Soldier's Attendant
Ch. 3 - House Call
I rounded on my post-op patients, and that took just over two hours. I reviewed all their new lab work or imaging, as well as their over-night vitals. I discharged the only two patients that were okay to leave. Then, I placed orders for new tests for any of them that needed it, and I took time to chat with them for a few minutes. I liked asking the patients how they felt, and making any family members that were there with them, feel comfortable with the fact that their loved one was admitted at our hospital. I always kept present in my mind how much that meant to me, when it was my dad on one of those beds.
I had some time for a quick break before I was due in the operating room, so I decided to call Bellamy. I couldn't wait to hear his voice again. I truly didn't understand what the hell was wrong with me, but it felt too good to question it. I pulled out my phone and dialed him.
"Hi Princess, miss me already?" He answered on the second ring, and his words made me smile again.
"Like a crazy person you've turned me into, Soldier. What are you up to?" I responded and asking because he sounded winded.
"I'm in the hot tub, working on my rehab. How was your morning? Anyone puke on you?" He asked with a chuckle, and I would have laughed if alarms weren't ringing in my ears.
"No one puked, wait. Bell, are you doing your rehab on your own?" I asked, worried because I knew how risky that could be.
"Yeah?" He answered like it was the most common thing in the world.
"Bell, that's dangerous. What if you work your leg too heavily, and you get a cramp. You could be stuck in that tub too long." My mind racing with the hundred scenarios of what could go wrong while he was on his own.
"Princess, I've done this on my own countless times. Never had an issue before. Please don't worry about me. I'm fine." He told me, like he was trying to talk me off a ledge or something.
He had no way of knowing I felt just almost ready to burst. Damn stupid abandoning Attendants. I was going to have a talk with my mother about this, that was certain. I sighed, thinking of my options, when an idea struck, and it was huge. There just wasn't a way around it, but it felt so right, so I went with it.
"Bell, humor me. If something were to happen to you. How could someone get to you?" I asked him.
"Well, if there was an emergency, I'd call 911 and tell them there's a hide-a-key inside a loose brisk next to the doorbell. But Clarke, I'm really alright. I promise. Okay?" He told me and I hummed, a plan already formed in my mind.
"Alright, if you say so. Can I call you back in a few minutes?" I asked and he agreed.
After hanging up, I sent my mother a text message. It was times like these that I was actually, glad my she was the chief of surgery, as well as the head of the SA Program; two birds, as they say.
To: Mom / Time: 9:44am / Message: Mom, I can't explain right now but I promise I will as soon as I can. For right now, I need you to excuse my absence for the rest of the day and approve a lighter schedule… about the same as when I was Dad's SA. Effective immediately. My rounds are complete for the morning, and my charts are up to date, as usual. None of the booked surgeries for the day are anything I haven't already seen. I know you didn't approve when I slowed down for Dad, but please trust that I need to do this, and it can't wait.
I waited for her to reply, barely resisting the urge to bite my nails. If she said no, I didn't know what I'd do. My plan depended on her pulling these strings as soon as possible. My phone finally vibrated with an incoming message twelve minutes later, and it was her.
From: Mom / Time: 9:56am / Message: Its done. All of it. Just answer me one thing, before we talk (soon). Is this about Sergeant Blake?
I sighed with relief at her words, so I answered her right away. I was beyond grateful for this huge thing she'd done for me, she'd earned at least this much.
To: Mom / Time: 9:57am / Message: Yes. He's important, Mom. We'll talk soon, I promise. Thanks so much. You have no idea how much it means to me.
I was about to put my phone away, when she responded.
From: Mom / Time: 9:57am / Message: You're welcome, Clarke. Go to him.
I wasn't sure how she knew I was going to him, but I supposed it wasn't a stretch. I was just grateful she agreed to help me, and how quickly she'd taken care of it all. As I got into the elevator to go down, I sent a text to Dr. Jackson, apologizing for having to leave so suddenly. I updated him on the status of my work this morning, and told him that my mother had all the paperwork for me shortening my schedule. Next, I sent a text to Harper and to Raven, telling them I was leaving for the day. I added that my boyfriend needed his SA. As expected, two messages came in almost immediately.
From: Raven / Time: 10:03am / Message: Boyfriend?! So Fast?! Well, I'm Happy for you, Girly. Truly, I am but I expect to meet him soon (really soon). Make it happen, or else. LOL, but I'm serious.
From: Harper / Time: 10:03am / Message: Boyfriend, huh? No surprise there, given the look on your face when he texted you and right after you spoke to him. I'll miss you round here, but I'll do my best to keep you in the loop of things. Want to meet this soldier of yours soon.
