Chapter 11

Doctor Steven Brandle had become content with his life working as a GP in Lake Lancer. He felt more satisfaction in helping people working as a GP than he ever did when he was doing cosmetic surgery. The pace of life was slower here which had him more relaxed than he remembered being in a long time. While there were things he missed because of not being in LA, they really weren’t that important and he was learning to live without them.

A prime example he thought of this satisfaction he felt in doing this type of medicine was something that happened last week. Laura Beckman brought her ten year old son Kyle into the clinic as she said her son wasn’t feeling good. Her husband Paul had told her it was just the flu and Kyle would get over it in time. Laura wanted a medical opinion on Kyle’s condition which caused her to bring her son to the clinic for an exam.

Steve became concern when he was told by the nurse that the boy’s temperature was 102 degrees and that Laura said the boy had vomited. Further when asked if anything was hurting him Kyle said his stomach was hurting him. Steve could see the boy wince when Steve pressed lightly on his stomach. The blood test Steve ordered showed a substantial elevated white cell blood count which had Steve thinking that this was a serious appendicitis attack and the appendix may have already ruptured.

“Laura, I think Kyle appendix is inflamed and it may have already ruptured. The ambulance is going to take you and Kyle to the University hospital for him to be operated on immediately. I will phone ahead and let them know Kyle is coming and for them to be ready.”

“Oh my God!”

“You should be concerned but I think you brought him in here just in time.”

Steve phoned the emergency room and told them what to expect and what the blood test showed. He told them to alert the surgeon on call and to prep an operating room. Later that evening he phoned to find out the status and was told Kyle was out of surgery. The appendix had burst but they cleaned up as much of the poison as they could and with the antibiotics thought Kyle should make a full recovery although he would probably be in the hospital for at least a week.

When Steve stopped by the hospital to see how Kyle was doing, besides Laura being there he was introduced to Paul Beckman who was Kyle’s father. Paul couldn’t have been more appreciative of what Steve’s diagnosis and response had been. Paul said he didn’t know what he would have done if Laura had not disregarded his thinking of Kyle having the flu and had not taken him to the clinic. Paul mentioned that he was a contractor and that if Steve ever needed any work done not to hesitate to call him.

Back at the clinic Steve thought he hadn’t had his oil changed in a while and he wasn’t thinking about his car. He phoned Maggie to see if she wanted to go out to dinner but she politely turned down his invitation as she said she had another commitment. That bothered Steve a little bit but only for a short time as he phoned Veronica who accepted his dinner invitation.

Dinner and the evening he spent with Veronica was what he hoped it would be. Not only did she change his oil two times that night he thought that when she gave him head she could pop the wax right out of his ears if she ever exhaled instead of inhaled. He knew by her reactions and what she said that he had changed her oil a few times as well. It was a satisfying and a nice way to spend an evening.

It was about three weeks later when Maggie came into the clinic. In walking into the examination room Steve was exaggerating by rubbing his hands together as he said, “Poison oak I hope?”

Laughing she said, “No nothing like that, I just wanted to talk to you and I wanted to do it in person as opposed to a phone call.”

“Why... , is something the matter?”

“Steve, you don’t know this but you should. When I was at college I was in a serious relationship with Mark Keonig. I thought then that he was the man for me. Mark had gone through college on a four year Army ROTC scholarship which meant four years of active duty. Because of some family issues I couldn’t leave the ranch to go with him when went on active duty so we didn’t get married. Mark liked the army so much that after four years he decided to make it a career. Now after twenty years he has retired from the army and has come back here to live. With his Master’s in math he has secured an offer to teach at a community college. I have been seeing him and the attraction to him is still there and maybe more stronger than it ever was. He feels the same way and he has asked me to marry him and I have accepted his proposal.”