as he walked away, and heat rose up her cheeks.
“No more than I’d accept yours!” she called out before he got into his car. A ball of anger and confusion twined around her as she slammed the door with shaky hands.
Tuesday morning, Claire went into work early to make calls to patients who were taking herbs that interacted negatively with their current prescribed medications. She’d chosen to call patients she knew worked and were up early. This way she’d have time in the evening to visit Mrs. Densmore. She heard Jason’s footsteps up thestairs and her heart stumbled over the next beat. He stopped outside her door. Turned his head and nodded a greeting.
“Hello, Jason,” she said, as casually as her thrumming pulse would allow.
“What are you doing here so early?”
She explained why she’d come in and he stepped inside her office. “Give me some of those,” he said, reaching for her pile of surveys.
“You don’t have to help.”
He tossed her an impatient glance and grabbed half the stack on his way out the door.
As she shook her head at the empty doorway, she heard him step into the waiting room and fiddle with something. Was he turning on the diffuser for the aromatherapy?
A few minutes later when the scent of lavender, ylang-ylang and rosemary wafted up her nose, she smiled in disbelief while she made her next phone call.
Throughout the day, in between her patient appointments, she cogitated over how to reach out to Jason, how to be his friend. He wasn’t looking for a replacement for his wife, and she didn’t want to ever depend on a man again—theirs seemed like an ideal friendship. Except her body always reacted in unexpected ways whenever he was near, and she was confused about desiring him as a man while settling for a tame friendship. It seemed such a shame to let a good man like Jason live life as a zombie. But if he continued to shut her out of his personal life, all she would have was their business relationship.
She wanted more. The thought sent her sitting backin her chair. She was kidding herself about only wanting friendship with Jason. If she analyzed further, this desire to be friends with Jason was her way of working up the confidence to trust a man again. She shook her head. Of all the men in the entire world to get involved with, Jason seemed the least likely candidate.
That evening at the hospital ICU, Claire was surprised to see that her landlady had been intubated. Claire reached for her hand and squeezed when she arrived. Mrs. Densmore’s anxious flitting eyes found Claire and blinked with questions.
Her nurse explained that reflex muscle spasms were causing respiratory compromise, and they planned to perform a tracheotomy the next day. She said they intended to use neuromuscular blocking medications and Mrs. Densmore needed to be mechanically ventilated.
The thought of Gerald Densmore going to the hospital and never coming home had been enough to make her delay seeking medical advice. She could only imagine what was going through her landlady’s mind now.
Claire got close to her face. “You are going to pull through this. I know you will.” She held both of her hands and squeezed. “I’m taking care of the cats, so don’t worry.” The irony of a woman who’d avoided the doctor all her life, only to wind up in the ICU in such distress, didn’t go unnoticed by Claire, and she suspected it was all that Mrs. Densmore thought about while lying in the bed staring at the ceiling.
Wednesday Claire worked like a fiend to complete her initial herbal supplement survey, and gave the “Whatto Expect When Nursing” class for René’s pregnant clients in the morning. After, she called the hospital and found out Mrs. Densmore’s procedure had gone well, and she was stable.
In the afternoon, she facilitated the “Stop Smoking Now” class for Phil’s pulmonary patients. When the memo came across her desk about the staff meeting on Thursday night, Claire worked
“No more than I’d accept yours!” she called out before he got into his car. A ball of anger and confusion twined around her as she slammed the door with shaky hands.
Tuesday morning, Claire went into work early to make calls to patients who were taking herbs that interacted negatively with their current prescribed medications. She’d chosen to call patients she knew worked and were up early. This way she’d have time in the evening to visit Mrs. Densmore. She heard Jason’s footsteps up thestairs and her heart stumbled over the next beat. He stopped outside her door. Turned his head and nodded a greeting.
“Hello, Jason,” she said, as casually as her thrumming pulse would allow.
“What are you doing here so early?”
She explained why she’d come in and he stepped inside her office. “Give me some of those,” he said, reaching for her pile of surveys.
“You don’t have to help.”
He tossed her an impatient glance and grabbed half the stack on his way out the door.
As she shook her head at the empty doorway, she heard him step into the waiting room and fiddle with something. Was he turning on the diffuser for the aromatherapy?
A few minutes later when the scent of lavender, ylang-ylang and rosemary wafted up her nose, she smiled in disbelief while she made her next phone call.
Throughout the day, in between her patient appointments, she cogitated over how to reach out to Jason, how to be his friend. He wasn’t looking for a replacement for his wife, and she didn’t want to ever depend on a man again—theirs seemed like an ideal friendship. Except her body always reacted in unexpected ways whenever he was near, and she was confused about desiring him as a man while settling for a tame friendship. It seemed such a shame to let a good man like Jason live life as a zombie. But if he continued to shut her out of his personal life, all she would have was their business relationship.
She wanted more. The thought sent her sitting backin her chair. She was kidding herself about only wanting friendship with Jason. If she analyzed further, this desire to be friends with Jason was her way of working up the confidence to trust a man again. She shook her head. Of all the men in the entire world to get involved with, Jason seemed the least likely candidate.
That evening at the hospital ICU, Claire was surprised to see that her landlady had been intubated. Claire reached for her hand and squeezed when she arrived. Mrs. Densmore’s anxious flitting eyes found Claire and blinked with questions.
Her nurse explained that reflex muscle spasms were causing respiratory compromise, and they planned to perform a tracheotomy the next day. She said they intended to use neuromuscular blocking medications and Mrs. Densmore needed to be mechanically ventilated.
The thought of Gerald Densmore going to the hospital and never coming home had been enough to make her delay seeking medical advice. She could only imagine what was going through her landlady’s mind now.
Claire got close to her face. “You are going to pull through this. I know you will.” She held both of her hands and squeezed. “I’m taking care of the cats, so don’t worry.” The irony of a woman who’d avoided the doctor all her life, only to wind up in the ICU in such distress, didn’t go unnoticed by Claire, and she suspected it was all that Mrs. Densmore thought about while lying in the bed staring at the ceiling.
Wednesday Claire worked like a fiend to complete her initial herbal supplement survey, and gave the “Whatto Expect When Nursing” class for René’s pregnant clients in the morning. After, she called the hospital and found out Mrs. Densmore’s procedure had gone well, and she was stable.
In the afternoon, she facilitated the “Stop Smoking Now” class for Phil’s pulmonary patients. When the memo came across her desk about the staff meeting on Thursday night, Claire worked
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