Beth Ann, stood beside him, smacking her gum and trying to get a look down the scope. He glanced sideways at her. She did the same, and his eyes warned. She backed away. “So, Doc, how come you ain’t married or nuthin’? I mean like, you gotta be rich, and all on account of you being a doctor, and you ain’t even bad to look at. I would think somebody’d snatched you by now.” She smacked her gum again.
He stood and stretched, his muscles screaming thankfulness. His neck popped, and Beth Ann grimaced. “Oh, never mind, Doc. You’s old.” She laughed, and Wendy, not even realizing what her mother was laughing at, giggled.
He chuckled, took out a sticker and handed it to Wendy. Then he took out a culture stick and showed it to her. “Is it okay if I tickle your throat a little?” he asked.
Wendy nodded, her gorgeous green eyes going excitedly round and opened wide. She knew the drill. He swabbed, and Wendy giggled. He closed the culture stick into its protective housing and looked at Beth Ann. “I’ll send it off, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to come back normal. You need to think about that surgery, Beth Ann.”
“Ain’t nobody cutt’n on my baby,” she protested and smacked her gum again.
He sighed. “It’s just a tonsillectomy. Minor surgery, I swear.”
“My girl had the same problem,” a sweet voice said from the doorway.
All three of them turned to look as Brenda Waldrip walked in. She advanced toward the young mother. “My girl, Lacy, was constantly getting sore throats. She missed so much school I had the attendance office on speed dial. I did the same thing that you did. I kept insisting she would be okay and refused. I understand, believe me. I was frightened of the surgery, too.” She looked at Wendy. “Does it hurt a lot?” Wendy nodded as a tear welled in the corner of her eye. “See that?” she asked Beth Ann. “You have the power to stop those tears.”
Beth Ann looked at Brenda, then at her baby girl, as if finally seeing the truth. Her own eyes misted. “I just love her so much,” she said. “I’d die if sumpin’ happened to her.”
Brenda closed her hand over Beth Ann’s hand. “Something is happening to her. She is hurting.” Brenda nodded encouragingly.
Beth Ann turned to Alan, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. She sniffed back sobs. “Okay, do it, Doc, ’fore I go and change my mind.”
He sighed and grinned. “I’ll get the paperwork started.”
He turned and walked away. Brenda smiled at Beth Ann and Wendy and then fell into step beside him.
He grinned at her. “Thanks. You were wonderful. I’ve been trying to get her to consent to that surgery for six months. How’d you do it?”
“You were approaching it as a doctor. I brought in the mother guns.”
He laughed, nodded at the package that she held in her hands. “What’s that?”
“Oh, they’re for you, homemade chocolate-chip cookies.”
He grabbed his chest. “Be still my heart. I love chocolate-chip, but how did you know?”
“Doesn’t everybody?”
“It wasn’t necessary,” he said.
“You’re not supposed to demean a gift,” she said. “I worked hard on these. You’re supposed to accept it gratefully, and enjoy them.”
He looked around before taking them, and then whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t tell anyone, they might think it’s a payoff.”
She laughed, and it felt so good. “I didn’t know how else to express my appreciation.”
He stopped at a desk and addressed a nurse sitting behind it. “Wendy Wyatt’s in room three. Her mother has consented to her surgery. We need to get it going before she changes her mind.”
“Are you kidding?” the nurse said. “We’ve been after her for months about that.”
He pointed to Brenda. “Apparently, we had the wrong approach.”
Brenda smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
“Congratulations,” the nurse said. “Have you ever considered nursing school?”
Brenda laughed it off. “Maybe in the
He stood and stretched, his muscles screaming thankfulness. His neck popped, and Beth Ann grimaced. “Oh, never mind, Doc. You’s old.” She laughed, and Wendy, not even realizing what her mother was laughing at, giggled.
He chuckled, took out a sticker and handed it to Wendy. Then he took out a culture stick and showed it to her. “Is it okay if I tickle your throat a little?” he asked.
Wendy nodded, her gorgeous green eyes going excitedly round and opened wide. She knew the drill. He swabbed, and Wendy giggled. He closed the culture stick into its protective housing and looked at Beth Ann. “I’ll send it off, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to come back normal. You need to think about that surgery, Beth Ann.”
“Ain’t nobody cutt’n on my baby,” she protested and smacked her gum again.
He sighed. “It’s just a tonsillectomy. Minor surgery, I swear.”
“My girl had the same problem,” a sweet voice said from the doorway.
All three of them turned to look as Brenda Waldrip walked in. She advanced toward the young mother. “My girl, Lacy, was constantly getting sore throats. She missed so much school I had the attendance office on speed dial. I did the same thing that you did. I kept insisting she would be okay and refused. I understand, believe me. I was frightened of the surgery, too.” She looked at Wendy. “Does it hurt a lot?” Wendy nodded as a tear welled in the corner of her eye. “See that?” she asked Beth Ann. “You have the power to stop those tears.”
Beth Ann looked at Brenda, then at her baby girl, as if finally seeing the truth. Her own eyes misted. “I just love her so much,” she said. “I’d die if sumpin’ happened to her.”
Brenda closed her hand over Beth Ann’s hand. “Something is happening to her. She is hurting.” Brenda nodded encouragingly.
Beth Ann turned to Alan, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. She sniffed back sobs. “Okay, do it, Doc, ’fore I go and change my mind.”
He sighed and grinned. “I’ll get the paperwork started.”
He turned and walked away. Brenda smiled at Beth Ann and Wendy and then fell into step beside him.
He grinned at her. “Thanks. You were wonderful. I’ve been trying to get her to consent to that surgery for six months. How’d you do it?”
“You were approaching it as a doctor. I brought in the mother guns.”
He laughed, nodded at the package that she held in her hands. “What’s that?”
“Oh, they’re for you, homemade chocolate-chip cookies.”
He grabbed his chest. “Be still my heart. I love chocolate-chip, but how did you know?”
“Doesn’t everybody?”
“It wasn’t necessary,” he said.
“You’re not supposed to demean a gift,” she said. “I worked hard on these. You’re supposed to accept it gratefully, and enjoy them.”
He looked around before taking them, and then whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t tell anyone, they might think it’s a payoff.”
She laughed, and it felt so good. “I didn’t know how else to express my appreciation.”
He stopped at a desk and addressed a nurse sitting behind it. “Wendy Wyatt’s in room three. Her mother has consented to her surgery. We need to get it going before she changes her mind.”
“Are you kidding?” the nurse said. “We’ve been after her for months about that.”
He pointed to Brenda. “Apparently, we had the wrong approach.”
Brenda smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
“Congratulations,” the nurse said. “Have you ever considered nursing school?”
Brenda laughed it off. “Maybe in the
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