Small Town Doctor Read Online Free PDF Page B

just in front of her. “He’s not coming in, so you don’t have to worry. My sister Jessi is his wife, and they have twin girls, Kari and Kami. I don’t want him taking the germs to the girls. You don’t have to worry about anything. You can wait in here with Abbi while I get the supplies and he’ll be on his way. No harm done.”
    “He was a good doctor, but he’d have pushed for Abbi to go to the hospital. He didn’t agree with me raising her out here.”
    “If anyone would have understood I thought it would be Michael. He was born here, only leaving while he was in medical school.” He touched her arm. “It doesn’t matter because she’s staying right here for now anyway.”
    “So she doesn’t have to go to the hospital?”
    He shook his head. “As long as she continues to improve.” Even as he said it, he knew there was a major catch in that.
    “Oh, thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. “Thank you for saving my baby.”
    “She’s not out of the woods yet. Her lungs still sound congested and it’s likely she has a lung infection too.” She let go of him and stepped back. “Now that we’ve got her rehydrated, I’m going to start her on a different IV once Michael arrives and that will speed her recovery. However, you’re going to have to make a decision, though I suspect I know your answer.”
    “What would that be?” She leaned back against the wall.
    “You have no phone, no transportation, and no options if something changes. I can’t leave her here when there’s no way for you to get help.”
    “Wait, you just said—”
    “Let me finish.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Either she comes down to the hospital, and I’ll make sure you have a private room, with no one else caring for besides me, or…”
    “Or?” She looked at him when he paused.
    “Or I’ll have to stay here.”
    “You’ll what?” She stepped away from the wall, her eyes wide with shock.
    “It’s the only way. If I’m here I can help her, and if for some reason her condition worsens, we can take her into town. So…do I get to bunk on your sofa tonight, or shall I begin loading my truck?” He turned as if to start gathering the supplies he’d laid out on the coffee table.
    She grabbed hold of his arm before he could step away from her. “You can have the bed in my room and I’ll sleep with Abbi.”
    “You’d get more sleep in your room, and I’ll need to check on Abbi occasionally throughout the night.”
    “I’d rather stay with her to ensure she’s fine.” She glanced to the window. “I haven’t had much of an appetite myself but I’m sure you’re hungry. I’ll whip you up something to eat while you finish checking Abbi’s vitals.”
    “I appreciate it, but I just need more coffee.”
    “Coffee? I thought it was a myth that doctors lived on that.” The humor in her eyes wasn’t there long. “Pneumonia…that’s how my grandmother died.”
    “It’s not like that. Pneumonia is deadly to those who are already ill, the very young and the old. Abbi’s young, but besides, you said she’s been healthy. We’re going to make sure she’s fine, now don’t you worry.”
    He’d be damned if he’d let Abbi die. In the last few hours the little family had stolen his heart. Now he knew why Ryan was willing to go out of his way to help them, to go against the grain just to get the little girl medical care without disrupting the family dynamics. He was willing to do the same. Did he still think Abbi could be helped more in a hospital than in the cabin? Yes, but it wasn’t that simple any longer. It was more about what was in the best interest of the child, and the best thing for her was to keep her home. For the first time in his life he understood why some people chose to remain at home when they were sick or dying.
    This little trip into the mountains of Clearwater gave him a new perspective in his medical training. He actually understood