Harold turned in the black leather chair and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. “About the same. Just balancing these numbers.”
“How’d you like to escape from them every once in a while during the summer?”
Harold stared through the glasses with puzzled blue eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Remember the Okaloosa Dolphins?”
“Sure. I really had to sharpen my pencil to make that happen.”
Matt nodded. “You did a great job, but we have a little problem we hadn’t counted on.”
“I thought that girl you hired would take care of everything.” Harold grinned. “Wouldn’t surprise me if the two of you didn’t start seeing each other.”
“Nope. As I’ve told you before, women are off limits.” An image of Suzie popped into Matt’s head. “I admit she’s my type. Beautiful, intelligent, and talented.”
“Yes.” Harold shrugged. “So why not.”
Matt’s insides rumbled every time he recalled that one meddling female already cost him all hope of a football career. Well, her and his dad. “I made a commitment to go it alone. I’ve had enough turmoil in my life, but back to the problem, the swim team members need to come in age groups. According to what you told me, we can’t buy the gas to make more than one round trip per day to the pool.”
“I’m sorry. I did the best I could. It’s just not in the budget. I guess we could dip into the emergency fund.”
“No, we don’t want to do that.”
“We don’t?” Wrinkles creased Harold’s brow.
“No. We need to save it for unexpected incidentals. It’s not that difficult to entertain the young swimmers who aren’t practicing while Suzie coaches the ones who are. There’s a playground on the premises.” Come on, Harold. Volunteer your services.
“Oh.” Harold nodded.
“I played games with them today.” Matt waved his arm across his body. “Piece of cake. We could take turns doing it, or at least, you could fill in for me from time to time.”
Harold rubbed his hand through his balding black hair. “Ah, I don’t know. I’m not very good with little tykes.” He tapped the ledger. “I can’t let this go.”
Matt couldn’t force the task on Harold. He was hired as an accountant, not a babysitter, but how could he not be good with youngsters? He had children. Matt was a bachelor who’d never kept any kids except his younger brother.
Matt had more duties as the head of the entire parks and recreation department, but the goal wasn’t to start an argument. The words, Why, you wuss, slid to the tip of his tongue, but he bit them back. “Okay, buddy, don’t worry about it.” What did it matter? He never wanted this desk job in the first place. A little recreation outdoors might be good for him. Maybe he’d take a football.
“Thanks, Matt.” Harold turned back to his numbers and ran his hands over the ledger as though he couldn’t take them off it for a second. He looked up. “I guess I could do it once or twice, if you ended up in a bind.” His voice sounded flat.
“That’d be great.” Matt sat down, his gaze falling on Suzie’s application. His sixth sense told him there was something about her he’d discover if he could read between the lines, but she had the credentials the position required. Things should go smoothly. He picked up the partially-developed job description and read it. She was right. She wasn’t getting paid to instruct the kids. He’d make up for it somehow. Take her to lunch, dinner, or something. If only Patricia were here. “Have you heard anything from…”
Harold sat straight up. “Patricia? No. Who would’ve thought she’d instigate a program providing activities for the kids of service workers who couldn’t otherwise afford them and leave us with no guidelines?”
“Yeah. We sure could use her help, but I don’t blame her. When my mom was near death, I didn’t come to work either.” Tears welled up in Matt’s eyes. His mom’s passing was so unfair, so untimely. It was as though she was fine one week and plucked away by an evil force the next. How cruel was that? Then there were those at the funeral home who said she’d lived a good life, and she was better off. What about him? He wasn’t better off. She wasn’t here to advise, encourage, or console him.
“It’s tough, man, and I know how much she supported everything you did, especially your football. It’s a shame you weren’t able to do more with your quarterbacking skills.”
Matt shrugged. “It’s life. Mine at least.” The fact that Matt’s dad wouldn’t pay for his rehabilitation still rubbed his soul like sandpaper. He had enough physical therapy to function on a day-to-day basis but not the kind professional athletes received. Mom had pleaded with Dad to let him see another doctor. But to his dad, Matt was just a kid with a pipe dream.
