Dr. Rock (Healing Hands Book 5): A Steamy Workplace Romance

by Vanessa James

  "Is there a problem?" I asked carefully.

  "The only problem that we seem to have here is you not listening to my request. Please leave," he said.

  He wants me to leave? He wasn’t like this last night and this morning. Hell, I still feel different, and for a second there, I thought this would be something more. I frowned at him.

  "Fine, if that's what you want," I said through gritted teeth as I started getting dressed but all I wanted to do was shake some sense into him.

  I studied his face while I pulled on my dress. What had I been thinking? That he would suddenly change from Dr. Rock who likes keeping a distance from people? I had seen the other side of him last night, and it had been refreshing, but now he is throwing away whatever might have been between us. How dare he make last night feel like nothing!

  I finished dressing in minutes and was about to step out when I turned to say, "Last night was something I've never felt before."

  I felt my heart clench as I saw the blank face as though he hadn't heard a word I said.

  I stepped out of his room as tears threatened to fall from my eyes with a new resolve within me. Never would I allow anyone to play with me like Alan just did, I thought as I walked back to my room.

  Dr. Rock

  "How dare she pretend like last night meant something to her? She must think I'm a fool. How could I have believed the words that came from her mouth last night?" I muttered as I held my head in my hands. I had woken up when her phone rang, but I had pretended I was still asleep. Thank goodness I had done that. I cringed as I remembered the words I had heard coming out from her mouth as I had eavesdropped. I knew it wasn't a good idea to eavesdrop, but I was glad I had done so because otherwise I would have kept believing Elsa was different from other women.

  I shook my head as I remembered how she had told the man, Dylan, that she loved him and how she couldn't wait to get home just moments before she showered praises about our night together.

  "Women are all the same," I muttered as I thought of Dylan being her boyfriend or one of her innocent fans, just like I had been Stella's husband when she had been sleeping with Marcus.

  How could I have been so stupid to believe the words of a flirt? I thought as I stood angrily and went into the shower. I scrubbed myself so hard I thought I would peel my skin off as I tried to wash her scent off me. When I felt sufficiently clean, I put my clothes on while I tried to erase the thoughts of her peeling them off me. I hadn't packed any extra items of clothing when I came for dinner and her scent still clung to the material. I need to go home. But the passion we had shared kept flooding my mind as I stared at the messy tangle of sheets on the bed. We were given the grace to use the hotel room to relax till evening, but I couldn't bear the thought of spending another second in this room.

  I stepped out of the room minutes later and got into the elevator. Flashes of the kiss we had shared in the elevator the previous night flooded my mind.

  "Damn it, everything around here reminds me of my stupid mistake," I muttered. Why doesn't it feel like a mistake despite everything? I stepped out as soon as the elevator doors opened and met a few colleagues who were sitting around in reception.

  "Good morning," I muttered with my head bowed as I passed some of them, feeling like I was doing the walk of shame. That was the best way to describe the way I felt at the moment. I had let passion taken over my rational thinking, and this was the price I had to pay.

  "Good morning," they responded while I kept walking. Suddenly, I felt an intense stare on my skin, and I turned my head in that direction, wondering who was looking at me. I gasped involuntarily as I saw Elsa standing in a corner of the reception. I stopped walking as she held me captivated in her gaze. She looked like she was in pain and my heart beat faster, but then whatever feelings I had for her evaporated as I saw two doctors trying to get her attention.

  "Typical Elsa," I muttered under my breath as I forced my gaze away from her and started walking towards the entrance with a determined look on my face. Never, again would I put myself in this kind of situation. Something dawned on me; I hadn’t had my nightmares when I was with Elsa. That had never happened ever since these dam nightmares started.

  Dr. Rock

  "Wow, I never knew places like this existed in Claywell," Diana said as we explored the park. I had finally decided to give her the tour she had been nagging me about in an attempt to take my mind off Elsa. It had been weeks since my encounter with Elsa, and I had been avoiding her like the plague at the hospital.

