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“That’s your prerogative, of course, but I’d like to go on record as saying that I’m deeply concerned. If that cut had been just a tad lower, a towel wouldn’t have been able to stop the bleeding.”
Lauren felt the color drain from her face. “You’re not suggesting my father…tried to slit his wrist?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m merely looking at the facts.”
There was something so cold blooded about the way he said that. Dan Handy might be just a “fact” to him, but he was a live warm-blooded human being. He was funny and smart and caring. And deep down, he was…scared. They all were. Couldn’t Nate Miller see that?
“You can quote the facts all you want, Mr. Spock, but the truth is you don’t know my daddy at all. He’s the last person on earth who would ever hurt himself. Or anyone else for that matter.”
“There’s no need to raise your voice. I understand you’re upset—”
“What? You think I need an anti-depressant, too?”
He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a pamphlet and handed it to her. “That might not be necessary. Here’s some information on support groups. Unfortunately, there isn’t a group that meets in this area, but there’s a hotline number you can call as well as a website where you can get more information. Being a caregiver is stressful. Your mother and you are both at risk for developing depression and other stress related diseases.”
She tossed the pamphlet back on his desk. “I have about a dozen of these, thanks.” She stood up to leave. “Are we done here?”
He closed his laptop and rose. “Absolutely.”
“Great. Then, have a good life,” she said and stomped off down the hallway. The nerve of him to suggest Daddy might have tried to hurt himself! If Doc Morrison knew… She should report him. How could Doc think Nate Miller was capable of taking over his practice? She actually hoped now that Jessica succeeded in her little plot to get him down to Miami. The sooner he hightailed it down south, the better for everyone.
Her parents were waiting for her in the reception area. Daddy was talking to Ralph Humphries, one of his old golf partners. “Sweet Tea! Look who’s here today.”
“She’s still prettier than a June bug, Dan,” Ralph said, giving Lauren a hug. He was only a couple of inches taller than Lauren and had a full belly and a short white beard. When she was little, Lauren used to think he was Santa Claus.
“I hope you’re not too sick,” she said. Her heart was still pounding from that awful encounter in the office. She tried to shake it off before Daddy could see that she was upset.
“Nah, just getting my diabetes checked,” Ralph said. She almost told him he might want to wait and come back tomorrow, when a real doctor would be here to see him, but she kept her mouth shut.
“We got the prescription for the antibiotic,” Momma said. She looped her arm through Lauren’s and took her off to the side where Daddy and Ralph couldn’t hear her. “What did Dr. Miller want to talk to you about?” she asked in an excited voice. “Did he ask you out?”
“Please! As if…” Momma looked taken aback. Lauren swallowed hard. She needed to act normal or Momma would want to know what Nate Miller had said to get her all riled up. “He just wanted to make sure that Daddy was being properly supervised.” She paused. “Were you there when the accident happened?”
“Well, of course I was. Felicia was, too.” Momma frowned. “Why?”
“Oh, nothing.” Seeing Momma’s face and hearing her version back up Felicia’s, allowed Lauren to breathe easier.
“Back to Dr. Miller,” Momma said. “I can’t believe our good luck. You know, Paula from over at the country club knows his sister, Melanie. I’ve been a busy bee while you were in there flirting! I made a couple of phone calls and I think I could get her to help fix you up.”
“Fix me up what?”
“With Nate Miller, silly! I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. It just makes so much sense.”
“Oh, no, Momma. Absolutely not.”
“But you said you’d let me fix you up again, and I realize now that Ted was completely wrong for you. Much too old and stuffy.” Her mother paused. “Is there a reason you don’t like him? Did he say something in there to put you…off?”
If Lauren told her mother what Nate said back in the office, she’d lay an egg. Plus, it would hurt Momma’s feelings terribly. Momma wasn’t good at hiding her emotions. If she was upset, then Daddy would know it. And the last thing Lauren wanted was to upset Daddy.
“No, no reason. But…there’s no chemistry. I just don’t find him attractive at all.”
Her mother started laughing. “Oh, that! Well, I happen to find him very attractive. Not the same way Tom is,” her mother said, referring to Lauren’s ex, “but in a different way. A quieter way. Just give it one date. And if there’s still no chemistry, then you can’t say we didn’t try!”
Lauren grit her teeth. If this connection of Momma’s was even legit, and if she could manage to set it up, there was every chance that Nate would nip the whole thing in the bud. He had no more reason to want to go out with her than she did with him. Especially not after that little scene in his office. Plus, he might still get back with Jessica.
“Okay, whatever you say. Sure, set me up with Nate Miller.” Like that was ever going to happen! But it would give Momma something to do.
She thought briefly back to what Nate said about the family counseling. If he’d suggested it with a little more tact (and hadn’t said all those other awful things as well) she probably wouldn’t have reacted so vehemently. But there was no use bringing it up. Momma always said that people who couldn’t handle their own problems were weak. Counseling wasn’t a bad idea, but Momma would never go for it.
