Back again with part two! Bassy is slightly OOC, sadly, but I don't think its too far out there (Nervous laugh). Be warned; Bassy gets a dog. I'll say it again. He gets a DOG. I found it ironic and mildly hilarious, myself...
Enjoy!
Back at the hospital again. I still hate it, still hate the smell, still hate the sound, still hate the look, and still hate the feeling of it. But, there's one thing that make makes taking Hannah to the hospital now entirely worth it.
Henderson Graduate Medical School Hospital pediatrician, Dr. Michaelis. It's been two months since I came to the realization that I really liked him, and ever since then my life has gotten so much better.
I'm actually pulling good grades now. Bless his soul; when he found out how badly I was doing in school he almost blew up at me. Now, after school when I pick up Hannah, if Dr. Michaelis isn't working, we go to the apartment building my brother and Dr. Michaelis both live in. On days Mark can watch Hannah, Dr. Michaelis tutors me. On days Hannah has to come to Dr. Michaelis's place with me, he watches her and lets me get my homework done.
More than that, after that whole incident when Hannah ran away and we found her at the park when Dr. Michaelis defended me against my mother's irrational disdain for me, she's backed off. I can actually enjoy being at my house now, not having to worry that she'll nag me to play with Hannah or help with Hannah or watch Hannah. She's stepped up the parenting a bit, giving me time to breathe now. Which lets me do my schoolwork on days Dr. Michaelis is working.
And, of course, I spend every minute I can with Dr. Michaelis. It's like he was specifically designed for me. His arms fit around me perfectly. Our lips fit together perfectly. He knows when I need some space and when I need him to hug me because I'm having a really bad day. I feel like I'm living in a romance novel when I'm with him. Like my life is one of those chick flicks. And I am totally okay with that.
But I refuse to tell him I love him.
I was still absorbed with replaying the looks on my teachers' faces as of late as my grades climbed from D's to B's – I had actually gotten enough extra credit in two of my classes to achieve low A's – when the receptionist called Hannah's name. I grinned, knowing I'd be seeing Dr. Michaelis in just a moment. "Let's go, Hannah."
"Okay!" Hannah beamed. She was almost more excited to see him than I was. She insisted on walking into the room, refusing when I tried to carry her, her eyes shining with anticipation. She really likes Dr. Michaelis, something I would have never thought possible two months ago when we first met him. Actually, I had been convinced I would always hate him two months ago as well. How wrong I had been.
As we reached the door of exam room six, a nurse bolted out of the door and down the hall. My gut wrenched as I heard her choked sobs and saw a tear trickle down her cheek. With a heavy sigh, I ushered Hannah into the room.
Dr. Michaelis was sitting at the desk, clipboard in hand. He was so damn sexy, dressed for work, in a long white coat with a stethoscope draped around his neck. He already was smirking, and I could tell he was pleased with himself. "Doctor," I sighed, sitting down in a chair across from the examination table.
His gaze slid from his clipboard to me, and his eyes shone. "What is it?" he asked, like he didn't know what I found so dismaying.
I rolled my eyes and indicated the door. "Just now, that nurse ran out crying," I informed him indignantly, wondering what on earth it was he had said this time. I think he measures the success of a day by how many people he makes cry. It's infuriating, really, but at the same time it's one of the things I really like about him. It's kind of entertaining.
He shook his head and set the clipboard down. "It's troublesome that nurses cry so easily these days," he muttered, turning in his chair to look at the door. Then he smiled, trying to look innocent. "It looks like I made them cry," he chuckled.
I rubbed my temples. He has such a bad personality and is so mean. It's really no wonder the nurses gave him the nickname "Dr. S". I ask myself why I like him every day, and I always tell myself that he's really a kind person at heart, and he likes Hannah. I mean, who doesn't like Hannah? But on the surface… he's really just a jerk.
Dr. Michaelis leaned over his crossed legs so his eyes were level with Hannah's. "Today I'm giving you a vaccination shot," he told her, and I was amused by the shock in his eyes when Hannah didn't start to whimper. "Will you be all right?"
Hannah beamed and nodded. "Yep!" She's really taken all the fun out of this entire thing for him, since she's not afraid of him anymore. "If I don't cry, will you play with me?" she asked, shameless. A true child.
"Hannah!" I exclaimed, blushing furiously. Count on my little sister to pull something like this. "The doctor's busy, and-"
"It's fine," Dr. Michaelis interrupted me, smirking as he looked at my red cheeks. I also had my what? Expression on, but that's not uncommon. He startles me in a new way every day. He turned back to Hannah and said quietly, like it was a secret, "This Sunday, come over to my place. But don't tell the other kids."
