Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (156 page)

As
she
suppressed
a
giggle,
a
young
doctor
stepped
into
the
room.
“Kenzie?”

“Yes.”

With
great
effort,
Aggie
managed
to
stifle
a
snicker.
The
hero-worship
Kenzie
had
once
reserved
for
William
seemed
to
have
instantaneously
transferred
to
the
man
now
asking
her
to
move
her
arm.
“Can
you
lift
it
up?”

Pigtails
whipped
Kenzie’s
face
as
she
shook
her
head.
“Hurts.”

“Can
you
put
it
down?”

She
tried
,
but
pulled
it
close
to
her
chest
again.
“Nuh
uh.”

“I
think
we
need
x-rays.”

“Do
they
hurt?”

“Not
too
bad.
The
x-rays
themselves
don’t
hurt,
but
yo
u
might
have
to
hold
your
arm
out
for
a
second.
We’ll
see
what
Jan
says.
She
might
be
able
to
get
you
lying
down.
We’ll
bring
in
the
machine
and
see.”

He
turned
to
Aggie
and
pointed
to
the
door.
“May
I
speak
to
you
for
a
moment?”

“Of
course.
I’ll
be
right
outside,
Kenzie.”

The
doctor
signaled
the
nurse
who
had
helped
them
in
and
she
disappeared
down
the
hall.
“We
just
have
a
few
questions
that
aren’t
on
the
form.
Um,
what
happened
again?”

“We
were
at
the
ice
rink
and
she
was
skating
with
a
walker.”

“A
walker?”

“Yes.
Luke—he’s
my
fiancée—bought
walkers
for
the
twins
and
Kenzie
at
a
thrift
store
so
they’d
have
a
bit
of
stability
until
they
got
used
to
the
ice.”

“Twins?
You
have
other
children?”

Frustrated,
Aggie
pointed
to
the
paperwork.
“If
someone
would
take
that,
it’d
explain
a
lot.
I
have
eight
kids,
Dr.—”
she
stared
at
his
nametag.
“—Singh.
All
of
them
nieces
and
nephews.”

“Will
her
parents—”

“Who
are
dead,
no.
They
won’t
be
coming.
I’m
their
guardian.
Again,
this
is
in
the
paperwork
that
no
one
has
come
to
get
yet.
Perhaps
you’d
like
to
call
the
clinic
in
Brant’s
Corners.
Dr.
Schuler
is
familiar
with
my
kids.
Someone
seems
to
try
to
give
me
premature
gray
hairs
at
least
once
a
month.
It’s
an
improvement,”
she
added
as
she
saw
him
begin
to
protest
that
she
must
be
exaggerating.
“It
used
to
be
weekly.”
Another
sigh
escaped
before
she
was
aware
it
had
formed.
“I
can’t
seem
to
catch
a
break.”

“Looks
like
she
did.”

She
managed
a
weak
smile
and
nodded.
“I
think
I
could
do
without
breaks.”

“And
they
are
out
of
school
because…”

“P.E.
for
today—ice
skating.
We
homeschool.”

The
man
nodded
but
didn’
t
seem
satisfied.
He
scribbled
notes
on
his
clipboard
and
then
tucked
his
pen
in
his
pocket.
“If
you
don’t
mind
my
asking,
how
old
are
you?”