Unexpected

Chapter 1

Amara

"Dr. Simms your last patient of the day is here and ready for you." My head nurse Nicole said walking into my office taking me out of thoughts and a stack of paperwork that was on my desk.

"I'll be right there, thank you." I walked towards the room and took a glance over the file of my last patient.

As a pediatrician, I've seen a lot of things since opening my practice a few years ago. It was one of the happiest days of my entire medical career to have my own practice. Despite having hectic days when I couldn't fit in a lunch break I loved my job and wouldn't change it for the world. It's cute seeing a four-year-old trying to boss their parent and make them think that they are okay when they are sick.

But once they see that they have to get a shot, they run right into their mothers or fathers arm. I was the same way and to this day cannot take a shot alone. Becoming a pediatrician has always been a dream of mine, I loved kids and I loved helping people get better. This job allows me to do both. Even on the rare occasion when I have to report a parent for child abuse. Breaks my heart, but I know that I have to do it if that child is in danger.

My last patient was a first-time mom that thought her son had chicken pox but actually had a diaper rash. She thought it was something else, but after reassuring her that it was only a diaper rash she was fine. From what she told me her husband had died while deployed in Afghanistan. And it was a few months before she gave birth and most of her family lived in New York and rarely visited. But her husband's family lived in San Diego. And we're planning to move closer to help her with the baby until he got old enough for preschool.

I could relate to her when it came to not having your own family close by. I moved out to California to go to college and loved it here, a lot more than the little town in Georgia that I grew up in. So much so that I ended up staying for medical school. I interned at one of the best pediatric hospitals in California who offered me a job where I worked for a few years. I ended up opening a practice of my own after working with a few of the most respected pediatricians in the state. What made my practice different from others is that I opened for a few hours on Saturday. I always believed that emergencies can happen at any time. And that people preferred to see their regular doctor instead of going to urgent care. Where the doctor doesn't have all the information needed or has a bad attitude.

I was grateful that some family and friends were nearby. Who could support me whenever I needed them when I got discouraged. I had met a few people that I became close with after living here for a few years.