by Kris Buendía
Dr. Love.
Dr. Weird.
Dr. Idiot.
Dr. Strange.
Duncan.
“Do you remember me now? “ He asks leaning to one of the sides of the frame. He is shirtless and I can see every muscle perfectly sculptured from his pecs down to his abs and the V shape at the end of his waist…and something else.
His morning boner.
I get red as a tomato and he sees my reaction making fun of me.
“Sorry” he touches himself” My mistake and yours for looking like that so early in the morning.
I see myself and realize that I'm still just wearing underwear and I slam the door in his face.
“Fuck!”
I put on my bathroom robe, I clean my face and come back out. He is putting his shirt on button by button. Now I can see what he was wearing last night.
A suit.
“Why are you here? “ I confront him walking towards him.
“I brought you home last night.”
“No, I got into a cab and came home alone last night. I don't even know you.”
“My name is Duncan, Duncan Ford and you didn't get into a cab, you passed out drunk in my arms and I brought you home myself.”
I can't believe that I did that with a total stranger.
“And how did you know where I lived?”
“Easy” He says giving me a flirty and attractive look” we are neighbors.
“No! “ I scream in shock “You are the…”
“ The handsome idiot.”
I start remembering everything from last night in slow motion and not only last night, also the afternoon in the elevator with Agatha. Duncan, the strange mysterious man who lives next door. And me here, like an idiot without being able to take it in.
“So… you and me…”
“We didn't have sex, if that is what you are worrying about. As you can see I like them awake and receptive, you know.”
He winks at me and I get a bit grossed out. At the same time I start laughing at him and at the situation.
“Don´t you find this whole situation weird?
Duncan looks at me strangely. He doesn't say anything and says no with his head, he finishes putting his shirt on and gets out of the room. Like an idiot I follow him, I don't know if it's him, but I am not used to doing this kinds of things, in fact I have never done this before.
“Take care, Lana, and don't let yourself get swindled again.”
“What? “I find it weird him saying that.
“Never mind. “
He closes the door and leaves. And I am just standing there looking to nothing until I hear him slam the door. He must have some kind of problem to do that. Agatha will not believe what happened last night, at least what I remember of it. I go up to my phone and check it, no calls from my friends. Luckily nobody found out I was about to get into trouble. I check the time and I see I'm running late to get to the hospital.
I put on some music. The complete soundtrack of Pride and Prejudice and I hop into the shower. When it's time to go I run into Duncan coming out of his apartment.
This time I hook his gaze, but his posture is a bit stiff for my taste. He doesn't seem to be a person that gets into trouble, much less social, but at least he has good manners.
“Hello again” I`m the first to talk.
He looks at me from top to bottom and sees that I'm wearing my doctor's uniform and a little briefcase. This is going to be a long morning, and I hope to get home early, because I am exhausted and hangover.
“Nice outfit” That is far from a compliment.
On the other hand his attire, another three piece suit, without any wrinkles and his hair, not so messy anymore, but perfectly combed.
This man is really gorgeous and I think he still doesn't know it. And he won't because his personality is unique. I doubt it that he lives alone, a man like this alone would be a sin. I still remember that he said that love had swindled him as well, an afterwards he laughed as if it were a joke. His face looks like betrayal, like he would break your heart.
We go into the elevator together and he doesn't say anything. I stand next to him a bit behind and I stare into his back. His big and wide back, and I can also smell his perfume. It smells too good to be legal. Wherever he goes he must leave woman drooling over him.
“Smelling me again are we?”
Shit.
I've done it again. Before I do something stupid like last night. I hold back and look to the floor. All of a sudden Duncan comes close “ too close” and grabs me by the chin to move my head.
“Never hide from me, Lana.”
I look at him and he looks serious. Too serious, even though last night he didn't look it or maybe it was just my drunkenness. Duncan looks mysterious and also reliable. Another man in his position would have taken advantage of my state last night and would have had sex with me. Duncan just took me to bed, but didn't do anything.
“How did you end up in my bed? “ I change the subject.
“You begged me to do so.”
“I can't believe it. Did I really?”
“Yes, you told me that if I didn't get into bed with you, you would get out and go to the club again, I had to close the windows and doors, then I got into bed waiting for you to fall asleep and in the end I fell asleep with you. “
That is freakingly sweet.
“I don't know what to say “ I say to him nervously “Thank you, Duncan.”
“You are welcome.
Come on, I have to do better than just a thanks. I know I´m going to hate myself for what I'm about to do, but a simple thanks doesn't cut it. I will stay vigilant, it will only be a neighbor to neighbor relationship. Is there anything wrong with that?
“How about I buy you dinner? Tonight, at my place.”
Duncan turns around to look at me.
“I´m not interested” He tells me rudely “Don't feel that you have to. I would have done it any other way, we were lucky that you are my neighbor.”
