I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I'm proud that I'm updating soon, -sigh- just hope it lasts...
Anyway, thanks for reviewing, you really made me smile!! R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon...yet...
The next morning was just like Alex thought it would be, slow and tiring. On top of that, it was plainly boring. Not even a patient had come yet, and probably won't come at all.
"Elli!" He called loudly, feeling his head heavy. "Can you bring me another cup, please?"
After a while, the nurse appeared on his door with a big cup of steaming hot coffee.
"Alex, this is your third cup in the past two hours. Take it easy." She sighed with a frown. "You're a doctor; you should know that it's not healthy."
"I'll be fine; it's just a head ache." He responded while stretching his arms to get the cup from her hands.
"If you say so…" She looked at him in disbelief, sighing again loudly. "Stop pushing yourself so much, look how tired you are!"
He raised his view to face her, a small smile on his features. "I'm not tired because of work… still, I'm glad to know that I have such a good friend like you."
She smiled softly and turned to leave, giving him one last concern look. As soon as she was out she shook her head. "He's so stubborn…"
Alex finished his cup and let it on his desk, feeling relaxed and sleepy. The first few hours of the day were going slowly, making it seem like forever until the day ended. To distract himself from the clock on the wall, he took some blue and green herbs and started to examine them, once again trying to find a cure for Lillia's unnamed condition or Jeff's stomach aches.
"Hmmm… too much sodium on this one." He mumbled a few minutes later, holding a bottle of neon colored liquid. "Although it seems to recover more stamina…"
A knock could be heard from the door, followed by Elli who entered with a smile to his office. "There's someone here to see you, Alex."
"Who is it?" He asked with confusion, a little worry on his tone. "Is it something serious?"
"Oh, no. She's just here to say hello." Elli shook her head, turning around to call the visitor. "Claire, you can come in now."
"Thanks." The blond girl responded with a smile.
Elli left to her post in case anybody came in with a smirk. She was glad that the doctor was socializing with new people, it made her happy. Perhaps now the town would stop making up comments about them being together… not that she truly minded.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything, Al." Claire shyly said while looking at the bottle with the glowing medicine.
"No, not at all. I was just modifying this bodigizer…" He said, pointing to the bottle. "Excuse me but… may I ask you a favor?"
She smiled and nodded. "Sure, what's up?"
"Can you try it?" He handed her the bottle with a puppy long stare and a silly pout, making her laugh.
"Uh… sure!" She smiled unsure, smelling the glowing green goop.
He beamed excitedly as she gave a nervous laugh and swallowed half of the stuff, making a weird expression. It was a mixture of disgust and surprise, making him cock his head.
"AH!! What is this stuff!?" She growled after swallowing the bitter-sweet content of the bottle. "It's horrible!"
"Does it really taste that bad?" He asked holding back a laugh and giving her the most innocent look he could manage; he had the feeling that it wouldn't taste very good to begin with. "But… it works, right?"
"Well, I've been drinking grape juice all day since I can't afford any coffee yet…" She said sadly. "I guess it does, I feel a lot better… if you compare it with having to wake up by killing mosquitoes, not having any breakfast and no coffee to start the day… but yeah, it works."
"Really!?" He grinned happily, feeling a little sorry for her. "This is great!"
"Oh, yeah?" Claire asked with a strange glint in her eyes. "Why don't you try it then?"
She took the bottle and gave it to him, already imagining the look on his face when he'll taste it.
"Uh… no, it's okay. I already got enough proof that it works, thank you…" He said quickly, convinced that it wasn't a pleasure to drink.
"Aw, come on!" She pouted cutely, putting the cutest face she could handle.
He was surprised that it worked, even with her dark-like makeup. He could have sworn that her eyes got bigger too, making her look like a precious moment doll. "Of, fine. I'm sure it can't be that bad…"
A sniff was all it took for him to realize how wrong he was. Claire insisted with her put, convincing him to drink up the remains.
"Oh…my…God." He said between mixed up expressions.
She raised an eyebrow and after he was done, there was an awkward silence. Then they both bursted into laughter. "I told you!"
"Yes, and you were right…" He laughed, feeling his head in relief. "And to think that you had more than me… it makes me feel rather guilty."
She was about to answer when suddenly she felt sick. Everything started to spin and it only took seconds for Alex to discover what was going on, or part of it. She fell on the floor, hard, and getting a small bump on her head.
"Elli!" He yelled desperately. "Come quick! I need you to help!"
"What's wrong?" She asked and then gasped at what she saw. "What happened!?"
"No time… help me." He muttered while reaching out for Claire, who was still limp on the floor.
…oOo…
On the Inner Inn, three girls where talking casually about the upcoming festivals. Each with a glass of juice, a large plate filled with junk food and a smile on their faces.
"So Ann, what are you wearing for the Goddess festival?" Popuri asked, grinning.
"Hmmm… not sure." She shrugged. "I guess the same old dress."
"Well, I'm going to wear my pink, lacy and long puffy dress!" Popuri squealed happily. "How 'bout you, Karen?"
"I'll go with a golden-brown one that I bought a long time ago."
"But Karen, isn't that the extra short one…?" Popuri asked and then sipped her juice.
"Exactly." She nodded with a sly smile, making Ann roll her eyes and Popuri smile uneasily.
…oOo…
Back on the clinic, things where going better. It had been around two hours from the accident, and now Claire had finally reacted. First she growled with a frown, feeling her head spin and hurt.
"Alex! She's waking up!" A girl shrieked, who Claire guessed was Elli.
"Really!? Good. I got the results, she'll be fine." He said as he made his way to the waking girl.
"…what…happened?" She mumbled while placing a hand on her aching head.
"I'll go back to my desk if you need me." Elli told Alex, then turned to Claire. "Don't worry, I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm sorry, Claire." Alex said after Elli left with guilt. "I shouldn't have given you the medicine unless it was completely safe or tested before…"
She blinked a couple of times, remembering the bottle of green medicine from earlier. "Oh… well, I'll live…"
"Yes, but still…" He continued, but she signaled him to stop.
"I'm fine. It was just an accident… just don't let it happen again, okay?" She sighed with a faint smile. "Can I go home soon?"
"Uh… you're going to have to stay until tomorrow." He said calmly while looking through some papers.
"…great." She mumbled sarcastically, letting her head rest on the pillow again, and then she stared at the ceiling. "Now I'll never finish my work on the farm…"
Alex gave her a sad look, and then turning his attention to the floor he sighed. "You know, tomorrow's Wednesday and I don't have any work… if you want I can help you…"
"Nah…" She sighed tiredly. "I'll do it; it's your day off after all."
"It really doesn't matter; I've always loved that farm." He said while pulling a nearby chair to the side of her bed. "Besides, it's my fault you're here to begin with."
"Al, I said no. I won't let an accident ruin your day of relaxation, okay? Don't feel so guilty, I'm okay." She frowned, opening one eye when she felt his hand on her own.
"Please…? If you say no then… well… I'll go anyway." He pouted and turned his face to the left.
"Fine… if you insist." She shrugged with a roll of her eyes, then laughing as he looked at her with a huge smile. "But only once… because it's your fault I'm here."
When he saw her smiling too, he let a chuckle escape his lips and stood up. "Well, I've better let you get your rest for the day; tomorrow we have a pretty busy day."
"Yeah…" She sighed. He smiled and waved goodbye, closing the door on his way out, leaving Claire alone in her room. "We have a busy day tomorrow… why does that sound so… cute?"