Page 22 of Beating Heart
“Dr. Emerson! We just stopped by to see my girl Demi, and she told me you’re going to ride horses with us on Saturday.”
I chuckled. Clearly, there were no secrets in this town. I patted the examination table for him to hop up where I could take a look. “Yes. I said I’d give it a try. It’s been a while.”
Nash was standing against the wall, and he moved beside me. The smell of pine and mint filled the air around us, and I was making every effort not to be distracted by him.
I hate men. Well, at least the ones I’m not directly related to. I have no interest in men romantically. Single men are the enemy.
There. The world was better now.
Cutler coughed, and I could feel the large man beside me stiffen. I turned to look at him. “Seasonal allergies can cause someone to cough. All coughs are not bad.”
He raised a brow, clearly surprised that I was picking up on his nervous energy, and he gave me the slightest nod.
“Pops worries a lot since what happened at my baseball game, so I try not to cough around him now.”
“What?” Nash said, sounding completely offended. “You better not be holding in a cough on my account.”
I tried to hide my smile and shook my head at him. “What if you take a seat over there so I can listen to Cutler’s chest without you hovering?”
“Hovering? What is this? Two against one?” Nash said with a laugh, his tone lighter now. He appeared more relaxed as he stepped back and leaned against the wall a few feet away. “I’ll move over here, but I’m not sitting.”
“Spoken like a very mature person.” I smirked before looking back at Cutler, who was laughing hysterically now.
“Sorry, Pops.”
“He’s fine,” I said, and heard him bark out a laugh from behind me. “I need to listen to your chest, so no more laughing for a minute, okay?”
“Okay.” Cutler straightened, and damn if this kid didn’t melt my heart. His hair was gelled straight back, and he wore a white tee and a pair of basketball shorts. His gold aviators were in his hand, and it looked like he was heading to a meeting with the head of the mob from the neck up, and from the neck down, he looked like a six-year-old kid going to camp.
I put the stethoscope on his chest, and the room was silent now. “Take a deep breath in for me.”
He did as I asked, and his chest was clear. I listened several more times and moved behind him and did the same, listening as he breathed, completely aware that his father was watching us intently.
“He’s all clear. There’s no wheeze or congestion in there. I’m guessing he has seasonal allergies that can often cause a little cough.” I had him lie back so I could check his stomach, and everything looked good.
We spent the next few minutes with them telling me all about the peak flow meter and how it’s part of their morning routine now, and adapting to the new medication had been a smooth transition.
“All of my uncles have done the meter thing with me. I taught them how to use it,” Cutler said proudly.
“How many uncles do you have?” I asked as I looked at his vitals in his file that Petra had taken.
“I have four uncles. Uncle River, Uncle Ro, Uncle King, and Uncle Hayes.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of uncles.” I set the file down.
“I don’t have any brothers or sisters, so my uncles are my family. And now I’ve got my girls, Demi and Ruby and Saylor and Peyton. And now you’re my girl, too.” Cutler shrugged, and I glanced over to see the way Nash was smiling at his son before Cutler asked me a question. “Do you have any brothers and sisters, Dr. Emerson?”
“Ohhhh,” I groaned dramatically, which made Nash laugh. “So many.”
“What are their names?” Cutler asked. He was so curious in the way he listened intently to everything people said around him.
“Well, I have a twin brother named Easton. And then I’ve got Rafe and Clark and Bridger.” I shook my head and laughed. “And my two cousins are more like brothers to me because they lived in the house next door when we were growing up. Their names are Axel and Archer.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of brothers. You’re the only girl?”
“Yep. I’m the only girl in the family.” I shrugged.
“Oh, man. Do you have a best friend, Dr. Emerson?”
