Page 7 of Fever: Love In Scrubs

S prained ankle.

Dislocated shoulder.

It was crazy that in all my years of living in that house, I’d never fallen over anything.

I guess it was because I’d grown familiar with the layout.

I knew every box, every stack of clothes, every pile of trash.

I’d learned to navigate through the darkness and mess. Now that it was clean, I took a tumble.

It had been three days of me laying in this house with my foot elevated.

I’d used that time to check in with my kids.

I worked as an Independent Living Coordinator at the youth center back in Colorado Springs.

My job was basically to prepare these kids for living on their own.

Most of my kids were in the foster care system.

More often than not, they aged out or entered adulthood without learning essential skills that most of us take for granted.

Schools didn’t teach financial literacy, budgeting, or banking. These kids are thrown into adulthood after spending their life in the system. They can’t cook, plan a meal or grocery shop. They had no clue how to write a resume or interview for a job, let alone manage their time.

I was happy to teach them all these things because Aunt Kira was my saving grace.

She taught me everything I needed to know about being a woman.

It was beneficial that she was my boss and could take over while I handled my father’s affairs.

I popped in every so often via video chat to check on the kids’ progress while I was away.

Today I had to get out of this house. Sure, I loved being in my own space, but it was at my free will. Handicapped and all, I got myself out of bed, showered, dressed, and hobbled downstairs on my brace.

Finally settled in my car, I cranked up.

The alert sounded, letting me know that I needed gas.

I sighed heavily as I pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the nearest gas station.

Getting in and out of the car with the boot and a hurt shoulder proved to be a task in itself.

When I finally got myself together, I heard a chuckle behind me.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?”

I turned to see Dr. Pierre.

My thoughts drifted back to our interaction in the emergency room.

I had to admit that this man was beautiful.

He stood at least six feet with a honey brown complexion.

His hair was neatly cut with short curls.

A tamed mustache and beard combo encased a set of kissable lips. Good Lord, that man was fine.

I’d shamelessly flirted with him and let him flirt with me.

At first glance, he looked like he was mean, but his smile was as warm and welcoming as those beautiful brown eyes.

I could tell he had a nice body beneath those scrubs, but seeing him dressed casually was another story.

Today he wore a blue short-sleeved shirt, black joggers, and tennis shoes.

The muscles of his arms told me he worked out or lifted weights regularly.

My eyes traced the veins of his arms. Something about them made him so much more appealing.

“Dr. Pierre?—”

“Jaxson,” he said as he approached my car. “Call me Jaxon.”

“Jaxon,” I repeated.

“Again, shouldn’t you be resting?”

I sighed. “Listen. I’m gonna pull my hair out if I have to sit in that house much longer. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m going somewhere. I just needed some gas first.”

Jaxson stepped around me and motioned to the pump. “What are you getting?” he asked.

“Regular. Filling up.”

He lifted the pump and popped my gas tank open before tapping his card and slipping the nozzle inside. We stood in awkward silence for a moment as he pumped my gas. This man was insanely attractive, and I couldn’t stop staring at him. When he smiled, I quickly looked away.

“Thank you,” I finally said.

“It’s no problem. How are you feeling?”

“My shoulder is still a little sore. The boot on my foot helps minimize the pain some.”

“Injury aside, how is the moving process coming along?”

“Everything is moved in. It’s just a matter of unpacking and putting it all in place. I’m basically living out of boxes right now. I love the house, though. My contractor did an amazing job. It looks nothing like I remember.”

“Who was the contractor?”

“Um…” I thought for a moment. “Johnathan Gold.”

“From Gold Construction?”

“Yes. You know them?”

“That’s my brother in-law. Remember I told you the company my sister owns? He partners with her on certain projects.”

“Wow. Small world.”

“Very small. Asia is great at her job. Even if you don’t have a vision, she can help you find one.”

“I felt like I was erasing a part of me by gutting the whole house. But once I saw the mockup and the final design, I fell in love. I’m not crazy about being back in Silver Run, but I finally feel like that house is mine.”

“Think of it as healing. You’re taking something I assume holds a lot of pain for you and making it into something beautiful. Make it into the kind of home you wish you had growing up.”

“Why do I feel like you always know what to say to people?”

