Solemn Oath. Hannah Alexander

lifted and was ready to climb back into bed when the phone rang. He jerked up the receiver. “Yes?”

      “Dr. Bower, I have to tell you something you’re not going to like.” It was Claudia.

      He groaned. “More? Haven’t we had enough bad news this morning?”

      “I’m sorry. This is the worst.”

      Lukas immediately thought of his family. Were his father and stepmom okay? Was one of his brothers or their families—

      Claudia sighed heavily over the phone. “Alma Collins lost her leg. They said there was too much damage for them to repair. Her husband, Arthur, called us this morning to thank us for all we did for them Monday, and he especially wanted us to tell you and Dr. Mercy how much he appreciated your kindness.”

      Lukas slumped onto the side of the bed and exhaled. He felt as if he’d been slapped. He closed his eyes and saw the faces of Arthur and Alma, remembered the pain they’d experienced, remembered the love and concern they had displayed so openly toward each other.

      “I’m sorry, Dr. Bower,’ Claudia said softly.

      “Me, too. Thank you for letting me know. Why don’t we send some flowers from the department.” That seemed like such a frivolous gesture under the circumstances, but he couldn’t think of anything else to do right now except pray.

      “Good idea,” Claudia said. “I’ll start collecting, and I’ll call the florist when they open.”

      When she hung up, Lukas sank back against his pillow, too depressed, suddenly, to think about sleep. “Why, Lord?” he muttered. “They’re Your servants. They’ve dedicated their lives to serving You and helping others. Why did this have to happen to them?”

      He knew the answer, of course. None of God’s people were immune to the suffering brought to earth by sin, and it wasn’t God’s fault, but it sure was easy to blame Him.

      A moment later, another knock sounded at the call room door. “Dr. Bower?” came a slightly familiar voice. “Bobbie Jo told me you wanted to see me.”

      Amanda.

      Lukas gritted his teeth. As of now, he would start locking the call room door any time he was in here. Then people like Bobbie Jo White would not have the freedom to barge in and start adding to his already overtaxing duties. She had no right. Why couldn’t he have just told her that in the first place?

      He went to the door and opened it to find a young tech with curly brown hair and sea-green eyes waiting expectantly. She looked clean. No dirt under her fingernails. In the month she’d been here, Lukas had heard no complaints about her work. In fact, she almost seemed to go at a run most of the time. Maybe she just worked too hard.

      And maybe there was…Yes, there was a slight hint…Okay, make that a certain odor…Yes, okay, she smelled.

      “Dr. Bower, did you want me for something?”

      Lukas hesitated. How was he supposed to tell this young girl that she needed a bath? Estelle would not appreciate it if he dumped this on her, and it would be more painful coming from the hospital administrator than it would from a doctor who worked with her.

      “Yes, Amanda.” He cleared his throat and willed his face not to flush. This was strictly a professional problem to be dealt with. “Uh, did you have an employment physical when you came to work here?”

      Her light brown eyebrows rose in curiosity. “Yes. It was a requirement.”

      “Good.” But those physicals were certainly not comprehensive. “Have you been having any health problems lately?”

      She frowned at him. “No, I’ve been better than ever.” She tugged at the waistband of her scrubs, which showed some slack. “I’ve been on a diet, and I’m almost down to my target weight. I’ve got all kinds of energy.”

      Target weight? She didn’t look as if she needed to lose any weight. “Are you under a doctor’s care?”

      “Nope, I did it on my own. I’ve been taking ma huang since I came to work here—one of the nurses up on the floor told me about it. It sure helps curb the appetite.”

      Ma huang? He didn’t like the sound of this. He looked her up and down. “Why are you still trying to lose weight?”

      She tugged at her scrub pants again. “Don’t worry, there’s still some flab. These baggy things cover a lot of cellulite. I’ve always had trouble with my weight, but when I moved to Knolls six months ago, the pounds just started to slip off. I don’t know why. I guess I just got too busy moving, and I got a little homesick, too…Anyway, I wasn’t hungry. It felt so good to lose the weight, I decided to keep going. It worked! I’ve lost forty pounds since I came here, and it wasn’t hard at all.” She grinned at him. She had a sweet face, with dimples, rosy cheeks, the whole bit.

      Lukas frowned. Forty pounds in six months? That was a little extreme. “Amanda, did you know that ma huang contains mostly ephedrine? That’s an amphetamine-related compound. I don’t like the idea of one of the hospital nurses recommending it for you.” He knew he probably sounded like her father trying to lecture her.