Page 186 of Devious Lies (Cruel Crown)
“Dax.”
Dax adjusted the stethoscope around his neck. “Heard you caused a scene out there.” He crushed the otoscope covers beneath his sneakers and cursed.
A smile ghosted Nash’s lips. “Driving my car through the building until I reached this exam room would be a scene. Civilized conversation, however, is not.”
“When have you ever been civilized?” Dax tossed the plastic and exchanged his Paw Patrol gloves for blue latex ones. “Who’s this?”
I waved. “Emery, and considering I’m in the room, too, you can ask me your questions directly.”
“Right. Sorry.” He snapped the gloves and approached. “I’m a pediatrician. I’m used to asking the parents, but it’s a full house today.”
The lack of a clipboard had me on edge. Didn’t all professionals use clipboards?
Nash toyed with the I.U.D. pamphlets, selecting one for the brand I’d gotten from my campus’ medical center.
Dax’s eyes followed mine to Nash. “Would you like Mr. Prescott to leave? Your confidentiality is a right.”
“I’m fine. Let’s get this over with.”
Doctors creeped me out, mostly because Virginia had raised me on concierge doctors and in-house medical care.
“Not a fan of doctors?”
“Sorry, I'll tone down the bite.”
Nash’s lips pressed together as if he didn’t believe me and found it amusing.
Dax pulled out a thermometer. “I take it you’re sick? What are your symptoms?”
“It’s just a cold.”
When I didn’t elaborate, Nash took over, listing the runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and bajillion other things he'd noticed in a single car ride. An otoscope examined my ears and nose. A thermometer determined my temperature. The metal of the stethoscope chilled my back.
And at the end of it all, Dax told me what I already knew. “The cold should go away in three to ten days without medication.”
“That’s it?” Nash leaned against the wall, face resembling a concerned coach’s. “No pills? Remember, it’s your head that I’ll be after if something happens.”
“It’s a cold, Nash. It’ll go away on its own.” Dax handed me a lollipop from his Paw Patrol fanny pack. It earned him a smile. “If you have a headache, take an over-the-counter NSAID like Advil or Tylenol.”
I unwrapped the lollipop. “Got it, Doc. Thanks.”
Dax left me alone with Nash. His bespoke suit paired poorly with my skinny jeans and tee, but I liked the dynamic. It was us.
I sucked on the candy, waiting for him to speak.
He toyed with one of the tongue depressors in a jar. “Why are you smiling?”
“I love Ben. You are Ben.”
The stick stalled in his fingers. “You remember last night?”
“All of it…” I shifted. The paper beneath my thighs crunched. “I might have been drunk, but I remember it all.”
Ask the question, Em.
Nash snapped a depressor in half and toyed with the fringe, probably collecting splinters. “Why Durga?”
“Her sacred animal is the tiger. She’s known as the Inaccessible.”
