Carefully, she lowered Jake onto the treatment table. For a moment, he opened his blood-shot eyes before squeezing them shut once more.

Nurse Tayler slipped a thermometer into Jake’s ear and entered the result in the tablet. “The doctor will be with you shortly.” She hadn’t even left the room when the door was opened. A man in scrubs and a lab coat grabbed a tablet from a holder at his hip and asked for the patient’s name.

While he sorted through the files, the nurse asked, “Do you need me for anything?”

“No, thank you, Abby.”

After the nurse had left the room, the doctor stepped up to the treatment table. “Good evening, Ms. Miller. Ms. Fielding.”

He knew the mad woman?

Ms. Fielding barely paid him any attention. “Good evening.”

He faced Sherry. “I’m Doctor Bennet.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

The doctor tilted his head slightly as if wondering about her reply. Then he smiled at Jake, who had opened his eyes again and was struggling to sit up.

Sherry helped him.

“Hello, Jake,” Doctor Bennet said.

Jake frowned. He probably thought the same as Sherry. Doctors usually rushed in, checked his throat and ears, listened to his chest, and then wrote up a prescription without giving any indication they knew he had a name.

“Hello,” Jake squeaked.

The doctor took Jake’s hand in his. “It’s very nice to meet you.” Slowly, he let go. “Want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“I…” Jake cleared his throat. But when he spoke, his voice was still hoarse. “My throat is hurting.”

“Ah, that doesn’t sound so good. And you’ve also got quite a fever.” The doctor patted Jake’s shoulder. “But I’m sure we can make it better.” He got a tongue depressor out of a cabinet. “Would you open your mouth, please? As far as you can. And please say ‘ah.’”

“Ahhh!”

Doctor Bennet inserted the depressor and used a flashlight to inspect Jake’s throat. “Great job, Jake.”

Sherry looked over to Ms. Fielding, who was standing much too close for her liking and was beaming at her. Instinctively, Sherry took a step away.

“Thank you, Jake.” The doctor turned to Sherry. “I want to inspect him more thoroughly, but as far as I can tell, this seems like a clear case of tonsillitis.”

Sherry nodded. “I was afraid you’d say that. He gets it every few months. But the antibiotics don’t seem to work anymore.”

“Have you ever been advised to get Jake’s tonsils removed?”

“Well, sure. He’s on the waiting list, but they told us it would be a while until it’s his turn.” Sherry rubbed her temple. If she wasn’t such a loser in life, Jake wouldn’t have to suffer so much.