They were both very different girls, but seemed to have one singular thought in common. They wanted to meet Bell, and soon. I knew that was a given, but I also wanted to drag it out as long as possible. I still wanted my soldier to myself for a while longer. I laughed to myself as I sent them both a reply.
To: Raven, Harper / 10:04am / Message: Ok, soon. Bye for now!
With all the important notifications sent, I thought of calling or texting Bellamy. However, I had a flash of him trying to get out of the tub alone after exerting himself, and hurting himself. I'd seen something like that happen to my dad, and I wouldn't risk Bellamy that way. It felt weird to just show up without letting him know first, but I wouldn't gamble with Bellamy's wellbeing.
I sped-walked towards my car in the lot. It was all I could do, to keep myself from running. I finally, got into my car and put it in gear. I pulled out of the lot, and turned the radio up when I heard it was playing Radioactive, by Imagine Dragons. I made sure to focus on my driving, as I tried to push my speed as best I could. I just wanted to get to him, and make sure he really was ok. Then, I'd stay in his arms all day, if he'd let me. Luckily, he only lived about twenty minutes from the hospital, and I was glad his address was still in my GPS, because I couldn't remember the street number.
When I parked at his house, it was just as I'd left it early that morning. I got out, and went towards the door. Instinct made me want to press the doorbell, but flashes of startling him or causing him to get hurt, stopped me. Instead I focused on feeling for any different brinks by the doorbell. They all looked exactly the same, but eventually one of then jiggled as I pressed on it. It wasn't easy, but I managed to slide it out. Just as he said, there was a key there. I took it and replaced the brick, making sure it didn't look any different than before. Then, I opened the door, and walked inside after shaking off a bit of a nervous feeling. Everything inside looked just as it had in the morning. The only difference was a towel hooked on the patio door handle. As I approached it, I realized it was on the outside, which told me Bell was still outside, and hadn't used his towel yet.
I slid the glass door open, and took the towel in hand as looked around the back yard for the first time, and I paused at the door to take it all in. Bellamy had a beautiful and huge yard, filled with trees and bushes. It looked like a forest out there, and somehow, he also had large pool and I spotted the hot tub at the far-left end of the yard. When I noticed his head resting against the edge of the tub, I began walking in that direction. As I approached, I noticed his eyes were closed and got worried.
"Bellamy?" I questioned and I sighed with relief when his eyes snapped open.
"Clarke, what? How are you here? Am I hallucinating?" He asked, and while I was expecting his surprise, I guess I wasn't expecting that question.
"I used the hide-a-key to get in, you're not hallucinating." I smiled as I finally reached his side and took hold of his hand that was gripping the edge of the tub.
My smile fell pretty quickly, when I noted the pink hue of his cheeks and the much too hot feel of his hand. He must have noted the change in my emotions, because he began trying to explain right away.
"I was gonna call, honestly. I just wanted to wait, to see if it sorted itself out on its own." He rambled, but I was sure I knew what he was going on about.
"Who were you going to call, Bell? What was supposed to sort itself out?" I asked him, as I felt the temperature on his forehead.
"It's never happened for this long before. After our call, I felt energized and driven. I suppose I wanted to prove to myself how alright I could be. I must have pushed too hard, and I…" He was explaining, but I finished his sentence for him.
"You got a cramp, didn't you?" I asked, not really needing his confirmation. "Where are the controls for the tub?" I asked, looking everywhere until he pointed them out.
I rushed to them, and lowered the waters temperature and turned off the bubbling effect. Once that sound stopped, I turned back to Bellamy. He didn't say a word, but he looked defeated as he stared at me. I wanted to yell but I knew it wasn't the time. I also had no interest in emasculating him in any way. My medically trained Attendant brain had taken over, and my soldier needed me. I removed my shoes and socks, and then my scrubs, leaving me in my boy shorts and sports bra. I didn't hesitate to climb into the tub, barely taking a second to adjust to the still warm water.
"Clarke, what are you doing? Look, I'm sorry. I was going to call for help, I swear. You don't have to do this." He told me, but I pecked his lips to shut him up.
"Later. For now, let your SA do what she's trained to do. Now, where's the cramp, Bell?" I asked softly, as I tenderly felt around his bad leg under the water.
"Oomph", he cried as I found the spot with my hands. "Okay, alright, Hon. Lean back, breathe as slowly as you can; try to make yourself relax. I've got you." I spoke softly, hoping to help relax him as I began kneading the muscles of his tightly cramped muscles.
He did as I said, but the pain was clearly etched on his face. He groaned a few times as I worked my hands on his thigh. Each time he did, he'd go rigid again. So, I continued to coach him through it. "Relax, Baby, try to stay relaxed. Breathe in… right… now out, slowly. That's it, I've got this. Again, in… slowly… and now, out slowly." I was saying as I continued to massage his thigh. I felt the tight muscles loosen, just as he sighed in relief, and I knew that crisis was averted.
