by Holla Dean
Maggie put the other two buns in the fridge and then began to unpack. She hung up her blouses, pants, dresses, and skirts. Jeans, t-shirts, and underwear were folded and put away in the chest of drawers. She put her makeup on the little shelf in the bathroom under the medicine cabinet and set out her soap, shampoo and conditioner on the rack hanging from the shower head.
Within an hour she was done and put her suitcases away in the closet of the other bedroom. She set up her laptop on the little desk and checked her new email. There were two emails from Emily. Frank had still not called Emily to ask if she knew where Maggie was.
Maggie replied, told Emily she was safe and all was well. Maggie was reluctant to tell her friend exactly where she was. If Frank did ask Emily if she knew where Maggie was, it would be better if Emily didn’t have to lie. Maggie wondered if Frank didn’t really care that she had left.
Next, Maggie called her parents. All she told them about her location was that she was in a small town in a western state. She would give them more information later when she felt safe from Frank. It was a long conversation, taking nearly an hour, but she had to keep assuring her mother that she was all right.
Finally, with the morning nearly gone, Maggie got in her SUV and drove around town looking for a grocery store. There was a small one not too far from the cottages and she stopped there and slowly walked up and down the aisles, picking things that would be easy to cook. She bought cans of soup, some cereal, milk, eggs, butter, bread, lunchmeat for sandwiches, and some frozen dinners that she could pop in the microwave. The tiny kitchenette was too small to do any real cooking.
With her cart loaded with enough food to last the week, Maggie headed for the checkout counter. She paused when she felt another wave of dizziness wash over her. Hmm, this isn’t good. Hopefully, I just need more food.
At the checkout, Maggie was digging in her purse to pay for her purchases when she felt dizzy again. She swayed slightly, heard the lady behind the counter ask if she was all right, and then everything went black as she slid to the floor.
When Maggie opened her eyes she knew immediately she was in a hospital. She looked around and saw an extremely handsome doctor standing by her bedside. He had dark blonde hair, gray eyes, and was tall. He looked muscular under his doctor’s coat, with a deep chest and flat abdomen. She guessed him to be about thirty-five years old. Yummy, Maggie thought.
“What happened?” She asked.
“You fainted at the grocery store. Tom Peterson put you in his truck and drove you over here to the clinic.”
“I fainted? Why?”
“I have an idea why. You’re anemic; your blood pressure was low, though it seems to be coming up now. You’re dehydrated, and I think you’re basically just run down. You obviously have not been taking care of yourself, Ms. Mallory.”
Maggie thought he sounded much too stern for such a young doctor. “Well, I’ve been driving for a couple of days so I’ve probably not eaten as well as I should have.”
“I want to know how you got that black eye.”
“Uh, well…I, uh, I walked into a door.” Maggie lied. There was no way she was going to tell a small town doctor her personal business.
Spence looked at his pretty patient and shook his head. “I don’t think so, that’s not the kind of injury a door does. What about your cracked rib? Are you going to tell me the truth? Or would you like me to tell you how I think it happened?”
“It really isn’t any of your business how it happened. It’s been four or five days and it’s not as bad as it was. I’d like to leave now.”
“I’m not releasing you yet. I’d like you to stay overnight for observation. Whoever walloped you did some damage, it might be why you fainted. You might have a torn retina, but there’s too much blood to be able to tell.”
“I don’t want to stay here,” Maggie said. “I’ll just go back to my little cottage and rest there.” She started to get off the bed but felt dizzy again and had to lie back down.
“You won’t be going anywhere, Ms. Mallory,” Spence said. “You’re in no condition to leave so just lean back and rest. I’ll be in later to check on you.”
With that, Doc Spencer left Maggie alone. She was mad now. Who the hell did that overbearing oaf think he was? She’d be fine if she could just get back to her cottage.
