Darling Little LeeLee (Doctor Darling’s Clinic #2)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Everleigh

“You’d think we could get some decent choices of glitter,” Daphne, one of our regulars, stated in a snobbish tone. She was sitting next to her twin sister Deena who looked horrified at the entitled criticism flying out of sister’s mouth.

“Is there a problem with something?” I asked, as sweetly as I could manage. The truth was, I was on edge already, and Daphne’s attitude wasn’t helping. Plus, I’d been so worried about keeping the clinic open that hadn’t been sleeping well. I should have told Leo, but then he would have enacted a bedtime. I didn’t want or need a bedtime.

“There’s no more rainbow glitter. I need it!” Daphne stood up.

I bit my tongue to keep from telling her where to shove it. Our clients were Littles, and acted accordingly. I knew this, and was used to dealing with it, but today, my patience was shot. Still, I pasted on a smile and offered a solution. “There is a suggestion box when you walk in. You are also welcome to bring your own supplies if you’d like. We can help you label them so that no one else uses them.”

“That doesn’t exactly help me right now, Nurse Everleigh.”

She said my name like Ever-lay instead of Ever-lee. And it wasn’t because she didn’t know how to pronounce it. No, Daphne seemed hell-bent on getting under my skin. She was doing a good job of it to, but I was determined not to let her know that.

“It sounds like you’re frustrated. Would you like to take a walk outside with me? The seeds we planted in the indoor garden a few weeks ago are starting to sprout.”

“Who cares about a stupid seed?”

“I suppose birds do. But there aren’t any birds on our porch. Would you like to see?”

“I bet it’s just as lame as these crafts!”

I had no idea what had Daphne worked up. But she got me all worked up. It felt like she was being as mean as Ms. Higgleforth, and I’d hit my limit for her crap.

“You ungrateful, horrid, mean–”

“Everleigh?” Harlow, one of my closest friends both in and out of our office, interrupted me. She was probably trying to get me to calm but I didn’t care.

Sweeping the crafts, supplies, and treats to the floor with my hands caused everyone in the room to stop talking. “Girl!” I screamed at Daphne. “You don’t have any clue what I do to organize these events! We do them all the time and it’s a lot of work, and I’m sick and tired of putting up with ungrateful mean-girls like you!”

“I am not a mean-girl!”

Daphne leveled me with a glare, but I would not cower. Not today.

“How dare you complain about a free activity and snacks when all you had to do was show up!”

“You wrecked our stuff! You’re acting like a mean-girl!” Daphne screeched.

“It’s not your stuff!” I screeched. “It belongs to the clinic!”

Harlow stepped between us and held up her hands. “Everyone take a breath.”

Surveying the damage, along with the shocked faces in the room, my stomach dropped as the reality of what I’d done sank in.

All of us took a few deep breaths, calming the energy of the room, but I was done. Harlow reached for my hand but I stepped away, disgust pooling in my belly.

I couldn’t believe how I’d acted. I never so much as raised my voice at work. Dumping art supplies in the middle of a craft was unheard of. Leo and Ronnie were going to be so disappointed in me.

Harlow stood by, her concern obvious as she stared at me, waiting for an explanation of some sort.

Instead of offering one, I plucked a piece of paper and a purple crayon from the mess of art supplies on the floor and hightailed it out of the room while Harlow called after me.

I ignored her. What I’d done was inexcusable. I darted into one of the lesser-used exam rooms while thinking of what to do next. Someone would alert Ronnie, who would eventually talk to Leo, but they were both booked solid with guests. Neither one of them had time to deal with me. No, I couldn’t stay in the building for another second.

I only had one real option, and while I expected it to make me sick to my stomach, instead I was filled with a deep relief and only a small bit of apprehension. I knew what I had to do. Standing bent over the small counter, I scribbled out a quick note in purple crayon and quickly read it over. Nodding to myself I folded it in half, wrote Dr. Darling on the front and mentally steeled myself. I’d done what I had to do.

Poking my head into the hallway, I ensured the coast was clear. Walking into Ronnie’s office, I left the note on his desk and rushed out before I could risk being seen. Gathering my belongings from the locker room, I walked straight out of the clinic, this time for good. There was a voice in my head telling me to stay, whispering that this wasn’t the proper way to handle the situation, but I ignored it. Leaving was easier than staying.

I tried not to think about what Leo would say when he found out all of the yucky choices I’d made this afternoon. Instead of my own home, I headed to his house. He’d told me I was welcome there and shared where his key was located. Even though he wouldn’t be happy with my current state, Leo would stop the spiraling in my head.

If I were him, I’d break up with me. I hoped he didn’t resort to ending our relationship immediately, but it was a possibility. I’d thrown the equivalent of a tantrum at work and even yelled at our guests. Maybe I should go straight to my house. Sighing, I continued with the original plan. I’d beg for Leo’s forgiveness and somehow make it up to Ronnie and our guests. At least that’s what I told myself.

