Hello, Doc here. Meredith thought you might want my take on things that have happened. She feels she can’t write about my viewpoint since she’s not a mind reader. Typical sarcastic Meredith.

The chase - I was seething mad at her for that. When she grabbed he purse and walked out of the barn, I thought she was going to get into my car. To my surprise, she got in hers. Damn country folk, never locking their doors. If she’d had to stop to unlock it, I’d have been able to grab her and hold her down until I could talk some sense into her. Maybe. That gal sure is strong - both physically and in will. I was sure she was boxed in, with my car behind her and her truck in front of her car. However, I had a sinking feeling when she said “Watch me” in response to my pointing out that she had no way to get out. There was no time to stand there with my mouth agape when she pulled out and drove over her lawn. I should have known she’d pull something like that. I had to move fast if I had a hope of catching her.

I was hoping she’d go to the main highway, but no, she took the back roads. I should have known she would. I figured she would be very familiar with them. I’m a pretty even tempered guy, and it takes a lot to really anger me, but I was steaming mad at her for doing that. If she thought that last spanking was bad, she was in for an eye opening.

It was all I could do to keep her in my sight. I couldn’t believe that a minivan - a flipping minivan! - was outrunning my BMW! As I chased her through the boonies, I reflected on events of recent months.

I’d been seeing Meredith in my practice for a while now. There was only one other ob/gyn in the small city and she hated him. She had come to me after telling him where to get off over something or other and he had dismissed her as a patient. Also, there was a shortage of general practitioners - doctors tend to prefer the larger cities - and she was without one for a period of time when hers had to take time off for health reasons and so she saw me for more than just gyn care until her GP was back. At first, she was pretty shy and timid when she came to see me, though she was reluctant to do anything I told her to do if it interfered with what she wanted to do. I knew she lived on a farm and had some horses, which seemed to be the centre of her life. Once she started to be comfortable with me, Meredith started coming out of her shell and I saw a totally different side to her.

When I saw her in the supermarket that day, I followed her around, observing her for a bit before approaching her. It was easy to see she was in pain, she was leaning on that cart for dear life and she’d stop here and there, pretending to look at something, but I knew she was taking a break from walking. Finally, I went up to her and said hi. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. At first she denied being in pain. I told her I had been watching her for a while and saw the signs. She said she was too busy to make an appointment, but I insisted she call the clinic and schedule one.

We didn’t hear from her and after a few days, I asked my nurse/receptionist to call her but there was no answer. Ms Jamieson left a message, but Meredith still did not call. I tried calling and left numerous messages - still no call back. I knew she was avoiding me, everyone has call display nowadays, even on their landlines. I did try calling from my cell phone and tried blocking the number, but she is no dummy - she probably suspected it was me.

Any other patient, I would have let it drop. I can’t force someone to come see me. But Meredith had endeared herself to me. I could not understand it. We are taught in medical school to not get personally invested in a case, yet I could not help myself. So, I looked her address up on Google Maps - fortunately, even rural properties have a street number now so that first responders can get to them quicker. When I saw her come out of the barn door with her horse, I almost left. I didn’t want to get anywhere near an animal that size. I’d rarely ever been in the country except when driving from city to city, and had certainly never been close to a farm animal before, even though I was 44 years old.

She greeted me with sarcasm that is so typical of her. I tried to take the authoritarian role but when that got me nowhere, I let her see how worried I was. I did not want her to go riding with such severe pain. When she asked me to hold onto her horse for her, I almost had a coronary. I knew that if I refused, I’d lose any chance of talking her into coming in to the office, so I had to force myself. Fortunately, the horse was quiet and I have to admit, I enjoyed giving him ear scratches.

I can’t believe Meredith argued with me over drinking a simple glass of water that day. This is her, though. Obstinate, stubborn, hard headed. She opposes me at almost every turn when it comes to her health. I am glad I was able to convince her to come see me the next day and that she kept the appointment. I was sure she had a cyst on that ovary, though I was surprised when the scan showed it to be over 10cm. More frustration that she refused to let me take it out. I understand that she was concerned about the recovery time, but had she permitted it at the start, it would have been over and done with.

