by Rae Daniel
“What?”
He holds his hand out expectantly. “I’m not asking twice.”
“Okay, okay. Here.”
“You’ll get it back in the morning. Now let's get you into that shower.”
Did he seriously just take my phone like a protective father?
He continues his bossy streak by shuffling me to the bathroom where the nurse has laid out all the items I need. He then drops the seat that is in the shower stall making it to where I don’t have to worry about falling while washing up.
“I want you to sit on that seat and shower for no more than five minutes, If I have to hold you down so you won’t stand, I will.”
His bossiness is sort of pissing me off but it makes me wonder at the same time. Can a connection be made like that? I’ve not stopped thinking of him since the moment I laid eyes on him and I had my own jealous streak appear as well. Has the same happened to him? Lord, what I wouldn’t give to be able to read that man’s mind right now.
As I turn around and begin to lift up my shirt I notice he’s still in the room staring a hole through me. His eyes wander slowly down my chest, to the line of exposed skin showing between my shirt and pants.
“Don’t move too quickly or you may faint.”
“Please don’t make me strip down completely naked in front of you. I’m no model.”
“Anne, you are beautiful. You don’t have to be a model to be beautiful. I won’t judge. I’m here only to help. Now come on, let's get you showered and situated so the nurses can get your IV hooked back up.”
Why, oh why, isn’t a Nurse helping me with this?
Determined not to show him I’m a bit freaked out I watch him as he turns the water. He then slowly starts to disconnect my IV unit, being careful to cap the ends off so that they don’t get water or germs in them. I’ve closed my eyes for some reason and now feel him lifting up my shirt the rest of the way, making it now clearly evident that I am not wearing a bra. I hear him quickly inhale a small breath.
I scramble to cover myself up again. “Shit, I’m sorry I totally forgot.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. We’re almost done. Keep moving but don’t bend your right arm too much. The IV is still in there and we don’t want to mess that up.”
As the cold air hits my chest I can feel the goosebumps coming on. I hate the cold. I am cold all the time. Even during the summer, I am cold.
Now the freezing hospital air has begun assaulted my skin, it’s started to attack my nipples.
Those bitches.
My pink tips are standing at their utmost attention like their damn friggin boss is in the room and that they’d be told to “drop and give him twenty” if they didn’t stand on their tippy toes.
I open my eyes only slightly and find him him moving down to my shoes. One by one he slips off my sneakers and socks then moves to my pants, resting his hands on my hips.
“Anne, open your eyes.”
I slowly open them to see him staring right back at me. His sky blue eyes are now more a stormy blue but they are still so clear that it’s freaking gorgeous.
“You’re beautiful, don’t ever let anyone tell you differently. Now, I’m going to be taking your pants and underwear off next. I’ll need you to keep your eyes open and place your hands on my shoulders. We don’t want you to fall.”
I slowly reach out and put my hands on his shoulders. It’s useless to fight him at this point. I’m just too damn tired. Lowering my hands down, I gently place them on his super strong shoulders. His muscles twist and bunch under my touch and I can only think of how those muscles continue to stretch over his broad back and down his spine.
“Good girl.”
He then gently pulls at my sweatpants and underwear, setting them aside with all my other pieces of clothing.
Please God tell me I put on clean panties this morning.
Taking my hand he makes no mention of my unmentionables as he leads me into the shower. I hope and pray that he doesn’t catch a glimpse of my ass. It’s not my strong suit. But thankfully he is a true gentleman as he continues to walk me into the shower.
Let the fun begin.
Jim
I don’t know who the Italian Stallion is in her room, but he is never going to come back if I have anything to say about it. I just about lost my shit when I heard him say that she was “My sweet, loving, beautiful Anne.” I’ve dated plenty of women in the past and have never had one ounce of a possessive nature in me. I don’t know where this is coming from now, and for a patient at that. I’ve got to get this under control.
