My Forbidden Doctor - Stephanie Brother Page 0,3

Did you get the idea from the internet?"

Mel nodded, unabashed, and I leaned back to set her file on the counter. Standing up, I unhooked my stethoscope from my neck to check her breaths. Pursing my lips in concentration, I closed my eyes as she took a few deep breaths. Obviously, she wasn't a stranger to the procedure, and I could clearly hear her slight wheezing at the end.

"When was the last time you slept without an attack?"

"Um... probably the last time it snowed. Maybe three weeks ago? They haven't been bad, exactly, but I always wake up and have to use my inhaler."

My mind whirred as Melissa talked of her troubles, and I pressed my palm against her back.

"I didn't try to use the nebulizer again, but I still have it. Maybe a different medication would work?"

"Asthma is a restriction of the airways and the bronchioles, so it's not surprising that your allergies agitate it. There's no point in prescribing a different medication for the nebulizer if you can't get it in your system. I actually don't think a CPAP machine is a bad idea. It'll take some of the strain off from your respiratory system, and considering your reaction to the last medication, I'm hesitant to prescribe another. I think we should just try non-medicated and see how you do for a few weeks."

Against my palm, Mel sighed with relief, but that very action ended in a soft, wet cough.

"Are you feeling any tightness or pressure right now?"

"A little. Ever since the elevator..."

Guilt clawed at my throat, and I dropped my hand to resume my seat on the stool. Melissa dragged her wavy locks over her shoulder, revealing her slender shoulders. Now that she wasn't wearing a jacket, it was obvious how delicate her frame was.

"I mean— I'm not irresponsible about my asthma, so telling me to be more cautious is kinda redundant. I'm already careful."

"Have you done a sleep study?"

She shook her head.

I hummed softly as I clasped my hands between my knees. "I'll write you a referral for one, and when we get the results back, we'll see what to do about a CPAP. Sound good?"

"How long will it take?" Eagerness tilted Mel's voice.

I inhaled deeply through flared nostrils. "Once you do the tests, I'll have the results back a few days after. It's a bit of an adventure, but it should help determine the severity of your attacks. Then, it's just a matter of trying to tame your allergies. Have you been to an allergist since the onset of your symptoms?"

I had the feeling Melissa was tired of doctors when she nodded again, and I arched a brow quizzically. Licking her thin lips, her delicate, birdlike face tinged with annoyance. If she weren't my patient, I'd try to make good on that lie about our date tonight.

I mean, it wasn't like I could pass her off to my partner because I didn't have one right now. Transferring here by request meant being the only pulmonologist for this rich town's only hospital. True to small-town nature, there weren't many on-call specialists, and some patients actually had to be referred out to bigger, more equipped hospitals.

Eva was a pediatric ears, nose, and throat doctor who took one look at me and decided to make my life Hell with her 'affection'. The irony there was the fact that this was an old, rich town without many kids. She had told me that she liked this town because it was easy, but I couldn't help thinking she was just negligent. Who becomes a doctor for an 'easy' job?

Shaking my head at the distraction, I reached to grab Melissa's folder again to flip through it. Above the thick edge of the manila, she frowned as she got lost in her own thoughts.

Saint Benedict's Hospital had a hard enough time poaching me after my residency, so the chances of me getting a partner soon were slim. When Melissa showed me her card, it hadn't even said my name because I was so new. I shared the office with an allergist, but he wasn't even here today— a fact I'd forgotten when I bumped into Melissa downstairs.

"So... is that all we're going to do today?"

The question caught me off guard, and I glanced up as Melissa's eyes widened a little.

"Not that I wanted to go on the date tonight, even though I do... I mean— I'm... here, for my appointment...?"

Trailing off, her porcelain skin turned beet red, hiding her thick smattering of