Chapter 9

As Ray left Emily's room, he inhaled deeply before blowing all of the air out threw his mouth. Emily had taken him by surprise with her comments; he'd had no idea that she felt the way the way she did. Remembering that he needed to call Emily's pediatrician to make her an appointment, he picked up the phone and found the office number on the refrigerator. As he dialed, he poured some coffee into a mug while waiting for someone to pick up.

"Dr. Morgen's office," a cheery voice answered on the third ring.

"Yes, hello, my name is Dr. Ray Barnett, and I'd like to make an appointment for my sister Emily. She's been diagnosed with mono, and I'd like her to have a follow-up exam and blood test."

"Okay, what's the name?"

"Emily Barnett."

"All right. Dr. Morgen has an opening today, actually, at 3:00. Would that work for you?"

"Yes, that would be great, thanks." Hanging up, Ray took a final swig of coffee. He stood at the counter blinking for a moment, watching the mid-morning sunshine pour in through the kitchen shutters.

Walking back to Emily's room, Ray stood in the doorway and said to her, "I made you an appointment for today at three, okay? You should probably get some rest before that, okay?" Emily nodded in a tired way, looking like she'd had similar plans.

Ray walked back down the hall, intending to clean the apartment. He wasn't much for cleaning, and Emily usually straightened up. With her out of commission for the past several days, the place had pretty much taken on a life of its own. Ray smiled, realizing that it was good Emily hadn't seen the small mess that had built up; he was fairly certain that she would have had a compulsion to get up and tidy.

Just as Ray was beginning to tackle several dirty dishes that had piled up in the sink, there was a knock at the door. Slightly puzzled, he dried his hands on a towel, and went to see who it was. Neela was the last person he'd ever expected to see.

"Hey," she said, sounding slightly uncomfortable. "I just—wanted to stop by and see how Emily was doing."

"Thanks, that was sweet," Ray said, the memory of his last thoughts about her coming back all too quickly. "Actually, she just fell asleep again," he stepped aside, "Want to come in, though?"

"Sure," Neela sounded genuinely pleased.

"Sorry it's such a mess here, I was actually just starting to tackle it."

Neela took off her coat and slung it across the couch. "Want some help?" she asked, "I wash a mean fork."

"Thanks, that'd be great, if you're sure you don't mind…?"

"No, really, it'd be no trouble at all. I'm not on today, and figured you might be able to use a hand over here," she answered.

"You're a goddess, thanks a lot!"

With Neela at the sink, Ray began sorting through the mail that had been tossed haphazardly on the counter. When that was done, he took a sponge and starting wiping everything down.

"So, what've you been up to lately?" he asked her as he worked.

"Nothing much, really. Just working, trying to get the bills paid, not getting nearly enough sleep," she laughed. "You know, that sort of thing. So, how've you been doing?"

"Well enough, I guess. This is a new side of this job for me. It's like I'm fighting to keep my clinical side from taking over and totally detaching me, but at the same time I'm trying to prevent my brother side from blowing this entirely out of proportion and freaking out."

Neela nodded sympathetically as she scraped the bottom of a pan. "Where do you strike a happy medium?" she asked.

"Somewhere between speaking English as opposed to medical jargon, and sorting the mail," he said, nodding to indicate the pile he'd made several moments earlier. "But, yeah, on the whole, I'm doing okay. We both are."

"How's she doing? Is she getting any better?"

"I think so. She seemed pretty good this morning, better than she's been all week."

"That's good. Has she had any more blood work?"

"I made her an appointment for today with her doctor, actually. I also may have made the mistake of mentioning the possibility of complications from mono. I think I freaked her out."

"That whole happy medium thing again?" Neela asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, as a doctor I need to anticipate the worst-case scenario, which if she were just another patient, would be for any complications. I probably shouldn't have let it slip out, though."

"I bet it's one of the only things going through your mind right now, though," Neela said.

"Pretty much, yeah. I'm just trying to keep the statistics in mind, and realize that the worst ones are really rare. Strep throat, I can deal with. But a ruptured spleen…that's when my imagination gets carried away."

"Well, look, just remember that those things are all treatable, right? So just concentrate on…sorting your mail," she said with a smile, "And take every thing else just one step at a time, all right?"

Ray nodded. "Guess so," he muttered.

"Okay," Neela said as she dried the last plate. "Dishes are finished. How about some laundry next?"