from the table, tossing it to the ground for the ants. His face was dark and eyes somber.
“Practically engaged. My mom seems to think she needs to help out with my love life. Katie and I are friends. Not even friends, really. Acquaintances. We went on one date and neither of us wanted a second. But, that's not what my mother wants.” He shook his head. “So she's told the whole town we're 'practically engaged.'”
“So not much has changed there,” I said quietly. “Same as high school.”
“Nope. Some things change and some stay the same. I just wish we got to pick which things changed.” He leaned back and the warm night air ruffled his dark hair. I wanted to run my fingers through it, so I played with the fabric of my skirt instead.
“It's hard to believe we met in high school.” My curly hair had fallen across my forehead and I reached up, pushing it back over my ear.
“It feels like a different life, doesn't it?” he said, leaning his head back to look at the sky. He let out a slow, contemplative breath. “Time sure does slip by. I still remember when we graduated.”
“Me too,” I said, wondering if he was going to bring up the kiss. My heart sped up. “If I recall, you were late for the ceremony. They were just about to start when I saw you sprinting across the field to get in line.”
Jacob laughed. “Yep. I remember the principle saying something to me that day. Something along the lines of, “Son, you're going to be late to your own funeral.”
“Yeah, well, you obviously aren't like that any more,” I said. “I don't think you would have made it through medical school otherwise. I think you're one of the things that's changed.”
“I was a completely different person then.” He lowered his gaze and faced me. “We both were.”
I nodded, hanging onto his every word. There was a fleeting moment of silence. In that moment, Jacob and I just looked into each others eyes. They were dark blue like deep ocean water. It was like a magnet drawing me toward him, drowning me in them. The attraction in the air was palpable and electric.
I thought about that last kiss behind the bleachers and wondered if I should be the one to kiss him tonight. I wanted to. He had just a hint of scruff on his chin and his lips were right there. It would be easy if I could just build up t
he nerve.
Jacob finally looked away and my mother's words rang in my head. He's not the man for you.
“Well, it's getting late,” he said, standing from the table. “I don't know about you, but between the long week and those kids running me ragged during the football game, I'm bushed. I think I'll head home and get some sleep.”
Oh no, I thought. I hope I didn't make him uncomfortable somehow. I shouldn't have said anything about graduation. I shouldn't have even thought about the kiss.
“Yeah, I can understand that,” I said. “I'll probably hang out and visit my parents for a little while longer.”
“See you Monday?” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“Have I ever missed a day?” I asked with a smirk.
“Not one,” he said. “But it's only been a couple of weeks.”
“I don't plan on breaking my attendance streak just yet,” I said with a giggle. “See you next week.”
Jacob smiled and walked back toward my parent's house. I listened as he said goodbye to my mom and dad, thanking them for the amazing food and the good time. The humid summer air was still warm on my skin. Fireflies twinkled in the darkness beyond the light of the party.
Does he like me? I could have sworn I felt something there. I thought. It's all probably just in my imagination. It must be. It's probably just my girl crush flaring up. There's no way Jacob would ever see me as anything more than his nurse. He's probably forgotten all about that kiss.
As much as my heart hoped that there could be a flickering chance of something happening between Jacob and me, I refused to allow myself to think like that. I knew better. He and I weren't meant to be together. If we were, it would have happened years and years ago, during a simpler time.
Chapter 7
The weekend went by far too quickly and Monday morning was there before I knew it. Luckily, I loved my job, so it wasn't like it was the worst thing in the world to have to get up and go to work. I just wished I could have slept in a tiny bit longer, that's all.
When I got to the office, I parked in my usual spot, right next to Donna's big red farm truck. I got out and then glanced at my reflection in the window of my car, making sure that I looked okay before heading in.
I looked pretty good today. My curly hair wasn't frizzing too badly this morning despite the humidity, and it was mostly contained by my ponytail. I had light eyeliner and mascara on so that my blue eyes actually looked like eyes rather than getting lost in my face.
“Oh good Hannah, you're here,” Donna said, as I stepped in through the front doors. The waiting room was empty, which never boded well. Empty waiting rooms meant that fate was going to give us emergencies.
“Good morning.” I smiled a little apprehensively and approached the front desk, leaning my elbows against it. “What's up?”
“Well, you couldn't have arrived at a more perfect time,” she said, holding out a patient file for me. “We have emergency stitches in room three. It's Stephanie Myers' little boy. Put his hand through a glass table.”
“Oh no!” I picked up the file and quickly scanned it. Ashton Myers was four years old. No known allergies, was up to date on all his shots, and already had his physical done to go to preschool in the fall. “I'll set my stuff down and go right on in.”
I hurried back to my office and threw my purse in the chair. I knocked gently on the exam room door before carefully opening it. Sitting on the exam table was a little boy with big blue eyes and tear streaks running down his cheeks. His mother sat behind him, her arms wrapped around him protectively.
“Hannah, perfect timing,” Dr. Matthews said, turning as I came in. “Mr. Ashton here is going to get a very special kind of band-aid. I already applied the gel. ”
“Does it have Paw Patrol on it?” the little boy asked hopefully. He wasn't crying anymore, but I knew that was going to change as soon as we started working on his hand. Right now it was under a blood soaked towel.