"There you go. Now, let me help you out. I don't want you to put any pressure on that thigh. Don't want it to cramp up again." I told him, leaning forward to place a gentler kiss on his lips.
"Thank you, Princess." He told me, as I pulled away and I smiled for the first time since realizing he was in trouble.
"This Princess will scold you later." I told him with a smirk. "For now, I'm gonna help you out of this mess and I'm going to need your help." He nodded with a small smile.
"Alright, if I lift you from the water by your butt, do you think you can pull yourself to the edge, using your arms and elbows? And don't say yes to be stubborn, I need you to be honest with me." I asked him, and he nodded.
"Yeah, my arms are fine. I can lift myself with your help." He answered and the look on his face was genuine.
"Okay, Baby. Here we go… On three." I said and then counted down.
It went smoothly. I lifted, as his strong arms lifted the rest of him enough to sit on the ledge of the hot tub. In a flash, I moved to support his bad leg, to make sure he wouldn't add any pressure to it. He reached for his towel, and offered it to me, to which I responded with the 'really?' face. So, he used it to dry himself. I instructed him to rotate, as I kept a hold around his leg. Finally, I laid his outstretched on the floor and he brought the other beside it. So, I went to turn off the tub all together.
When I got back to him, he offered his damp towel to me again. "I'm as dry as I'm gonna get. At least, pat yourself dry Princess." He told me, so I did just that.
"Bell, do you have any crutches I can fetch, or do you want to lean on me to get you inside?" I asked.
"Either works for me." He said, so I decided to help him now, rather than go on a hunt while he stayed helpless on the ground.
"Alright, I'll use my weight to hoist you up on your good leg, then I'll pop back up to help you keep your balance. We'll get you inside in no time, Baby. Now, I need you to trust me, because if you don't and you put weight on your bad leg right now, you might make it worse. Trust that I can do this… I'm trained and I've done it before, alright." I told him confidently, again he nodded. "Okay, Sweetheart, on three."
I counted down, and up I pulled as I went down low, using my body weight. Just as he'd caught his balance on his good leg, I was up at the side of his bad leg, with my arms around him. His arm came to rest on my shoulders, and I could tell he was relieved to have me to lean on.
"That was pretty impressive, Princess. I gotta say." He told me as he rested his forehead against the side of my head.
"You ready to move?" I asked after we'd stayed like that for a moment, while I chuckled at his statement and caught my breath.
"Yeah, on three?" He asked me, and I smiled with a nod, as he counted down that time.
Once we got him inside, I helped him to the closest couch. I was about to retrieve my scrubs from the yard, but he held onto my hand and tugged me. Not enough to land on him, but enough to show he wanted me to lean down. As I did, he captured my lips in a kiss like the once I'd been daydreaming about all morning. In a daze, I pulled back and told him I'd be right back, and he smiled.
Once I came back inside with my clothes and shoes, and handed his cell phone to him. I was ready to strip out of the wet underwear and put my scrubs on. Yet, Bell stopped me. "Sweetheart, please help yourself to any of my clothes in my dresser." He told me sweetly, so I agreed.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to snoop. The man had pretty much given me free reign over his dresser, but I was too cold. The top drawer was his underwear and socks, to I tried the second. That one had countless t-shirts, and I thought, maybe. I decided to check the third, to see if I found anything better, and Bingo! I'd found his pajama drawer. I pulled out two tank tops, and two pairs of boxers-style shorts. I pulled off my wet undies, put on the grey top and light blue shorts. Next, I tossed the wet garments into the sink of his in-suite bathroom. Then, I went to take the other dry pajamas to Bellamy.
When he caught sight of me in his clothes, he first seemed stunned, then my favorite smirk appeared. "They look much better on you, than they do on me." He said, and I smirked back.
"No matter, I much prefer you naked anyway." I told him, and was satisfied to watch his jaw fall open. "Now, I'm gonna strip you, Bell. You okay with that, Soldier?" I asked as I neared him, and all he did was nod, which caused me to chuckle.
I tossed the white tank towards him, and then got on my knees in front of him. I took delight in watching his eyes widen briefly. "Alright, using your arms on the back of the couch, and only your good leg, I want you to push up so I can pull your wet shorts off. On three." I said looking him in the eyes, and I kept my eyes on his as I pulled the wet shorts all the way off of him.
