More Than a Touch: A Snowberry Creek Novel Page 5

  “Yeah, so far.”

  His friend gave Leif a questioning look and shifted to nudge him, shoulder to shoulder. Leif rolled his eyes but dutifully performed the necessary introductions. “Nick, this is Zoe Phillips, the nurse practitioner who will be overseeing my rehab here in Snowberry Creek. Zoe, this is Sergeant Nick Jenkins.”

  She smiled and held out her hand. “We haven’t officially been introduced, Nick, but I’ve heard a lot about you from Callie. We didn’t get a chance to talk at the party the other night, so it’s nice to finally meet you.” She would’ve also recognized Nick as another soldier even without Leif mentioning his rank. It was there in his hypervigilant eyes and that stance that meant he was ready to spring into action if the situation warranted it.

  “Same here. So, Zoe, you going to take good care of my boy here?”

  “I plan to.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

  He softened the short statement with a fleeting smile, making eye contact briefly before once again scanning the crowd. Leif was doing the same thing. She bet both of them were struggling with the press of the crowd, coupled with all the noise. A few seconds later, Callie appeared at Nick’s side.

  “Hi, Zoe! Looks like half the town turned out for the game tonight.”

  “Yeah, it’s nice they’ve been winning so many games. The mayor’s son is sure fun to watch.”

  While they talked, Nick wrapped his arm around Callie’s shoulders. Maybe others wouldn’t have noticed, but it was clear to Zoe that Callie’s presence helped anchor him in the moment, immediately reducing his tension level. She also noticed that Leif was watching the small interaction with what looked like a touch of envy. She didn’t blame him. It was hard for anyone to readjust to life after living in a combat zone. Doing it alone was doubly hard.

  She had firsthand experience with that herself. And it was time to get moving.

  “It was nice seeing you all again. I’m going to wander down to the refreshment stand and grab a hot dog before the line gets too long.”

  Leif stepped away from his friends. “I’ll come with you.”

  She couldn’t refuse his company without coming across as churlish. “All right. Then I’ll have to get back to work. It’s my night to take blood pressures and hand out brochures about local medical care.”

  Leif nodded but didn’t say anything. His attention was on maneuvering across the rough stretch of ground they were crossing. When they reached the paved area outside the gym, his speed picked up a bit. They got in line at the refreshment stand.

  Leif looked around, his dark eyes probably not missing a thing. “I’m guessing high school football is a big deal around here.”

  “It is. I would’ve come to the game even if I hadn’t had to be here for other reasons. A fair number of the kids on the team are patients of mine, as are their parents. I like to show my support when I can.”

  He nodded. “It was the same where I grew up.”

  They’d reached the front of the line. “How many hot dogs do you want, Zoe?”

  “Just one, but I’ll get my own.”

  Leif eyed the handwritten menu as he pulled out his wallet. “I’m ordering for Nick and Callie, too. One more won’t break me. Besides, I’ll need help carrying it all back to where Callie and Nick are waiting. Consider it payment for services rendered.”

  Good point. Rather than stand there and squabble over a two-dollar hot dog, she gave in. “If you’re sure. I’d like a diet cola, too.”

  On the way back, he balanced the cardboard tray with the hot dogs while she carried the drinks. His friends had staked out some seats on the second row in the bleachers. She delivered the drinks to Callie and waited to make sure Leif managed to reach his seat without mishap, while trying not to be obvious about it.

  After he handed out the hot dogs, she thanked him again. Before she could walk away, the home team scored again. The percussion section of the marching band exploded in a loud, rumbling celebration. Both Nick and Leif ducked, almost sending their hot dogs flying. Luckily, Callie managed to save the drinks.

  Leif let loose with a string of curse words, echoed by his friend. Zoe met Callie’s worried gaze and shrugged. Here in public neither man would appreciate the two women acknowledging what had just happened.

  “Enjoy the game, guys. Callie, we’ll have to meet up at Bridey’s place again soon.”

