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Harvey's eyes constantly darted over to the clock on the clinic wall. The clock hands ticked closer to 3 P.M. Shane had a refill due on his depression medication but hadn't showed. The doctor made an effort to remind him nearly every day. However, his patient may not have forgotten at all. He wasn't too fond of his current mental health treatment. Shane was pretty passive-aggressive; forcing Harvey to deliver the pills himself was very in character. Harvey sighed as he got up from his chair behind the front desk, grabbing the bottle that had been mailed that morning. There was no need to put it in a paper bag and calculate the price including insurance. Harvey pays for it from his own pocket, knowing Shane's response if he'd ever saw the receipt: "That's not fuckin' worth it, Doc. I can live without." Harv would insist, but Shane was too stubborn to change his mind once it was made. Although his initial reaction to the high dose of anti-depressants and lower, but still significant dosage of anti-psychotics was negative, he'd seemed to lessen up about complaining. At least, to the doctor himself. He may be telling all of Pelican Town how much he hates the clinic, the doctor, and the pills he's on. It didn't matter if Shane hated it or not. His god-daughter, Jas, was always (as Shane said himself), on his ass about it. She was only about six, but thought a lot larger than that. Extremely sharp and kind and a good daily reminder.
The two had had a conversation about Jas once, during an appointment. "She's just insanely smart," Shane had said. "Probably the reason I'm still alive, too." Harvey replayed what was said that day while he pushed open the door of the clinic. His brown, leather shoes hit the stone plaza. It was nice enough, weather-wise. The sun was out and the clouds drifted across the sky. It was one of Harvey's favorite aspects of Pelican Town. The weather was always nice. Sunny, but not too hot and quiet, but not too quiet. He passed the Saloon, wondering if Shane could be there this early. He had a drinking problem and would frequent the bar every single night from open to close. It was still a problem: he would get it in his mind to quit cold-turkey, then crash the following day. Now, he drank moderately. Not every day, but accompanied by close friends and a few glasses of water, he was doing alright. Harvey had to stop himself from telling Shane that alcohol will only make the pills not work. Medical protocol or not, his patient was not actively hurting himself anymore.
He passed by Willow Lane, allowing Vincent to sprint past him. Jas must be at home, he thought. The two kids were always together. It was sweet, watching them grow up together. Shane and Sam were good friends as well, even more of an excuse for the kids to hang out. Harvey turned his head, watching Vincent run down the street toward Penny and Sam, who stood next to each other with grins on their faces. Harvey had considered having children before. He'd always wanted kids and told himself, "maybe when I'm a bit older." Now, he was older. Almost in his forties, without anyone in his life he'd consider having a child with. It was kind of disappointing. It was a soft goal of his, being a doctor, making a lot of money for a wife and two kids. Shane didn't have to worry as much as he did. Jas was almost like his daughter and he could probably call an old college fling to settle down with, if he wanted. Shane had already told him he had no plans of "settling down" ever, though. It just wasn't for him. As time passed, Harvey knew it probably wasn't for him, either.
The door to Marnie's ranch appeared in front of him faster than expected. He opened the door. Marnie was not in her usual spot, so Harvey moved to the kitchen. Sitting at the table was Jas, her hair being intricately braided by the man Harvey was looking for. The doctor watched for a few seconds as Shane's fingers weaved her dark hair into two French braids. Harvey didn't expect him to be so coordinated. The way he did her hair while she sat in a chair, the house silent; it was a bit charming. He turned, obviously taking care to not pull Jas' hair. "What did I do, Doc?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His brows matched his hair, messy with a purple tint.
"It's what you didn't do," Harvey replied, stepping into the kitchen while shaking the bottle. Shane sighed, head tilting to gesture to one of the chairs. Harvey set the pills down, smiling at Jas. She smiled back, waving. "I told you a refill was coming up." The other man nodded, still focused on his god-daughter's hair.
