Kevin awoke to the sound of a large airplane droning overhead as it prepared to land at the Los Angeles Airport. The loud humming sound was so unlike the peaceful and serene sound of the Pacific Ocean outside his windows back home in Mendocino. It amazed him how quickly he had grown accustomed to life in a small town, and he yearned for the moment when he could return home. Yes, he now considered Mendocino his new home and was proud of it. He shuffled over to the small coffeemaker in the room but changed his mind and decided to pick something up on the way to his uncle’s office.
Kevin climbed out of his car and looked at the huge building. Standing at the side was his Aunt Deloris looking like her impeccable self. She was wearing a pretty little pink suit that made her look professional and yet welcoming. Her hair was pulled up in a professional hairdo at the nape of her neck. She waved at him and smiled as he walked towards her. He handed her the cup and smiled.
“You’re so sweet dear boy.”
“Two cream and two sugars right?”
“You have a good memory, too. Good, you’re definitely gonna need it in this place. So many people work here now that it makes my head start spinning just thinking of all the names. He laughed at his Aunt Deloris as they began walking. “First, I’ll introduce you to Jen. She’s the office manager and a peach I tell you. You’ll really like her. She’s single too, you know.”
“Aunt Deloris, I should tell you. I have someone special in my life back home.”
“Really? How come you never told me about her? She must be very special for you to like her. Who is she?”
“Her name is Stephanie. Do you remember the little girl who passed away before I left?”
“Yes. Poor dear. She had been so young. They had it in all the papers. Four of her friends had died at the scene and she had died shortly after in the hospital. Such a tragedy.”
“Yes. Well, I treated that girl, and the woman I’m seeing is her mother.”
“What? Well. I mean, wow.” His aunt’s eyes widened with surprise. “If this world isn’t full of enough surprises already. I didn’t expect that.”
“Ha. I didn’t either. I have to say she saved me, Aunt Deloris. When I was in the depths of despair, feeling like life wasn’t worth living, she saved me. I wanted to abandon medicine, but she pushed me to get back into it, so now I’m ready. We’ve been there for each other through that tragedy. She helped me overcome the struggles I’ve had since Sarah and Rachel’s death. Her daughter reminded me so much of Sarah that I couldn’t eat or sleep or even think straight. Aunt Deloris, she brought me back from the brink of death. Literally. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know if I’d be here standing in front of you.”
“Poor Kevin.” His aunt reached out and brushed her hand across his cheek. “I had no idea it was that bad for you. You should have said something to me. You know I’m always here for you. Why didn’t you give me a call?”
“I’m sorry if I didn’t reach out to you, Aunt Deloris. I was so lost in my pain. I felt like I was trapped in another world, lost in a black hole with no direction and hope. It was pretty bad.”
His aunt slid a hand under his chin. “You poor thing. After the loss of your dad and mom, I’ve tried to be there for you as if you were my own. I may not be the perfect parent like your mother was, but I tried to be the best aunt to you that I possibly could. I know you’ve been so busy after graduating from medical school, and we don’t have the chance to talk like we used to, but you know I would do anything to make sure you’re okay. You and Crystal mean the world to me.”
Kevin smiled at his aunt. “Yes, Aunt Deloris, I know, and I’ll never forget all that you’ve done. Luckily God put Stephanie into my life at the right time. I owe her my life. It was only because of her unshakable faith in God and her faith in my future that helped me through that dark hour.”
“Wow, this Stephanie girl sounds really amazing, son. I would love to meet her someday. Why don’t you set up a lunch date sometime so I can meet her?” His aunt smiled at him.
“I’m sure she’d love that.”
“Now come on in so we can meet Jen. She’s expecting us.”
“What happened to the old manager, Janet?”
“She retired. I was so happy for her. She was so ecstatic at the retirement party we threw for her, but then she asked if she could come in once a week and volunteer just to help out. She said she missed some the patients that had become like family to her and that she needed something to occupy her time before she went mad. Of course, your uncle let her and even paid her. He said it was the least he could do after everything she had done for him to help build his practice.”
They stepped into the elevator and neither said a word during the short ride to the floor above them. He listened to the soothing music drift from the overhead speakers until the elevator stopped at their floor. He kept the elevator door open with his hand as his aunt walked into the hallway. The lobby of the office was large and professionally decorated in soothing colors of beige with rich oak accents. There were leather chairs that sat against all the walls of the room and a video with a woman in a swimsuit talking about cosmetic procedures as it played on a large flat screen television that hung over a stone fireplace. In between some of the chairs sat little tables that held stacks of magazines and books.
They walked through the lobby and into another room. He smiled as he stepped over the threshold. The room was something he had never seen before, and the smile lingered as he looked at his Aunt Deloris.
“This was your uncle’s favorite spot in all of the office. The pediatric waiting room. Your uncle wanted to make it fun for the children because he knew how much they hated coming.”
Kevin’s eyes widened as he gazed around the room. On one far wall was a large castle. There was a dragon coming out of the top and a spot where the kids could walk up. On the other side of the room was a miniature replica of a forest that was filled with fairies and tall trees with faces. Whoever his uncle had hired to decorate the room did a fantastic job. Kevin laughed as a little girl came up to him and handed over a Barbie, then ran off in the direction of the castle. He turned back to his Aunt Deloris and laughed.
“This is amazing, Aunt Deloris. Why didn’t I see this before when I was working on my dissertation?”
“Your uncle remodeled a couple years ago. He wanted to expand the practice to see more children, so he had someone design it where they could forget about being at the doctor’s office and just enjoy themselves. Your uncle was so excited about it. I think deep down he regretted never having children of our own. Even though we had our four-legged children at home, it wasn’t like holding your own bundle of joy. He made up for it with his little patients here. It gave him such joy to work with the kids.” She smiled and then he saw her attention directed towards the doorway.
Standing just inside the doorway was a petite blonde. She smiled at them, and he saw how beautiful the woman was. She looked at him and quickly walked to where they were.
“You must be Dr. Pierce. I’m Jen, the office manager. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I just wish it were under better circumstances.” She flashed him a smile with her deep ruby colored lips.
“It’s nice to meet you, as well.” He held her hand and shook it as if he would with a business partner.
“Come and let me show you around. Mrs. Pierce, it’s so good to see you again. How are you holding up, my dear?”
“I’m much better, now that my nephew is here to help.”
The two women gave him a tour of the office. Jen took the lead like a hostess at a convention, showing him everything from the digital X-ray unit and exam rooms to the linen and maintenance closets. Kevin’s jaw dropped as Jen pointed out all the high tech imaging, MRI and CAT scan equipment his uncle had acquired over the years making the private practice second to none in the city. The office was the epitome of modern medicine at its best, and his mind raced as he began to dream about how to further his uncle’s vision. For a moment, Kevin’s thoughts returned to Stephanie, and he wondered where she was and what she was doing. He missed her and hoped all was well with her. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned and gazed into Jen’s crystal blue eyes, and for a moment, it felt as if she was staring at him like he was some celebrity. He cleared his throat and quickly turned his focus to the CAT scan machine in front of them.
“I still can’t believe how much equipment my uncle has in here. It must have cost him a fortune.”
Jen gave him smile, her lips alluring, yet innocent. “Your uncle did very well. There isn’t a doctor in town that I know who wouldn’t die to have this practice.” She tugged gently on his arm, maintaining her hold as she guided him toward the hallway. “C’mon, there’s more down here.”
“More?” Kevin shook his head with amazement and followed closely behind, his attention fully focused on his uncle’s practice.