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“This is just a little prick,” Jolie said, her voice quiet and soothing. “We want to see how much sugar you have in your blood. Okay?”
Annie, her face pale and eyes wide, held out a trembling hand. She flinched as Jolie took a quick sample from the tip of her finger. Then her shoulders relaxed. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“Your last mosquito bite was probably worse,” Jolie teased. She held up the meter.
“Three hundred thirty, Annie. See the digital readout?”
She didn’t have to say what that meant. Matt could see it in her eyes.
“This is well above normal. I believe this is type 1 diabetes, so she should be tested further.” Jolie smiled and rested a hand on Annie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, you wouldn’t believe how easy all of this is these days. There are new ways to test that aren’t done on your sensitive fingertips.”
“But the insulin?” Annie’s lower lip trembled.
“Easy. Very portable, with pens that you can carry in your purse, and you’ll learn really fast. But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves here. I’d like to admit you to a pediatric unit in either Billings or Bozeman.” Jolie looked up at Matt.“This afternoon.”
Annie’s eyes widened. “A hospital?”
“Don’t worry. They can do further testing and get you started on insulin if need be. It may take a bit of regulation to get it just right, so they can monitor that closely. They also have diabetes educators who can start teaching you what you need to know.”
“Will you follow her care at the hospital?” His own words sounded hollow, distant, as if spoken by someone else.
Jolie shook her head. “I haven’t applied for hospital privileges. Both towns are too far away for me to provide daily coverage in-patient. Bozeman is closer for you—would you want to go there?”
“Who would we see?”
“I have an old friend—Dr. Gwen Thompson—who’s a pediatrician in Billings. I’ll give her a call to find out who she recommends. Then I’ll do a referral, and that doctor will manage Annie in the hospital. Afterward, I can manage her care locally.”
“But...there’s still a chance she’s fine. That she doesn’t have diabetes? We could come tomorrow and you could test her again.”
“No,” Jolie said bluntly. “With a blood sugar over three hundred, it’s in her best interest to go today.”
Matt looked away. Outside, the sun was shining. He could hear the rattle and squeak of an old truck lumbering up Main Street.
The faint strains of some country-western tune, probably coming from the jukebox at the Lone Wolf Bar next door. Ordinary sounds, an ordinary day.
For everyone else in Garrett Bluff.
JOLIE TWIRLED Apencil between her fingers. Tapped it on the blotter of the receptionist’s desk. Debated about closing up and heading for home.
Jolie had called Gwen for recommendations, then found the doctor she felt best suited for Annie’s case and made the referral.
Matt had dropped Charlie off at Ed’s house, then left for Bozeman with Annie. A child with Annie’s ketone and blood sugar levels could decompensate quickly and end up needing inpatient care, including IV fluids and insulin.
She glanced at the clock. Most clinics closed at five o’clock, and staying longer was a waste of time given the low number of walk-ins she’d had.
The door of the clinic opened, and a woman in a Resistol western hat and a denim jacket stepped inside. “Hello,” Jolie called out.
“Hi.”
Jolie did a double take at the familiar, husky voice.“Thea?”
“And Dad, I hope.” Thea looked over her shoulder. “We came in to talk to Dillon over at the feed mill about some delivery problems, and Dad’s been irritable every step of the way since we left. He says he’s got to get home for a conference call with some cattle buyers from South America, but I think he smells a trap.”
“So you aren’t here just for a tour?”
“That, too.” Thea’s smile turned apologetic. “I really am sorry we haven’t been here until now.”
“Believe me, I remember what calving season was like. Think we can get him to agree to an exam?”
