Rebound (2 page)

He manipulated my legs in different
poses to stretch and see if there was pain. He tested the strength
of my legs and measured the length of each. I walked in a straight
line to show my gait. The worst was bending over so he could feel
my spine. I wasn’t prepared to be ass up in front of a hot doctor,
especially if he wasn’t going to be grinding up behind me. At
thought, I realized that I needed to get laid, soon. He was very
thorough. Having him near, but still so far was excruciating. It
took a large amount of willpower to not jump on him, wrap my legs
around his slender waist, and shove my tongue in his
mouth.

“
Ms. Mercurio, generally,
you have great flexibility and strength in your legs. You have some
decrease in flexibility in your right side where you have pain. It
may come from a sedentary lifestyle through your job. You could
benefit from some physical therapy to increase the strength on the
right side, focusing on strengthening muscle to your lower back,
glutes and hamstrings. If working with a PT doesn’t help, you can
schedule another appointment in three months. My nurse will get you
a referral to the physical therapy group that we closely work with
and you can schedule an appointment with them at your convenience.
Any questions or other concerns?”

“
That’s it?”

“
Did you expect
more?”

“
I guess I expected a
battery of tests and visits, so I’m pleasantly surprised. Thank
you.” I extended my hand and he shook it. As he released a hold of
my hand, I hopped off the table before he moved. I bumped into his
torso, slipping a bit on my stocking feet. He grabbed onto my arm
and waist, dangerously close to my breast. My hands instinctively
held onto his strong arm. I could feel the muscles flexing to hold
me. My nipples tightened at his touch. I felt a warming sensation
in my pelvis and then the tell-tale sign of arousal in my panties.
I needed him to leave, now.

“
Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m a
walking calamity sometimes.” I smiled, not looking directly into
his eyes, hoping that I didn’t blush. His reaction was unaffected.
And the lack of interest in his face was deflating. I begrudgingly
removed my hands from his massive arm. I will use this closeness
for future reference in my most quiet and intimate
moments.

“
No worries. I wish you
well.” He said curtly with pursed lips, and removed his grip on my
body. When he walked out and closed the doors, I walked toward my
clothes to dress. After slipping on my skirt, I heard a gentle
knock on the door.

“
Come in.” I said,
expecting the nurse to drop off the referral.

“
Perla, here’s a copy of
the referral that Dr. Keene told you about. We’ll send them the
original with his diagnosis and recommendations. You just have to
call and schedule when you can. Don’t forget to make an
appointment. Call to schedule with us if PT doesn’t seem to help
after three months.” The nurse had the warmest smile.

“
Well, no offense, but I
hope I never have to come back here, even with the eye candy for a
doctor.”

“
He’s cute isn’t he? He’s
also very sweet. Dr. Keene is good man. He reminds me of my oldest
son.” She whispered.

“
Hmm. You don’t look like
you have children his age. You look fabulous. You must tell me your
secret.” I smiled.

She laughed the sweetest laugh and
offered, “Live life to the fullest and have no regrets. And
moisturize.” She winked.

“
I like that. I’ll put
that into action, if that means I get to look like you when I have
a son in his thirties. But one thing I’ll miss by not coming back
here. Not getting more advice from you. Thanks so much. Take care.”
I grinned.

“
You’re so sweet. Have a
great day, love.” She left me to continue getting
dressed.

I put my rain boots back on and my
outerwear to combat the rain on my mile walk to work. I remembered
to put my hair back up in a twist. I didn’t want to go through the
day with a mass of frizz while giving tours of the
facility.

When I stepped out of the room, I saw
the doctor and the nurse conversing at the end of the hall. I waved
and extended a “thank you” and “have a nice day” to them both. The
nurse waved and said goodbye with a cheerful smile and brightness
in her eyes. The doctor nodded and gave a curt smile returning his
gaze to the computer screen he was reviewing with the nurse. I felt
a little disappointed that he was so indifferent. I don’t go out
often enough to find a viable candidate to date and refuse to do
online dating, so when I encounter a hot man, I like to fantasize
that I’m hot enough to see a glimmer of want. And when I didn’t see
that in the Doctor, my ego was further deflated.

