He walked over and quietly opened the door. A blonde lady was marching down the hallway toward Mr. Phillips’s room. Now, this lady looked frazzled. Her blue eyes were bright with worry.
“Where’s my husband?”
“Are you Mrs. Phillips?”
“Yes,” she said, walking past him and into the room. She looked around, and upon seeing it empty, except for her daughter, she said, “Oh no. Oh no, Elise.”
“Oh, Mom, no, no.” She rushed over and put a reassuring hand on her mom’s arm. “Dad is just getting a test done.”
Mrs. Phillips put her palm on her chest and sighed with relief. “Thank you, Lord.” She whipped around to look at Luke. “And who are you, young man?”
Luke had to stifle a laugh at her authoritative tone. “I’m Dr. L, Mrs. Phillips.”
“Dr. L? Did your parents not give you a full last name?”
“It’s Dr. Long, ma’am. I go by Dr. L though. It’s easier that way.”
Mrs. Phillips frowned. “How does it make it easier?”
“Then, I don’t get any jokes about my last name.”
Elise giggled and covered her mouth.
Her mom looked at Elise and then back at Luke. “I don’t understand,” she said, seriously confused.
Luke cleared his throat. “Um…well…you know…my last name is Long.”
“And?”
Oh, jeez, how was he supposed to explain that, just because he worked with medical professionals, it didn’t mean they didn’t make inappropriate jokes? Most of his coworkers seemed to have their minds in the gutter seventy-five percent of the time. And don’t even get him started on the smart-ass teenagers and young adults he had to deal with. Dr. L was easier for everyone involved.
Elise came to the rescue. “Mom, Luke is a doctor in the ER, where it can take a long time to be seen. People like to complain and make jokes about his last name, like, Oh, your name is Dr. Long. That’s why I had to wait forever.”
Luke mouthed a, Thank you, to Elise behind her mom’s back.
“Oh,” Mrs. Phillips said. She turned back to Luke. “Why didn’t you just say so?”
“Uh…”
She didn’t even give him a chance to finish, her mind already on the next thing.
“Elise, did you just call this young man by his first name?”
“Your daughter and I went to college together,” Luke offered.
“Are you single, Luke?”
Luke backed up a step without even realizing it. “Uh…yes, ma’am.”
“You know, my Elise is single, too.”
“Mom. Leave him alone.”
Elise mouthed, I’m sorry, to him.
“I’m just asking him some questions,” her mom defended herself.
“Mom, did you bring Dad’s meds?”
Thank God Elise had changed the subject, and her mom let her.
“Oh, yes,” she said, pulling out a list from her purse.
“Good. We need to get that to the nurse.”
Luke saw his escape and was about to tell them he would get it to Amy when Mrs. Phillips said, “I’ll go find her,” and charged out of the room.
“Ma’am,” he called after her.
“Too late. She’s already gone,” Elise said, coming over to him. She put her hand on his chest. “I’m so sorry. She doesn’t normally come across this…strong. I think she’s worried about my dad.”
“Does she always try to set you up with guys?”
“Not always. Only when she sees someone who she thinks would make a good prospect. Now, you know why I didn’t want her to know that we were kissing. She’d have been writing out our wedding invitations by midnight.”
Luke laughed, and surprisingly, he wasn’t completely frightened by the idea.
Kristen showed up a few minutes before Elise’s dad came back to his ER room. Her sister walked in with her good friend Ashley. Elise and Kristen were sisters, but they weren’t best friends. Elise was closer to Rachel and some of her friends back in Denver than she was to Kristen, and Kristen was really close to Ashley. Those two had been friends since high school and now lived only two doors down from each other.
Kristen gave their mom a hug.
“Hi, sweetie,” their mother said to Kristen.
She gave Ashley a brief nod. She had never completely warmed up to Kristen’s best friend.
“Have you heard anything yet?” Kristen asked.
Elise shook her head. “No, but the doctor thinks it’s a blood clot in Dad’s lungs.”
“Oh my God, that sounds horrible,” Kristen said as Ashley put her hand on her arm.
Her mother frowned at Ashley’s act of comfort. “Kristen, do not take the Lord’s name in vain.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Kristen apologized. But then she rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue when their mom turned her back.
Elise stifled a laugh as the door opened, and their dad was wheeled back into the room.
After the radiology technologist left the room with a thank you, their mom immediately went over to their dad and clutched his hand.
“Ward, how are you?”
His father used his hand to pat her hand. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, dear.”
“Did they tell you anything?” Kristen asked.
“No, they said the radiologist had to read the exam.”
“I hate all this waiting,” Elise’s mom said.
“I’m sorry to have ruined everyone’s night.”
“Dad, you didn’t ruin anyone’s night. I was going to hang out at home tonight anyway,” Elise told him.
“Yeah, Dad, Ashley and I were only going to go to a movie. We can always go another time. You’re more important.”
There was a knock on the door, and Luke walked in.
“Hello, everyone. I see we have a few additions.”
“I’m Kristen, the other daughter, and this is my friend Ashley.”
Ashley raised a hand. “Hi.”
