Patience

Chapter 4

Harry pov
I take a last look at Kate Jones' file and sigh. She has been through a lot, too much for someone so young.
I thought about her a lot after I saw her the first time. I tried to push it away. I can't get attached to a patient because she is young, pretty and I desperately want to help her but there is something about her.
I put on my lab coat and walk out of my office to radiology for Kate's MRI.
My stomach jumps when I see her in the MRI waiting room. "Miss Jones," I reach out my hand and she shakes it. She is nervous again, her hand is really warm and clammy. I want to put her at ease and comfort her.
"Hello doctor, you can call me Kate. Mrs Jones is my mom," she winks with a big smile.
I bite my lip "I will say Kate if you say Harry,"
Kate giggles, it's a beautiful sound.
"Is that okay? You are my doctor," she asks nervously.

I put my hand on hers and squeeze softly "You can call me Harry. I'm not only your doctor, I'm your friend too," I reassure her. "Come on. Let's do this," I say and put my hand on the small of her back, then gently push her to the MRI room.

Kate pov
Dr. Styles helps me on the scan table. "Is your neurostimulator off or on scanner mode?" he asks.

I look at him confused before I realise why he is asking.
"Fuck no and I forgot my remote control on the kitchen table. I always forget everything. It drives me crazy," I rub my face with my hand and sigh.
Dr. Styles put his hand on my shoulder and shoots me a smile revealing a dimple I haven't seen before.
"It's no problem, I'll be back in a sec." He runs out the door only to come back in within 5 minutes with a little blue box that has a little plate on a wire attached to it. I recognize the device in his hand. It's the machine to program my neurostimulator.

I push my shirt up revealing the right place where the battery of the neurostimulator is placed inside my belly. Dr. Styles takes the little blue plate from his device and places it on exactly the right spot. The tips of his fingers are touching my belly and I wish he would place his full hand on my skin because it feels so soft and warm.

"Are you ready?" he asks when he removes his hand from my belly. "You know how it works. We'll put you in this tube for 10 minutes, you have to lay extremely still. It makes a lot of noise but I will give you headphones with some nice music. Okay, ready? Here is a bell, if something is wrong push the button and I'll come immediately".

I nod and smile a little. This is the sweetest, most caring doctor I have ever had.

Dr. Styles gives me the headphones and I put them on. He gives me a light squeeze on my shoulder before he walks out.
When the table starts to move and slides into the white tunnel, I close my eyes. I don't like MRI scans. Being in this small space scares me a little, what if I get stuck? I start to focus on my breathing. I try to focus on something else, 6 counts inhale and 12 counts exhale and I repeat it. Soon I start to relax and see Dr. Styles in my thoughts. He is so beautiful. He has the most beautiful smile and the cutest dimples, brown curly hair which I desperately want to put my hands in. Both of the times I have seen him he was wearing scrubs. His left arm is covered with tattoos. I saw a rose, a ship and a dirty mermaid. He is also very muscular. He not only has strong arms but through his scrubs I can see his chest. I bite my lip while imagining how it would feel like to put my hands on his strong arms, to slide to his strong chest, how would he taste...
I get back to reality when the table starts to move and slides back out of the tube.
Dr. Styles is already standing next to me when the table stops, "You okay, you look kind of flushed?" I smile and think back to my thoughts while I was under the scanner, it probably makes my face turn even more red.
"Yeah okay just.... Warm". The doctor pats my knee and helps me off the table.
"Let's go to my office to discuss the scans."
I follow Dr. Styles into the hallway and walk quietly next to him. When the soft skin of his arm brushes against mine, it sets my body on fire. I want to push him against the wall and do all kind of dirty things with him. Oh my God, stop! This is your doctor, focus and don't think these things, I scold myself.
I wonder how I'm going to remember one word of what he is gonna say if I can't stop these thoughts.

Harry pov

She was nervous and scared. I could see it in her eyes. Before, when I helped her with her stimulator, my fingertips touched her soft warm skin, my whole body shivered. When we walked back to my office, our bare arms touched and it gave me goosebumps all over my body. There is something about her. I want to help her. I need to help her and I will find a way.

We sit down at my office and I look at her scans on my computer before I turn the screen so she can see it clearly.
"You can clearly see where they took the hernia and here you can see some scar tissue," I point my index finger to the screen.
"Here, higher on your spine is a new hernia but I'm sure it isn't the reason for your pain.Your MRI looks okay, your blood is okay, no abnormalities but your nerve test shows your nerve is damaged."
Kate nods but doesn't say anything. "Imagine your nerve is a tube full of wires inside. The outside of the tube looks okay but the wires on the inside are broken, ripped apart," I explain. I look at my patient's face and I see she is having a hard time. I can see how tense her body is. She is scared of what I'm going to say. She has already gone through so much, has so much pain and been disappointed so many times since the first surgeon fucked it up.
"I can't do anything about it at the moment but we are researching some techniques that we can try in the future. I'm not sending you away. I will follow you closely and I'm going to contact some colleagues from abroad to ask for their opinion". Kate is fighting her tears and trying to keep strong.
I walk around my desk, take a seat next to her and take her hand, "It's okay to be disappointed. I'm disappointed too and I wish I could do more. You are allowed to be angry, sad and disappointed. You have been through so much. You've been through all this physical and emotional pain. You don't have to be strong all the time".
Kate's tears are streaming full force now. Her eyes are focused on her hands in her lap, with my hand on top of them.
"I know this isn't the news you wanted to hear, but I'm not giving up on you, so you shouldn't give up either," Kate looks up at me and our eyes lock. She has the most beautiful eyes and I imagine her eyes when they sparkle from happiness.
I wipe away a tear with my thumb, "I'll help you and I'll call you soon. I promise," I whisper
She nods before she takes her bag, "Thank you," she says.
I put my hand on her arm and squeeze it. I wish I could put my hands around her and hug her pain away. Kate smiles before she walks out of my office. I sigh and rub my hand over my face.
As a doctor you should treat your patients equally, but there are always patients who you like more. Those whose story gets to you or who crawl into your heart. I guess Kate Jones is one of those patients.

A.N.:  I hope you are enjoying the story so far? 
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I wish you a wonderful Sunday!!
All the love, 
K. x