Maggie noticed the IV in her arm and looked up at the saline bag hanging from the IV pole. They were hydrating her. She made up her mind to wait until the bag was empty and then she’d remove the IV from her arm and leave the clinic. She’d have to walk back to the cottage since Tom Peterson, whoever he was, had taken her to the clinic.
She napped while waiting for the IV bag to empty. When she woke up again she saw it was empty and sat up. Yes, she did feel better. Maggie removed the tape from her arm and pulled out the needle. She opened a drawer next to her bed and found a Band-Aid to place over the puncture site.
She was still weak, but she didn’t get dizzy as she slowly dressed herself. However, the whole dressing process did exhaust her and she sat down in the chair to rest before she began the walk back to her cottage.
Doctor Robert Spencer, known as Doc Spencer or just Spence, sat in his small office at the clinic and wondered about his reaction to the stranger with the black eye. Even with the bruising and swelling, he could tell she was beautiful. He was surprised how attracted to her he was. He had felt the stirrings of desire when she tried to refuse to follow his orders, and he knew she was mad when he had just walked out expecting her to docilely accept his instructions.
He finished writing up his reports and went to check on his newest patient. When he walked in her room he found her asleep in the chair, dressed as if ready to leave the clinic. Is she stupid? After I told her she might have a torn retina and needs to spend the night here for observation?
Spence woke her up, none too gently. He cleared his throat and loudly said, “Ms. Mallory, wake up!”
Maggie opened her eyes and saw Dr. Spencer looming over her. Shit, I wanted to leave before this buffoon came back.
“Ms. Mallory, please change back into your hospital gown and get back in bed. You are in no condition to be leaving the clinic.”
“You can’t force me to stay here. I want to go back to my cottage, I feel better now and I’ll be fine.”
No one ever refused to follow Doc Spencer’s orders. He had grown up in this town and when he returned after completing medical school to practice here, many of the town’s families came to him for their medical care. They trusted him because he was one of them; they listened to him and did what he told them to. To have this little snippet of a female refuse to follow his orders rubbed him the wrong way.
“Ms. Mallory, you will change back into your gown and get into bed or I will do it for you.”
Maggie had enough. “Doctor, you might be able to order the people of this town around, but I am a nurse practitioner and I know what I’m doing. I am leaving this clinic and returning to my cottage.”
This time, Spence had enough. “Ms. Mallory, I don’t care if you are a world famous brain surgeon. Now I suggest you get back in that bed or I’ll turn you over my knee. Now, Ms. Mallory.”
What?? Did he just threaten to spank me?
“I beg your pardon, Doctor Spencer, but you are not my father, and I am not some misbehaving child. I am an adult and able to make my own decisions.” Maggie got up and had to fight not to fall back in the chair. She was not feeling quite as well as she had thought.
Spence saw that she was on the verge of falling and reached out to catch her. Maggie didn’t want his help and swung her arm out to push him away. That movement caused her to lose her balance and the next thing she knew she had fallen right into his arms.
Hmmm, he smells so good. Maggie quickly put that thought out of her mind and tried to stand on her own. She was dizzy again and couldn’t fight the doctor as he guided her to the bed.
Spence was wondering what the hell was wrong with him, he had a ra
ging hard-on for a sick woman. Sure, she smelled like heaven, but how unprofessional could he get? He needed to put some distance between them. He buzzed for the nurse and when she came into the room he asked her to get Ms. Mallory back into a gown and settled in bed.
While the nurse took care of getting Maggie changed, Spence prepared a very mild sedative and injected it into Maggie’s arm. The damn fool woman didn’t know when to quit. She needed to rest and if she was too stupid to realize it then he’d just have to take care of her himself.
The nurse hung another bag of saline solution and started a new IV. Maggie slept peacefully through the night.
Meanwhile, Spence took her car keys and went to the grocery store and moved her car to the clinic parking lot. He was sure he’d be able to discharge ‘little miss nurse practitioner who knew what she was doing’ the following day. He didn’t really think she had a torn retina, though it was still a possibility.