Hannah nodded, her expression now one of utter seriousness. "Okay, I won't tell anyone." Her eyes slid over to me, and then she begged him, "But can I tell Emma? I can't go by myself, so I'll go with Emma!"
Dr. Michaelis smiled and rested his chin in his hand, his elbow propped on the desk as he threw a not-so-subtle glance at me. "Well…only if Emma really wants to come."
Ugh. I stared at my shoes for a moment, trying to think of something intelligent to say, some sort of snappy remark that didn't involve swearing, because most of my comebacks consisted of words I really didn't want Hannah to hear. Finally I gave up and mumbled, "You have such a terrible personality!"
He chuckled. "But you still like me, don't you?" he asked, and with the way he was looking at me, I knew that if we hadn't been here at the hospital and he hadn't been working, he would have kissed me right then and there. I wish he had, anyway.
So…yes. My name is Emmeline Natsis. I am seventeen years old. It's frustrating, but I do like him. I like him a lot.
"If Hannah wants to go, no matter what, I'll take her," I said, trying to sound irritated with him. I didn't want him to think that I was that eager to come over. In all actuality, part of me was leaping in joy screaming YES! But it's not like I wanted him to know that.
He smirked and raised an eyebrow, inclining his head towards Hannah. "Careful. Hannah's going to cry if you keep talking," he said smugly, thoroughly enjoying my resentment.
I looked at Hannah and realized what my words must have sounded like to her. Damn, I was such an idiot. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she stared at me in misery. "Oh, Hannah, I'm sorry!" I apologized quickly, kneeling down and throwing my arms around her. "I didn't mean it like that!"
Sunday came and I almost had a heart attack in excitement. I had been over to Dr. Michaelis's place before, of course, but this was the first time he had extended an invitation to me to come. So, it just felt…different. I even planned what I was going to wear – a pink tank top, black sweater, and jeans capris. It was the most I'd ever put into planning an outfit, including the thought I'd put into my dresses for my high school's dances. I was seriously into this guy.
The first thing that happened when Dr. Michaelis opened the door for us was that I was knocked off my feet by a dog that barreled into my legs, his eyes shining with intense excitement. After the initial shock had worn off, I sat up and started marveling at the puppy, a black and white shiba inu, along with Hannah. "Wow!" I exclaimed, laughing as the dog tried to lick my face. "He's so cute! How did you get him, Doctor?"
Hannah looked just as eager for the answer, more infatuated with the dog than I was. But of course, with Dr. Michaelis standing in the doorframe of his kitchen, a smug smirk creeping across his lips, how could I not be distracted? "They were looking for an owner, and I took him in," Dr. Michaelis explained simply, moving away from the door. "I kind of felt like keeping it." Apparently having nothing further to say, he looked at Hannah and asked if she wanted some orange juice. She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes never moving away from the dog.
I smiled to myself and followed him into the kitchen, hoping to steal another one or two of his kisses as Hannah played with the dog in the other room.
I laughed quietly, shaking my head as I pulled a blanket over Hannah and the dog. She'd fallen asleep on Dr. Michaelis's couch, and the dog had followed her example, curling up next to her head and dozing contentedly. "Hannah fell asleep," I told Dr. Michaelis in amusement as he came into the living room carrying to steaming mugs of tea. "She's tired from playing with the dog."
I sat down on the couch at Hannah's head, still smiling. I felt really, really happy, for some reason. Happier than I had been in a long time. If it were possible, I would stop time right now, right here, and stay like this, with a warm sensation of contentment filling my heart, for the rest of forever.
"Here," Dr. Michaelis said, pressing the smaller of the two mugs he held into my hands. He looked at my little sister and his dog and shook his head, smiling.
I took a sip of the coffee and flinched when the scalding liquid hit my tongue. I swallowed it and felt my throat blister. Brilliant. "Thank you, Doctor," I said, ignoring the way my tongue felt like I had set it on fire. "Hannah looked like she had a lot of fun."
He looked me in the eyes. Those red eyes were so enchanting, and I felt like I was melting in them every time he looked at me. "What about you?" he asked. I noticed he had a silver chain around his neck. Super sexy.
I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I blushed and tore my eyes off of him, staring down at the foam swirling at the top of my mug of tea. "I just tagged along," I mumbled, forcing myself to keep staring at anything but him, an effort that was failing. It was like there was some sort of magnetism between my eyes and his body. "Since Hannah insisted on coming…"
He smiled in a sort of seductive way as he set his mug down on the coffee table and lifted his right hand, curling in his pointer finger, beckoning me closer. "Huh?" I whispered. I didn't move, but stared at him as he sighed, realizing I wouldn't comply, and leaned in.