I walked out the door into the waiting
room. The room was filled with several people waiting to be seen. I
noticed an older man with a walker, a young woman with a boot and a
kneeling scooter, and an older woman with a knee brace. I was happy
to have scheduled early. A visit scheduled for an hour later,
seeing all these injured people, would’ve set me off into a full
blown panic attack.

I walked from the doctor’s office for about a mile to
Duration Fitness. For the first few yards, I thought of Dr. Keene,
wondering everything about him. Did he have a girlfriend? A
boyfriend? Is he always so serious? I can usually get people to be
a lot more open and comfortable with me, even when I’m
uncomfortable. I’ve been told that I put people at ease. Honestly,
I was hoping he would show some interest, but I shook away the
feeling when I reminded myself that I’m the patient and he’s my
doctor. Was my doctor. I never intended to go back. Not just
because of my fear, but because I didn’t want to create a fantasy
that would never play out in reality. It would’ve been totally
inappropriate to flirt. The little fantasy I held onto should’ve
ended the moment he walked out of the examination room.

I entered the large glass doors of
Duration and said ‘hello’ to Curtis at the front desk. He gave me
the key to the Sales office. I unlocked and entered, turning
everything on, and checking to see if there were any voicemail
messages that I needed to return. I had a couple of tours and sales
pitches already scheduled this morning.

While putting on my work shoes, I
heard a knock on the door. It was Paul. He’s of average height, but
of large, muscular build. His muscles displayed in his tight
t-shirts with the Duration logo. He’d asked me out many times, but
I declined, stating that I don’t date co-workers. Honestly, I was
not attracted to Paul. He was too short, too blond, and worst of
all, had a wandering eye. I was quite certain that he did much more
than ‘train’ his clients. I have a type. I like a man that is tall,
dark and handsome; much like Dr. Keene. Surprised that I thought of
him again, I pushed away any thoughts of him, and placed my
attention on Paul. I gave him a smile.

“
How did your appointment
go?”

“
Oh, you remembered. It
went well. He said that I should do PT. I only need to return in
three months if I’m not better. He referred me to a PT group, so
I’ll schedule that soon.”

“
Good. He’s the best, so
if he said that’s all you need, then that’s all you
need.”

“
Is he always so serious?
He was pretty quiet and kind of standoffish.”

“
Well, yeah, I can see
that. He’s all about business. He did a great job on my knee, and
is a pretty good guy. I offered to train him, but he hasn’t taken
me up on the offer. I figure he’s busy. I heard he does a lot of
surgeries overseas with professional athletes. He’s built quite a
practice. He doesn’t come into the gym that often. I don’t know if
he still has a membership.” He informed. Dr. Keene’s a member? I
thought the information would be useful in the future.

“
I’m hopeful that I don’t
need to go back. I hate doctors. But if I ever need orthopedic
surgery, then I’ll make sure to go back to him. When my father
decides to finally replace both knees, I’ll recommend Dr. Keene.
Thanks again for the recommendation.”

“
Anytime, doll. I’ll catch
ya later.” He said with his thick Boston accent, slapping the door
with his thick fingers and walking away.

My first potential member arrived soon
after. After a tour and lots of questions, I sold a membership. He
was a nice middle aged man who wanted to get back in shape for the
dating scene. He was recently divorced and the biggest complaint
from his ex-wife was that he was too fat to be sexually appealing.
I listened intently and showed empathy. My best sales strategy is
to listen. Usually, the decision to purchase a membership has
already been made before a person walks through the door. My only
role is to facilitate discussion as to their hesitancy for joining,
and give all the positive offerings to counter their negative
thoughts.

As I was filing away the new member
paperwork, I heard a knock on the door. “Hi, Sweetie.” Chelsea, my
best girlfriend peeked in. I turned around and saw her bright,
smiling face.

