Phrases and Vignettes: Matchmaking

Dr. Perkins and Lisa and the Date

After having been gone for six months and then having made it home to Ayla alive, he discovered that she had been arrested by Colonel Varda. Her tenure as his guest had left her physically wounded and psychologically damaged. Discovering her in such a physical condition and her psyche so fragile, Lane was desperate to find a way to examine her without outright asking. He was also unable to ignore the fact that she was in such an unhappy mental state.

He was afraid that some of her wounds and scars may need medical attention and was absolutely sure that she needed psychiatric therapy.

Although he still loved every tiny millimeter of her beautiful skin, he knew she was very afraid that he'd be disappointed if he actually saw her. She hid herself from him, even when they were in bed. She wore Granny gowns, and there was no love, no cuddling, no closeness. Among other things, he was suffering from a unending effort not to develop an "interest" in that closeness. The way she was feeling now, God forbid that he should get an erection.

He did hit upon an idea that might just work. He showered with her (...worrying that he might get that not so elusive masculine response he tried to avoid every night...) and had photos and videos taken of all her wounds. Once Lane had explained his plan to Airen, to "view" all of Ayla's wounds from her abduction, Airen was able to get what they needed with the in-house security monitoring equipment. The exercise made for a very uncomfortable morning.

Pretending that his own Varda scar was bothering him, he enlisted Airen to find him a dermatologist for himself. Airen was able to locate the best dermatologist within three hundred miles. Lane and Airen sent images of what they needed to interest this special specialist. The doctor had been clued in to what they were actually doing and was expecting to engage in a simple subterfuge.

But Lane really hated tricking her. He had never been dishonest with her, and it galled him to be so sneaky.

Dr. Stanley Perkins made a house call and was more than they could have hoped for in a physician. The doctor was nearly traumatized himself when he examined and interviewed Ayla. With Lane listening in, she described all that the Varda Troops had done to her in disturbing detail. Both the doctor and Lane came away more than a little shaken.

The good doctor visited several more times to minimize Ayla's physical as well as mental scarring. Staying in close contact with Lane, he wanted to be sure that Ayla's rehabilitation and therapy were progressing well. He liked these people so much that he actually looked forward to his visits. A couple times, he made up a flimsy excuse or another just to visit.

Ayla was so enamored of the doctor's care and attention that she wanted to find a way to reward him.

Then Ayla's worst nightmare brought them all together again. Lane was detained by Varda's people and was tortured by the Colonel for almost two weeks. Ayla called to ask advice on how to handle Lane's woeful physical condition. Stanley, as he requested she call him, (...and which she could found difficult to do...) came right away to care for Lane, knowing how much this man meant to this lady, for both of whom he had developed more than a professional fondness.

He stayed on site for several days, mostly because Lane was a lousy patient, refusing to stay in bed (...and paying for it in pain when he disobeyed...) and requiring special care. Lane had suffered some of the similar mental trauma that Ayla had, and it took a while for him to regain his old self confidence. The doctor also had to calm Ayla again. She hadn't fully recovered from her "visit" with Colonel Varda herself, and now had almost lost her Lane. To say the least, she had had a bit of a setback.

Working with the doctor to recover her own mental comfort, she hit upon the idea of how to help Lane. She used the same "therapy" that Lane had used to save her sanity. At the time, Dr. Perkins even told her that her "therapist" was doing a good job. The same therapy was evidently what Lane needed also. When Lane seemed in good enough shape to resume some of his work, his doctor released him for "light duties."(...Assuming that Lane, an incurable workaholic, knew what light duties meant...)