Leo

My last two appointments for the afternoon were canceled, allowing me the rare opportunity to catch up on paperwork before the end of the day. I was just finishing up the final report when Ronnie strode into my office without knocking and closed the door. He slapped a paper down in front of me, allowing me a moment for the words to process.

“ Dear Dr. Darling, I quit with respect. Love, Everleigh Meadow Rose,” I read out loud, smiling at learning her full name. The smile only lasted a second before I processed what I’d just read. Frowning, I squinted at Ronnie. “What is this? What did she mean to quit with respect? And who resigns in crayon?”

“Something must have shaken up Everleigh to the point where she forgot the word ‘resign’. I imagine it was the same reason why she destroyed craft time at the event this afternoon. Our little nurse cleared an entire table, dumping art and glue and glitter everywhere. She screamed at our guests and then stomped out, according to Harlow.” Ronnie sighed.

I frowned. Everleigh had thrown a fit at her event? That didn’t sound like her, and this was the first I’d heard of it. I glanced at my phone, checking for missed messages but saw none. “I’m sorry for the late notice, but can you reschedule my patients for tomorrow?”

“I can.” He rubbed his chin, looking deep in thought.

“I’ll take care of our favorite nurse. Whatever’s happened, I’ll handle it.”

“I have no doubt that you will. I’m just wondering why she believed her best course of action was to resign?”

“Technically she quit,” I corrected.

“With respect.”

We both shook our heads, chuckling despite the situation. It was clear we were both worried about Everleigh, but the breakthrough moment of laughter was a nice reprieve.

“Dang it. I was planning on talking to her today about the Littles’ carnival. Remember Everleigh mentioned it? I’m on board, and ready to let her start planning.”

“That’s great. A carnival will be a great event for our community. After Everleigh has gotten some rest, I’ll let you tell her.” I frowned, thinking about the last interaction they’d had regarding the event. “What changed? Why are you ready to move forward with it now?”

“Well…” Ronnie sat on the edge of the desk. “You won’t believe what happened.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s up, Ronnie?”

“We received a substantial check today from Gregory.”

Dr. Gregory Darling owned the land our clinic was built on. He was currently operating a smaller sister clinic down in Florida. “Really? What do you mean by substantial?”

“Twenty million dollars.”

“Can you run that by me again?”

“He sent us a check for twenty million dollars. He won the lottery, powerball or something. In addition to the money, Gregory paid the operating costs of both clinics for the rest of the foreseeable future. He’s also set up a fund for guests who can’t afford to have procedures or diagnostic testing done. Gregory is involved in talks with the board at the smaller local hospital. It is set to close at the end of the year and he wants to expand.”

I leaned back in my chair. “That’s incredible.”

“There’s a lot in the works, Leo. If he partners with a non-profit and purchases the hospital, we’d have access to be a complete solution for our guests. There are services we cannot currently provide including overnight accommodations, procedures requiring more than a local anesthetic, surgery, and the like.”

I stood up processing what my longtime friend had trusted me with. Acquiring a hospital was a huge undertaking but we had a lot of connections. Plus, if the local hospital was closing its doors, there would be staff that had nowhere to go. It was a crazy idea but everything started out as crazy or far-fetched until you worked out the details.

“Keep me in the loop, man. Whatever you need from me, I’m on board.”

“I will, Leo. I just never imagined this. It feels like a dream.”

“You’ve always had big dreams, Ronnie.” I referred to our late-night conversations at the hospital. We’d been thrown into situations medical school had not prepared us for. Afterward we would sit in the break room and imagine what it would be like to own our own practice. What he’d just shared with me was even bigger.

“Yeah, you’re right. But I don’t think I can return to a hospital. I love the space here.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Ronnie. I know you tend to do that. What about the lawsuit?”

“It’s still happening, but there are a lot of people in our corner. We have a court date on the books. It’s unlikely that we’ll lose, but nothing’s set in stone.”

I nodded. My trust in Ronnie was unwavering. “If you need anything else from me, please let me know.”

“I will. So, what are you going to do with Everleigh tonight?”

“I’m not sure. She clearly needs a break. Can I reassure her the resignation was not accepted?”

“Yeah, Leo. Of course you can.”

“Great. I’ll let you know what happens. She has PTO and I doubt she’s used much of it.”

“She can take as much time as she needs, but her job will be waiting for her. We’ll handle the formalities when she comes back. It’s not worth getting her more upset.”

“Thanks, Ronnie.”

“No problem.”

I gathered my things, plus a few extras that I believed would help Everleigh and left the office. Stopping at the store to get a few additional items, I checked off my list before heading home. My Little girl needed her Daddy.

The thought brought a smile to my face despite the awfulness shadowing the situation. I’d promised to handle anything and everything she threw at me and I would. Hopefully it would prove that I was more than enough to be her safe space and that she was worthy of whatever her heart desired.