by Krista Lakes
After a few minutes, I got up off the couch and went to the kitchen to make myself some tea. I tried to forget about the sexual images that my mind had created while I was asleep. It was difficult, though. I kept glancing toward the front door, somehow hoping that I'd hear a knock and find Dr. Matthews standing on the other side with that animalistic eagerness in his eyes.
The door remained quiet.
Chapter 10
When I woke up the next morning, the vivid images from my dream of Dr. Matthews were still fresh on my mind. I could practically feel his kisses and the heat of his skin, even though it had never really happened. I got ready for work and noticed that I was in a surprisingly good mood. Even though it was the middle of the week and the weekend was still a few days away, I was humming to myself with glee.
If my city friends could see me, they would tell me I needed to get laid. If I was feeling this good off a dream, imagine what the real thing could do to me.
I spent the day feeling wonderful. The patients were happy, or as happy as they could be about being at the doctor's office, and I managed not to blush too hard around Dr. Matthews. The first encounter of the morning with him definitely threw me off my game, but I managed to not embarrass myself too badly.
The shadows in the office grew longer and the steady stream of patients trickled to an empty office. I sat at my computer charting the last few visits of the day and making sure that everything was ready for tomorrow.
“Well, this has got to be a first. I'm done before you are.”
I swiveled in my chair to see Dr. Matthews leaning in my doorway. I would never grow tired of seeing him there. He had gray dress slacks and a dark polo on today. He'd taken off the white doctor coat and left it in his office, leaving him almost casual looking.
And of course, handsome as hell.
“That's because the last two patients were all me. I'm just doing your job for you,” I teased, hitting save on the last patient file. “And you only beat me by a little.”
He grinned and I suddenly thought of my dream. Heat flushed into my cheeks as I quickly turned to press the power button on my computer.
“What are you up to tonight?” he asked, his voice light.
I shrugged. “I'm going to go home and eat a can of soup and see if there are any new episodes of The Orville.”
“It's a repeat. The new season starts in December,” he told me.
“Damn. I hate summer TV.” I heard my computer power down behind me. The office was quiet except for the hum of the air conditioner. We were all alone. I pushed dirty thoughts out of my head before they could fully form.“What are you up to?”
“I am not on call tonight, so I was going to go to Betty's Diner and getting a burger and a beer.” He shifted his weight slightly, but kept the nonchalant lean on the door frame. “I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining me.”
“Me?” I squeaked, not quite believing this was real. I half expected to wake up again just like last night.
“Yes, you,” he replied with a grin.
“I'd love to.” My heart fluttered and those dirty thoughts rose up yet again. Maybe we could have a couple of drinks and go back to my place, he could come inside... and I realized that I needed to slow down. “I mean, I don't want to intrude on your night and I know we're co-workers and-”
“If it makes you feel better, I asked Donna to come too,” he interrupted. “She can't come because she doesn't want to leave two teenage boys home alone, and I can't say I blame her.”
Heat filled my cheeks and I wished the air conditioning was just a little bit stronger. Or that the summer sky was just a little bit darker so that it wasn't quite so obvious. This wasn't a date. Obviously. This was a coworker thing. I was getting way too ahead of myself.
I blamed the dream.
“I would definitely prefer a Betty's Diner burger to my sad can of soup,” I replied. “Thank you for inviting me.”
He chuckled and I wondered if he suspected why I was blushing so hard. I really hoped he didn't know that I had a monster sized crush on him. That I had since high school, really, but working with him was just making it grow again.
“I'll meet you there,” he said, pushing himself off the door frame. He flashed me a grin. “Last one there buys drinks.”
“You're on.” I grinned and grabbed my purse. Not that I thought my ancient car would win any kind of race, but I knew a secret route that would get me there first.
We managed to walk civilly out of the office. Dr. Matthews pulled out a set of keys and locked up after us. We both walked like adults to our vehicles, which is when I realized that Dr. Matthews' didn't drive his truck today.
“You drive a motorcycle?” My jaw dropped open as I stared at the chrome and black leather. It looked fast.
“I ride a motorcycle,” he corrected, putting on his helmet. “How did you not know this?”
“I knew you rode one in high school, but it wasn't like this.” I motioned to the beautiful bike in front of me. “I thought you drove a truck now.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes. But I like the bike better. Especially in the summer.” He flashed me a grin before lowering the visor on his helmet. “You better get in your car if you hope to beat me.”
I narrowed my eyes at him for a second before sprinting to my car. The locks chirped as I threw open the drivers' side door and mashed the key into the ignition.
Dr. Matthews revved the engine on his bike and peeled out of the parking lot. I slammed my car into reverse and followed behind him as quickly as I could. It was okay that he was ahead of me. He didn't need to know my shortcut.
I made a hard right on Elm while he continued down Main Street. I had this race in the bag. There was no way he knew about the new alley between Ash and Locust. They'd finished it two days ahead of schedule, so no one knew it was a route yet. I was already imagining the look on his face when he pulled into the diner's lot and found me waiting for him.
I turned into the alley and went as fast as I dared through the narrow space. I was going to win this race and get the most expensive drink on the menu. Which really just meant that there would be extra rum. There were no super fancy or expensive drinks at Betty's.
