“Well, look around, Doc. We got kids in all the rooms and they are all jumping up and down, and I am down two nurses, and to top it off, I still have to go pick up my dress for your Kristen Foundation event tonight. And I need to fix my hair.”
“I’m sorry about your day, Doris,” Shelly said. “But tonight will be fun. The band has a great funk sound.” Doris looked up at her and Shelly got the smile she was looking for.
She and Dr. Wall had created the Kristen Foundation to help raise funds for research programs at St. Theresa’s. Launched when Shelly graduated from medical school at the University of Florida, the fund had raised close to five million dollars. “With any luck, we may be able to buy that new centrifuge machine this year,” Shelly said. “And some playground equipment.”
Wall perked up. “Let’s just concentrate on the little guys in their rooms now, shall we?”
Shelly leaned in toward Doris as she collected her files and messages. “You are going to look great tonight. Are you bringing anybody?”
“Are you kidding?” Doris blurted out. “We have everybody who’s anybody in Atlanta going to be there and I’m going to bring some guy? I’m fishing for my man, which is what you should be doing, too, darling.”
Up to now, Shelly had avoided dating. She had focused solely on working with her kids.
"From the movers and the shakers of Atlanta to the CEO of UPS,” Doris continued. “And you know I looked at the guest list and saw that Nick Harris is going to be there. That’s a fine hunk of man, baby.”
Shelly gathered up her charts and looked at Doris. “Thanks for the tip, but how does he matter to my kids? I’d love a check from him like anyone else, but other than that, no thanks.”
“Look, the man is a successful businessman, a nice picture to look at … who knows, you might get lucky!"
“I believe it would be he who would be lucky,” said Wall, “and Shelly, if I were you, I would avoid him like the plague. From what I hear he is a bit of a man about town, and you don’t need that.”
“Tell you what, Doris,” Shelly said. “If you have an opportunity
to go out with him, you do it and tell us all about it.”