Family Doctor's Baby (Bad Boys and Babies 1)

Which meant I would be at his house after work.

I flashed him one more smile before taking the file to Donna's front desk. I tucked it into the pile of to-be filed charts. Despite having a paperless system in place, we still used a lot of paper.

“Hey, Hannah,” Karina greeted me, worry in her voice. She stood on the opposite side of Donna's desk. Leigh Ann held her hand and looked pale.

“Hey!” I smiled at her and then frowned at Leigh Ann. “Why are you guys here?”

“I don't feel good,” Leigh Ann announced.

And then promptly vomited all over the floor.

Karina stared at her daughter in shock. “I didn't think she had any more left in her,” she said softly.

I hurried around the desk to get to Leigh Ann. She sniffled and wiped at her face, looking utterly dejected.

“Let's get you in a room and cleaned up,” I told her, gently taking her arm.

“I'll clean this up,” Karina announced, but didn't move an inch. She looked like she might throw up too. Karina wasn't good with bodily fluids.

“I've got it,” Donna told her. “You wouldn't believe how often this happens. That's why Dr. Taggert had the tile installed a few years ago. I broke the carpet cleaner and tile was the cheaper option.”

Donna reached into her magic desk and pulled out a roll of paper towels and a bottle of spray bleach. I had no idea where she kept most of the supplies under there. She snagged a pair of gloves from a box of them on the counter and quickly went to work cleaning everything up. There was less on the floor than it had originally sounded like.

“You come with me,” I told Leigh Ann with a smile, and I carefully took her to one of the exam rooms.

“She's been feeling unwell all day,” Karina explained, still looking a little pale herself. “I thought she just had a stomach bug, but she's got a fever and she says her stomach hurts.”

“You were good to bring her in,” I told her. I carefully took Leigh Ann's temperature and found that it was well over one-hundred. “Have you given her any medicine?”

“Some Tylenol about two hours ago,” Karina replied. She chewed on her bottom lip, worry for her child painting her face. “You know I don't do the sick thing. I brought her in when she still said it hurt.”

“Okay.” I motioned to Leigh Ann to get up on the exam table. I noticed that she grimaced a little bit with the motion and I started to worry. “Leigh Ann, can you show me where it hurts?”

Leigh Ann pointed to the right side of her stomach.

“I'm going to feel around on your belly,” I told her. “If it hurts, I want you to let me know.” I gently pushed on her upper belly and Leigh Ann shook her head. I could feel the heat of her skin through my gloves.

“Ouch,” she whimpered when I touched her lower stomach.

“Does it hurt more when I push in, or let out?” I asked, doing the motion as gently as possible.

“Out.” Leigh Ann's lower lip trembled.

“You're very brave, Leigh Ann.” I knew what this was. Appendicitis. “I'm going to go get Dr. Matthews. You're both doing great.”

Karina went and held her daughters hand. Leigh Ann leaned into her mother and I could see her relax at her mother's touch. Even though I was her friend, I wasn't her mother. A part of me ached to feel that bond.

I hurried out of the room and found Dr. Matthews at his desk. I knocked on his door and was greeted with a megawatt smile when he saw who it was.

“Hi,” he greeted me. “Just thinking about my salmon later.”

I smiled and then quickly shook my head. This wasn't the time for secret fish meeting discussions.

“Leigh Ann has appendicitis,” I told him. “I'll call St. Joe's and tell them to expect her.”

“You're sure?” he asked, his face suddenly serious.

“Rebound tenderness in the lower right quadrant, fever, and vomiting.”