  Then she turned her attention to Leif. “Thanks again for the hot dog, and I’ll see you at the clinic tomorrow.”

  Leif nodded, his expression totally blank, his emotions carefully banked. He couldn’t quite hide the slight tremble in his hands, though. “I’ll be there.”

  Zoe made herself walk away. As much as she wanted to stay and help Leif deal with the crush of people and noise, she had other obligations tonight. That was her excuse, and she was sticking to it, but her heart hurt for him.

  Chapter 5

  What was it about the clock that was suddenly so fascinating today? Every few minutes Zoe found herself glancing at the time in the lower corner of her computer screen or watching the wagging tail on the black cat clock as it ticked off the minutes. It wasn’t like there weren’t better things to do, patients to see, not to mention the endless paperwork that flowed across her desk. She managed to chip away at the stack of files in front of her, but she definitely wasn’t working at her usual speed. Finally she gave up and headed for the small break room. Maybe an early lunch would give her the boost of energy she’d need to get through the afternoon.

  The patient schedule wasn’t as full as it could’ve been, but that didn’t necessarily translate into an easy day. She’d deliberately blocked out the last ninety minutes of the day for one patient: Leif. He was scheduled to meet with her and Isaac to begin his therapy. They would go over everything together, and then he and Isaac would get started. She planned to hang around and watch how it went.

  After seeing him last night at the football game, she was even more worried about him. As a healer, she didn’t like to see anyone suffer. Finding a cure for someone’s illness was a balm to her soul, but some things couldn’t be fixed. Some people, too. At best, they could be patched back together with a hope and a prayer that the makeshift repairs would hold.

  Zoe had personal experience with that, but right now her focus was on Leif’s problems, not her own. His left leg was a mess of scars and shattered bones screwed back together with metal plates. Her own shin had ached in sympathy for hours after he’d limped out of her office.

  From the anger in his parting look, he had realized the examination room had been designed for munchkins, not men who’d almost died in combat. Maybe she should’ve offered him the choice of using that room or seeing if he could make it up onto the regular table with help. But then again, probably not. No matter which option he chose, he would hate anyone acknowledging his weakness.

  Zoe made quick work of her salad. With luck, maybe she could knock out those last few charts before the first of her afternoon patients came in. There really wasn’t any hurry; certainly paperwork could wait until after office hours. But if Leif’s appointment was as emotionally tense as she expected it to be, she was going to want to go straight home afterward.

  Brandi came charging into the room looking flustered, something that rarely happened. “Thank God I found you! I was afraid you’d gone out to lunch. Mrs. Wolfe just brought in her husband, who is having chest pains. He claims he only came in to humor his wife, but he looks bad to me. Clammy and pale, for sure. I would’ve sent them over to the walk-in clinic side, but Dr. Tenberg is in the middle of stitching up a nasty gash in some guy’s leg. He said he’d be over to assist as soon as he finishes.”

  Zoe followed Brandi out of the room at a run. She’d learned early on to trust her assistant’s judgment. If she said Mr. Wolfe looked bad, he did.

  Brandi was still talking. “I put him into room one, but I haven’t taken his vitals yet. I thought I should find you first.”

  “Not a proble
m, Brandi. You did good. I’ll take his blood pressure myself while you let Dr. Tenberg know where we’ll be.”

  They separated at the door to the examination room. Inside, Zoe took one look at Mr. Wolfe’s labored breathing and gray skin tone and stepped back out in the hall. “Brandi, call the EMTs and tell them we’ll need a patient transported to the hospital STAT.”

  “Will do.”

  Crossing her fingers that the emergency med techs from the fire department weren’t already out on a call, Zoe returned to her patient and his wife.

  “So, Mr. Wolfe, how long have you been having these chest pains?”

  • • •

  Following Isaac’s advice, Leif had dressed in a T-shirt and loose-fitting shorts. He approached the clinic with a load of dread and determination in his gut. He so didn’t want to do this, but that was a stupid mind-set. Each step forward took him that much closer to getting control of his life back.

