Page 3 of Daddy to Go

A low growl rang out on the other side, and the door swung open, revealing a huge, gorgeous man with laser-blue eyes and swirling tattoos beneath the cuffs of his lab coat. Oh god, this was my doctor? My temperature soared as my pulse raced. How would I survive the exam now?

2

Ryder

“Of course, Mrs. Albertson, we’ll get your tests right over and have them back within a couple of days,” I said, reassuring the eighty-year old-woman for the fifth time. “You have a good day and I’ll see you soon.”

Walking out of the room I hit the button on the sanitizer and rubbed it into my hands. I walked up to the nurse’s station and flipped open Mrs. Albertson’s chart, making a couple of notes inside.

“Tests for Mrs. Albertson?” one of the nurses asked, surprised.

I chuckled. “Just some cholesterol tests she requested. The woman eats like a rabbit, works out like a jock, and takes her vitamins like some of us drink whiskey. I’m sure everything is fine but she has them done once a year so if you could draw some blood for me and have it sent out, that would be great.”

The nurse, Shelley, smiled with a hint of flirtation. She was always flirting but I made it a point to never date someone I worked with, even if I only worked with them for a few days. Not that she was my type. She was skinny and pretty, sure, but also tiny and frail.

Besides, it’s not like I have the type of lifestyle conducive to relationships. I’ve been traveling around as a substitute doctor for nearly five years. As soon as I found out that this career was possible, I had my bags packed and was on the road with my trusty sportscar. I love it; I’m not tied down, nor do I have to work if I don’t want to.

And it’s great, to be honest. I’m at the top of my game professionally and have the luxury of knowing my entire schedule months in advance.

This visit to Farmington, Maryland just so happened to be a last minute booking on my schedule. I was working a gig in Chicago when my old friend from med school, Colleen McNamara, called and asked me to fill in while she was on vacation. She had a sub already, but he bailed because his kid got chicken pox at the last minute. As a result, she was panicky and nervous, calling me in desperation. Of course, I said yes. I was happy to do it. But once I got to Farmington, suddenly I remembered how tiny and suffocating little cities can be.

But it’s just for a short while. My next move will come soon. Colleen will return from vacation, and then I’ll be free to go wherever I choose.

Besides, it’s not so bad here. Mrs. Albertson was older, but the rest of the patients were mostly middle-aged women with the typical middle-aged problems: varicose veins, hot flashes, and saggy boobs. It was the same story every time with a little flirting, a wide spread of the legs, and then me unobtrusively trying to back out of the room as they asked a million questions.

Something about being middle-aged makes women desperate. It’s like they were searching for the fountain of youth. They asked me about vitamins, elixirs to help them stay young, and every other fad diet and pill on the market. I had the same answer for them every single time: exercise, eating well, and minimizing stress were the key. These are the best ways to maintain youth, beauty and vigor, but my advice fell on deaf ears. I would put my whole life savings on the fact that if I came in a year from now, they would ask all the same questions over again.

“Ms. Henshaw left her number for you,” one of the nurses said with a grin as she set it down on the desk. “How many does that make today?”

I chuckled and closed the file, taking the number, balling it up, and tossing it in the waste basket. “That would be number two.”

“And how many patients have you seen today?” she asked.

“Eight so far,” I replied.

She nodded her head with a sly grin. “And out of eight, how many did a little wiggle of the hips, cooed, made coquettish comments, or innuendos?”

I cleared my throat, glancing up at her. “Seven. Fortunately, Mrs. Albertson managed to control herself.”

The nurse giggled and shook her head, picking up a file and setting it in front of me. “I don’t know how you do it.”

I shrugged. “You know what? These women, they just want the attention. For whatever reason, it’s lacking in their life and I’m successful and not too bad on the eyes. So if I can smile and be nice, why not? I’m not hurting anyone.”

She put her hands up with a smile. “Oh, I’m not doubting that. Dr. McNamara raved about you and your professionalism. I’m just saying, you’re handsome and successful. Don’t you want to share that with someone?”

It’s the million dollar question. I frowned at the thought, taking the next patient file from her.

“I’m not looking, to be honest. Part of why I travel is because I want to see the world. Having ties would just inhibit that right now. I grew up in small town Minnesota, and when I say small town, I mean the place had maybe two hundred and fifty people max. This is my chance to see the world, so getting into a relationship with someone in Farmington…well, it’s not really on my to do list.”

“I don’t blame you,” she laughed. “I was born and bred here. Married my husband here, and we’ll probably grow old here. I’m fine with it, but I know how it feels to want to spread your wings. Take advantage of it, because not everyone has that chance.”

Glancing down at her moderately sized diamond ring, I smiled, pretending to look at the next file. My words were true, but in fact freedom wasn’t the only reason I like to travel. In reality, I was awkward, skinny, and really shy during my teen years. I spent half of my life with a weak chin and scrawny frame. Once I got to medical school, though, everything changed. I started working out and eating right. I started making sure that I took care of myself and it showed. My new haircut, trendy clothes, and toned physique caught the attention of the ladies, and soon they were moaning my name in bed.

As a result, it’s kind of like I had a delayed manhood. I wasn’t necessarily proud of the fact that I slept with different women every city that I went, but it is what it is. It made me happy, comfortable, and stress free. And I wasn’t a douche about it either. I made sure that every woman I slept with knew I was leaving the next day or very shortly after that. I never led a woman on, and that was important to me. There’s no reason to be an asshole, so long as expectations are upfront and clear.

Lately though, my lifestyle had been getting a little stagnant. I had been traveling so much and there had been so many women coming in and out of my bed, that it was all starting to blur together. I had an appetite, one that made me want to go out on the prowl. But after so many women, I was almost ashamed of the fact that I was struggling to keep them separate in my mind. I couldn’t remember some of their names. Others, I’m not sure I even knew their names to begin with.

On top of that, my last stop in Florida last month had been a bit of a head turner. I went to see my sister Pam and her family. She’s not like me in many ways. She settled down right out of college, marrying a man, Tom, she met as a freshman. Pam’s got two kids, my niece and nephew, a perfect little home, a picket fence, and a dog named Rover. She’s got the storybook tale with a perfect marriage and a happily ever after.