Private Practice, by potionsmaster
Rating: T for language
Summary: Trouble in Paradise
A/N: Sad trom-boooooone. What will happen to our boys? This and one more chapter will finish it up.
Chapter 11: Beyond the Scope
"Cancel office from 2 o'clock on today. I'll see whoever's here in the waiting room, but beyond that, reschedule them all or put 'em on Ash," Kaidan said tersely, slapping his clipboard on the nurse's station. Jack blinked at him in disbelief.
"What the hell? You never cancel if you can help it. Family emergency?" she asked, "Or...better yet...something to do with the walk of shame you had to do this morning?" He clenched his jaw, feeling his ears burn.
"NO FUCKIN' WAY!" she crowed, throwing her arms in the air like a boxer who won a match. "DOCTOR TIGHT ASS GOT SOME AND THERE'S TROUBLE IN PARADISE!"
"Just do it," he snapped at her before sitting in his dictation room. He looked up Shepard's extension on the interoffice chat program, then punched in the numbers. It beeped quickly and flashed 'Do Not Disturb' on the display. Kaidan growled in frustration, then hit Samara's extension.
"Hello, Doctor. Is there something I can help you with?" her prim voice came through the earpiece.
"Hey, Samara. Is John available? I need to get ahold of him."
"I do apologize, but he went home sick for the afternoon. Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, polite curiosity lilting. Kaidan fiddled with a pen in frustration.
"No, no, that's alright...I was calling to check up on him. He didn't look well when I saw him earlier in the hallway upstairs."
"Oh…"
"Well, actually, there is something you can help with. I'm cancelling office this afternoon starting at 2. Please don't schedule anything new for next week until everyone from today has been either put on Ash's schedule or moved around on mine."
"Oh! Oh, of course. I'll alert all who schedule. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
He heaved a sigh, tossing the pen on the desk.
"No, I guess not. Thanks again."
The computer chirped and the chat window flashed a minute later as an office-wide message was sent out: "To all who schedule: Dr. Alenko has cx'd office today after 2:00. Please do not use next week's schedule until further notice. ~Samara" Jack cursed as her phone immediately started ringing; no doubt schedulers were asking her for work-ins. He didn't care. He leaned on his elbows, face buried in his hand.
"Hey, Doc…" Ash said softly, leaning against the door. "What's going on? You ok?"
"Fan-fucking-tastic," he muttered, not removing his hand from his eyes, "I think I just screwed up a really good thing I had."
She edged into the cramped dictation room. They could hear Jack's fingers flying over her keyboard as she tried to accommodate the schedulers and prep the few charts they had left.
"You'll fix it," she said, matter of fact. "You always do."
He snorted.
"Nice to know I inspire so much faith in you, Ash. But this one might be a bit beyond the scope of my license."
"Luckily you're really good at fixing stuff, though. Aren't you? That's why you're here. You told me when you hired me that Normandy Ortho only hired the best people who could fix the impossible. Who weren't afraid to step up to the plate and take on a challenge. Sounds to me like you've got one."
Kaidan dropped his hand and glared at her.
"Stop using my words against me," he groused at her, biting the inside of his cheek.
"Ah, there it is. Thought I'd lost it for a moment."
"What?"
"I see a smile trying to poke through. Means my pep-talk is working," Ash said. He shook his head, fighting a small grin as he gathered up his keys and jacket on the desk.
"Dream on."
"Just leave, cranky pants. I can handle your patients and urgent care. It closes early on Fridays anyways."
He paused, glancing at her before pulling his phone out. No response yet.
"You sure?"
"Wouldn't offer if I wasn't. Besides, you can buy me lunch all next week."
"And me, too! For all the shit you put me through!" Jack yelled from her station, phone handset between her ear and shoulder. She went back to jabbering at whoever was on the phone.
"Deal. What would I do without you ladies?" he said, tossing his coat over his arm and grabbing his keys. He squeezed Ash's arm in thanks. She grinned and followed him out to the pod.
"Oh, I dunno...fall apart some days?"
"Ain't that the truth…" he said, swatting Jack gently upside the head. "Behave while I'm gone, huh? Don't antagonize Miranda."
"You're no fun, Doc. Good luck. Hope it works out with whoever it is. I don't think I can take you moping and pouting and giving everyone puppy-dog eyes while you heal from a broken heart and have to jerk one in your office while listening to Adele."
"You and me both…" he tossed over his shoulder. Ashley leaned on the nurse's station while Jack blinked in astonishment, hand slowly dropping the phone.
"I can't believe he didn't say anything about the masturbation thing," she said, dumbfounded.
Ash grinned.
"I know, right? Not even an eye roll. So who's first?"
"Shepard...John, it's...it's Kaidan. Please pick up. I think we both need to talk. Just...call me back...please."
Shepard listened to the message again, wrapped up in the knit blanket on his couch. He couldn't bear to go to the bedroom; the bed was neatly made, but it still smelled like Kaidan and sex. It was bad enough he kept flashing back to memories of the night before. Kaidan had also apparently cleaned the kitchen and straightened up a few things around the apartment before he left, too. Shepard wasn't messy by any means, but the surgical precision and cleanliness must've been a habit for Kaidan at this point. No wonder. He heaved a sigh, thumbs hovering over the haptic keyboard on his phone. He felt like he should at least text something, but he had no idea what to say.
Boo rustled around in the plastic tubes in the hall, interrupting his thoughts.
"You're opinion doesn't count, Boo...doesn't matter that he filled your water."
More skittering around in the tubes. Shepard draped himself over the back of his couch, watching the little, black ball of fluff move pieces of hay.
