Paul looked so amazed. It was as if he had just watched Yolanda perform magic rather than medicine. It made both Jude and Alfred chuckle.
"Ms. Henderson, it's almost lunchtime. What would you like to eat? I'll have it arranged right away."
Alfred did not know how to properly thank Yolanda. After all, her acupuncture had essentially saved his life. He felt that money alone would not be appropriate. He caught Jude's eye with a meaningful look.
Jude understood immediately and began arranging lunch for Yolanda. It would not be proper to send a doctor away right after treatment anyway. He turned to Asher and Paul's group as well. "All of you should join us."
Paul felt that he had not been of any help, so he declined apologetically. He said he had other commitments and left. Asher saw the group out before returning. Yolanda considered for a moment before telling Alfred, "My clinic is quite busy these days, so I'll have to skip lunch."
Seeing both Alfred and Jude's desire to have her stay, she added, "I'll come back to check on your pulse again in a few days."
Noting her firm stance, Alfred did not insist. He asked Jude to see her out of the Kaufman residence. Jude offered to drive her himself, but Yolanda turned him down too. In the end, a Kaufman family driver took her to Willow Creek Clinic.
Her comment about the clinic being busy was not an excuse. During this transition between spring and summer, there were many patients with colds and allergies. Even their preventive cold medicine had not been enough to ward off the flu season. Recently, there seemed to be even more patients coming in with cold symptoms.
As Yolanda got out of the Kaufmans' car, she was about to enter the clinic when she heard someone calling her name.
"Yolanda! Yolanda!" She turned to see Winnie and a middle-aged woman standing across the street.
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