I was starting to doze off when Doc giggled. “What’s so funny, Doc?”

“The look on your face when we got home and saw Alex’s car in the laneway.”

“I was thinking ‘how am I going to get in the house without him seeing my skirt. I was worried that ….um…..fluids….had made a wet spot on it.”

“I figured so much. That’s why I wrapped you in the blanket and carried you into the house.”

“I hope Alex bought the excuse of ’wardrobe malfunction’, Doc, but I’m more concerned with him asking why I was wearing stiletto shoes when I can‘t walk!”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something to tell him if he asks at your next appointment, hon.”

“I think you have one before I do, so you might be the one to have to think of an explanation. Right now, I’m frustrated that I couldn’t follow through on my plan when we got home.”

“What plan?”

“To get you horny again.”

“You wanted more?”

“I can’t get enough of you, Doc.”

“Mmmmmm….do you want me now, hon?” He pushed his groin into my butt and I could feel him growing as he caressed my breast and kissed my neck.

“I always want you, honey.” I pushed my ass back into him. I felt him get harder and turned over and kissed him. This time, he made slow, sweet love to me. There’s a time and place for lusty sex and a time and place for making love.

The next morning, Doc rubbed some cream into my butt cheeks before we got up. They would be red for a few days and he never failed to miss a day with the cream - twice a day, sometimes three if he was home. I’m told that is “aftercare”, whatever that means.

“I want you to take it easy today, hon”, he said over breakfast.

“I don’t have a lot of choice, Doc, being confined to the chair and all.”

“Knowing you, Meredith, you’ve been out of it when I’m at work.”

“No, Doc, I haven’t. Except for the times you know of.”

“I’m teasing you, hon. I believe you when you tell me you’ve stayed off your feet. I know you don’t lie. Just think, only 4 more days until your stitches come out. Then you can walk on one foot.”

“I can’t wait! Are you taking the stitches out?”

“Yes, hon. Your GP is still off sick and there‘s no need to go to the ER to do it when I am perfectly capable. Though I might give Adam Beckett a call and see if he will take a look at it.”

“Why?”

“Just to make sure that it’s healed inside and that there’s no damage to any of your foot bones. I know they x-rayed it when you had the stitches put in, but it was a small country hospital and I did not see the radiographs.”

“You don’t trust the doctor there?”

“Maybe I am being too cautious.”

“I’ll see him if you want me to, Doc. It’s no big deal.”

“Thank you, hon. I will call him today and see if he can see you this week.”

“Just remember Friday is out. One of us has to be here at home.” We were having solar panels installed on the roofs of the house and barn. The company only had one day free for the rest of the season and that was because of a cancellation. They felt that one day wasn’t enough time to do the piece of land I wanted to use, so we settled for this for the time being and next year would look at getting more panels installed. At least the ones on the roof should be enough to keep the fridges and freezers going in case of a power outage. The ones on the barn roof would keep the lights on in there, the automatic waterers working and maybe allow me to run the furnace if I set it at a lower temperature. Yes, my animals are spoiled and have heat in winter - but not too much heat as I want them to have a winter coat since I try to put them outside for part of the day.

“I have an appointment with Alex Wednesday afternoon. I could see if I can leave early Thursday if Adam can see you then.”

“That’s awful short notice for Adam, Doc. I’m sure he’s busy.”

“He owes me a favour, hon.”

“Seems everyone owes you a favour, Doc.”

“That’s because I can’t say no when someone asks me to do them a favour.”

“You are too nice, Julian.”

“It pays to be nice, Meredith. I need to get going, but I want you off your feet as much as possible. Only on them to transfer and go to the bathroom, okay?”

“Yes, Doc.” I had no intention of being non compliant today, after the fabulous afternoon he gave me yesterday.

“Good.” He leaned down and kissed me, then cleared the table. “Leave the dishes, I will do them tonight. I’ll just pack up Rick’s plates and cutlery and will be on my way.” He had washed them the night before, even though Rick’s staff still had to put them through the dishwasher, due to health regulations. Doc wouldn’t be caught dead sending back dirty dishes.

Julian called me on his lunch hour. “Hon, Adam has an opening tomorrow afternoon at 4, he can see you then.”

“But you have an appointment with Alex tomorrow.”

“We changed it to 12noon, he said he‘ll just take his lunch at 1. Afterward, I’ll drive home to get you and we can have lunch in the city before your appointment, if you like.”

“Sure, Doc, that would be great.”

“Is there anything you want me to pick up on my way home, hon?”

“No, Julian. What do you want for supper?”

“Don’t you worry about supper, I’ll fix something when I get home.”

“Surely, you would like to relax, honey. You cook so much of the time.”

