AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
MOLLY
“Sorry,Miss Molly, but I don’t see anyone sitting out there,” Beth says as she walks into my office.
I glance behind her at the waiting room and frown.
“And you’resurewe sent him the appointment reminder?” I ask her, tapping my pen nervously against the notepad on my desk.
Beth nods. “Yes, ma’am. We sent three of them via email and a text this morning.”
I sit back in my desk chair and sigh.
This last month at Cooper Hills Physical Therapy Clinic is definitely not going the way I planned.
Last month, I officially took over the clinic from my dad. After over forty years in the business, he and my mom finally decided to retire and move to Florida.
To be honest, when my dad first approached me about taking over his clinic, I was a little skeptical.
I had spent the last several years practicing as a therapist at Cooper Hills General Hospital. And even though I had dreams of owning my own clinic one day, I was a little nervous about starting on my own so soon at my age.
Fortunately, before he left, my dad gave me the scoop on all of the patients.
He told me about the sweet ones, the difficult ones, and the ones to watch out for. But he also told me he wanted me to give special attention to one patient in particular—a Marine veteran named Chase Andrews.
I could tell right away that my dad had a bit of a soft spot for Chase. My dad was a former Marine too and always made sure to look out for his own. Before he left, I promised I would take good care of Chase and send updates on his recovery.
According to my dad, Chase was an excellent patient. They met regularly for the last several months and made real progress.
Except, ever since I took over the clinic, Chase stopped coming in.
And now I don’t know what to do.
A few minutes later, Beth returns from the back room wearing her coat and carrying her purse.
“Do you want me to stay around to see if he comes?” Beth asks.
“No, that’s okay. You go on home. It’s getting late,” I reply, shuffling the paperwork on my desk. “I actually think I might stop by Chase’s house after I leave, just to make sure he’s okay.”
Beth looks at me like I’m crazy.
“You’re going to go to hishouse?” she asks. “I don’t know if your dad told you, but that’s not really something we do. They’re supposed to come here. This is where the insurance is covered. I don’t think you would be covered at his residence.”
I can’t help but smile.
Beth is always worried about technicalities. But I know that was why my dad kept her around. We’re still warming up to each other, especially since I’ve always been the happy-go-lucky type, and Beth is a grouchy know-it-all. But I appreciate her concern.
“I know it’s not, but I think we can make an exception for Chase,” I explain. “He never would have missed an appointment if my dad was still working here. Maybe he just needs to see how committed I am.”
Everybody knows my dad, Jeff Mathews, was the best in the business. No one would have ever missed an appointment with him. If I want to have that sort of respect as well, I need to put in extra effort like my dad did. He always went above and beyond, and I want to do the same.
“I don’t know, Miss Molly…” Beth starts to say.
“Don’t worry about me, Beth. I promise I know what I’m doing. We can afford to do some one-on-one with our clients.”
She gives me another dubious look before she sighs and heads toward the door.
After Beth leaves, I go through my dad’s notes in Chase’s file one last time, trying to get information that will help me when I meet him.
