Doctor’s Duties by K.C. Crowne
Chapter 8
LOGAN
Disappointed. I didn’t want to admit it, but that’s how I felt when I woke up that morning, reached over to the other side of the bed, and came down onto nothing but air. At first, my eyes still closed, I told myself that she might simply be in the bathroom, but when I sat up and rubbed my eyes and saw not even a trace of her, I understood the truth was that she was gone.
It was a shame, really. I thought Abby and I had really hit it off the night before, both in the bedroom and just as two people connecting. Evidently, she hadn’t felt the same way.
I heaved myself out of bed, the scent of her still on my skin and causing my cock to twitch to life. I closed my eyes and allowed images from last night to play in my mind, the memory of how her body felt against mine making me wish even more deeply that she hadn’t split without so much as a word.
Oh, well. Not like we’d made any commitments to one another. And while I wasn’t an old man by any stretch, I was old enough for there to be a definite generation gap between me and women her age. Weren’t no-strings-attached hookups common with the Gen-Z types?
Hell, I’d done more than a few of those back when I was her age. Seemed like every town I went to during my time with Doctors Without Borders I had a girl with whom I’d spend a week or two of passion before moving on. Maybe this was karma coming to bite me in the ass – couldn’t say I didn’t deserve it. The idea of the universe settling the balance like that was enough to make me chuckle.
Still, the scent of her was almost too much to take. I went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, hoping that a quick rinse would wash off her scent and wake me up for the day.
I checked my phone on the way to the bathroom – it was a little after ten, which was a late morning for me, and I didn’t have time to bum around. Tomorrow was the first day of the new semester, which meant that I had an afternoon of meetings to look forward to in preparation. I needed to hurry and get ready to start my day.
Once in the shower, I let the hot water blast my body as I closed my eyes. And, of course, more memories of Abby returned to mind. I pictured her bent over in front of me, her heart-shaped ass colliding against my body over and over as my cock vanished inside of her. I pictured her eyes smiling up at me as she took the head of my prick into her mouth. And I pictured the moment we came at the same time, my cock exploding as her pussy clenched with a powerful orgasm.
I opened my eyes and glanced down to see that I was stone-solid, water dripping off the end.
No time for this bullshit, I thought as I put my hands on the shower controls and turned it to “cold.” Besides, I’m not going to settle for taking care of things on my own if there’s a chance I might get the real thing again.
The cold water hit me, the rush washing away whatever traces of fatigue remained in me. And, like I’d hoped, the cold put the kibosh on my raging hard-on. I finished up in the shower and stepped out, wrapping a towel around me after I finished drying off.
My phone rang when I returned to my bedroom. Part of me hoped that it was a call from Abby, maybe offering an apology for leaving without a word, and a suggestion for dinner to make it up to me.
Get a grip, I thought as I made my way over to my phone. She’s some twenty-something college kid. How the hell are you getting this wrapped up in her?
I picked up my cell and saw that it was a call from Hayden, my twin brother. While I was more stoic and straitlaced, Hayden was as smart-assy as they came. We had such different personalities, in fact, that no one ever, even when we were kids, had a hard time telling us apart – despite us being identical.
“Hey,” I said, putting the phone on speaker and setting it down on my nightstand as I dressed.
“What’s up, bro!” Hayden shouted. Despite the tinny quality of the speaker, his voice still managed to be big and boisterous as ever.
“Not much,” I said. “Just preparing for the pre-semester meetings today.”
“’Pre-semester meetings?” he asked, the confusion apparent in his voice. “Damn, you profs really know how to have some fun.”
“You’re telling me,” I said as I stepped into a clean pair of boxer briefs and began looking through my closet to find a shirt and pants. “Thankfully, after this, we only have meetings a few times a semester. The rest of the time they leave us alone to teach our classes how we want.”
“There you go,” he said. “No one tells the Frost boys what to do.”
I chuckled as I plucked a dark blue chambray shirt off a hanger and grabbed a pair of black jeans to go with it.
“So,” I said. “What’s up?”
“I need to have a reason to check in with my twin?” he asked. “And you know what’s up with me – pregnant wife and a kid and a heartcare clinic. The real question is what’s up with you.”
Hayden had a great life. He and his wife Grace were expecting their second child, a boy, and their little daughter Isla was as cute as they came. I’d never given much thought to what it’d feel like to be an uncle before she showed up but damn if I didn’t fall in love with that kid from the moment I laid eyes on her.
“What’s up with me?”