“Wow” I admire” You really are an idiot.
“I´m not going to ask you to get used to it.
“You are rude, it was just diner to start from zero and make up, you are my neighbor after all. I was just trying to be polite.
The elevator opens and I´m the first one to get out, bumping into his shoulder. To my surprise, I find out that my car is parked outside and the person that comes out of it is, none other than, Agatha.
“You are going to kill me, but he left it at my place.
In the corner of my eye I see Duncan going to the other side of the street and getting into a van that is waiting for him.
Mysterious. That is what he is.
I get into my old car, a Mazda 2 that I bought a while ago and that I had totally forgotten about. Gabe didn't like it, he said it was old fashioned and too old. Well, it was what I could afford back then.
“Ok, I see that you are not going to say anything, so is my turn to ask. What the hell was that? “ Agatha asks. I know what she means, but I just love making her suffer for a moment.
“I don't know what you mean” I evade the question felling the laughter coming on.
“I knew it!“ She screams and I roll my eyes, her reactions is a bit exaggerated but I'm not surprised at all.
“Have you met him already? That look you both exchanged looked like you had spent the night together.”
I almost choke and I look out the window so she can't see my blushed face. But as soon as the light turns red, Agatha suddenly hits the break and screams again.
“NOOOO! , Really? Did you sleep with him?”
“For the love of God, Agatha, Am I that kind of woman?
“No, but who wouldn´t. That guy looks incredible, like a model or an actor, he reminds me of Tarzan, with his big muscles and those eyes, Oh my God!”
“Hey, hey!” I shut h
er up before she gets all horney “To begin with, I didn't have sex with him. Last night in the club, after you left we met in the bar.”
Agatha looks like she is about to faint. My friend can be really intense sometimes and more so when it comes to men, my men.
“Don´t tell me that you and him…”
“The last thing I remember is getting into a taxi, and that before that I was arguing with him. We were right, he is an idiot.”
“Ok let's see, how did you start talking? Exactly how did you meet?”
“We didn't meet, meet. I learned he was my neighbor this morning. And in the worst way.”
I look at Agatha and she understands my look.
“So, you and that idiot…?”
“No! “ I blush just thinking about it” The idiot says that I begged him to not go and he “kindly” accepted and stayed to look after me. He is such an idiot.
I take a brief break because my story has ended. Agatha looks like she is waiting for more, but the truth is, there nothing else to say. A stranger slept with me.
“I can't believe it, are you living in the same planet? Because when you meet a hot guy like that, you being a beautiful woman it's like the perfect combination to fuck like two animals in heat. “
I laugh my ass off.
“You are an idiot.”
“Anyways you should be careful with him” She says.
“You just told me that it would have been great if I had slept with him and now you are telling me that I should be careful with him.”
“I´m just saying that because he looks mysterious. Who is single with a body like that? Maybe he is gay, or a spy. But the guys also looks weird.”
“You are right about the weird part.”
“And the gay part? “ She asks suspiciously.
“His bonner this morning says otherwise.”
We continue to gossip away on our way to the hospital. I feel a bit nostalgic and sad on the inside. Something so trivial as looking out the window of a car takes me to reality. I see a woman crossing the street talking in her cell phone, she must be talking to the love of her life, somebody special, because her smile says it all.
A man with a briefcase, he looks like today is a big day for him, his custom suit says so.
A mother taking the first groceries of the day. She looks exhausted, like she needs an year´s rest. Like me.
“Here” Agatha takes me out of my thoughts and gives me a letter. I know because it's a white envelope, it just has my name on it in perfect calligraphy.
My friend says nothing. She knows that I need space and I thank her for not getting rid of the letter for me. There are still things I need to close and face myself.
We get to the hospital and start our working day.
I see Moe going into the operating room with me and I happily smile at him.
“I can see that you got home safely”
“Never better” I answer remembering Dr. Idiot.
On another note, I haven't seen Dixon.
“Have you seen Dixon?”
“No, I guess he must be in his office” He tells me halfway.”
I call him but there is no answer. When everything is ready in the operating table I get myself ready to operate. A few hours later I get together with the patient's family and let them that the operation was a success and that the patient will be ok, but that he will have a long but sure recovery.
Dixon comes to my mind, I haven't seen him in five hours so I call him again, and as I was expecting, no answer.
I text him.
Hey, are you alright? Call me.
When I check my phone, I see that he has read my message but hasn't answered back. I decide that the best thing is to confront him myself. I walk straight to his office, when all of a sudden I get a call. I answer hoping that it's him.
“Dixon, thank God.”
“It´s not Dixon.”
Oh, shit.
“Dad” I say as my voice breaks.
“Hey little one, you seem disappointed.
“Nonsense, I thought you were Dixon.
“Ok then, it's not your Doctor friend. I can see that you are at work. Am I interrupting something?
