Goldenrod by Ann McMan

Author:Ann McMan [Ann McMan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Lesbian, Gay, Romance, Literary, Humorous
ISBN: 9781612940847
Publisher: Bywater Books
Published: 2017-06-19T04:00:00+00:00

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Peggy Hawkes tapped on Maddie’s office door at four-thirty and told her that an emergency case had just walked in.

Maddie quickly got up from her chair and reached for her jacket. “What is it?”

Peggy stepped inside and lowered her voice. “It’s Curtis Freemantle. He cut his hand on a slicer, but it doesn’t look that deep. I told him I could take care of it but he insisted that he wanted to see you—alone.” She took a quick look over her shoulder. “I don’t think he’s here because of his hand, if you catch my drift.” She gave Maddie an exaggerated wink.

“Okaaayyy.” Maddie picked up her stethoscope and looped it over her neck. “Show him into room two.”

Peggy nodded and left her office.

Maddie stood rooted in place and listened to the sound of Peggy’s crepe-soled shoes creaking along the corridor toward the waiting room. It gave her a minute to stare at the ceiling and curse her bad luck.

There could be only one reason why Curtis Freemantle wanted to talk with her—privately—and it probably had everything to do with his daughter and a certain Sheriff’s deputy.

Sensitive chats. My favorite.

She waited until she heard Peggy ushering Curtis into the examination room. Before she left her office to see him, she picked up the framed photo of Syd that sat on her desk.

I wonder if you’d come roaring over here if I sent you a 9-1-1 text?

Fat chance.

Syd would see right through her. Maddie knew exactly how she’d reply: “Put on your big girl panties and deal with it.”

She replaced the photo and went to meet Curtis—avoiding the temptation to hike up her drawers on her way out of the office.

She found him sitting on the edge of the examination table when she entered the room. Peggy had wrapped his hand in a couple of clean towels and had it resting on a rolling tray. Maddie could see a few spots of blood on the front of his shirt.

“Hey, Curtis,” she said. “What have you managed to do to yourself?” She walked over to the sink and washed her hands.

“Hey, Doc,” he replied. “I was slicing up some of that boiled ham for Natalie Chriscoe, and just got careless.”

Maddie dried her hands before sitting down on a stool in front of him.

“Let me take a look at it.”

He nodded.

She carefully unwrapped his hand. Peggy was right. The cut was clean and not very deep. She was confident that it wouldn’t require stitches.

“Well the good news is that I think we can avoid needles,” she said. “But I do want to soak it in some antiseptic solution before we close it up with some Steristrips.”

“Okay,” he said. “I felt kind of silly comin’ over here, but Edna said I should get you to look at it. And then Natalie chimed in and told as how her cousin once cut himself on some of that hard salami and didn’t do nothin’ about it. She said it went all septic on him and he ended up losing two of his fingers.

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