Page 17 of Hello Dr. Christmas

ChapterNine

I have buried my face in my pillow, and I am sobbing pretty hard when Mary walks in and sits on my bed with a sigh.

She pats my back gently. “Oh, cheer up, Clara. Things are going to be amazing. Look at how loved you are.”

“I didn’t think they cared that much,” I say, but it’s muffled by my pillow. “It means a lot.”

“You’re awesome, that’s why!” Mary responds happily. “So, what do you think of Klaus? Is he gorgeous, or what?”

“I guess he’s okay,” I mumble.

“Okay? Okay? I feel like one of the best chefs in the world just served you a gourmet dish of like... lobster and caviar or something, and you’re like ‘meh, it’s fine, it’s whatever.’”

“Well, you’re not a chef Mary, and you didn’t cook him up in a laboratory, and I would prefer if we didn’t talk about men like they are morsels of meat. Reverse sexism isn’t liberating, it’s just stooping to the level of the oppressive patriarchy, and makes us no better than those who denigrate women like that.”

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Clara?” Mary asks suspiciously. “I feel like you’re trying very hard to distract me from something or change the subject here…”

“I already slept with him, okay, Mary?”

“You did what?” she shrieks.

“I met him at a bar last night. I was feeling down, he was feeling down. He didn’t tell me his name, and I didn’t know he was the doctor who’s supposed tooperate on me.”

“Youslept with him already?” Mary squeals loudly.

“Shhhh,” I tell her, sitting up and looking around. “I don’t want everyone to know.”

“I knew it,” she declares happily. “I knew you were going to want to get Klaus all up in your Cloyster!”

“What?” I ask, wrinkling my nose. “You did not just refer to my vagina as a Pokémon.”

“Oh, who cares!” Mary says, throwing her arms around me in a giant hug. “Everything is going to be wonderful.”

“We’re notdatingor anything,” I tell her awkwardly. “I never thought I was going to see him again.”

“It’s still so romantic,” she says with a sigh. “My little sister got laid!”

“Shut up!” I say, laughing and smacking her. “It’s not that special.”

“It’s pretty special. How was it? Was he good?” Mary asks.

“Oh my god,” I say, falling back on the bed with my arms stretched out wide. “He was a revelation. It was incredible.”

“That’s what I hoped!” Mary says with glee, clapping her hands. “Clara got laid for Christmas! Clara got laid for Christmas!”

“Oh, no,” I say, pressing my hands over my ears. “Why did I tell you? Kill. Me. Now.”

When a knock sounds at my door, Mary quiets down and moves to answer it.

Of course, it’s the man in question. Klaus Andersson. I groan at how awkward this is.

“Helllllo, Doctor Christmas!” Mary says suggestively.

Klaus sighs. “You told her?”

I nod and shrug sheepishly.

“I had better leave and let you two lovebirds have some time alone,” Mary says, as she bounces out of the room.

---