"Well, you don't have to be so insistent about it. It's just...I don't...why wouldn't he say anything? I bet he wasn't even a Marine..." he finished lamely. He tried silencing the voice in his head that said he was just as at fault since they both didn't say anything. His phone buzzed.
Kaidan 15:27: John, I hope you're ok... I understand if you don't want to talk. Hopefully we can meet up at some point so I can try to explain and at least give you back your shirt and mug.
Shepard stared at it numbly, then started to type.
Shepard 15:32: hey
Shepard 15:34: I'm alright. I just didn't know what to do
Shepard 15:34: Still don't, really
Kaidan 15:34: hey there. Glad you're doing ok; I was worried :(
Kaidan 15:35: ...kinda took us both by surprise I guess
Kaidan 15:47: can I call?
Shepard 15:48: i don't think that's a good idea right now
Kaidan 15:51: ok, Shepard.
Kaidan 15:54: just...please be careful. call me when you're ready. Even if you don't want to see me again, know that I still care
Kaidan watched his phone for any type of response. Nothing. He decided to go for a run to try and escape his own messy thoughts and try to forget about the last 24 hours. It was difficult; he kept replaying certain parts of it over and over in his mind. It didn't help him feel any better, particularly when he got the sensory memory of falling asleep together with their legs tangled and arms around each other.
He finished stretching and started off around his neighborhood at an easy clip; just fast enough to get his blood pumping a bit. The way his pulse quickened whenever he thought of Shepard lately. He shook his head at himself and decided to increase the speed. Kaidan wasn't sure he could do a six-minute mile anymore, but it was worth seeing how close he could get.
At the next streetlight, he pushed himself into a higher speed. It still wasn't the fastest he could go but it made him concentrate more on controlling his breathing. In, two three, out, two three. The rhythm of his footfalls soothed him and let his mind start wandering again.
Kaidan had to concentrate on controlling his breathing last night, too; otherwise it would have been a short evening. He felt his cheeks and neck flush hot. He probably should have pushed Shepard for more details about where he worked, the more he thought about it. Stupid move on his end. Didn't feel stupid in the slightest last night with Shepard's hands and mouth on him, though.
Faster. He needed to stop thinking. He doubled his effort and started sprinting, blood pounding in his ears. His breath rasped in his chest. Bright blue eyes chased him in his mind.
Shepard.
A cat streaked across the street, startling him and making him stumble and roll his ankle. Kaidan managed to catch himself before he fell, but it wasn't graceful by any means. He bent over, hands on his knees as he panted. Physical pain wouldn't distract him for too long, he noted ruefully. He started walking back to his neighborhood, testing his ankle.
Thank god nobody he knew saw that. He'd have to remember to tell Shepard about it-
Or not. Depended on if he would give him the time of day ever again. He sighed and turned down a shortcut. Now his ankle and his legs would be sore the next few days. Served him right.
"Seriously, Garrus...I don't know what to do. About work, Doctor...Alenko, any of it."
Shepard paced around his sparse living room in his pajamas, cell phone on speaker. He managed to brave the bedroom long enough to change and make sure Boo had enough food. Looks like that was another thing Kaidan took care of. Dr. Alenko. Michael. Whatever the fuck his name actually was.
"I wouldn't make any rash decisions just yet. You don't know what he's going to do. Have you talked to him at all?"
Garrus' voice sounded garbled through the phone, voices and general din only exacerbating it.
"Nothing except a few texts."
"What?"
"I said, 'Nothing except a few texts.' Where are you, anyway? You sound like you're in a stadium."
"Oh, uh...out. With some friends…" The receiver was muffled for a moment. "No, Tali, you can't steal the phone. Yes, it's 'girl talk'. No, I don't care that I'm not a girl. Go get another round...double the order of straws if you must." The phone had a burst of noise again and then his voice came back a little clearer. "Sorry about that. Tali says, 'Hi.'"
"Hello back," Shepard said dully. "So who else did Joker tell?"
"Just me. I had no idea a doctor would be interested in video games. Though I suppose it could happen. They have to have a life outside of work. I just always pictured them as having dinner parties and high society things."
"I wouldn't know the first thing about that shit. Kaidan always seemed pretty down-to-earth."
"Kaidan, huh? Back to calling him by that?" Garrus asked shrewdly. "That's telling."
"Fuck, Garrus. That's how I know him. 'Dr. Alenko' just is weird and formal, and I can't process 'Michael'. What else should I call him?"
"Probably a better question for him to answer. Once you actually grow a pair and talk to him."
Shepard flopped on the couch with a huff, wrapping the blanket around himself again. He fought against the idea of it being a certain pair of arms.
"I'm hanging up now. You're going to call your boyfriend and kiss and make-up and probably have hot make-up sex. And I am going to try and control the damage done by a certain software specialist on my bar tab. Deal?"
He couldn't help smiling in spite of himself. Tali was jabbering away in the background, Garrus trying to convince her to slow down.
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Ambiguously interested other party, then. Call him anyway."
"No promises. Thanks."
"Anytime. No Shepard without Vakarian, right?"
"Wish I'd known you when I served...we'd have been unstoppable."
"I already told you, the world wasn't ready for that level of awesome. See you, Shepard."
The silence was thick after the cacophony over the phone. Shepard was unsure of what he wanted to do next. He wanted to talk to Kaidan, but he wasn't certain what he would even say. He wanted to go to bed, but his own memories wouldn't let him rest. Boo had scurried off to run in his wheel, so he wasn't even around to talk to. He heaved another sigh and turned on his console. Maybe a single player campaign of Halo would distract him.