Chapter Two

Once her breakfast arrived Maura tucked into it with relish, albeit her short and slim frame she was a hearty eater. She remembered the first time her fiance Garrett had taken her to dinner at an expensive and popular restaurant, his surprise and mirth as he watched her eat a tremendous amount of food for such a small woman evident. She was sorely embarrassed by the amount of food she had consumed in front of him and it took a fair amount of persuading on Garrett's behalf to assure her he was quite okay with her food intake. He liked that she had a hardy appetite.

After breakfast Maura said her goodbyes and left her father's three story townhouse to begin her day. To say that it had been a tough journey to become a doctor in this era was deeply understated. Maura had wanted to be a doctor since she could walk. She had only been practicing for two years, but her fight to become a doctor had lasted much much longer. She had fought with tooth and nail, her wonderful father beside her for over ten years to the right to practice medicine. All Maura had ever wanted to do was make sick people well again and when she learned early in her life that women were not permitted to practice medicine Maura had been devastated and appalled. She knew no logical, factual or physical reason that a woman couldn't be a doctor. But it was strictly a man's profession. A male dominated society. Men made the rules and regulations and women had no choice but to abide by them or risk societal outcast. Maura had struggled throughout her teenage years coming to terms with the lack of professions offered to her. It was considered a woman's place to get married, bare children and raise them. To have their feminine input and qualities not allowed in the public work force was considered an immense shame to Maura. So she spent a lot of time in books. All sorts of books, anything she could get her hands on, they made her happy. Her main passions were medicine and science; enthusiastically she could spend hours each day with her freckled nose in her father's books or books from the library. It was empowering for Maura to learn, to expand her knowledge. Of course it wasn't considered proper nor appropriate for a woman to even read of such material but Maura read as much and as regularly as possible anyway. This never put her in good stead with other young women her age who were too busy gushing over males, hair and makeup, balls and parties to be interested in anything Maura ever had to say to them and that only alienated her more and made her more reserved and awkward around people.

Maura began walking briskly towards the small doctor's practice she worked at, the cold air pervaded through her many layers of clothing, and her cheeks turned a rosy pink. Having lived in Boston her whole life she knew it would begin to snow soon and she was excited by this, she loved the snow. She loved sitting in her father's study by the large fireplace reading while he sat as his desk and did paperwork.

Her warm breath met the air in white puffs and gasps as Maura's heart rate increased and once there she opened the glass door, and heard the little bells jingling overhead as she walked though. It was not the biggest Doctors surgery in Boston, the most impressive; in fact, it was rather plain. Maura did not own the practice, nor was she the manager but none of this bothered her in the slightest she was just immensely grateful to be a doctor and to be making a difference in people's lives. What did bother her was the man standing in front of her. He had just come out of one of the small surgery rooms and was ogling her distastefully. She quickly became aware she was doing the exact same thing to him and quickly hid her annoyance for the man. Doctor Pike was her boss. Maura was noticeably kind, but when it came to Doctor Pike she found it gave her a headache every day just trying to be civil with the man. He was by far the most ludicrous, pompous, absurd man she had ever met. Why he actually hired her or continued to keep her working at the practice was beyond Maura. Sighing she felt herself bristling as Doctor Pike walked towards her satisfactorily invading her personal space which annoyed Maura even more.

"Doctor Isles." He stared her down.

"Doctor Pike." She eyed him warily as she took a step backwards so that he was no longer in her personal space.

"You're late Miss Isles."

Maura resisted the urge to roll her hazel eyes, "Yes it seems I am two minutes late, I apologize Doctor Pike". Getting into an argument with the man over being two minutes late was not worth the hassle, it was easier to make nice with him, and if she did she would be away from him quicker.

"Yes well…just make sure it doesn't happen again Miss Isles or I will be forced to dismiss you."

Why you have not dismissed me already is what I am more interested in knowing. Clearly we dislike each other. You are such an odd man.

Maura glanced over Doctor Pike's face, from the top of his wispy ginger grey hair, past his clear blue eyes covered by round glasses to his thin disapproving mouth. The man was a severely incompetent doctor and that frustrated Maura greatly. This man did not have a passion for being a doctor, it was clear her boss did not care overly much for his patients; he was more concerned with the money he was making. His skills were lackluster and this was not acceptable to Maura. That this halfhearted man was allowed to practice medicine while women all over Boston who would be genuinely fantastic doctors were not allowed to become them. Never the less as much as Maura wanted to tell the man to buzz off she knew she couldn't jeopardize her position as a doctor. The hard work she had put into becoming one would be lost in an instant if she let a silly, strange man get the better of her. Besides she was an inspiration, a slither of hope to women all over Boston who wanted more in life that more in life could in fact happen. No she would not let her position and all her hard work be destroyed by this oaf.

