Next Patient

Dr. Reynolds stood as his new patient stepped into his office. The middle aged blonde took it all in as she reached out a hand to him. He smiled as he took her hand and shook her it.

"Dr. Reynolds." She said with a pleasant tone.

"Mrs Summers." He nodded at her, "A pleasure."

They disengaged and both sat. Dr. Reynolds steepled his hands in front of him and met the blonde eyes, "Now, how would you like to begin Mrs. Summers?"

"Joyce, please." She said with a small wince. "And I leave that up to you, you are the doctor after all."

"Well, lets start with the pain you just displayed. Can you tell me whats happening?" Dr. Reynolds asked.

Joyce groaned and put a hand to her temple as she closed her eyes. "I am having terrible headaches. Just stabbing pain behind my eyes."

"Headache or Migraine?" He asked.

Joyce kept her eyes closed and shrugged her shoulders. "All I know is my head hurts."

"Sensitive to light? To loud noises?" He asked.

"Very." Joyce answered.

"I see. Probably migraines then." Dr. Reynolds nodded and looked down at the history and the chart that was done today for his new patient. He made a show out of going thru them as his patient opened her eyes and stared at him. "You'll forgive me but I dont have your file memorized. I dont recall a history of migraines."

"This is new." Joyce answered.

"Have there been a new changes in your life? Stressors that would, well, stress you out?"

Joyce snorted. "Where to begin.... lets see... my oldest just started her second year of college and she is a handful and a half, my youngest is being a typical teenager going thru highschool, my ex has disappeared and doesnt pay his alimony any more, my business is in a downturn which combined together makes me wince whenever it comes time to pay my mortage and then my last.... Well, never you mind that last bit."

Dr. Reynold cleared his throat. "I think I would like to know that last bit. It might be nothing or it might be something. Whatever it is, I assure I have heard it all before or at least something like it. I promise you wont shock me. I'm your doctor and I'm only effective when you tell me everything. "

Joyce sagged forward, her shoulders slumping. "My last date lasted barely a half hour as the man all but ran away when we got to the part of discussing our backgrounds and I told him I was a single mother of two girls."

Dr. Reynolds blinked at that and shook his head. "Well, more fool him then, Mrs. Summers."

She let out a sharp bark of a laugh. "Thank you Doctor."

After a minute of silence he thumped his hand on his desk as an idea occured. He had an idea and he was pretty sure he had a hook to sell it with. Dr. Reynolds gave Joyce a small winning smile, "Now, lets focus on your head and how to help it. After we get you feeling like a million bucks maybe we can do something to help your lovelife."

Joyce again laughed as she straightened out her posture and leaned forward, "Wont that be nice."

"There are various medications to treat migraines. Several would be covered by your insurance." He said as he studied her file.

"Thats good."

"On the other hand," Dr. Reynolds pulled a file out of a drawer in his desk, "We can perhaps kill two birds with one stone."

At Joyces inquisitive noise he continued. He opened the file and began making a show out of looking it over as he flipped through pages.

"We can hopefully treat what ails you and make you a little extra money. Currently my office is working with a **** company on a clinical trial for various different medications. One such is a pill to treat migraines. If you are amenable to joining the trial you would get paid for taking the medication and noting any possible side effects, if any." Dr. Reynolds reached back into the same drawer the file came from and pulled out a medicine bottle of little pink pills.

"A human guinea pig." Joyce sounded derisive about the idea.

"A paid human guinea pig that should hopefully be pain free." Dr. Reynolds said with with a smile.

"Are there any side effects?" Joyce asked.

Dr. Reynolds cleared his throat and leaning forward he cupped a hand around his mouth as if to hide it and when he spoke he lowered his voice, playing up sharing secrets as much as he could, "You didnt hear it from me, hush- hush and secrets, dont you know, but sudden euphoria has been noted to be a possible side effect for some."

Joyce blinked and canted her head to the side, "Euphoria?"

"Just sudden on set happiness after taking the pill in some cases. It was described to me as a very pleasant case of the giggles that lasted for over an hour." He nodded his head and sat back in his chair.

Joyce nodded her head back at him as she thought that over. "And what all would this entail? Me being part of the trial?"

"There is paperwork of course, from the comapny, from me and eventually from you. Records need keeping. After all the paperwork to make you part of the trial you'll be provided a notebook to keep track of anything that happens... that means anything, by the by, if your breasts feel tender one day and they dont normally you will have to make a note of it. Its embarrassing and is probably nothing, but its better to know then not know." He explained and pretended not to see Joyce's cheeks go pink.

"You will be provided a months worth of pills. You will take one little pink pill a day. You will make notes of anything that happens. You will have a weekly visit here at the office where we check your vitals and what have you. You will be paid weekly. At the end of the month we can see if you wish to contiue with the trial or if you would rather change to an alternative medication."

Joyce sighed and leaned back in her chair, "And how much would I be paid for being a lab rat?"

"250 dollars a week. The average is usually somewhere in the 100 to 150 range. The company I'm partnering with is hoping a more generous pay out will encourage more participants to participate and more honest feedback." Dr. Reynolds explained.

"How generous." Joyce murmurred.

He splayed his hands, "It is what it is. Commerce is commerce. What can you do."

Joyce grunted softly in reply and again closed her eyes and massaged her temples.

Dr. Reynolds pursed his lips and got up and went to the mini fridge in his office and took out a bottled water, next he opened a drawer in his desk and grabbed something. Dr. Reynolds slowly reached both hands out with a small sealed packet of advil in one and bottled water in the other, "Joyce, if I may, how much do the monthly bills stress you out."

She looked at what was offered and took it. She used her teeth to rip the advil open and quickly washed it down with water.

"Now that will be fifty bucks for the advil and water." Dr Reynolds said jokingly.

Joyce snorted.

"But seriously, Joyce there is a referral fee or a finders fee, if you prefer, for recommending healthy subjects that could be part of the clinical trials." Dr. Reynolds said conspiratorially. "If your two daughters would participate they would both be paid as long as they are of age and you would recieve a finder fee. If they have friends or if you have friends that are in good health they might also be eligible for the trials."

Joyce blew out a breath she'd been holding and leaned back in her chair. Running a hand thru her long hair she she finally nodded her head. Forcing a smile she looked at Dr. Reynolds. "Okay. Lets do this. Whats the worst that could happen, right?"

"Thats the spirit." Dr. Reynold sat back in his chair and started pulling out paperwork.