Taming the Hot-Shot Doc
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Susan Carlisle
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18,6K
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12
CHAPTER ONE
DR. SHAY LUNSFORD hurried up the short hallway to answer the insistent rapping on the front door of the Delta Medical Clinic. Would she have an emergency to deal with first thing in the morning? The clinic didn’t open for another twenty minutes. She looked through the full glass door of what had once been a dress store in a strip mall.
A man with dark hair styled in the latest cut and sporting a closely clipped beard on his square jaw stood there. Surrounded by all that shading was a beautiful full mouth. Her attention drifted to his green eyes watching her so intently.
“We’re not open yet.” Shay would’ve said she knew everyone in Lewisville, a suburb of Jackson, Mississippi, but she’d never seen this man before. She would’ve remembered him. That mouth.
“I’m Dr. Matt Chapman. Didn’t Dr. Warren tell you I was coming?”
Huh? What was the name of the doctor her Uncle Henry had called to say was on his way to help her? This guy must be him. He’d give her a few weeks of assistance until she found more permanent help. Her clinic had grown so fast in the last eight months she couldn’t handle it on her own any longer.
She’d been in the middle of stitches on a man’s hand when the receptionist, Sheree, had told her to expect new help on Monday. With a nod, Shay had continued her work and forgotten the details, like his name. She studied the guy before her. “Can I see some identification?”
The man’s movie star mouth thinned into a line as he dug into the back pocket of his well-worn jeans. She watched as he pulled a square out of his wallet. With the card facing her, he plastered it between the glass door and the palm of his hand.
It was a California driver’s license. He was one of the few people who could take a good license picture. She met his look, turned the lock and opened the door. “Okay. Come in.”
As he moved past her, he smelled of lemony aftershave. Everything about him made him stand out from the average men in the area. His shirt appeared carefully pressed and his khaki pants were a brand that she recognized as one of the best. The brown shiny loafers on his feet screamed they cost money.
He shoved his wallet into his back pocket and murmured, “I’m not used to being carded to get into a public medical clinic.”
She flipped the lock closed again. “We have to be careful here. We keep drugs that some people would break in to get.”
He pursed his lips and nodded. “So, I look like a drug addict? Good to know.”
Shay shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”
That put a slight smile on his lips.
“I’m cautious when I’m here by myself. I worked too hard to get this clinic up and running to have it fail because I wasn’t careful. Let’s start again.” She extended her hand. “I’m Shay Lunsford. You’ll be helping me for the next six weeks.”
The doctor took her hand, dwarfing it inside his larger one. He shook with a firm and confident grip with a nominal amount of movement and time. Is that how he would handle patients? Short and sweet? She hoped not. Could a simple handshake tell her that much about someone? If so, what had hers said?
Relieved to have her hand returned to her, she said, “I appreciate you coming. I can use your help. Our patients will start lining up in a few minutes. I’m gonna warn you, you won’t get much downtime.”
“That’s the way I like it.”
She chuckled. “Says a man who’s never worked at the Delta Clinic before. Come on, I’ll give you the ten-cent tour before we open the doors.” She started down the hall. “Obviously, this is Reception and Waiting.” She waved a hand around them at the tiny space with only six chairs. “Most of the waiting is done outside. We hope to one day find a larger space, but that’s not happening anytime soon.”
Shay continued on, warming to her subject. The clinic wasn’t much to look at, but she was proud of it. Having it had saved her sanity after her marriage and husband died. “The clinic is associated with Jackson Medical Hospital. We get everything including trauma cases. The nurses are from the hospital and rotate in and out by the week. They’re a good group. This is a patient-centered clinic and I treat them like family. I expect my staff to do the same. We do have a regular receptionist. Her name is Sheree Boyd. She should be here in a few minutes.”
She glanced at Dr. Chapman. He looked around with interest. Shay continued, “We have six exam rooms, three on each side. And this one—” she pointed to the last one on the left “—we use for trauma cases.
“Here’s our supply room and drug cabinet. You and I’ll be the only ones with keys. The next room is our office. We have to share. Actually, it’s more of a room with a table and two chairs. There’s also a small bathroom with a shower off it.”