  "You don't know the least of it," I said with a shrug. Why can't I keep her off my mind despite knowing she is wrong for me in every way?

  "Thank goodness, you finally agreed to give me this tour. However, I'm curious about one thing. Does this mean you've agreed to try a possible relationship with me?" Diana asked. I stopped walking as I gaped at her.

  “I just couldn’t help but ask, you know. I like you, Alan, and during these weeks when you've been trying to avoid giving me a tour, I've become even more intrigued by you. Even more now that I've started thinking of the possibility of something working out between us," She said animatedly while I could only stare at her with wide, shocked eyes. I'm sure if she had said this before my night with Elsa, I would have rebuffed her immediately, but Elsa had messed up my thoughts where relationships were concerned. Diana held my hand in hers, and I frowned when I didn't have the same reaction I had felt when Elsa had touched me.

  "Diana … " I started to say.

  "It's fine; I'm not expecting you to agree to it just like that; I just thought I’d let you know how I feel about you," Diana said carefully.

  "Thank you, but I'm still not interested," I said softly.

  "Now, don't say that without giving it some proper thought. It might not be as bad as you think," she said without releasing my hand. I tried to think of something that would make me feel the same way I had felt with Elsa.

  "Now, is there a good restaurant around here where we could have something nice to eat?" She asked with a smile. I knew she was trying to ease the growing tension.

  "Yes, there is one around the corner," I said.

  "Perfect, we should go there and get something to eat," She said enthusiastically.

  "Okay," I said resignedly before leading her towards the restaurant close to the park.

  "I'll have fries and a Vanilla milkshake," she said to the hovering waiter once we had sat at our table.

  "And you, sir?" The waiter asked.

  "Hamburger will do, with a Strawberry milkshake," I said.

  "Okay, I'll be right back," The waiter said before he left to get our orders.

  "I haven’t been to this side of the town during any of my visits," Diana said as she stared around the restaurant. I was about to reply when the door opened and Elsa walked in. I was still trying to recover from the surprise of seeing her when I noticed she was holding hands with a man. Why am I surprised? It's what she does? I frowned as I watched the man led her to a table. As if she could feel my eyes on her, I watched her turn towards my direction, and she frowned when she saw me. We held each other's gaze for what seemed like a really long moment.

  "Here you go, ma'am. And you, sir," The waiter said as he returned with our orders. I diverted my gaze from Elsa until I was facing Diana once more.

  "Do you know her?" She asked as soon as the waiter had dropped our orders and left.

  "Who?" I asked.

  "The lady over there," Diana said as she nodded towards Elsa's direction.

  I turned and saw that Elsa was still staring at me.

  "Erm, yes, she is a work colleague," I said, trying to keep my eyes on my food.

  "Oh, I see," Diana said. If she noticed that there was something else between Elsa and me besides what I had told her, then she decided not to mention it.

  "Let's eat then, and maybe when we are leaving, we can say hi to your friend," She said.

  "What? No, there is no need for that," I said hurriedly.

 
"Okay," Diana said with a shrug before we started eating our food. I had lost my appetite at the sight of Elsa with another man and the food tasted like cardboard. Is that Dylan from her phone call or one of the other numerous men that flock to her? I wondered. You joined them when you slept with her, my subconscious reminded me.

  You are here with another woman, so why should you be bothered if she is with a man? As I ate my burger slowly, I could feel her gaze on me. Why is she staring at me when she has another man with her? I tried my best not to look in her direction.

  Dr. Elsa

  There is another woman already. Did I really mean that little to him? He has taken over all of my senses these past few weeks. How has he had such an effect on me within such a short period of time? I stared across at Alan, who was sitting opposite a woman I didn’t recognize. What I would give to take the woman away from him and replace her. Dylan and I had decided to go out to have lunch since he insisted that I had been withdrawn and grumpy recently. I had been surprised to walk in and see Alan on a date with another woman.

