Bachelor at Her Bidding (Bachelor Auction Book 2)(34)

“Here?” Phyllis asked.

“We can treat you here,” Rachel confirmed. “We won’t have to send you to Livingston or Bozeman.”

Phyllis looked relieved.

“Ryan’s on his way. I’ll stay with you until he gets to us.”

Phyllis tried to smile. “You’re…” But the rest of the words wouldn’t come out.

“Hey, I’m your friend as well as Ryan’s. I want to be sure you’re looked after,” Rachel said.

She called her office so Shannon knew not to expect her back for at least another hour, transferred Phyllis to a wheelchair with Jolene’s help, then travelled the very short journey in the ambulance with Phyllis to the hospital.

Once they were on the ward, Rachel filled the attending physician in on the assessment she’d done.

“We’ll do an EKG and an MRI scan to check the cause and whether the blood clot’s cleared, put her on medication to stop another blood clot forming, and then see how she’s doing tomorrow,” the physician said.

“And you’ll arrange physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy?” Rachel asked.

“Yes. We’ll make sure she gets whatever she needs.”

Rachel was about to help him explain to Phyllis what would happen next when Ryan walked in. His face had lost all its color and he looked absolutely terrified.

“Gram?” he said.

“Ry,” Phyllis whispered.

Then it seemed to register with him that Rachel was there. He looked at her in surprise. “Since when have you been Gram’s doctor?”

“Dr. Majors normally works with the day care center, but he’s off sick so they asked me to come in,” Rachel explained. “And I asked to have your grandmother admitted here because she’s had a stroke.”

He turned his back so his grandmother couldn’t see what he was saying, and mouthed, “Is she going to die?”

“She’s going to be fine,” Rachel reassured him, “but the hospital needs to run some tests to check the cause of the stroke so they can give her the right treatment.” She introduced him swiftly to the doctor. “Ryan is Mrs. Henderson’s grandson and he looks after her,” she explained. She looked at Ryan. He looked worried sick. “Do you want me to stay?” she asked.

He frowned. “Don’t you have patients waiting?”

“Yes, but some of them can reschedule,” she said.

“Meaning that some of them can’t,” he said.

“Then they’ll wait.”

He shook his head. “Go back to work, Rach. We’ll be OK.”

“Are you sure? Because I can call Shannon and tell her I won’t be back.”

“But your patients need you,” he said.

Meaning that he didn’t? Or was he trying to be brave? She wasn’t sure and she didn’t want to push things. “OK. I’ll go back to my clinic. As long as you come and see me before you go home.”

“Yeah, I will.”

“I’ll be in my office until half-past four, maybe five, and then I’ll be at my apartment,” she said.

“OK.”

She squeezed his hand. “Phyllis is going to be fine.”

“Yeah.” Though he didn’t look as if he believed her.

Rachel worried about Phyllis and Ryan for the rest of the afternoon. And when Ryan finally turned up at her apartment at just after half-past nine, he looked ashen.

“Gram’s asleep,” he said.

“Sleep’s good. It gives the body time to heal,” she said softly.

He didn’t look convinced.

“Ry, sit down before you fall down,” she said, gesturing to the chairs by her kitchen table.

He sat down, and she made him a mug of coffee.

He sipped it without flinching, so clearly he couldn’t think straight enough for his taste buds to be working properly, she thought.

“And I bet you haven’t eaten all day. Stay put and I’ll make you a cheese omelet,” she said.

Though the omelet turned out a bit on the leathery side and Ryan just picked at it.

“Sorry. I should know better than to try to cook for a chef, given my lack of catering skills,” she said with a wry smile.

“No, it’s fine,” he said, and she knew he was fibbing to stop her feeling bad. “I’m just not hungry.”

“Ry, you need to eat to keep your strength up. I know my omelets aren’t brilliant –” that was putting it mildly “–but even I can’t wreck a ham sandwich.” Which was probably what she should’ve made him in the first place, instead of trying to give him her favorite comfort food. “You have to eat.”

He tried to smile. “So you have a bossy side, do you, Doc?”

“Just ask my sister and my brother,” she said lightly. “It doesn’t matter that I’m the baby of the family. I can still boss them around.”

“I guess.” He stood up and wrapped his arms round her. “Thank you, Rach. I appreciate it.”

“Hey, you’d do the same for me.” Honesty compelled her to add, “Except your omelet would’ve been edible.”

“I still appreciate the effort.”

She busied herself making him a sandwich. He ate half of it before pushing the plate away. “Sorry, Rach. I can’t eat any more. It is edible, just…”