The Spinster's Club

AMY: Four

There were few things as delightful to Dr. Sebastien Izambard as his white doctor's coat, freshly laundered and matched with a nice pair of slacks, a shirt and tie. Other doctors could wear jeans and henleys but ever since he was a child, Seb knew he was going to be a doctor and he was going to wear it with pride.

He had planned to be a general surgeon and had trained for surgery in France and England. But in America he discovered another subspecialty – hospitalists – and found that was where his passions lay.

He had no desire to work in an office or be tied to paperwork. A hospitalist practiced in the hospital only, treating a variety of patients and doing work that both satisfied and interested him.

Very little caught and kept his interest and those things that did were things he liked to indulge himself in. Cooking became a passion and so shopping, growing his own fresh herbs and preparing culinary delights was important to him. He loved playing tennis, he was passionate about LGBT rights and he had a thing for Amy.

It was almost embarrassing. Seb knew he could pick and choose between the nurses and even some of the female doctors, both married and unmarried, had shown obvious interest. But the short, sour nurse scheduler had grabbed his interest and never let go.

He knew he should call an end to this silly dating charade and just ask her out on a real date. But he couldn't.

It bothered him.

It also bothered him that the more time he spent with her, the more conflicted he became. She was funny, she was bright but she was also bitchy. Sometimes her bitchiness was too much. And those times, the idea of coming home after a challenging day and facing that attitude was such an unpleasant thought, he wanted to call the whole thing off and go back to his home and just sleep it off.

But then there were moments...

When he was younger, he dated beautiful women. His friend Carlos and he, had loved to club together and although there was never a stated competition between them, they did compete and usually always for the most beautiful woman. It took Seb awhile to realize that the reason he usually lost the competition was because looks really didn't matter to him. The beauty that entranced him was so much more than skin deep.

When he fell in love, he fell hard. And when the relationship ended, he was truly heartbroken. Enough so that he stopped dating and simply lived with the simpler pleasures he could find. He devoted himself to his home, his kitchen and his friends. And thus the rumors of his sexuality began.

If he allowed himself, he could easily become frustrated or angry. Instead he shook it off and concentrated on those things that mattered.

Like cappuccino.

The hospital cafeteria made the best coffee drinks ever. It was one of his few indulgences at work. That and observing the short scheduler as she fussed her way through the hospital halls.

And sometimes, when life was good, he could have his two favorite things at the same time.

His gaze was caught by the woman in scrubs who was gesticulating wildly at a corner table. It was hard to miss her since she looked like she was having a seizure and he was ready to help. But then he saw Amy was sitting with her and he was captivated.

The wild woman was telling some kind of story that had Amy laughing. Her face was alight with pleasure and it was a pull in his heart and even his groin. That look on her face could inspire fantasies in a man.

Seb sipped his drink and smiled as the rush of flavor flooded his mouth and Amy closed her eyes and shook her head as wild woman punched the air. Her sudden burst of laughter was as sharp as the caffeine and his eyes fluttered.

God help him, he was going to see this whole thing through. Somehow he was going to get Amy in his bed and his life and keep her there.

Some things were just necessary to a man's happiness. Amy was essential to his.