Page 13 of The Doctor's Simple Life

I lean down and kiss her forehead. “I’ll be ten minutes, max. I’m getting help.”

I shouldn’t leave her. But she’s awake and talking, and I know exactly where to go to get help.

Part of my job is keeping updated with what’s going on in the medical world, to read papers and keep informed. I have to know what I’m talking about. And when I was doing research into Reece this week, one of the things I found, to my surprise, was a paper on seizures in older people.

For a plastic surgeon, he has a surprising number of other interests. I would have assumed that he would be dedicated only to his niche, but as I dug deeper, I found all sorts of interesting things. Research on epilepsy, some studies about vaccinations, about infectious diseases.

The more I went digging, the more I found that he knows a hell of a lot.

And I know exactly where he lives.

If I run, I can make it there and back in less than five minutes. He’s just around the corner. But I don’t want to leave Gramma totally unprepared. I grab my phone, dial 911 into the keypad, and place it near her. “If you feel like something’s going wrong, you press call, okay? I don’t care if it’s just a scare. If anything changes at all, you press call. Got it?”

“Yes, love,” she croaks.

I stroke her face and say, “Do not move. If I get back and I find you’re not lying exactly here, I’m going to be furious.”

“You’re just like your mother,” she scoffs quietly, then closes her eyes.

I kiss her forehead again, get up, scramble into the corridor, pull on some shoes and sprint out into the night.

I’m not much of a runner, but I’d do anything for Gramma. My feet pound on the road as I sprint down the street, and I turn the corner. My heart sinks to see that all the houses on Reece’s street are dark. Maybe nobody is home.

Maybe this was a terrible idea. Maybe I should have just called an ambulance to begin with. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight. I shouldn’t have left her.

My chest heaving, I stop in front of Reece’s house. A small lamp is on in the living room. It’s maybe not totally dark enough for lights to be on yet, and this has the look of a light that could be left on all the time or could be an indication of someone being home.

But I’ve come here now. I have to try.

Steeling myself, I thump on the door so hard it hurts. There’s a silence, and my heart sinks even lower.

Then I hear some grumbling behind the door and the latch being unlocked. “Dr. Westbrook,” I gasp. “Please, can you help me? It’s my grandmother. She’s had a seizure. I need help.”

His eyes grow wide, and I clench my fist, getting ready for the smug comment, for the unbearable one up this is going to give him.

But to my surprise, he doesn’t say anything. “Hold on,” is all I get.

He darts back into his house, grabs his doctor’s bag, then rushes back to the door, closing it behind him. “Where does she live?”

“This way,” I say, then draw as much air in my lungs as I can and set off running again.

We don’t say anything as we run back around the corner, and my whole chest is burning so much that I don’t think I could.

I let Reece into the house, and we rush into the kitchen to find Gramma lying on the floor. She’s staring at the wall, and her face splits into a smile when she sees us.

“Took you long enough,” she says.

“Gramma, this is Dr. Westbrook.”

“He’s the new recruit,” she says, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah…” That’s the only reply I have because all week, she’s heard me going on and on about what a horrible person he is and yet, here he is on his knees with my Gramma, treating her more gently than I’ve seen him treat anyone all week.

“Mrs. Hale,” he says. “Do you have a history of seizures at all?”

“No. I’ve had a few dizzy spells in my life, but I’ve never fallen to the floor like this before.”

“I’m glad to see you so lucid. That’s a good sign.” He helps her to sit up, his eyes sharp on her as he observes her every move. “You might be feeling a little shaky for a while, so I would recommend not doing anything strenuous until tomorrow. But for now, let’s get you somewhere more comfortable. Let me help you up.”

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