A cold front was blowing through Westtown. Ford and Holly were sharing a quiet but comfortable evening in front of the fire, playing a friendly game of chess. Holly sat closer as she was slowly learning to trust the young doctor. Ford was staring at the chessboard, about to make his move, when he heard a small crash that sounded like a glass breaking followed by a loud metallic clatter downstairs.
Ford stood up to see what fell when he heard another much louder shattering sound. He looked over to Holly and saw her face had gone white as a sheet. Ford knew about her past, so he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the kitchen. He handed her a knife from the drawer and led her to the pantry before whispering, "Hide yourself in here while I go see what's going on downstairs. Don't come out until I tell you it's safe." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she nodded.
Ford grabbed then grabbed a knife for himself and quietly walked down the stairs, hiding the knife under his coat. He heard another small crash and prepared himself mentally for what he was about to see. He peeked around the corner but didn't see anything other than a flowerpot broken in the windowsill. The glass was near a metal platter of his surgical supplies, which had fallen.
He tiptoed through the house when he heard what sounded like another glass object breaking. He walked into his office and saw a metal rolling cart toppled over and several bottles shattered. He turned his head when he heard something moving on the shelf behind him and was surprised to see a black cat sitting on the shelf cleaning his foot. Ford was about to yell at the cat when he noticed the cat's foot was bleeding. Instead, he picked up the cat to help it. However, the cat was startled and scratched his face. Thoroughly annoyed, he called out to Holly, "It's safe."
Holly came down the stairs and looked over to Ford, who held the cutest little kitty she had ever seen. She walked up to him and grabbed the tiny creature in her arms, "Hello, beautiful," she chirped to the animal.
Ford was pissed when he first discovered the cat, but he couldn't stay angry when he saw Holly smile for the first time. He let out a sigh and asked, "Would you help me hold the cat while I get the glass out of his foot."
She nodded. Ford walked into the supplies closet to get a clean towel. He then walked over to Holly to wrap the cat securely before handing the cat to her. Ford grabbed a clean pair of tweezers and gently pulled the piece of glass out of the animal's paw. He then cleaned the injury and wrapped it.
Once he was finished, Holly grabbed the cat's foot and kissed it gently. She noticed Ford raised an eyebrow at the action, and she explained, "My grandfather used to kiss my booboos. He said a kiss would make it feel better."
Ford turned red as he thought about the number of kisses he would need to perform to make Holly feel better. He shook the thought from his head and bent to pick up the flipped-over cart and broken glass.
Holly held the cat to ensure he didn't cause any more trouble… "Trouble…That's a good name for you," she said to the cat.
"Spot on if you ask me," Ford muttered as he worked on cleaning up the large pieces of glass. Suddenly as he was cleaning up one fallen beaker, the scent of the spilled liquid caused Ford to feel light-headed. He accidentally put his hand on a piece of glass, trying to prevent him from falling.
Holly saw Ford fall forward and ran over to help him. "Stop!" he yelled.
She stopped short, thinking she did something wrong. Ford then said groggily, "Put on a mask and gloves before you come over here. The Fumes are what got to me in the first place."
She realized he stopped her to protect her wellbeing and did as she was told. She walked over to help him up and to a chair, "Are you alright?" She asked nervously
"I'll be fine in a few minutes. The fumes just got to me. I should have known better," Ford confessed. Holly had watched what Ford did with the cat and decided to help him. She walked over to the sink to clean the tweezers with alcohol and grab new gloves. She sat a clean rag in his lap and poured alcohol on the cut on his hand before removing the piece of glass and placing gauze on it.
Ford used the gauze to apply pressure and said, "I have it from here. Go back upstairs with Trouble while I finish cleaning up this mess."
She nodded and looked him in the eyes. That was when she noticed the cat scratch on his cheek. She looked down with a blush and said, "At least let me clean this up first. She put a little bit of alcohol on a cotton ball and gently tapped it along the scratch. She then put some antibiotic cream on a bandage and placed it on his cheek. Ford looked at her curiously, she looked like there was something else she wanted to say or do, but she was too afraid to. He waited patiently before she finally made up her mind and gave him a peck on the cheek. She then grabbed Trouble and carried him upstairs as she was told.
Ford sat for a few more moments, trying to comprehend what just happened. His cheek felt warm and tingly where she just kissed him, and his heart was beating out of his chest. Once he managed to get a grip on reality, he finished cleaning up and shut the window. He then headed upstairs, where he found Holly fast asleep with the cat on her lap. Ford realized it was improper for him to sleep in the same room with Holly, so he went back downstairs to sleep on one of the cots in his clinic downstairs.
…
The following day Miranda dropped by the clinic holding three dresses. "Here you go, sugarplum," she said excitedly," Ford mentioned that you might like longer dresses. See if any of these will work." This time her selection looked more customized to Holly's problem. Silently Holly wondered what he told her. Regardless she was thankful and went into the bathroom to try the clothes on.
