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I sat in the waiting room of the town’s small clinic, trying not to fidget. Normally, the visits were fine, uneventful. I’d pop in, say hello to Maru, and head back into Harvey’s office to give him a mid-morning cup of coffee. This time, though, I wasn’t here by choice.
As the clock ticked by, I moved to readjust in the uncomfortable waiting-room chair, wincing at the pain in my leg. If it weren’t for Clint making an afternoon visit to the mines in search of ore, I don’t know how I would’ve gotten here on my own.
The door to the back rooms clicked open as Harvey walked through, face buried in my medical chart. A look of worry was etched on his face as he looked up and saw me.
“Val, what happened?” He rushed to where I sat and knelt to take a better look at my bloody leg.
“Sorry,” I grimaced. “I didn’t come with a coffee for you this time.”
Harvey let out a small, sharp breath – a noise that was half amusement and half worry. “Let’s get you back to the exam room. Can you stand?”
“Let’s find out.” I braced my hands on the plastic arm rests and pushed myself up to stand. My legs were unsteady beneath me from exhaustion and pain, the adrenaline already wearing off. I grimaced as I tried to take a tentative step.
My knees wobbled. I bit back a whimper of pain, and my legs gave out. I stumbled forward, bracing for impact with the hard, tile floor.
“Woah, hey!” Harvey yelped.
The hard floor didn’t come. Instead, I felt a strong pair of arms around me, bracing and stabilizing, and a warm chest beneath my head. My face heated at the touch. I could hear his heartbeat start to flutter beneath my cheek, and I tried to push away the thought of being so close. I wondered if he was as flustered as his heart sounded, or if it was the rush of catching me.
“A, um, a simple yes or no would have worked, Val. No need to prove yourself here. May I?”
May he what? Too exhausted and flustered to think, I simply nodded and gave a small noise of affirmation.
I felt one arm move to my back, and another wrap beneath my knees. By Yoba, this man was going to carry me back! I closed my eyes tight and braced myself as he lifted me. I could feel my blush starting to burn my cheeks.
“Sorry if this hurts, I’ll, um, try to be gentle.” Harvey murmured as he carefully lifted me with a jolt. I grabbed his shoulder tight, nervous from being hoisted into the air, fingers digging into his clean, white shirt.
I forced my breathing to steady, but I just couldn’t. I could feel my heart beating fast and hard. Usually, I could control myself around him, control myself through the small smiles exchanged, the light brush of fingers as I handed him a warm mug of coffee, the ‘thank you’s and ‘stay well’s. Beneath my head, I could feel his heart thudding in his chest, overpowering the sound of my own. I wondered if he was having the same trouble I was. I wondered if he could feel my racing pulse.
He pushed the exam room’s door open with his foot, practiced from years of rushed work, and gently set me down on the exam table. The starched paper crinkled beneath me. I leaned back into the reclined table and pressed my palms into my eyes.
I heard Harvey sit into his chair, snap on a pair of latex gloves, and roll over to me. “May I clean the wound?”
“Yes,” I said with a nod. I didn’t dare remove my hands from my eyes. I couldn’t look at him, not after he had carried me in. I remembered thinking to myself that I was glad I had worn shorts that day. I couldn’t imagine the horror of him having to cut the legs of my pants to properly see and clean the gashes.
“I’ll also need to check for any breaks or sprains. Is that okay?” I could hear in his voice that Harvey was slipping into his doctor mindset, a mask of professionalism slipping over his demeanor.
I nodded.
Harvey let out a sigh and began his work. “I’m going to clean the cuts first and make my way down to your ankle. It doesn’t look broken, but I need to know what happened.” I could feel his gaze on my legs as he looked over the damage. “Did you hear any popping or snaps? Did you twist it in a weird way or did…” Harvey paused and rolled back in his chair.
“Val, can you p-please look at me?” There was a hint of frustration and sadness in his voice. “I know I’ve told you the mines are dangerous, and that I worry about you going in there, but I-I’m not upset if that’s what you’re worried about. You’re…” he sighed, “I care about you. Please look at me.”
I felt a nervous churn in my gut. Why was I acting like a nervous schoolgirl? I removed my hands from my eyes and moved to sit up, leaning back on my elbows. I opened my eyes and looked over.
The doctor sat in his backless, rolling chair a few feet from me. His shoulders were slumped, a look of worry in his eyes. Beneath his mustache, a frown was carved across his features.
“I’m sorry,” I let out a deep breath. “I guess I’m just… just a little embarrassed.”
A small, strained smile ticked up the corner of his mouth. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, Val. As a professional, and your friend, it’s not my place to judge. Now please, tell me what happened.” He grabbed a bottle of antiseptic, a wad of cotton balls and roll of gauze and began his work as I told my story.