  He doesn't want you anymore. He made that clear, remember? Why are you still hung up on him? But I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

  "Let me guess, he’s the reason for your grumpy behavior since you returned from that dinner?" Dylan said, cutting into my reverie and making me pull my eyes away from Alan’s table.

  "I have no idea what you are talking about," I said with a shrug as I tried to concentrate on the cookies in front of me.

  "Come on, sis, there has to be an explanation for your grumpy behavior. You aren't your usual cheerful self, and it's disheartening. Do you not want me around anymore?" Dylan asked, worry etched across his face.

  "What? No, Dylan, this isn't about you," I said as I stopped myself from looking in Alan's direction again.

  "It's about him, isn't it?" Dylan said as he nodded towards Alan.

  "Can we just focus on our lunch?" I said with an exasperated sigh.

  "No, we can’t. Not when I can help you," Dylan said with a shrug while I stared miserably at him.

  "Just drop it, Dylan," I sighed.

  "No, I need you to tell me what's going on. It's obvious you really like him, and maybe I have to talk to him to make him see what he is about to throw away," Dylan said confidently.

  "It's obvious there is nothing you can do because, as you can see, he is with someone else," I said.

  "That? Trust me, there is nothing between those two. Did you not notice the way both of you were staring at each other moments ago? The heat could be felt throughout the room," he said as he gave me a sympathetic look.

  Is Dylan telling the truth? Were we that obvious? I thought as I glanced back at Alan. I need to leave here before I cross over to their table and demand that he explain why he treated me like trash after such a special night.

  "Dylan, I'm sorry, but we really need to go somewhere else," I said.

  "What, because of him? Listen, Elsa, you can't keep running from this," he said. “Whatever this actually is.”

  "Well, he has been doing that so easily for weeks, why can't I?" I snapped before I could help myself.

  "For weeks?" Dylan said and I watched a calculative look spread across his face.

  "Oh, my goodness, he works at the hospital too and he also went to that dinner. The dinner led to this and that’s why you’ve been in such a weird mood ever since!" Dylan said as his eyes widened, as though he had discovered some priceless artifact.

  "Dylan, please stop it," I said as I rubbed my temples with my fingers.

  "Okay fine, fine," he said soothingly as I left out a sigh of relief.

  "On one condition, though," he added and I immediately tensed up. I hope he doesn't ask for something absurd.

  "You have to give me the details as soon as we get home," He said.

  I would agree to anything at this point if it got me out of this restaurant.

  "Fine," I said as I stood up.

  "Good," Dylan said with a grin on his face. I felt Alan's gaze on me and automatically turned in his direction.

  Dylan pulled on my hand to shake me out of my trance and we left the restaurant.

  "Hell no, I'm not letting you drive us in this state," Dylan said, shaking his head vehemently as we exited the restaurant and I headed for the driver's side of the car.

  "I'm capable of driving, Dylan," I said as I shook my head.

  "No, you are not. Your mind is clearly filled with him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if your thoughts are taken over and you run us into a ditch," He said as he rolled his eyes.

  "Come on, you know I wouldn’t be careless about something like that," I said with wide eyes.

  "I know that when you aren't heartbroken, but in your current heartbroken state, anything could happen," he said.

  "I'm not heartbroken, Dylan," I said as I stared at him with wide eyes. Being heartbroken would mean that my heart had been involved in what had happened with Alan.

  "Whatever, the keys please," He said sternly as he held his palm open in front of me. I sighed as I dropped the keys into his hand because I knew how Dylan could get. He could make us spend the whole day here if I didn’t concede to his wish.

  "Thank you," He said as I handed over the keys to him.

  We got into the car, and soon we were on our way back home. He had been right after all as my mind was filled with Alan the whole drive home.

  When we got to the house, I had barely shut the door behind me before Dylan said, "Now, details please."

  "Dylan, we just got back. Won't you at least allow me to relax a bit before we talk about that?" I asked as I gave him an exasperated look.

