Page 72 of Unlikely to Stay
Chapter 17
The following morning, Brant arrived to work early.His days in the clinic since working with Colleen had been spent watching the hands of the clock hands tick by slowly as he waited for five o’clock.His favorite times of the week were the weekends.He used to hate them.He didn’t have anything to keep him busy.Now, his weekends were spent with Colleen.He couldn’t ask for anything better.
“Good morning, Patty,” he said, whistling a tune as he walked up to her desk to check his schedule.It looked like it was going to be a fairly easy day.Vaccines for a baby, a B-12 shot for Netty Delphino, a checkup on Tommy Jones’s asthma.He crossed his fingers the walk-ins the clinic took wouldn’t give him any trouble.
“You already have one waiting for you, Brant,” Patty said.
“This early?They must be really sick.”
“She was waiting at the doors when I opened them.Want me to send her back?”
“Nah.I’ll go get her,” he said, still whistling.His whistling ceased, however, when he opened the door and saw Kelda Vanderburgh sitting in one of the waiting room chairs.She grinned like a Cheshire cat when she saw him.
“I’m so glad you’re on time, Doc,” she said.“I was hoping you closing the clinic without notice like you did a while back wasn’t going to be a habit.I could die at any time and you would have it on your conscience your entire life.”
“I’m glad that didn’t happen, Kelda.”Brant was thinking she would probably outlive them all.
“So any particular reason you closed down for the day back then?”Kelda asked innocently, a gleam in her eye.“Me and Burty figured you were down with the flu or something.”
“I just needed a day off.”
“Mmhmmm.I bet you did.”
Brant walked Kelda back to one of the examination rooms, avoiding room one.It was cursed.Although with Kelda in the clinic, knowing what she did, she might curse whatever room he was going to put her in today.Hell, his whole clinic would be cursed if things kept going the way they were.
“So what seems to be the problem, Kelda?”he asked, shutting the door behind him.
“I think I might be running a fever.”
Brant got out the forehead thermometer and ran it over her head.“Ninety-eight point six,” he said.“No fever.”
“Did I say fever?I meant my throat is super sore.I might have strep.I heard it’s going around.”
Brant had heard no such thing.Still, he got out his light and had her open wide.“No swelling or redness to your tonsils, Kelda.”
“Hmmm.That’s odd.I woke up feeling like death,” she said.“Oh!I remember now.Hard stomach cramps.I was having really hard stomach cramps.And…constipation!I haven’t gone to the bathroom in probably thirty days.”
Brant raised his eyebrows.“Thirty days?Really?If so, I need to send you to Lakeview so they can do an x-ray.You might have an impacted colon.”
“I’m getting so crazy in my old age,” she said, slapping her knee and laughing.“I meant three.It’s only been three days.”
“Then you should be able to get an over-the-counter laxative that should fix you right up.I can write you a prescription for the stomach cramps, though.”
Kelda sighed loudly and rolled her eyes.“Look, Doc.Do you want me to be honest?”
Brant had a feeling he knew what was coming.“You should always be honest when it comes to your health, Kelda.”
“The truth of the matter is, I ain’t really sick.I just want the skivvy on you and CC.Are you an item?Did you knock her up?Do you plan on moving in together?I can keep a secret.Scout’s honor.”
Brant heard every Girl Scout from Oklahoma to the Canadian border gasp in shock.“We’re not an item.She’s definitely not knocked up and there are no plans to move in together.It was just a kiss.”
“It surelookedlike more than a kiss.”
“Just a kiss.”
“Will you at least admit it was a hot and heavy kiss?”
Brant sighed.Maybe if he admitted it, she would leave.“It was a hot and heavy kiss.”