I paused, not sure what to say. Hayden and I didn’t really talk much about our romantic lives, even when we were both single. It wasn’t that we kept things from each other – more that we never really seemed to have any women in the picture long enough to feel the need to talk about with family.
“You know what they say about when people repeat the question you just asked them?”
“And what do they say about that?”
“They say that means they’re either stalling or about to lie. Or both.”
“They teach you that in cardiac school?”
“Nope. Learned that one on the mean streets.”
That got a laugh out of me. “As in the mean streets near the country club where you guys live?”
“Hey, I’ve lived on meaner streets.”
“Right.”
“You’re still stalling, Logan. What’s up?”
“Nothing I want to talk about before I head to these meetings.”
“Well, perfect because the reason I called is I got a cute-as-hell little lady here who wants her uncle to come over for dinner.”
Just the mention of Isla wanting to see me was enough to push all the confusing thoughts I had about Abby out of my head and replace them with the crazy love I had for my niece.
“Now, you know that’s a little manipulative using your girl to get me to come over.” I said the words with a grin, already having decided that I’d be there with bells on.
“Hey, what the lady wants, the lady gets. And you know what? I wouldn’t mind seeing my long-lost brother, either.”
“Long lost? It’s been, what, two weeks since I’ve been over?”
He laughed. “Two weeks too many. Now, I’m planning on going to this fancy-ass local grocer that specializes in Colorado raised beef. They’ve got a tomahawk steak that’s so damn good it’ll make you weep to look at it.”
“Crying over a steak, huh? And here I was thinking you didn’t have a sensitive side.”
“Hey, a mans allowed to shed a tear on the right occasion. One of those occasions is when he holds his baby daughter in his arms for the first time. The other is when he lays eyes on a perfectly seared piece of meat. Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because I could very easily pick one up for you if you’re down with swinging by for dinner tonight.”
“Hmm.”
“I cook the meat, I dish out the beers, and your niece provides the entertainment. All you have to do is bring your butt over here.”
“I don’t know. I’ve got classes first thing tomorrow and I should probably spend the evening getting my lesson plans together.”
“Lesson plans? You serious? Dude, it’s the first day of classes. I’ve known enough professors at the med school to know that the first day of every class is reading the syllabus. Doesn’t exactly require tons of prep time. And besides, you really going to let Isla down? She and Grace are planning on making their own version of those Little Debbie cupcake things.”
“Alright. What time you want me over?”
“Be here at six. And I’m not going to tell you that you need to bring over a bottle of Laphroaig that I know you’ve always got handy in your liquor cabinet. But I wouldn’t be disappointed if you did.”
I chuckled. “If you’re lucky.”
We said our goodbyes and I hung up. Once the call was over, I hurried into my jeans and shirt and stepped into a pair of loafers and was on my way, messenger bag slung over my shoulder.
It was a beautiful day out, and campus wasn’t far away, so I decided to ride my Masi bike into work. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the weather was perfect Indian summer. As I rode, I found myself thinking about Abby more than once – enough times to accidentally almost veer into traffic, in fact.
What the hell was going on with me? How was this girl I hadn’t even known existed before this weekend having such an effect on me? I had no idea how to answer that question. But I did know that thinking about her was enough to give me a hard-on while I weaved through traffic.
The University of Colorado School of Medicine was as desolate as it had been most of the summer, the mixture of stately, classical buildings and sleek, modern ones that comprised the campus nearly totally absent of people aside from the occasional staff member making their way from one place to another.
I rode my bike to the oncology building where my office was located. The moment I hopped off I heard a familiar voice.
“Who says guys on bikes aren’t sexy?”
I grinned, knowing exactly who it was.
“No one says that,” I said, turning around, my hands on the handlebars. “Because it’s absolutely untrue.”
“Only in your case, handsome.”
The voice belonged to Dr. Jolene McCallister, one of the best damn coroners Denver had to offer. She was tall and curvy, with fair skin, dark hair, and green eyes that glittered with intelligence, her features that perfect point between youthfulness and the attractive wisdom of middle-age. Her lips were curled in a sly smile, her clothes stylish and professional.
I laughed as she formed up at my side, the two of us making our way to the glass doors of the oncology building.
“As much as I love a well-placed compliment,” I said as she held the door open so I could wheel my bike in, “I’m pretty sure the university has a very strict no fraternization policy.”
“Rules are meant to be broken,” she said with a wink.
Jokingly flirting was part of our usual banter. Normally, I wouldn’t speak like that with colleagues, but she and I had a somewhat unusual situation. We’d actually dated, well, gone out on a couple of dates that had led nowhere but a couple of chaste pecks on the cheek.
