Dr. Yangkei felt more comfortable with that tall guy gone. The patient seemed uncomfortable without him there though. This made Dr. Yangkei sad. He decided to be kinder than usual. He smiled and leaned against the counter in the room leaving a safe distance between him and the patient. He looked at his clipboard and started asking the usual questions.
Lila was uncomfortable the moment Spencer left the room, but she could tell he was the type of guy to have his ear pressed against the door while in the hall. He could hear everything just in case. The doctor kept his distance which Lila appreciated. He oozed professionalism and it filled the room stuffy. His smiles were all stiff and practiced and almost measured. His face looked awkward as he did it and it made Lila feel awkward. After the first few questions Lila couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Doc... I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but could you please stop smiling? Its really forced and its making me kind of uncomfortable. As my doctor I want you to be comfortable treating me. His face showed slight astonishment and his smile faded away. Once his smile was gone he seemed comfortable. He sighed and without speaking he handed her the clipboard and the pen for her to fill out the questions herself. He squatted down before her and gingerly started taking off her left sock. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he gingerly took off her sock with the utmost care. He looked better this way. Focused and not worried about others' opinions of how he should work he seemed more confident in his movements. There was a practiced way about him.
"Tell me when it hurts." He said as he began to work with her foot. As he pressed on the ankle bones she told him it hurt. He only felt the bones a little more before putting her sock back on gently. He stood and took the clipboard and pen. He ignored the first page and looked at the second page looking at her listed allergies. He nodded to himself before looking up at her.
"There are two fractures in your ankle bones. We'll wrap it and prescribe you pain medications today. It should only take six weeks to heal without surgery. I'll need to take some x-rays to verify my diagnosis. We'll need to arrange weekly visits to ensure proper healing and care for those weeks. To fix this you'll need to rest at home and not put any pressure on it. Keep your foot raised to reduce swelling and you can use ice packs but do not, I repeat do not, put the ice directly against the fracture. Use ice packs wrapped in towels. Take the medications I prescribe every four hours and if the pain worsens call this hospital and ask to speak to Jay." He said all this with an expressionless face. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He said all this without pause as he wrote it down on a slip of paper for her as well.
"I'm going to go set up the x-ray for you but before I do, is there any need to do any other things? Do you want me to check your blood pressure, weight, heart beat or anything such?" He asked politely. Lila shook her head and he left the room. Once he left the room Dr. Yangkei gave the paper he had written on with the list of instructions for care to the tall guy. With his expressionless face he went down the maze of hallways to the x-ray room to prep the machine for Lila. He fiddled with the knobs knowingly.
After the doctor left Spencer went into the room to check on Lila. He was worried, because the doctor was asking questions and Lila asked him to stop smiling and he went quiet. Spencer looked at Lila and she seemed fine. Comfortable even.
"Why did you make Dr. Smiles stop smiling?" Lila looked up and smiled slightly at his joke.
"He seemed really uncomfortable. It was so forced. He doesn't like to talk to much I think, but for his job he does. I feel bad honestly. He relaxed instantly and just focused on his work after I asked him to stop. He even let me fill out the checkup form myself." Spencer glared at her.
"When he gets back I'm making him check your vitals first before we do anything else mkay? I know you don't think it's important, but I want to make sure you're okay. Plus he'd probably get in trouble." Lila pouted like a child but gave in to Spencer's reasoning.
"Fine, but you have to buy me ice cream after okay?"
"Sounds like a date." And with that the room feel into an awkward and embarrassing silence.
A date, huh? Okay. Lila thought to herself as she looked at the pattern on the sanitary paper. She blushed and smiled softly to herself.