Then there was the haying. I told her I would not permit it but did she listen? No, she had to do it anyway. When she didn’t answer her phone one day, and didn’t call me back, I was very worried. I feared she’d bitten off more than she could chew and was lying in a field somewhere unable to reach her phone or had been taken to a hospital. I called our local hospital but there were no patients named Meredith Kingsley and no Jane Does at the time. The next day, I was busy with an emergency at the clinic, and was unable to call her so I figured I’d go out to her place after I was finished for the day and hopefully catch her home for dinner. She wasn’t home but her friend was there and told me where to find her. I was so glad her farmer friends backed me up and made her go with me. When she dared me to spank her, I knew I could not let that go. I hoped that first spanking would teach her a lesson. No such luck.

She didn’t know it, but I had lost the oral thermometer I kept in my bag and had not gotten around to replacing it. That’s why I took her temperature rectally when she said she was feeling ill and I suspected heat exhaustion. I hadn’t taken a temp that way since med school. To my surprise, I got a bit of a thrill from it, from having her lovely behind across my knee, and penetrating that cute little rosebud.

And typically, Meredith had to balk at getting into a tub of cool water, even with heat exhaustion. It seems that something clicked in her when I asked why everything had to be such a battle with her and at least she did as I asked that time.

I really did not want to give her that second spanking, but I had to follow through when I told her if she got out of bed again, I’d spank her like she had never been spanked before. I had to make it a hard one, too. Imagine my surprise when I could feel her wetness.

Then came the pneumonia, which led to the chase. With an oral temperature of over 38C, and difficulty with her breathing, she still had to be obstinate and refuse to go to the hospital. At least she agreed to come to my place. By then, I had replaced my missing oral thermometer, but I still took her temperature rectally. When she asked me about how I took temperatures in my clinic, I had to answer honestly and say orally. I thought for sure she would report me to my licensing body, but she didn’t. She didn’t report me for spanking her either. Maybe because it made her wet.

Back to the chase. When I saw that she had pulled over and had her 4 ways going, I knew something was very wrong. I had figured the chase would end when one of us ran out of gas. I had almost a full tank, I had no idea how much she had. Anyways, I pulled over behind her and approached her door. I could see through the window that she was having a bad coughing fit. She opened the window enough to talk and I could hear the wheezing, even without my stethoscope. Of course, she fought me then, too. Did not want to open her door, finally she did. I listened to her lungs and they were bad. Hardly any air getting through. And she still refused to go the hospital! I had to take the keys out of the ignition and put them in my pocket to prevent her from driving away. When she realized she couldn’t get away, at least she didn’t fight me on the nebulizer. But she didn’t want to go to the hospital when I called Curt and he said she needed stronger meds. She only went when I said he wasn’t going to admit her. At least she agreed to go back to my place after the hospital.

I was so worried about her. When she didn’t get out of bed that Monday, I knew it was worse than I had realized, but I was hoping the antibiotics would kick in and she’d start to get better. I had to catheterize her since she wasn’t getting up to go and she had the continuous IV fluids going. I knew she would not like it when (if?) she woke up but she would just have to deal with it.

On Tuesday, her breathing got worse and I had to get her to the hospital. I *should* have done it on Monday. They put her on the vent right away. That was a very long week, sitting with her, fearing the worst. She was extremely close to dying and I was so scared of that happening. I have never been so scared in my life. I didn’t know what I’d do if I lost her. Curt and the nurses tried to get me to go home to sleep, but I was not leaving her side except to shower, shave and change clothes. I was so thankful when she turned a corner and began to improve, though I still would not leave her room.

When she came out of the medically induced coma, I was relieved. True to form, she had to be difficult but I didn’t care - she was going to make it! Curt’s lecture to her embarrassed me, but it seemed to get through to her and she settled down. I’m so glad she didn’t give me any problems for a while after that.

