ankle, evaluating its range of motion. “Does this hurt?” He pushed until her toes pointed back at her. His nails were perfect, capped in white new moons and buffed to a discreet shine. It probably didn’t pay to be a doctor with dirty fingernails.
“No more than anything else.”
“How about this?”
Claire shook her head. From this angle she could see that Dr. Gregory must have grown up poor. His top teeth were white, even and shining - and certainly capped, Claire realized, as she glimpsed the jumble of gray and yellow lower teeth, normally hidden by their spiffed-up brethren and his lower lip.
“What was the word you thought of?”
“Slough as in slough of despond, and slough, as in this loofah will slough off dead skin cells.” She pronounced the first word slau and the second one sluff .
The skin around his green eyes crinkled as he smiled. “That’s great. And I don’t have it on my list.” Dr. Gregory sat back on his heels and cradled her foot in his hands. “Well, what we have here is pretty simple. You’ve sprained your ankle. You’ve torn and twisted a lot of ligaments right here,” he trailed a finger across the puffiest part, “but nothing is broken. You won’t need a cast, but you will need to take it easy for a while.” He picked up his black bag, unzipped it and pulled out an Ace bandage. “Now watch how I wrap this.”
“What about running? I’ve been running five miles nearly every day.”
“This is going to put a crimp in it, I’m afraid.”
Running was the only reason Claire was still able to eat Doritos and not have the thighs to show for it. “For how long?”
“Take it easy for a week, and then after that you can gradually start running again.” He saw the frown cross her face. “The better you take care of your ankle now, the sooner you’ll be lacing up your Nikes. You can speed the healing by keeping your foot elevated for the rest of the day. In fact, let’s get that foot elevated right now.” He stood up and helped Claire to her feet - or foot. Before she knew what he was doing, he had bent down, hooked one arm under her knees and hoisted her in his arms.
“Hey!” Claire protested. “You don’t need to do this.” Underneath the cotton of his polo shirt she could feel the hard muscles in his chest. Was that the reason he had picked her up, to sneak in a little physical contact?
A little huff of exertion brushed past her ear as Dr. Gregory settled her down on the bed. Claire pulled her dress back over her knees as he sat down at the foot of the bed. “I want you to take it easy, not be hopping all over your bedroom. I’m going to put an ice pack on you, and I want you to promise you won’t stir for the rest of the day. If I know Charlie, she will want to wait on you hand and foot. And if I know you, you won’t want to let her. You’re hereby under doctor’s orders to let her. Here,” he said as he bent down to retrieve the mystery novel from the floor and then handed it to her, “this should help you stay entertained until she gets back. Why don’t you spend the next couple of hours seeing if you can figure out the solution before the main character does?”
The mystery novel gave Claire just the in she was looking for. “Speaking of solving mysteries, have you ever heard of the Bradford Clinic?”
Dr. Gregory didn’t answer her right away. Instead, he took an instant ice pack from his pack, broke it open and then draped it over ankle. When he looked over at her, his green eyes were thoughtful. “Why do you want to know? Are you pregnant, Claire?”
Claire was surprised to feel herself flush. “No, no, I’m not asking for me. So you have heard of it?”
“In my line of work, everyone knows the good doctor Bradford. Do you know someone who wants to adopt? I’ll warn you, he’s not cheap. But he can come through for parents who may not otherwise qualify.”
“ Look, I ‘m not pregnant and I don’t know anyone who wants to adopt.
“No more than anything else.”
“How about this?”
Claire shook her head. From this angle she could see that Dr. Gregory must have grown up poor. His top teeth were white, even and shining - and certainly capped, Claire realized, as she glimpsed the jumble of gray and yellow lower teeth, normally hidden by their spiffed-up brethren and his lower lip.
“What was the word you thought of?”
“Slough as in slough of despond, and slough, as in this loofah will slough off dead skin cells.” She pronounced the first word slau and the second one sluff .
The skin around his green eyes crinkled as he smiled. “That’s great. And I don’t have it on my list.” Dr. Gregory sat back on his heels and cradled her foot in his hands. “Well, what we have here is pretty simple. You’ve sprained your ankle. You’ve torn and twisted a lot of ligaments right here,” he trailed a finger across the puffiest part, “but nothing is broken. You won’t need a cast, but you will need to take it easy for a while.” He picked up his black bag, unzipped it and pulled out an Ace bandage. “Now watch how I wrap this.”
“What about running? I’ve been running five miles nearly every day.”
“This is going to put a crimp in it, I’m afraid.”
Running was the only reason Claire was still able to eat Doritos and not have the thighs to show for it. “For how long?”
“Take it easy for a week, and then after that you can gradually start running again.” He saw the frown cross her face. “The better you take care of your ankle now, the sooner you’ll be lacing up your Nikes. You can speed the healing by keeping your foot elevated for the rest of the day. In fact, let’s get that foot elevated right now.” He stood up and helped Claire to her feet - or foot. Before she knew what he was doing, he had bent down, hooked one arm under her knees and hoisted her in his arms.
“Hey!” Claire protested. “You don’t need to do this.” Underneath the cotton of his polo shirt she could feel the hard muscles in his chest. Was that the reason he had picked her up, to sneak in a little physical contact?
A little huff of exertion brushed past her ear as Dr. Gregory settled her down on the bed. Claire pulled her dress back over her knees as he sat down at the foot of the bed. “I want you to take it easy, not be hopping all over your bedroom. I’m going to put an ice pack on you, and I want you to promise you won’t stir for the rest of the day. If I know Charlie, she will want to wait on you hand and foot. And if I know you, you won’t want to let her. You’re hereby under doctor’s orders to let her. Here,” he said as he bent down to retrieve the mystery novel from the floor and then handed it to her, “this should help you stay entertained until she gets back. Why don’t you spend the next couple of hours seeing if you can figure out the solution before the main character does?”
The mystery novel gave Claire just the in she was looking for. “Speaking of solving mysteries, have you ever heard of the Bradford Clinic?”
Dr. Gregory didn’t answer her right away. Instead, he took an instant ice pack from his pack, broke it open and then draped it over ankle. When he looked over at her, his green eyes were thoughtful. “Why do you want to know? Are you pregnant, Claire?”
Claire was surprised to feel herself flush. “No, no, I’m not asking for me. So you have heard of it?”
“In my line of work, everyone knows the good doctor Bradford. Do you know someone who wants to adopt? I’ll warn you, he’s not cheap. But he can come through for parents who may not otherwise qualify.”
“ Look, I ‘m not pregnant and I don’t know anyone who wants to adopt.
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