Read Online PATIENT CARE (Medical Romance) (Doctor Series) by Bobby Hutchinson - Free Book Online
Authors: Bobby Hutchinson
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info had been accurate.
He turned to Melissa. “How about you?”
She cleared her throat. “Once. Same as you. To a doctor. Didn’t last.” To sidestep any more questions about that fiasco, she said, “How long have you and your wife been married, Rudy?”
“It’ll be thirty-one years next March,” he said. “We had four kids, had some rough times. I took to drinking a little too much for a coupla years there. Thelma had to sort me out good over that.” His blue eyes grew somber. “And we lost one of our kids. Little Kenny drowned in the neighbors’ pool. He was only three. That was a tough one. Thought for a while the old gal was gonna go off the deep end. But we got through it.” He shook his head. “You never get over it. You just get through it. Know what I mean?” Melissa thought of Betsy. How would she get through, if what James believed was true—that Betsy would never wake up? The dark cloud that haunted her had lifted a little during the past half hour, but now it was back. She refused the offer of more coffee.
“I’ve got to go. I want to see my mom before work.”
“Your mother’s in the hospital?” Rudy leaned his beefy forearms on the table. “Whatsa matter with her?”
Melissa glanced at James. He was swirling his coffee around in his cup, not looking at her or at Rudy. As quickly and as diplomatically as possible, with no mention of James, Melissa outlined what had happened to Betsy.
“Hey, that’s a real shame. Now, if Doc Burke here had done the operation on her—”
“Actually, I did.” James looked crestfallen instead of defensive. He sat back in his chair and shook his head. “I’ve gone over every detail of the operation and the orders for your mother’s postop care, and I can’t figure out what I might have done wrong,” he said to Melissa. “There must have been something.”
“You don’t think I blame you for what’s happened, do you?” As angry as she’d been at him for his less-than- sympathetic attitude, it had never once crossed her mind that he was responsible.
He shrugged. “I guess I blame myself.”
Melissa was astounded. No wonder he’d been so defensive. “James, you did your best. She’s had the very best care she could have had. I was a nurse long enough to know that where people’s bodies are concerned, there are never any guarantees. Mom must have had a weakness somewhere, something that no one could possibly have predicted.”
As she said the words, Melissa recognized the truth in them, and a little of her own guilt eased. She, too, had done her best in a difficult situation.
“Don’t fret over it. I’ll get Thelma on it,” Rudy said. Melissa and James turned to him, puzzled.
“Thelma’s got this group of women from our church. They pray for people every Tuesday and Thursday morning. What’s your mom’s name, Melissa?”
“Betsy Clayton.”
Rudy dug a pen out of his pocket and wrote it on a napkin. “I’ll give this to Thelma soon as I get home. It’ll help. You watch and see.”
“Thank you, Rudy.” Melissa didn’t share his confidence in the prayer group, but she was touched by his concern. “Bye, now. Thanks for the coffee.” She glanced down at the paper plate. “And the bun.” God, she’d eaten the whole thing. Again.
“Come by tomorrow mornin’. Thelma’s makin’ coffee cake.” He scrunched his fingers up and brought them to his mouth with a smack. “You don’t wanna miss Thelma’s coffee cake. Believe you me.”
“I’ll walk you into the hospital, Melissa. I have patients to check.” James fell into step beside her. When they were out of Rudy’s earshot, James said, “He’s a well-meaning man, very kind, but sometimes a bit misguided.”
“About marriage, you mean?”
“Well, yes. Certainly. That, too. Actually, I was thinking more of the prayer group. I think it’s unrealistic to build up false hope that way.”
“I’m not that naive,” Melissa said. “Although now that
He turned to Melissa. “How about you?”
She cleared her throat. “Once. Same as you. To a doctor. Didn’t last.” To sidestep any more questions about that fiasco, she said, “How long have you and your wife been married, Rudy?”
“It’ll be thirty-one years next March,” he said. “We had four kids, had some rough times. I took to drinking a little too much for a coupla years there. Thelma had to sort me out good over that.” His blue eyes grew somber. “And we lost one of our kids. Little Kenny drowned in the neighbors’ pool. He was only three. That was a tough one. Thought for a while the old gal was gonna go off the deep end. But we got through it.” He shook his head. “You never get over it. You just get through it. Know what I mean?” Melissa thought of Betsy. How would she get through, if what James believed was true—that Betsy would never wake up? The dark cloud that haunted her had lifted a little during the past half hour, but now it was back. She refused the offer of more coffee.
“I’ve got to go. I want to see my mom before work.”
“Your mother’s in the hospital?” Rudy leaned his beefy forearms on the table. “Whatsa matter with her?”
Melissa glanced at James. He was swirling his coffee around in his cup, not looking at her or at Rudy. As quickly and as diplomatically as possible, with no mention of James, Melissa outlined what had happened to Betsy.
“Hey, that’s a real shame. Now, if Doc Burke here had done the operation on her—”
“Actually, I did.” James looked crestfallen instead of defensive. He sat back in his chair and shook his head. “I’ve gone over every detail of the operation and the orders for your mother’s postop care, and I can’t figure out what I might have done wrong,” he said to Melissa. “There must have been something.”
“You don’t think I blame you for what’s happened, do you?” As angry as she’d been at him for his less-than- sympathetic attitude, it had never once crossed her mind that he was responsible.
He shrugged. “I guess I blame myself.”
Melissa was astounded. No wonder he’d been so defensive. “James, you did your best. She’s had the very best care she could have had. I was a nurse long enough to know that where people’s bodies are concerned, there are never any guarantees. Mom must have had a weakness somewhere, something that no one could possibly have predicted.”
As she said the words, Melissa recognized the truth in them, and a little of her own guilt eased. She, too, had done her best in a difficult situation.
“Don’t fret over it. I’ll get Thelma on it,” Rudy said. Melissa and James turned to him, puzzled.
“Thelma’s got this group of women from our church. They pray for people every Tuesday and Thursday morning. What’s your mom’s name, Melissa?”
“Betsy Clayton.”
Rudy dug a pen out of his pocket and wrote it on a napkin. “I’ll give this to Thelma soon as I get home. It’ll help. You watch and see.”
“Thank you, Rudy.” Melissa didn’t share his confidence in the prayer group, but she was touched by his concern. “Bye, now. Thanks for the coffee.” She glanced down at the paper plate. “And the bun.” God, she’d eaten the whole thing. Again.
“Come by tomorrow mornin’. Thelma’s makin’ coffee cake.” He scrunched his fingers up and brought them to his mouth with a smack. “You don’t wanna miss Thelma’s coffee cake. Believe you me.”
“I’ll walk you into the hospital, Melissa. I have patients to check.” James fell into step beside her. When they were out of Rudy’s earshot, James said, “He’s a well-meaning man, very kind, but sometimes a bit misguided.”
“About marriage, you mean?”
“Well, yes. Certainly. That, too. Actually, I was thinking more of the prayer group. I think it’s unrealistic to build up false hope that way.”
“I’m not that naive,” Melissa said. “Although now that
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