BETA READ by Dana Katherine
Dr. Mike sighed, hands on her hips. She couldn't remember when she had opened the thing last. In the last couple of months she had gotten used to Colorado Springs. Some village people were still cynical about the fact their doctor was actually female, but she felt a lot more accepted than in the beginning already. She guessed most things in the heavy trunk were things she didn't need anymore. Useless, really. Things that were quite right for Boston, maybe, but too decent for where she lived now. It was about time that she decided what to keep and what not, she thought. There were things she wouldn't ever need anymore. Yes, it was time she threw away what was useless, which she was sure most of the content was.
She was about to reach for the trunk when a knock to her door came interrupting her. She got up from her knees and walked to the door, opening it to reveal Sully, his faithful Wolf by his side and a turkey in his hand. "I brought you dinner," he stated, handing the dead animal to Dr. Mike. She smiled, gratefully accepting it. "Thank you," she said, and closed the door behind him and Wolf.
Sully turned to her, and watched her place the bird down on the table. "Where are the children?" he asked, not noticing them anywhere, a little startled by how quiet the house actually was without them running around.
"Matthew took his siblings out to town," Michaela explained, wiping her hands on her skirt. "I don't expect them back before tonight." Sully nodded, sitting down on a chair when she offered him one in silence. "And since I don't have anyone waiting in the clinic, I thought I could maybe... well, get rid of old things I brought from Boston when I came here. I guess most of it is useless here."
She bent over to take the sides of the trunk and lift it on the table, so she wouldn't always have to crouch. She managed to lift it only a couple of inches, when the heavy trunk fell to the floor again with a loud thud and one hand went to cradle her lower back, while she tried to keep herself upright with the other leaning on the table. Sully was by her side immediately, worried eyes going over her. "Michaela?"
Dr. Mike smiled. People rarely addressed her by her first name. She was used to it by now, but it felt nice to hear him say it, even though she'd never particularly liked it. She winced between loud pants as she tried to stand up straight. "What's wrong?" Sully's voice sounded right beside her ear.
"It's nothing," Michaela calmly tried to reassure him. "It'll be over in a minute." She couldn't fool him, though.
"Do you want to sit down?" he asked.
"No!" Michaela said immediately, and then realized she'd given herself away. "If I sit down now, I won't be able to get up anymore," she admitted, sighing. She hoped this wasn't what she thought it was. It couldn't be a hernia or anything, could it? She'd been having low back pain for a while, especially when lifting heavy things in the clinic, like packets of medicines. She could feel Sully's concerned eyes on her, as she started to breathe more calmly again. "There's... something I need you to check," Dr. Mike spoke, looking at him seriously.
"Sure. Anything," he replied, confusedly.
Dr. Mike sighed. "I need you to check if there are any swollen discs in my spine," she said, and swallowed. Sully slowly opened his mouth to say something, when Michaela interrupted him. "That means you're going to have to undress me first..." When Michaela looked up at him again, she saw Sully swallowing as well. "Partially, at least."
"OK," he said.
"Thank you."
Michaela noticed how she stood just a few inches from the bed. She turned slightly and took both of Sully's hands as a support when she lowered herself on the edge of the bed. She tightly squeezed her eyes shut as she did so. Sully let go of her hands and moved them in the direction of her blouse buttons hesitantly, opening one before looking at her, ceasing all of his movements. She'd placed both hands next to her, seemingly to offer herself more support to sit upright. She was hurting, he could see it, and he was glad she had admitted it. She could have kept quiet about it as well, and he felt himself lucky in a way that he'd been there when her back had given out. He was almost sure that if he hadn't caught her in that state, she would have never admitted something was wrong. "Are you sure you don't want me to get Olive or Grace to do this?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Michaela whispered, looking deep into his eyes, allowing one hand to reach out and cup his cheek before retreating it and placing it back beside her. Sully nodded, slowly finishing unbuttoning her blouse. He looked up at her briefly to see that her eyes were closed. He gently unfastened her belt and reached to unzip her long dark red skirt, doubting for a moment. Dr. Mike opened her eyes to read the indecisiveness written in his blue eyes. "It's OK," she whispered.
His fingers slowly pulled the short zipper down, gently tugging the dark fabric from under her. Michaela managed to lift her pelvis just enough to make him succeed in getting her skirt off. His hands reached back up to undo her blouse and drop it silently on her skirt. He carefully got up and settled behind her on the bed, undoing the buttons of her sleeveless under blouse.
