clipboard at chest level. I shivered again. The A/C actually blew my hair.
“Mommy, Mommy.” The little boy tugged on his mother’s arm and pointed right at me and my chest. “Look at that lady’s goosebumps. That will never happen to me, right?” His eyes were huge and he looked like he wanted to cry. I hunched over even more, wincing as my T-shirt pulled against my blisters. The teens started laughing as the mother grabbed her son’s pointing finger and gave it a tight squeeze. “Hush.”
“Is she gonna die?” He asked his mom.
“Just from embarrassment,” I muttered. I crossed my arms as tightly as my sunburn would allow. I wondered again who died, and why we were suspects?
I finished filling out the paperwork and hung onto the clipboard for dear life. They finally called my name, and I followed my grandmother back to an exam room and climbed up onto the paper-covered exam table. “Dr. Case will be right with you,” the medical assistant said, looking at my flushed, sweaty skin, sneering with the superiority of a native Hawaiian with smooth brown skin and lots of melanin.
I felt a wave of dizziness and put my head between my knees as Dr. Case gave a quick knock and entered the room.
“Aloha, Mrs. Park.” I heard him say. “So your granddaughter got a bad sunburn today, hey?” From between strands of my falling hair, I saw brown feet in flip-flops, hairy legs bumping into a white medical coat. His voice sounded familiar. I lifted my head, looking all the way up to the back of my medical chart, which covered the face of Dr. Case.
“Well, let’s take a look,” he said, lowering the file. I communed with the dolphins yet again, letting out a squeak. My grandmother squinted at me. Dr. Jac Case widened his eyes. His lush lashes fluttered. I felt my flush melt into my sunburn, my pink skin a mood ring of emotions. At least he wasn’t dead.
He cleared his throat and missed my smile as he looked back at my chart again, reading it to see my name. “Ah, yes, Jaswinder.” Oh, so that’s the way it is. He’s pretending last night never happened. I never expected to see him again, either. We never did get around to discussing what medical field he was in, we had been too busy playing doctor, “Oh, yes, that feels good. Mm-hmm. Right there.”
Too bad. For a split second I thought my guardian angel served up a second chance of smoking hot surfer. We did have a lot to drink, but I did remember how sweet he had been. Especially during that last part. In the park. In the dark. By his truck . . .
“Let’s take a look at you,” he said. I wondered if he practiced that MD voice of his in the mirror. Oh, brother, suck it up, I thought. Yep. I’m your one-night stand, back to haunt you. How was I supposed to know he was really a doctor? Did he actually think I went out and deliberately got a sunburn just to dog his heels, just so I could see him again? Jac leaned in close and gently pulled up the sleeve of my shirt.
“That does not look good,” he said. The back of his hand pressed against my flushed cheek and then forehead. “How are you feeling? Dizzy? Headache?”
I nodded.
“Achy, nauseous?”
“I feel terrible.” I hiccuped and started to cry. Where on earth did that come from? Now my humiliation was complete.
“Sh, sh,” he said. “It’s okay. Your grandmother and I are going to take good care of you. Let’s get that T-shirt off and let me get a good look at your shoulders.
That stopped my tears. I twisted on the exam table and pulled my legs up, turning my back on Jac and Halmoni. I heard a drawer slide open and felt a nudge at my elbow as he handed me a folded paper gown. My shoulders became so stiff I could hardly raise my arms to get my shirt off.
“I’m just going to clean off the skin and put on an antibiotic salve,” he told me. The goop felt cool and gooey. “Just keep it clean and do not pop the blisters.” I felt him pat a piece of gauze gently and tape it to my
“Mommy, Mommy.” The little boy tugged on his mother’s arm and pointed right at me and my chest. “Look at that lady’s goosebumps. That will never happen to me, right?” His eyes were huge and he looked like he wanted to cry. I hunched over even more, wincing as my T-shirt pulled against my blisters. The teens started laughing as the mother grabbed her son’s pointing finger and gave it a tight squeeze. “Hush.”
“Is she gonna die?” He asked his mom.
“Just from embarrassment,” I muttered. I crossed my arms as tightly as my sunburn would allow. I wondered again who died, and why we were suspects?
I finished filling out the paperwork and hung onto the clipboard for dear life. They finally called my name, and I followed my grandmother back to an exam room and climbed up onto the paper-covered exam table. “Dr. Case will be right with you,” the medical assistant said, looking at my flushed, sweaty skin, sneering with the superiority of a native Hawaiian with smooth brown skin and lots of melanin.
I felt a wave of dizziness and put my head between my knees as Dr. Case gave a quick knock and entered the room.
“Aloha, Mrs. Park.” I heard him say. “So your granddaughter got a bad sunburn today, hey?” From between strands of my falling hair, I saw brown feet in flip-flops, hairy legs bumping into a white medical coat. His voice sounded familiar. I lifted my head, looking all the way up to the back of my medical chart, which covered the face of Dr. Case.
“Well, let’s take a look,” he said, lowering the file. I communed with the dolphins yet again, letting out a squeak. My grandmother squinted at me. Dr. Jac Case widened his eyes. His lush lashes fluttered. I felt my flush melt into my sunburn, my pink skin a mood ring of emotions. At least he wasn’t dead.
He cleared his throat and missed my smile as he looked back at my chart again, reading it to see my name. “Ah, yes, Jaswinder.” Oh, so that’s the way it is. He’s pretending last night never happened. I never expected to see him again, either. We never did get around to discussing what medical field he was in, we had been too busy playing doctor, “Oh, yes, that feels good. Mm-hmm. Right there.”
Too bad. For a split second I thought my guardian angel served up a second chance of smoking hot surfer. We did have a lot to drink, but I did remember how sweet he had been. Especially during that last part. In the park. In the dark. By his truck . . .
“Let’s take a look at you,” he said. I wondered if he practiced that MD voice of his in the mirror. Oh, brother, suck it up, I thought. Yep. I’m your one-night stand, back to haunt you. How was I supposed to know he was really a doctor? Did he actually think I went out and deliberately got a sunburn just to dog his heels, just so I could see him again? Jac leaned in close and gently pulled up the sleeve of my shirt.
“That does not look good,” he said. The back of his hand pressed against my flushed cheek and then forehead. “How are you feeling? Dizzy? Headache?”
I nodded.
“Achy, nauseous?”
“I feel terrible.” I hiccuped and started to cry. Where on earth did that come from? Now my humiliation was complete.
“Sh, sh,” he said. “It’s okay. Your grandmother and I are going to take good care of you. Let’s get that T-shirt off and let me get a good look at your shoulders.
That stopped my tears. I twisted on the exam table and pulled my legs up, turning my back on Jac and Halmoni. I heard a drawer slide open and felt a nudge at my elbow as he handed me a folded paper gown. My shoulders became so stiff I could hardly raise my arms to get my shirt off.
“I’m just going to clean off the skin and put on an antibiotic salve,” he told me. The goop felt cool and gooey. “Just keep it clean and do not pop the blisters.” I felt him pat a piece of gauze gently and tape it to my
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