Chapter 55 : Summer plans

"Scooter, stop eating this shoe!"

Neil was at the end of the garden and he could hear Claire scolding at their dog. He let out a laugh. This dog was as a cutie as a little devil. "Scooter, I've told no, now sit and be a good dog."

Claire was trying to learn him not to eat everything. Scooter had a passion for chewing everything that was on his way. His old slippers had paid the hard price. He kept listening to the sweet voice of his wife and opened the door in front of him.

"Kot Kot? Nuggets?"

He was looking for their chicken. He found them in the henhouse, pecking their seeds. "Here you are!" He spent some times to clean and hide some food in their pen. When he came back in the house, Claire was reading a book, seated in the sofa, Scooter lying on her legs, moving his tail. As he saw Neil entering the living room, he jumped from Claire's legs to go and meet his owner.

"That's my boy."

He stoked him hard before sitting near Claire. Days like this were more and more common and he didn't complain about it anyway. It was good to take time for themselves. In less than two hours, Alex and Morgan will call them on Zoom after work. To talk about the clinic which was more than a success. Morgan had even hired a new doctor to help her. Alex had to work more in Bonaventure these days. The amount of patients was crazy since a month or two because one of the hospital from the area had closed its doors.

Claire got her head of her book and turned to Neil who was playing with Scooter. "What about calling Greta? It's been a while… And we could ask her about coming for summer holidays."

"Would be a good idea… Ohhh you're a good dog, and a cute one…"

"Neil, you're not listening to me…"

"I am. And don't be jealous of Scooter. I love you too and I can cuddle you if you let me…"

She let out a laugh. He had an answer for everything. "If you ask so nicely, I'd love to…" She nestled in his arms, took her book and remained like this until he stood to go in the kitchen and prepare dinner. Morgan and Alex called at 7PM as promised. It was good to see their smiley faces on the screen.

"Hey! How are you?" Claire was so happy to see her friends.

"Hey ! How are you, Oak people?" Morgan laughed hard.

"Sorry for this, she's preparing this joke for like three days… And it's still embarrassing."

"Seriously Alex, you don't even defend me. "

"Nope it was bad, just assume."

"Hey guys!" Neil joined the talk a glass of whiskey in his hand. He sat next to Claire. "How it's going?"

They spent minutes to talk about their jobs, their surgeries, their patients. Neil and Claire talked to them about the case they had to resolve with House. "Such an experience! I mean this guy is a genius, no doubt of that. But he's one of a kind!" Neil concluded.

Claire told them how they argued about him treating their patient as an object. And about the Alport syndrome. Morgan told them about the clinic, how it was crazily insane – in a good way – and challenging.

"And we finally got our apartment!" Alex shouted.

Morgan nodded. "It's perfect, it's half –way our jobs and the view is crazy!"

"Speaking of view,… We were wondering with Neil if you would agree to come and spend some days here in Raleigh during the summer."

"With pleasure!"

"So it's a deal!"

"And we wanted to introduce you to Scooter! We adopted him last week. Look at this cutie face."

"Ohhhh so cute! Hey Scooter, I'm Auntie Morgan and this is Uncle Alex. Ohhh I can't wait to hug you!

Alex looked at Morgan smiling. She had made a long way since Bonaventure. It was fine to see her away from any bitterness. Freed from her past and her demons.

They kept talking for one more hour. They couldn't wait to see them for real. Meeting by video call was cool but it didn't replace the real time spending all together. After they hung up, Claire sent a text message to Shaun and another to Greta, asking them when she could call them. Shaun answered quickly and gave her a special time to call him back. Greta answered on the day after. She was never with her phone, having an answer was already a good thing.

On her lunch break, she called Greta back. "Hey Greta, how are you?"

"Hey Sweetheart! It's good to hear your voice!"

"How are you? What's new? Did Alex check on you last week? It was your annual check-up…"

"Don't worry, Sweetheart. Everything is alright! I've the heart of a young lady. You won't get rid of me so easily!"

Claire laughed. "Damn, I've tried so hard yet!"

Greta explained to her she joined an association when she played rummy and belote with other guys. "And I'm so good at it! You should see how I crush all these men!" She had met very cool people she could share time with. One of them had the same surgery as she had. Others shared her taste for good cooking so they met at each other's house and organize great food parties from time to time.

"Greta, I'm calling you because with Neil, we'd like to invite you at our new house by this summer. Would you like to come?"

"Oh, that'll be my pleasure!"

"Really?! I know it's a big trip but we'll really like if you could come and spend some time with us. And also meet our new dog, Scooter!"

"You've got a dog?"

"Yeah and also 2 chicken. Our family is becoming bigger!"