“I remember all those articles in the sports section of the paper about you. You were pretty darn good. I hate that for you.”
Matt glanced at his large hands then rubbed them together. He would never complete passes on the field in a professional football game. He threw a reverse in his mind and focused on making sure his new hire stayed content and coached a successful swim team. “Thanks. You’re a good friend.”
“I know you better than you think. I’m telling you right now, you need to hang out with the coach.” Harold’s lips spread into a big grin.
“I’ll do it, just for you.” Matt chuckled. A vision of Suzie’s crystal-clear blue eyes, her little nose, and thin, perfectly etched lips played in Matt’s head. She is kinda skinny for an athlete but gorgeous. Any guy would try to make friends with her, job or not. “Friends” was the key word. “Considering her salary and the demands this position’s going to make on her, she deserves extra compensation. Maybe I’ll take her out to eat, since I can’t watch football this time of year.” Matt thumped his pencil on the desk. “I’ll try to come up with other ways she can supplement her income. I have my faults, but I try to be fair.”
Harold nodded. “You are.”
* * *
Suzie opened the door to her unit and stepped into the narrow hall. Thankful for the lower indoor humidity, she savored the cool air conditioning. She glanced at the print of sand dunes with sea oats in front of an emerald sea on the left. So pretty, but she had traveled to this beautiful place for treatment because she was ill, not to enjoy the beach. Unfortunately, it would take more than a bright picture to lift the darkness that brought her here. Could Dr. Granger restore her health given enough time? She walked past the illustration, upstairs, and into the shower.
Cool water running over her head soothed the headache. She moved her neck out from under the nozzle and added a touch of hot to relax her tense muscles. The tiny dose of relief made this malady more bearable, but she couldn’t linger. She grabbed a royal blue towel, wrapped it around her, and headed to the closet.
Her heart sank as she pulled on a pair of black pants. They were two sizes too big. A sickening sensation ran through her as she buckled a belt around her waist to hold them up. Her long, blue blouse camouflaged the ugly excess material, but she knew it was there and why. Tears welled up inside her. Did she dare pin her hopes on Dr. Granger? She smoothed her shirt. Perhaps, with his help, she could at least find the energy to shop. Could he possibly live up to the accolades of Mom’s friend, Madelyn Demms?
To him, her illness was a toxic substance that had to come out, his approach so different from the medical doctor who’d refused to treat this malady because he couldn’t diagnose it. Dr. Granger wanted to eliminate the disease immediately.
Suzie pushed on the other side of the white louvered door. It always stuck. She shoved again with more force, and it scraped open. Her black flip-flops stood out on the beige carpet. She picked them up, sat in the white wicker chair, and let the plush blue and white cushion swallow her as she slipped on the shoes. Where was her purse?
There, right under her nose. She grabbed the black pocketbook off the table beside her then bounded downstairs and out the door, slipped into her car, and backed out. It was only natural to think more about
the malady as she drove toward help. Most of the time, she tried to concentrate on the swim team, learning about Destin, or a future that included steak and hamburgers. Thinking about having the illness made her want to throw up and turned her mind back in time.
Like a slimy worm buried in a dark crevice in her brain, Carson oozed out as she pulled onto Highway 98. With no diagnosis, he believed her sickness was a self-fulfilling prophecy. First, she dreamed up the symptoms. Then they became reality.
She slammed on the brakes for a stoplight. Carson created such angst, she gritted her teeth. She had news for him. She wasn’t losing it. God led her to Dr. Granger.
A green light. Go.
CHAPTER FIVE
Suzie plopped down on the gray sofa amid several empty wooden chairs in the small waiting area. The slight breeze from the air conditioner ruffled the dieffenbachia beside her.
Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).The words on a rectangular sign over the door leading to Dr. Granger’s examining rooms spoke to her.