“Noted.”
She continued down the hall. “The last room’s our break room slash storage space or whatever else we need.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
There was a knock at the back door ahead of her.
“That’ll be Sheree.” Shay walked to it and looked through the eyehole before opening the door to the woman with dark hair and skin. “Good morning.”
“Hey, sweetie. They’re already lining up outside.” Sheree stopped in midstride and gave the new doctor a long look. “And who do we have here?”
“This is Dr. Matt Chapman. He’s our help for the next few weeks.”
Dr. Chapman offered his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. I think you’re not from around here with that Mister GQ look about you.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been living in Los Angeles.”
Sheree continued with a grin, “You do have the look of a movie star. I’m glad you’re here.” She directed a thumb toward Shay. “This girl has been working herself to death. She needs some time for a social life.”
And there came the age-old argument between her and Sheree. Why didn’t Shay go out more? “Okay, Sheree.” Shay gave the words a sharp note. “When you’re ready we’ll take the first patients.” She looked at Dr. Chapman. His focus remained on her as if she were a virus under a microscope. She swallowed hard. “Your exam rooms are on the left-hand side. If you have any questions just ask.”
Matt shook his head. Coming to Lewisville, Mississippi, and working in a small clinic was like stepping into a surreal world he had no idea existed. Where he had been used to a modern glass-and-chrome hospital, he now walked out of a tiny examination room created by plaster walls in a space that had once been a business.
He looked down at the chart of his next patient. Before arriving here he’d seen one or two patients a day as an orthopedic surgeon, and most of that time they had been asleep. He’d now made a complete turnaround in the way he spent his day. Just this morning he’d seen fifteen patients so far. Yep, he had made a drastic change. Not one he’d anticipated but one he had to accept. He’d done the right thing by standing up for a patient even if the repercussions hadn’t been what he’d expected.
He glanced toward the waiting room and out the large picture windows along the front of the clinic. He saw a line just as Dr. Lunsford said he would. Apparently, she hadn’t been exaggerating about the number of patients the clinic saw.
Over the next few hours, he cared for people who had coughs, an infected toe, a boil—and the list of everyday complaints went on. The sort of issues he’d not seen since medical school. Here he was out of his treatment element as well.
Working at the clinic appeared nothing like the high-pressure, trying-to-get-ahead world he’d just left. He’d have to downshift some to fit in here. It was just as well he wouldn’t be staying long. Being used to an adrenaline rush at least once a day, he would soon miss it. At least he had an exciting job waiting for him in Chicago.
But hadn’t that fast pace been part of why he had to make a change from a job where he was becoming the bright and shining star to one of starting over? He’d questioned one of the senior surgeons’ decisions in the OR and that had been the end of it. In Chicago, he would have his chance again. The surgeon in LA’s influence didn’t stretch all the way across the country, thank goodness. In Chicago Matt could regain what he’d lost.
He passed Shay Lunsford between exam rooms and she smiled at him. “How’s it going?”
“So far so good.” She had a nice smile. One that showed in her eyes. It made her go from attractive to pretty. She’d pulled her dark hair up on her head, and it was long enough it fell to her shoulders. Wearing a knit shirt and jeans, she looked more like a college student than a doctor responsible for a bustling clinic. She came up to his chest in height but the authoritative air around her suggested she stood much taller.
“Good to hear. Let me know if you have an issue.” She knocked on an exam room door and entered.
As he continued to work through his patient list, his nurse, who had arrived while Shay had been showing him around, kept the rooms on his side of the hall filled.
The next time he passed the doctor he asked, “Is every day like this?”
She grinned, her eyes twinkling as she headed up the hall with the words flowing over her shoulder. “I thought you were used to busy?”
At noon the clinic doors closed for a thirty-minute lunch. Matt followed his nurse to the back room and took a seat at the table. He had to admit he’d worked every bit as hard here as he had in Los Angeles. The cases were just different.
The others had brought their lunches and started unpacking them.
Shay took the only empty seat, the one beside him. She sighed. “You weren’t told to bring your lunch?”