He grinned. “I don’t know. I guess, I catch vibes. I’ve always been able to read people pretty easily... well, most people. People tend to open up to me about things. It’s a blessing and a curse. I’ve had a few co-workers tell me their whole life story unsolicited.”

I giggled. “Well, I wouldn’t put that much pressure on you.”

He licked his lips as he stared at me. “I’d listen to you.”

“Why? Because you think I’m beautiful?” I rolled my eyes.

“That too, but I feel like you have a story to tell. Something about you feels… I don’t know. Familiar to my spirit.”

I swallowed, my heart beating faster. “Well… that’s the first time anybody’s said that to me.”

“I get the feeling you don’t give too many people the time to really get to know you.”

I hung my head. “You’d be right. I’m kind of a loner. My only real friend is my cousin, Tinka. I go out with her from time to time, but I really have to get out more. If I’m being honest, I have a little anxiety when it comes to people. I guess old habits die hard.”

The nozzle clicked and he put it back before capping my gas tank. Turning to me, he held a serious expression.

“Whose life is this? Yours or your anxiety?”

I sighed. “Mine.”

“Alright then. Now, I’ve seen Inside Out 2 with my niece.

I’m not sure if there really are little colorful creatures running around in our heads controlling every emotion, but you have to live, Wynter.

Life is too short not to live it to the fullest. Sometimes, you have to show your anxiety that you are in charge, and it doesn’t get to sit you down out of fear. ”

I stared at him, not knowing what to say because he was right. I’d heard that same thing from my therapist and my aunt so many times. There was so much I wanted to experience that I was afraid to.

“I think you should add motivational speaker to your resume,” I jested.

He chuckled. “I’ve been told to get off my soapbox many times, so I don’t think that’s for me.”

“Well, you have a way with words, Dr. Pierre. I don’t know how often you come up from the morgue, but I’d imagine you have excellent bedside manners.”

“I do.” He stepped closer to me, and I felt my breath hitch. Damn, he smelled good. “Would you like some company today? I could feed you. I’m starving. I don’t know about you, but I love to eat and I didn’t have breakfast this morning.”

At the mention of eating, my eyes dropped to his lips.

He had the perfect clit suckers and I bet he was a great kisser.

I had to get myself together. It had been too long since I had some dick, and my pussy was thinking for me right now.

I was about to say that I wasn’t hungry until my stomach growled and made a liar out of me.

“I take that as a yes?” Jaxson asked with a hopeful expression.

I closed my eyes momentarily before answering. “Yes.”

“Great. Do you have a preference?”

“I’m open to anything because I love to eat, if that isn’t obvious.”

He frowned. “Obvious?”

I motioned to my thick frame. “Don’t I look like I like to eat?”

He smirked. “Pardon my bluntness, but you look like you’d get eaten. Only a dog wants a bone, Ms. Driscoll.”

I stood there stunned for a moment, my mouth partially open.

“If you wanna follow me, I have a spot I frequent,” he said.

“O—okay.”

“Can I see your phone?”

I pointed to the phone in the center console. He reached inside and grabbed it. I watched as he tapped around on the screen before handing it to me.

“I put my number. If you ever want some company, give me a ring.”

I blushed. “Okay.”

“You need help getting back in?”

I shook my head because if this man touched me right now, I feared for my reaction.

“I’m okay,” I said, quickly.

“Okay, well, I’ll see you at the spot.”

I nodded and made haste of getting inside and closing the door to safety.

He smiled as he walked off to his own car, a very nice Range Rover.

I expelled a deep breath. I had to get it together.

This wasn’t me. I didn’t entertain men… anybody, really.

Now here I was accepting company and a meal from a man I barely knew. Not only that, he paid for my gas.

I had to tell my cousin about this.

“Is he fine, girl?” Tinka asked.

I was following behind Jaxson to the food spot when I called Tinka to tell her what happened. Of course, she wanted me to let my guard down and just go with it.

“Yes, Tinka. He’s fine.”

“So what’s the hold up?”

“You know the hold up.”

“Like that man said, you have to take life by the dick and ride that shit.”

“That’s not what he said.”

“That’s basically what he said.”

“Okay, Tinka.”

“Seriously, Wynter. I’ve watched you try to hide inside this shell ever since you came to live with us. That’s like half your life. I think it would do you some good to step outside of your comfort zone and just live, cousin.”