Chapter 28
It was date night. She and Doug were driving to Brandon for a movie and Indian food. The trip would take just over an hour. She hadn’t noticed a second of it since they started talking about houses.
“Of course, I want my own house someday,” she said. “Are you crazy?”
“Some people prefer apartment living,” Doug argued.
“Those people can have it. I want a super, gigantic kitchen with an island the size of a dining room table and a walk-in pantry.” Her eyes glazed as she sank into the passenger seat at the thought of all that countertop and cupboard space.
He nodded, like he was taking notes. “Big yard?”
“Big garden, small yard,” she corrected.
“Big garden, big yard,” Doug stated firmly.
“I’m not mowing a big yard.” She’d had enough of that as a kid.
Doug’s phone interrupted their imaginary negotiation. He had it connected it to his car, so the caller’s name displayed on the small screen on the console. It was Hopewell Hospital.
“I’m not on call,” he growled.
“Me neither.”
Silence returned after five rings, but started up, as the hospital called again. “I’m sorry. I’m going to answer it.”
“Go ahead.” It was nice he apologized. They both knew he didn’t have a real choice.
“This is Dr. Little. You are on speaker with Jackie Dunn in the car with me.”
“Thank God. Dr. Little, we need you here immediately.” Louise was out of breath, and loud. She was talking over shouting and alarms in the background.
“I’m not on call tonight,” Doug said. “We’re on our way to Brandon. I don’t know who the patient is but call Dr. Roberts.”
“The patient is Dr. Roberts.”
Jackie braced.
Doug executed a wide U-turn and hit the gas.
It sounded like Dr. Roberts had suffered a massive heart attack. Dr. Brown was struggling to stabilize him. If they couldn’t, he wouldn’t survive the trip to Brandon.
She tried not to look at the speedometer.
“Jackie. Jackie!” Doug repeated.
She’d been trying so hard to not look at the speedometer and not listen to the conversation that she’d tuned out entirely. “What?”
“We’re going to need an EKG as soon as possible.”
She nodded. She could do that.
Dr. Roberts was conscious when they arrived. Conscious, and resentful of everyone trying to help him. He was telling everyone he was fine. He kept insisting they were fussing over nothing, and that they should let him go home and rest. He was like nearly every other heart attack patient she’d seen over the years: in full denial he wasn’t in charge of his own body.
“Dr. Roberts, with love and respect, shut up and be still,” she finally snapped. “You are the patient right now, not the doctor. Let us treat you.” Her attitude and words shocked the older man into silence. Soon, though, he narrowed his eyes at her.
“Don’t even think of arguing,” she ordered. “What are you going to do, threaten to fire me? Oh, wait, you and the board already did that. Be grateful this isn’t happening next month. Then where would you be? Here, with no radiologist, that’s where.”
In her experience, there were two types of patients. Those who didn’t want her to talk to them, and those who focused on her chatter. Dr. Roberts was the second kind, so she kept yammering until Doug pronounced him stable enough to travel and he was loaded onto the ambulance gurney.
The treatment room returned to its normal quiet. Doug disappeared to inform the hospital in Brandon about their incoming emergency. Even the electric hum of the equipment sounded loud in Jackie’s ears. “That was intense.” She’d never get to sleep with all the adrenaline coursing through her veins.
“We got lucky Dr. Little was so close. I hope his replacement knows her emergency room procedures as well as he does.”
Jackie froze in her tracks. “His replacement?”
“I thought you knew about Dr. Singh.”
“Dr. Kashvi Singh? Yeah, I’ve met her.” But Jackie didn’t understand what the other woman had to do with the conversation.
“Thank goodness. I thought I was spilling secrets. Mr. Lang introduced Dr. Singh to us. She seems nice enough. It’ll be good to have a woman doctor on staff, but Dr. Little knows the town. He was fitting in already. Personally, I didn’t think he’d find a way out of his contract, at least not this fast. I have to stop underestimating him. He’s not little Dougie Little anymore. At least we’ll have a couple months to prepare for the switchover.” Louise stripped off her gloves. “You should probably go home. Dr. Little is going to be a while. Sorry we ruined your date.”
Jackie moved towards the door on autopilot. She walked through the parking lot, turned onto the sidewalk, and walked to the corner before she stopped to think about which way to turn.
She tried breathing exercises as she walked. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Louise could be wrong.
Because Doug said at the end of his contract. That was two years from now. They had lots of time left.
Didn’t they?