They talked for some more minutes. As long as Claire's schedule allowed her to stay in line with Greta. She hung up, ate the last mouthfuls of her meal and went to her office. She was receiving two new patients this afternoon.

She called Shaun after work as planned. "Hey Shaun! It's Claire. How are you?"

"Hi Claire. I'm fine, thank you. And you?"

"Perfect! Life here is a blessing. If you except the storm and the rain…. What about you? Things are good at Bonaventure? And how is Vera?"

"Ah ha ha we don't have storm here." He explains to her the weather they had in San José for the last 2 weeks. Not that she was interested in but it was nice to hear the voice of his friend. "And Vera is fine. Thank you. Actually we are thinking about living together in the next 6 months."

"That's great Shaun. I'm very happy for you!"

"Thank you." She could imagine the smile on his face right now. Vera was a really good woman and she understood him so well. She accepted him for who he was. And she could tell Shaun was more glowing than ever.

"Shaun, I was wondering if you agree to come and visit us this summer?"

"Ok."

"Really? That's great! Vera can come too if she wants. We've got a lot of place here."

"Ok."

"And what about your medical cases? Any exciting one?"

They spent more than one hour on phone talking about their patients. When Neil came home, he found her talking about Fatima's pathology. Lying in the sofa. He dropped a kiss on her forehead. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a smile.

"Hey Shaun! Hope you're well! See you on summer then!" Claire put the speaker on.

"I guess you know who he is!"

"Hey Dr. Melendez!"

"Shaun, it's Neil now. Better practice before coming here in a few months!"

"I will try. Now I'm gonna continue to tell Claire about my renal transplantation of last week."

"Good evening to you too, Shaun." He winked at Claire and let her alone. She joined him in the kitchen half an hour later. "What are you cooking?" She asked as she stole a piece of bread on the table.

"Hachis parmentier! And don't eat too much bread or you won't eat after."

She giggled. "You know, I will anyway."

"Not totally wrong… You're eating a lot for such a tiny person."

She eyed him proudly. "I'm gonna take a shower before having dinner… " She waved at him while disappearing in the stairs. He turned the oven off and ran after her. When he arrived in the bathroom, she was half naked. "Thought you'll never come…"

He entered the bathroom and threw on her, kissing her hardly, eating up like a candy. She enjoyed taking his clothes away, feeling his skin under the pals of her hands. Stroking the scars that had eventually reunited them. Kissing the little piece of device that allowed them to be together forever and to enjoy each other's body.

She jumped in his arms. He held her tightly. She kissed him in the neck again and again. He pressed her body against his stronger. He stroked her back, just before lying her on the floor. She let him do the job. Today, he was the one in charge; today, she was the one listening to his orders. She grabbed his cheeks to catch his look. And then kissed him wildly this time. He stroked her breasts and took the time to kiss them. He continued, getting lower and lower, reaching the climax of his quest.

She moaned again and again. Her body arched. She closed her fist to restrain from yelling. He came back to her breasts and spent some more time exploring the ups and downs of this part of her body. She raised her arms over her head to enjoy every of his ambitious and surprising moves. He finally came back to her mouth. She kissed him so hard she bit his lower lip.

"Wild girl."

"Savage boy."

Their looks and hands clutched. As magnets. As yin and yang. As sun and moon. As one. She let him do of her whatever he wanted. She was his thing tonight. And she liked it this way. She locked her legs around his torso to show him what she was waiting, what she was expecting. He let out a smile. He was ready to give her all the pleasure she deserved. Even more.

She pressed his arms as soon as he was into her. Always so sweet, but with a hint of fierce intensity. It was good. It was powerful. She couldn't help but letting a little shout out of her mouth as he reached her G-spot. Her body arched again. He deepened the strokes. He fondled her more and more. She moaned. He did too as she touched him with her tiny fingers in all the places she could. He gave her a last amount of pleasure. A last orgasm for the day. She stuck her nails in his back and scratched him as he released the pressure. She let out a long sigh. A sign she was being completely satisfied.

They remained lying on the floor for a long time. They couldn't tell how much exactly. Who cared? They were the only ones there. And Scooter was sleeping in the living room next to the heater. All they knew was that they were satisfied. Happy and content. And complete. She grabbed his hand. He turned his head to her and smiled.

"That was a very interesting evening."

"Sure it was…" He brushed her leg with his fingers. She shivered.

"Except, I haven't taken my shower yet."

"You had most important things to do… And I was wondering… Maybe we could take this shower together…"

She giggled and nodded. "It'll be my pleasure to share the bathtub with you…"

She sat first and held her hands to him. He took it and sat too. They got up together and got in the shower. They opened the water. It was boiling. They laughed. They sneaked under water and fondled. Like teenagers. Like lovers. Like soulmates. The hachis parmentier could wait a little after all…