Elise inspected both women, and neither seemed to be blinded by Luke’s handsomeness. That was a first.
“I’m Dr. L,” Luke told them.
“Elise knows Luke,” Elise’s mom told Kristen and Ashley with a satisfied smile on her face.
“Mom, he’s Dr. L here. And will you please leave him alone and let him do his job?”
Jeez.
Luke chuckled. “It’s fine.” He turned to her father, and his face grew serious. “Ward, the radiologist has taken a look at your CT scan, and it looks like you do have a couple of blood clots in your lungs.”
“Oh no,” Elise’s mother said, tears forming in her eyes.
“We’re going to admit you for at least tonight. We need to get you started on blood thinners, so your clots can be broken up by your body. Then, we’re going to have to speak to your oncologist about what he wants us to do after that.”
Luke turned and looked at the rest of them and addressed their mom, “Mrs. Phillips, this is a very serious condition, but it is treatable. I don’t want to tell you not to worry, but I don’t want you to stress yourself out either. Your husband needs you to be strong right now.”
“Listen to the doctor, Suzanne. Don’t stress yourself out. We’ll get this taken care of.” Her father tried to reassure her mom.
Luke nodded once. “I’m going to go get the paperwork started to get you admitted.” He left the room.
“Excuse me,” Elise said before running out after him. “Luke?”
He turned around upon hearing his name.
“Is my dad really going to be okay?”
He walked back to her and put his hand on her upper arm but kept his distance. She wanted him to pull her close and comfort her again.
“As far as the blood clots goes, he should be fine.”
“Thank you.”
He dropped his arm and said, “You’re welcome.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but he looked around the semi-crowded hallway and stayed quiet. “I’d better get your dad’s paperwork started.”
“Luke?”
“Yes?”
They still hadn’t talked about where the two of them stood, and her father’s condition was kind of serious territory.
But she bit the bullet and asked him the question she’d wanted to since she first saw him, even knowing he might say no, “Will you call me when you’re off work?”
He smiled, his beautiful brown eyes full of kindness. “Of course. I’m off at ten.”
She returned his smile, and then she turned and walked back into her father’s room.
“Dad, is there anything you want from home? Kristen and I can go and get your things. You, too, Mom. Are you staying here tonight with Dad?”
“Yes. I’ll give you a list,” her mother said, already pulling out paper and a pen from her purse.
After she was finished writing out everything she wanted for herself and Elise’s dad, Elise, Kristen, and Ashley took off for their parents’ home.
“Do you think Mom will be okay here tonight, alone with Dad?” Kristen asked.
Elise thought about it. “Yes. She’ll have the hospital staff if she has questions or needs help. And I think Dad will be more comfortable without us here all night. What if they make him pee in a urinal or something? He doesn’t need his daughters seeing that.”
“True story.”
“I’m parked over there,” Elise told her sister. “I’ll meet you at Mom and Dad’s, okay?”
“Okay,” Kristen said as she and Ashley headed to their vehicle on the opposite side of the parking lot.
Elise turned to look back at them once. Ashley put her arm around Kristen, and Kristen lay her head on Ashley’s shoulder. It seemed quite intimate, but Elise wasn’t going to judge anyone for seeking comfort when it was offered from someone they cared about.
Hours later, after getting her father settled in and dropping off his and her mother’s stuff, Elise was just getting home when her phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Elise, I just got your text message. How’s your dad?”
“Hey, Rach. He’s doing okay. He has blood clots in his lungs, so they admitted him.”
“Oh no! How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Tired. I just got home.”
“I bet.”
“Hey, guess who my dad’s doctor was?”
“Who?”
“Luke.”
“Really? What’s he like as a doctor?”
“Good. He took very good care of Dad. And he’s quite professional.” Except for when he’d kissed her in her father’s ER room. “Very different from the player we knew.”
“I’ve never seen him in action at work.”
Elise then had to tell Rachel about her mom not understanding why Luke went by Dr. L and how her mother could not get that Long was used to make sexual jokes.
“Oh, man, your mother. I do not know how you grew up to be so unrepressed, but I’m so glad you are not like them. Your parents are sweet but very reserved.”
“I think I owe it all to public school. If it wasn’t for my friends, I wouldn’t know what a period was or how to use a tampon. My mom about died when I told her I got it for the first time. I thought I was going to have to use my babysitting money to buy my own stuff. And sweet, my butt. My mom was practically planning my wedding to Luke right there in the hospital. She had the balls to ask him if he was single, and when he said yes, she told him that I was single, too. She’s so embarrassing.”
Rachel was on the other side of the phone, busting a gut.
“It’s not that funny.”
“Oh, yes, it is. Did Luke look like a deer in the headlights?”
“No, he was really patient with my mom. If I were him, I would have lied and said I was married with a mistress on the side. Definitely not marriage material then.”
“Why is your mom pushing for you to find someone so badly all of a sudden?”
“Because I’m going to be thirty, I think. She was already married with two kids by that age. Plus, she won’t say it, but I think she thinks that, if I find someone here and get married, then I won’t move away again. Especially if something happens to my dad.”
