The next morning, Doc woke me up early. “Hon, I need to take your temp and listen to your lungs before I leave for the clinic.”

“Can I pee first?”

“Sure, but let me unhook your IV. It needs to be off while I‘m gone anyway.”

A few minutes later, I was lying back in bed with a thermometer up my butt and Dr Richards sitting beside me. “There’s coffee made if you want some. Do you want me to make you breakfast before I go?”

“No thanks, Doc. I’m not hungry. I just want to go back to sleep.”

“Ok, but I want you to eat something this morning. When you wake up, at least have a slice of toast.”

“Aw, Doc…”

“Don’t ‘Aw, Doc me, young lady. That is an order, at least one slice of toast.” I groaned. “Are you hurting, Meredith, is that why you are groaning?”

“Very funny, Doc.”

“Perhaps you need a full physical after you get over this pneumonia. Should I have Ms Jamieson book you in?”

“Don’t give up your day job to become a comedian, Doc.”

He chuckled. “You make me laugh, Meredith.”

I make him laugh. Yesterday, he said that Ms Hottie makes him laugh. Hmmm….

He took the thermometer out and read it. “39.1 - it’s down a bit, but not enough.”

“Don’t even *think* of trying to get me in a cold bath, Doc.”

He chuckled again. “No, hon. That time was because you were having heat exhaustion. This is different. I’ll give you some more Tylenol.” He wiped the lubricant off me, then took his gloves off. “Can you sit up please, hon? I need to listen to your lungs.”

I sat up and the doc lifted up the shirt of his that I was wearing and listened to my lungs as carefully as he had the day before.

“What’s the verdict?” I asked as he set his stethoscope down on the nightstand.

“No change from yesterday, but it can take a bit of time for the antibiotics to work. I’ll check again when I’m home at lunch time. Is there anything you need before I go?”

“Thanks, but I’m fine. I’m just going to go back to sleep.”

“Ok, but remember what I told you. Have something to eat later.”

“Yes, Doc.”

He left and I tried to go back to sleep. Doc’s bed was comfortable, but it was so strange to not have a dog sleeping next to me and taking over the bed. Some nights, Jessie almost pushed me off the bed. I was considering getting a king size bed, but one would think a queen would be big enough for one person and a dog. I missed my horses, too.

I wondered again if I was Doc’s Ms Hottie. I was so afraid to ask him. If I was wrong, I’d be very embarrassed. If I was right, how would I feel about that? I liked Doc a lot, and he was very sweet, though a bit bossy. Not bad in the looks department either. But I was his patient. How could anything come of it? Perhaps it was best to not say anything.

I finally drifted off to sleep and didn’t wake up until Doc was back. “Meredith, wake up, hon.”

I rolled over onto my back. “What time is it, Doc?”

“12:15. How long have you been sleeping?”

“Since you left.”

“Which means that you didn’t eat anything. What am I going to do with you?”

“I can’t help it if I didn’t wake up, Doc.”

“All right, but you will eat something before I go back to the clinic. Now, over on your side so I can take your temp.”

“Doc, how many patients do you have who you take their temp rectally?”

“I don’t normally take a temp in clinic as it’s not often needed in ob/gyn. But, when I do, it’s done orally.”

“So, why are you taking mine rectally?”

“I want to give you the best care I can. In the clinic, I’m constrained by current guidelines, which do not include rectal temp taking anymore. I’m taking care of you outside of my practice and ‘unofficially‘, so I can take it rectally. Is it really that bad to have it taken this way?”

“No, Doc. I just like giving you a hard time.”

“You are very good at doing that, Meredith.”

“If I am going to do something, I believe in doing it right.”

“Even as sick as you are, you have not lost your brattiness, have you? At least you are not refusing to co-operate with me, not counting your refusal to go to the hospital.”

“Doc, if I ever lose my brattiness, you better bury me because it will mean I’m dead. Ditto for my sarcasm.”

“I hope you don’t lose either, hon. They are part of who you are and part of your charm.”

I was so surprised, I started to roll over to look at him. He stopped me with a hand on my hip. “Don’t do that, hon. You don’t want to push the thermometer all the way in.”

“Oh, crap, I forgot! I really don’t need to have to explain THAT to an ER doctor!”

Dr Richards laughed. “They’ve seen a lot worse than that, but that wouldn’t take away your embarrassment!”

“Emphasis on the “ass” in that word, eh Doc?”

He laughed again and took the thermometer out. “38.9.” I sighed. “At least it’s coming down, even if slowly. Let me clean you up, then I’ll listen to your lungs.” After listening to them, he said “No change.” I sighed again. “Don’t worry about it, sweetie. You are very, very sick. It will take a bit longer to see improvement. At least you aren’t getting worse.”