I’ve got to just stop finding excuses to come to her room. The nurses could have told her “friend” that visiting hours were over but no, I had to do it. I’ve just got to stay away from her, plain and simple. That’s the only way that I can keep my cool and my job at the same time. If any of the higher ups at the hospital, God forbid the hospital administrators, would have seen my behavior, I would have been out on my ass. I can’t afford that.
Chapter Four: Recovery
Anne
Thankfully it’s morning. I made it through the night without dying. Ben has come back to give me a ride home and I can only hope that he is somehow out of the room when Dr. Jim comes back. If he even does come back.
No such luck.
Ben is clucking around me like a hen watching over her chick. I am about to tear my hair out over how much he is pampering me. Breathing slowly in and out to calm myself down, I watch him as he continues to flutter around. How he fluffs my pillow while he is combing my hair out of my face, and washing my forehead down, I’ll never know. I am about to lose it.
“Honey, you have to calm down, I know you want out of here but I can’t fully sweep you off your feet when you are on your deathbed. Now relax so you can get back into full sex kitten mode for me.”
“Ben, you are never getting any sex out of me, and stop fussing with my hair!”
He makes an oomph sound, as I toss my pillow at his stomach.
“That’s right, you keep messing with me and I will punch something else other than your stomach.”
Ben had a mischievous look in his eye.“Promise?”
“You are impossible.”
Just then the doctor saunters in. “You’re good to go.”
“Jesus Doc, you’re a sidler aren’t you?” This gets a chuckle out of Dr. Jim. He’s now in blue scrubs rather than the green from yesterday but they still fit snug to his form and show off those powerful thighs in just the right way.
Damn, I have to stop crushing on my doctor.
Looking at me in confusion the doctor asks, “What’s a sidler?”
“What’s a sidler? Haven’t you ever seen Seinfeld? It’s where Elaine, the main female character, keeps getting scared to death by this guy in her office who comes up behind her and doesn’t make a sound.”
“The guy with the dead tooth.”
“Yes!”
“I should carry around some Tic-Tacs.”
“Only the white ones because the green ones will stain your teeth.”
We both get a little laugh out of that. I have watched Seinfeld for years and as you get farther and farther from the show there are fewer people who remember the great lines that came out of that show. You’ve truly found a friend when you can throw Seinfeld jokes back and forth to each other.
“How is she, Doc?”
Taking a step back Dr. Jim realizes that we aren’t alone. The instant that his eyes find Ben, his go cold and narrow slightly. After his initial reaction he ignores Ben, which is the first time I’ve ever seen him ignored.
“So you’ll be going home today. We had to monitor you for a few additional hours this morning because your fever and blood pressure kept acting up, but everything has returned to normal. I feel that once we get you all of your meds you should be able to manage the rest at home.”
Thank the Lord!
“Thanks, Doc. What do I need to do next?”
As he finishes telling
me all about my post-hospital activities and what to look out for, I feel my attention waning. I move my eyes over his strong shoulders and trim waist. I catch on to the fact that he has stopped talking and now has a smirk on his face. He slowly walks over to my bed and sits down by my knees.
“I believe this is yours.”
My phone. Strange how I didn’t miss it that much. I basically kept glued to the Kindle and read my newest smutty romance all night long. I was in complete heaven.
“Thank you.”
“I programed some numbers in there, including the hospital’s and mine in case anything comes up. Don’t hesitate to call me, Anne. If you feel things are not continuing to improve, call me.” Sitting on the bed, he starts to lean towards me, almost taking my hands. At the last minute he pulls back a bit. “Keep up with the fluids, meds, and rest. You’ll be back to your old self in no time.”
“Thanks again, Doc.”
He continues to look into my eyes and finally decides to pick up my hand. “It was my pleasure.” He gives it a gentle squeeze before he turns for the door. He doesn’t give Ben a sideways glance; he just walks on out.
Damn.
Walking towards me, Ben gives me a little smirk. “That boy has it bad for you.”
