NINE
Olivia
"YOU ARE THE BEST. THANKyou," I said, leaning over to give him a hug.
The smell of pine mixed with bleach filled the air as I pulled away.
"Oh, well, you're welcome. Anytime for a charming lady in need." His smile dazzled in the florescent light.
"If you don't mind me saying, you're a handsome man. You must be the popular doctor around here." I bit my lip as my gaze drifted down his body. The scrubs he wore fit a little too perfectly.
"Not really." Dr. Ferguson winked his blue eyes.
I swatted at his shoulder. "Let me guess, you're a big flirt."
"Something like that."
We chuckled before our amusement was cut off.
"I'm right here," Carter said from his hospital bed.
Mr. Grumpington struck again.
I glared at Carter. "We know."
"I should get back to my patients," Dr. Ferguson said as he threw his thumb over his shoulder.
"What patients?" Carter narrowed his eyes at the doctor. "This is a hospital for humans. You're a veterinarian."
"Carter, don't be rude. Dr. Ferguson was nice enough to help me get here. If he hadn't shown up to check on your sheep, I would probably be dead in a ditch trying to drive your truck here after the ambulance showed up. I never knew there were ambulances with plows on the front. Learn something new every day."
Dr. Ferguson showed up as I attempted to help Carter down from the loft. Thankfully, the vet had a cell phone to call the ambulance. Then he was nice enough to assist me with getting to the hospital.
"You tried to drive my truck? Just last week you didn't even know how to turn it on."
"That was last week. I know lots of things now."
Which was the absolute truth. I learned you don't put your hand in a sheep's mouth as they might accidentally bite you but since they have no upper teeth it doesn’t hurt. I discovered potatoes don't just cook themselves if left in a hot pan. And today, I learned I couldn't pull a two-hundred-pound male down a ladder from a loft while he had a broken arm.
As my father always said, "The best learning is discovering by doing." I thought he meant going to the tailor to get his suits fitted, but it turned out his words applied to so much more than just clothing.
"Hope you feel better soon, Carter. I'll stop by later this week to check the sheep."
"How will you get back since we took Carter's truck? If you want, I can drive you somewhere."
Dr. Ferguson's eyes widened, and he held up his hands as if I was pointing a gun at his chest.
"Oh, no. You take care of Carter. I'll take a cab."