“Well…thanks.”
“Family is more than just blood, Atlas. My wife and I are unrelated, but I feel like we share the same heart, same soul, same everything. We’re a family—even without our kids. I understand this is difficult for you with everything you’ve been through, but not everyone has the same definition of family as we do.”
6
Daisy
“What am I missing here?” I sat at my desk and kept flipping through the pages, trying to find something that made sense. Everything was negative. There was no MS. No autoimmune disease. Nothing. “What the hell is going on with this guy?”
Alyssa spoke on my intercom. “Your next patient is ready for you.”
“Ugh. Thanks.” I wished I had news for him or, at the very least, a plan of what to do next. I had nada. Zip.
I gathered my things and went into the hallway where we had patient rooms. We didn’t wear white coats or dressy suits. We spent most of our time thinking in our offices rather than in patient interactions. I knocked on the door then let myself inside. “Hey, Darin. Always a pleasure to see you.” Most of my patients were quiet and depressed, understandably, so I tried to lighten up as much as I could.
Darin sat on the bed in his gown, a balding man in his early forties. He gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
I inserted my stethoscope into my ears then listened to his lungs, which sounded good as always. The vitals the nurse had taken when he checked in were normal—except his heart rate. It was crazy high. “Had some caffeine today?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Your heart rate is really high.”
“Maybe because I’m in pain and no one cares.”
I sat on the stool with his chart on my lap, knowing this was going to be a challenging day. He’d been my patient for a couple weeks, and honestly, I was nowhere close to figuring out his problem. Blackouts. Involuntary jerks. Just a superficial touch was enough to cause him pain. It seemed to be all over his body. “I care, Darin. Trust me, I do.”
“Then what the hell is wrong with me?” His trust in me had disappeared, and now he stared at me like I was the enemy. “You guys are supposed to be the best, and I’ve been coming to you for weeks with no answers, no medications, nothing.”
“Because I’m not going to give you medication without reason. That’s bad medicine.”
He started to yell. “What the hell are you doing? You’re sitting in your office, doing what, exactly? You’re just as useless as the other doctors.”
In any other situation, my temperament would rise like a fire-breathing dragon, and I’d scorch this guy to the bone. But I retained my compassion, my empathy, and understood his anger came from a place of long-standing suffering. “Darin, I will figure this out. It’s just taking me some time—”
“Liar!”
Okay, this was getting nowhere. I headed to the door. “I’ll give you twenty minutes to cool down.” I walked out the door and headed down the hallway. Sometimes being a doctor made me feel like a customer service rep—and I got screamed at when I couldn’t supply the right service.
Footsteps sounded behind me, quick footsteps.
Atlas rounded the corner at the end of the long hallway, concern on his face like he’d heard the man screaming all the way from his office. He stopped, his eyes widened, and then he sprinted. “Daisy!”
I knew Darin was coming, so I turned around and slammed the chart right into his face.
Stunned, he faltered back, his hands moving to his face.
Atlas sprinted as hard as he could.
Darin came at me again, this time throwing a punch.
Everything Dad taught me kicked in like instinct, and I dodged his hit then gave him a quick series of blows. Fist to the eye, knee to the stomach, and then a good head slam to force him to the floor.
He lay there, breathing heavily, his ass handed to him.
I stared down at him, the chart tucked into my side, Atlas’s footsteps getting louder as he came closer. “Take twenty minutes to cool down, and we’ll get back to work.”
Atlas reached me, his hands grabbing on to me, the look on his face manic. “Baby, are you okay?” He felt me everywhere, his hands cupping my face to look at me, to make sure there wasn’t a scratch.
“Did you not see me kick his ass?”
He was in no mood for jokes, and he pulled me into his chest, his arms circling me, his chin resting on my head. His hand cupped the back of my head as he breathed heavily, like he needed to comfort himself with this embrace.
Everyone else came down the hallway.
Atlas didn’t pull away, indifferent to people witnessing our affection. He pulled away and kissed me, resting his face against mine for a few seconds.