“I doubt I could feel any worse, Doc.”

“I wish I could make you better faster, hon.” He reached out and caressed my face with his hand. Just then, I got into a coughing fit. The doc left the room and came back with some cough syrup. When he had given me two spoonfuls, he said “What would you like to eat? I’ll get it for you before I go back.”

I knew he wasn’t going to accept “No thanks” for an answer, so I said “Just a slice of toast, please.” I got up and went to the bathroom before going out to the kitchen.

“I was going to bring it to you in bed”, Doc said.

“It’s okay, I don’t like eating in bed”, I replied as I sat down at the table.

“Do you want anything on your toast?”

“Just butter, please.”

He got the butter out of the fridge. “Remind me to give you some REAL butter, Doc.”

“I suppose you make your own butter with milk from Karen’s cows?” he said as he set my toast down in front of me. “Would you like me to make you some coffee?”

“Of course. It‘s a lot easier than the old days with modern electric churns. I see there‘s coffee already made. I‘d love a cup.”

“That’s from this morning, I’ll make you a fresh pot.”

“You don’t need to, Doc. I’ll drink that. I’m used to it, I’ll make a pot at home, pour a cup and take it out to the barn and by the time I get back inside to grab another cup, it’s been sitting a couple hours.”

He poured my coffee. “You take yours black, right?”

“That’s correct, Doc.”

“Here you go, hon. I have to get back to the clinic. I want you to go back to bed after you are finished your coffee.”

“That’s my plan, Doc.”

He put his hand on my shoulder as he walked by. “I should be home by about 6:30, I have to pick up a few things after work. Do you want me to get you anything?”

“Thanks, but I’m good.”

“Ok, see you tonight. If you wake up before I’m home, please call or text me and let me know how you are.”

“Sure thing, Doc.”

When he had left, I finished my coffee and put my plate and mug in the sink. There were a few things in there, so I decided to wash them. Looking around, I found his soap and dish drainer under the sink. Of course, I had to be careful to not get the IV port wet, so I had to wash them with my right hand and hold them with the left. When I had washed them, I sat down to take a break before drying them. It was easy to find which cupboards they went in, the doc was very organized. That was not a surprise, it fit with his personality.

When I was done, I went back to bed. Just doing the dishes had exhausted me so I fell asleep very quickly. It was just past 1pm. I woke up at 5:21 and went to the bathroom, then got a drink of water from the kitchen. I looked around for my purse, and found it on the floor by the bed. Doc must have put it there, I had left it in the living room. I got my phone out and texted him that I was okay and had slept for 4 hours. I didn’t want to call in case he was with a patient. Then I put the phone on the bedside stand and layed down.

About 5 minutes later, Doc called and said he was heading out of the office and had a couple stops to make, then he’d be home. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Don’t ask, Doc.”

“That bad?”

“I feel like death warmed over.”

“Have a nap until I get home. I won’t be long and I‘ll check you over when I get there.”

“I’ve been sleeping all day, Doc.”

“Sleep some more. Doctor’s orders.”

I dozed off until I heard his key in the lock. A minute later, he came into the bedroom. “Meredith, what am I going to do with you?” he asked.

“You seem to ask that a lot, Doc.”

“I should spank you for doing the dishes. You are supposed to be resting.”

“I am resting, Doc.”

‘You weren’t resting when you were doing my dishes.”

I got out of bed, turned around and lifted up his shirt that I was wearing, exposing my butt. Bending over, I said “Go ahead, Doc.”

He laughed and gave me a playful slap. “Back into bed with you!”

I climbed back into bed and said “I’m disappointed, I was expecting more than one slap!” Just then, I got into a coughing fit. When it was over, the doc got the cough syrup and gave me two spoonfuls.

“See what happens when you aren’t resting?” he said. “How many times did you cough while doing the dishes?” I didn’t say anything. “How many, Meredith?”

“A few”, I admitted.

“This is one reason I want you resting, hon. Activity makes it worse.”

“But, Doc, I can only sleep so much.”

“If you absolutely can‘t sleep, then rest.” I sighed.

“Here, hon - this should cheer you up.” He handed me a gift bag with horses all over it. I knew exactly where he got it, there’s a horse store just outside of town and I had been there many, many times. I looked inside the bag and pulled some tissue paper out. Underneath it was a stuffed horse and a card. I pulled them out. The horse was so cute, it was a medium brown colour with a black mane and tail and was in a laying down on its chest position. It was the perfect size to cuddle with.

“Oh, Doc!” I exclaimed. “I love it! Thank you!”

“I’m so glad you like it”, he said. “Look at the card.”