We’d both been confused as hell by what it actually was between us at the time. After all, we were two doctors around the same age who got along really well. By the third date, however, in the middle of a heated back-and-forth about some esoteric medical topic or another, we realized that both of us being doctors was more of a hindrance to a successful relationship than a help.
So, we stayed friends. It worked better for both of us that way.
“Besides,” she said as we made our way through the large reception area of the building, light pouring in through the glass walls and illuminating the minimalist, modern interior. “I’m not technically a member of the faculty, remember?”
“That right? And here I was wondering if this was finally the semester where they got you on full-time.”
She laughed as we both waved to the receptionists at the long sweep of the front desk.
“They wish. I’m having too much fun doing contract work for the DPD. And that’s how I was planning on keeping things until the school offered me a nice little payday for doing a lecture series for the first few weeks of the semester.”
“Not bad. Being one of the best coroners in the city has its perks.”
She raised a finger and smirked as the elevator doors opened. “One of the best coroners in the country, big guy,” she countered with a confident tone.
I raised a free palm in mock surrender as the elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. “Please, forgive me.” I followed this up with a grin.
“If you’re lucky.” The elevator began rising. “So, how’s life in the world of the talented and handsome Dr. Logan Frost?”
I opened my mouth to speak but stopped myself when I realized I’d been on the verge of spilling my guts about Abby. It was strange – I never talked about my love life. But here I was, wishing I could shout my weekend from the top of the Rockies.
“The usual,” I said instead. “Class prep and a little writing when I can squeeze it in.”
She narrowed her gaze. “There’s something you’re holding back.” Her eyes flashed with realization. “Wait – are you dating someone?”
“No!” The word came shooting out like a bullet. “No. Just…went on a date this weekend.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Is that right? Are you looking to settle down or something, Logan? That’s unlike you.”
“A date,” I repeated, my neck growing hot the more I discussed the subject. “And that’s all it’s looking like.”
“Aw, why’s that?” she asked. “Not up to your high standards? Hell, even I couldn’t reach those.”
“More just general incompatibility. But it was good to get myself out there.”
Jolene regarded me with a skeptical expression, not saying a word.
“What?” I asked, the doors opening for my floor.
“Nothing. Just taking note of how easy it is to tell when you’re lying.”
“Wow. You been hanging out in the interrogation rooms at DPD and picking up tips?”
She grinned. “Nope. Just my usual canny sense of BS detection.”
“Then let me get going before I start spilling the beans on how I stole from my mom’s hidden cookie stash when I was a kid.”
Jolene laughed, wagging her finger at me. “Got you, Doc. Mom’s gonna be pissed when she hears about this.”
I let out a quick bark of a laugh as I wheeled my bike out into the hall. “See you, Jo.”
“Later, Logan.”
She gave me a wave as the doors shut.
As I made my way to my office, I found myself wondering why I’d been so hesitant to talk about my date with Abby. Sure, I’d have to gloss over the more intimate details, but why couldn’t I tell Jolene the rest? Was it the age thing? Or was it that it felt uncomfortable discussing something I still had such surprisingly strong feelings about?
I pushed all that out of my head as I reached my office, slipping the key into the lock and opening the door.
A smile spread across my face as I took in the sight of my office, my personal, peaceful little sanctum in the middle of a campus that was as bustling as Manhattan most of the time. The place was neat, just how I liked it, with everything placed just so. A few framed pictures I’d taken during my travels were on the walls, little knick-knacks I’d collected over the years were placed on my bookcases and the shelf on the far end of the room under the window that looked out onto the quad. A photo of Hayden, me, and the rest of our family sat on my desk next to a picture of Isla on her first birthday.
But I stopped before taking a step. Something was wrong. It took me a moment, but I realized what it was – someone had moved something.
I scanned the room with eagle eyes. It didn’t take long for me to see what it was – one of the janitors must’ve moved the piece of fossilized wood I’d found during a trip to a petrified forest in the Czech Republic. I marched over to the memento and found that, sure enough, it had been moved from the fifth shelf of my right bookcase to the third. I placed it where it was supposed to be and gave a satisfied nod.
Moments later I was seated at my desk, an email open that had my tentative class schedule – two sections of microbiology, two of medical oncology, and I smiled at the sight of it.
A new semester was starting, and that meant new possibilities. I couldn’t wait to get started. And maybe I would be able to put the strange and wonderful weekend with Abby behind me in the process.