I don’t think she realized it, but I saw her straighten up real fast when that nurse threatened to take her temperature rectally. Aside from asking me why I do it to her that way, she has never given me attitude over it. She has come to accept it and will roll over on her side and bare her hind end to me at the mere mention of me wanting to take it. The first time I gave her a choice and she chose rectal, I was so thrilled. I can’t imagine her letting anyone else take her temp that way.

The barn dance was fun, much to my surprise, though I wasn’t keen on her dancing with other men. However, I felt like I couldn’t object.. We weren’t dating or anything. I only know how to dance to slow music, and I knew she wanted to get up there and let loose. I made sure to ask her for every slow dance, and held her close to say to the other males that they may have fast dances with her, but she was mine. Even though we had never talked about it or agreed to pursue anything with each other.

I knew she was hurting when the night was over. She tries to hide it but I’m a trained professional and I know the signs. Fortunately, she didn’t put up any fuss about getting a shot or taking pills the next morning. Or unfortunately, as the case may be. Her not arguing meant she was in more pain than she’d admit. When she fell back to sleep that morning, after we’d eaten breakfast in her room, I was overcome with the urge to lay with her and I managed to get Jessie, her dog, off the bed with a treat. Waking up to find she’d put her hand over mine was even more than I’d hoped for. I figured I’d be lucky if she didn’t kick me out of her bed.

I can’t explain what it is about Meredith that endeared her to me so much. She’s so obstinate and unyielding at times, but I liked her anyway. Who am I kidding? Liked? I’d fallen for her long before then, even if I wouldn’t admit it to myself. Yes, she is my Ms Hottie but I was so afraid to tell her. If I did and she rejected me, it would be so devastating. She infuriates me at times with her non compliance, but I have discovered a few ways to get her to obey me: 1. Her word is sacred to her. If she gives me - or anyone - her word, she will not go back on that, unless it’s very dire circumstances and absolutely cannot be helped. 2. Tell her I’ll take something away from her that she needs or does not want to give up ie. Her driver’s licence. That, I can only do in certain medical situations, such as when she planned on driving home and I felt that was too dangerous. 3. Let the worry and concern show in my face, don’t try to hide it. She melts at that. I should use it more often. And if all else fails, 4. Spank her.

I wonder if she knows she’s my Ms Hottie - I love that name she unknowingly coined for herself. Sometimes she will say something that will make me think she knows, but then she changes the subject.

We are so opposite. I am refined, I don’t like getting dirty, I’ve never been around farms, I dress in shirt/suit and tie, I don’t change into “house clothes” when I get home from work. I do take my suit jacket off but leave my tie on. On weekends, I dress in the same slacks and shirts I wear to work, though I usually don’t put a tie on. I listen to classical music, I’m immaculately clean about my home, I never leave dirty dishes in the sink or clothes laying around on the floor. I am a city boy, I like the sights and sounds of a busy population. I don’t watch a lot of television, instead I prefer to read medical journals and publications. People tell me I’m too serious all the time. If I go out, it’s to the theatre, symphony or a fine dining restaurant or lounge. I do not go to bars.

Meredith is a country girl through and through. She would never live in the city. She dresses casually - jeans and a shirt at home, though she does put on decent pants and a blouse when going to the city. She listens to country music, but only the older stuff. Her house is neat and tidy but I will sometimes find a dust bunny here and there and she will leave dishes in her sink over night if she does not want to do

them up in the evening. She watches some television and loves The Walking Dead. Why, I do not know. She even watches a soap opera. When she reads, it’s a horse magazine or a novel. She loves going to places like country fairs, the rodeo, barn dances etc.

Her personality is something else. She’s obstinate, bull headed, sarcastic as hell and self destructive at times. But she makes me laugh. Oh, she makes me laugh! Something she says I don’t do enough of. She’s a bit on the short side - 5’2” and I am 6’. Her hair comes to just past her shoulders, it’s a dark brown. She puts it up a lot when she’s doing farm work. She has brown eyes. She’s on the chunky side but I don’t care - except for the health thing, but she’s active on the farm and that is more important than what the scale says. Many may not call her such, but she is beautiful to me.

Despite our differences and her stubbornness, I love her. Oh, how I love her. I wish I could find a way to tell her.