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Payton gathered his coffee and donuts and got out of the car. Unsure where to enter the building, he spied a sign stating it was the employees’ entrance and started toward it just as a compact car whipped into the lot. He pushed the door open and found himself at the end of a passage that ran the length of the house.
Closing the door behind him, he headed towards the voices coming from the front. The floor creaked in places as he walked down the wooden plank hall. No serviceable white-tile floors of a hospital E.R. in sight. Along the way he passed small rooms located on the left side. Those had to be the exam rooms. Directly across from the third one was a small room that looked like an office. Next to it and just before the waiting room was an alcove that appeared to be the lab area. Can you say go back in time thirty years?
The end of the hall opened into a waiting room with a waist-high counter to the right that served as the reception desk. Chairs that looked like hand-me-downs from the hospital business office were pushed up against the other walls.
All talking stopped as he came into view. Three pairs of eyes fixed on him as he said, “Hello. I’m Dr. Jenkins, I hope you’re expecting me.”
Suddenly each woman started speaking. Finally, the middle-aged one with the red spiky hair waved a hand and the other two stopped. “Hi, I’m Jean, the office manager. This is Robin.” She indicated the young woman to her left, who appeared to be fresh out of college and was smiling at him as if he were a candy bar. “She’s one of the nurses. And this...” she pointed to the middle-aged woman sitting at the desk “...is Doris. She handles Reception. We heard you were coming and we’re glad to have you.”
“Thanks. I’m glad to be here. So we handle everything with one nurse?”
“Well, no. I don’t know where China is but she should be here in a minute. It isn’t like her to be late.”
“Hey, someone give me a hand,” a voice that was vaguely familiar called from the door through which he’d just entered. “You wouldn’t believe the idiot in front of me at Dolly’s,” the disembodied voice said, dripping aggravation.
Down the hall came the woman who had been at the donut shop. Her attention was focused on maneuvering her way in the narrow space and she seemed to be struggling to keep several bakery bags and the purse that was slipping off her shoulder in place. Her chin-length, straight brown hair swung as she walked. She had a petite frame that made her almost seem fairy-like, especially dressed in hot pink scrubs.
The voice grew closer. “He took up two parking spaces. Asked Roger questions. Everyone in town knows not to ask Roger—” She came to an abrupt halt and her cocoa-colored eyes grew wide. “You!”
“Yes, I would be the idiot,” Payton said in a voice that held a hint of humor.
There were soft chuckles from the other women.
“Wh...What are you doing here?”
“I’m Dr. Jenkins. The new doctor.”
Eyes the same shade as the deepest part of the ocean twinkled at China.
Jean stepped forward. “I see you two have already met. Let me help with those.”
China handed her the sack of donuts and the paper tray with four coffees. “I said I’d bring donuts,” she murmured, unable to take her eyes off the doctor. How had she missed that shiny car in the parking lot? Because he’d made her late and she hadn’t been paying attention.
“I can see,” he said crisply. He looked at the coffee Jean held. “It looks like it was a good thing I stopped and got my own. You hadn’t counted on me.”
China’s face heated. No, she hadn’t. Why did he have to sound so gracious about it? To make her feel more guilty? The door behind him buzzed, preventing her from apologizing. She had never been so happy to see a patient.
“Dr. Jenkins, let me show you the office,” Jean said. “Robin will put the patient in exam one. When you’re ready we can get started for the day.”
The doctor gave China an unwavering look for a second before he followed Jean down the hall.
With relief, China sank into a chair next to Doris.
“Auspicious way to start the day,” Doris quipped.
“Only you could use a big word to sum up total and complete embarrassment.”
“Aw, honey. Such is life. Go do your job and all will be well.”
The buzzer announced another patient. China opened the bottom cabinet and stored her purse. “I guess I’d better get busy before I look worse. Donuts and coffee will have to wait.”
After Doris had taken the information from the mom of an eight-year-old boy, China led them to examine room two. There she took the child’s vitals and noted the mom’s recitation of his symptoms.
“The doctor will be in to see you in a few minutes,” she said, before stepping out into the hall and placing the chart in a tray beside the door. As she turned to go to the front, she ran smack into a wall of male chest. A large hand cupped her shoulder to steady her.
“Are you going to be running into me all day?” a voice asked from above her head.
China stepped away and looked up at the insufferable doctor. “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” China pulled the chart from the tray and handed it to him. “Your patient is waiting.”
His low chuckle followed her down the hall. She shook her head. Obviously making good first impressions wasn’t her thing.
China waited as Dr. Jenkins examined the boy and told the mom, “I’m going to hav
e the nurse do a strep test and see what we’ve got. I’ll be back in after we know for sure.” He smiled reassuringly.
She followed him out of the room.
“It’s China, isn’t it?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Exam two needs a strep test. Where do I find those?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
China moved by him, taking special care not to make contact. She went into the lab and he followed. “They’re right here.” She opened the cabinet. “I’m, uh, sorry about calling you an idiot.”
He shrugged his shoulder. “It’s okay. Sometimes I am.”
Now he was being charming. She hadn’t expected that.
“Thanks. I’ll get this done.” China held up the pre-prepared swab with its plastic cap. “I’ll let you know the results right away.”
Doris came down the hall. “China, your mom’s on the phone.”
She wished she could make it clear to her mom not to call her during work hours. “Please tell her I will call her back.”
“I’ll take care of the test if you need to get that,” Dr. Jenkins offered.
“No, I’ll do it.”
China waited for the doctor to come out of the exam room where Robin had placed another patient. When he stepped out she said quietly, “The boy has strep.”
“Thanks for letting me know.”
The rest of the morning passed in much the same way. At lunchtime China and Doris took their meals brought from home outside to the table. Robin and Jean would eat later.
“So how is Dr. Jenkins working out?” Doris asked.
“He seems to have a solid medical background, is great with the patients and thorough.”
“Well, that was certainly a clinical evaluation,” Doris remarked.
“I guess it was but I’ve not seen him do anything past strep and stomachache.”
“Jean said Administration at the hospital told her he’s from Chicago.”
