"Doctor Crandell, the patient is ready to see you," said a young nurse, as he tried unsuccessfully to hide a grin.
"What's so funny, Carl?" asked the middle aged doctor curiously, as he approached the door to the examination room.
"You'll see," the nurse replied with a chuckle.
Sitting on the exam table was a tall brunette, holding what looked like most of a roll of paper towels on her right leg. The slender middle aged woman seemed more embarrassed than frightened, despite the blood having entirely soaked the paper towels.
"What's the problem, Ma'am?" Doctor Crandell asked.
"Can't you just treat me?" she asked, as she pulled off the makeshift bandages. Displaying three rather deep punctures, she looked at him imploringly.
"I really do need to know what happened," replied the doctor firmly.
"It's stupid... I was walking in the park, and I saw this huge pile of leaves. When I was a kid, I always used to jump in them, every time I could get by with it," she said, blushing.
"Let me guess, nobody was around, so you decided to go for it - and found a rake?" he asked, trying to suppress a chuckle.
"Yes," she admitted. As she did so she laughed, despite the pain.
"I think I can safely say that you have an excellent chance at making a full recovery. Just try to stay away from invisible rakes in the future," said Doctor Crandell, as he wrapped her leg.
"Thank you, Doctor. I can assure you that I won't be trying that again," she replied sincerely.
Several months later, Doctor Crandell was strolling in the park. As he made his way past the frozen lake, he heard a cry of pain.
"She needs help! I think it's broken," shouted a woman. Several other people who had been ice-skating rushed over, and soon there was a small crowd.
Abandoning his morning walk, the doctor went over to investigate. "I know you," he said in surprise, as he looked at the brunette who had found a rake the hard way.
"I must say, you have excellent timing," she smiled.
After being helped to a bench, she took off her skate and sock. "Is it broken?" the woman asked worriedly.
"You'll have to come in for a proper examination to be sure, but I don't think so. It looks like a sprain," he replied.
As it turned out, it was only a sprain, and Debbie Struthers was fine.
One fine spring morning, Doctor Crandell went for a jog in the park. As he turned a corner, he was knocked flat on his back.
When he came to, Debbie Struthers was leaning over him. "Doctor Crandell, are you alright?!?!" she asked, clearly flustered.
"Uh... I think so. What happened?" he asked, rubbing his head.
"I was rollerblading, and I didn't see you in time. I'm so sorry," she apologized as she helped him up.
"Ah. We really must stop meeting this way, one day you're bound to break something that I can't fix," he teased.
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," she said.
"No problem, I was only joking," he assured her.
Relieved, she brushed herself off. After being assured yet again that she hadn't injured the doctor, she continued with her morning exercise.
"She really is a beautiful woman - and certainly not boring. If I see her again, maybe I'll ask for her number," thought Doctor Crandell, as he walked down the path.
"That was the best Fourth Of July parade in years," thought the doctor several months later, as he strolled through the park, towards an ice cream vendor.
"What will it be, Uncle Sam?" asked the young woman who was running the cart.
"Huh? Oh, no, that was for the parade, he said laughing, as he removed a white goatee.
The woman laughed as well, then both of them heard a blood-curdling scream.
Doctor Crandell raced towards the source of the noise, and saw a woman flailing in the lake.
Diving in, shoes and all, he dragged her out - while she kept a death grip on a rather heavy bicycle.
"Thank you, Doctor Crandell! I thought I was going to lose my bike for sure," panted Debbie Struthers, after both she and the doctor coughed up several mouthfuls of pond-water.
"Your bike? From the way you were screaming and splashing, I was under the impression that you couldn't swim," he replied curiously, after resting another minute.
"Oh no, I'm an exceptionally strong swimmer. Just not quite strong enough to keep afloat with a heavy antique bicycle," she explained.
"Didn't it occur to you to let go of the bike?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's the bike my great grandfather used to travel home with, when he promised to be there for Christmas. It took him two hundred miles, in the dead of winter," she explained.
"Fascinating... I can see why you would want to keep it. Exactly how did it - and you - end up in the pond?" asked the doctor. By this time, he was unsuccessfully attempting to stifle a laugh.
"I was waiting for a call from my mom, and the phone rang right when I was approaching the place where the path forks off to that little canoe dock. I forgot to turn, and went in at full speed," she replied, as she stared at her toes.
"We certainly need to stop meeting this way. How about dinner at Violet's instead? I think that should be fairly safe," he chuckled.
"That sounds wonderful, Doctor Crandell. I can assure you, I'm not usually so accident prone," she replied happily.
"I must disagree, you are the most accident prone person I have ever met. Perhaps in history! But it's time you stopped calling me Doctor Crandell, the name's Jack," he said, smiling.
Cover image made in Canva Pro using their gallery