He winced at the thought and focused on his patient. “You used your inhaler?”
Tony nodded. “I even took more puffs than I’m supposed to, but I just couldn’t catch my breath. I should probably take my nebulizer with me to work.”
“Are you using your nebulizer often?”
“I’ve used it some,” the young man admitted. “But since you started me on that asthma tablet I’ve only had to use the machine twice.”
“You’re using the inhaled steroid, too?”
“Just like you told me.”
“You haven’t thought of anything that’s changed within the past two months?”
“Same house, same car, same job, same girlfriend.” Tony shot Emily a teasing glance. “I could replace her and see if she’s the problem.”
She slapped his arm. “Then you really wouldn’t be able to breathe because I’d strangle you.”
The tender kiss she placed on his cheek and the worried way she watched each breath he took told another story.
Tony winked. “See what kind of abuse I have to put up with, Doc?”
“I see.” Jared smiled at the couple, wondering if he’d ever been that young. He had, of course. He’d foolishly thought he’d been in love and had destroyed much of his life. Destroyed Laura’s life. “I’m going to keep you here a while longer just to make sure you’re over the attack. I’ll have Kayla check on you in a few and if things are OK, we’ll let you go home. I’m going to go ahead and set you up to see a pulmonologist, though. That’s a lung specialist. Maybe he can figure out what’s causing these attacks.”
Jared planned to do more research that night to see if he could unravel any clues about why Tony had suddenly started having his attacks.
Although, recalling his dinner plans, his research might be later than he intended.
Darn Will and Leslie for putting him on the spot like that. There’d been no way for him to continue to refuse without raising their suspicions. He didn’t want to deal with questions about why he didn’t want to go, why he didn’t want to be around Chelsea.
He’d call and cancel because being near Chelsea definitely caused him breathing problems.
Chelsea brushed her hand over the clean lines of her cherry-wood desk. She glanced approvingly at the gleaming surface, smiling at how her first day had gone.
Other than Hannah Belew, all the patients had seemed to accept her and be pleased with their care. Chelsea was holding out hope that Hannah would schedule her pelvic examination and vaccination. Maybe the girl would decide to go to the local health department. Or decide not to have sex anymore.
And Jared, well, she just didn’t know what to think about his odd reaction. She’d always wondered what he’d say, what he’d do when their paths crossed again. She hadn’t expected the coldness. Not really. Maybe a few awkward moments until he realized she wasn’t going to launch herself at him, but then he’d laugh and treat her with the same fondness he had that spring.
Only Jared was different in that regard. He looked like he rarely laughed these days. Had Laura’s death robbed him of that inner joy Chelsea had found so charismatic?
“What are you looking so contrite about?” Will asked, poking his head into her office.
“Come in,” she said, motioning for him to have a seat. “I was just reflecting on the day.”
“And?”
She smiled. “Overall, things went well.”
“Overall?”
Her smile faded. She really needed to be careful about what she said to her brother. She didn’t want to give him cause for worry where Jared was concerned. Not when there would never be anything between them anyway. “I had a patient leave before I finished.”
He looked taken aback. “Someone left in the middle of your examination?”
“No,” she clarified, shaking her head. “I stepped out to give a young girl a moment to think about getting a pelvic examination. When I came back to the room, she’d disappeared.”
Will’s confusion melted away to mild amusement. “I don’t blame her. I’d run too if you tried to put me in stirrups.”
Chelsea tossed her ink-pen cap at him. “You’re not helping.”
Grinning, he caught the plastic cap. “Apparently she wasn’t ready for a pelvic. What’s the problem?”
“She’s sexually active. She came in to get a prescription for birth control. What if she ends up pregnant because she ran out instead of finishing her exam?”
“Then her pregnancy would be her fault. Not yours.”
“But I should have—”
Will put up his hand. “Did you explain the reasons why she needed a pelvic exam?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts. I’m sure you did a great job. The rest is up to the patient. You can’t force people to make the right decisions for their health, Chels.”
Talking to her brother could be like talking to a brick wall. Particularly as he was brilliant and usually made great sense.
“I know, but—”
“I already told you, no buts.” Smirking, he winked. “Although I understand why you keep bringing mine up since it’s so dashing.”
“Your butt is dashing?” She gave a sisterly eye roll. “I swear I’d think you were insane if I didn’t know how intelligent you really are.”
“Thanks, sis.” He leaned back, glanced around the office. His gaze lingered on the items she’d unpacked from her box, which included several photos of the two of them and friends. When his gaze returned to hers, his seriousness surprised her. “Was today everything you thought your first day would be?”
Not sure what had caused his mood to change, she nodded. “It was much more.”
Because she’d seen Jared, touched Jared, refreshed her memory of just how powerfully he affected her mind and body. No, that was crazy. Jared was not why she was in Madison.
Will’s brow lifted. “More?”
“Today wasn’t much different than any other day for the past couple of years.” After all, she’d been seeing patients for quite some time during her residency. “Yet because I was at a real job, with my own office and name tag…” she touched the gift he’d given her that morning “…today was magical.”
Apparently pleased with her answer, Will nodded. “Good. You deserve magical. You ready to go out to celebrate?”
Chelsea glanced down at her spic-and-span desk. “I suppose. Is Jared going?”
She could have kicked herself for the slipup. No way should she be asking her brother about Jared. She’d always been subtle when she’d asked about him in the past, but there’d been nothing subtle about her blunt, heartfelt question just then.
“Said he was. Why?”
Under the intensity of her brother’s stare, she fought the urge to blush. Something told her Will wouldn’t be happy if she said that at seventeen she’d taken one look at Jared and had fallen for him hook, line, and sinker and today she’d discovered those feelings for him to be just as strong.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep her gaze locked on her brother’s. “No reason other than I wondered who was going.”
Her brother wasn’t buying any of it. She didn’t have to be looking into his eyes to know