“What? You’re crazy.”
“I’m not kidding, that man could not keep his eyes off you the entire time and then last night with his male testosterone showdown. He’s got it bad. I should know, I…”
Ben doesn’t finish his sentence and in a way I am glad that he didn’t. Any lingering feelings that he has for me need to stay hidden. I don’t feel anything romantic towards him and to see him hold on to it, is hard. He’s got to let that go.
Jim
I tried. I really did try to stay away from her. I made it all night long without checking in. I drew the line at letting the nurse discharge her. I had to see her, feel her one last time.
Other than visiting hours restricting him, Ben never left her side. I tried to ignore it, but it got under my skin. I’m definitely glad that she has some wonderful friends looking out for her, though. That says a lot about a person's character.
As I finish the paperwork up for Anne to be discharged, I head towards the nurse’s station almost running into Mark.
“Whoa buddy slow down. You release her already, Doc?”
“Sorry. Hey Mark, yeah. She’s on her way.”
“You get those digits?”
“No, if it’s meant to be I’ll see her again. I can’t violate patient privacy by breaking into her chart and getting her number.” I wasn’t about to tell him that I already programed my cell phone number into her phone. Technically, that wasn’t violating any hospital rules and she willingly gave the phone to me. I also told her upfront what I did when I returned her phone. She didn’t freak out, so I’m good. He just doesn’t need to know that.
“You could have asked her.”
If only it were that simple.
Chapter Five: The Follow-up
Anne
A week has passed and I still cannot get Dr. Jim out of my mind. Visions of his tight scrub clad ass, his mesmerizing blue eyes, and his strong Nordic build keep circling through my head.
I’ve not driven around much since my hospital stay. The antibiotics that they have me on make me beyond dizzy. When a vent turns on, the radio starts to play in my head. Even closing my eyes to escape it all creates brilliant bursts of white lights to where you would think fireworks are going off. I probably should have told the doctor about these symptoms. Either way, I survived and now have to go to my regular doctor’s office so I can get a note to return to work.
It’s warmer outside today. I put on my white shorts, emerald green tank top, and charcoal gray jacket before I head out the door.
Walking into my doctor’s office I spot the check-in nurse, “Hi. I’m here to get a check-up after my bout with pneumonia and sepsis.”
“Morning. Go ahead and sign in. We’ll get you on back in a second. There’s not too many people here today. Should be pretty quick.”
As I thank the nurse and sign in, I’m sad I have no reason to go to the ER. Knowing the crazy hours that doctors work, he probably wouldn’t be on the same schedule anyway. Aside from that, it’s sort of twisted that I’m this depressed about not having a reason to go to the ER.
“Anne? Come on back.”
Snapping out of my daze I follow the nurse as she leads me to the vital station to get my weight and temp, along with my blood pressure which seems to be low to me.
Hmmm, shouldn’t that number be a bit higher?
“How are you feeling today?”
“To be honest, I am exhausted. Walking up here has me worn out.”
“Are you taking it easy?” She raised an eyebrow and inspected the dark circles under my eyes.
“Well…”
“Pneumonia and sepsis are no laughing matter. If you don’t take it easy you can find yourself right back in the hospital before you know it.”
“I’m trying. But with work, it’s a bit hard.”
“Okay, follow me and I’ll take you back to your room. You’ll be seeing Dr. Ross today.”
“Thanks.”
Jamming my hands into my jacket and kicking an invisible rock on the floor, I eye the bed in the exam room with suspicion. I do not want to be back in bed for any reason unless it’s of a sexual nature. Or I guess to actually sleep. Thinking back to Fuck Stick’s performance with my ex-roommate, I know that won’t be happening anytime soon. So, beds are off limits to me. I spent nearly a week in a bed. I don’t want to be anywhere near them for a while.
“Good morning, Ms. Daily. Let’s get you up on the bed.”
Oh. Hell. No.
