Page 17 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls

She waved a hand at me. ‘That doesn’t matter. If you’re treating them, you’re family.’

I took a thick gulp. Family? These people didn’t know me. Hell, my own parents cared more about their social status than whether I was happy.

Like she could sense my mood change, she took another step toward the small desk. ‘Before he left, Doc told me you spent time on a ship off the coast of Africa caring for those who needed your skills. It’s no different here. When people walk in that door, they trust you. Believe you care about Ivy Falls. All I’m saying is give them a chance to get to know you.’

On the ship, we were on a tight schedule. Every day we had clinic, a long line of patients waited in the corridor sometimes for hours. There wasn’t time for small talk. To get to know them. All they needed was a physician’s attention, and I was laser-focused on making sure they got the care they deserved without getting into too much detail about their lives. Janice’s narrowed eyes and tight jaw made it clear that a different approach was needed here.

‘I hear you, and thanks for the heads-up. Been practicing medicine for several years and I guess I still have things to learn.’

‘Every job is different and the people here need a gentler touch.’

‘I’m beginning to understand that.’

‘Good,’ she said with a satisfied tone. ‘Take a minute. Get a sip of that coffee and another handful of trail mix. When you’re finished, head to Room Three. There’s a walk-in that needs your immediate attention.’ She hesitated near the threshold. ‘This place is special. You’ll see that soon enough.’

Piper’s warm brown eyes flashed through my mind again.

She glanced to the busy hallway and said, ‘I’ll let you have a little peace now.’

Once she was gone, I sat back in the leather chair. Dr Sheridan had cleaned off his desk, but his personal touches filled the room. Pictures of his family sat on one part of a bookshelf. Other items like his framed college degrees and congratulatory plaques covered the rest of the space.

I wasn’t like my brother in the sense that I was against getting married and having a family. I just didn’t see where it would fit into my life. I wanted to keep working in Senegal, using my skills to help those who couldn’t get medical care anywhere else. It was impossible to think how a relationship, or a family, fit into any of that plan.

When I first met Dr Sheridan, I was taken aback by his casual demeanor. The twists of his white hair, and the psychedelic splash of color that covered his casual button-down. He may have looked like a hippie, but the way he spoke about medicine and the people in this community said he had an intelligence to be admired.

I was used to the frenetic pace of the ship’s clinic. The need to get through as many patients as possible, but this place required a different approach. I could do what Janice asked. Take my time with the people if that’s what they needed. It was only three months anyway.

My phone buzzed in my pocket again. Another text from my mother. She was overbearing, and irritating, but she was also my mom.

I left the office and walked down the hall to Room Three. After I knocked once, I poked my head in the door. A kid, maybe twelve or so, sat on the exam table. He was chatting, laughing with a woman who had rich dark hair swept back from her face in a braid. My heart stuttered when she turned to look at me.

‘What…what are you doing here?’ she gasped.

‘I’m the physician filling in for Dr Sheridan while he’s away.’

‘I heard something about that. But nobody said…’

‘That you’d welcome that person to town with a latte bath?’ I turned to the kid sitting on the table. ‘Thanks to our friend here.’

He gave me that preteen stare down. ‘Ooops. Sorry about that,’ he said like he wasn’t sorry at all.

I tried not to laugh as Piper’s face went three shades of red.

‘Dex, be nice. This man is your shot at getting that candy out of your ear.’

‘Candy?’

‘Yep. Dex thought it’d be cute to show off for his friends and shove a gummy bear deep into his ear.’

‘Why’d you do that?’ I asked.

‘Cause Jake Anderson dared me I wouldn’t,’ he huffed.

Piper gave him a concerned look.

‘So are you two related? Is he your son?’

‘No! Of course not. You think I’m old enough to have a kid this big?’ she said like she thought I was an idiot.