Doctor Clause (Doctors of Eastport General)

Chapter Nine

Leeona

Nothing was wiping the smile from her face. The breeze freezing it in place had already blown sometime during the night. Now, she was stuck with it, no matter how dire the circumstances around her were.

“Are you taking this seriously?” her sister, Pina, asked.

A light brown liquid poured from a clear pot, fragrant flowers remaining trapped inside. Those types of teapots were all the rage a few years back, having been designed to allow tea-lovers a full range of enjoyment, spanning across all the senses.

The visuals of the blooming flowers.

The fragrant scent of the buds.

The light floral taste.

One needed to be a real tea enthusiast to fully understand the appeal. That’s why the whole craze died down. It was simply a novelty item to the average loose-leaf drinker.

“What is the plan?”

That was an odd question coming from her closest relative. “I don’t know.” There was never a plan. There was never an emergency fund. Living by the seat of her pants, not knowing where the money was coming from was the norm.

“Well, it can’t stay here,” Pina complained. “It’s blocking me in.”

“I don’t have a spot to take it to,” she complained. “You know I don’t. I need a bit of time, maybe a few days, to figure out how I am going to pay to have it fixed.”

“Fine.” Pina shook her head. “I’ll get my neighbours to help me push it onto the street when they get home. You can’t leave it longer than two days though.”

“I can’t go without a car for longer than that,” she snorted. “Hopefully, it is just something small this time.”

“It’s old,” Pina said. “It’s time to think about getting something more reliable. Maybe you can lease a newer vehicle.”

“Pfft.” One hand waved her sister off. “I can’t afford an extra dime on my budget. A new car, even a used one, is out of the question. You know that.”

“Hmm?” Pina eyed her up and down. “You are taking this awfully well. Usually, you’d have broken down in tears three or four times by now. So spill it! What’s with the grin?” She gasped. “Are you seeing someone?”

There was no hiding anything from a sister. “Maybe.” She shrugged.

“Who is he?” her sister pried. “What does he look like? Where did you meet him? What does he do? Tell me everything.”

“Whoa.” Her white mug pushed across the counter for a refill. “That’s a lot of questions all at once. I met him at the hospital. He’s a doctor.”

“A doctor, huh?” Pina chuckled. “He has money then. Why not ask him to help you out?”

“I can’t do that!” she exclaimed. “We’ve only been out one time.”

“And you are sleeping with him?” Pina chuckled, brows waggling suggestively. “I never pegged you for a sex on the first date sort of gal.”

“I’m not!” she insisted. “I mean, we haven’t.”

“Your ear-to-ear grin says otherwise,” Pina replied, taking a long sip of tea, while still eyeing her sister carefully. “I’ve never seen you so laid-back and relaxed. You... had an orgasm.”

“Huh?!” She drew in a breath of air, filling her lungs to capacity. “Maybe I did. But that doesn’t mean we went all the way. In fact, he never touched me.”

“What? How does that work?”

“Well,” she said, shifting her bottom on the stool. “I wanted to. I mean, I really wanted to. He said he wasn’t ready. So...” Teeth grated over her bottom lip.

“So?” her sister asked. “Don’t leave me hanging.”

“I did it myself,” she said in a tone just above a whisper.

“You?!” her sister exclaimed. “My sister?! The biggest prude I know, masturbated?! What brought on this change? Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to see you a little more serene, but it’s not really in your nature.”

She shrugged. “Deep down, I think I wanted a change. I missed out on so much with Miles. And then...”

“And then a doctor’s diagnosis came in?” Pina chuckled.

“Mm-hmm.” Her grin expanded, tugging her skin tight. “He said I needed to understand myself before I could expect someone else to.”

“Ooo.” Pina fanned her face. “I like this man. When do I get to meet him?”

“I don’t know,” she answered. “Like I said, it’s only been one night.” The part about the deal was conveniently left out of the conversation. There was a chance what she was doing with the good doctor wasn’t necessarily classified as a date and never would be. “Whatever will be, will be.”

“Mom used to say that,” Pina mused. “You know, I’m glad you found something just for you.”