Rainy Fall evening at the saloon
It was his routine to spend at least one chilly fall evening a week at the Stardrop saloon, getting a hot cooked meal from Gus and catching up with his patients under more sociable circumstances. And it was no different even tonight with the rain heaving down. By the time he made the short dash from closing the clinic to just across the square he was very damp around the edges. When the farmer came in out of the night she was absolutely soaked.
He gulped as he watched her walk through the room, calling out hello to Willy and Clint as she made a line for him at the bar.
"Gidday Gus," She grunted out to the barkeep, tossing him a ripe orange along with coin for two beers. Gus took both with a wink and the dripping farmer turned at sat opposite him with a squelch, sliding a drink towards him.
"And good evening, Doctor," She said to him, "Have a drink, after the day I have had I need a drink, and I don't want to be drinking alone."
"Uh thank you that's a very nice gift." He stumbled over his words on auto pilot, then reflected on what she just said. "What kind of day have you been having." He reached out and took the drink on the table. She clinked it with a cheers and keeping eye contact on him she took a long, deep drink – eyes locking in challenge. Harvey rose too it, taking a big gulp. He stopped after she did, a good halfway through the glass. He wiped some foam from his mustache he eyes meeting hers with a kind smile.
"You're a doctor right Harvey, so you must be a man of science and reason? Have you ever come across things that seem outside the realm of all that" Her tone was light but there was a slightly manic undertone to her voice. Harvey pushed his glasses up a little higher as he leaned towards her.
"Yes, I did study at university in Yuzu city, and I keep abreast of new innovations in the medical field. Because what I seem to learn more and more, is that the realms of what is possible are changing by the day and we understand the world around us better. If something seems implausible now perhaps we lack the data to yet understand it." She looked surprised by his words and looked a him with a new interest in her gaze.
"You ever heard of snake milk Doc?" She asked, in a worried conspiratorial voice, at his concerned eyebrows she shook her head at him, "Forget I even asked that. That was a surprisingly comforting answer doc, though also sounds like you and Demetrius would get along." he cracked a chuckle at that and she smiled back.
"You're not wrong, he and I can get carried away when we get to discussing what he has been working on." They downed a few more drinks as the conversation continued. The glasses piled up faster than Gus could clear them and it was a surprise when the clock strike 11pm and Gus called last drinks.
Harvey and the farmer stood under the eaves of the front of the pub staring into the soaking wet night as the rain pelted down. Pam stumped off to the right, in her dunked haze she barely noticed the rain on the short walk to the tin caravan across the yard. They could see Shane wander off into the rain like a zombie, soaked to the skin his face turned up to the rain for his lonely walk home. Harvey frowned against the rain hesitating, not wanting to get soaked to the skin.
Finally, the farmer made the decision for him, grabbing his hand and pulling him by the hand across the square to the clinic. He laughed as he held one arm up to block raindrops from blinding his glasses. When they reached the door, he fumbled with his keys to let both of them inside. They stood dripping in the reception area, both panting to catch their breath.
"You know Harvey I have another gift you might like, though as our health-conscious doctor of the town you probably wont want to accept it." She scooted back against the counter as she sorted through her bag quickly, before pulling out a purple glass bottle of blackcurrant wine.
The good doctor held up his hands. "You have already given me a gift today, that's enough!" He found himself stumbling closer to the soaking wet girl. Acting on an instinct he didn't know he had his arms landed on the reception bench either side of her hips. His hands wrapped around her hips and quickly lifted her back onto the counter pushing himself up close to her. Her arms went up around his neck and she smiled fox like at him.
Suddenly he was frozen with a moment of last-minute terror, his cheeks stared to redden and he suddenly was very aware of how forward he was being with one of his patients. She made the decision for him, by leaning up and throwing her arms about his head. She pulled him into an enthusiastic kiss. He melted into her his hands sliding closer about her as they embraced. His hands tangling in her rain drenched hair knocked her straw hat to the ground, and she leaned back with a laugh to catch it.
"This feels a bit different to my usual late-night trips to the clinic doc," The farmer said, her voice husky as her fingers took over from his in undoing his tie, pulling him in closer. His hands settled on her thighs and dragged towards her waist, earning and arch of her back.
She put a hand on his chest and pushed him gently away.
"Hold up there Doc, I think its getting close to my bedtime." She said with a yawn, the clinic clock did say 12.40pm, he was shocked at the late hour. "Sorry Harvey, we might need to do this another time, I promised Willy an early start to scout out the Ginger isles tomorrow. Not that I don't like where this is going Doc." She leaned away to retrieve he hat then slid off the bench with a slightly stumbling twirl.
Harvey hickuped in shock feeling dumbfounded and very drunk as she left him dripping and dissatisfied at the counter to his clinic.