The Doctor's Private Visit by Altonya Washington

broken.”
    “I don’t think so. It’ll just swell up, that’s all.”
    “I still think someone should look at it, so come on.”
    “Pepper—”
    “No arguments. We’ll take my car and I’ll get you to the closest hospital.”
    With the excruciating pain throbbing in her foot, Capri was in no mood to argue. Putting most of her weight on Pepper, she hobbled to the car.

Chapter 5
    “M mm…” Tiberius groaned, settling his large form in one of the armchairs. He’d retreated to a deserted waiting room to take a break after leaving the delivery room. Having just helped to bring a beautiful baby girl into the world, he’d decided to take a moment to himself.
    Tiberius didn’t think he’d ever get used to his chosen profession. The rush he felt when he saw a new life push its way into the world—it was a sensation like no other, even though the births weren’t always easy. Tonight, for instance, the baby’s mother had opted for natural childbirth and her child hadn’t come so smoothly. Of course, everything worked out in the end but little Charlotte Monique Fisher had succeeded in draining everyone of energy—including her doctor.
    In spite of the varied and frequent joys he found in the field of obstetrics, Tiberius knew from the beginning, it had been a choice made for the sake of making a choice. Over the last twelve years, however, obstetrics had become both his purpose and his true passion. He honestly couldn’t imagine himself wanting to do another thing with his professional life.
    A lazy smile crossed Tiberius’s mouth as he thought about his job and how much he loved it. Something phenomenal happened almost every day and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. As he’d told Capri earlier, he took his work very seriously.
    The satisfied grin on Tiberius’s face didn’t go unnoticed by Calvin Kennedy, who was passing by.
    “Hey, man, what’s goin’ on?” Calvin asked, slapping his hand across Tiberius’s shoulder.
    “Nothing, just relaxing for a minute,” Tiberius told his older colleague. “Just got out of the delivery room.”
    Calvin raised one hand and nodded. “Say no more. I assume it was a successful birth?”
    “Very,” Tiberius confirmed, his grin becoming wider.
    “Heard you got stuck organizing Thomas’s retirement festivities?”
    Tiberius heard the amusement in Calvin’s question. “I was honored to have been asked.”
    “Bull.” Calvin laughed.
    “No argument there,” Tiberius joined in the laughter, but then shrugged. “I couldn’t say no, especially when the man was so instrumental in giving a new doctor like me a shot.”
    “Well, you earned it, and Thomas knows talent when he sees it.”
    “Talent, huh?” Tiberius turned the word over in his head. “Talk to me about my talent once I’ve put this event together,” he chuckled as Calvin slapped his shoulder.
    “Well, hey, I was gonna grab a cup of coffee in the cafeteria. Care to join me?” Calvin invited.
    “Ahh, what the hell,” Tiberius accepted, pushing himself from his chair.
    Calvin held the waiting room door open and headed for the elevators. “I just need to look in on the emergency room for a minute.”
    Tiberius leaned his head back against the paneled walls and pushed his hands into the deep pockets of his long white coat. “No problem.”
     
    The emergency room of Kelly Memorial was a madhouse as usual. When Pepper arrived with an injured Capri in tow, she figured it would be at least a half hour before anyone could see them.
    “Can we sit down, please?” Capri whined, her pretty face darkened by a frown.
    “Capri, we need to stay in line so we can get a doctor to look at your foot before it gets worse.”
    Capri cast a skeptical glare down at her swollen foot and sighed. “I don’t think it’ll get worse.”
     
    “This won’t take long, man.”
    Tiberius smiled and waved Calvin off. “Take your time, I’ll wait,” he assured his friend and panned his light-brown stare around the