“Oh, that’s kind of sad,” Rachel said.
“Yeah, it is.”
“Say, did Luke happen to mention if he had plans tonight?”
“Uh…” Elise said.
He’d only talked about having plans to call her, but it was still plans, and Elise didn’t want to lie.
“Of course not,” Rachel answered her own question, saving Elise from answering. “He was probably too busy playing doctor.”
“Why do you ask?”
“Sean asked him if he wanted to have drinks after work. Luke said he was busy, but he didn’t say why. Sean and I were thinking that maybe it was some girl.”
Elise had no idea how to respond. “Oh. Wow.”
“Right? Anyway, I’d better let you go, so you can get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.”
Elise and Rachel hung up, and Elise thought about what Rachel had said.
Some girl indeed. If Rachel only knew…
Elise was dragged from sleep by the ringing of her phone. Disoriented, it took her a few seconds to realize that she had fallen asleep on her parents’ couch. She had only meant to sit down and rest for a few minutes, but she’d fallen asleep—and in an awkward position no less. She’d somehow managed to drift down onto the armrest but with her feet still on the ground, and now, her neck hurt.
Her phone was still ringing, and she rotated her head to try to get out the kinks and shake off the mental cobwebs before answering, “Hello?”
“Hey,” Luke’s deep voice said.
“Hey,” she answered as a smile crossed her face.
“Did I wake you?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. I fell asleep on the couch. I’m not in bed or anything.”
“Darn it,” he joked.
She chuckled. “What time is it?”
“Almost ten thirty. I got out of work a little late. It was crazy tonight. It’s a full moon, ya know. How’s your dad doing?”
“You don’t know?”
“Once he leaves my ER, he’s not my patient anymore. It’s a HIPAA thing.”
“Of course. He was doing good when I left. My mom is staying with him tonight, so he’s not alone.”
“So, does that mean you’re alone?”
“Yeah,” she said, letting her voice drop a touch. “Do you want to come over?” She could use a little bit of Luke right now.
“Yes. Text me your address. I have to go home and shower first though.”
“No. You can shower here.”
He laughed. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then, I’m on my way.”
They hung up, and Elise sent him her parents’ address. Then, she quickly went up to her room to make sure it wasn’t a mess because she was sure that the two of them would end up there tonight.
Next, she went to inspect herself in the mirror since she had no idea what her hair and makeup had done while she was sleeping. She was able to run a brush through the blonde strands, making it mostly presentable. She performed a quick touch-up to her makeup, removing the mascara that had built up underneath her eyes.
Last, she called her mom to see how her dad was doing and to make sure her mom wasn’t coming back that night. If her mother came home to she and Luke having sex, then Elise would have two parents in the hospital.
She was just about to hang up with her mom when Luke knocked softly on the front door. She opened it, put a finger to her lips, and motioned for him to come inside.
“Yes, Mom. I’ll call you right away when I get up in the morning. I love you. Now, try to get some rest. Bye.” She closed the door behind Luke and locked it as she hung up the phone.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Everything was so m
uch better now that he was there. What that meant, she didn’t know, and she wasn’t about to psychoanalyze it either. At least, not tonight.
Luke had brought a backpack with him, and he set it down against the wall. He was wearing street clothes, having changed out of his scrubs. His jeans fit him amazingly. The back pulled tight across his butt as he bent over. And his T-shirt was fitted well across his chest, a stupid barrier between her and his delicious skin.
When he stood up to face her, he had his mouth open to say something, but she didn’t let him get a word in as she practically attacked him.
He caught her as she hurled herself at him. She pulled his mouth down and kissed him. He tasted good, like mint and Luke. She slipped her hands underneath his shirt, so she could feel him against her fingertips. She loved how smooth his skin was, and she wanted him naked.
Luke must have needed the same thing because he picked her up and urged her to wrap her legs across his back. He broke the kiss to ask, “Where to?”
“Upstairs.” She pointed behind him even though he couldn’t see. “First door on the right.”
He kissed her again as he turned and headed for the stairs. It made their progress slow because it was hard for Luke to see, but she didn’t care because she loved kissing him. She shouldn’t have been surprised that Luke was a great kisser, but she was. So many guys thought they just had to focus on the actual sex part, but Elise always thought that kissing was just as important. She loved kissing, and if a guy was a bad kisser, she didn’t have much hope for him in other areas of the bedroom.
When they reached her room, Luke dropped her legs, so she could slide down his body. His dick was hard and big, and she wanted it—like, now.
Elise ripped Luke’s shirt off over his head and then her own along with her bra. She reached up to kiss him again as she pushed her jeans and panties down with one shove, so she could kick them off. She grabbed for Luke’s button and fly, but she only managed to brush her fingers against his jeans when he picked her up and flung her on the bed.
She squealed with laughter, and hastily and somewhat clumsily, she got to her knees. Luke stood next to the bed, and she went for his pants again. She pulled at the tab and unzipped his jeans. He wasn’t wearing underwear, and his beautiful cock sprang out into her waiting hand.
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