One Sure Thing (Mamma Lou Matchmaker Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

she replied. “They itch like the dickens.”
    Hope continued the exam, asking several more questions. Unfortunately none of the answers Louise gave added up. She found herself asking more questions only to be completely confounded by the patient’s responses. She pulled the gloves off then leaned against the exam table.
    “Have you ever been tested for various allergens- food, dust, pet dander, anything like that?”
    “No, never,” she said, fibbing easily.
    Hope nodded and made a notation in the file. “And you’ve never had a reaction like this before tonight?”
    “No.” Another fib.
    Still puzzled, Hope scribbled on the chart. She looked up at Louise again than scribbled some more. “Okay,” she began, “I’m going to give you something to ease the itching and reduce the swelling. It might also make you a little sleepy, so don’t be alarmed.”
    Colonel Wheeler moved closer and took Louise’s hand.
    “I’m also going to give you a prescription for something just in case the hives return.” Hope noted the concern shadowed across Louise’s face. “There’s no need to worry. I don’t think it will return. These things usually run their course as long as the initial irritant isn’t reintroduced. But, just in case, you’ll be prepared.”
    Louise nodded. “Does this mean you’re going to discharge me?”
    Hope smiled, “Technically, you haven’t be admitted. But yes, you can go home as soon as I’ve completed the paperwork.”
    “Oh, so that’s it? There’s nothing else you need to do?” Colonel Wheeler asked.
    “That’s it. Mr. Wheeler, I presume you’ll be driving Mrs. Gates home?”
    He nodded.
    “Good.” Hope flipped the chart close. “That’s about it Mrs. Gates. You take care of yourself and don’t forget to make an appointment with an allergist and see your personal physician.”
    “Thank you doctor,” Louise said somewhat hesitantly.
    “You’re quite welcome.” Hope nodded then immediately left to attend to her next patient. She visited four patients in the next half hour. On her way back from seeing her last patient, Maxine stopped her at the nurses’ station. “Number five just came back. She’s experiencing chest pains. You might want to check on her when you get a chance.”
    “Chest pains?”
    “That’s what she says.” Maxine’s expression lacked the usual don’t-give-a-damnsmirk. Instead, it was replaced by genuine concern.
    Hope grimaced. “That’s odd.” The medication she’d prescribed shouldn’t have caused symptoms of chest pains. “Set her up, I’ll be right there.”
    Maxine nodded and quickly hurried off.
    Hope sat at the nurses’ station for a moment and jotted down notes from her last patient. Then she mulled over the medication she’d prescribed and the possible side effects. She went into the computer files and pulled all the information about the drug.
    The side effects were clearly outlined, as she compared the medication with Louise’s chart and the pharmaceutical databank. Diphenhydramine was a standard antihistamine and commonly issued drug used for severe allergic reactions. Hope reread the file quickly, keying in additional information. Based on the dosage administered, Louise should have been sleepy and groggy instead of experiencing heart palpitations and respiratory difficulty.
    Nothing seemed to make sense. There was absolutely no reason for Louise Gates to have chest pains. Hope grabbed the chart and went back to exam room number five.
    The exam room had magically morphed into a high-tech lab filled with machines and electronic monitors all blinking at the same time. Heart monitors scanned biorhythms as an EKG and EEG spat out narrow strips of paper-recorded data.
    Louise lay still in the bed. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was labored. A precautionary oxygen apparatus had been secured and a respirator had been issued. Hope walked over to the nearest machine and read the findings. She scanned the next few machines