Patricia Johns

I am a dentist coward. I hate going to the dentist–loathe it! Unfortunately I had one tooth that continually gave me trouble, and when there was no other choice, I had to go in and get it taken out. In order to calm my nerves, they prescribed me one Ativan pill. (Which is supposed to reduce anxiety, make you feel a little sleepy, and sometimes has the side effect of having you forget entire conversations.)

So I went in suitably doped up, had the procedure done and promptly forgot half of the conversation the dentist had with me. So when I looked into my mouth and saw something awful (I’ll spare you–the details aren’t important), I called the dentist in a panic.

Him: “Don’t you remember when I showed you the X-ray and I said blah, blah, blah?”

Me: “No. Are you sure you told me that?”

Him: “Yes.”

Me: “Oh. I’m terribly sorry. I don’t remember that.”

Him. “Heh. Okay, I’ll explain again…” Which he did. “Come in Monday and I can take a look.”

So I went back in Monday, begging for more antibiotics, and the dental assistants were gently teasing me.

DA: “Did you need an Ativan to get in here today?”

Me: “Nope. No one is going to poke me with anything. I’m good.”

So the dentist came in and peered into my mouth and said, “Hm… It’s actually looking really good. There’s just a little bit of food stuck in the wound. Let me take care of that…”

Then my watch rang. It was Mr. Johns calling to see how I was doing. I had to just cancel the call, murmured, “Sorry about that, my husband…” So I leaned back into the chair, and the dentist picked up (I kid you not!) a large, sharp hook and went back into my sore, wounded, healing mouth…

And THAT is why I need an Ativan to go to the dentist!

Long story short, I’m healing up. He didn’t actually stab me with the large, sharp hook, and I have more antibiotics on hand to help me on my way.

So that is what I’ve been up to while writing. I MUCH prefer writing love stories, and I’m happy to settle back in with my characters. That’s quite enough real life for me.

I’m happy to help you avoid real life stresses, too! Take a look through my books–maybe you’ll find your next read! You never know. Real life is highly overrated. 😉

Happy reading!

❤