“I was in the mines, looking for some topaz for Emily. Everything was normal, quiet.” Harvey nodded along as I spoke, listening. His face was stoic, except for his eyes which betrayed him to show worry.
“When I got to the next floor down, there were these shadow people. I’ve never… I’ve never seen them before, but there were a lot of them. And they show this green flame at me,” I furrowed my brow trying to remember through the adrenaline-hazed memory, “I tried to run, but I tripped and rolled my ankle. Then, I- “
Harvey looked up to meet my eyes. “Did you hear any cracking?”
“N-no. I,” I tried to remember. “I don’t know.”
My arms started to shake from leaning back on them for so long, and my eyes started to well with tears. This was not how I wanted him to see me.
“Would you like the table adjusted so you can sit up properly?” He asked as he finished wrapping bandage around my freshly cleaned wounds.
“Yes, please.”
“One moment.” Harvey rolled back his chair, snapped off his gloves, and threw them into the trash next to his desk. He stood with a groan and walked over to where I sat.
“Lean forward, please.” I did as he asked as he adjusted the table into a sitting position. I leaned back into the crinkly paper and looked up at him, studying his features, looking for some hint of what he was thinking.
His golden-brown hair was disheveled as if he’d run his fingers through it all afternoon. His dark brown eyes showed a kind of tiredness that came from days of mental exhaustion. I noticed his green sweater was folded nicely on his desk next to the computer, and the sleeves to his white shirt were rolled up haphazardly. He was handsome. I didn’t often see him at the end of the day. He wasn’t as put together as in the mornings, but handsome, nonetheless. I could again feel a blush rise to my cheeks.
Harvey looked at me in a way I hadn’t seen before, as if he were trying to read my thoughts, his head tilted slightly. I forced myself to look away, focusing instead of the clock ticking slowly on the other side of the room. My eyes widened in horror at the time.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know how late it was! I-I can come back tomorrow. I didn’t realize…. Let’s finish the exam and I can let you go. O-or I can come get this checked out in the morning not that it’s cleaned. It’s no big dea-,” I moved to stand. He rushed over and put a firm hand on my shoulder to gently push me back into my seat.
“No,” he was firm in his command, “you’re not going anywhere until properly diagnosed.” I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. “But let’s get you wrapped up. As much as I lo-,” he cleared his throat and looked away, “enjoy your company, I’d prefer you to be home and resting comfortably.”
He gave a small, reassuring smile as he kneeled in front of me. “Now, I’m going to check to see if your ankle is fractured or just sprained. It doesn’t look broken, at least. Do you have feeling in your foot? Is anything tingly?”
My face tingled from the closeness, from having him kneel in front of me. “No, nothing is tingly.”
“Good. I’m going to press a couple places to see where it’s damaged. Tell me where it hurts, okay?” All I could do was nod.
His hands seemed to tremble a moment before his mask of professionalism slid again into place. Harvey gently prodded his way down from my knee, avoiding the freshly bandaged areas. His fingers were softer than I thought they’d be.
When he reached my ankle, I let out a yelp and nearly jumped off the table. He held his hands up and leaned away calmly. “Take a deep breath. I know that hurt, and I’m sorry. Now that I know where the pain is, I need to feel for any breaks. May I?”
“Sure,” I scrunched my eyes closed and steeled my nerves.
Gently, he took my ankle in his hands to feel the area. I let out a hiss of pain and did my best not to flinch.
“Atta girl,” he mumbled. I hadn’t realized how warm his touch was until he moved away and rolled to the sink at the other side of the room.
“The good news is that it’s just a sprain. A bad one, but nothing is broken.” Harvey gave his diagnosis as he washed his hands and pat them dry. “The bad news is you need to rest for a week. Keep your ankle elevated and iced. Take some pain-killers and come see me in a week for a follow up. No mines, no farming, no running all over town. Rest. Doctor’s orders.”
Harvey grabbed his sweater and threw it over his shoulder. “One moment. I’ll grab you a pair of crutches.”
He left the room and came back a few minutes later with a pair of crutches under one arm, a glass of water in one hand, and a bottle of pills in the other. “Ibuprofen,” he said as he handed me the bottle and water, “to help with the swelling.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t realize my hands were shaking until I reached for the glass of water and threw the pill back. I didn’t know if Harvey had noticed, or if he was too polite to say anything.
“Do you know how to use crutches?”
“Yes, I, uh, actually sprained the same ankle as a kid.”
“Good, you must be a pro then! Well, I mean, um, not good that you were hurt before, but good that you know how to use them.” His controlled façade was starting to falter. “H-here. Let me help you stand and get settled.” He held out his hand and, before I could dwell on the touch, he’d pulled me up and helped me adjust the crutches under my arms. “I’ll walk you out.”