  What that life would look like depended on how much effort he put into the course of action that Zoe and Isaac had planned out for him. That’s what he wanted to believe, anyway. He stepped through the front door of the clinic, only to be hit with the slightly stale smell of air conditioning tainted with that same funky medicinal stink that all hospitals and doctors’ offices had.

  The receptionist looked up with a smile as he approached the counter. “Hi, Corporal Brevik. Zoe asked that you fill out this questionnaire while you wait.”

  “Thanks.”

  The lobby was deserted, giving him his choice of seats. He headed over to the far corner toward a row of chairs that were higher than normal. He suspected they were designed to make it easier for people like him to get back up.

  After getting situated, he studied the questions Zoe had left for him. It was the same stupid list he’d answered two days ago. Rate his pain? What activities hurt the worst? What would help ease any discomfort he might have? All kinds of smart-ass answers crossed his mind on that last one. Somehow he doubted Zoe would appreciate some of the suggestions that came to mind. It was tempting to find out, though.

  Especially if he admitted that ever since the night they’d danced he’d enjoyed a few late-night fantasies that had involved the two of them. And at the game last night, he’d even pretended that they’d been two regular people, still checking each other out, and maybe on the verge of hooking up for more than a hot dog.

  Instead, he was sitting there staring at a stupid piece of paper. He carefully considered the first question and then rated his pain at a five, figuring that was closer to the truth than the number he’d marked two days ago. On Wednesday, Isaac had waited until they were alone to get all up in Leif’s face about screwing around like that. The big man made it damn clear he wouldn’t waste his time on an effing idiot who didn’t want to get better. He’d used a lot of colorful expressions and some physically impossible suggestions to make his point. Bottom line: Zoe wouldn’t have asked the questions if the answers weren’t important.

  “Corporal, you can come on back now.”

  It was the same spike-haired blonde who had taken him back before. Her name niggled at his memory. Candy? No, Brandi.

  “Be there in a sec, Brandi.” He flashed a smile in her direction while he gathered up his things. “And call me Leif. ‘Corporal’ sounds a bit formal since it looks like I’ll be hanging out here a lot for a while.”

  She looked pleased that he’d remembered her name. They bypassed the examination rooms to end up in a small office at the end of a short hall.

  “Have a seat. Zoe and Isaac will be with you soon. Can I get you some coffee or a bottle of water while you wait?”

  “Water would be nice. Thank you.”

  Brandi disappeared out the door, leaving Leif alone with his thoughts. Patience had never been his strong suit, but all this waiting around made him crazy. The army had been his life for years, dictating where he lived and what he should be doing pretty much twenty-four-seven. But now, until he knew how much could be done to restore the use of his leg, he was stuck in limbo, spinning his wheels and unable to move on with his life.

  Twenty minutes later, his frustration had about reached the boiling point when he heard a noise out in the hall. He cocked his head to the side to listen. Someone was headed his way. Two someones, in fact. It was damn well about time. He straightened up taller and did his best to get his game face back in place.

  Zoe was the first one through the door, followed closely by Isaac. She tossed him the bottle of water Brandi had promised him. The therapist perched on top of a low filing cabinet, taking up a great deal of space, but it was Zoe who captured all of Leif’s attention.

  Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “You look like hell.”

  She flinched as if he’d slapped her as she rounded her desk to drop into her chair. Well, damn, that wasn’t what he’d meant to say, even if it was true. Her blue eyes were dull and faded, almost as if someone had extinguished the light that had sparkled in them just last night. Something bad had happened. That much was clear.

  He held up his hands. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  She quirked an eyebrow. “If you were aiming to compliment me on my looks, soldier, you need to hone your skills.”

  Okay, so there was enough life left in her to spark a bit of temper. He gave apologizing another try.

  “I meant to ask if you were feeling all right. You look a bit under the weather.”