"Even with this?" he said softly, his lips brushing my forehead. He lifted his hands, which were still warm from holding his steaming mug of tea, to my cheeks, and kissed the top of my head. Slowly, he lowered his face so that he could press his lips against mine. I shut my eyes. Doctor…
We had never gone further than this. These kisses. Never any more than lips against lips. He had never made an attempt to pry my lips open with his tongue and kiss me like in the movies, passionately, and I hadn't been brave enough to try. He never French kissed me and I never tried to French kiss him. This was all there was. I felt a sudden twinge of discomfort in my gut as I wondered if this was all there would ever be.
When he pulled away, I was blushing so furiously I was sure my face was the color of a ripe tomato. "You're so unfair," I whispered, refusing to open my eyes. I didn't want to see him at the moment. If his eyes met mine, I would melt again.
"How so?" he asked, resting his forehead against mine. I could hear that same smile on his lips, the one that I used to find despicable but had slowly become addicted to. I loved that smile. I didn't want to miss it.
I opened my eyes. His calm, confident expression was so beautiful. And so unsettling. Just like that…He's the only one with a cool expression. My heart twisted, or it felt like it. I was still happy, but now I was worried as well. I wanted there to be more. I didn't want everything, not right away, but I would have liked it all someday. And I know I sound like every other virgin since the beginning of time, but it's completely true. I want his kisses like they are now, but I want him to French kiss me, too. And someday, if I truly love him and in some miraculous way, he loves me too, I want to marry him, and then I want all of him.
The doorbell rang, startling me back into my reality. I pushed Dr. Michaelis away from me and he sat down next to me, looking like he wanted to kiss me again. "So… someone's at the door," I said dumbly. And the prize for stating the obvious goes to Emmeline. "I'll go see who it is," I offered as the person waiting at the door started knocking impatiently. I jumped off the couch and ran to the door, making my escape and being productive all at once. I wanted him to kiss me…but at the moment, I wasn't sure I could handle another one. I was just feeling too anxious.
I opened the door and my eyes almost popped out of my head. The girl standing there looked like a flipping angel. She was shorter than I was, and much thinner. But she was sophisticated, and so much prettier than me it made my gut wrench in an almost painful way. He long blond hair was elaborately curled and pulled into two ponytails hanging loosely on either side of her neck, and her skin was perfect, only making her blue eyes look even brighter and more striking. She was wearing a bright pink sweater dress and leggings, with platform shoes that made her almost as tall as me. In her hand was a shopping bag from PetSmart.
She looked at me like I had leprosy or something. Well, I hadn't thought I looked that bad…until I saw her. In comparison to this beauty…yeah, I looked bad. "Who are you?" she asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow at me.
It was a miracle that I remembered how to speak. But first I had to remind myself that one cannot talk with her mouth hanging open like mine was. "Me?" I asked feebly, not sure what else I could say. "Who are you?"
Her expression turned into one that can only be described as condescending. Either that or she was wondering if I was crazy. "I'm the doctor's fiancée," she said like it was completely obvious. Then she pushed past me into the apartment like she had a complete right to be there.
I think I had a heart attack. Seriously, it was going to explode. "What?" I exclaimed, following her into the living room. "What?" It was the only thing I could think of to say. It was either that or start screaming at Dr. Michaelis because he never told me he was freaking engaged, putting to use my entire vocabulary of cuss words, but I decided that since Hannah was here that was probably not the best course of action to take.
The girl beamed when she saw Dr. Michaelis sitting on his couch. "Doctor, I brought snacks for Chuckie!" she called in a sing-song voice before beginning to call the dog's name repeatedly.
The dog twitched when he heard his name, saw the girl and leapt of the couch, his tail wagging so fast as he ran towards her it was almost a blur. "Chuckie!" she beamed, kneeling down to vigorously scratch his ears. At least someone looked happy in this room. I meanwhile, was really just trying to refrain from screaming WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? And the dog was familiar with her?
But the one thing dominating my thoughts, as it should have been, was the absolute horror that DR. MICHAELIS WAS FREAKING ENGAGED. ENGAGED! As in, he was going to get married to this woman, have kids, live happily ever after!
And I would never, ever get over him as long as I lived.
Dr. Michaelis watched the girl as she rubbed the dog's belly. His expression was entirely neutral. "Chelsea," he said blankly, glancing from her to me, but looking entirely unconcerned.
Of course this blonde goddess had a perfect, bouncy name like Chelsea. Of course it was. Not like my name, which was long and that nobody could spell without getting it wrong. Why couldn't my parents just have named me Emma and left it at that? That name is cute, at least.
