The Love We Choose

Chapter 25

One of these days you're going to wake up and realize someone should be taking care of you as well. Ava's words were still stuck in Lynne's mind two weeks later. Rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand, she tried to clear her head. Pushing the thought down into the recesses of her brain, she tabled that reflection for before bedtime. She had no energy left to think about it now. That morning had been rough on her body. Up every hour on the hour it seemed to empty the contents of her stomach from 2:30am to 5:30am, barely able to eat enough to take her prenatal vitamins, and in an endless battle to not fall asleep in her chair at the morning meeting, Lynne felt she had depleted all of her energy reserves. She felt down-right blessed she was able to navigate the highways to get to her appointment on time without passing out behind the wheel.

"Lynne Prentice!" Her name being called by Nurse Patty pulled her out of her reverie. "You can come through." Gathering her sling, Lynne followed the now familiar hall down to Dr. Ulias's exam room. After taking her measurements and recording them on the chart, Lynne was left alone in the room to put on an exam gown and await the doctor.

Exhausted from the day, Lynne let her body relax against the sterile exam bed. Not before long, she closed her eyes and drifted off to a light sleep. In her daze, she did not register the chimes coming from her cellphone.

When a gentle hand nudged her shoulder, she let out a light groan, before slowly opening her eyes.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Lynne," Dr. Ulias remarked with a small smile on her face, "I know how precious getting sleep in is when you're pregnant. However, I think it would be better to examine you when you are awake don't you?"

Mind still hazy, Lynne could only nod in response.

"Thatta girl. Where's my 'brother in medicine' today?" Dr. Ulias asked as she looked over Lynne's chart.

"Off saving the world somewhere. He got called in to cover a shift. He told me with Thanksgiving coming and this intense flu season, they are kinda short staffed."

"That's rough. I have to say, I don't miss that uncertainty myself. Long hour shifts where I wouldn't leave the hospital for days, crappy food for holidays, having any plans interrupted at the ring of my phone or buzz of my beeper. No time for any semblance of a personal life." Dr. Ulias put down the chart and sat down in the rolling stool. "Let's get you all checked out so you can go home and get some rest," she told Lynne as she snapped on her gloves.

XXX

Twenty minutes later, fresh ultrasound photos in hand, Lynne was in awe. Unlike her last appointment where all she could see was grey/white dots on a black canvas, she could distinctly make out the outline of a formed fetus. It didn't take a degree in medicine to make out the head and little hand. She couldn't believe how fast the little bean in her belly was growing.

As she sat behind the wheel of her car, she took out her phone and took a snapshot of each of the photos. Once she was done, she started a text to Huan.

L: We missed you today.....

Attaching the snapshots to the text, she was about to hit the send button when an idea crossed her mind.

XXX

"Phil, I'm done with the patient in Curtain 3. See to it that he gets a copy of this prescription before he is discharged and a couple extra Albuterol treatments to tide him over till the weekend," Huan told the nurse as he finished writing on the patient chart before handing it to him. "I'm not sure he'll be able to get to the Pharmacy since it's a holiday week."

"Yes, Dr. Zhang," the middle-aged nurse acquiesced, heading into the patient's room.

Walking toward the Emergency Room reception desk, Huan rolled his head and shook the tension out of his shoulders as he geared himself up to examine another patient. He had been on his feet for seven hours straight since he was called in to cover Dr. Engram's ER shift this morning. Glancing down at his watch he noted the time and sighed as he realized that he was supposed to be at Dr. Ulias's office with Lynne. "Damn." He contemplated sending her a quick text to check on things, but was pulled from it when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Dr. Zhang we need your help over here!" Dr. Tamale's voice was stern as he speed-walked beside the gurney that had just been brought into the ER. Changing his direction, Huan followed over to the patient.

XXX

With a bag of Caribbean takeout in her hand, Lynne walked into the bustling Emergency Room and took in the aesthetically neutral surroundings. People in various states of pain and injury occupied the grey backed chairs. Walking over to a curved, blue-topped reception desk, Lynne patiently stood in line behind a man uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other and a woman in an oversized coat holding a medium sized dog in her arms. The kind looking receptionist behind the desk was trying to explain to the man that despite the fact that it felt like his penis was on fire, he would have to wait his turn like everyone else. Obviously annoyed with the explanation given, the man stalked over to the chairs and resumed his seat.

Calling up the next person in line, the male receptionist adopted a tired smile as he addressed the woman with the dog, "ma'am, how can I help you?"

"I need help for Patrick," she stated as she snuggled the dog closer to her body.

"And where is Patrick, ma'am?"

"Right here," she held the dog closer to the desk.

Lynne couldn't help but turn her attention to the man behind the desk. She can't be serious right?

Apparently not fazed, he responded with a deadpan expression, "we don't see animals here; this is a people hospital."

"But I need someone to see my dog, he's sick," she whined.

"Then take him to a veterinarian."

"But he needs attention now!" She screeched at him.

"Ma'am, for the last time, we do not see dogs here. Take him to the vet."

The woman paused, looked to the side, then back at the receptionist. "Do you know any that's open?"

Visibly annoyed as Hell at this point, the receptionist picked up his phone, typed in something on the keyboard, wrote down the names of two open veterinarians in the area, and handed them to the woman.

Snatching the paper out of his hands, she turned and walked off with a huff.

Shaking his head as he watched the woman walk off, he turned his attention to Lynne. "How can I help you, ma'am?"

"I'm here to see Dr. Zhang. I'm his parole officer and it's time for his random drug screening." The look of shock on this previously unfazed worker's face was worth the fib. "I'm just playing with you. I'm not his parole officer. It's just a joke. After dealing with the last two people, I thought you could use some levity."

A genuine smile crossed the receptionist's face. "Yeah, I guess I did need it. But you had me there for a second. I was trying to figure out what in the world sort of trouble Dr. Zhang could have gotten into. He's so squeaky clean."

"Isn't he though?" She said, tilting her head to the side as she smiled. "I'm Lynne, a friend of Dr. Zhang's. I'm just here to drop something off for him. I know he's working in the ER today. Is he around?"

"Let me see if I can find him for you." He told her before typing a few things into his computer.

A nurse with her hair pulled up in a high ponytail came up behind the desk and deposited a chart on the rack of the desk. Even in the dark purple scrubs, this woman cut a gorgeous figure. "Who you looking for, Mike?" She asked the receptionist as she leaned against the desk.

"Hey Marisol. I'm trying to find, Dr. Zhang. This lady has something for him."

"He went up for surgery about an hour ago," she told him, her eyes briefly flitting over to Lynne.

"Oh well. Que sara. Could you please make sure he gets this?" Lynne started to hand the bag to Mike when Marisol intercepted it. Mike turned to the next person in line to help them out, leaving the two women to talk.

"No problem. We'll make sure he gets it," she told Lynne with a smile. "Do you need a tip or something?"

"Naw. It's not necessary. Thanks. Have a wonderful day," she nodded at her and headed home.

XXX

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