Dr Richards was nearly finishing a call to the insurance company when Monica entered the room carrying a tray with two mugs of warm coffee. She placed it on the coffee table and sat down across from him, who was instructing the company attendant about his exact location so that the toll truck could find his car.
"That's okay... okay, I'll be waiting for you. Thanks a lot, sir."
Once he hung up the phone, his attention was once again on the beautiful Irish lady who gazed at him with a smile.
"I hope you like it. It's my speciality, along with meat loaves." She said, picking one of the mugs and offering him.
Richards gladly accepted it, certain that he would never get tired of Monica's velvet accent. "Thank you, Monica. You shouldn't bother." He took a sip and his smile grew wider. "It's perfect."
"Thank you." She replied, glad to hear the compliment. "Tess says I tend to drink a tad more coffee than what I should but I always held great admiration for it, you know."
The doctor could not help chuckling at her comment, wondering if there could be a more adorable person in the world. "Well, as long as it's not your tenth mug, then I say you're free to enjoy it."
Her cheerful smile back at him was captivating.
"Well... Then I'm happy to know I'm still entitled for other five mugs!"
He gazed at her for a few seconds and then placed the cup back on the tray. "Anyway, I won't stay for too long. They're sending a toll truck within the next hour.
"You are not a bother, Dr Richards."
"David, please." He kindly interrupted.
"David." She repeated, and a hint of curiosity appeared on her face. "Were you assisting a patient?"
"Well, actually, many little patients. I... work as a volunteer in a hospital for children with special needs, in a city 50 minutes from Bountiful."
"Devoting some of your time to such a noble cause is a beautiful gesture." She said, with great admiration.
"So is saving children's lives."
Monica gazed deep inside the man's eyes for a second time, once again able to see all the hurt he carried in his heart. "Did something happen at this hospital today?"
That question took him off-guard. He blinked a few times before speaking again.
"I... I had the news that one of those children, a little girl named Rose, passed away last night."
That piece of news made her sad. "I'm so sorry."
"She...was seriously ill but we thought there could be something to be done, at least to alleviate her suffering." He lowered his head in defeat.
"David, do you believe in God?" Monica asked, after a few moments of silence.
"I used to have a... 'healthy respect' for what people consider a miracle and for the One who is responsible for it. But after all the pain and suffering I have to deal with almost every day, I came to the conclusion that people end up looking for a way to soften their losses in life."
"I see. And in your daily work, have you ever had contact with those people after you saw them going through so much?"
He let out a frustrated sigh. "Yes, with one of them: myself. You know, Monica, my wife was this cheerful, lively person that everyone likes to have as their best friend. But none of this counted when she fell ill and no one could do anything for her except wait for her to die."
