Part 29 (2/2)
”They all get ear infections, some more than others, isn't that so?”
”Yes, but it's the frequency of his that concerns me, and don't forget that he had pneumonia.”
”My nephew got eight ear infections his first year. He was on amoxicillin all the time. They called it his bubble-gum drink.”
”Your nephew isn't Rahul. We know that it's an ear infection, but it's always important to ask, what's behind this? We can't stop at the short answer.”
Padma shook her head, holding the baby. ”I just hate to do this to him again.”
”Isn't it better to be on the safe side? We don't want to call off the search just because we have an answer, if it's not the right answer.” Jill met Padma's dark eyes and could see that she was getting through to her. ”We call that diagnosis momentum, which is a fancy way of saying that once you arrive at a possibility for a diagnosis, it sticks, when it shouldn't. Okay?”
”Okay,” Padma answered, satisfied. ”I know my family influences me, a little.”
”That's okay, that's what family's for. Hold Rahul, and I'll make this fast.” Jill wiped antiseptic on Rahul's arm, tied a tourniquet, attached a b.u.t.terfly needle to the syringe for use with babies, and inserted it into a vein.
”WAAAAHHH!”
”I'm so sorry, Rahul.” Jill pulled back the plunger, collected the blood, then loosened the tourniquet, extracted the needle, and put a cotton gauze on the wound. ”Good boy!”
”It's all right, honey.” Padma held Rahul close as he cried.
”Padma, well done, and thank you for a.s.sisting.” Jill stuck a stopper on the test tube, labeled the sample, and set it down, then took a piece of adhesive tape and put it over the gauze on his arm. ”I'll see you back here tomorrow, and I'll have his results. When can you come in?”
”The morning is best, while his brothers are at school.” Padma wiped Rahul's tear-stained cheeks, and his little chest heaved a baby sob.
”Poor little guy.” Jill touched his cheek, wet with tears. ”Okay, see you at nine. I'll tell Donna you have an appointment. Thanks so much.”
”Thank you.” Padma smiled.
”See you tomorrow.” Jill left the room and went down the hall to the appointment desk, where Donna was just hanging up the phone, pus.h.i.+ng back a puff of dark hair. ”Donna, can you please put Rahul Choudhury in at nine tomorrow? I'll come in specially to see him.”
”You mean the cutest baby ever?” Donna hit a few keys on the computer. ”Of course.”
”Thanks, that's my girl.” Jill smiled, and Sheryl came striding over from the office. The staff must have seen that Selena had left, because they were all sneaking glances from their computers, files, and phones, waiting to see what would happen between Jill and Sheryl.
”Jill, did you really close the lab?” Sheryl asked, her voice low, so that the full waiting room couldn't hear.
”Yes.” Jill matched her soft tone. She didn't want to make a scene, and she'd never get along with Sheryl if she embarra.s.sed her. ”Selena's mother is very ill, and they should be together. I know you must feel the same way.”
”I do, but we have a business to run.”
”I'm not trying to interfere with that. I can take blood, and so can any doc who's kept up his qualifications. Let us do some work for a change, eh?” Jill smiled, and so did the staff.
”I'll take this up with John.” Sheryl edged backward, frowning. Donna studied her desk, hiding her smile, and so did everybody else.
”Great, thanks.” Jill turned on her heel, went back down the hall, slid the file of the next patient from the holder, and went into Exam Room A. It took only two colds, another ear infection, and a broken toe for John Gilbert, the senior partner, to find her between patients. He was a preppy internist in his fifties, in horn-rimmed gla.s.ses, a red-and-blue rep tie, and a pressed lab coat with his name embroidered on the breast pocket. He took her aside in front of his office.
”Jill, can I see you inside, a sec? This'll be quick.” John opened his door, and Jill followed him into his office. ”Jill, what happened with Selena?”
”Her mom's in hospice, and I sent her home. We're doctors, and if we don't have compa.s.sion for suffering, then who does?”
”This isn't about compa.s.sion.” John frowned. ”Sheryl handles personnel matters, not the docs.”
”I know, but Selena is so distracted that she lost a sample for one of my patients. Do you want to make Sheryl happy or do you want to get sued?”
”Good point, but I'm not about to take blood myself. I haven't taken blood in nine years, I don't have time. None of us do, you know that.”
”Then send your patients to LabCorp. It's not far.”
”They're not accustomed to that inconvenience.”
”It's the suburbs, John, nothing's that inconvenient. They probably have drive-through blood.” Jill thought of Rahul. ”Listen, please, help me get my new bloodwork stat, would you? You have privileges at Phoenixville, don't you?”
”It's not that easy.”
”It has to be. I'm worried about this patient, and with babies, you don't get the margins that you do with adults. They go downhill fast.”
”Enough, okay.” John put up a hand. ”Tell Donna to call Charlotte. She'll make it happen.”
”Thanks. Gotta go.” Jill hurried out to the door, with no time to reflect on whether she'd p.i.s.sed off her boss. She had a slew of patients, and she had to be out of work on time tonight.
To go see about a corgi puppy.
Chapter Forty-Seven.
Jill stopped on the main drag of Hoboken, where low-rise apartment buildings and older brick townhouses stood with storefront bodegas, gourmet coffee shops, Greek restaurants, and hip boutiques. A constant stream of people filled the sidewalks, heading home from work or bubbling up from the PATH station, like a people geyser.
”You have reached your destination,” said her GPS.
Jill spotted a parking s.p.a.ce, slid into it, and cut the ignition. She'd never pretended to be anybody else before, and she wondered how William had done it, maintaining two ident.i.ties at once. She retrieved the Phillies cap and popped it on. Oddly, it helped her play her part, like a costume for a role. Jill got out of the car and spotted Nina D'Orive across the street. She was a pretty, pet.i.te blonde in pink sweats and she was standing with her husband, in running clothes. A fawn-colored corgi puppy was tugging on his sneaker laces.
”h.e.l.lo, Nina!” Jill waved, thinking of a way to get Nina alone. She crossed the street and extended a hand. ”I'm Katie Feehan, from Facebook.”
”Hiya!” Nina shook her hand, flas.h.i.+ng a pretty smile. ”This is Martin, my husband.”
”Thanks for meeting me.” Jill shook his hand. ”I know I said I'd bring the boys, but I had second thoughts. I want to decide about the dog on my own, then make it a surprise.”
”Oh, too bad.” Nina glanced at her husband. ”Martin wanted to meet them. He's all about kids.”
Martin grinned. ”I want my own baseball team. Go Mets!”
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