Divine Charity(Divine Creek Ranch 18)(22)

Charity smiled. Justine usually rode home from school with Beau in his truck after practice every day. Her level-headed daughter didn’t ask for favors unless it was important. She sighed, knowing that the time was drawing near for a little talk. Maybe they’d go for a treat that afternoon. Charity might be able to coax it out of her with soft-serve ice cream and hot fudge.

She slipped in through the employee entrance door. The receptionist grinned at her when she handed her the takeout box from Rudy’s and said, “Thank you for picking something up for me.” Charity slid her purse into her locker, washed her hands, and then returned to the office. The receptionist slid two forms across the counter and said, “You’ve got a client waiting.”

Charity lifted the forms, read the name twice, and then opened the door that led out to the waiting room. “Presley Ann.”

No one moved at first and she scanned the heads in chairs and spotted the blonde in the corner, facing the front windows, sitting alone. She glanced at the tests requested on the forms and schooled her reaction.

We’ve got babies just popping up all over the place lately. I sure didn’t see this one coming.

She walked over to where Presley Ann Woodworth sat and perched on the edge of the cushioned chair next to her. The pretty blonde was staring out the window. Her face was ghostly white and her eyes were vacant and bloodshot. Tear tracks marred her otherwise perfect makeup. “Presley Ann? Want to come on back with me?”

Presley Ann blinked and turned to her. “Huh? Oh. Sorry.” She sniffled and rose from the seat and slung her designer bag over her shoulder. Her confident front was belied by the way she teetered momentarily in her heels and Charity put out a hand to catch her in case she passed out. She directed Presley Ann to a seat in a private client room.

Presley Ann placed her arm where Charity directed her to and went through the motions as Charity prepared to draw blood to test for hCG, RPR, HIV and Alpha Fetal Protein. Tests normally performed early in pregnancy. Presley Ann looked off into the distance and didn’t even flinch when Charity did the venipuncture.

All Charity knew about Presley Ann was what she’d been told, and what she had observed about her bizarrely immature people skills. Intuition told her there was more to this young woman than anyone saw. She didn’t doubt Lydia Carlisle’s assessment of Presley Ann. She just thought there was more to the story.

Presley Ann gulped and sniffled as she looked off into the distance and Charity observed her become even paler as she switched out the glass vials one at a time, taking care to not inflict any additional pain.

“Presley Ann, did you eat lunch before coming in to have blood drawn?”

Drawing her attention back to Charity, Presley Ann looked up at her and Charity clucked sympathetically as her blue eyes rolled back and she passed out. She kept her from falling out of the chair and gently leaned her toward the padded arm and reached for a smelling salts ampule and broke it open. After she came to, Charity reached for a Wintergreen candy from the dish she kept filled just for such an event.

Presley Ann moaned and Charity quietly asked, “Are you diabetic?”

“Huh? No.”

“Open up, honey. I’m going to give you something that’ll help. I have a feeling you just gave me most of your blood sugar if you didn’t eat or drink anything before coming here. Better?”

Presley Ann whimpered and sucked on the candy. “What happened?”

“You passed out.” She handed her a paper cup filled with water. “Drink all of that.”

Presley Ann tipped the cup and drank every drop and asked for another after Charity was finished and had placed a bandage on her arm.

“Thank you. I didn’t realize…”

“It creeps up on you like that.”

Presley peered at Charity as she handed her the cup and then eyed the forms on the counter. “You won’t say anything, will you? I mean, I know people in small towns gossip. Soon enough everyone will know. I guess that should be the least of my worries.”

Charity patted her shoulder and said, “You stay put until you feel ready to stand up. And no, I won’t say a word. You’re covered under the Patient Privacy Act but…I’d never say anything even if that wasn’t the case. Everyone gossiped about my husband and me when we got married. They thought I was pregnant right out of high school graduation. We proved them wrong but it still hurt. I’d never do that.”

After a couple of minutes, during which she was almost painfully quiet, Presley Ann seemed to gather herself and stood. She looked down at her heels. “I hate these things.”