"It hurts right here." The little boy pointed stubbornly to his elbow and scowled up at his mom in a display of theatrical angst.
With a wry smile, Dr. Alina Martinez checked again one last time. "Billy, I'm telling you there is absolutely nothing wrong with your elbow. You don't even have a bruise there. I'm sure you've had fun today on your trip to the hospital with your mom, but I think the game is up."
"Are you completely sure," the mother squinted dubiously at her name badge, "Ms Martinez? Maybe if someone more experienced took a look at it... I just want to be sure, you know..."
"Mrs. Johannes, I might not look it, but I'm actually experienced enough to tell the difference between someone with a real ailment and someone who is trying to put one on. You've obviously promised him a trip to the toy store after this appointment, or some other little treat? Perhaps you've offered it every time he has to go to the hospital. However, that just teaches him that if he lies and says he got hurt, he may get a reward out of it."
Mrs Johannes shot her son a quick glance; he made a big show out of looking innocent and distracted. With an annoyed huff, she pulled her son off the examining table. Surprise, surprise, the elbow didn't give him a bit of trouble.
"Are we leaving Mommy?" Bobby asked, distractedly.
"Of course, sweetheart; we'll find another doctor to check out your arm."
"Another doctor?" Bobby whined. "Can we go to the candy store first? I really want some candy!"
She stopped and knelt down to look into her son's eyes. "What did you just say, Steven?"
"I want a lolly. You promised if--,"
"I did no such thing!"
Smirking, Alina reached into a cabinet and pulled out one of the sweet and sour lollipops that she had stashed away for an occasion such as this. "Bobby, please be honest with me. How does your arm really feel?"
Eyeing the treat, the little boy weighed his options. With a sigh, he grabbed it from Alina. "It's fine; can we go now?" He popped the lollipop into his mouth, wrapper and all; his mother followed him out. At the door, she shot Alina a sheepish smile. Alina smiled faintly back.
Alina readied the exam room for her next patient. It had been a busy day, but seeing as it was almost time to go she figured she'd have just enough time for this last one before she was off. She had promised to meet Dominic and Margaret at their local bar after they all got off work. It had been a while since they had all gotten together. As she did so, she noticed that there was a purse sitting on the table next to the exam bed; was it Mrs. Johannes, or could it be from another, earlier patient? She'd have to turn it into the front desk.
A noise from behind startled her. Turning, she locked eyes with her next patient.
Shit.
"Why, Allie, we meet again," he drawled, although she noticed that his face seemed to first flush and then drain of all color. "And I can see that you've blossomed from the rather awkward stage you used to be in? Or maybe it's just this ailment that I have. It tends to make me ignore the faults of others."
It had been 5 years since she had last seen Michael Harrington, and somehow he could make her blood boil with aggravation with just a few words. They had first met in undergrad; she was a first generation college student, a real striver and a climber. He was the third son of a rich family, only in school to waste some time, pretending to be independent men while frittering away Daddy's money. They had quickly fell into an unlikely rivalry, one that was sparked at least as much by physical attraction as by intellectual ambition. Michael was a archetypal patrician, tall, handsome, and square jawed with a close-cropped shock of white-blonde hair. The exact opposite, in many ways, of the short, slight Alina, with toffee-colored skin and thick, unruly black hair.
"What are you doing here?" Alina asked coolly, reaching for his chart.
"Isn't it obvious, Allie? I'd think that even you could see my... 'condition'."
