Contents
Chapter 1
Overview
Two years before the shooting, dermatologist Dr. Charlotte McKenna manages an embarrassing fungal case compassionately under tight time quotas. She then examines attorney Clark Douglas’s benign mole; he flirts and seeks a date. Charlotte refuses to date patients but teases a three-month window, signaling a potential future connection.
Summary
Set two years before the shooting, Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a New York dermatologist, examines Mr. Leroy’s groin rash in a cramped office while nurse Jessica stands by to deter inappropriate behavior. Charlotte diagnoses a straightforward fungal infection that should have been handled by primary care, prescribes antifungal cream, and offers brief reassurance as Mr. Leroy becomes tearful over his recent divorce and weight gain.
Pressed by her boss Roger’s strict time quotas, Charlotte moves to the next patient: Clark Douglas, a strikingly handsome attorney presenting a small, clearly benign mole on his back. Despite his lack of modesty, she remains professional, explains there is no need for a biopsy, and prepares to conclude the visit.
Clark pivots to flirtation, asking if Charlotte can date patients. She declines on principle. After playful back-and-forth about time limits, she jokes that he could ask again in three months. Clark leaves cheerful with the hint of future interest, while Charlotte privately doubts she will ever see him again.
Who Appears
- Dr. Charlotte McKennaDermatologist narrator; diagnoses jock itch, manages quotas, resists but entertains flirtation from a handsome patient.
- Clark DouglasThirty-eight-year-old attorney with a benign mole; openly flirts and secures a tentative three-month future ask.
- Mr. LeroyObese patient with groin fungus; misused medication, becomes tearful after divorce; reassured and treated.
- JessicaNurse assisting Charlotte; helps maintain boundaries and offers light humor during exams.
- RogerClinic boss emphasizing speed and quotas, shaping Charlotte’s rushed schedule.