Page 5 of Caleb
I hadn’t really had a chance to notice yesterday, not with my brother lying in a hospital bed all wrapped up in bandages, and the not-so-distant memory of my recent unemployment lingering over my head, but Dr. Caleb is just about the finest man I’ve ever seen. It’s like he’s glowing or something. I don’t know how he finds the time to be a doctor and work out so much, either. He has muscles on top of muscles. His rugged, square jaw is covered in a thick layer of black stubble. There’s a hint of grey in his medium-length hair. It’s pushed back today. Behind his ears. Accentuating his lurid green eyes.
“I just came to check on Jake.”
“Right,” I mumble. “He's in his room.”
I guide him into the bedroom and watch as he does his tests. He has a great bedside manner. Making little jokes, and always keeping Jake relaxed and smiling.
A weird thought flickers through my head.
What would it be like to have this man in my life?
I imagine him standing over the bed, but instead of Jake being in it, it’s our own son. He’s tucking him in. Wishing him goodnight. Kissing him gently on the forehead and telling him he loves him. That we both love him.
I look down at my ring finger. Imagining what it would look like with a simple gold band around it.
When Dr. Calebs finishes, he takes me by the elbow and guides me into the kitchen.
My legs feel like jelly. Having his hand on me, even if it’s just on my arm, has shivers running all up and down my body.
“He’s doing really well,” he says, leaning against the counter and folding his arms across his huge, wide chest.
“It sure hasn’t shut him up!” I say. “Every little thing, he’s calling out to me. ‘Naomi, can you scratch my foot… Naomi, can you tuck my pillow behind my head for me… Naomi, I dropped my comic book on the floor, and when I leaned over to pick it up I pooped my pants.’”
I cover my mouth with my hand.
“Sounds like you have your hands full.”
“I’m fine,” I tell him, unable to stop myself from thinking what it would be like to have my hands full with something other than my brothers. His cock, for example. “You want something to drink? A coffee, perhaps?”
He stands up off the counter. He’s so tall I have to crane my neck to look him in the eyes. “I really should be going. I just wanted to pop by and make sure everything was okay.”
“You sure?” I ask. “I’ve just made a cherry pie. Fresh out the oven?”
“Cherry pie?” he smiles, lifting his hands in the air in surrender. “That’s my favorite. If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble?”
“Trouble?” I feign insult, pushing past him and getting out some mugs from the cupboard. “I know trouble, and having a little lunchtime pie with a hunky doctor isn’t it.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. His tongue slowly runs across his bottom lip. “You think I’m hunky?” he says.
"No," I lie. "I was just being nice. Now go and sit down before I say something else embarrassing."
4
Dr. Caleb
I walkinto the living room. My mouth is watering, and it’s not just the thought of cherry pie.
Naomi might just about be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
I look down at the coffee table. There’s textbooks open and pens and a few of those cheap, lined legal pads I remember oh-so-well from my college days.
My eyes flick over the subject matter, and I’m surprised to see it’s all about the cardiovascular system and treatments for heart disease.
Medicine?
“I hope you like it dark,” Naomi says, stepping into the room. “I haven’t had a chance to do the groceries today and we’re all run out of milk.”
I take the mug from her and hold it in both hands. Her cheeks turn bright pink as I look at her. She turns her head and sees all the books open on the table and immediately starts tidying up.