He received only the basics when Dr. Warren had called and told Matt that his grandniece could use his help while he waited to start his new position. As his mentor in medical school Matt felt he owed the man. The old doctor had express mailed Matt keys and directions to his boyhood home for Matt to live in while working in Lewisville. “Nope. I thought there might be a restaurant or drive-thru nearby. I can see I misjudged that.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll share.” Each of the women pushed something from their lunch toward him. Shay offered half of her sandwich.
Sheree chuckled. “We can’t have the new doctor going hungry.”
Hungry and not wishing to embarrass himself, he accepted the sandwich and bit into it. “I’ll return the favor sometime. Maybe order pizza.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re just glad to have your help. How did it go?” Sheree tore open a package of cheese.
“Pretty good. Nothing I couldn’t handle. Thanks to Marie.” He nodded at the young dark-eyed nurse who’d assisted him. “I was able to find supplies without looking like I didn’t know what was going on.”
“This was a good day for you to start on, it’s been fairly slow.” Shay took a sip from her drink can.
“What do things look like when they get faster?” He took a bite of sandwich. It wasn’t his usual lunch fare, but he was glad to have it. He liked to order from a gourmet café.
All the women laughed.
Shay said, “We can have almost twice as many. If we have a major case, then it can cause a backup to deal with.”
He nodded. “Good to know.”
Sheree pinned him with a look. “So, what brings you to Lewisville?”
He shrugged. “I’m just here to help out for a few weeks. I’m on my way to a position in Chicago.”
All the women’s attention remained on him.
Matt continued. “I’m an orthopedic surgeon. I’m between jobs for a few weeks and Shay’s uncle knew she could use some help. He asked me and I agreed.”
“That your Uncle Henry? The one who’s the professor up north somewhere?” Sheree asked Shay.
“Yeah. He checks in a couple of times a month. During one of his calls, I told him how busy we were.” She turned to him. “I have to admit I’m glad he sent you our direction.”
Matt nodded. “Glad I could help.” He looked at Sheree. “Dr. Warren was one of my professors at Northwestern.”
Sheree’s eyes widened. “I get it now. Small world.”
As quickly as the group had sat down for lunch, they all cleaned up and returned to work. Shay didn’t linger either.
So far Shay had been pleased with how well the fill-in doctor had worked out. She’d had her doubts at first, but she found Matt efficient and intelligent. Even better than those traits, the patients seemed to like him. She’d also heard no complaints from her staff. He and Sheree had quickly bonded.
The afternoon had been running smoothly until Sheree hurried down the hall toward Shay. “We have an emergency.”
Behind Sheree came Mrs. Clayton supporting her husband as he held one of his hands wrapped in a bloody shirt.
“Bring him back here.” Shay moved to the door of the trauma room.
The couple had just entered the door when Matt stepped out of an examination room. He glanced at the blood drops on the floor.
“Dr. Chapman, I may need your assistance.” Shay followed the couple into the room.
“Sure. Right behind you.”
Shay helped Mrs. Clayton to seat her husband on the exam table. “Tell me what happened, Mr. Clayton.”
“I was working on the car and got my hand caught in one of the belts. I didn’t pull it back fast enough.”
In a gentle voice Matt said, “You’ll be fine. We’ll take good care of you.”
Shay glanced at him where he stood beside her. “This is Dr. Chapman. He’ll be helping me take care of you.”
Mr. Clayton gave Matt a suspicious look before he turned white and his eyes rolled back in his head.
“Lay him down before he passes out,” Matt said as he placed a hand on the man’s back and lowered him to the table.
“Rachel, we need a blanket here and to treat for shock.” Shay pulled out the extension on the table, took the man’s feet and laid them across it.
“Dr. Lunsford, do you mind?” Dr. Chapman nodded toward the man’s hand. “I have experience here.”
“I want Dr. Lunsford.”
Shay placed a hand on Mr. Clayton’s shoulder. “Dr. Chapman cares for this type of injury more often than I do. Trust me, he can help you.”
“Jim, let him do what he knows best.” Mrs. Clayton’s eyes held tears.
To Dr. Chapman, Shay said, “Go ahead.”
