The Good Race

Chapter 18

ERIC WALKED UP to the reception desk of the Grayson Falls Hospital. It was an old Victorian building and the inside had been renovated to accommodate a small emergency room, observation rooms, a reception area, an office and patient rooms on the top two floors. Eric figured at full capacity, it probably held twelve or fifteen patients. He imagined that anything that was real bad probably got transported or flown out to bigger medical centers, but that this operation handled most of the bumps, bruises and scrapes the good people of Grayson Falls got themselves into.

Nurse Ratchet was sitting behind the reception desk. Eric confidently made his way up to her, Emma's little hand clutched in his. "I'm here to see Jackie. She's expecting me," Eric announced.

"If you're here on a social visit, you're going to have to wait a spell. The doctor doesn't go on break for another two hours at lunch time."

"Isn't she your boss?" Eric asked, arching a brow and instantly landing himself on the nurse's bad side.

"I run an efficient hospital with strict rules, sir. Come back in two hours."

"This isn't really a social call," Eric said quickly. "She told me to come by this morning and she'd give my daughter a physical."

The nurse looked skeptical but handed Eric a clipboard full of papers. "Fill these out and bring them back. I'll go see what her schedule is like this morning."

The nurse walked away and Eric glanced down at Emma. "I don't think she likes me much, baby girl."

"She doesn't really like anybody," said a soft voice from behind him.

Eric turned around and looking back at him was a petite, brown haired, blue eyed beauty, staring at him with wide doe eyes. She looked like a cross between terrified and intrigued to see him. She was dressed in scrubs.

"Are you Eric Davis?" she asked.

"I am," Eric confirmed.

"I'm Natalie, Dr. Reilly's nurse today. I'm to bring you back and get you started."

"I haven't filled out all of Nurse Ratchet's paperwork yet," Eric grinned.

"That's okay," Natalie replied. "You can work on it while you wait for the doctor." Eric nodded noting that Natalie didn't grin at his quip. He hoped he hadn't offended her with the Nurse Ratchet comment.

"Up, daddy, up!" Emma called, raising her arms.

Eric instantly tossed Emma up and onto his shoulders. She squealed in delight and finally, Eric saw a grin from Natalie. Eric followed along behind her, checking out her curves the best he could through her scrubs. She looked like she had a tight little body. She wasn't the type of woman he usually went for, but oddly enough, that didn't seem to bother him.

"All right, come on in here," Natalie directed, leading him into an exam room and closing the door. She stood at a computer and began typing in information. "Patient's full name."

"Emma Grace Davis," Eric replied, then gave her birth date.

"Medical history?"

"Beats me," he shrugged, as Emma clung to his chest and looked around the room suspiciously.

"I'm sorry," Natalie said looking up. "I thought you were a parent. If you're not, we'll need an authorization form signed by her parent or guardian to treat her."

"I'm her father," Eric assured. "But I just got her last week."

"Oh, she's adopted?"

"No," Eric said. "She's mine." He covered Emma's ears and lowered his voice. "Her bitch of a mother not only didn't tell me she was pregnant, but failed to mention I had a daughter until she dropped her on my doorstep last week. We had a DNA test, she's mine. I'm keeping her. But I don't know her bitch of a mother's family history, nor Emma's medical situation. I have no idea if she's allergic to anything or if she's had a major infection or whether or not she's ever been vaccinated for anything, though my money is on no. All I can say is, I've found no surgical scars on her." He released his hands and gathered his daughter close.