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Embarrassment burned through her like wildfire as she stumbled backward, then fell into him again when a crowd of students moved past and pushed her forward. “Oh!”
His large, strong hands reached out, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her next to the wall. “Hey, take it easy, Blondie.”
“I—I...” The words caught in her throat as she stared up at him, praying she didn’t look totally stupid.
He sauntered away and left her staring after him, still tongue-tied and dazzled.
Annie gave herself a mental shake and headed for her own homeroom at a run, barely hearing the final bell as she slipped through the door.Clint Heath!
She shivered with awe as his voice echoed through her thoughts.“Hey, take it easy, Blondie.”
Nothing—not Dad, not homework, not even her stupid diabetes—could ruin what had just become one of the best days of her entire life.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MATT STOPPED BYthe clinic Monday morning to give Jolie the folder of medical records he’d brought from Bozeman the day before. He found her at the front desk.
“They said they were mailing these, but I insisted on copies so you’d have the information right away. Just in case.”
She rose and took the folder, then leaned against the wall and flipped through the records inside. “Has anyone in your family had diabetes?”
“No...but several of my wife’s relatives did.”
“I’m sure you learned a lot at the hospital about the insulin, the testing, her diet, what to do when she is ill?”
“Yeah.” And he was still trying to absorb it all.
Her eyes filled with sympathy. “There’s a certain element of anger and grieving that occurs whenever someone learns that they have something like this.”
For the parent, too.He could already feel the worry seeping into his bones as he imagined the battles ahead.
With their erratic schedule, they’d mostly grabbed breakfast on the run, and supper more often than not was pizza. Easy casseroles. Steaks thrown on the grill.
He’d never had to think in terms of insulin and carbohydrate exchanges. The whole concept scared him. Carefully planned meals, carefully scheduled times—what if he made mistakes? Caused Annie harm?
“Compliance is especially hard for teenagers who want to be just like everyone else,” Jolie continued. “She may have a hard time adjusting. But it’simperativethat she take care of herself.”
How well he knew. Matt moved to a window and stared out. “I wish it was me instead of her,” he muttered.
“You’ll be able to help her a great deal, Matt. She’s lucky to have a dad like you.”
“But I can’t change her diagnosis, and I can’t make it easier for her. She’ll still face those needles every day.”
“But you can be positive and supportive. It’s a new challenge for all of you, but she’ll adjust.”
Jolie stood and joined him at the window. “Most kids do wonderfully well. Once they understand their disease, and learn how to manage things like sports and diet, they do better than a lot of adults. Kids half Annie’s age do their own testing and insulin—with supervision, of course.”
Little comfort. “The doctor at the hospital said we should follow up with you in a week, and that you’ll take things from there.”
“No problem at all. Would you like to set up a time now?” She gave the appointment book on the desk a rueful glance. “Not that finding a slot will be too difficult. Sometimes I wonder...”
“This place will be packed before you know it.”
“Maybe not. I keep hearing the oddest rumors. That I’ve lost my license. That I’m facing a whole host of malpractice lawsuits. One even had me making a fortune in California by performing abortions in a garage for bargain rates. Unbelievable lies,” she confessed with a hint of a smile.
“Surely most people don’t believe that garbage.”
“One can hope, but rumors are hard to fight. What could I do, go on the local news and read the list, denying each one?” She gave a short laugh. “With my luck, the national tabloids would pick it all up as fact.Killer Doc Strikes Montana Town.”
