"Yes, I got hear safe... No, I didn't have trouble finding out where to go... Alright... okay, love you too... Bye."
Pressing the red 'hang up' button I let out a heavy sigh. My best friend/roommate, Serena, wouldn't stop hovering around me when I subtly mentioned I had booked a checkup after years of refusing. I appreciate how much she cares about me but callingme
/three times in less than an hour is a bit much. Hmph. Girls.
I tucked my phone into my bag and held my papers of medical information and health card in my sweaty hands. My palms were clammy and uncomfortable like the rest of me as I walked towards the front desk where two receptionists were typing awayon their
/expensivelooking desktops. A vase of white flowers sat on the corner of the smooth woodenand the receptionist with blackhair piled in a neat bun on the top of her head greets me with a smile, the other blonde continuing her work. Naturally I
/approached
/the welcoming one.
I introduced myself and handed her my information and health card over the table. Same old, same old; she asks for my name, date of birth and address and enters my medical history into the system. She is probably dealt with new patients every day.
"Here you go, Mr. Cline." She passed my papers back to me over the desk with another pleasant smile on her lightly painted lips. "Dr. Gibbs will see you in a moment."
Mr. Cline? No need to be so formal, MissNice. "It's just Julian," I said as I reclaimed my papers. "Thanks." She nodded and went back to her work.
I hate waiting rooms as much as the next guy does but when I found a seat and skimmed my surroundings, I felt my stress sweat drying up. The walls were a soft grey and paintings of plant life and landscapes could be seen everywhere, the frame abovemy
/chairwas a field of lilacs. One wall was dedicated to an array of diplomas and degrees. Not only that but the padded white seats were surprisingly comfortable.
A few other people were occupying empty seats, two out of three of them on their phones. I thought twice about pulling mine out so I wouldn't come off as one of the 'typical millennials'. I have other things to think about than besides updating my Instagram...likeworrying
/about who this Dr. Gibbs character (theownerof this clinic) is. Great. No wonder this place is saysGibbs Medical Clinic on theoutside.Dumbass.
My stress sweat has plagued my underarms now. I always got those mature, grey-haired doctors who look like they're pushing 60 years old when I was a kid. At first I would just hide behind my mother's leg out of shyness; one vaccination shot later and
/I'vedreaded every doctor's visit that followed. Well, if I don't want to get too sick in the future it was a smart idea to schedule a checkup, that and my friends and family wouldn't stop bugging me about it.
"Julian Cline." A male voice startled me out of my thoughts. My head darted up seemingly on its own and I realized I was being beckoned by... a very cute boy. He had short spiked auburn locks and his face was devoid of facial hair. In his hands wasaclipboard
and
he wore a white collared shirt. He's young, 20something perhaps. Suddenly I was slightly less nervous.
"I'm Julian," I said as I gathered my belongings and passed through the miniature maze of chairs. "Are you the doctor... er... Dr. Gibbs?"
His lips curled into a half smile. "No unfortunately," he chuckled. "Follow me, his office is right this way."
I stayed behind him like a shadow as we proceeded down the corridor passed the front desk. The dim lighting was calming and the abstract paintings in smaller frames added nice splashes of colour now and then. Is this a health clinic or an art museum?
/Whoeverthis doctor is he must be pretty special to have his office at the end of a long hallway, the area was practically secluded.
"The doctor will be with you shortly," theverycute boy said and opened the heavy looking black door for me. "His schedule is full today, sorry for the wait."
"No problem."
i was kind of sad to see him disappear down the way we came, I didn't even get his name. The door closed with a loud click and I exhaled, resting my chin in my hand. I don't even remember what is supposed to happen at these checkups anymore. The firstthingthat
/comes to mind is me whining when the cold metal whatchamacallit with the tiny light would go into my ears.
Before I could recall anything else that would heighten my nerves, I sat in the armchair by the door and my eyes took a tour of the office. Translucent blinds covered the large window across from me. A tall lamp stood beside me and my eyes hover aroundto
/see the white desk and cabinets, the padded exam table against the opposite wall, and a row of diplomas lined up next to the door.