I took the card out of it’s envelope. The picture was of horses running through a field, with mountains in the background. As I opened it, I noticed Doc was fidgetting. Why? I wondered. A folded up piece of stationery-type paper fell out. I read the card, there was a get well verse inside and it was signed “Doc.”

I picked the piece of paper up and unfolded it.

“Meredith,

You frustrate the heck out of me at times, but I care about you a lot and I hate seeing you so sick and miserable. I also hate it when you are in pain from your arthritis or cyst. I know it’s not in your nature, but please do as I say in regards to your health. I only have your best interest in mind. Let me take care of you, hon. I hope you feel better soon.

Affectionately,

Doc”

There was a tear in my eye as I looked up at him. He was still fidgetting. I think he was expecting me to say something sarcastic or snarky. “Come here, Doc”, I said. “Give me a hug.” Doc sat down on the bed, with a surprised expression and leaned over and took me into his arms. “Thank you, Doc”, I said. “That was so sweet of you.”

“You are very welcome, hon. I was a bit afraid that you would not like what I wrote.”

I wriggled out of his arms and looked at him. “Doc, I know I’m a difficult person to care about. I know how stubborn I am and I’m amazed you haven’t washed your hands of me. I’m not upset at all. In fact, I’m very touched.” He looked relieved. “Give me another hug, Doc.”

We sat like that for a few minutes. I breathed in his cologne - I love the smell. Again I wondered if I was Ms Hottie. I had the distinct feeling he had held back in what he had said in the note.

Doc kissed the top of my head and said “I need to take your temp and listen to your lungs, hon. Then I will get supper. I’m just going to heat up some soup I had frozen last week, as I don’t think you will be up to eating much.”

“You’re right about that, Doc.”

He released me from the hug and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. I put the card on the bedside stand, standing it up so I could see it. Then I put the tissue paper back in the gift bag and set it on the floor. Doc came back in the room. “Lay down on your left side, hon.” While waiting for the thermometer to register, he said “I had Ms Jamieson rebook my Tuesday appointments so I could take the day off in case you haven’t recovered enough to be alone.”

“I was alone today and was fine.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to be alone again until you are done the IV antibiotics.”

“3 days puts me at Saturday being the last dose.”

“Yes, but I think you are going to need a 5 day course instead of 3.”

“That still puts Monday as the last day.”

“Meredith”, he sighed. “Please let me take care of you.”

“Doc, you are going to be so tired of me by Sunday. By Tuesday, you will be ready to strangle me.”

“I doubt that, hon.” He took the thermometer out and read it. “38.5, it’s getting better. I’m really surprised you are out of bed at all, though.”

“Doc, I’ve worked in the barn with a temp higher than this.” I turned onto my back and looked at him. There was an astonished look on his face.

“You did not.”

“I did.”

“How high was it?”

“38.2 orally and you said that rectal is higher than oral.”

“Yes, that’s about 38.7 rectally. How on earth did you work through that? Why did you have a fever?”

“Pneumonia. I will admit, it wasn’t easy. That was before Karen and I became friends, so I didn’t have anyone to help. My family doctor was furious.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t put you in the hospital.”

“He tried.”

Doc sighed. “And you said no?” I nodded.

“See, doc? I got better with oral antibiotics.”

“You were darn lucky. How long did it take?”

“A long time”, I admitted.

“Well, you are NOT going to work in the barn this time”, he said firmly. “Now, let me listen to your lungs.” He picked up his stethoscope and stood up. “Bend forward, hon.” I leaned forward and he pulled up the shirt to expose my back. “You know the drill, sweetie. Deep breaths.”

When he was finished, he pulled the shirt down again and said, “They sound a wee bit better than at noon, but not by much.” I sighed. “Remember what I said earlier, it will take time. At least you aren’t worse and your fever is coming down, even if it is slow to do so. I’m going to get supper, you rest here. Do you feel like a shower afterwards?”

“I’d rather a bath, Doc. I don’t know if I could stand up for a shower - with nothing to lean against.” I precluded him reminding me that I’d stood up to do his dishes.

“I brought a shower chair home”, he said. “I figured you wouldn’t be able to stand up long enough to have one.”

I lay down and closed my eyes. 15 minutes later, Doc was in the doorway, saying dinner was ready.

“Homemade?” I asked after having a few spoonfuls of the soup.

“Yes.”

“It’s really good, Doc.”

“Thanks.”

After supper, I had a shower while Doc did the supper dishes. He had given me a clean shirt to put on and a spare robe he had. He had said I could sit up in the living room for a while if I “behaved”.

When I went out to the living room, he had the IV stand out there and had put a second bag on. “Time for your antibiotic, hon”, he said. “Sit in the chair, please.” I sat down and he hooked me up, then he sat on the sofa.

“Doc, we are going to my place tomorrow, right?”