With gentle movements, Matt started unwrapping the dirty material covering the hand. He said to no one in particular, “I need a pan, saline. This needs to be cleaned so I can see the damage. Set up for an X-ray.”
He had gone too far. “Dr. Chapman, may I speak to you.”
“Right now?” His disbelief filled his voice.
“In the hall, please.” She stepped outside and to her relief he followed.
The gloves on his hands came off with a pop then the trash can top dropped with a thump after he threw them in. He pulled the door closed behind him with more force than necessary.
Shay faced him. “We’re to stop the bleeding and transport. The rest will be handled at the hospital.”
Matt gave her a piercing look. “I know what I’m doing. This is my area of expertise. Let me save this man’s hand. If he has to wait, he might lose the use of it.”
Shay vacillated between agreeing and standing her ground.
“Trust me.”
She huffed. “You better be as good as you think you are.”
“I won’t disappoint you.” Without another word he returned to the room. Pulling on gloves again, he finished removing the wrapping and examined the hand.
Rachel had already laid a paper pad on the table beneath Mr. Clayton’s hand.
Shay intended to take some control back in her own clinic. To Rachel, Shay said, “Hold the pan under his hand while I pour the sterile water over it.”
Matt stood close, watching as if making sure she did it correctly.
Her chest tightened at the sight of the skin peeled back showing severed ligaments and broken bones. She compressed her lips to prevent the hiss from coming out.
Matt spoke to her with complete authority. “You should call the hospital now and tell them to have the ortho and vascular guys standing by. Mr. Clayton will need to go straight to surgery.”
“They’ll want to make that decision.” It wasn’t his place or hers to call the shots.
“You need to make them listen. If they don’t, they’ll have lost precious time. Even a chance to save the use of his hand. He needs to be started on IV antibiotics right away.”
Shay glanced at Mrs. Clayton. A tear rolled down the woman’s cheek. Matt and Shay didn’t need to argue in front of her or their patient. Shay finished emptying the container over the hand. Matt picked up the hand to examine it more closely. He worked with focus and confidence. His were the actions of the practiced surgeon he said he was.
Shay spoke to Mrs. Clayton. “Is Mr. Clayton allergic to any medicines you know of?”
“No,” the woman answered.
“I’ll take care of the call and get the antibiotic.” Shay exited the room. By the time she returned, Matt and Rachel had their heads together as he continued to clean the hand.
Shay went around to the other side of the table. Matt glanced at her. Her attention went to placing a needle in the man’s arm and attaching a bag of glucose and adding the strong, broad-spectrum antibiotic through the fluid.
“I need the largest gauze pads available, a cloth and a large bag of ice.”
“I’ll take over.” Shay took the pan from the nurse.
“When will the ambulance be here?” Matt asked.
“Thirty minutes at best.” Her response came out as level as his tone.
“That’s an hour round trip. That’s not acceptable. One of us will have to meet them.”
Her head jerked up. “What?”
His look locked on hers. “The latest studies show surgery done under a three-hour ischemic time have the best success.”
She didn’t blink. “Then I should go. I know the way.”
“Agreed.” His attention went to the supplies Rachel had placed on a metal instrument table she’d pulled over beside him. He picked up the gauze.
“I’ll do that.” Shay took the roll from him. She started wrapping Mr. Clayton’s hand from the fingertips down.
“It doesn’t need to be too tight.” When she finished, Matt said, “We need to pour the water over it.” She did so. “Then wrap it in the towel.”
She took care of that.
“A plastic bag goes over the hand. Then tape it at the wrist. Rachel, we’ll take that bag of ice.” Matt placed the hand into the bag of ice.
Shay secured the bag.
“This is the best we can do here.” Matt looked around briefly, appearing disappointed.
“I’ll get my purse and let the hospital know I’ll be meeting the ambulance. We’ll take him out the back door. Rachel, please ride with me. Mrs. Clayton, you can meet the ambulance at the hospital.”
The nurse nodded.
Matt snapped off his gloves. “I’ll see to things here.”
Shay had no doubt he would. The mild-mannered guy had turned into superdoctor.