“Not quite,” Dr. Matthews told him. He sat down on the round stool as I washed my hands and then finished prepping a tray with tools and meds for the doctor. “These are special string stitches. You cut your hand really deep and we want to make sure it heals. So, I'm going to use my magic string.”
The little boy's chin wavered. “Is it gonna hurt?”
The way he dropped his r sound made my heart break.
“A little, yes.” Dr. Mathew held his hand out and I passed him the needle full medicine for numbing. “But, I'm going to give you some medicine so it won't hurt very much.”
He lifted the towel from the little boy's arm to reveal a large, deep gash on Ashton's palm. With a gloved finger, he touched the outside of the injury.
“Do you feel that?” he asked.
Ashton shook his head. “No.”
“Good. That means that gel I put on it is working. Now, I'm going to use a needle to give you more medicine. It shouldn't hurt because of the gel, but if you're scared, you can close your eyes.”
Ashton's eyes went wide and his bottom lip quivered.
“Dr. Matthews is really good at this,” I assured him. “Stephanie, will you hold him tight so he doesn't move too much? If you're not good with the sight of blood or needles, I can do it.”
“I'm okay. Tough farm girl,” she replied with a weak smile. “I got him.”
“Okay.” I put on my gloves and held onto to Ashton's arm so he would hold still as Dr. Matthews injected the numbing medicine around the cut.
Ashton cried out and tried to jerk away. My heart clenched in my chest. I loved pediatric patients, but this was the worst part of my job. I hated having to cause them any pain.
“Ashton, which Paw Patrol is your favorite?” I asked him, moving so that I was more in his line of sight than his hand. “I like Everest.”
Ashton whimpered, but his mom whispered in his ear.
“I wike Marshall.”
“He's the dalmatian, right? The one with spots. What color is his helmet?” I could hear Dr. Matthews set the syringe down on the tray behind me.
“Meds are in. I'm going to clean it out,” he said softly behind me.
“It's wed,” Ashton replied. I loved the way he said his r's and l's as w's. Red became wed.
“And he's the clumsy one, right?” I made sure to smile and keep his attention. “He tumbles into that elevator and knocks everybody over. What's the tower called?”
Ashton smiled. “Yeah. The lookout.”
“And Rider always says, yelp for...”
“Help,” Ashton answered, a smile crossing his face. It quickly turned into a frown. “I wanna be done now, please.”
I glanced behind me to see Dr. Matthews shake his head. I could see he had just finished cleaning out a couple of small pieces of glass and was about to start the sutures.
“We're about halfway done,” I told Ashton. “You are doing fantastic. Can you tell me who else lives in the lookout?”
Ashton frowned, obviously not pleased that we weren't done with this yet.
“Tell her,” Stephanie whispered in his ear. “I know you love telling everyone about Zuma.”
“Which one is Zuma? Is he the construction pup?” I asked, knowing full well that he wasn't.
“No,” Ashton replied frowning at me. “Wubble is the construction pup. Zuma is the water pup.”
He looked at me like I was the insane one for not knowing what dog cartoon characters did as professions.
“Oh. Tell me about him.”
Ashton started slow, but built up speed as he told me of one of the many adventures Zuma and Marshall had been on. I quickly lost track of the plot, but it involved a whale. I nodded and made the appropriate surprised noises as he talked.
It wasn't long before Dr. Matthews touched my shoulder to let me know he was done. I let go of Ashton's arm and stepped back. The string of story coming from the boy didn't stop. He just started using both his hands to tell it.
His mom looked at his hand and she let out a relieved breath as she h
ugged her little boy tighter to him.
“Mom, I can't breathe.” He squirmed in her arms.
“You did great, Ashton,” Dr. Matthews told him. “I think you're the patient of the day. Would you like a sticker? Hannah will show you where they are while I tell your mom how to take care of your hand.”
I leaned over and whispered, “We have Paw Patrol stickers.”
His little face lit up and he wiggled out of his mother's grasp to take my hand. She gave me a smile as we left the door open and went to the front desk.
“Donna, we have a very brave patient who would like a Paw Patrol sticker, please,” I said as we came to the front desk. “Actually, he was so brave, I think he can have three.”
Donna spun in her chair and narrowed her eyes, assessing Ashton. “Hmm. I didn't hear any crying or screaming. Make it four.”
Ashton grinned as Donna pulled out a roll of stickers filled with the bright dog cartoon characters. When his mom came out with Dr. Matthews, he had eight stickers- one for each character of the show. I gave him a high five on his good hand.
“Thank you so much, Hannah,” Stephanie said as Dr. Matthews crouched down to talk to Ashton. “You made him so calm. If I didn't know, I'd say you had a dozen kids at home. Thank you.”
She smiled and then took Ashton's good hand and headed home.
“Our next patient isn't until twelve,” Donna informed us. “You guys are free for the next hour.”
“Don't jinx it,” Dr. Matthews told her.
Donna chuckled. “Eh, you have charting and stuff. Go get to work.”
I went to my office to turn on my computer. There was a soft knock on my open door. I turned to see Dr. Matthews smiling in my doorway.
“Chalk up another success,” he said, leaning against the door-frame and tucking his thumbs into his pockets. He looked good doing that. “Good job as always, Hannah. We made that look easy.”
“That's always the goal, right?' I said. “He's a good kid.”
“I'm more impressed at your Paw Patrol knowledge,” he teased. “You watching cartoons on the weekends?”