I couldn't take it anymore. If I didn't get an answer, even if it was an answer I didn't want to hear right this second, I was going to explode. "Doctor!" I burst out. I had his attention now. Good. "Is it true that she's really your fiancée?"
Hannah startled awake at my yell and sat up, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. I was going to kill Dr. Michaelis for making Hannah see my angry side. She didn't deserve that, what with her fragile feelings.
He watched as Chelsea gave the dog a bone, and then as she crossed the room, plopping down on the couch next to him. Without looking at me, he said blandly, "I guess that's how it is."
Chelsea snuggled into him, looking entirely content. Words cannot describe how much I wanted to punch her into next week and take her place. "Right!" she nodded, sighing like she would never be happier than she was then. Something I had felt not ten minutes ago before this entire debacle began.
Words failed me. There was nothing more I had to say to Dr. Michaelis, if this was the way things were. I felt like everything that we had done together in the past two months was all a lie. "Hannah!" I said sharply, scooping her up in my arms and stalking to the door. "We're going home. Now."
She squirmed in my arms, trying to protest. She wanted to play with the dog some more. It was the first time I had ever denied her anything, and it made me feel like a horrible person as she started crying in the hall. But I just couldn't stay in that apartment a second longer.
If I had thought everything was falling apart two months ago, I had been hideously wrong. I had never felt worse than I did now. I carried her down the hall to Mark's place and rang the doorbell repeatedly, praying to the powers that be that he would be home and not have his girlfriend with him.
Mark opened the door. "Oh, hey," he said, looking surprised. "What are you two doing here?" Hannah stopped crying immediately at the sight of her big brother and reached for him.
I shoved Hannah into his arms, something I feel a little guilty about now, and stormed into his apartment. "Move, Mark!" I growled, stalking into his kitchen and retrieving a crystal glass before heading into his living room. I plopped myself down next to the wall and pressed the glass against it before placing my ear on top of that, trying to filter the sound from next door. I couldn't hear a damned thing.
Mark came into the living room with Hannah close behind. He paused when he saw me and crossed his arms. "What is your older sister doing, Hannah?" he asked, crossing his arms and looking puzzled. "Did something happen at the neighbor's?"
"Shut up!" I hissed, straining to hear something, anything. "I can't hear!" Dr. Michaelis was engaged, going to be married. I wanted to know what excuse he was going to make up for his fiancée to hear about me, the strange girl in his apartment.
Hannah was confused as well, but at least she knew more of what was going on than Mark did. I let her explain. "When we went to Dr. Michaelis's house, Chuckie was there," she explained. Mark only looked even more baffled. Of course. He had no idea who Chuckie was. "And then some girl came in. She said she was the doctor's fee-on-see," she finished, botching the last word.
However, I could tell from Mark's expression that he totally understood what she meant. As a matter of fact, it was sort of frightening. "Fiancée?" he yelled, looking ready to murder something. "I thought you were going out with Dr. Michaelis! Are you being played with? That jerk!"
I dropped the glass and rammed into him since he looked like he was about to make his way for the door. "Stop it, Mark!" I begged, blinking back tears. This is why I loved him – as a brother, of course, a point I'd been stressing ever since Dr. Michaelis told me it wasn't love at all. Mark was so protective and sweet.
"Let me go!" Mark yelled at me, trying to wrench his arm out of my grasp. I gritted my teeth and held on tighter. Hannah, thinking this was some sort of a game, grinned and latched herself onto Mark's leg.
"It's really not true!" I said pleadingly, vigorously rubbing tears out of my eyes. "We aren't going out and I'm not being played with!" I'm not even sure if I believed that, but at least it convinced Mark. He stopped trying to get me to let go of him and stood limply, staring at the door. "There was nothing between us to begin with," I said shakily, wishing with all my heart that that were true. "Sorry for making you worried."
Oh, god. Why did I have to have an epiphany now? I didn't want to think any further on Dr. Michaelis than I already had. He was all I'd been thinking about for the last two months. But he was getting married. Thinking about him any more would only make things drastically worse. But I couldn't help it. He never even told me that he liked me, I realized, and had to blink back a fresh wave of tears. But his kisses…they were always so gentle…
I hated hospitals now more than ever. Not only was everything that I've stated prior to this mess still true, but now I had an awful feeling in my gut from knowing I'd have to see Dr. Michaelis again. And I didn't want to. I never wanted to see him again. But…more than that, I wanted Hannah to not be sick. And she'd been crying about a headache all last night and all day today.
Dr. Michaelis was sitting at the desk in the exam room that the nurse led Hannah and me into, scribbling who knows what on a clipboard. Without waiting for him to ask, I said blankly, "She's saying that her head's been hurting since yesterday."