I turned into the parking lot to find Dr. Matthews leaning on his bike next to an empty parking space for me. He even had his helmet off. Somehow he had beaten me. I pulled into the spot and turned off my car.
“How did you beat me?” I asked, slamming my door shut.
“You took the new alley on Ash,” he replied. “I took the alley on Cipher.”
“There is no alley on Cipher Street,” I said, frowning. There was a small space between the brick buildings, but it wasn't a road. It was basically just a place to store the business trashcans until trash day.
“There is if you're on a motorcycle.” He grinned. “Car won't fit, but the bike goes everywhere.”
My jaw hung open. I could imagine him weaving through the plastic trash bins on his bike. It was dangerous, but it had meant he won.
“I think that's cheating,” I told him, crossing my arms. “That's not a road.”
“Neither is the alley on Ash,” he replied, his grin telling me that he knew he had me.
I scrunched my nose, trying to think of a way to disqualify him, but he had beaten me. “Fine.” I let my hands fall to my sides. “I'll buy your drink.”
“Excellent.” He straightened up from his bike and grinned at me as we entered Betty's Diner.
Betty's was the local watering hole. To be honest, it was the only watering hole with food. Riversville was small, which meant that we had the bakery, the grocery store deli, a McDonald's, a Taco Bell, a pizza place that changed names every year but the pizza never changed, Rob's Bar, and Betty's Diner. If you didn't want to cook, the options were rather limited.
However, Betty's Diner had the best food. Even after living in Chicago, I could say that Betty's burgers were better than more famous restaurants. Her cheese curds were worthy of the st
ate fair, and as long as it wasn't healthy, Betty's did it best.
We stepped inside and headed out to the open patio. Most of the patrons were inside enjoying the air conditioning and watching a NASCAR race on TV, leaving the patio to just the two of us. With the sun setting, there was a nice breeze and we got enough of the air conditioning coming out from the open doors to make the patio warm but comfortable.
“Dr. Matthews, Hannah.” Stephanie greeted us and handed us menus. “It's good to see you.”
“How's Ashton?” I asked, taking the menu.
“You'd never even know that he'd hurt himself,” Stephanie replied with a laugh. “He's been running around catching bugs all day since I won't let him go swimming. He wants to go in the river so bad, but I keep telling him Dr. Matthews will be mad. It's the only thing keeping him dry.”
“I'm glad to hear he's doing well,” Dr. Matthews replied warmly. “He's a good kid.”
“The best,” Stephanie agreed. She grinned. “Although, I might be a little bit biased.”
“I'll take a Betty burger with fries,” Dr. Matthews said. “And Hannah is buying me a double whiskey on the rocks.”
Stephanie raised her eyebrows at me and I sighed. “He beat me here, so I'm buying drinks. I'll take a whiskey sour and a Betty's burger, too.”
“Did you not take that new alley on Ash?” Stephanie asked, collecting our menus.
“I did. But he's on a motorcycle,” I told her.
“Oh. He took that trashcan alley on Cipher.” She winked at the doctor. “I knew you were a smart cookie.”
I just shook my head at the both of them.
She smiled and promised to bring our drinks out as soon as possible.
Dr. Matthews leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath in. “You know, I never thought I'd see you back here.”
“Me?” I shook my head. “You're the one I didn't expect. You disappeared so fast after graduation that I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.”
Or ask you about that kiss.
“Yeah.” His eyes went distant and I wondered if he was thinking about that kiss as well. “Sorry about that.”
“It's okay,” I told him. “But, why did you come back? I thought we were both free.”
He sighed. “You want my whole life story?”
“Sure. Especially since I know the first eighteen years of it.”
I thought of all our lab time together as I taught him biology. He was so quick to learn. It had started out with awkward silences, but with every class spent together we talked more.
I'd learned about how his parents had grand plans for him, but had never bothered to ask him what he wanted. He wasn't sure himself back then, but he knew he wanted out from under them. It was a big part of why he was always getting into trouble.
Dr. Matthews smiled and for a moment I caught a glimpse of the Jacob I once knew.
“Let's see. I got into a community college just outside of Des Moines and earned my associates there. Transferred to Iowa State, and got my bachelor’s in biology.”
“Biology?”
“You inspired me,” he replied. His blue eyes crinkled in a smile. “So, thanks for that. Anyway, I went to Medical School. Did my residency in Denver. Got a job there. And I almost got married, but didn't.”
“I'm sorry to hear that, Dr. Matthews,” I told him. But I wasn't really sorry.
“Seriously, call me Jacob.” He smiled that slightly crooked smile that had made my knees weak in high school. He'd only gotten better at it.
It was then that Stephanie arrived with our drinks and a basket of fried cheese. The conversation paused for a moment as she told us our burgers would be out soon and the cheese was on the house. We smiled and thanked her.
The hum of the cicadas thrummed as the sun slowly made it's way to the horizon. Everything was awash in orange and yellow.
“So, what happened?” I asked, sipping on my drink and then picked up a homemade fried mozzarella stick. It was crispy and gooey and delicious. There were definite perks to being a favorite person in a small town.