As soon as Sully had undone the last one, it fell to the front, where Dr. Mike held it in place with one hand. "Alright," she swallowed. "I need you to follow the length of my spine with your thumb very slowly, down from between my shoulder blades. You should feel little lumps. These are called discs. I want you to check if there are any differences… if it feels like one disc sticks out more, for example."
Sully did as he was being asked and carefully placed his thumb between her shoulder blades, on her visible spine. He waited for an instant, and then very slowly ran down the length of her spine. "Harder, Sully. You won't feel any differences if you don't put more pressure on it." She felt him push against her spine just a little harder, obviously afraid to hurt her. So far, she was good, but when he came near her lower spine, Dr. Mike held onto the sheets and squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself. It came as she'd anticipated. "OOOWW!"
Michaela immediately felt Sully pulling back. "I'm sorry," he apologized, offering her his hand when she reached for it. She was panting. "There's one lump in your lower back that seems... swollen," he stated, somewhat insecure.
Dr. Mike nodded, regaining breath. "That's possible. It means that that disc is herniated. I shouldn't lift anything heavy until its back to its usual shape."
"What could have caused it?" Sully wondered out aloud. "And what brings it back to its usual shape?"
"It goes over time," Michaela explained. "There's no real cause, but anyone who often lifts things that are rather heavy has more of a chance to get it. Heavy lifting sure does make it worse, though. The same as bending over does." She sighed. "There's no real treatment either, I'm afraid. At least none I heard about. Physiotherapy should make it heal faster, but since we don't have a physiotherapist here in Colorado Springs, it'll have to go back in its place by resting as much as possible. Which I assume is nearly impossible for a medical doctor."
Dr. Mike sighed, running the back of her hand over her forehead, as Sully asked her, "Physiotherapy?"
"A physiotherapist could be described as someone... well... who learned how to... massage would be the right word, perhaps... anyone to make pain go away. It has to do with putting the right kind and amount of pressure on the right spots."
"I could try it," Sully stated. "You just help me find out what are the right places."
Michaela laughed through her pain. "That's very kind of you, Sully, but I haven't studied to be a physiotherapist. I have no idea about the right spots, either, I'm afraid." She tried to turn just a little more towards him. "I really appreciate the offer, though." Dr. Mike's voice suddenly sounded a lot softer.
"Why don't you let me try?" Sully whispered, gently brushing some loose strands out of her eyes. "Please," he added.
She nodded slowly in agreement. Sully didn't need more, and lifted her on his lap carefully. There were a few inevitable winces, but he assumed that it would be even worse if he didn't even try and do anything. He gently undid her under blouse, never leaving her eyes, not even daring to let his bright blue eyes wander down, even though he wanted to.
Dr. Mike allowed him to undo the fabric covering her upper body. She trusted him with her life. He was a decent man. He was just trying to help her. She loosely wrapped her arms around his neck as both of his hands ever so softly came down on her lower back. She tried to keep yet another wince inside, as she felt Sully brush little circles over her painful lower back. "Am I hurting you?" he asked. She slowly shook her head against his shoulder and allowed herself to hide into it.
"You're tense all over; I don't have to be a doctor or a physiotherapist to feel that."
"I'm sorry," Michaela whispered, pulling back from his shoulder to look at him briefly, and then lowering her eyes as if in shame. Sully as well stopped rubbing her spine and gently lifted Michaela's chin so their eyes met again.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No... It's just..." Dr. Mike swallowed. "It's strange for me to feel a man touching me like this. I have... never been with a man." She looked at Sully intently, and then chuckled at her own inexperience, seeing the irony behind it. "It's the one physical thing I don't understand."
"Being touched more intimately?"
"Making love in general."
"I could change that," Sully answered, softly planting a peck on her collarbone, then averting his eyes to look in hers again. "Not tonight, though," he whispered, taking both of her hands, running his thumbs over the tops and just looking into her sparkling pair of eyes. She smiled faintly. He smiled back at her.
"Soon?" she asked.
"As soon as your back feels better," Sully answered, "We'll take our time," carefully starting to rub it again, not taking his eyes away from hers, looking as she formed three inaudible words. 'I love you.' "I love you, too," Sully whispered in her hair, smiling.