"Ah, well," he pulled a hair tie from his wrist, tying off the braid. "You didn't tell my secretary," he gave her a kiss on the top of the head, pulling the chair back so she could hop out of it. She giggled, thanked him, hugged his leg, then ran off. "They're having a picnic at school today and she wanted her hair done." Shane pushed the chair back into place, snatching the bottle from the table. He squinted as he read the label. Harvey's anxiety about Shane's whereabouts had disappeared. Shane seemed a lot older when you put him next to Jas. He really was like a dad, even if he was a few years younger than the doctor himself.
"We haven't changed your dose at all," Harvey interrupted his reading. Shane glanced at him. Has he always looked like that? Harvey felt out of breath just looking at him. Shane was very good with kids. It was one thing checked off his mental "dream girl" list. Even though Shane wasn't a girl, it wasn't bad to consider, was it?. He might be open to Harvey helping take care of Jas alongside him. The idea wasn't impossible.
"You probably need these more than I do, Doc." Shane started walking toward the door in the kitchen itself, the one that lead to the coop. "You look like you're dying." Harvey instinctively followed him. Shane clicked his tongue, swiftly picking up one of his chickens and resting her on his shoulder. The doctor stood in the doorway, observing Shane as he poured feed into the trough and gathered eggs. "Don't you think so, Charlie? Look at him, he's just looking at us..." He not-so-subtly turned around, attempting to keep a serious face. Harvey couldn't help but smile. A good sense of humor was a good trait, too. One often hard to find. "Harv, make sure they don't get inside," he pointed to the doctor's shoes, where a few hens had gathered. Harvey gently nudged them back. "And he's kicking them, now? Oh, Charlie, we need to keep him locked up," he stage-whispered. Harvey chuckled and Shane cracked a smile as well.
"You couldn't keep a joke going to save your life," Harvey said, allowing Shane to walk past him after setting Charlie down on the coop floor. The doctor shut the door behind him. Shane opened the fridge with a finger, starting to set the eggs in extra cartons.
"Well, not when you look at me the way you do."
"Look at you how?" he asked. Shane turned, one hand still holding a few eggs. He smiled, teeth a bit crooked. It was the kind of thing that made Shane more interesting to look at. Just like his worn Joja co. jacket and old band tees. He was a bit rough around the edges and Harvey liked him that way. He couldn't imagine a Shane that was clean-shaven and seemed "put together." It just wasn't right.
"Just like that. You're looking at me like- I dunno..." he was cooking up a metaphor for the situation. Shane was always using metaphors and comparisons. They seemed to get his point across better than any real explanation could. "The same way Clint stares at Emily, with the big eyes and shit." Harvey blinked. Shane had said that Harvey stared at him like he has a thing for him. "You never look at anyone else with the big eyes, Harv." He turned back to the fridge, placing the rest of the eggs in their respective spots before looking back at the doctor. "What's so special about me?"
The doctor shut his mouth. He knew if he started talking, he wouldn't be able to stop. What wasn't special about Shane? He was Harvey's "type", girl or not. Shane shut the fridge, taking a few steps toward his target. He hummed, obviously pleased with himself that he'd gotten Harvey in such an odd spot.
"What's so special about me?" Shane asked, stepping closer.
"You're good with kids," Harvey blurted out, nervous about his patient coming any closer. It probably would've killed him. "And funny." His mind told him to stop, but he couldn't. Shane's smile had grown a little more cocky as he kept talking. "Smart. Good-looking. Polite." He was just listing off traits at that point, too anxious to form any real sentence. He knew, deep down, that the teasing was just a game for Shane to play. It wasn't the first time he'd gotten Harvey backed into a corner, embarrassed.
"What, have you a thing for dads?" Shane asked, barely able to contain a laugh.
"It's an admirable trait- There is no thing," Harvey insisted. The other man rolled his eyes, turning around to head toward the door.
"I'm gonna grab a drink," Shane said, "You're free to join me, since I'm good-looking and all." Harvey audibly sighed, making Shane laugh louder.
Of course it went to his head...