The Cop's Doc

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jocelyne was up, showered, and dressed before Seth even made an appearance. She had the dog leashes in hand when he came out of the bedroom. Putting the leashes on the counter, she reached for his painkillers and poured him a glass of water.

"I don't want the heavy stuff," he grumbled. "I'm going to see Frank."

"We're going to see Frank," Jocelyne corrected. "And if you don't take these pills then he's going to see the pain written all over your face."

"It's not that bad-"

She slapped the narcotics into his palm. "Yes, Seth, it is. I'm going to run a bath." Then she stopped. "Merde."

Seth, who was in the process of swallowing his pills, nearly choked. He looked around in confusion. "Where?"

"No, I meant I used up a bunch of hot water. Well, we'll just do the next best thing."

He eyed her warily. "And that is?"

"You take a shower to loosen up the muscles and I'll do some manipulation to try to keep it loose before we get you dressed."

So the doctor was back. It was like last night hadn't happened. Maybe it hadn't. Maybe it had just been a nightmare, because this morning her eyes were clear and her demeanour upbeat. Except he could see the mauve smudges under her eyes which concealer couldn't quite hide.

"If that's what the doctor orders, then I'm not going to argue. Can you take the dogs out while I shower?"

"Sure," she said, reaching for the sling. He could see the moment she realized he was still wearing yesterday's t-shirt. He hoped it was from a visual cue and not an olfactory one. Once she had the sling off, she reached for the t-shirt and Seth let her because she was the one doing the reaching. He was just so scared she would turn skittish again. One look at her reassured him because she was scrutinizing the bruises, poking and prodding-

"Hey, Doc, that hurt." He tried to keep the bite from his voice, but he was pretty sure he hadn't been successful, because it felt like hot pokers were being stuck through his chest.

"I'm taping up your chest, Seth, so bring out the tape when you come."

"Yeah, but it hurts when it comes off," he complained. "It strips off my manly chest hair."

Then she poked him again and he sucked in a breath.

"Does it hurt like that?" Her tone was blithe, but Seth caught a glimpse of humour in her eyes.

"Okay, I'll get the tape. It's just that I want to have some chest hair left when I go to the barbeque tomorrow."

She quirked an eyebrow. "You're planning to put these nasty bruises on display?"

He could see her point, but he knew his family. "If I don't take off the shirt then they'll think that it's even worse than it is. This is a 'glad you're still around' party anyway, so my state of being is hardly relevant."

That eyebrow remained quirked.

"We're an odd bunch, as you'll find out tomorrow. Now, if you don't mind, I really have to go to the bathroom." He had wondered if she might blush at his bluntness, but then he remembered this was a woman who dealt with patients who needed bedpans.