God could cure her mysterious illness. She hadn’t doubted it a day since the malady had blown into her life like an evil wind. Why hadn’t He? Here she was, yet again, in a physician’s office. Oddly though, calm washed over her, soothing the ragged nerves that usually plagued her on doctor visits.
A young woman appeared behind the tall, white receptionist counter. “Hi, I’m Courtney. I was in the back and didn’t hear you come in.” She gazed at her appointment book and her long, black hair fell around her face. Pushing it back, she looked up. “Our biofeedback specialist will see you today. After we have the results from your scan, we’ll make an appointment for you with Dr. Granger. You had a consultation with him and filled out your forms on…” She gazed at a paper on her desk. “I see. It’s been a while.”
“I arrived as soon as I could, but I had to train a replacement for my job in North Carolina then find a place to live in Destin.”
“You must be exhausted. Dr. Granger will help you. People travel from all over the United States and several foreign countries to see him. It’s worth the wait.” Compassion shone in Courtney’s brown eyes.
A trim woman in a blue uniform, who looked fortyish, opened the door to the lobby. “Hi Suzie, I’m Margaret. I’m ready for you.”
She escorted Suzie to a quiet office with soft lighting and a mahogany desk and touched a bronze-colored box. “This is a biofeedback machine. It’s connected to the computer.”
Suzie yearned for good health. Dr. Granger had mentioned the scan when she met with him several months ago. Yet, an eerie sensation snaked up her spine at being attached to a mechanism she’d never seen before. Could it make her worse?
Margaret held up two wires with self-adhering tabs. “I’m going to hook you to the device by putting one of these around your ankle and wrist. Then the computer will record your results.”
“Oookay.” Suzie struggled to disguise her doubt.
Margaret said nothing. Her eyes stayed focused intensely on the fasteners as she placed them. Apparently, she hadn’t detected Suzie’s skepticism. “You’ll need to sit quietly for a few minutes in dim lighting.” She started the scan and tiptoed out of the room.
Suzie’s spinal column turned to ice, but she had nothing to lose. Diplomas for alternative medical degrees filled the wall. There were several for chiropractic accomplishments. One for phlebotomy. One for pain management and another for acupuncture. A large shelf filled with small bottles of tinctures and herbs sat across from her. Could using these things make her well?
Try to flush the invader out of your system. Choose one or two food items you enjoy and eat as little of each as possible while drinking all the water you can hold. The medical doctor’s solution had sounded ridiculous. He’d delivered it with cold, disinterested eyes that still haunted Suzie. She’d known in her heart it wouldn’t work.
“Okay, the scan’s all finished.” Margaret’s kind voice brought Suzie back to the moment. “I’ll show these results to Dr. Granger.” She grabbed a piece of paper from the printer and breezed out, gently closing the door behind her.
Suzie crossed her legs and slung her dangling foot back and forth, her pulse pounding in her temples. Did the little bronze box hold the answers?
Margaret returned, sat at the desk beside her, and spread out the paper. “These indicate how well the organs in your body function. We like to see them register a minimum of fifty-one percent.” She ran her hand over the horizontal red and blue lines. “Yours range from eight to fourteen percent.”
Suzie couldn’t breathe.
Margaret tapped a printed number with the manicured pink nail on her forefinger. “This represents the function of your adrenal gland. It’s eight percent, but don’t worry. Dr. Granger will take care of you.”
Horror ripped through Suzie’s bones as she exhaled.
Margaret stood. “I’ll get Dr. Granger. He wants to show you the laser.” She glided through the doorway, her strawberry blond hair moving slightly over her shoulders.
Suzie didn’t understand the scan. What would happen with the laser? The tools and this environment seemed surreal as though she were seeing them in a dream. Margaret could have been an illusion, but she was real. This was real.
Dr. Granger slipped into the room as quietly as a mouse, then tapped his pen on his chart. “Hi, how are you today?”
Suzie wouldn’t tell him her heart broke into millions of pieces. “I’m okay. How are you?”
“Almost perfect, thank you. I see you met Margaret. She handles our scans and our bloodwork, if you should need that. We call her our vampire.” Dr. Granger shrugged. “For fun.”