  "There is no better time than now," He said as he flopped on the couch.

  "I don't know what to do with you," I sighed as I crossed over to sit next to him.

  "Nothing, obviously," He said. "I'm listening; you made a promise remember?"

  "Fine, like you guessed he is a colleague. I think I've liked him for a while now, but I'm not sure, probably because he kills any conversation I try to start with him. That’s how he is with everyone. Well, at the dinner, one thing led to another, and we sort of … " I trailed off. I thought of the passionate night we had shared at the hotel. It had been more than sex, but I didn’t know how to describe it.

  "I knew that much fire between the both of you couldn't just be from seeing each other at work. So, why have you been grumpy if that night made you as speechless as you are now?" Dylan asked with a frown.

  "Everything was fine until the next morning. He threw me out before I could say anything, and since then, he has avoided me like the plague," I said with a shrug as I thought back to that night and once again tried to figure out what had gone wrong. I had had a rare glimpse of the warm side of him that he never let anyone see, and suddenly, he has the cold walls drawn up once more.

  "That's absurd. He can't act cold if something didn’t happen," Dylan said.

  "Nothing happened, I swear he just went cold on me," I said, still trying to solve the puzzle.

  "That's strange," Dylan said with a frown. "I think you need to find a way to talk to him. There has to be something else going on."

  "How am I supposed to do that when he avoids me so much. He’s made it clear he doesn't want me," I said with a shrug.

  "No, it isn't. Find a way to talk to him. Somehow, he will tell you what's eating him up," Dylan said assuredly.

  Will that work? I hope I won't make a fool of myself if I try that.

  "I'll think about it," I said.

  "Do it soon. I can't bear to see you like this anymore. I need you back to your old self. I could talk to him if you don’t feel up to it," he said with a shrug.

  "No, I'll handle this myself," I said.

  "Whatever you say. Since we didn't wait long enough to enjoy our lunch properly, what would you like to eat?" Dylan asked.

  "I'm fine, I’m not hungry," I said.

  "No, you are not," He said as he rolled his eyes. "I know the right food to
make for you. In the meantime, think about what I've told you." With those words Dylan headed for the kitchen and left me alone in my thoughts.

  What could be the possible reason for him to change completely after such an amazing night? None of it made any sense to me.

  "Damn it," I muttered after I threw up my breakfast.

  "What on earth is wrong with me? This can't be food poisoning because the symptoms don’t match," I gasped. It had been a few days since I had seen Alan at the restaurant. I had been disappointed when I had left the restaurant because he hadn't been able to look me in the eye, further proving his guilt. I can't even think about my own health without thoughts of him crossing my mind, I thought to myself as I brushed my teeth hurriedly. I was already late for my shift, and for the first time in years, I wanted to go back to bed and sleep rather than go to work. Dylan had gone to the neighboring town to visit his friend so at least he wasn’t seeing me like this.

  "Do I still have crackers around?" I muttered to myself as I tried to picture the contents of my kitchen cupboards. I left my bedroom and walked weakly towards the kitchen to get some crackers. They could sometimes ease nausea, so maybe they would work for me.

  Wait a minute, nausea. I stopped walking before I reached the kitchen.

  "Nausea," I muttered as I tried to remember sicknesses that matched my symptoms.

  "It's not possible," I muttered as my thoughts came to one conclusion: pregnancy.

  No, don't do this to yourself, Elsa. Don't get yourself worried only to realize it was all for naught.

  "I can't be pregnant, there has to be another reason for this," I muttered. Trying to use my menstrual cycle as a guide wasn't going to help because I'd always had an irregular cycle.

  "I need to do a test," I told myself as I grabbed my car keys and left for work.

  "Good morning, Dr. Elsa," The nurses at the reception greeted as I walked past them, muttering a brief greeting to them. I couldn’t keep my thoughts off the possibility of me being pregnant. I took a deep breath as I entered my office, and I picked out one of the pregnancy kits I kept in my desk drawer for patients.