Page 3 of Cherishing Little Charlee

“It’s okay, Charlee,” Hazel soothed. “We will do our best for you to be seen and leave as quickly as possible. Please follow me.”

Wrapping an arm around Charlee’s shoulders, I pulled her gently to my side. She looked up at me, her huge blue-gray eyes watery. “I’m right here, sweetheart.”

“I appreciate you,” Charlee mumbled as she leaned against me. At this distance I caught a whiff of her floral jasmine-scented perfume mixed with the paint she’d been using. The way she sagged against my body made me want to protect her from the world. We had been friends since we met though I didn’t know if she was seeking a relationship. We flirted and bantered as easily as we breathed. I cared about her deeply, but my heart was guarded. Having a girlfriend hadn’t been in my current cards. So it came as a bit of a surprise when my thoughts shifted from the belief that entertaining a dynamic wasn’t evenin my realm of possibility, to considering Charlee seemed to be submissive. Though other than my gut instinct, I had nothing solid to base my assumption on.

Hazel led us across the lobby and toward a hallway. “Have you ever met Nurse Cain?”

I wasn’t surprised to see Charlee shake her head. If I were a betting man, I’d wager she attempted to avoid anyone having to do with medical issues. But that didn’t mean I didn’t recognize the name. “Yes, both she and Nurse MacIntosh work over at the Ranch’s infirmary.”

“That’s right,” Hazel said brightly as if I’d won some sort of prize. “We’re lucky enough to have Nurse Cain working with us until we get more staffing.” She turned her attention to Charlee and gestured down the hallway. “Third room on your left,” she said sweetly.

“Thank you.” I ushered Charlee inside, helping her to sit on the table.

A nurse I recognized from the Ranch walked in moments later. “Hi! I’m Nurse Cain. I heard you fell on your wrist.” She handed an ice pack wrapped in a towel to Charlee.

“Hi, I’m Charlee. Thanks for the ice. I hurt my right wrist.”

“Hello, Charlee. The doctor will be in soon. Let me grab a few numbers.” She tasked herself with taking Charlee’s blood pressure, pulse oxygen via a small gray probe on the tip of one of her fingers and temperature via a temporal thermometer that scanned her forehead.

“Will I ever be able to play the piano again?” Charlee mused but her features were tight with worry.

Her attempt at humor wasn’t lost on me. I rubbed her back as I stood next to her.

The nurse grinned. “Can you play the piano now?” she asked, going along with the game.

“Nope. Not even one key,” replied Charlee sweetly.

“Then you might want to wait until your angry wrist feels better, sweetie.”

“Good point! It would probably be better to learn with two hands.”

The three of us shared a laugh as the nurse waved and exited. The doctor, I presumed, walked in almost behind her, warmly greeting us. I was thankful for their professional courtesy.

“I’m Dr. Quincy Nelson,” he washed his hands before snapping on a pair of purple gloves. “What brings you here tonight?”

“Decided I was bored and took a trip off a ladder,” Charlee said softly.

“Oh my! Next time you’re bored maybe you should try a jigsaw puzzle. Or a crossword instead?”

“Thatwouldbe less dramatic. I am the theater goddess extraordinaire.” She gave a small smile.

“Aha! So, the ladder was acting? Not very nicely I’d say.” He gestured toward her hands. “How did you land?”

“I actually landed on top of Pierce,” she said, gesturing at me with her chin.

“Smart. He looks like a good cushion.” Dr. Nelson winked. “I see you holding your right wrist. Does it hurt?”

“Yeah. It’s throbbing and whenever I wiggle my fingers it’s worse.”

“Can you hold your hands out toward me?” He rotated each wrist very gently. “Please squeeze my fingers.”

She followed his command, relaxing a little as I continued to gently rub her shoulders and back. The soothing gesture was for me as much as for her. “You’re being very good, sweetheart,” I whispered against her ear.

Charlee glanced up at me, adoration filling her eyes. That was a good sign. Hopefully her wrist wasn’t injured too badly.

“I’m trying to be,” she mouthed.

“Hmmm. Your wrist does appear swollen. Have you ever had an x-ray?” Dr. Nelson asked matter-of-factly.

---