Children's Doctor, Shy Nurse. Molly Evans
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FOUR
THE chaos of the morning settled down and Ellie was able to prepare the allergy shots as well as get the normal lunch meds organized. Accomplishing the task ahead of time made her feel more in control of herself and more comfortable with the job she was supposed to be doing.
While the kids who had received allergy shots waited the requisite fifteen minutes in the infirmary to see if they were going to have a reaction to the injection, Ellie waited with them. A local reaction of warmth and swelling sometimes occurred, although there was always the potential for a serious reaction with each injection. She kept a number of EpiPens handy for true allergic emergencies. Something she dreaded happening to anyone, but especially a child.
Screams and shouts heralded the arrival of someone to the infirmary, and she was on instant alert. A counselor carrying a screaming child in his arms hurried toward the building. Ellie rushed to the door and opened it for them.
“What happened?” The boy screamed as if he’d had a leg cut off, but it was clearly intact.
Mark arrived directly behind them. “I heard the commotion from across the soccer field. That kid’s got a good set of lungs. What’s going on?” He instantly switched to physician mode, and Ellie was startled to see the visible change in front of her. The intensity and his energy were totally focused on the situation in front of him.
The counselor sat the boy in a chair and dropped into the one beside him. “Bee sting.”
Ellie knelt as the boy held out a hand with a bright red welt forming on the back of it. He continued to cry and tremble despite the efforts of the counselor and Ellie to comfort him.
“I don’t see a stinger, so that’s good.” She applied a numbing spray to the site as Mark watched over her shoulder. “This will make it feel better in a jiffy,” she said and stroked his arm above the sting, trying to soothe him a little. “What’s your name?” With a gentle hand, she wiped his tears away and pressed a cool cloth to his face.
“This is Adam,” the counselor said when the boy didn’t speak. “And I’m Eddie.”
“Nice to meet you both. Is this your first year at camp, Adam?”
The boy nodded and leaned closer into the counselor, who hugged him. Tears continued to flow, but the hysteria had settled down to hiccups and sniffles. Ellie suspected that the numbing spray had begun to do its job. The fear would take a little longer to subside.
Then Adam giggled. And his eyes lit up. And then he pointed over Ellie’s shoulder, and she turned. And she clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the totally unprofessional giggle that threatened to burst out of her.
Mark looked like a rooster. He had taken a large exam glove and placed it over the top of his head. The fingers flopped over to one side, but each time he moved they jiggled like a rooster comb.
“That’s more like it,” he said and knelt beside them, still wearing the glove on his head. Adam reached out and batted the fingers, trying to make them stand upright. Mark examined the injury closely. “You’re right. No stinger, so couldn’t have been a honeybee. Looks like there might be two stings though. Must have been a hornet or a wasp. They’re a lot nastier.” He looked at Eddie. “Where was he when this happened?”
“Over at the edge of the new soccer field.”
“Okay. As long as it wasn’t in your cabin, although I think the maintenance guys checked all of the buildings for unwanted critters already.” He patted Adam on the leg. “Ellie, got any more of that lavender oil handy?” he asked.
“Sure. Want to put some on the sting, too?” She brightened at the thought. Another use for her oil.
“Yes. The numbing spray smells so medicinal, and the oil is a much better fragrance for the kids.”
“Got it.” She returned in a minute with the oil and put a dab on Adam’s hand, smearing it around the entire welt. “This will fix it up quick. I would like him to stay for a few minutes to make sure he’s not going to have an allergic reaction.” That would be a disaster if Mark weren’t close to help.
“Good plan.” He rose and removed the glove from his head and put it on Adam’s head. “Looks better on you.”
For the first time, Ellie was able to look at Mark’s hair, which was a dense, thick brown and cropped close to his head. She supposed it was much easier to care for this way for the summer.
“I have some candies, Adam. Want one?” Mark asked and reached for the jar of sweets even before Adam’s eyes widened. Opening the lid, he held it over for Adam to reach into and select his own. “You, too, Eddie.”
“Thanks.”
“Eddie, will you bring him back after dinner so we can check him?” Ellie asked.
“Sure.” He unwrapped a candy and popped it into his mouth.
After a few more minutes, when Ellie was sure that Adam wasn’t having a more severe reaction to the sting, Eddie picked up the boy and gave him a shoulder ride out the door and back to their afternoon activity. The allergy-shot kids also departed since their waiting time was over as well.
Mark wrote a note in Adam’s chart regarding the injury and treatment. Watching him, Ellie knew she had to say something.
“I’m really surprised that you’re so open to alternative therapy.” She shrugged. “At least to the aromatherapy anyway.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He set the chart aside and focused his attention on her. “It’s good practice to be open-minded in all sciences.”
“I’m just surprised. So many medical people—nurses and doctors—discount other therapies as being whacked simply because it’s not developed in a pharmaceutical lab.” Thinking of it still irritated her, but she had to realize that not everything worked for everyone, and people were entitled to their own opinions, even if she didn’t agree with them. Alan, her former fiancé, had had nothing good to say about the oils.
“I’ve heard that said about acupuncture, chiropractic and massage therapies over the years, but they’ve all proved their worth, haven’t they?”
“You’re right. I never thought about it that way, but the science of medicine continues to evolve, doesn’t it?”
“As it should.”
Sitting in the chair beside him, she warmed to her subject and decided to share a little of her personal experiences with him. “My dad was ill not long ago. Seriously ill. One of the best things I did for him was mix up some oils that my mom and I massaged onto his feet and hands.” Talking aloud about her father made her miss him right then and a pang shot through her. Being weak and vulnerable in front of Mark wasn’t what she wanted to do, but right now she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “He said when the pain was coming on, he’d always take his medication, but using the oils in addition helped him relax enough for the meds to work.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me. How is he doing now?” Mark blinked and stiffened, his face strangely devoid of emotion that had been so evident moments ago. His green eyes observed her, and she had a hard time holding his gaze. This was apparently becoming a difficult conversation for both of them, based on Mark’s reaction.
“He died about six months ago.” Tears pricked her eyes, but she didn’t want to give in to them. One of the last things her father had asked of her was that she not grieve overly long, that she continue with her life, but she seemed to have become stuck where she was, unable to move forward out of the quagmire of emotions that wanted to tangle her up at odd moments.
“I’m sorry, Ellie. Is it something you want to talk about?”
“No. Not right now, but thanks.” She looked down at the bottle of lavender oil in her hand and closed her fingers around it. “Fragrances are very powerful and stimulate memories that we often forget about until we experience the scent again. When I open this