Ordinary Day [Open]

[Dr. Owen Roberts]

It was a brisk morning in Vermont, and Dr. Owen Roberts could be found jogging around the town. Alongside the handsome doctor was a young golden retriever, keeping up with his master. Owen enjoyed the early morning runs, they always got out his pent up energy and it was a great way to start the day. He would usually run around town for 15 minutes before running back to his clinic. Once at his clinic, you could find him stretching and driving back to his home in the woods.

Owen would then go through his customary morning. Feed the dog, take a shower, drink coffee and eat an apple, get dressed, load the dog into the car, drive back into town, and open the clinic. He didn't always bring his dog with, depending on who was going to be at the clinic today. But Duke hated being left alone, so he usually chilled in Owen's office during the day. Lunch break would bring a walk for Duke and another cup of coffee along with a sandwich for Owen. He was pretty used to his routine. Right now he was still looking for a front desk clerk, but he could handle the business on his own. It wasn't as bounding and large as some would think.

The clinic was closed and Owen was sitting outside, drinking his coffee and picking at a sandwich. Duke lay on the cold concrete, panting happily. Owen was bundled up in a Northface jacket and a pair of jeans. He watched the people walking past him, and nodded at a few people he knew. Today was just a run of the mill day and Owen wasn't expecting any excitement. He had a few colds to send home and a sinus infection. It was a good morning in his mind, but he never expected to get anything all that exciting.

He had almost become a surgeon and there were days he wish he had. He had been accepted into a Neuro fellowship, but he had declined and went a different direction. Owen always wondered what would have become of his life if he had gone a different direction. Maybe Leslie would have actually married him.

He sighed and took another sip of his coffee, giving a piece of meat to Duke. The snow wasn't accumulating too much yet, but Owen was already crabby about it. He hated seeing the ground white, but that's what he got for loving a town in northern Vermont. He glanced at his watch and knew he had to be heading back to the clinic soon. He had an appointment in a half an hour and he needed to get the room ready for them. Normally, he would had a trained front desk clerk doing that for him, but he had to do it for now.

He dropped the remaining of his sandwich into the garbage and started to head back to re-open the clinic. He still had to run to the post office sometime today to pick up the supplies he ordered. He let out another sigh and started to dig his keys out of his pocket.

[Haven Kensington]

Haven hated the doctor. Ever since she was little, she hated going to the place. Though it was necessary she didn’t have to like it. Lately she had been having a very upset stomach, accompanied with the occasional throw up and a red raw throat. Haven had to wonder if she had caught something from Abby, which was very possible. The poor woman was so ill. Maybe Haven’s initial guess at her being pregnant was wrong.

No matter, Haven knew that wasn’t what was wrong with her, so she took the day off and made her way to the doctors. It’s better to do this today and start feeling better then to have to deal with something much worse come time for final exams.

Ever the punctual one, she was early, by about a half hour but she didn’t mind sitting in the waiting room. But when she arrived, the clinic appeared empty. Haven sat in her car a moment, not wanting to face the chill if she didn’t have to. She checked her watch. Perhaps it was lunch time?

That was when she saw a man and a dog approach the building, a man with keys.

Haven turned off her car and approached the door, and the man unlocking the door. “Hello,”

[Dr. Owen Roberts]

Owen dropped his keys in surprise and Duke started wiggling in excitement for another person. He commanded the dog to sit and grabbed the keys from the ground. He glanced over to the woman, "Uh, hi. The clinic will be opened up in just a minute."

He had an appointment with someone and he needed to get ready for that patient, but he didn't mind trying to squeeze a walk-in in. Besides, that just meant some more money for him. He'd have to work quickly in setting up two rooms though, if that were the case. God, he really needed a secretary. He glanced over his shoulder again, looking at the woman. "What can I help you with?"

She probably didn't realize he was the doctor. After all, he was too good looking and too under dressed for normal doctor standards. He smirked to himself at that thought and wondered if she was checking out his ass. After all, the jeans he pulled on this morning were his great ass jeans.

Finally the lock clicked and Owen swung the door open. Duke scampered in and ran to Owen's office. Owen waited for the woman to walk in and smiled at her, closing the door behind. The heater kicked in when they walked in, and the small furnace rumbled to life.

[Haven Kensington]

Haven wondered who this man was, but seeing that he was opening the door, she assumed he was the doctor. He looked quite young and was dressed casually for a doctor. She felt her cheeks flush when she realized where she had been looking. Haven couldn’t deny he was handsome. He was probably much younger than her, woes her.

“I’m sorry…” She said as they walked in. “I didn’t call.” She hoped he could hear her voice and determine what was wrong. “I had to come in. I’ve been sick and it’s not getting any better.” She knew how doctors hated when a patient self-diagnosed, even though she was almost positive it was a bacterial infection so she listed the symptoms. “Sore throat, vomiting, upset stomach.”

Being her sucker-self for animals she couldn’t help herself and bent down to the dog. “He’s cute. Can I pet him?”

[Dr. Owen Roberts]

Owen smiled and shook his head at her, "No need to call. I can squeeze you in. Just give me one second. And of course you can pet Duke, he loves people." He bustled into the nearest room and set it up for a patient. She wasn't feeling well and had come to him for help. This was his life's work and he loved it. After getting the room set up in just a few minutes, Owen opened the door.

Duke was on his back, tongue hanging out and tail wagging. Owen smirked, familiar with Duke's antics. He was the perfect dog for Owen, a lady killer of a dog. Owen whistled at Duke, who quickly scampered away into Owen's private office. It was time for patients, not dog loving. He ushered the woman into the room and had her sit on the exam table. He took down her name and basic information before beginning.

Owen went through the usual steps, temperature, checking the ears and throat, feeling for abdominal tenderness, etc. "Does it hurt here, or here?" He pressed where her appendix was and where gallstones would be found. He needed to make sure it wasn't either of those before he could move on. He moved to make some notes in his chart, thinking over the possible diagnosis.

It could be many different things, but he wasn't going to jump to any conclusions. Her sore throat could be from the vomiting, depending on how often she has been throwing up. He turned to her and set his hands on his knees.

"Well, it could be a lot of things, Haven. I do need to ask a few more questions. Which came first, the vomiting or the sore throat? How long has it been since your last menstruation? Has anything changed in your diet? Have you noticed any changes in the color of your urine? When was the last time you had a bowel movement?" Yes, the questions could be awkward sometimes, but they were important for Owen figuring out what was wrong. He didn't want to miss anything.