(Complete) Nick has suffered sorrow and loss. He has relied on his family to help him survive. Can Nick ever find happiness and a love?
Sara has spent the better part of her twenties caring for the sickest people of the world. Realizing that her dre...
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Nick had been attempting to keep things cool between him and Sara for weeks, but failed outside of the café. He liked to inflict pain, because he asked to hold her. He liked it when she approached him to talk about Lily.
If she cried, he could hold her again and smell her hair. Instead, she looked at him and they both froze. It left him more confused than ever.
The next morning, Sara came out of an exam room with a concerned look on her face. "Doctor could I trouble you a moment?" She explained how she had felt something troubling in a breast examination.
Nick nodded and followed her into the room. He needed to be professional and on task near Sara. The patient was just thirty close to Sara's age. They already had a rapport, because she relaxed the patient. Their sideways glances made him suspect their laughter was at his expense.
Nick went about his examination, like always he did not look at the tissue or the patient any more than necessary. However with Sara standing across from him, his eyes wandered to her.
Nick had seen and touched more breast tissue than he cared to remember in his career - all kinds and the young and firm was the exception. Suddenly he could only think of Sara's breasts. They were not large, but they looked perfectly shaped. Occasionally when she wore a thin blouse, he could see her nipples slightly protruding. He imagined toying with them until they were erect and hard.
Glancing at Sara again, she looked away, but he detected a slight blush.
He covered his patient. "I feel some fibroids." He had consulted her chart prior to his exam. "The fibroids are at the site of that nasty mastitis you had a few years ago. We'll send you for a mammogram, but I'm sure it is nothing at all. This is very common." He reassuringly patted her shoulder. Leaving the room, he knew he was out of control.
Clare stopped in at the end of the day. She noticed everything and asked him what was wrong.
"Nothing other than a terminal five-year-old."
"Sorry, little brother."
Clare knew him too well. He was bothered, but it was not something he could or would share with his sister.
"How are the boys doing? You missed Sunday."
"You're changing the subject. What are you up to Nicky?"
"Nothing! I just don't want to talk about Lily."
Tim joined him and Clare in his office. "If you need a break, I'll help cover Lily."
"No, no. I've got it. You don't need to worry. I'm fine."
Clara said, "We know how hard it was for you after Mel."
"Mel was my wife. My children's mother. Lily is a patient. A very young one who is endearing, but it's not the same. For Christine and Gordon, I imagine it's ten times worse than losing Mel. She's still a baby."
Clare and her family went skiing for the February school vacation week. Tim took the end of the week off to join them and so Nick was on his own for two days. He had to rearrange daycare. Even Louise was away, because she and George had escaped winter in Aruba. He felt abandoned. It would be a long weekend.
Friday morning, Bridget complained about having to go to daycare again. She always liked it and ran to the car. He coaxed her with phrases like, "You'll get to play with your friends." "Miss. Hailey said she had a special painting project planned." He dropped them off and made it to work almost on time. Some days he felt like he had a full day, before his day technically started.
Thankfully, he had Sara, who was efficient and helped keep the office going. She was seeing Mr. Michaud for his routine checks. The old man was smitten.
Approaching the two, he said, "I see you no longer require my services."
Mr. Michaud said, "No offense doc, but Sara is a lot prettier than you."
Nick agreed with him and as he smiled at Sara, her cheeks were pink again. Quickly he retreated to see his next patient. He couldn't think about her like that when they had a full schedule of appointments. Instead, he gave a very active two-year-old boy a physical.
He joked to the mom. "I wrangled one of these wild animals before breakfast!"
"How are your kids?"
"Perfect. Perfectly active. They keep me on my toes. I'd like to say they keep me young, but they wear me out."
"Don't I know it!"
She had two others, and she was also his patient. He reminded her, "Make sure you have some time for yourself... some me time."
"I do. I make sure that Andy does his share. What about you?"
"I have enough at night that I get sick of me." He joked.
"You need a date." She smiled.
He winked. "Too bad you're married."
He ushered them out, while she laughed. "Don't tease me."
Smiling, he looked up and saw Sara looking at him. She looked funny, and he hoped she didn't think he was being inappropriate. That was one line that he would never cross.
Before he finished for the day, his friend, Paul called. He had been trying to convince Nick to go out. He wanted to, but he didn't have a babysitter.