“It depends on how you are in the morning. If there’s no change, then no.” I sighed. “I need to get my phone”, I said as I got up. “I should call Karen and let her know how I am. She’ll be worried.”

“Sit down, I called her this afternoon from work and gave her a report. Do you feel up to watching a movie?”

“Sure, Doc. Do you have one in mind?”

“I do. Let me get it. Do you like bull riding?”

“I love it!”

“Have you seen ‘The Longest Ride?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve been meaning to get it but have never got around to it.”

Doc picked a DVD case off a shelf in his bookcase. “I figured you would like rodeo, so I picked this up on my way home.” He put the DVD in his player. “I see your antibiotic is almost done. We’ll wait for that, then I can take the bag off and you can lay down on the sofa.”

“Will you take the other bag off, too?”

“How much have you drank today?”

“Just the coffee at lunch and a bit of water this afternoon and at supper.”

“That’s not nearly enough.”

“I slept practically all day, Doc. I can’t drink while I’m sleeping.”

“I know, hon. Which is why you need the IV fluids.”

“Ok, Doc.”

A few minutes later, he unhooked the finished bag and I moved to the sofa. Doc got a blanket and pillow for me, then sat down in the chair I had vacated. He turned the movie on. I really got into it and I think he did, too. He asked me some questions about bull riding as things happened in the movie. It was as if he was taking an interest in the subject. I vowed to get him to a rodeo as well as a hoedown.

When the movie was over, I was ready for bed. Doc gave me my Tylenol and tucked me in. Once again, he sat with me until I fell asleep.

The next morning, I slept until 10 am, about 12 hours. I felt like Rip Van Winkle. Doc checked me over and declared that I couldn’t go home today. “Why not, Doc? I can sleep at home just as well as here. And you’ll be there, too.”

“I know, hon, but I want you closer to the hospital in case you get into respiratory distress. Also, there will be no temptation to go out to the barn. You can get up to have some toast and a coffee if you want it, then back to bed.” I didn’t argue, a sign of how bad I was feeling.

I slept for the rest of the day until Doc woke me up at 6pm for supper. We sat down to beef vegetable soup that he had made that day. “You cook a lot from scratch, eh Doc?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s much healthier.”

Just as we were finishing our meal, Doc’s cell phone rang. He answered, listened for a minute, then walked to his bedroom. He didn’t come out until he was off the phone. “Hon, I need to talk to you. Let’s go in the living room. You can have your antibiotic now, too.” After he hooked up the bag to my IV (he had put on another bag of fluids earlier), he sat down beside me on the sofa.

“That was Karen on the phone, hon. One of your horses is very sick. I think she said it was impaction colic, does that make sense?”

My heart sank. “Yes. Which horse?” I asked.

“Copper.”

“Oh geez, this isn’t his first colic. How bad is it?”

“She said it’s bad. Your vet has been out twice already. Apparently, he wants you to call him, he needs official permission to treat the horse. Karen didn’t want to bother you yesterday or today and he agreed, but apparently he absolutely needs at least verbal consent to go out again.”

“Ok, I’ll call him.”

“What’s an impaction colic?”

“When there’s a blockage in the intestine.”

I called Steve Carmichael, my veterinarian. “Steve, of course you can treat him”, I said. “How bad is he?”

“Very bad”, Steve replied. “I’m sorry to bother you when you are so sick and I waited as long as I could, but I needed the consent and I need to talk to you about options.” I knew what he meant by “options” and my heart sank even further. “I’ve given him fluids and laxatives twice now and they aren’t working.”

“Is he in pain?”

“I have him on bute, so his pain is under control. My suggestion is that I give him more fluids and laxatives tonight and if he hasn’t passed anything by morning, then we talk about the next step.”

“Which is…?”

“Surgery or euthanasia.”

“What are the chances with surgery?”

“Not great. But we can talk about that in the morning if we need to.”

“Ok.”

“I’ll go right out there, and if there’s any change, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks, Steve. See you tomorrow.” I ended the call and turned to the doc. “Doc, I have to get home. I have to see Copper.”

“No, Meredith. You need to stay here tonight. I know how you feel about your horses, hon, and I will take you there tomorrow, I promise. Unless you are worse.”

“Even if I’m the same?”

“Yes. I got the impression that you may have to have him euthanized.”

“Yes.”

“Knowing you, you would want to be there.” I nodded. “Like I said, I promise to take you tomorrow.”

Tears were welling up in my eyes. Doc sat down beside me and took me in his arms. He held me for a long time before he put me to bed. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep but being so sick, I found myself drifting off fairly quickly. Doc sat with me, stroking my hair like he had at my place a couple weekends ago. I woke up in the night and he was still there on the bed beside me, leaning back on the headboard.