Is there a doctor in the house?

Over the last few days Ben has been increasingly showing those familiar signs of an ear infection. Today we decided it was time to take him into town to get him checked out as we are flying back to Oklahoma on Sunday and did not want to cut it too close if he needed an antibiotic. So we drive to the strip mall in Arnold, to the Mark Twain St. Johns Medical Clinic. When we walk in, we are informed that they, in fact, do not take walk-ins. My first thought is, um, do you realize that you are located in a strip mall? That is a universal truth, strip mall clinic=walk in. Either way, we make an appointment for later in the day and then head back to the cabin. On the way, we see another medical practice and decide to stop in the case they have an earlier appointment. John runs in and asks if they take walk-ins. With no attempt to hide her annoyance, she tells him that perhaps he should try the clinic in the strip mall. See! When we made it back for our appointment, we waited in the lobby for an hour while the receptionists laughed and carried on. Nothing about it said "trust the health care we are about to provide you". One lady was railing into some guy who typed a wrong code into a machine. An overweight nurse is running back and forth talking about the internet working in the back room. Someone is testing one of those cardiac arrest machines that keeps repeating the phrase "you can now call for help, you can now call for help". The two receptionists are laughing back and forth and clearly oblivious to my stares intended to show my discontent. I would have understood if the place was packed with patients, but we were the only ones in the entire place. When we finally did get taken back, I could hear them scrambling outside our door about two positive strep B tests and if anyone knew they were positive and trying to get the kids back in the office. We are, of course, in the same exam room they used earlier, so I look at John and say, don't touch anything. When the doctor finally arrived everything went smoothly. She was a kiwi and I am not sure why but her accent immediately put me at ease. Ben is on medicine and will hopefully be feeling better by the time Sunday rolls around. All I know is that I have never been more thankful for Mercy Health Edmond than I am today.