Chapter 1-1
1199 Words
The Courage to Heal by Hunter Frost
Here's to the soldier who fights and loves;
may he never lack for either.
Chapter 1
“Canceled?”
Wade hoped his ears just needed a good cleaning. He couldn’t have heard that right.
The receptionist sighed as her disinterested gaze settled on him. “Yes, Mr. Carter. All of Dr. Allen’s appointments are canceled for today due to an emergency.”
Wade’s temper flared. “What kind of emergency?” It better not be the had-to-take-the-boat-out-on-Arcadia-Lake kind.
The phone rang and she threw up her index finger to pause him.
Wade balled his hand into a fist. RoboBitch was tempting fire.
After a curt command for the caller to “hold please,” she turned back to Wade. “I’m not authorized to give you that information.”
Her mechanical reply grated on his already fraying nerves as he fought to control the surge of anger bubbling in his gut like a bad meal.
“Look, there must be something you can do. I drove an hour and a half from Lawton to make this appointment.” His hand left its death grip on his cane to creep down and massage his aching leg, still sore from the trip.
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” she said, without a hint of sincerity. “I’ll gladly reschedule you for another time.”
“No!” Wade pounded his fist on the counter, and winced when his leg tensed in conjunction. “I don’t want to reschedule. It’s hard enough to get here once a week.”
There was no visible reaction from RoboBitch, but the rest of the waiting room at the Oklahoma City VA Hospital had gone noticeably quiet. He was sure they were staring at him, shaking their heads. His jaw tightened in response. Why was he letting this miserable woman get to him?
He inhaled a shaky breath. One. Two. Three. Four. His therapist had suggested he count to subdue his irritation. Now he knew why he stopped seeing the guy. “Why didn’t anyone call me?”
The receptionist tapped a few keys. “We did. It says here Megan left a voicemail,” she replied without looking up from the computer screen.
“What? I didn’t—” he leaned his cane against the wall and fished his phone out. A missed call lit up the display. Fuckin’ A. He checked the time of receipt. “But I was on my way here! If I don’t cancel my appointments twenty-four hours in advance I still have to pay you. What do I get if she cancels?”
RoboBitch rolled her eyes. “Mr. Carter, I’m sorry. We were given very little time to inform her patients. Now, if you aren’t going to reschedule then please let me help the next person in line.”
Wade managed to unclench his teeth before speaking. “Don’t you dare brush me off.” He could feel the crowd gathering behind him, waiting to see what he’d do. He was not a violent man—prone to anger, sure—but hell, this woman would test anyone’s resolve. Lucky for her she was tucked behind that high Formica counter.
“I don’t know what else you’d like me to do. Dr. Allen cannot see you today.”
His leg throbbed in response. “Find someone who can. I may be a damn cripple, but I won’t be dismissed!”
Murmurs erupted behind him, some shocked and others agreeing, but he didn’t turn around. Let them talk. What did he care? It had been like this from the moment he’d returned from Afghanistan. People would barely give him the time of day, and if they did, they acted like they were the ones doing him a favor. f**k that. He was tired of being treated like yesterday’s trash, discarded after he was no longer fit to serve his country. No one needed to tell him he was a failure. He reminded himself of that every goddamn day.
A tall, raven-haired man appeared from behind the reception area carrying a clipboard, his coal black eyes darting from Wade to the receptionist. “Everything okay out here, Beth?”
Wade gave him the once over. Tan. Ponytail. Thick biceps. Big hands. Sexy. “No, it’s not okay,” Wade answered for her, much louder than he intended. He would not be distracted from RoboBeth by built men in dark green scrubs.
The man reached over the counter to put a large hand on Wade’s shoulder, his voice low and deep. “Calm down, Mr.?”
While this may have worked with other irate patients, nobody touched Wade. Hot or not.
“Carter…and get your hands off me,” Wade growled, jerking his shoulder back.
The man quickly put both of those large hands up in a surrendering gesture. “I didn’t mean any offense by it.”
At least he was smart. Not smart enough to keep his big hands to himself in the first place, but smart enough to know when to back down. Wade straightened and puffed out his chest, trying to match the man’s towering height. It wasn’t easy leaning on a blasted cane for support. “And you are?”
The man didn’t attempt to mimic Wade’s posturing. If anything, he seemed to relax, “I’m Dr. Okenah, one of the physical therapists here.”
Where had this guy been hiding? Wade would have remembered if he had seen the hunk here before.
“What can I do to help you, Mr. Carter?” Dr. Okenah asked. At least it was a step in the right direction.
“You can tell me why Dr. Allen canceled her appointments without notifying her patients within an appropriate amount of time.”
“Medical emergency,” he answered without hesitation.
Wade paused. “She sick?” He sensed he was about to feel all of two inches tall.
“Since you seem truly concerned, she had some complications with her pregnancy.” The doctor’s solemn expression made Wade feel even worse.
Shit. How could he have forgotten? She was huge. And he had been her patient throughout her pregnancy. Now he looked like a raging asshole. Who was he kidding? He was a raging asshole.
Wade dragged an unsteady hand through his hair, catching a few knots in the process. He considered an about-face, leaving with his tail between his legs. This was why he didn’t leave the house. Physical therapy be damned, the world would be better off if he just stayed out of it.
“She okay?”
“We’re still waiting on an update.”
Wade nodded. He was no coward, but he avoided the doc’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I drive in from Lawton, and it’s a royal pain in the ass.”
“I live in Lawton, too,” Dr. Okenah said. “Try driving here and back every weekday during rush hour.”
Wade lifted his gaze. “Try it with a bum leg.”
The doc c****d his head to the side. “You win.”
Wade bit back a smile that threatened to appear.
“Mr. Carter wants to see another physician today.” Shockingly, RoboBeth managed to say something useful.
“I’m free,” Dr. Okenah offered. “Why don’t I work with you today?”
Wade nodded automatically, stunned into silence.
“Beth, bring me Mr. Carter’s chart, please.”
She swiveled out of her chair and walked off to do the doc’s bidding. He must sign her checks. Or program her.
The doctor smiled at him and Wade’s heart skipped. He’d nearly forgotten what that felt like.
Beth returned and handed Dr. Okenah his chart.
“Can you ask Megan to take Mr. Carter to room three? I’ll be there in a moment.” The doc opened the chart and began reading over it.
Wade took ahold of his cane, preparing himself for the walk. Even after eight months, it still took most of his concentration to walk fifty feet. More if the floors had recently been waxed. As he turned, he noticed the majority of the crowd had dispersed. Damned rubberneckers.
“I’ll see you in a minute, Mr. Carter.” The doc briefly looked up from his chart.
“Call me Wade,” he offered quickly before he could think much of it. He caught the doctor’s gaze and swore he saw something spark.
Great, now he was seeing things, too.
- Writer