After moving the car to the clinic parking lot, he went inside and checked on Ms. Mallory. She was sleeping quietly; he made a few notes in her chart and went home. He’d be back first thing in the morning before she could start a ruckus about being sedated.
At his almost finished home, Spence grabbed a beer and sat down to ponder about Ms. Mallory. She wasn’t really his type and he wondered why he got a hard-on every time he was near her. That had never happened with a patient before and he’d treated plenty of nice looking women. He thought Margaret Mallory was more trouble than he’d want to be bothered with. He also would like to know who had blackened her eye. Then he’d like to go and beat the shit out of the guy.
Spence remembered when he had threatened to turn her over his knee there had been a very brief flicker of fear in her eyes. But it had turned to indignant anger and now he wasn’t so sure if it was fear he had seen. Was she running from an abusive relationship? He didn’t really need to get involved with that kind of thing, but then again, he couldn’t deny the attraction he felt for Nurse Practitioner Mallory.
He went into the kitchen and heated up some leftover meatloaf his mother had given him when he had dinner with her a few nights ago. The clinic could use a nurse practitioner. It would take some of the burden off himself and Dr. Thomas. They were the only doctors at the clinic, there were four nurses, and a physical therapist. A nurse practitioner could see patients for all the basic ailments and write prescriptions. The problem was the clinic couldn’t pay much. He wondered if Ms. Mallory was just passing through town or looking for a place to make her home.
After eating, he cleaned up, changed into grubby clothes and went upstairs to work on the unfinished parts of his new home. There were still two bedrooms and one bath to complete before he could say he was done.
Maggie woke up at five in the morning. She stretched, looked around and saw she was still in the clinic. That damned bossy ass doctor! How dare he force her to stay against her will! She pushed the buzzer for the nurse and waited.
“Good Morning, Ms. Mallory. How can I help you?” Red asked. She of course had flaming red hair and green eyes.
Maggie said, “I want to leave now. I feel much better, can you please take the IV out?”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Mallory,” Red replied. “I don’t have the authority to discharge you. But Doc Spencer will be in by six. I can bring you something to eat if you’d like, there are no restrictions on your diet.”
Maggie realized she was hungry and agreed to a light breakfast as long as coffee was included. She ate it all and then wished she’d asked for something more substantial. Yogurt with granola and a small bowl of fruit didn’t quite cut it. The coffee was good, far better than she expected from a clinic. She’d have to go back to the grocery store and get some food on her way to the cottage.
Spence walked in, “Good morning, how are you feeling?” He got out his little pen light and looked in her eyes, satisfied that the blood was dissipating. He looked at her chart and noted that everything seemed to be normal. She still hadn’t answered him.
With one brow raised he asked again, “How are you feeling this morning?”
Maggie was still pissed off at him. Even more pissed off since he had obviously sedated her. She looked at him and wished he wasn’t so damn good looking. Her belly did little flip flops and he was definitely someone she did not want to be attracted to. In fact, she wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship with any man.
Spence figured she was giving him the cold shoulder. “As a nurse practitioner you should know the value of proper communication between patient and doctor. Or is it that you’re simply rude?”
“You had no right to sedate me without my permission.” Maggie finally spoke.
“I made a medical decision to see to it that you got the rest you needed. You obviously were unable to recognize the fact that you were in no condition to leave here. I did nothing illegal or unethical.”
“You threatened to spank me! I would think that’s unethical. Do you threaten all your patients with a spanking?” She nearly snarled at him.
Spence winked at her and said, “Only the ones that act like they need a good spanking. And I will spank you if you don’t take better care of yourself.”
Oh, he was so damn adorable when he winked! She ignored his threat about spanking her if she didn’t take care of herself. “I want to go home now, I feel much better.”
“I agree, all your vitals are stable and I think it’s safe to discharge you now. I still would like to know who gave you the black eye.”