"Then please sit her down there," he replied, very straightforward, indicating the exam table before he dropped his pen and turned his chair towards us, and I gasped. It was infuriating that I still cared about this guy, but when I saw the bandage taped to his cheek my hand flew to my mouth. "What happened, Doctor? Your face—!"
"I was attacked by the neighbor's big Doberman," Dr. Michaelis said easily, smirking at my horrified expression. "Please don't worry about it." He chuckled as he took the stethoscope around his neck off and stuck it in his ears. I set Hannah down on the table and she hunched over, her arms across her stomach.
Damn it! Mark hadn't been able to let it rest, had he? He had probably gone next door and clocked Dr. Michaelis as soon as Hannah and I left. It was sweet, in a roundabout sort of way, but I was going to give him Hell for that as soon as I saw him next.
Dr. Michaelis looked at Hannah for a moment, looking contemplative. "More importantly…you say your head hurts, but you're holding your stomach," he said to her, a smile creeping across his lips. Her eyes widened and shone with fresh tears as he asked he quietly, "Are you faking?"
I startled, completely amazed and shocked and angry at the same time. She didn't. She wouldn't. Hannah? Hannah was the sweetest, most innocent person I'd ever met in my life. She was faking being sick? "What?" I exclaimed, blushing furiously. Once again, my younger sister was a source of embarrassment for me.
Hannah started shaking and tears fell from her eyes as she whispered pitifully, "Because…because it's Doctor's fault. It's Doctor's fault that Emma is so sad."
Oh, god. If that wasn't the sweetest thing Hannah had ever done for me, I don't know what was. She loved me that much. I didn't realize that everything I felt for her, how I couldn't stand it when she was sad or hurting, applied to her feelings towards me as well. Six years old and already knowing exactly what love is. Hannah…
The nurse in the room turned on me, obviously figuring that I had spearheaded this little event. "The hospital isn't a place where you can fool around, Emmeline!" she chastised me, looking annoyed that I was wasting her time. "The doctor's busy too, you know!"
I flinched. Her harsh tone reminded me of the way my mother used to talk to me, and it hurt just as bad now as then. "I'm sorry," I apologized feebly, knowing there was nothing more I could say, no excuses I could make. It was what it was. Who else would believe that the six year-old girl had faked an illness on her older sister's behalf of her own accord?
"Illness isn't only the body hurting. Pain isn't only physical," Dr. Michaelis spoke up, surprising both myself and the nurse who was scolding me. We turned to him at the same time, and it was almost comical the way our faces mirrored each other's shock. Dr. Michaelis was smiling and had his hand on Hannah's head affectionately. "This child was feeling pain in her chest, and she came to see me. So, I think I have the right to look at this child."
He was smiling at me. Why did he have to smile at me like that? Every smile only made me more addicted, and I wasn't allowed to be addicted. He was getting married. He was taken. Why was he still smiling at me after everything that had happened two days ago? Why couldn't he just act like I was simply one more person with a sister who was always sick?
The nurse stared at him and I watched with incredible fascination as her face turned white. Then blue. Then red. And after she had settled for red, she burst into tears. It was actually kind of funny, not that I was amused enough to laugh. That would have been just downright cruel. "You're horrible!" she yelled at Dr. Michaelis. "I said it for your sake!" She turned around and dashed out of the room, crying, "You're terrible!"
Yes, he was, wasn't he? I knew how she felt. He had made me cry, too. Lots of times. But after I started crying, once the tears started rolling down my cheeks, every time I would find myself with his arms wrapped around me…
Stop. I couldn't think about it anymore. Everything we had ever had, or not had, was over. The man was engaged. I had no claim to him anymore. Not that I had really ever had any claim to him in the first place. I couldn't believe that he had never even told me he liked me.
Dr. Michaelis sighed, resting his chin in his hands and looking very put-out, like he had been through a very long day. "Oh, shoot," he muttered, shaking his head. "I made someone cry again."
I stared at him dejectedly. Was he honestly pulling this crap? Or was he some advanced form of bipolar? "You say that, but don't you enjoy making the nurses cry?" I muttered, trying to figure out what the hell his problem was. Dr. S indeed.
He slowly lifted his gaze to mine, and as I blushed he stared at me as though he were confused. What, was I some sort of anomaly now? Emmeline Natsis, the incredible gullible fool who fell for an engaged man. I could see the headlines now. His gaze was so annoying! Anything would have been better than the way he was looking at me now! I stared at my feet and he smiled and said teasingly. "You caught me."
