this—”
“Hell, June, you’re almost forty and never expected this,” John reminded her.
“I’m almost thirty-eight. Don’t rush me. But you’re right about the expecting part….”
“You never expected to be expecting?” Jessie asked.
June lifted an eyebrow and peered at her young, pretty twenty-year-old office manager. “Let this be a lesson to you. Anyone can find themselves in the family way, without warning. So be careful.”
“Well, since you brought it up,” Jessie said haltingly, “that’s exactly what I’ve been wondering. How someone like you…”
“Excuse me” a voice called from the waiting room.
“Thank God,” June said, dragging herself up and heading toward the voice. Over her shoulder she said to Jessie, “I can’t talk about that yet.”
John whispered into Jessie’s ear. “I can talk about it. She wasn’t prepared. At all.” He leaned back, lifted his brows and looked down at the young woman. “Do we understand each other, Jessica?”
Her cheeks grew rosy. “Um, yes, John.”
Susan whacked him in the arm. “Don’t embarrass her, you lout.” To Jessie she said, “Jess, you and I will have lunch tomorrow and talk turkey. ‘Prepared’ is my middle name. You’re in good hands.”
June found that the owner of the voice was Harry Shipton. He had just slipped into the clinic and didn’t look very well. “Oh my, Harry. What’s the matter? You look awful.”
“Thanks,” he said sheepishly. “I’m not feeling too well, actually. Had a rather long afternoon. Do you have time for a last-minute customer?”
“Of course, Harry. Come on back. We’ll get a history and make up a chart for you and—”
“Maybe we could save all that for next time,” he said. “Could I just talk to you for a minute? In private?”
June frowned, confused. “Sure. Would you like to go into my office, or an examining room, just in case…?”
“Your office will do.”
Harry was quite tall and lanky, with the biggest feet, but he seemed to slump slightly as he followed June to her office. He acted as though he just didn’t feel well, that a bug had gotten the best of him. “Hi, Harry,” Jessie, Susan and John all said as he passed them in the hall. “Hi, all,” he said weakly.
Harry took the seat in front of June’s desk while June went around to her chair. Sadie perked up as the two entered and had to pay a little welcome to the pastor before she could lie down and nap some more. A few silent seconds passed.
“Well, Harry?” June prodded.
“June, bear with me. This is very embarrassing for me,” he added morosely.
“You’ve come to the right place, Harry. I know a lot about being embarrassed today.”
He gave her a tremulous smile. “I suppose you’ve been teased all day about your, you know, condition.”
“That’s the half of it. What’s wrong, Harry?”
“Can I invoke doctor-patient privilege even though I’m not really physically ill?” he asked.
“Sure. I’ll keep your confidence.”
“June, I’m a screwup.”
“Aw, Harry.”
“I am. I’m good with people, but I’ve never been good with a budget, and I’ve bungled my checkbook. I wasn’t paying attention and now I’m overdrawn and it’s over a week till payday.”
“Oh, dear,” she said. “Do you have a credit card?”
“Maxed,” he said helplessly. “Truth is, June, I came over here hoping that John, Susan and Jessie would already be gone. I came to ask you for a loan. If I can’t borrow two hundred dollars before tomorrow morning, I’ll have to pay a huge overdraft penalty. This is so embarrassing.”
She reached across her desk toward him, taking his hands in both of hers for a reassuring squeeze. “Why are we always so hard on ourselves, huh, Harry? Who among us hasn’t made a mistake or two, huh? Look at me. I did it in front of the whole town. Well, I didn’t do it in front of the whole town, but I might as well have.”
That made him chuckle. “By the way,
“Hell, June, you’re almost forty and never expected this,” John reminded her.
“I’m almost thirty-eight. Don’t rush me. But you’re right about the expecting part….”
“You never expected to be expecting?” Jessie asked.
June lifted an eyebrow and peered at her young, pretty twenty-year-old office manager. “Let this be a lesson to you. Anyone can find themselves in the family way, without warning. So be careful.”
“Well, since you brought it up,” Jessie said haltingly, “that’s exactly what I’ve been wondering. How someone like you…”
“Excuse me” a voice called from the waiting room.
“Thank God,” June said, dragging herself up and heading toward the voice. Over her shoulder she said to Jessie, “I can’t talk about that yet.”
John whispered into Jessie’s ear. “I can talk about it. She wasn’t prepared. At all.” He leaned back, lifted his brows and looked down at the young woman. “Do we understand each other, Jessica?”
Her cheeks grew rosy. “Um, yes, John.”
Susan whacked him in the arm. “Don’t embarrass her, you lout.” To Jessie she said, “Jess, you and I will have lunch tomorrow and talk turkey. ‘Prepared’ is my middle name. You’re in good hands.”
June found that the owner of the voice was Harry Shipton. He had just slipped into the clinic and didn’t look very well. “Oh my, Harry. What’s the matter? You look awful.”
“Thanks,” he said sheepishly. “I’m not feeling too well, actually. Had a rather long afternoon. Do you have time for a last-minute customer?”
“Of course, Harry. Come on back. We’ll get a history and make up a chart for you and—”
“Maybe we could save all that for next time,” he said. “Could I just talk to you for a minute? In private?”
June frowned, confused. “Sure. Would you like to go into my office, or an examining room, just in case…?”
“Your office will do.”
Harry was quite tall and lanky, with the biggest feet, but he seemed to slump slightly as he followed June to her office. He acted as though he just didn’t feel well, that a bug had gotten the best of him. “Hi, Harry,” Jessie, Susan and John all said as he passed them in the hall. “Hi, all,” he said weakly.
Harry took the seat in front of June’s desk while June went around to her chair. Sadie perked up as the two entered and had to pay a little welcome to the pastor before she could lie down and nap some more. A few silent seconds passed.
“Well, Harry?” June prodded.
“June, bear with me. This is very embarrassing for me,” he added morosely.
“You’ve come to the right place, Harry. I know a lot about being embarrassed today.”
He gave her a tremulous smile. “I suppose you’ve been teased all day about your, you know, condition.”
“That’s the half of it. What’s wrong, Harry?”
“Can I invoke doctor-patient privilege even though I’m not really physically ill?” he asked.
“Sure. I’ll keep your confidence.”
“June, I’m a screwup.”
“Aw, Harry.”
“I am. I’m good with people, but I’ve never been good with a budget, and I’ve bungled my checkbook. I wasn’t paying attention and now I’m overdrawn and it’s over a week till payday.”
“Oh, dear,” she said. “Do you have a credit card?”
“Maxed,” he said helplessly. “Truth is, June, I came over here hoping that John, Susan and Jessie would already be gone. I came to ask you for a loan. If I can’t borrow two hundred dollars before tomorrow morning, I’ll have to pay a huge overdraft penalty. This is so embarrassing.”
She reached across her desk toward him, taking his hands in both of hers for a reassuring squeeze. “Why are we always so hard on ourselves, huh, Harry? Who among us hasn’t made a mistake or two, huh? Look at me. I did it in front of the whole town. Well, I didn’t do it in front of the whole town, but I might as well have.”
That made him chuckle. “By the way,
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