“Mr. Fuzzypants,” she says.
“Well, hello, Mr. Fuzzypants.” I pat the little bear on its head, and then I look at up Lucy. “What seems to be the problem, Miss Lucy?”
“My throat hurts.”
“Your throat hurts?” I ask, furrowing my brow. “That doesn’t sound fun. Does anything else hurt?”
“My tummy.”
“Hmm, and how long has this been going on?” I turn to Pete, and he mutters something under his breath before telling me.
“About a week.”
“Hmm,” I take out my stethoscope and I tell Lucy I’m going to check her breathing. It’s a bit raspy and she definitely sounds congested, but nothing that’s making me too concerned. Pete seems to calm down a little once I start the actual examination, and after a few minutes, I turn back to him.
“Well?”
“So Lucy’s got a virus right now. We don’t need to give medication just yet, at least nothing prescription. You have a few options for helping her to feel a little better at home.”
“Like what?” He says. He sounds frustrated and irritated. I know that it’s not easy taking care of a sick kid and he’s probably just feeling ten
se because he’s worried about his child. Still, there’s no reason to take that out on me.
I take a deep breath.
“Hot compresses will help with headaches. You can also have her sit in the bathroom with the shower running. Have her play on her tablet or look at a book while the water runs. It’ll steam everything up and help break down congestion.”
“Really?” He says, suddenly, Pete seems to calm down a little. “And that’ll work?”
“It should be especially effective at helping with nighttime congestion,” I tell him. “So, if she’s been uncomfortable at night, this will help with that discomfort.”
I offer him a few more suggestions, hug Mr. Fuzzypants, and send them on their way. Once they’re out of the office, Lori goes out to lock the door for the night. Then she comes back over to me.
“Good job today, Doc,” she says.
“Really?” I look down at the short little nurse.
“Really. I don’t say that lightly. You had a lot of assholes in here today,” she says. Frankly, I’m completely shocked to hear her saying this. Lori is a great nurse, but she definitely comes across as being closed-off.
“Thank you.”
I don’t really know if there’s anything else to say right now. Lori looks up at me, though, with her big eyes and her button nose, and she smiles slowly.
“You might not know this,” she tells me.
“Know what?”
“You aren’t the first outsider to come here as a physician.”
“Is that right?” I was under the impression that most of the doctors at the clinic had been here forever.
“That’s right. It’s just that the patients in Claw Valley can be a bit...difficult. You understand.”
“It seems as though I do.”
“Hang in there,” she says. She pats my shoulder and turns to grab her things. “It’ll get easier, Doc.”
Lori leaves, and I’m alone. There are a few other staff members finishing up for the day, but they’re in other rooms and I’m alone in the waiting room. I lean against the wall and look around for a brief moment.