Utter shock. This man was the biggest puzzle I had ever come across, and he startled me and angered me and amused me all at once. I couldn't figure him out. I wasn't sure I wanted to figure him out. I just wish that he wasn't engaged… actually, to be honest, that's a horrible wish. I should wish that I had never come to like him so much. But that would be the biggest lie I ever told. So, even though what he had just done confused me, I giggled, unable to keep a straight face at his smug, playful expression.
He smiled in satisfaction and lifted himself out of his chair, advancing on me. He looked me in the eyes, and I began to melt in his red ones like I always did. Why did I have to be so attracted to him? It wasn't fair. "So, what's wrong? You have something to say, right?" he asked me, making to take my hands in his. I jerked my hands away and folded them behind my back.
What did I want to ask him? What did I have to say to him? Why did he lead me on? Why did he let me fall so far when he knew I could never have him? Why had he done everything that he had? Why was I different from his other patients (you know what I mean)? I finally settled on the question I felt I would go mad over if it were left unanswered. "Why did you kiss me?" I asked, taking a deep breath and doing my best to look stern. "And answer seriously."
"No reason," he replied smoothly, and I recoiled as though he'd slapped me. "I don't really have a reason," he continued, and smirked. I found it despicable this time, but for an entirely new reason. "I felt that I wanted kiss you. That's all there is to it."
Oh, lord. He was serious. He was completely and totally serious. What was I supposed to do with a response like that? It sure didn't make me feel any better! With a shuddery exhale, I whispered, "I…I hate that part of you, Doctor." Not trusting to say any more than that, I took Hannah's hand and pulled her out of the room, brooding. What is up with him? I can't believe what a jerk he is! He had no reason! After stealing my kisses like that—!
"Are you mad, Emma?" Hannah asked softly as we navigated the halls out to the parking lot. She sounded almost frightened. She was probably afraid she had gotten herself, or me, into some sort of trouble.
"Yes, I am," I told her, figuring there was no point in denying it. I couldn't have acted happy even if I wanted to. And there was no sense trying to hide it, because if I did, I just knew I'd explode. It was better to stew constantly than let it build up and explode from me, and I didn't want to take my anger out on Hannah.
She jolted when I said the words and immediately her eyes swum with apologetic tears. I could have kicked myself. Should have thought of how she would take my response before I answered her. "Ah, sorry! Not at you," I said comfortingly, and was glad when she relaxed. It's frustrating…I admitted to myself as we turned a corner. Always being played around with by the doctor.
Hannah suddenly started tugging on my sleeve. "Emma!" she whispered urgently, pointing a small finger at a group of nurses and a girl in a private school uniform down the hall. "Isn't that the person…?"
I looked up and my heart skipped a beat. My gut wrenched and twisted something awful, and for a moment I felt like I was about to throw up. A lot of good that would have done me. It's just that the sight of Chelsea, Dr. Michaelis's fiancée, made me depressed and furious all at once.
One of the nurses, a smiling young blonde, said to Chelsea, "I hear you finished your freshman year, Chelsea! Are you enjoying being a sophomore? Where is it you go to school again?"
Oh, great. She was a college girl. No wonder she held such appeal for Dr. Michaelis. Especially compared to me, a high school senior with no immediate plans for college. What would I do if I left for school? Who would take care of Hannah?
Chelsea beamed. "I'm going to Ashbrook Academy, across town," she replied enthusiastically, blushing as she spoke. "And sophomore year's great so far. The teachers are all really nice, at least."
I froze. Ashbrook wasn't a college. It was a high school for rich kids and the insanely smart that got in on scholarship. I couldn't believe she was in high school. Was she younger than me? She had to be! But she looked so much older! This was so completely messed up!
"A high school student already," a second nurse said fondly, sounding reminiscent. "You've become so mature. I remember when you were crying and protesting against surgery when you were in elementary school. Dr. Michaelis was just an intern, and you made things really difficult for him. Saying something pretentious like you'd go through surgery if he married you." She laughed, and the other nurses around her joined in.
My mind was blown. I was older than her. And she was engaged to Dr. Michaelis because she wouldn't go through surgery unless he agreed to marry her? What kind of a person does that? Did anyone else see that we should clearly be sending her to the psychiatric ward?
"Don't laugh at me!" Chelsea said angrily, clenching her fists. The nurses' peals of laughter died down and ceased, and they were all staring at her with extreme interest. "I'm serious!" Chelsea insisted, looking like she wanted to punch someone in the face. And she thought she was ticked off. "I seriously love Dr. Michaelis!"
