Sweet, Sour, & Spicy by Bridgett Nelson

Author:Bridgett Nelson [Nelson, Bridgett]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-05T22:00:00+00:00

HER

I paced around my bedroom, a glass of white wine in my hand. I couldn’t sleep. I’d tried all the usual pre-bedtime rituals: warm milk, a bubble bath, I’d even pleasured myself to completion, but nothing helped. My body was run down. My muscles ached. My head ached. I had a sore throat.

God, I hope I haven’t caught something nasty and contagious. That’s all I’d need after this horrible week.

The abduction had been the lead story on the news for days. My patient, Vivienne Picard, had been abducted and tortured. I could only hope she’d contact me when she was physically able. She needed me.

I put on my fuzzy lime-green slippers and ventured downstairs. Digging around in the medicine cabinet, I found some ibuprofen and swallowed two. It was never a good idea for me to take medication on an empty stomach, so I opened the fridge and stared at the contents. Pushing a plastic Tupperware bowl aside, I found some leftover chocolate pudding Lucy had made for me and decided that would totally hit the spot.

I’d just taken my first bite of the creamy, decadent pudding when my phone rang. I glanced at the screen.

Speaking of Lucy…

“Hello?”

“Hi, Dr. Ashford. Sorry to bother you.”

“You’re not bothering me, Lucy. In fact, I was just indulging in some of the pudding you made me. I never realized you were such a fantastic cook.”

“Oh, well…” Lucy sounded embarrassed, but pleased. “It’s just a little something I whipped up. I figured it would be easy for you to eat, considering.”

“It is. Thank you!”

“You’re very welcome. The reason I’m calling is because I just received a patient email from our website.”

“Oh? You check that after-hours?”

“My phone alerts me when an email comes through, and I thought you might want to know about this one.” I heard clicking sounds from a keyboard. “The email, it’s from Vivienne Picard, the pediatric cancer…”

“Yes, I remember Vivienne,” I replied, cutting her off and learning forward in my chair. My pulse raced. “She’s missed a couple appointments. What does the email say?”

“It says she’s in very bad shape emotionally and needs an emergency appointment tomorrow. Apparently, she somehow lost her phone during the…you know…and couldn’t contact you directly, so she used the website as an alternative.” Lucy paused. “Should I email her back and set her up for 8:00 AM?”

I took a deep breath. “Yes, do that, Lucy. I’ll be in at 7:30 to review her chart.”

“Are you sure?” Concern seeped into her words.

“I’ll be fine. Go ahead and schedule her. And thanks, Lucy.”

“No problem. I’ll take care of it. Enjoy that pudding and then get some rest!”

“Will do. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

She clicked off. I sat staring at the wall, the pudding forgotten.

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