Page 34 of The Desire

“I have been fully booked all day, sorry. All I know is that you have just taken custody of Blaise, but I have a feeling you are about to tell me there is more to it than that.” He turns to his side and directs us with his arm toward the door he came from. “Please, come in and we can chat.”

I’m waiting for Rem to start walking, planning to follow him, but his hand doesn’t drop from my back, and instead the slight pressure is telling me to go first. Different to when we were in the parking garage, where he just walked solo to the side of us.

Following Dr. Keats into the room, it is again a very calming place, with a mural behind his desk with stars and rainbows and cartoon animals all dressed as doctors and nurses. This guy cares about his patients, and you can tell that he wants them to feel at ease in a scary room.

Rem pulls the two chairs closer to each other and takes my forearm, helping me sit down with Blaise now in my lap.

“Okay, let’s get to know each other,” Dr. Keats says while looking straight at me, with eyes that shouldn’t be that suggestive in an appointment with a child.

I swear I hear Rem growl under his breath, but I’m sure I’m wrong.

But one thing I do know is that today can’t end soon enough.

I can’t handle the situation I’m in, so what makes this guy think I can handle him too? I mean, who hits on a patient’s nanny!

Even if he is super-hot, and in another life, I’d be down to play doctors and nurses. But right now, I just need to learn how to play the nanny for my boss.

Fuck, what is wrong with me! My life sounds like the kind of train wreck you’d see on a damn rom-com.

I didn’t think I’d be saying this today, but someone bring me more alcohol, and make it snappy.

Chapter Seven

REMINGTON

They tell me he’s the best pediatrician in London, and he’d better be with the price he’s charging me for the after-hours appointment.

He might be the best doctor for kids, but the way he is staring at Elouise like he wants to examine her instead of Blaise, then this might be the only visit we have here.

“So, tell me Blaise’s story and what resulted in the change of circumstances of you gaining custody.” Dr. Keats glances only briefly toward me, his concentration still on Elouise and Blaise. For his sake, I hope he is centered on my son, which is the reason we are here.

“His mother died, and I only found out he existed when he arrived on my doorstep on Friday night.” Surely that’s all he needs to know. Because to be honest, there isn’t much more to tell him.

I can tell he is waiting for more, looking back toward me. “Oh, and he was with her when it happened,” I add.

“Was it traumatic for him?” Finally, he is interacting with us both, looking between me and Elouise.

“I don’t know, I haven’t spoken to him about it.” The look of disgust on his face that I haven’t tried to reach out to my son makes me want to get up, take Blaise and Elouise, and storm out of here.

Pompous prick!

Before I can even answer, Elouise has my back and jumps in.

“Which isn’t Remington’s fault. Blaise only speaks French. I am doing the translating until Rem can get his French up to speed. So, we are doing the best we can in hard circumstances.” Looking across to me, she gives me the reassuring smile that she wasn’t about to let me look like an asshole.

“I see. I’m sure it’s been a difficult few days then.” Finally, a look of respect toward me from Dr. Douche. “May I ask for you to help me with talking to Blaise then too? Not sure my French will be good enough, and I want him to feel comfortable with me.”

I sit back and watch him go through everything with Blaise, from all the physical examination, to testing his hearing, eyesight, and a gentle conversation about what happened with his mum. I have to hand it to him, his thoroughness makes me think he is worth the small fortune I’m paying him.

“Blaise seems to be a healthy little boy with just a few little things I would like to keep an eye on, nothing serious, but I think it would be worth monitoring. He has a little heart murmur I can hear, and although it is probably nothing, as we have no prior history on it, I would like to check on it later just to be sure it’s normal. Many children have them and grow out of them.” I’m not about to tell him I had the same issue when I was younger because I don’t want him dismissing it in case it gets worse.

“I will have my secretary set up some appointments for you and be in touch. Who should I tell her to contact?” I want to tell him me, but I know it will be Elouise who takes on that role because I can’t be here all the time, it’s a fact of life.

“Please have her speak to Elouise, but I would like to be emailed as well and with the reports each time you see him if I’m not here. So, I can keep a file on his medical history too.” I look into Elouise’s eyes, trying to make her understand it’s not that I don’t trust her but more that I’m a details man. I want to know everything.

Her nod is enough to tell me she realizes what I’m like.

Driving home after the appointment, the car is silent. I didn’t know what to say, and obviously neither does Elouise except for the occasional giggle with Blaise in the back seat. He’s been talking to himself, well, actually I think he was singing a song that sounds happy, so at least he wasn’t too traumatized by the doctor. Not sure I can say the same.

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