Martin leaned his head against the wall and sighed. So Alex Pane, really was responsible. He couldn't believe it, what a prat! A spoiled, good for nothing, cruel, arrogant a…
"Dr. Martin, please come in. I would like you to officially, meet my husband," Mrs. Pane smiled.
Martin smiled warmly and followed Mrs. Pane.
Alex Pane shifted uncomfortably on his pillows as Martin walked in.
Martin stood at the foot of the king sized bed and smiled a tight smile.
"Dr. Martin, meet Alex Pane, my husband. He will be your patient," Jen smiled.
Alex sighed, feeling extremely humiliated. That wasn't his typical introduction. Usually, he was introduced as one of the most powerful people in the world or as a legend. He was not used to being introduced as being so weak, and he didn't like it.
"It is a pleasure to meet you officially, Mr. Pane," Martin smiled.
Alex nodded, unsure of what he should do.
Jen smiled, "Alright, I trust that you two will be ok. Dr. Martin if you need anything, come and get me."
Martin nodded and watched Jen leave the room.
Alex just stared at the doctor. He dressed unusual for a doctor, but then again everything about this man was unusual. He was shifty, like he held a secret. Alex didn't like it.
Martin cleared his throat, "Mr. Pane as your personal physician I give you the order to stay in bed for two weeks. You may only get up with assistance, and only to use the bathroom."
Alex stared at the strange man, who spoke like that now? When did a person ever say "person physician"? This man was clearly only a few streets away from crazy. Especially, if he thought Alex could spare two weeks off work. Two weeks! Alex could just picture the piles and piles of paperwork that would build on his desk in his absence. The notion of being gone for so long was insane. Clearly, the doctor was just taking revenge for what Alex had done to him. Dr. Martin was just trying to hurt Alex, and his career. This was the doctor's way of getting Alex back for destroying his career. He just knew it and he was not going to stand for it.
"Absolutely not! This is outrageous! I can't be down for two whole weeks. I happen to be a very busy man," Alex protested.
"Yes, I know, but you need time to heal," Martin protested.
"I already told you Dr. Martin, I DON'T HAVE TIME," Alex stated, enunciating his words.
Martin sighed; he somehow knew this would happen, "If you have a problem with my orders then you need to talk to your wife about it."
Alex stiffened. He didn't like that some man, who dressed like he was dirt poor, was telling him what to do. Alex didn't take orders; he gave them.
"Jennifer!" Alex bellowed.
Dr. Martin could hear Jen sigh the all the way down the hall, as she climbed back up the steps.
"What is it, Alex?" she sighed as she entered the room.
"You and Dr. Martin need to have a chat. He thinks that I need to stay down for two weeks. He needs to understand just how insane that sounds," Alex demanded.
Martin couldn't help, but think that Alex sounded like a spoiled child, and he smiled.
Jen sighed, "Ok. Dr. Martin I think we need to discuss the diagnosis."
Alex smiled smugly, but his smile vanished as Dr. Martin nodded, "Very well, but we will need to discuss this outside. I don't need Mr. Pane interrupting my every sentence."
Jen nodded and walked outside the doors. Martin closed the doors behind them and turned to face Jen. She looked so tired, and who could blame her. She had been through so much and had been there every second to wait on Alex. She needed rest more than Alex did.
"I apologize Mrs. Pane, but…" Martin began to speak.
Jen interrupted him, "Please, don't apologize, and please, call me Jen."
Martin paused a moment, "Alright…Jen, I am still very sorry."
Jen smiled, "Dr. Martin…"
Martin interrupted, "Please, Mrs., uh, Jen, call me Martin."
Jen smiled, "Dr." she paused catching herself, "Martin, you are not to blame."
Martin knew immediately to what she was referring to, and quickly tried to change the subject. He knew that Jen felt incredibly guilty, and he didn't want her to feel that way.
Martin cleared his throat, "Mr. Pane needs to stay in bed for two weeks and only get up with assistance. The reason being, his leg needs as much rest as possible, with minimal movement. His leg will take the longest to heal because of the multiple fractures."
Jen nodded, "Sounds fair."
Martin continued, "After the two weeks, there will be three weeks in which Mr. Pane…"
"Please, Dr. Martin, you can call him Alex," Jen smiled.
Martin nodded, "Ok. Well, Alex, isn't allowed to do any work for three weeks. He can't have stress on his body while it is trying to heal. It could severely slow down his healing process. He will take a while to heal."
Jen shook her head, "Alex is not going to like this, but I see your reasoning."
"However, I fear that Alex may be bed ridden longer that he or I anticipate," Martin warned.
Jen nodded, "Ok."
"He will not be allowed to enter his actual office, until after 3 months of being down. If he moves around more than he should, then he will have to wait longer to go back to work," Martin explained.
