A reluctant smile found its way onto Dar’s face. ”He’s been wanting to meet you too,” she admitted. ”Oh well, at least it’s just his office.” She leaned back and let the sun drench her body. ”What’s the worst he can do, right?”
DAR SAT QUIETLY on the examining table, leaning on her hands as she regarded her knee morosely. Dr. Steve had done what seemed like a hundred or so x-rays and was now off in his inner sanctum, doing whatever it is he did to make sense out of them. At least she didn’t have to wear that damned, stupid gown, since it was her knee, after all, and she was wearing shorts.
A sound alerted her and she glanced up as Dr. Steve came in, festive in his robin's egg blue golf shirt and Bermuda shorts. ”So, how bad is it?”
”Dar, why do you always think the worst?” Dr. Steve shook a finger at her. ”You are such a pessimist, and where is this lovely paragon of virtue of yours?”
Dar studied her hands. ”If you expect the worst, when less happens you’re pleasantly surprised.” She informed the doctor. ”And Kerry’ll be here any minute. She just had to pick up a few things.”
Dr. Steve chuckled. “Didn’t want her to see you shivering on my table, huh?”
Dar scowled at him.
”Mm hmm, well.” He stuck two of the x-rays up and flicked the light on. ”Now, tell me again how you did this?” He traced the area with his pen. ”You have compression on the joint here, and here, and stretched tendons here and here. It looks like you kicked a car. You didn’t do that, did you?”
Dar sighed. ”No, we got caught when a sinkhole collapsed. I fell about fifty feet, I guess, and landed wrong.” She eased off the couch and limped over. ”Anything break?”
The doctor studied the film carefully. ”Doesn’t look like it, my friend.” He patted Dar’s arm. ”You got lucky. That could have been a bad one, might have needed reconstruction.”
Dar winced. ”Mm. So what do I do? Just take aspirin until it stops hurting?” She limped back over to the couch and hoisted herself up onto it, to get her weight off the leg.
”Oh no, you don’t get that lucky, Dar.” Dr. Steve chuckled. ”I’m Hurricane Watch
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going to put a restrictive brace on you and give you a pair of crutches.”
”Uh uh, no crutches,” Dar immediately objected. ”I hate those things.”
”Dar.”
They both turned as a light knock came on the door. ”Come on in,”
Dr. Steve called out, smiling as the door eased open and Kerry poked her fair head in. ”Well, hello there.” He beamed at her.” Come in, come in.” Kerry stepped inside and gave him a tentative smile in return, as her eyes flicked to Dar’s face. ”How’s it going?”
Dar exhaled. ”Kerry, this is Dr. Steve.” She lifted a hand and waved at the doctor. ”Steve, this is Kerry.”
”Nice to meet you.” Kerry extended a hand, and returned the doctor’s firm grip.
”Ah, it’s nice for me to meet you, Kerry. I cannot tell you how much,” the doctor returned her greeting. ”Now, perhaps the person who puts a smile on this stubborn cat’s face will help me convince her to use a simple pair of crutches, eh?”
”Hey.” Dar's brows knit.
”Dar, are you being difficult?” Kerry chuckled softly and moved over to her lover, leaning against the couch and letting a hand rest on Dar’s thigh. ”What is it you want her to do?” She asked the doctor.
”Well, there’s a lot of swelling in there, and fluid,” Dr. Steve explained briskly. ”I can get rid of it one of two ways; either we wait, and let Dar here rest and see if her body reabsorbs it, or...” he held up a long, hollow needle.
Dar’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.
”So I wanted to put a brace on it, to hold all the bits and pieces together, and convince my good friend here to keep off the darn thing and give it a chance to heal.”
Kerry peered at him, then at Dar. ”So, what’s the problem with that?”
Her lover sighed. ”I hate crutches.” She growled. ”I had a broken leg when I was in college and got stuck on the damn things for four months—drove me nuts.”
”Ah, well, Dar, we’re asking for a week here, hmm?” Dr. Steve coaxed her. ”Come on now. It’s either that or stay in bed.”
A faint, elfin smile wrinkled Kerry’s face and brought a twinkle to her eyes. ”Hmm...” Then she chuckled. ”Think of it as a strategic plus, Dar. If you show up on crutches at work, it’s going to throw everyone way off their game.”
Blue eyes regarded her glumly.
Kerry sighed. ”Okay, then look at it this way. If you show up on crutches and they annoy you, you can bap them over the head with them in the executive meeting.” She paused to see the effect her words were having and saw a grudging grin start to edge Dar’s face. ”It’s just a week.”
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Dar exhaled. ”Well, it’ll give me an excuse to dress casual at work.
I’m not wearing a damn skirt and jacket with a brace and crutches.” She finally relented. ”They can just cope with it, since it happened on their damn field trip.”
”See? There you go.” Kerry turned and winked at Dr. Steve. ”Now what?”
The doctor chuckled. ”Lie down, Dar. I’m going to get that brace on, and give you a minute to get used to it.” He went out, then came back with a sturdy looking white cotton brace, sliding it onto his reluctant patient’s leg and positioning it over the injury. ”Lucky thing you keep these in good shape.” He thumped his knuckles on her thigh.
”I think that’s what kept your leg in one piece.” He tightened the straps and fastened the Velcro tabs, adjusting tiny laces on the side to make the fit right. ”There, how’s that?”
Dar flexed her thigh muscles and lifted the leg up, then let it drop and swung to a seated position, bending the stiff supports with difficulty. ”Tight.”
”It’s supposed to be,” Steve told her cheerfully. ”All right, let me get some crutches. You like wood, or aluminum?”
”Wood,” Dar replied absently, as she fussed with the brace. She glanced after him as he left, then her eyes met Kerry’s. ”I’m being an ass, aren’t I?”
”Umm, no, well...” Kerry cleared her throat. ”I think admitting to weakness is really tough for you, Dar.” She traced a tiny line along the fine, soft hairs on Dar’s arm. ”I know that bothers you, especially at work, and especially this week.”
She was right, on all counts, Dar acknowledged silently. ”Well, I’d better get used to the damn things a little. Can I interest you in some lunch and a short walk out on the beach?” She offered.
Kerry’s eyes lit. ”Sure. How about brunch at Joe’s, then we can walk on the boardwalk a little.” She’d developed a strong preference for fresh seafood since she’d started living with Dar and now her mouth watered a little, as she imagined the buffet at Joe’s. And, she virtuously decided, it was healthy for you.
”Sounds good to me,” Dar agreed, as Dr. Steve came back with two wooden crutches, which he handed to his victim. ”Let me adjust these first.” She reversed the crutches, and loosened the wing nut that held the bolt adjusting their height, and lengthened them. ”Okay.” She put the tips on the ground and stood up, fitting them under her arms.
”Anything else, Dr. Steve?”
He studied her. ”You want something for the pain?” he offered.
Dar thought about it. ”No,” she finally decided, with a pensive sigh. ”I tend to rely on it too much, not a good idea,” she replied honestly. ”I’ll stick with the aspirin.”
Steve patted her side. ”Good girl.” He then tugged on Kerry’s blonde hair ”You take care of her, okay?” He took her hand, then Hurricane Watch