Socio

The next day, Shannon met with the doctor whom Dr. Warren referred her to. She was a younger red-haired woman with short wavy hair, pale skin, and a perky voice. Shannon answered a series of routine questions and had blood drawn as well. The doctor did the usual things a doctor does when conducting a typical exam. She listened to her heart, looked in her ears, shone a light into her eyes, felt around her neck and throat, and then had her lie back so she could feel the different quadrants of her stomach. On her way out, she was told that her nurse would contact her with the results of her blood tests soon. The following Monday, which was quicker than she'd expected, she got a call confirming what she believed all along... She was in great health. By Wednesday, she was wondering if she was ever going to see Dr. Warren again to tell her the results, assuming she didn't contact Dr. Coleman herself to find out. Just as she was settling into her seat in the cafeteria with a turkey sandwich and a small yogurt, she spotted the doctor entering the cafeteria. When they caught each other's eye, Shannon gave a wave and the doctor smiled and nodded in her direction. Shannon glanced around the large cafeteria as the doctor made her way through the food line. It wasn't as crowded that day and there were plenty of other tables she could sit at. When she looked at the others around her she saw a mix of doctors, nurses and office workers like herself. A woman who worked in her office with her had been eating at her table but she left early because she wanted to make some phone calls. She assumed Dr. Warren would want to sit with other doctors and nurses but she surprised her instead by approaching her table and asking if she wanted company. Trying to hide the surprise and pleasure she felt, she said, "Sure, Doc. I'd love your company." Dr. Warren took a seat and then asked, "So how are you today?" "Great. I'm also in great health." The doctor smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." "Since universal healthcare isn't likely to happen in our lifetime in this country, I guess I'll just have to hope that they someday decide to at least cover us part-time workers." "Not likely. You'll have to get married instead to someone who's insured." Shannon laughed. "Thanks, Doc, for the advice. I'll say yes to the first man, or woman for that matter, that proposes to me so I can have fun going to doctors every six months for blood tests, bright lights in my eyes, sticks in my throat, and my belly poked and prodded." "Don't forget the GYN." "Oh, those are definitely worth forgetting." The doctor unwrapped her sandwich and began eating. "So, what country are you from? Your accent doesn't sound like the usual you find around here... Mexico, Puerto Rico... that sort of thing." Dr. Warren bit into her sandwich and then swallowed. "What does it sound like then?" Shannon shrugged. "I don't know. Spain? Costa Rica?" The doctor chuckled. "Wait. You do speak Spanish, don't you?" The doctor nodded between bites of food. "Así, tú hablas español," Shannon said thoughtfully. "You?" the doctor asked, suddenly sounding a bit surprised. Shannon nodded. "I know some. El Salvador? Guatemala?" "Venezuela." "Ah, I bet I'd love living there with the beautiful weather they have." A doubtful look crossed the doctor's features and then she said, "We do have nice weather there but it's not a very liberal or open-minded country." "Oh, too bad. What brought you here?" "Opportunity. Change. Variety." "Well, you definitely get all that in New York." "You don't sound like you're from New York." "No, I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. I'm up here for the opportunities, change and variety, too. The only problem is that I didn't get much of the first two, so I might have to leave because it's pretty expensive here." "Oh?" Shannon nodded. "Came up with an ex but she and I broke up less than a year later." "Been single a while now?" Shannon nodded again, pleased by the woman’s lack of concern over her sexuality. "About a year. Is New York the only place you've ever lived in the US?" The doctor shook her head. "Been in the country about twenty years and lived in California initially." "Wow, lucky you. Sometimes I think that experiencing different places would be fun and exciting, but moving around must be a pain in the ass as well." A moment of silence as they ate their lunch and then the doctor asked in Spanish how she learned the language. "Yo me enseñé." The doctor's thick dark brows rose. "You taught yourself?" "Yes, first I studied using textbooks and then I learned more online. I've always been fascinated by languages." The lunch hour seemed to end all too fast that day and they both soon headed up to their respective floors where Dr. Warren would see patients and Shannon would schedule them for another doctor. Over the next few weeks, she ran into the doctor half a dozen times or so in the cafeteria. Sometimes there were seats available so they could eat together and other times there weren't. Even when they could actually sit together, they still managed to wave to each other and exchange greetings on the way in or out of the cafeteria. "How is the lovely Shannon Owens today?" the doctor surprised her one day when the cafeteria was rather empty. Shannon glanced up from the phone she'd been poking at. "Oh, hi." "May I?" the doctor asked, motioning toward the empty seat in front of her. "Of course. You never have to ask." "Oh, but I do have to ask how you've been since we haven't had much of a chance to chat," the doctor said, flashing her beautiful smile. Shannon smiled appreciatively. "I'm okay. Been wondering what was up with you." "Yeah, it's been busy in here, so we haven't had much of a chance to chat lately. So if you don't mind an aging and sometimes tired doctor hanging out with you today, here I am." "I never mind, Doc." The doctor sat down and bit into the sandwich she'd unwrapped. "Back to getting to know one another. I guess most people just sort of pass me by without much thought but you, for some reason, pique my curiosity." Shannon was flattered to learn this for some reason. "I can say the same about you, though I'm pretty boring overall." "That's hard to believe. How about family? Where are your mom and dad?" Shannon stopped chewing suddenly and the doctor didn't fail to catch her reaction. "I could tell you," she said hesitantly, "but you won't believe me." The doctor gave a small smile of uncertainty and said, "Now I'm curious. Are they famous?" Shannon swallowed her food and said, "More like infamous." "Oh," the doctor said in one of those dubious tones. "I don't have a problem with telling you. Telling people tells me who my true friends really are based on their reactions after all. The problem is that lunch breaks aren't enough time to do it. Catch you after work somewhere?" "Sure. That would be nice."