  The physical therapist’s muffled snicker signaled that Leif was only digging himself in deeper. “Never mind. I’ll just shut up now.”

  Isaac leaned over to clap Leif on the shoulder. “I would’ve thought it would be hard to talk with that size twelve wedged in your mouth, but you seem to have a real talent for it, soldier boy.”

  “Stuff it, squid.”

  “Gentlemen.”

  Zoe put enough oomph into the single word to have both men slamming their mouths shut. Isaac actually snapped to attention briefly before remembering he wasn’t in the navy anymore. Leif couldn’t have jumped to his feet if he’d wanted to, but he still threw his shoulders back and sat up straighter.

  For the first time since she’d walked into the room, Zoe looked more like herself. She gave each of them a superior look. “It’s nice to know that officers training crap still comes in handy once in a while.”

  Her expression softened a bit when she met Leif’s gaze. “To answer your question, I’m fine, but it’s been a tough afternoon around here.”

  Evidently, Isaac took that as his cue to enter the conversation. He picked up a file he’d brought in with him. “I’ve put together two sets of exercises for you, Leif. You’ll be working on the first bunch here at the clinic. The other ones will be your homework.”

  Zoe pulled out two more sheets of paper and slid them across the desk. “I shouldn’t have to remind you that adequate sleep and proper nutrition also play a big role in a patient’s recovery. I want you to take a multivitamin and extra calcium. That top sheet will give you some recommendations about your daily diet and what you should look for in a vitamin to make sure you get the right dosage.”

  Her eyes narrowed a bit. “The second sheet is a prescription for a different painkiller. It’s not as strong as the one you’ve been on, but it’s also not as addictive. You okay with that?”

  He knew what she was really asking. “I’d rather not take them at all. I’m using them less all the time.”

  “Good, although after Isaac gets done with you today, you may want to rethink that.”

  Leaning back in her chair, she continued talking. “Ideally, we’d like to see you in here for an hour appointment three times a week. Isaac will keep me apprised of your progress. In turn, I’ll keep the army doctors in the loop. I’ve also scheduled you for a follow-up evaluation with me in two weeks. If everything is going well at that point, you’ll only need to check in with me every four weeks.”

  Isaac rejoined the conversation. “I’ve already reserved
my first appointment of the day for you on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next two weeks. We can change the time if you want, but I figured you’d rather get it over with and have the rest of your day free.”

  “Sounds good.”

  It wasn’t as if he had anything better to do with his time, but he had promised Nick to help him get a little more work done on Spence’s house. He gave the two pages a quick look before sticking them in the small backpack he’d brought with him.

  “Do you have any questions for either of us?”

  Yeah, but they weren’t the kind anyone could answer yet. How long would he have to keep coming here? Would his leg ever be normal again? He settled for pulling out the paperwork he’d completed in the lobby. “No questions, but here’s the form you wanted filled out.”

  Zoe read over it before handing it to Isaac. “I have one for you. You marked your pain level at five today. Is it really that much worse than it was two days ago or just a more accurate assessment?”

  He shifted in his seat, his face flushing hot. She’d left him no wiggle room. “More accurate.”

  Instead of giving him grief over it, she smiled. “That’s great. Now we have a baseline to work from. I’ve no doubt you’re going to hurt worse for a while, but that’s normal. I promise you’ll eventually start to see improvement.”

  Her brief surge of energy seemed to fade as quickly as it had come. Despite her assurance that she was fine, there was definitely something going on with her. Isaac looked worried about her, too. Maybe the big man would clue him in once they were alone.

  Zoe was still talking. “So if you don’t have any more questions for me, how about the two of you get started? I’ve got a few things to deal with that can’t wait, but I’ll stop by to see how you’re doing on my way out.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Leif pushed himself up out of the chair, glad that he managed to do so without wobbling. A man had his pride, especially in front of an attractive woman. After looping the strap of his backpack over his shoulder, he followed Isaac out of the office, pausing briefly in the doorway.