"Yes I understand Doctor Pike…I am sorry I am late."

He stared at her dumbly for a moment, "Well…that is all…you have lots of patients Maura, please get a move on, these people are more important than your personal life."
Maura bristled once more but held her tongue. Stupid ignorant buffoon!

"Doctor Pike, if you'll excuse me." She took her leave and went to the small preparation room at the back of the practice.

I have a headache coming on already…not even five minutes in the man's company. Five minutes. It is just impossible to like him!

Maura decided to shake off the run in with Pike; she did not want the man to ruin her day. All the medical instruments and first aid was stored in the preparation room and Maura grabbed what she would need in general throughout her day and made sure her doctors bag was adequately stocked with general medical supplies. She was painstakingly particular and by the time she was finished her doctors bag was close to overflowing…she would struggle carting it around later on when she called on her house patients but didn't mind, she would rather be safe than sorry where her patients were concerned, she was every bit the professional. After going back and forth to set up her examination room she was ready for her first patient of the day an elderly man by the name of Francis Colt. As he mumbled and shuffled his way into the exam room Maura smiled gently. Mr. Colt did not like visiting the doctors. But his wife who sat in the small, plain waiting room was a stubborn old dear and not one to be trifled with.

"Damn woman." Francis muttered under his breath before couching dryly. Maura smiled internally but ignored his remark.

"Good morning Mr. Colt…what can I do for you?"

"Good? What's good about it?" He eyed her suspiciously.

Not knowing how to respond Maura simply continued, "Mr. Colt what are your symptoms?"

"Damn asthma is playing up again. I told Gloria it wasn't that bad and I could manage it but the woman is as stubborn as an old goat. Women? Huh! I ain't even allowed to be the man in my own house."

"What exactly are your symptoms Mr. Colt?"

"Argh you know doc…couching, short of breath, tight chest, wheezing all the usual." He waved his gnarled hands animatedly; his gruff features tight with disgust, Maura knew he would rather be anywhere but here. He was one of her long term patients. It was always the same.

"Okay. I shall just have a listen to your chest."

Maura removed her stethoscope from the desk drawer, hung it around her neck and began to listen to Mr. Colt's chest. As she moved it around his chest she spoke, "What activities have you been getting up to?" His chest indeed did sound quite blocked.

He eyed her suspiciously once more, "Nothing I don't usually do. I've been walking and playing golf."

"Have you been smoking?"

He looked away sheepishly for a few moments.

Oh Mr. Colt I told you, you needed to stop smoking those horrible cigars!

"Yes doc…not many, only a couple a week." He coughed loudly and drily once more as if to help support what Maura had just been thinking.

"Mr. Colt you are only making things worse by smoking. We have been over this quite a few times. It's important you not smoke. You can develop asthmatic bronchitis. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes of the bronchi, the larger and medium-sized airways that carry airflow from the trachea into the more distal parts of the lung parenchyma. Smoking when your asthmatic will simply aggravate the condition and it can become bronchitis. I'm quite surprised you haven't developed it yet."

She looked back at Mr. Colt and he was staring back blankly. It was then she realized she had gone off on one of her medical rants and lost the man, he was confused by her medical talk. She flushed from embarrassment at Mr. Colt's continued silence.

"Uh…um Mr. Colt, this is serious, you need to stop smoking. I am sorry to do this but I shall have to have a chat with your wife. Do you really want to be in here all the time unwell?"

He appeared to shake off the medical jargon and confusion at the mention of his wife knowing he still smoked, "Oh doc please don't tell the old crone I will never hear the end of it. That," he pointed a bony finger at her accusingly, "Will be the death of me; I swear it, not this bronchitis or whatever it is."

Maura sighed, opened and closed her mouth a few times before letting a slight chuckle pass her lips.

Stubborn old man you are Francis!

"Well I will give you a choice then. You promise me to stop smoking and I won't have to tell your wife. I think this is quite reasonable don't you?"

He muttered something Maura couldn't quite catch under his breath before finally agreeing to her proposal. She asked him a few more questions, explained how to continue to treat and manage his asthma and told him to go easy on his exercise until it had cleared up. After grudgingly accepting her help and saying thank you she said goodbye and had a good chuckle and shake of her head before greeting her next patient. It would be a long day.