'Doc Juan'

Chapter 26

"What's with the ball?" she asked, spotting him bouncing a ball off the clinic wall back and forth a week after he'd proclaimed his love for her. "Stressed out. Thought it'd help relieve the stress. Sure did help that Dr. House character!" he replied without looking at her, catching the ball as it returned to him. "Stressed out about what?" she demanded to know. "About the lack of sex. I haven't had sex with any o' my patients in days. All this sexual energy...just wastin away!" he exclaimed, in exasperation. "Oh! Is that why your patients have been leavin with disappointed frowns, instead of the satisfied grins and disheveled hair they usually leave with after an appointment? Come to think of it, your regulars even called to cancel. So, what? Ya up an' lost interest in sleepin with your patients? Is this a new Dr. Miller I see before me? " she enquired teasingly, to lighten the mood and in the hope that he'd face her once as he spoke. "Aye. I'm a changed man cuz o' ya, Elle. In fact, this may sound stupid...but, I'm savin myself for ya. I need ya, Elle! I love ya an' I wish you'd give us a shot. I know ya said we'd talk about this later, but mumsy's overstayed er welcome an' I can't wait any long..." he pleaded, letting the ball drop from his hand and pulling her closer as he placed his palms on her cheeks as he spoke. "Speakin of shots, Mr. Riveira's here for his flu shot an' seein as flu season's comin up, I'd better send him in, yeah? " she changed the subject, pulling away from him as she turned to leave. Dejected, he picked up the ball, flinging it with all his might...only to watch in horror as he accidentally threw it through the spackled portion of the wall, leaving a gaping hole behind!
"I'll have that! You're gonna be up all night starin at these pics. D'you carry this with ya every time just to guilt me?" Elle sighed, snatching away the wedding album that her mother was browsing through after dinner. It contained all the wedding photos from her great, great grandparents' wedding to her parents', with a few blank pages left especially for her own photos in the future. "I know you're really career-focused right now, but you've got a career now, sweetheart. Maybe, it's time to think bout other stuff now. Stuff like settlin down. An' you've got the right man too now. Handsome, got the most stable job on the planet......An' look at that! It looks like he's gonna get ya outta this cramped apartment once an' for all, eh? House-huntin, already!" mumsy exclaimed enthusiastically, flashing her the home catalogue which she'd found lying on the breakfast table. "Mumsy, that...that was just between us. No snoopin!" Elle remarked, annoyed by her nosy behaviour as she snatched away the catalogue too. "Are ya sure you're not bein too hard on him or extra bossy with him? He's been sulkin a lot, like he's got somethin bothering him, ya know?" a concerned mumsy enquired. "Mumsy, we're absolutely fi...bollocks!" Elle cussed, as she was interrupted by yet another power cut! By this time, she was accustomed to the dark, navigating her way to the bedroom in search of the candles she stored in large boxes under the bed along with her ex's belongings. Maybe, I am bein too hard on Dr. Miller. The man does love....she pondered to herself, before her train of thought was disrupted when she tripped over somethin...or someone (as she deduced by the surprised yelp that followed!)
"Sorry." she apologized, noticing him kneeling on the floor with a lit candle in hand. "Just saw some candles here. Ooh...scented too! Did ya know I was comin?" he teased as she knelt down in front of him, his goofy grin seemingly growing wider and goofier in the candlelight. "No. Those were left over from Marc an' my candlelight dinners, which never materialised! Had the candles, just didn't have the time, I s'posse!" she muttered, saddened by the memory of a missed opportunity. "Anyway, I've gotta get mumsy one of these." she whispered, shaking it off. "Ya can have this one. It's already lit. Ere ya go...ow! Bloody hell,I think I burnt myself!" he cried out in pain, as he burnt his finger while handing the candle over to her.
"Here, lemme. Better?" she offered, pulling his throbbing finger towards her and sucking on it in a bid to stop the burning sensation. "Not really. But, it's a real turn-on!" he joked, taken aback by her actions. He was even more taken aback as she let go of his hand and leant in, hungrily pressing her lips against his. "I thought we weren't s'possed to kiss when mumsy wasn't around. That was the rule until we figured stuff out, wasn't it? Yer sorta sendin mixed signals ere! " he reminded, flustered as he pulled back. "Marc didn't even wanna commit. Now that I know how much ya really wanna commit to me, I think I love you more than I ever loved him, doctor!" she confessed. "There's that I love you again! Are ya drunk right now?" he asked suspiciously, hoping not to have his heart broken this time around. "I swear on mumsy's annoyingness, I'm not. I mean it! In fact, I'm just a girl kneelin in front of a guy in the candlelight, askin him to love her!" she blurted out the first romantic-sounding thing that popped into her mind to proclaim her true feelings for him. "Is that from a movie? Cuz it sounds cheesy! " he asked. "It's from Notting Hill. " the die-hard fan of romcoms replied. "Never heard o' it!" he confessed. "It's the most brilliant love story! I can't believe ya haven't heard bout it! " she exclaimed in disbelief. "Elle, I didn't watch romantic movies until ya came along an' introduced me to em. In fact, I didn't believe in love until ya walked into my life." he revealed, moving closer to her, pushing the candle out of his way as he did so. "Now, who sounds cheesy!" she retorted, with a mocking smile. "Are ya gonna kiss me anytime soon?" he reminded. "Ya bet yer arse I am, Miller!" she declared ecstatically, wrapping her arms around him as they began to kiss ravenously, careful not to knock over the candle that illuminated the room. "I guess it's suffice to say that we're officially a couple, eh?" he whispered after they'd made love, clutching her hand as they lay in bed and looked up at the shadows cast on the ceiling. "Uh-huh!" she agreed, panting as she rested her head upon his chest and listened to his heavy breathing. "Never did it durin a power cut. That was fun!" she exclaimed, snuggling up to him with a pleased smile.