When it was time to put on the dry ones, I smirked at him, and asked if he was ready to do it again? When he nodded, I carefully placed his bad leg into the dry shorts, and then the good one. I had been focused on his legs to avoid looking anywhere else until I looked into his eyes. I could have been wrong, but I didn't think I was. There was some sort of challenge in his eyes, and that look made me gently run my hands over his legs, and then I looked at his impressive manhood. I hadn't expected him to be erect, and instead of doing anything about it, I chose instead to lean up and kiss his lips.
"The Little Sergeant will have to wait until later." I whispered against his mouth, and his reply came in the form of a chuckle mixed with a growl. "Alright, Baby… On three." I said and counted down, then slid his dry shorts into place.
Once that was done, I climbed on him, straddling him but being careful not to lay any weight on his thigh. "I can't get enough of my boyfriend." I told him between light kisses, and loved his growl in response to my lightly moving hips against his hardness. "He's been on my mind all morning, even while I was… hard…" I punctuated the word as I rubbed myself against his manhood with more purpose, before finishing my sentence. "… so hard, at work."
"Is that right?" He asked, bringing his arms to my hips, guiding my movement but I wasn't ready for him to get his happy ending yet, so I moved myself off him swiftly but carefully, and stood before him.
"So, imagine how it felt after having a worrisome conversation with said boyfriend. One in which, he assured me that he was okay, and promised nothing would happen. Imagine how worried I stayed, that it cemented an idea that had been swimming in my head since last night. I asked my mother to approve shortening my hours, so I could become my stubborn boyfriend's SA." As I spoke, his eyes just kept opening wider and his jaw seemed to open further, but I continued.
"Then, imagine Bell, how it felt to find you in such a vulnerable and dangerous situation, after I'd tried to warned you of exactly what could happen, despite your assurances that you would be okay. If you can't rightly imagine how that felt, I'll tell you. Equal parts terrified and pissed off, Bellamy." I told him honestly, feeling my yes water.
His expression looked stricken, and I knew he was sorry. But, his sorry meant nothing if he didn't agree to never do that again. "I've known you for less than twenty-four hours, but you're important to me. If you really want this to work, you'll need to avoid putting yourself in danger again. I meant it, Bell. I can't do this if I'm going to be scared all the time. I'll need to trust that you're taking proper care of yourself when I'm not here. You matter to me. I need you, more than I could express. I can't lose you, Bellamy." I explained to him, showing my vulnerability to him was easier than it had ever been with anyone else.
"Clarke, I'm sorry." He told me and extended a hand for me, so I put my hand in his. He tugged for me to sit beside him, so I did. "First, I'm sorry that put myself in a situation after you tried to warn me against it. I overestimated my abilities, and I will do my very best to avoid ever doing that again. Secondly, I'm so, very sorry that my actions scared you so deeply. Most of all, I'm sorry for having lost any bit of trust you'd put in me, I was careless with your trust. I'm a stubborn man, that much is a given. But I will work hard at it every day, to take care of myself as best I can, if it means you being able to trust in me." His words were so heartfelt, that I found myself nodding as I leaned in to kiss his lips.
"Okay, I'll appreciate that." I told him honestly.
"Good, because I mean it." He assured me, and I believed him. "Now, if we could please rewind for a moment. What was that about your mom and your hours, and being my SA?" He asked, looking confused, but also hopeful.
"Well, they don't typically allow us Fellows to make house call like this." I joked, and he smirked. "I first had the idea last night. Of course, I dismissed it because I'd only known you for a couple of hours. But, the idea kept popping into my head throughout the morning. Actually, I wanted to speak to you about it before taking the idea to my mom, but then our phone call happened. I fast-tracked it from there." I told him and explained the messages I'd sent to my mom, and then my coworkers and friends.
"I can't believe you did all that for me, Princess. Your work is so important, and you're putting it on hold again. I don't know how I fell about that, to be honest. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of you being my SA. If today is the only thing I had to go by, you've shown just how capable you are, impressively so. But even so, Sweetheart, what about the upcoming Ceremony and Banquet? Do you really want to put yourself through that … for me?" He asked his concern for was evident with every word.
His selflessness confirmed what I already thought of him and how I felt about him too. "Absolutely." I said, and then he was kissing me. It was fierce at first, then became softer and more, dare I say, loving.
"Okay, now that it's settled, have you given any thought to lunch? I've worked up quite an appetite." I said, and he chuckled then handed me his phone, after opening up the uber-eats app, and told me to pick two of anything I felt like eating. Then, he snuggled me close to his side, and leaned his head back against the back of the couch, almost like he was taking a nap.
I looked at his handsome face for a few moments, and was grateful this man seemed to want me in his life, as much as I wanted him in mine. Then I looked through the app menu, trying to hunt for good meal for the both of us.
A/N: These kiddos are moving fast, just about lightning quick. But I love them, so it is what it is.
