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“Maybe it’s not too late. You really were amazing tonight and not everyone can do what you did. You performed under pressure in an emergency situation and, I can’t say this enough, that’s talent. Many nurses, and doctors, think they can do emergency work and then find out it’s just not for them. You, on the other hand, are one of the best I’ve seen since med school.”
“You’re just being kind.”
“I’m not being kind. That’s the truth of what I saw tonight. How did you know what dosage she needed?”
Stacey shrugged, taking a bite of her noodles. “I knew Pam only had a junior dose in her desk. Lesley was having such a severe reaction, and her build and height are similar to Brayden, and he’s a big guy, so I knew she needed more. So I did some calcs in my head and gave her a standard dose on top of the junior dose.”
“That’s really good thinking for the situation.” I paused. “I’ll make sure to add that to my notes about tonight and credit you for your role.”
“Thank you.” Stacey blushed.
We ate our meals in silence, my mind going back over the events of the night. Only thirty-five minutes ago, we’d finishing entering patient notes.
“Just so you know, you’re still not my patient. I won’t be writing up any notes for your knee. Unless it gets infected or something, but I really don’t think you’re going to have any problems with it.”
“Okay.” Her voice was husky and low.
I nodded once and poked at the rice in my bowl. I could feel her eyes on me, and it was all I could do to keep staring at my meal. We were both thinking about our almost-kiss.
I heard Stacey inhale as if she were about to speak when her phone pinged three times in rapid succession.
“Umm, Mum would like to meet you tonight when you drop me off. She’s still very excited about what happened tonight.”
I’d never met anyone’s mum before.
“And you?” I asked. “How are you feeling now?”
She shook her head slightly dazed. “I’m all over the place. Might still be in shock. I keep bouncing from hyper-aware to incredibly sleepy.”
I nodded. “Yeah, me too. I’ll do some mindfulness exercises later. Maybe go for a run, too. Both helped when I worked in emergency for two years. And, okay.” I shrugged one shoulder, eyes on my food. “I’m happy to meet your mum.”
We finished our meals with more than enough left over for lunch tomorrow. As I drove us to Stacey’s house, she oscillated between bursts of excitement, recalling the events of the night, and big yawns. She even made sure I noted Eugene’s kangaroos. One was dressed like Elsa from the movie,Frozen. Complete with a blonde wig.
Thankfully, her mum had interrupted whatever was about to happen in my consultation room. If Stacey wanted to kiss me, then her rules were going in the bin with no regrets.
As I pulled into her driveway, I had to comment on the stone pillars of the gate.
“Just how fancy are you Turners?”
Stacey tried to snort but yawned instead. “I forgot to say that Mum was sick last night. I suspect gastro but she’s adamant it’s food poisoning. You can just drop me off. I’d hate for you to catch this bug.”
“She okay?”
“Maybe? She was very excited on the phone so hard to tell.” Stacey kept wringing her hands in her lap.
“You’re nervous,” I said, parking Lorraine and turning off the engine.
“To be honest, I’ve never brought a guy home before.”
For some reason, that pleased me at lot. “Let me walk you to the front door and I’ll say a quick hello before I leave.”
We walked up the front steps as the front door opened, revealing an older woman, shorter than Stacey, in a dressing gown and slippers. Even by the dim glow of the veranda light, I could tell Stacey’s mother was pale and tired, but she grinned at the sight of her daughter. I hung back, letting Stacey walk ahead.
“Your pants, Stacey!”
“I’m okay. Just a scrape.” Both women then turned their attention to me; Stacey’s mum considering me with blatant curiosity.
“Hey Mum, this is Dr Cain but call him Harry.”
