Page 39 of The Doctor's Simple Life

It’s not that I couldn’t imagine her like this all day, because I really, really could. Hell, it’s pretty much what I’ve been defaulting to lately. Sienna.

But I’m in public now. I have some dignity to keep. I have composure to maintain.

I have to take Sienna to bed again tonight or else I’m going to regret wasting time with her.

She’s gone from a rash I can’t get rid of to an itch I can’t ignore. She’s always in my mind and I don’t want to shake her out, and there’s no way I can tell Mikey. He would be cruel to her. He would mock her for being a country girl, and I wouldn’t want her to face that. I can protect her if I keep her secret.

I think for a second, and finally I type back:Actually, I am enjoying it. It’s better than spending all day with you morons.

That’s worse than I wanted it to sound. I edit it to take out the word “morons” and say “you guys” instead. I probably shouldn’t go about insulting my boss. That’s not usually the best practice for people who want to stay employed.

He texts back straight away.Haha, can’t wait to hear all the stories. Unless you really are a country boy now…

I’m not one hundred percent certain how to reply to that.

He’s clearly taunting me.

The right thing to do is text back immediately and dismiss the idea that such a dumb thing could be true. Me, a country boy? Ridiculous. If I want to keep any sort of social standing in Miami, I have to totally scorn the idea of it.

I definitely can’t tell them that this place is changing me.

Macy comes back with my check and places it down with a smile. “You doing okay, Dr. Westbrook? You seem a little down today.”

“Oh, I’m fine,” I lie. “I just have a few things on my mind.”

“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m an open ear. Anyone around here would be.”

I smile at her. “Thank you.”

She lingers, waiting for me to start spilling my heart out, but even if I am getting more accustomed to the Silverbell way of living, I’m still not ready to go around telling everyone I meet my life story. Maybe if I stayed here longer.

Would I want to stay here longer? It’s slow and quiet, and everyone knows my name now, but I’m not sure I think that’s as bad as I used to.

It used to look like the worst thing in the world to me, to be trapped in a small town where everyone knew everything about you, but nobody really cared. That’s what small towns have always seemed like to me. A cage. But being here?

Not that I ever want to admit this aloud, especially not to Mikey, but I think the pace of life here is starting to suit me.

Instead of saying any of that, I hand Macy my card. At least they have card machines in Silverbell. See? They’re not totally unevolved.

Macy beams at me, hesitating for another second in case I want to change my mind and talk to her after all, but I don’t. She charges my card and hands it back to me. “Thanks for your patronage, Dr. Westbrook. You come by again now anytime! We’re always happy to see you.”

“Thanks, Macy,” I say as I get up. As I leave, I glance over my shoulder and see that she’s still watching me go.

The day at the hospital is the same as any other: I banter with Sienna in the morning, she gets fake annoyed with me, I kiss her to make it better. She tells me to cut it out because we’re at work, then goes right back to kissing me. We tear ourselves apart for a second to go do some work for real, and then we head back to the office to hang out some more.

She’s really done something to me. I’m still struggling to believe it. But every time I look at her, a sense of calm hits me, a feeling of stillness, like being near her makes everything all right. I’ve never felt so anchored to another person before.

I’ve never felt such genuine affection.

Not that Sienna’s my girlfriend, but I’ve never had a girlfriend like her. They’ve always wanted something from me before, but all Sienna seems to want is me. She doesn’t want money or jewels or designer shoes. She just wants me.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Betancourt,” I say as I walk up to his bed.

I’ve been let loose this afternoon, free from my chain to Sienna. Clearly, I’m trustworthy enough now to do stuff without supervision. Mr. Betancourt is due to have bypass surgery today, and I’ve asked if I can help. Heart stuff isn’t really my field, but I’m bored of nursing duty and I haven’t been able to talk anyone around here into anything cosmetic.

He’s a simple enough case, at least, and even if I’m not allowed to do anything, being in the room will make me feel useful again.

Lately, I’m finding out that useful doesn’t just mean the high-end OR stuff though. Even the admins can be useful.

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