Part 33 (2/2)
”You stopped seeing each other a month ago, and now you're engaged?”
”It's a long story. What else do you need to know?”
”I'm going to take your blood pressure, listen to your heart and lungs.”
”Fine.” He did his thing and didn't say much, so she figured everything must be normal. He took her temperature with one of those ear things. Again, he said nothing. He looked in her ears, down her throat, up her nose. ”Are we done yet? I told you I was fine.”
”Lie down on the bed and show me where it hurts.”
Rosalie kicked off her shoes and lay on the bed. She pointed just below the breastbone. ”Here.”
”Unzip your pants for me, and pull your s.h.i.+rt up to right under your bra.”
She did, and he did the usual poking and prodding thing on her stomach, and even listened to it with the stethoscope, a very cold stethoscope.
”Well, your uterus isn't enlarged, so it doesn't look as if you're pregnant.”
”I told you that. Geez, Mike. You charge for this?”
Rosalie zipped up her pants and pulled her s.h.i.+rt back down. He offered her a hand up.
”Have you been vomiting?”
”A little.”
”Is there blood in the vomit?”
”No.” Okay, now she was beginning to worry.
”What have you been eating?”
”Not much.”
”Do you drink a lot of coffee?” ”Yes.”
”How much?”
'Three or four Venti, triple shot lattes a day.” ”No more coffee. I want you to see a gastroenterologist friend of mine. I'll call and set something up right away.” ”Why?”
”Well, my dear, it sounds to me like you have an ulcer. Do you take painkillers? Ibuprofen?”
”Yes.”
”Not any more. Acetaminophen, if you must. I'll give you a prescription for something that will help decrease the acid level in your stomach, and I'll call and get you an appointment for Monday. You'll have to take a few tests. No canceling.”
”Is this serious?”
”It can be. Ulcers are caused by bacteria, but stress, poor diet, and irregular and skipped meals are contributing factors.”
”What am I going to tell Nick? He's going to freak.” Mike patted her on the back. ”Well, if I were you, I'd start out by telling him I cured your pneumonia.” ”Yeah, great.”
”Why don't you go calm the bear while I pick up my things? I don't know who p.i.s.sed him off and gave him that black eye, but I don't want one of those.”
”He's harmless, and he's happy... well, except for the whole Premier Motors fiasco. Mr. La.s.siter called me last night and told me they'd made a deal. Nick's always wanted Premier, but he never wanted to get it this way.”
”Yeah, Nick's a good guy. He'd never hurt Mr. La.s.siter if he could avoid it. But it sounds to me like he had no choice. Congratulations on your engagement. I wish you two all the best. I suppose I'll have to start finding my own dates now. d.a.m.n, that takes time.”
”Excuse me?”
”I have, on occasion, comforted Nick's old girlfriends after he dumped them. Unfortunately, none were of your caliber.”
”Is that a compliment I heard?”
”Yes, it's a definite compliment. Nick's a lucky man.”
”Thanks, but I'm pretty lucky, too.”
Nick knocked on the door. ”What's going on in there? Lee? Sweetheart-”
She opened the door to a frantic Nick.
”What's taking so long?” He wrapped his arms around her and looked over her head at Mike. ”Is she okay?”
Mike closed his little black bag and walked past them down the hall. ”Your fiancee will tell you everything you need to know.”
Rosalie smiled. ”Thanks, Mike.”
He jogged down the steps. It looked like he was in a hurry to get back to whomever he'd been dragged away from. ”You're welcome. Consider it an engagement present,” he called back. They heard the front door slam behind him.
Nick looked at her expectantly. ”So?”
”Mike thinks I might have a little ulcer.”
”A little ulcer? A little ulcer! Maddnne, Maddnne, what's wrong with that head of yours?” what's wrong with that head of yours?”
”Nick, it's okay. Mike gave me a prescription to calm my stomach, and I'll go to the doctor he recommended on Monday. I promise. So don't break my chops, because he says stress is a contributing factor, and you're stressing me out.”
”I'm sorry. I really thought you were pregnant.” He actually looked disappointed. ”I told you I wasn't.”
”Yeah, but what do you know? You thought you had a cold, and you had pneumonia.”
”I'm never going to live that down, am I?”
”Nope, I'll remind you of that for the rest of your life.”
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