The first dress was a long white eyelet dress with a blue apron on the front. The second dress was more formal, it was a floor-length kimono with a snow pattern on it. When Holly tried on the final dress, it was a stewardess style dress with a white shirt and khaki skirt. She tied the red neckerchief loosely around her neck and finished the ensemble with a pair of black pantyhose. Holly stepped out and smiled at Miranda. "I love them," she said, "however, I really only need one of them to hold me right now until I get an official job. So I will take this one, please." She said, showing her the stewardess dress. She then asked, "How much do I owe you."
Ford walked in and answered, "Nothing. You owe her nothing. Miranda, she will be taking all three dresses. It is unhygienic and inconvenient to be wearing the same clothes every single day."
"You're one to talk," he heard Miranda murmur.
He shot her an irritated glare said, "I have several of the same shirts, pants, and lab coats. I am not wearing the same clothes. It just saves time when you don't have to worry about what you're going to wear."
Miranda snickered at his explanation and concluded, "Very well then, I will put your girlfriend's dresses on your tab. You can pay it when the special herbs you ordered comes in."
Ford knew Miranda was just trying to get under his skin and said, "Fine… and she's not…."
Miranda interrupted, "So, Holly has the doctor given you a day you can return home. Your Uncle Frank was talking about setting you up on some farmland nearby."
Holly's eyes lit up, "He must be talking about grandpa's old farm…No, I am not sure how much longer I will be here at the clinic, but I am grateful to be here. Thank you for caring for me, Ford."
Ford pushed his glasses up on his face and simply said, "There is no need to thank me. I am just doing my job."
The small cat that broke into the clinic last night walked into the room at that moment and brushed up against Ford's leg. He looked at the cat sitting by his feet and mumbled, "You must be hungry… Come on, Trouble."
When he walked away with the cat, Miranda said, "I think the doctor has a soft spot for you, dear. There is no way he would have let that dirty cat stay if you weren't here, even if it were a patient. If you're interested, you should probably make your intentions clear. He is a brilliant doctor, but he is a moron when it comes to girls. Before I go, I wanted to tell you there is a bulletin board in front of the clinic where many people in Westown post part-time jobs. If you find yourself low on cash while you are starting the farm, that is a good place to look." Holly looked uncomfortable when Miranda was talking about Ford but still thanked Miranda for her visit."
…
Later that day, while Ford was busy counting out a prescription for Brad, Holly decided to wash the cat in the bathtub upstairs…That turned out to be a huge mistake. She filled the tub with warm water and picked up Trouble, placing him in the tub. The cat was surprisingly calm while she rubbed shampoo into his matted fur. But once she turned on the detachable showerhead, all hell broke loose.
"8,9,10…" Ford's counting was interrupted by a thud and a yowling sound. Brad looked over to Ford as if to ask, 'What was that?' Ford placed the pills down and said, "I'll be right back."
When Ford climbed the steps, he could hear Holly talking to the cat, "Would you stay still, Trouble… You're making a mess." He walked into the bathroom to see Holly near the bathtub, which was full of hair and dirt. She shrieked as Trouble dug his claws into her back as she struggled to get him back in the tub. Ford struggled to remain calm as he saw the state of the bathtub. Instead of making a scene, he simply unhooked the claws that were digging into Holly's back and turned away to let her finish. However, that caused the cat to flip out further and launch himself on top of Ford before scattering away.
Ford was now dripping wet, covered in cat hair, and thoroughly pissed. He looked over to Holly, who was busy trying to clean the mess the cat left in the tub. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING DOING THIS WHILE I AM WORKING? I CAN'T MEET WITH PATIENTS LOOKING LIKE THIS?!" He screamed.
Holly immediately put her arms in front of her face, scared she was going to be hit, and whispered, "I'm sorry…."
Ford stopped short when he saw her trembling with fear. He sighed irritably and took off his lab coat which was now covered in cat water, and said, "No, I shouldn't have raised my voice. Just keep the cat out of any more trouble, and we are even." He then returned downstairs without his coat to finish Brad's prescription.
…
After Ford left to finish tending to his patients, Holly made sure she cleaned up the tub and floor where the cat had ran. When she finally finished cleaning, she sat on the couch and dozed off for a bit. Ford felt terrible for screaming at her earlier, so once he was finished with his patients, he climbed the stairs to check on her. He found her asleep with a rag wrapped around her hand. Ford looked closer and realized that the cat had put a deep scratch across the knuckles of her left hand. He crept across the room to gather the supplies necessary to clean it and bandage it. Holly must have been exhausted because she didn't budge the entire time Ford worked on her hand.
While he fixed her hand, the most peculiar words flashed across his mind, 'My grandfather used to kiss my booboos. He said a kiss would make it better.' He smiled at the memory Holly shared with him, and since she was asleep, he had enough courage to kiss the bandage across her knuckles and asked, "all better?" Then, he grabbed a blanket out of the closet and let her rest.