My foot began tapping on the floor when I spotted the scary medical equipment everyone fears. They were hanging by the examination table like they always do but they rarely ever get used on me. Thank goodness. It's spacious for a doctor's office,much
/different than the ones I've visited years ago. Fortunately I'm not as nervous as when I arrived here, just extremely so deep in thought,I hadn't noticed the door creaking open.
"Well well, I hope you're feeling better than you look."I refrained from turning my head for a second until that low, raspy voice sparked my curiosity. "You must be Julian."
My phobia of doctor's offices quickly slipped from my mind. He is young, really young... and tall. "Uh... yeah, I'm him- er- he's me... I'm Julian."Damnit.
"You nervous?"
"Well, I haven't had a checkup in a while so... kind of."
"No worries, Mr. Cline, you're in good hands."He took my clammy hand in his and shook it oncebefore moving over to his desk. "I'm Dr. Gibbs but you can call me Ted if it makes you more comfortable."
Whoa, and I though the boy who brought me in here was a cutie. This big hunk of man is what dreams are made of. I try not to stare as he sits down and opens his laptop but it's so difficult; his perfectlycoifed blond hair, scruff under hisnose
/and chin, ocean blue eyes behind thickblack framed glasses. So far this man is sheer daddy material.
"So what's wrong with you, Mr. Cline?"
My eyes widen. "What?"
"Why did you decide to book a checkup after so long?" Dr. Gibbs points to a document on his computer screen. "You weren't kidding when you said 'a while'. It says here you haven't had a physical since you were 19 years old."
I shifted around in my seat and decide to focus on the black frameof his glasses so his eyes wouldn't distract me too much. Let's keep this short. "I've always hated going to the doctor's when I was young," I began, glancing at those deep blue eyes fora
/split second. He's looking right at me, it's making me feel strange. "Once I turned 18 and moved into my own place I've avoided going altogether."
The doctor's head tilts to one side and he spins his chair around, facing me. "I have met patients who are not ecstatic aboutcheckups but never someone who avoids them completely."
"Does that make me sick in the head?" I inquired.
He chuckled. "That depends. According to your records you have notgotten extremely ill since your last physical; no broken bones and you've received all your vaccination shots. Are you afraid of the dentist as well." He said this with a hint of humourinhis
/tone.
"Don't we all dislike the dentist, Dr. Gibbs?" I bat my eyelashes at him, crossing one leg over the other to straighten my posture. My attempt at making a joke succeeded when he chuckled again, a glimpse at his pearly white teeth catching my eye.
"A valid point," he agreed. "I'm not a fan of strangers scraping my teeth let's get started, shall we?" When he stood back up he was towering over me. "Have a seat on the bench." And when I stood he was at least a whole head taller than me.Wow."We'llstart
/with the basics."
I don't even remember 'the basics'. I pulled myself up onto the exam table, the noisy paper crinkling as I plopped down. The doctor put a stethoscope into his ears and held the silver disk in his long fingers as he stepped toward me confidently. I supposethis
/part wouldn't be too unbearable.
"Would you mind removing your shirt? I need to check your heart rate."
Oh no, I definitely recall this bit. I nodded and hesitantly bent my arms out of the long sleeves of my striped shirt, exposing my unevenly shaved ches, hairy patches and all.. The room is not freezing but the fact that an incredibly attractivedoctor
/waswatching my every move made me shiver. "Sorry," I sigh and toss my shirt onto the armchair, trying to be coy. "I'm really out of it."
"I can tell." His hand touched my shoulder and I tense up. "I'll get you back into it, Mr. Cline. Take a deep breath for me; in through your nose, out through your mouth."
I shut my eyes and did my best to glue them in place when the cool disk found my chest. With every breath, he moved the tool to another area on my body. He reached around to check my back and I could feel the sleeves of his white doctor's coat hoveringagainst
/myarm. I heard him breathing in my ears or maybe I'm hearing it more intensely with my eyes closed. Coincidentally the disk of the stethoscope vanishes after a few minutes of deep breathing and I open my eyes to see him holding a small flashlight
/from his utility belt, the one for looking at my eardrums.