Maggie sat up and began fiddling with her IV, intending to remove it. Spence stepped closer and did it for her. “Why don’t you want to tell me who did it?”
“You don’t know him, it’s over and I want to forget it.”
“All right, I’m just going to suggest that no matter what, you never go back to him.”
“I know, and I won’t. I’m done with him.”
Spence left to give her privacy to get dressed and to get the discharge paperwork completed.
Maggie was ready in a few minutes. She actually felt better than she had since she’d left Frank. She was looking forward to getting back to her cottage, emailing Emily, and calling her parents.
When Maggie went to the nurses’ station, Doc Spencer was no where around. Good, she thought to herself. I don’t need to see him again.
She was grateful when she learned that her car had been parked in the clinic lot. She went to the grocery store, purchased all the items she had tried to buy when she fainted, and then went to her cottage.
As she unloaded her groceries, Nancy came up and asked how she was. “Land sakes! I sure am glad to see you’re all right. I didn’t know what to think when I heard you fainted at Peterson’s grocery store. There was speculation that maybe you’re pregnant. Are you? Pregnant, I mean?”
“Hi Nancy. No, I’m not pregnant, just was a little dehydrated and I guess I pushed myself too hard driving up here. I’m fine now, I just need a little rest.”
Finally alone, Maggie checked her email; saw Emily had written that Frank came by her house asking if she knew where Maggie had gone. Emily had no idea, she’d told Frank and he had not bothered her again.
She spoke to her parents and then decided to check her old email and see if anyone else had sent her an email.
There were over a dozen from Frank, demanding to know where she was and when she’d be back. Some were sweet, cajoling, begging her to come back to him. Others called her a self-centered bitch and said he hoped never to see her again. She saved every one of the nasty ones in case she needed them when she filed for divorce.
While eating a sandwich for lunch, she replied to a few emails from other friends who didn’t have her new email. She was very vague about where she was. Then she decided to go for a short walk and get a closer look at the town.
The rest of the day was spent resting, napping on and off, watching television, and looking up nearby medical centers at which she might be able to find a job.
While waiting for
one of her frozen meals to cook in the microwave, there was a knock on her door. She hoped it wasn’t Nancy. Maggie liked the older woman but she was nosy and Maggie wanted a quiet evening alone. She hoped the visitor would go away if she didn’t answer.
But no, next there was a knock on the side door that led to the carport. She might as well answer it and get rid of whoever it was. Her car being in the carport pretty much said she was in the cottage.
She opened the door and was surprised to see not Nancy, but Doc Spencer. He gave her one of his charming grins and just walked in.
“I just thought I’d stop in and check on you, make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”
“That’s very nice of you, Dr. Spencer, but I’ve been discharged and am no longer your patient. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Hmm…well, I do worry. Discharged or not, you’re still my patient. Have you eaten today?”
Maggie let out a long sigh, “Yes, I have eaten. I had a sandwich for lunch and my dinner is in the microwave.”
“That doesn’t sound very healthy, Ms. Mallory. Prepared meals are loaded with sodium and preservatives. Why don’t you come out to dinner with me so I can be sure you’re eating a healthy meal?”
“No, thank you. I’m really a bit tired and would like to get to bed early.” She opened the door, hoping he would take the hint and leave.
“You’re really giving me no choice but to follow through with my threat of giving you a spanking.” Spence was half joking but he was sure he saw that flash of fear in her eyes again.
“I want you to leave now, Dr. Spencer. I don’t appreciate your spanking references. I am not a child and I will not be treated like one.”
Spence couldn’t help himself. The fear was back in her eyes as though she wasn’t sure what she’d do if he didn’t leave. He leaned towards her and gently kissed her mouth.
Maggie was surprised at how soft his kiss felt. She felt his tongue slip into her mouth and she touched it with her tongue. It felt nice, good.