I love my father above anything else, and because I love him so much I can't tell him about my separation with Gabe. That would break his heart, Gabe has been very special to him ever since they met. Now the image of a true son of a bitch would destroy him.
“Surely you aren't Dad, how are you?”
“Missing you guys.”
While I´m answering, my heart just drops.
“We miss you too Dad. Gabe has had some projects that have kept him busy and out of the house” I hate myself for lying to him” And me, well, you know saving hearts.
I hear him laughing.
“And how is yours doing?”
Destroyed.
That is the only word that comes to mind when I think about my heart. Destroyed by the man that had been my husband for three years. The one that I thought would end my solitude that was drowning in my own medicine and open heart surgery.
“It is safe and sound, if that is what you mean” I try to make him laugh again, but when I don't hear him do so I know I´ve failed.
“Is everything ok, darling?”
“Yes, Dad, everything is fine. Don't worry, we will go and see you as soon as this madness comes to a stop, I promise you that it is going to be really soon. “
“Ok, I'm leaving to play Bingo with the guys, talk to you later. Love you.”
“Have fun, Dad. Love you too.”
As I hung up the call I stare into my phones screensaver. It is a picture of my Dad and I in our last trip to Apple Valley together. All of a sudden I see Dixon go into his office and it is my last chance to confront him.
As I knock on his door, I hear a voice telling me to come in.
“Hello” I see him in his desk, looking at his computer and he looks at me from above the screen, barely smiling.
“Hi, Lana.”
Lana?
“Is everything alright? “ I make the effort to sound as normal as I can.
“Yes, why do you ask? “
“I don't know, last night you left the club without saying goodbye.”
“Yes” He moves uncomfortably “I had to take care of a patient.”
Bullshit and more bullshit.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, don´t worry.”
In that moment his phone rings and it is about a patient. Even though he says everything is fine, it is the furthest from the trust as possible.
“Ok, I'm going to let you go back to work.”
“See you around.”
I close the door behind me and go back to my office. Today I only had one surgery scheduled. It seems to me that the only thing I can do right is surgery and helping others.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
The ER needs me right now.
“You too, over here” I see Moe helping a kid with a dislocated pinky.
“There is no better feeling like being helpful” I answer happily.”
First aid medicine has always been the best thing to get ahead of the slow and sad days. Being a heart surgeon I sometimes forget that things are not that severe, like a little scratch, or a disease that doesn't require a secondary intervention immediately. For us Doctors, we have to see life like that, there is nothing we can´t fix, or that medicine can´t help. The only thing you need is to fall in the right hands.
Even though some days are hard, like this, or the day I met Gabe. The ER was too full and personnel was required, even high ranking ones. But this isn't about Gabe, I have to stop naming him in my thoughts and when I´m in my zone. In what defines me.
Agatha joins us a few minutes later and I'm surprised to see Dixon getting out of his lonely cave. A woman walks in holding her arm and
I rush to her to attend to her.
“It really hurts” She tells me about to cry “If you have to take it off, do so! But please make the pain stop.”
“Relax, come over this way please” I take her to a clear bed and I close the blinds.
I start to touch her arm and it is broken indeed “You will need to get an X-rays, after that you will come back and see me.”
“Shit! “ She complaints and I don´t know if it because of the pain or because of what I just said “I`ve waited to get in the car for hours and now you tell me that I have to wait again.”
“I will tell somebody to help you, I promise it won't take long. “
“Ok, I just have to get back home in time to prepare some diner for the guys.”
“That sounds great” I smile at her and take her other arm.
I call a nurse to accompany her to the floor where the X-rays are. I continue helping more people, when one in particular stands out. His hand is a mess, God know what he did. I see the man in the suit and I go to him.
“Sir, please lay down in the bed, I will check your hand.”
He doesn't say anything and do`s as I say, when I finish putting the gloves on, I continue to look from his hand to his face and I get startled when I see him.
“Duncan” I barely whisper “Jesus Christ, What happened to you?”
“I`m an idiot” He says straight away and I stare at him “I mean regarding what I was doing. I had the great idea to cut some fruit in my office and the rest…you can see for yourself.”
“I see” I start to clean his wound, it looks like a deep cut in the palm of his.
“I will have to stitch you up, the anesthesia will hurt a bit.”
“Do what you have to.”
The way he is acting isn't the most pleasant one but, let's face it, he has a horrible cut in the palm of his right hand. It must have hurt like hell, even though he acts strong. Who the hell cuts fruit in his office at this time of day? He must have been starving so as not to see the knife coming.
He truly is an idiot.
I finish up cleaning the blood and I prepare the needle with the anesthesia. Duncan is watching my every move like he is studying me. In reality he doesn't make me nervous, or that is what I want him to think.
“If you want me to stitch you up properly you will need to stop looking at me so much”I warn him.