He took a long sip of his drink.
“Her name was Diana. I met her my first year at the job and we hit it off. Two years later, we were planning a wedding.” He picked up his drink and swirled the amber liquid before continuing. “I was fresh out of residency and didn't really have a good way to pay for the big wedding she wanted, so I started moonlighting at an ER in the city on days she worked. I didn't tell her that I was working there. The money was going to be a surprise.”
I nodded, sipping my drink. I knew plenty of docs that worked two jobs. Medical school was not cheap. Those loans were hard to pay off.
“Anyway, one night this guy comes in with textbook appendicitis. The OR is backed up and the ER is slow for once, so we keep him and start the process. He's in a lot of pain, so I give him some meds since he signed consent.”
I took another cheese stick and munched quietly, listening to his story. He took a deep breath.
“He starts telling me about his girlfriend. How amazing she is, how he's going to marry her, how great the sex is...”
I choked a little on my cheese and Jacob looked up. He raised an eyebrow to ask if I was okay. I took a sip of water and motioned him to keep going.
“He was high as a kite on the meds. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about this man and his girlfriend while we waited for her to arrive or the OR to open up. Girlfriend showed up first. Walked into his room and kissed him.”
I could already see where this was going. “Oh no. It was Diana, wasn't it?”
“Yup. She tried to play it off, but she kissed him right in front of me. I had to go take a walk around the parking lot.” His fist tightened and pain filled his blue eyes. “He was no longer my patient that night.”
“I'm so sorry,” I told him. I felt terrible for him. I could only imagine the pain of finding out that someone you loved was cheating on you behind your back.
“I ended it right there. As far as I know, she's still with appendicitis guy. I found out that a couple of people I thought were friends either knew about them or suspected. No one told me.” He took a big sip of his drink. “That wouldn't happen here.”
“No, it wouldn't. You can't even pick up a tomato at the grocery store without the gossip brigade announcing you're a vegetarian,” I replied. There were some perks of the Ladies' Bridge Club being in everyone's business.
“I needed a change.” He shrugged and picked up a bite of cheese. “And cheese. You can't get this stuff anywhere else. So, that's why I'm back.”
I giggled and took another piece myself. “I'm sorry that happened to you.”
“It hurt at the time, but I think I dodged a bullet. I took the money I'd saved up and started the process of buying Dr. Taggert out of the clinic. He's not totally ready to retire, so he likes giving me the lion's share of clinic hours and call time. I'm happy again. I don't have the stress anymore. Plus, I got to hire you.”
“And I'm glad you did,.” I smiled at him and he grinned back at me.
“What about you? Why are you here?” he sipped at his drink.
I shrugged. “Family. I liked the city, but I think I need to be here for awhile. I'll go back eventually.”
“You're not planning on staying then?” he asked. I thought I might have detected a note of worry, but it was probably because I was an awesome nurse. He wouldn't want to lose me.
“Maybe a year or two?” I shrugged. “I'm just kind of playing it by ear. It's nice to be out of the city. It gives me a chance to build up some savings and see my folks. I miss them a lot. And, the cost of living is obscene in Chicago. You have no idea how much I'm saving just in rent.”
He nodded slowly, spinning the whiskey glass in his hand. He looked thoughtful before saying, “You're here for your dad, aren't you?”
“I did say I was here for family, didn't I?” I asked, doing my best to give a nonchalant shrug. My dad didn't want the town to know he was dy
ing. He didn't want them to treat him differently.
“You know I was the one who found his pneumonia the first time, right?” Jacob asked quietly. His blue eyes met mine and I could see a sad understanding. The chest x-ray had been the first sign of my dad's cancer. It had been the start down this terrible road.
“You know?” My voice cracked. I glanced around at the empty patio. “You didn't say anything.”
“It's not my place,” he replied. He took a sip of his drink. “I know he's glad you're here, though. He told me his care was in the best hands. And he is.”
I opened my mouth, but wasn't sure what to say. Luckily, Stephanie pushed open the swinging door with a rush of cold air and the scent of grilled meat.
“Two burgers,” she said, setting them in front of us. “Can I get you two anything else?”
“I think we're good,” Jacob said, picking up the ketchup bottle. “Thanks.”
“Holler if you need anything,” Stephanie said with a smile before heading back inside.
I stared at my burger trying to digest what I'd just learned. Jacob had had his heart broken .Jacob knew about my dad. But, most importantly, he was definitely single.
“What about you?” he asked, mumbling around a bite of hamburger. He swallowed. “Is there a special someone in Chicago?”
“A what? Oh, no.” I shook my head. “No, no, no.”
He took a bite of his burger and raised his eyebrows waiting for more. I sighed and cut my burger in two so it would be easier to eat.
“There was a guy a few months ago, but it wasn't serious,” I told him. “Turns out that he discovered he likes guys.”
“That happens sometimes.”
“Yeah.” I took a big bite of burger and my mouth sang a happy little song. Betty's burgers were seriously the best in the world. “It's okay, though. It made the decision to move out here a lot easier. Being single's not so bad.”