Not him. Not the man that I’ve had wet dreams about, not the man that I cannot get out of my mind, not the man I’ve thought of while touching myself. Didn’t the nurse say I was seeing Dr. Ross? This is Dr. Jim; this is the wrong guy.
“I think you have the wrong room.”
I have to give him credit; he didn’t completely drop his clipboard when he heard my voice. He only half dropped it and cursed slightly under his breath as he grabbed it mid-air.
Finally getting everything under control he asks, “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here? I’m following your orders to be seen by my regular physician. Since I don’t have a regular physician, I came here. Why are you here?”
“I volunteer here three times a month. Today is my day.”
I roll my eyes and let a frustrated huffing sound. “Well, aren’t I just lucky?”
Turning towards the computer I assume that he is bringing up my file when I notice a small smirk on his face. “You have a bit of a smart mouth on you.”
“I- what?”
“You heard me. Now, let’s get you checked out. How are you feeling?”
Sure I gave him attitude but he’s being a bit of a jerk right now so I mumble out that I’m fine.”
Dr. Jim sets his clipboard down and turns to me before I can even get up to get onto the exam table. In doing so he has completely forgot about the computer and my chart. Since he’s in his swivel chair and I am still in the seat next to the bed he rolls his chair right up to me, taking my cold hands into his warm ones. “Anne, don’t lie to me. The nurse who checked you in says you’re feeling exhausted.”
That rat. Whatever happened to women looking out for each other? “I’m tired yes, but it’s not like I haven’t been before.”
Firmly holding my hand in his, he looks me right in the eye, “Anne, you had a near death experience. If you hadn’t of come to the ER when you did, who knows what would have happened to you.” He moves his other hand to cup my cheek. “Your pneumonia and sepsis came on so quick it would have kept on moving just as fast. You have to take care of yourself.”
My eyes dart back and forth between his and my knees, trying to avoid his direct gaze. I knew that I’d been pushing it, but I didn’t know how serious the whole
ordeal really was.
“I’m sorry. I should have thought of that. There’s always something to do with work. I hate being behind.”
He lowers his hand to my shoulder, squeezing it slightly. “I know. I can completely understand how you feel, but you have to take it easy. No more pushing yourself. I’m going to give you a note that lets you rest for one more week. No work. Do you hear me?”
I bristle at his condescending tone even though I know he means for it to be protective. “I understand, Dr. Jim. Thank you.”
His hand slides down my arm causing goosebumps to pop up. Slowly he takes both of my hands into his, letting the warmth seep into my bones. “Good girl.”
Chapter Six: Girl Talk
Anne
After leaving the doctor’s office, I am a bit off kilter. Sure, it might still be the sickness, but I highly doubt that. It’s more like the hand holding, shoulder squeezing, hottie who has me all tied up in knots. Needing to get out of my head a bit, I call Renee.
“Hey woman, you up for some drinks?”
“Hellz yes. I am so sick of these patients I want to scream. Want to meet at your place and then head to the Green Belly?”
“Yes! See you in thirty.”
Shortly after, Renee meets me at my house and we start to make our way to the downtown part of Richmond. This is what I was looking for, a break, drinks with my best friend, and time spent on something other than fixating on my doctor.
As we head out I put on my light jacket. The Green Belly is a short walk away so we make our trek over the three blocks quickly. It’s a beautiful night out. The heat of the day has cooled down a bit which makes our walk an easy task. As we enter into the casually decorated Mexican restaurant, Renee almost shouts out, “Get me the largest margarita you sell. Stat.”
“Trouble in paradise?”
“Holy shit. You have no idea. We’ve had four patients who refuse to abide by their eating schedule. It ‘s driving me nuts. Why have gastric bypass and not do all that you can to make sure that you don’t end up in the same boat five years from now?”
Renee has such a big heart. She wants to see everyone be happy and healthy, with as much dedication to their overall health as she has. Being a dietitian for one of the best gastric bypass doctors in the state, heck the nation, is no easy thing.