I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Nothing made sense anymore to me. My life was some sort of… I don't know. Some sort of bad movie. Scratch that. My life was like a freaking soap opera, one of the really horrible ones the television channels only play at three in the morning when no one is awake to watch them. I squeezed Hannah's hand and turned her around, leading her down a different hall for an elevator further away. "Hannah, let's go this way," I said thickly, knowing I wouldn't be able to pass Chelsea without having an emotional breakdown.
Hannah looked up at me in shock, and then her expression fell. "Emma?" she asked, her voice dripping with worry. A six year-old should not have that much depth to her voice. "Why are you crying?"
Oh, my gosh. I was crying, wasn't I? No wonder the world was blurry…no wonder I could feel something warm sliding down my cheeks. No wonder I was breathing in short gasps. Why was I crying? I don't know… I realized, shaking my head. My mind's a mess.
This was a stupid idea. A terrible, awful, stupid idea. I should really just stand up and go home. I should buy a journal, write down everything I ever felt for Dr. Michaelis and ever wanted to say to him, tear it up, and throw the pieces in the fire. I should be busy getting over him, not sitting on the edge of the brick wall in front of his apartment building with my knees curled into my chest as I waited for him to come home. But I just…
Footsteps. This may be it. I just needed to stand up, exuding confidence, and ask him everything I needed to. I needed closure, and this was the easiest way to get there…or so I told myself. I looked up, emotionally preparing myself to speak to Dr. Michaelis – but was greeted with the hostile expression on Chelsea's face instead.
She had recognized me. "You're the girl who was in Dr. Michaelis's room!" she said accusingly, taking a defensive stance. "What do you want, coming to his apartment?"
I didn't have an answer for her. I just… I just wanted to see him. "I don't know," I said, shrugging while I brushed a flyaway strand of hair out of my face. I was pleased to hear the lack of concern in my voice. I hoped it would throw her off real good. "I just wanted to see him."
"Huh?" Chelsea's eyes narrowed and she looked at me like I was a home-wrecking whore. What was up with this chick? She did realize that I was taller, older, stronger, and (most likely) smarter than her, didn't she? What hope would she have if she chose to fight me? "Are you a stalker?" she asked shrilly, taking a step back from me. Yes, honey. Be afraid of me.
It took all my willpower to refrain from informing her that she was the one who was truly acting like a stalker. And I still didn't have an answer to the question presented. Why was I here? It was…it was just because I wanted to see him. By the time I realized what I was doing, I was here. I…just wanted to see him. There is no reason.
There is no reason. I gasped as the realization hit me, and Dr. Michaelis's words echoed in my head. "I don't really have a reason. I felt that I wanted kiss you. That's all there is to it." I couldn't believe I'd been such an idiot! Maybe…maybe Dr. Michaelis felt the same way!
"The doctor said that you were bothering him!" Chelsea informed me indignantly. The way she smirked after she said it made me realize that she wanted nothing more than to crush my feelings and leave her and Dr. Michaelis alone to live her happily ever after little schoolgirl dream. I was damned if I was going to let that happen now.
And I almost murdered her for speaking to me like that, in that harsh, caustic tone that my mother always used to use with me, before the impact of her words hit me. I was bothering him? Was that the truth, or was it just something he had told her as an excuse for why I was in his apartment? I stood up on the wall, towering over her, and yelled, "The doctor wouldn't say something like that!"
She flinched, and I reveled in the way I'd made her feel. I'd scared her. Maybe I shouldn't have been proud of that, but I was, and damn, did it feel good. She stared ahead, looking at nothing in particular, and then whispered, "I love Dr. Michaelis. I've always, always loved him. I worked hard to look mature, so that I would look good with him. I'm also going to study really hard so that I can become a nurse and work next to him."
Oh, god. She had it all planned out, and I didn't even know where to start. Every time I thought of Dr. Michaelis, I didn't think about a future we could have together. It was always what was happening now, with me. How good it felt when he was kissing me now, how safe I felt when he was holding me now…and how awful I felt when he was breaking my heart now. I could feel how serious she was. She was so serious about Dr. Michaelis that it hurt.
Before I knew what I was doing, I got down from the wall. I was still so much taller than her, which was to my advantage. I wanted her intimidated. "I hate Dr. Michaelis," I said seriously, satisfied when her eyes widened. "He's mean and he has a bad personality. He uses people as he pleases." And it was all true. A part of me did hate him. But that didn't matter, because the other parts all wanted him more than anything else in the world. So, even with all the bad things that came with him… "Even so," I whispered, rubbing the tears welling in my eyes away. "I know his kind side, too. So…"
I let the word hang in the air, wanting to know what Chelsea would do now that she knew that I was just as serious about Dr. Michaelis as she was. She looked frightened for a moment, and then her expression twisted with anger and resentment. "So?"
