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“Sure. I’d like that.”
“Practice is at four. I’ll come by the house around three or three-thirty.”
She heard the murmur of conversation on Gareth’s side, then he sighed. “For some reason, these two are hungry at ten o’clock at night, so I guess we’re getting some food.”
Aria laughed. “Well, Cole, at least, is a growing boy.”
“And if I don’t want to hear a bunch of whining, I’d better get going. Have a good night.”
“You too,” Aria said. Again, the words revealing her feelings were on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back. They weren’t something to be uttered over the phone. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
After they said goodnight, Aria put her phone on the nightstand, then went to get ready for bed. She fought against the anxiety that was fluttering to life inside her, and it wasn’t just because of Nora.
The next morning, Aria was up and ready to go when she’d normally have been sleeping in. After she drove to the clinic, she let herself into the dark and quiet building. Aria had just finished making herself a cup of coffee using the single serve coffee maker instead of the big pot when the back door opened.
Aria braced herself for Nora’s appearance, hoping that her prayers would be answered, and the next few hours would go smoothly.
“Aria?” Nora said from the doorway. “What are you doing here?”
“Janessa is still sick, so I’m covering for her.”
She just nodded, then turned and headed down the hallway.
Aria blew out a breath, then lifted her mug to take a sip, grimacing when she realized Nora had interrupted her before she had added the sugar. After stirring in a teaspoon of the sweetener, Aria took her mug to the desk at the front.
Janessa had said that they opened the door at eight. It was an earlier start than their weekday hours, but since they closed at noon, it allowed for four hours of appointments.
A few minutes before eight, Aria unlocked the door and held it open for a young woman with a baby in her arms who had been waiting. She greeted her with a smile, then went to the desk. After the woman gave her name, Aria dove into the day.
Just before ten, Nora appeared at the desk. So far, they hadn’t had many interactions. Since Nora was only using two exam rooms, she just went from one to the other.
“Aria, can you please give the baby in exam one her six-month vaccines? She’s up to date on her protocols, so it’s just a standard set.”
Aria clenched her hands as her heart began to pound. She had no choice, though. “Sure.”
She knew where the vaccines were kept, and thankfully, Janessa had made a list of the specific protocols by age. Because Aria had worked on an adult ward at her most recent nursing job, she hadn’t given pediatric vaccinations in a while.
The medications were stored in a small, locked room with its own alarm. Janessa had given her the code in case she ever needed to get in, and here she was, needing that access. Once inside the room, Aria took a moment to calm herself, then read through the list of vaccines that Janessa had posted. Once she’d prepped the shots, she went into the exam room, where a mom with two small children waited.
Aria greeted her as she sat down on the stool at the desk, then she looked over the file, verifying Nora had recorded her request. She made note of the previous vaccines, just to confirm what had been given already, then wrote down the ones she would be administering.
The toddler watched with wide eyes as Aria quickly gave the shots to the baby. Despite her anxiety being at an all-time high, her training had kicked in, and she was able to do what she needed to.
The baby hardly cried at all, and the mom smiled at her. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re very welcome,” Aria told her. “Were you supposed to see the doctor again?”
“No. She just said to sit in the waiting room for fifteen minutes after Miley got her shots to make sure everything was okay.”
“Okay. I’ll help you out there.” Aria took the large diaper bag and carried it out to the waiting room for the woman.
She checked the next person in before going back to prep the room the woman had just left. Doing so many things kept her busy, and the rest of the morning flew by.
Once the last patient was out the door, Aria locked it and returned to the desk.
“Well, I’m off,” Nora said. “Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.”
“Uh, you, too.”
