6. Magical Hands

6

MAGICAL HANDS

T he following Thursday, Dane was in his office working when he looked at the next name on his schedule.

Nathan Fierce. Wyatt and Adriana’s son.

He opened the door and saw Carolyn Fierce sitting there with Nate on her lap, the eleven-month-old’s face flush and tears in his eyes, his hand pulling on his ear.

“Carolyn,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Both Wyatt and Adriana are in surgery and not reachable. The daycare knows to call me as a backup. This little guy is not happy. He’s running a fever and cranky and has the ‘I’ve got some pain in my ear if you haven’t noticed yet’ pull going on.”

“I see that,” he said. “Most likely an ear infection. Let’s check the little man out.” He moved closer to Nate and tried to get the boy’s fingers out of the way to look in his ear. The child was having no part of it.

He already knew there was a fever being run since the nurse’s aide had taken and recorded it .

Dane turned and pulled open a drawer. There were toys in there they could distract the kids with.

“He likes dinosaurs and cars,” Carolyn said.

She was an old pro here. He’d seen her plenty enough times with one or more of her grandkids, either coming along for the visit or bringing them in just like this since it wasn’t always possible for some of her children to get out of work and handle an emergency.

He found a toy ambulance in the drawer and pulled it out to show Nate.

Nate’s chubby hands reached for it and he took that chance to look in the baby’s ear to see that it was indeed an infection.

He looked in the other while he had a chance.

“Double ear infection. This one isn’t as bad so he’s not worrying about it,” he said “Let me listen to his breathing. Would it be easier if I put him on my lap?”

“Sure,” Carolyn said and handed over Nate who came to him easily enough since he was distracted.

“Hey there,” he said.

Nate reached for the stethoscope and wrapped his fingers around the tube. He’d handled this enough that he could still let the child touch it while he did what he needed to.

“He likes that,” Carolyn said. “Might have another doctor in the family.”

“Could be,” he said.

“Not Chase,” Carolyn said. “He’s a wild one. Just like Wyatt was as a kid. But you know, I never expected him to be an anesthesiologist either.”

“Too young for anyone to know,” Dane said.

He turned Nate around and had him standing on his lap. Might as well give him as thorough an exam as he could since the child was cooperating. Though he was positive both Wyatt and Adriana, who was a nurse, were going to do it anyway when they got home.

“They will do what they want,” Carolyn said. “If I’ve learned one thing in all my years of teaching and my own kids and grandkids, it is that they are stubborn. You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but they will listen when they are ready.”

“Like setting people up?” he asked cheekily.

“Now that you mentioned it,” Carolyn said. He and his big mouth.

“Just saying is all,” he said. “Nothing more than conversation.”

“Don’t rain on my parade,” Carolyn said. “You’ve got to let us set you up with someone. Just one date?”

“No, thank you,” he said. “I’m not big on blind dates. Not my thing.”

“Which means you’ve had them before.”

“Haven’t most single people my age?” he asked.

“Could be they aren’t picking out the right person for you,” Carolyn said. “I know a thing or two about this.”

“I know you do,” he said. “Do you want to go back to Grandma now? I’ve got stickers for you for being so good.”

He opened another drawer and found some dinosaur stickers and pulled one off and held it out. Nate reached for that while Dane got the toy ambulance back and dropped it in the drawer to be cleaned.

Once Nate had the sticker on his finger he put another one on his shirt, then let Nate get a third on his other finger.

The young child was smiling and drooling at the same time.

“He seems happy now,” Carolyn said. “You’ve got the touch with children. ”

“The key is distraction, as you know,” he said, grinning.

“Very true.”

“I’ll have a script sent over to their pharmacy now. If either Wyatt or Adriana wants to talk to me when they are out of surgery, just tell them to call. They’ve got my cell number.”

He’d handed it out personally to some patients’ parents. There were some children he’d rather never go through the on call that were his patients and would follow up when needed. Those with medical conditions or going through something.

The Fierces had a connection to him on a personal level, not to mention doctor to doctor. But many of the Fierces’ kids worked at Duke just like him. Even if it was on the campus like Bryce and Jade’s husband, Brock. It was a courtesy.

“I’m sure one of them might send you a text,” Carolyn said. “They will know you’re busy.”

“It’s what I’m here for.”

“And my family appreciates it.”