That was the last straw. Maybe she knew just how badly it stung every time she opened her mouth to say something in that awful tone I'd heard constantly from my mother, who I still resented for it. Maybe she didn't. Even so, I was about to rip this girl's head off. "So, I will fight you for him!" I screamed at her, wanting to make sure the message got through loud and clear in that pretty little head of hers.
I don't know if I felt satisfied or guilty or what when her eyes began to swim with tears. Maybe I just didn't care enough to feel anything for her. But she took a step away from me as though terrified and whispered, "What?"
I hadn't heard the footsteps behind me. The first thing that announced Dr. Michaelis's presence to me was his voice, very close to me, from behind my right shoulder. "Wow – you'll fight for me?"
I nearly screamed, I was so startled. I whirled around, ready to face Dr. Michaelis and all the embarrassment that came with it, but instead found myself pulled into his arms and his lips pressed over mine. I couldn't make any sense of what he was doing. His fiancée was standing right there, for god's sake! But god, it was good to feel his arms around me again, and his lips against mine…
When he pulled his face away from my own, he didn't let go of me. He looked up at Chelsea and smiled condescendingly, and with all the nonchalance one would have when speaking of the weather asked her, "Didn't I tell you to give up?"
Chelsea stared at us with wide, hurt eyes for a long moment before she burst into tears. "I don't want to!" she sobbed, stomping her foot in anger. I thought people only did that in movies. "I'll never give up!" she cried, turning around and racing off, her choked sobs echoing down the street. "You're such a jerk!" I didn't know if she was talking to me or him. Even so, I blushed like crazy when I realized what was going on.
Dr. Michaelis pulled me into him tighter and made to kiss me again. He looked almost happy at the moment. He'd just made a girl cry, after all. "You see…" he began. "What I meant by 'engagement' was-"
"Doctor!" I interrupted him, wriggling out of his arms and staring at him sternly, proudly realizing that I was surrounded by an air of confidence. My little tiff with Chelsea had given me the emotional boost I needed. "Unless you don't feel like you like me, don't make excuses!"
Dr. Michaelis looked at me with surprised eyes for all of a fraction of a second, and then smiled. "She was a patient from the past," he explained, sounding completely unconcerned. "Marriage was just a way to get her to go through surgery. Are you convinced now?"
Lord help me, I was. And there was something more than that, too. I couldn't take it anymore. I shot forward, directly into his arms, and just like in the movies, he caught me and spun me around. "Damn it…" I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder as I clung to his jacket. "It makes me frustrated, but…I love you."
His muscles tensed when I said the words, and satisfied with his reaction and utterly shocked expression, I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Doctor, from now on… make sure I'm the only girl you kiss, okay?" I murmured, returning to my normal height and taking a step away from him. "Good night, then."
I turned and began to walk away, smiling to myself. I had finally said what I needed to say and had all the answers I wanted. And, because I was frustrated, I left one mark that he couldn't be rid of easily. I had told him that I loved him… that wouldn't be something he would soon forget.
Behind me, I heard Dr. Michaelis laugh softly. "You got me." And as if that hadn't made me happy enough, the next thing I knew he was sweeping me up into his arms and French kissing me. It was the best freaking night of my life.
"Doctor!" Hannah chimed a few days later at Dr. Michaelis's apartment. I had just picked her up from school and we had gone over to his place, since Mark was working. Dr. Michaelis was sprawled out on his couch, demonstrating extreme patience as he let Hannah crawl all over him. I sat on the floor next to his head, doing my assigned reading for English class. "If you want, I don't mind if you marry me," Hannah giggled, bold as ever.
Dr. Michaelis laughed and tousled her hair affectionately before throwing an amused glance my way. "You don't, huh? Well, you'll have to ask Emma about that," he said. Humoring her, as always.
I rolled my eyes and tried to concentrate on my reading, which was near impossible with these two getting on my nerves. "The answer is no!" I grumbled, wondering why Dr. Michaelis was trying to irritate me.
You know, even after everything that's happened…Dr. Michaelis is still a mean doctor, I thought to myself with a heavy sigh. Maybe some things will never change. But it's still one of the things I like about him.
"Emmeline," Dr. Michaelis said from above my head, and I looked up. Before I could ask what he wanted, his lips were pressed against mine. So perfect. Everything was just so perfect.
It looks like I'll be going through a lot.
And so ends the adventures of Emmeline and Dr. Michaelis...for now. I don't know if I want to add any more, it's so cute the way it is...but if any of you out there, dear readers, would like them to star in another adventure, post your ideas in reviews or message me. I think they're a really fun pair! Thanks for reading and I love you all!