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“Good morning, Mrs. Kiefer. I’m afraid Dr. Morrison is out sick today. I hope you’ll let me take care of you in his place?”
She narrowed her eyes. “It doesn’t look like I have much choice, do I?”
He pulled out his laptop and looked over her vital signs. She’d been in the office just a few weeks ago but her blood pressure was significantly higher today. “Has there been any change in your, um, routine lately?”
“Go ahead and say it. I told you so. Right? If I’d lost weight like you told me to then I wouldn’t be in this predicament.” She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest.
Nate felt momentarily stunned. Is that seriously what she thought of him? That he’d gloat because she hadn’t listened to his warnings? He decided his best course of action was to ignore the dig and carry on in his normal manner.
“Sometimes, blood pressure can be elevated for different reasons. Are you in any pain or under any extra stress lately?”
She sniffed. “No, I’m not in pain. And…no extra stress. Not really.” She glanced down at her folded hands.
“But you’ve been dizzy?” He pointed to the computer screen. “It says here under your complaint it’s the reason you came in this morning?”
She nodded. “Just a little. Sometimes. Not all the time,” she emphasized.
“All right. Let’s do some bloodwork and recheck your blood pressure in a few minutes.”
“What’s that going to do?”
“Your bloodwork will rule out diabetes and a few other things that might be causing the dizziness. Sometimes if your blood pressure is too high or too low, it can make you feel dizzy. But one blood pressure reading isn’t enough data to go on. Have you ever heard of ‘white coat’ syndrome?”
“Isn’t that when you get nervous when you go to the doctor and it makes your blood pressure go up?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, I certainly was not nervous. Not until, that is…” she broke off.
Not until she saw me come through the door. He sat down on the stool, and gave her his professional smile. It was a bland, neutral kind of smile he’d learned to perfect in his residency to put his patients at ease. But Frances Kiefer didn’t look impressed, or reassured, either.
A trickle of perspiration ran down his neck. Why did Doc have to be sick today? He thought about Lauren’s advice. About the five minute thing. He wanted to wait to recheck Mrs. Kiefer’s blood pressure himself, and five minutes seemed like a reasonable amount of time. It couldn’t hurt to fill the wait with some small talk. He racked his brain trying to think of something to say to her. All the women in the office seemed to go crazy over Hector. Maybe this love of puppies was a universal thing.
“Do you have a have a dog, Mrs. Kiefer?”
She sat up straight. “I have four. Why do you ask?”
“What kind of breed?”
She looked reluctant to tell him. “I have four Shih-Poos. It’s a mix between a poodle and a Shih Tzu.”
“Sounds like an…interesting combination.”
“Oh, yes, they’re quite a lovely breed.” She looked at the eye chart on the wall and then back at him. “Do you have a dog, Dr. Miller?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Let me guess. You have a Pit Bull. No, a Rottweiler.” She smiled, like she was pleased with her own little joke.
He pulled out his cell phone and swiped to find the picture. “Actually,” he said, handing her his phone, “this is my dog. His name is Hector.”
Her jaw dropped. “This adorable little creature is yours? How old is he?”
Nate thought a moment. “He’s four months old now.”
“Where do you keep him during the day? I mean, does he stay at home while you’re at work?”
He looked around and lowered his voice like he was letting her in on a big secret, which, he supposed, he kind of was. “Don’t tell the other patients, but I keep him in my office.”