Harvey slowly led me out of the exam room, down the hall, past the front desk, and through the waiting room. He held the front door open for me as I hobbled through. He followed me out and locked the door behind us.
“It’s late, are you going to the saloon?”
“No, I’m going to walk you home to make sure you get there safe. I know the valley is fine, but it’s dark and we don’t need you to sprain another ankle.” He rubbed the back of his neck before gesturing forward.
“I… thank you, Harvey.”
As we reached the edge of town, fireflies began to sparkle through the trees and crickets sang their chorus. We walked past the bus stop in silence, the sounds of our footsteps echoing off the nearby trees. Slowly, we made our way to the farm.
By the time we made it to my home, the summer heat had cooled, and the air was crisp. We stood at the foot of the porch steps, and I wondered how I would make it up on my own.
“M-may I, um, may I help you up?” Harvey, ever the gentleman, asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
Ever so gently, he braced a hand of my elbow, and another on my back. I felt his fingers tremble, as if nervous, as he helped me up the couple of steps to the front door.
“Would you mind helping me with the door?”
“Of course I wouldn’t mind.”
I fished the keys from my pocket, leaning heavily on my crutches. I passed the keys to him, our fingers brushed, lingering a moment longer than they normally did. My porch was so narrow. He stood so close. I shivered, but I wasn’t so sure whether it was the chill in the air or the closeness of him.
I looked up at him. His mouth twitched, deep in thought. He cleared his throat and shook himself out of the moment and smiled down at me before unlocking the door and pushing it open.
How could I properly thank him for his help? For going above and beyond to make sure I was well and safe? Before I knew it, I leaned in and quickly planted a small kiss on his stubbled cheek. I pulled back and felt my face go red. His eyes were wide, stunned, and his
hand moved to where I’d kissed him.
“V-val,” he stuttered. “I…I….” Harvey’s professional, constructed exterior he tried to keep so perfectly manicured shattered before my eyes, leaving a flustered man in it’s place. A pink blush crept into his cheeks that mirrored my own.
“Oh. I-I’m so sorry. I sh-shouldn’t have.” Panic and dread sank into my heart as realization set in at what I’d done. “I-I should h-have asked. N-No, I’m so sorry.”
I stumbled back, forgetting the crutches, forgetting the injury. I stepped away, weight on my injured foot, and started to fall.
Harvey lunged forward, grabbing my wrist. He pulled me into him and within a moment, I was in his arms for the second time that night. My embarrassment told me to pull away, but the strength of his arms made me pause.
“Val, listen, I-,”
“I’m s-sorry. Please forge-,”
“Val, let me finish.” Harvey interrupted firmly. He breathed in deeply, then let out a shaky breath.
I waited a moment, two, as I felt my pulse thud.
“Val, I care for you. Like I do with all of my patients. O-or I did.” I could feel his heart begin to match pace with my own. “N-not that I don’t still, b-but it’s different with you. I can’t….” Harvey pulled back to look me in the eyes. “Yoba, I’m bad at this.”
My eyes started to well with tears. I knew what was coming next. He was going to ask me to keep my distance. No more morning visits to the clinic. No more coffee breaks.
Harvey took a steady breath. “I care for you Val. A lot. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose your visits to the clinic. I’m not good at this, I don’t know how to… I haven’t… you’re a patient….”
I looked into his brown eyes, confused. I didn’t understand. He took in another long, deep breath, calculating thoughts rushing behind his eyes. As he looked at me, I could tell he was searching for an answer.
“Shit.”
The next moment, his arms tightened around me as he pulled me close. “W-what are you sayi-,”.
Before I could finish, his lips were on mine, gentle yet firm. There was a nervousness in his touch. Something I’d never seen from him before tonight. He seemed so confident in the clinic, but here, away from his familiar domain, he was flustered.
Harvey pulled away and again searched for some hint behind my eyes of what I was thinking. He let out a nervous laugh as he stepped away. “Please tell me I didn’t misread your gesture.” He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing the strands away from his forehead, and readjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He was fidgeting as he waited for me to say something. Anything.
“No, you didn’t misread me.” I whispered. I covered my face with my hands and tried to calm myself. I peeked through my fingers to see Harvey’s face lit up with a sideways smile, and he let out a relieved, nervous laugh. “May I?”
May he what? For the second time that night, I didn’t know what he was asking to do, what would happen next, but I simply nodded, trusting him. Harvey gently grabbed my hands, removing them from my face, and interlacing his fingers with mine. He leaned down to reach my face and planted a confident kiss against my lips.