“
Hi, Lovey. How are you?
Come in. I have a few minutes.” I waved her in. We’ve been using
‘sweetie’ and ‘lovey’ since we were in high school. She’s a year
younger than me. I had the biggest crush on her older brother
Christopher, but his feelings were never returned. I’m not
particularly proud of the fact that I used Chelsea as a means to
get to Christopher, but she has always been a great friend, and I
hope that I’ve been the same for her.

She took a seat. “How was the doctor
visit?”

“
Awful! You know I hate
doctors. This doctor was okay.” I beamed and brought my hands to my
cheeks. “Actually, he was hot, which made it worse because I was so
self-conscious during the whole evaluation. And he was so serious
and indifferent. I barely got a smile out of the guy.” I spouted
quickly.

“
Whoa. You haven’t even
mentioned his diagnosis. You only talked about him, which confirms
that he’s hot. You haven’t talked like this about a guy in years.
So what does he look like?”

“
Hey. I didn’t get to my
diagnosis because it’s all good. I’m fine. He suggested physical
therapy. Gave me a referral. I’ll schedule a visit soon, if at all.
He’s tall, dark, and handsome. Body of a God. Wavy, salt and pepper
hair to match the salt and pepper, trimmed beard, and dimples. Huge
hands. Dresses well. And I couldn’t smell him because he didn’t get
that close. Well, except for when I slipped at the end and he held
onto me. I was too distracted with his hand near my boob, hoping he
couldn’t see my nipples through my bra and shirt, so I didn’t catch
a whiff.” I inhaled after describing him quickly.

“
Hmm. You listed his
attributes in order of your favorite qualities, didn’t you? That is
very interesting. And you got a bit of a feel. You sound smitten.
He must be named. What shall we call your crush?” She asked
excitedly.

“
Chelz, we’re no longer
fifteen. We don’t need to nickname people anymore, especially ones
we never intend to see again.”

“
Yes, we do, and this one
is definitely a crush. You don’t know if you’ll never see him
again. How about Doctor Dashing?”

“
We live in Boston, and
there’s about one man to every five women, and a lot of the hot
ones are gay. Damn them for working out only to look good for their
own gender. I’m sure I’ll never see him again. Anyway, he would be
more dashing if he were less buttoned up.” I pondered the name;
Doctor Dashing. “I’m never going to see him again, so it doesn’t
matter. Changing the subject to a more important matter, Friday
night. The bachelorette party. The night we do some damage by
breaking hearts and taking names.” I said.

“
I don’t think that’s the
phrase.” She interjected.

I waved my hand, ignoring her. “I plan
to give you the lap dance of your life.”

“
Don’t you dare. It will
confirm everyone’s assumptions of our latent
lesbianism.”

“
I only have eyes for you,
and now I have to share you with a man. How’s Dougie?” I asked,
waiting to hear her sappy gushing over her one true love. He’s a
nice guy and is devoted to her, but after experiencing my marital
breakdown, I’m cynical about everlasting love. And the more time
that I have to assess my defunct marriage, I’ve realized that Ben
was never my true love.

“
He’s great. He’s working
overtime on Friday, so we won’t miss each other too much. I can’t
wait to marry him.” She gushed.

“
Soon. I’m happy for you,
Chelz. I’m just going to miss you being single, now that I’m single
again. But you and Dougie are superb together, so I know you’ll be
happy.”

“
In three days, we’ll
party like we’re single . . . except for me, Patty and Marta. We
won’t be doing all that dancing like you crazy singletons. Club
Lumiere is the hottest new club in town, but I heard it’s like a
meat market in there. You gals will have to fend for
yourselves.”

“
Just make sure to fill up
at dinner, so it can soak up all the alcohol we will drink. I’ve
saved my sobriety for this night.” We laughed knowing that I don’t
drink very often. I’m usually the designated driver, but now that
I’m free of Ben and I’m approaching my thirties, I plan to catch up
with all the years of fun that I’ve missed.