Jen sighed, "Alex really isn't going to like this. Have you any idea how long until he heals completely and can start doing normal activities again?"
Martin folded his arms and leaned on the wall, "Well, it is difficult to say. If Alex does everything as I've instructed, and his body is given the chance to rest and heal. Then, he could be ready to do his normal tasks after 6 months. If he doesn't, or he heals slower, he could go longer."
Jen groaned, "How much longer?"
"I would say a year max," Martin replied.
Jen exhaled deeply, "Good thing we hired you for a year then."
Martin nodded, "Yes. I just hope he is fully recovered by then."
"If he isn't could I hire you for another year?" Jen inquired.
Martin smiled a small smile, "Yes, but I don't think Alex would be too happy with that."
Jen laughed, "Probably, but I am still grateful for your willingness to help."
Martin gave a small nod, "Of course. Now, you should go get some rest yourself. I'll take care of Alex."
Jen gave a small yawn, "You are right. Good Luck."
"Thanks," Martin smiled.
He watched Jen walk down the stairs and took a deep breath, time to tell Alex.
Dr. Martin walked in with a tight smile and Alex knew immediately he wasn't going to like what was going to be said.
"Alex Pane, your wife has agreed with my orders for you to stay in bed for two whole weeks," Martin began to explain.
"That is ridiculous! Does she forget how busy the office gets? Dr. Martin this isn't possible, not with my line of work," Alex protested.
"I wasn't finished," Martin interrupted, "Not only are you bed ridden for two weeks, but you are not allowed to do anything concerning your job for 3 weeks after."
Alex opened his mouth to start another protest.
Dr. Martin continued, "You will not be allowed to enter your office, until at least 3 months of resting and physical therapy."
Alex blurted out, "You can't do that! You are crazy if you think I can afford to wait that long!"
"You can't afford not to, Alex Pane," Dr. Martin responded coolly.
"Dr. Martin," Alex began to argue.
"I'm sorry but that is my diagnosis, Alex…" Martin began to say, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"First off," Alex interrupted, "You may call me Mr. Pane and that is it. Second, I don't think you understand my situation."
Dr. Martin shook his head, "No I understand it much better than you, and your wife said I could call you Alex."
Alex scowled in response. Who did this guy think he was? He was just a fired surgeon, and he had no right to undermine his authority.
"Dr. Martin, my job is my life," Alex tried to explain.
Dr. Martin cut him off coldly, "So was mine. These are your orders and if you want to heal in 6 months and not a year, then I would suggest you follow them."
Alex was shocked at Dr. Martin's boldness and he didn't really like it. However, there was something to his advantage. Something Jen had so kindly provided him with; his chance, for revenge.
"Very well, Dr. Martin. Since we have this settled let us talk about other matters," Alex gave a small smile.
Martin looked at Alex in concern, wondering what kind of other matters Alex was referring to.
"You see, Jen said that you would work for me, and help me with tasks I want done. I have a few chores I would like you to do," Alex grinned.
Martin cocked his head slightly. Alex Pane, the CEO of Knights' Furniture, had chores?
"You see the state of this room? It's an absolute mess. I need someone to clean it up for me, since I clearly can't clean it myself," Alex stated.
Martin tried not to scowl; Alex was clearly enjoying himself.
"Don't you have other staff members to do this for you?" Martin asked.
Alex pretended to think on this a moment, "No, I don't think so."
Martin sighed, "What would you like me to do."
Alex beamed, "Well I do think that these floors need a good scrubbing."
Martin's mouth gaped open in protest. He was a surgeon, not a servant.
"Then once your done with that I want you to polish my armor," Alex grinned.
Martin stared at Alex in shock, "What did you say?"
Alex pointed across the room at a suit of armor.
"Why do you have armor?" Martin inquired.
Alex rolled his eyes, "I work for Knights' Furniture, that over there is our original mascot."
Martin nodded, "Oh, of course."
Martin couldn't get rid of the feeling of déjà vu. He had heard these commands before, though he couldn't imagine why. No surgeon would have ever been required to do such meaningless tasks.
"And once you have finished, you can muck out my horses," Alex added.
Muck out his horses? Who did Alex think he was? Martin was no groom; the closest he had been to such a title was on his wedding day.
Martin nodded, seeing Alex's pleasure.
"Anything else, sire?" Martin asked, giving a mock bow.
Alex scowled, "Just get on with your chores."
Martin nodded, giving a small smile, "Where will I find the supplies?"
"In the closet down the hall," Alex replied.
Martin gave a small nod and exited the room.
Alex watched him in surprise. Something about the doctor was very, very familiar. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew Martin. He had given those orders before, but he hadn't. That was the first time he had ever made such ridiculous demands, yet it felt almost natural. He shook his head; the pain medication was definitely affecting him.
Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy the interaction between these two. More is coming soon, but please, let me know what you think! :)