The January Wish Read Online Free PDF Page B

looked at her hopefully. ‘He has a bug of some kind trapped in his ear canal.’
    ‘Oh my God! Can you get it out?’ Marisa forced a look into her baby’s ear, then turned away, scrunching up her nose.
    ‘Shouldn’t be a problem, as long as we keep him as still as possible.’ Sylvia looked at Marisa in a way that said, ‘Are you ready for this?’ Marisa held one hand tightly around the boy’s head, and the other around his wriggly legs. Sylvia placed a headlight cap on her head to light the area, and moved in for the kill with a pair of tweezers. Screams engulfed the room, and Sylvia’s eardrums vibrated. She worked quickly, removing pieces of what looked like a beetle, until the canal was clear.
    ‘All done.’ Sylvia disposed of the remains and had one last look in his ear. ‘There’s a bit of redness, but the eardrum is still intact so he shouldn’t need antibiotics. I’ll give you a prescription for some ear drops though.’
    Marisa nodded as her baby’s cries turned into whimpers. He took a few quick breaths in sharp succession before breathing out a heavy sigh, the corners of his mouth turned upside down. She patted the side of his face and kissed his forehead. ‘It’s all over, pumpkin.’
    Marisa thanked Sylvia profusely, and apologised for barging in early without an appointment. Sylvia waved her apologies away. ‘That’s what I’m here for, and if he has any more trouble, let me know.’
    Marisa walked out just as the first patient of the day walked in.

    By one o’clock Sylvia was able to retreat to the staff kitchen and unwrap a sandwich she’d brought for lunch. Her time alone was brief, as Joyce walked in.
    ‘Your next patient cancelled, so you can take a few more minutes break if you like.’
    ‘Oh, thank goodness.’ Sylvia ran her fingers through her thick curls. ‘Thanks for letting me know, Joyce.’
    Joyce walked out, then popped her head back in. ‘Are you okay?’
    ‘Me? I’m fine, why do you ask?’
    ‘You look a bit tired that’s all, and you’ve seemed a little…distracted today.’
    Sylvia fiddled with the collar on her shirt. ‘I have?’
    Joyce’s eyes looked inquisitively at hers.
    ‘I am a bit tired I guess, coming straight back to work after the conference.’ She looked down at her sandwich. ‘And Richard and I broke up.’
    ‘Oh Sylvia, I’m so sorry!’ Joyce walked to the table and placed a comforting hand on Sylvia’s arm. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’
    ‘No, thanks. I better keep focused on work today.’ Sylvia straightened and took a bite of her sandwich.
    ‘Right then.’ Joyce went to the door. ‘But if you need a chat, I’m all ears.’
    Sylvia erupted in laughter, crumbs bursting from her mouth onto the floor like missiles.
    ‘What’s so funny?’
    ‘Sorry, it’s just that I’ve had enough of ears today.’ She relayed the story about the beetle incident. Normally she wouldn’t discuss a patient with anyone, but somehow this didn’t seem like a big deal, and she doubted Marisa would sue for revealing the details of her son’s bug predicament. Joyce wasn’t a gossip anyway. She was the type of person you could trust with your life. Although Sylvia tried to keep a strictly professional relationship with her since they began working together, she couldn’t help but become friends with her.
    ‘Oh, I can hear Karen. I better go and let her know what I’m up to with things.’ Joyce turned on her heel and left the room. Karen was the other receptionist who came in the afternoons, allowing Joyce an hour for lunch, and making the build-up of work in the second half of the day more efficient.
    Sylvia finished the last of her sandwich just as Mark walked in. She surreptitiously wiped her mouth to remove any remnants of the missile launch from moments before. Was she going to be devouring food every time they crossed paths?
    ‘How’s the set up going?’ she managed to ask.
    ‘All done. How’s your day so far, better than