Suzie couldn’t help but snicker.
“Do you remember the different therapies I explained during your consultation?”
Dr. Granger spoke as though everything was normal. According to the biofeedback results she was nearly dead. It was all she could do to keep the tears exploding inside her from spilling over her eyelashes. But as for his question, she had a vague recollection of the programs he’d mentioned during their first meeting. “Yes.”
“Every one of them would be good for you. You don’t look too sick, but our tests show you’ll need lots of help to eliminate these toxins.” He looked directly at her with steady green eyes as he waited for her reaction.
“What do I have?”
“Something sticky that doesn’t belong in your system.” Dr. Granger’s tone sounded matter-of-fact, the same as the medical doctor’s voice had.
He’s going to tell me to drink water and eat very little.
Dr. Granger crossed his hands in front of him.
Was he waiting for her to ask another question? Her mind was blank.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help teach your body how to remove the harmful substances.”
Her body to remove them? What horrors lay ahead of her? She shuddered.
He sat and rolled the office chair up beside her. With stocky hands he opened a pamphlet, laid it on the desk, and pointed to a blurb. “This explains footbaths, or technically speaking, ionic cellular detoxifications.” He touched another section. “Time on this machine aids in restoring health to your cells. It’s also known as pulsed electromagnetic therapy.” He closed the brochure, patted it, and directed his gaze at Suzie. “Today, you’ll see the laser, a low-level light tool.” He said the word “laser” with great enthusiasm.
Was it that special?
“I recommend these therapies as well as the color and sound protocols with Margaret.” He picked up the leaflet and handed it to Suzie.
She tried to concentrate to take it all in as she grasped it, but her brain remained frozen in shock over the test results. Even though Dr. Granger peered at her with an earnest look in his eyes like a teacher instructing a student, his message floated from a stratosphere she didn’t comprehend.
He sat back. “We treat the structural, chemical, and emotional components. Embryonic cells are made in three parts, the endoderm or inner lining,
mesoderm, the middle, and ectoderm, the outer layer.”
Suzie had learned that in school.
“The Bible tells us we’re made in God’s image, which includes the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It even tells us in Scripture that it’s impossible to separate the three parts of God. I believe it’s impossible to separate the three parts that make up our bodies. So…each injury or illness has three parts: structural, chemical, and emotional. If we don’t address and correct all of these areas at the same time, we fail to resolve the whole issue.”
Terror over the severity of the illness and strangeness of the treatment crawled all over Suzie’s skin while she listened without absorbing Dr. Granger’s heartfelt explanation. Yet in the midst of it all, one thing came through loud and clear. He wanted to help, and he believed he could. She nodded.
He slowly twirled his chair around to face her and leaned forward. “The synergy of all the parts and the therapies working together give us the miracles of healing we seek. It’s not magic or the wonder of an individual remedy or pill.”
Yes. A miracle. Suzie sucked in air. That was what she needed. The earnest look in Dr. Granger’s eyes made her believe with God’s help, he could deliver one.
“When we see a patient who requires a number of treatments, we offer him or her a plan including all the tools we have. This ensures that person receives the services he or she needs without making additional payments. For instance, you should have footbaths and the laser as well as the pulsed electromagnetic therapy. Purchased individually, the footbaths and laser sessions cost thirty-five dollars each. Fifteen minutes of pulsed electromagnetic therapy is sixty-five.”
Dr. Granger’s healing techniques came from a world far different from the one Suzie had known before she grew ill. She’d tumbled suddenly from a society where a doctor prescribed a pill, gave a shot, or performed surgery to make her well to the side of the medical field that offered no help and no hope. Her mind and emotions still reeled from that in the midst of a strange malady sapping more of her strength every moment. She tried to take hold of this new treatment and believe in it. Yet a lack of perception for what had happened to her or what the future held hovered over her like fog. The prices registered though. “I understand. I receive a discount if I buy all of these at one time.”
Barely Above Water Page 4