"I only thought spies had those belts," I joked.
His eyebrow curves up and he looks almost flattered. "Well perhaps I should consider applying for the superspy gig one day."I'd definitely let him by my James Bond.
His voice is low and crystal clear now, it gives me goosebumps. I watch him as he dims the lights overhead with a switch on the wall, turning on the bright flashlight. "How tomantic," I comment. "... Ted... Doctor."
He aims the light into my ear and peers inside. "All the better to see you with, my dear."
I could feel my cheeks flushing pink. His wit is irresistible. "You don't seem like the big bad wolf type."
"Well you have only known me for all of ten minutes and you are my newest client, don't judge a book by its covet. Let's have a little chat since you're so curious."Oh, Mr. Doctor, I am VERY curious about you.He switches to my other ear.
"I hear you'rea singer. Do you do this full time?"
"Yeah, since I finished college. It can be very exhausting but I love it more than anything."
"It must put plenty of pressure on that throat of yours. Drink lots of fluids?"
"Of course." We were silent a moment while he picked a different tool from his belt. I continued. "I'm on vocal rest now so I've gotten a bit of a break."
"Well let's see how your throat is doing now." He slips white coat off his shoulders effortlessly and I nearly gasp. His shoulders are square and broad and the way his tight black t-shirt hugged his biceps made my mouth water. The tips of hisfingers heldmy
/chin and tipped my head back, our eyes locking.Damn, he is so freaking sexy... our faces are inches apart. He 's a thousand times prettier up close."You should know the drill, Mr. Cline. Open up and say 'aaah'."
Hearing his sultry voice speak those words was enough to make anyone swoon. I do so in the most seductive way my voice would allow as another bright light illuminated my mouth. I hated this part; his hand slowly disappeared into my throat and Iwould havegroaned
/in discomfort if Dr. Gibbs wasn't so great at his job. His touch is gentle and feather light for a man with such large hands and all his attention was on the inside of my throat. I carefully take in the scent of his cologne while I still
/can.Mmmm... lavender... my favourite.
Soon his hand slid out and the tiny light flickered off. "Everything looks fine to me, Mr. Cline," he said.
"So you don't think I'm crazy for avoiding checkups all this time?"
"No that's pretty spot on," he shrugged and took a step back. "However, I would like to recommend a treatment for your throat."
Treatment. "What exactly did you have in mind, doctor?" I caught a twinkle in his eye upon the mention of a 'treatment', I was beginning to feel something sizzling between us, wither that or my body temperature had reached its boiling point..
"Given your occupation,' he began, folding his arms over his chest. "you should give you're voice a few days to recover after you perform. Do you think you can refrain from speaking for the rest of the week?"
"That's going to be difficult for me," I spoke honestly. "I tend to be very talkative... with my friends and family I mean, not really with strangers."
His expression grew stern but I could still see the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Strangers? Like me?"
I remember I am shirtless and freeze in my place on the elevated exam bench. "I suppose." I heard a break in my voice and prayed he hadn't noticed.
"I see." He reached behind his back and pulled off his belt full of trinkets, letting it lay on his desk. "Well, Mr. Cline, I think we are going to get to know each other quite well as we progress. I would highly recommend you stay as silent as possibleso
/your vocal chords can relax. The treatment I have in mind will not take too long so you will have to do exactly as I say for the hour we have remaining. Would you like to try the treatment?"
It is really hard to read his expression as he waits for my response. What is he thinking? He is a professional and the owner of this clinic after all. I have made my opinions about doctors clear but this one is very mysterious, not to mention deliciouseye
/candy. I replayed his question in my mind and sure enough, it jumped right into the gutter,. "I'm up for whatever the doctor prescribes."
At that moment my cheeks heated up to the colour of ripe tomatoes but Dr. Gibbs seemed to enjoy it, his smirk says it all. He removed his glasses from his face and those big blue oceans in his eyes are mesmerizing. They scanned my whole body slowly likean
/x-ray, up and down my prickly haired chest until he meets with my trapped gaze. "Well then," he said, his smirk widening and voice darkening. "Lets see what we can do about keeping you quiet."