“I hear you’re the one to thank for introducing Chloe to Sloane’s Spa.”

Carolyn lifted her eyebrows. “I did. Diane and I always recommend that spa or give gift cards there. Is Tiffani asking for more pedicures? Chloe said Tiffani had a ball there for a girls’ day.”

“Oh, she wants more, but my mother or Chloe will have to take her. Chloe talked about massages enough that Tiffani got it in her head that I should have one too. That was my birthday gift from the kids. I used it last week.”

“That’s wonderful,” Carolyn said. “Who did you have? There are three wonderful women there. I’ve used them all, but Sloane is my personal favorite. ”

“I had them just book me with whoever and ended up with Sloane. She does have some magical hands.”

Carolyn laughed. He wasn’t sure why he was talking about this with her, but he’d always been friendly with patients and more so with those he had that connection to outside of work.

Besides, for all he knew, Sloane was married or in a relationship.

Someone that looked like her had to be.

If he’d been thinking of her for the past few days he wouldn’t admit it to anyone.

Not her long thin body. Her strong hands on his skin.

Her light brown hair pulled back and barely any makeup on her smooth face.

Her voice was as soothing as her hands as they conversed and she put him at ease.

It took talent to do that and she’d been great at her job.

“She does,” Carolyn said. “So glad that my recommendation was passed onto you. I hope you’ll go back for more of her services.”

“I will,” he said. “Already set up another massage in a month. Well, I did there. Not sure if it’s with her or not.”

“It’s nice to spread the love around,” Carolyn said. “And this one is getting antsy so we’ll get out of your way. Good to see you.”

“You too,” he said.

He watched Carolyn leave with Nate in her arms.

Had to be Sloane was taken because Carolyn didn’t even try to put the two of them together.

He wasn’t sure if he was hoping that would happen or not, but she’d brushed it off and just addressed it as a good place to go and he could see anyone .

Nothing to do about it anyway and he went to see his next patient.

“I’ve got news,” Carolyn said the minute Diane picked up the phone.

She turned her head and saw Nate in the car seat in the back still playing with his stickers.

“What’s that?” Diane asked.

“I just left Dane. Nate’s got an ear infection and I had to bring him.”

“Ohhh, poor baby. Been there and done that.”

“He’s going to be fine. I’m going to get his script now. I already got a text from the pharmacy that it’s being processed. But that isn’t why I’m calling. Dane brought up going to Sloane’s Spa for a massage.”

“You’re kidding me,” Diane said. “He just brought it up out of the blue?”

“Well, he said he heard he had me to thank for the recommendation. I thought it had to do with Tiffani and pedicures and in a roundabout way it was. When Tiffani was there not that long ago getting a pedicure with Doreen and Chloe, I guess Chloe was bragging about the massages. Tiffani wanted her father to get one and Doreen bought it from the kids as a gift.”

“That’s sweet,” Diane said.

“It’s sweet and maybe fate. He said it was so good that he scheduled another.”

“With Sloane?” Diane asked. “This is getting good.”

“He didn’t say. I didn’t push either.”

“Why not?” Diane asked. “You always push.”

“I know, but I decided to play it off. Why push him away? It’s not like we are in a position to see the two of them together either. We’ve got to figure this out. We have appointments next week for pedicures, right?”

“I believe so,” Diane said. “I’d have to check my calendar on the day.”

“I’m going to try to schedule a massage with her. I know it won’t be easy to get in, but I’ll see what openings she has.”

“I’ll do the same,” Diane said. “We need to try to lay it on and feel her out. Name drop and all. She knows what we do.”

“But if we do that, won’t she think that Dane put us up to it? She might think it’s odd that we know Dane went there.”

“We don’t have to say that. We already brought up Dane’s name last month, remember? That was before the massage or that we even knew he got a gift for one.”

“Good point,” she said. “And since we did it once, we can again. Let’s see if she says she’s seen Dane.”

“I doubt it,” Diane said. “She might not be able to do that. Confidentiality and all.”

“I guess we’ll find out and now we’ve got something else to do knowing that Gabe and Elise seem to be on their way.”

“Do we let the guys in on this?” Diane asked.

“I suppose we’ll have to, but they’d have no hand in this. They never go to the spa or see Dane. This one can be on us.”

“Just the way we like it,” Diane said. “And we get some massages out of it.”

“As I said,” she said, “good news.”