“Cooking is relaxing for me, Meredith. Don’t worry about it, I want you resting and I enjoy cooking. I love having someone to cook for.”

“Okay, Doc.”

“What are you planning to do this afternoon, hon?”

“Ironing, for one. I haven’t finished it from Sunday.”

“Just as long as you are sitting down.”

“I will be. I’ll sit on the stool, I can get closer to the ironing board with it than with the chair.”

The next day, Doc arrived home at about 1:15 to pick me up. “Wow, you are early, Doc. Did you speed all the way?”

“No, hon. Alex let me go a bit early. He knew I wanted to get home to get my beautiful bride-to-be. He said to say hi and he wants to see you before court starts next week.”

“Tomorrow would be the only day I could do it. Friday is out because we’re having the solar panels installed that day.”

“I know and Alex has no time tomorrow. I suggested he and Deanna come out for supper Saturday or Sunday and he can talk to you here. He’s going to check with Deanna and I said I’d check with you.”

“As long as he does not try to get me back on Ativan.”

“He won’t. The deal you made was if *I* said you should be on it and if you weren’t dealing well with court. Ready to get going?”

“Yes, Doc. I just need my purse.” He wheeled me to the door. I’m perfectly capable of wheeling myself, but he likes to do it. I got up and stepped out the door and went down the stairs on my crutches. At the bottom of the steps, I fell despite the crutches. Doc ran down to me.

“Hon, what happened? Are you okay?”

“I don’t know, Doc. I just put my foot on the ground and felt awful pain go through it and I fell.”

“Let me see.” He took my shoe off and looked at my foot. There was no swelling and the pain was gone already. “I can’t find anything, hon - but tell Adam about it. I’m carrying you to the car”, he said as he put my shoe back on. He stood up and bent over to pick me up. After putting me in the car, he went back for my crutches and wheelchair.

Doc took me to an upscale Italian restaurant for lunch. I had dressed in a skirt and blouse, figuring that wherever we went, it would not be a jeans and t-shirt kind of place. I had chosen a flat shoe, though, since I was walking on crutches. We had lots of time before my appointment, so we had a nice leisurely meal. Then we headed over to the hospital for my appointment with Dr Beckett.

The orthopedic surgeon looked at both my right foot and left ankle, even though Doc had only asked him to look at the foot that had stitches. He decided to get x-rays of both. “I know you had x-rays done, but since the one wasn’t done here, I want to see it myself. And it can’t hurt to get another one of that ankle. Besides, I like to see my work.” He winked at me. He had put pins in that ankle the previous winter when I broke it in that fight with Jane.

The radiographs showed the ankle was fine, the old break had healed nicely. Dr B said that I should stay off it a couple more weeks due to the sprain. The right foot had a hairline fracture on the underside of one of the bones. “That’s why you are sometimes getting a jab of pain when you’re on it”, he explained.

“Why didn’t the other hospital see it?” I asked.

“They can be hard to catch”, he replied. “Sometimes they are barely visible.”

“So, what do we do?” I asked, afraid of the answer.

“You aren’t going to like this”, Dr Beckett replied. “You’re going to have to stay off it for a while longer.”

My heart sank. I was really looking forward to getting out of the wheelchair. “How much longer?”

“You’ve been off it for almost 2 weeks, right?” I nodded. “Four more weeks.”

“Aw, geez.”

“I know it ‘sucks’, but it’s the only way it will heal.”

“And it’s six weeks for the sprained ankle, right?”

“About that, yes.”

“So, three more weeks in the chair.”

Doc had been quiet during this exchange. Now, he had his own question. “Adam, does she have to be completely off it?”

“As much as possible. Why?”

“Just trying to determine if she can do things like transfer in and out of the chair by herself, go to the bathroom etc.”

“What have you been doing?” the doctor asked me. I appreciated that he asked me instead of pretending I wasn’t in the room.

“I’ve been doing it myself, but that was only after Alex Carmichael talked Julian into letting up on the reins a bit.”

“You are fine to do that. Use your crutches and walk on your right foot until the sprain in the left heals.” I was tempted to stick my tongue out at Doc in jest, knowing that he was most likely not happy with that, but resisted. I did not say anything about having a catheter in.

We needed a few things at the grocery store, so we stopped there before going home. Doc pushed me in the wheelchair with a basket on my lap. He put the blanket he keeps in his trunk over my lap first. Of course, I’d have expected nothing less.

On the way home, I sighed. “What’s wrong?” Doc asked.

“Just not happy about more time in the chair.”

“I know, hon, but it can’t be helped. You have to do it.”

“I’m warning you right now, Doc. I probably won’t do it.”

“What do you mean, Meredith?”

“Exactly what I said. I can’t go another three weeks being off both feet. I‘ll end up in a straight jacket.” As an afterthought, I added “Don’t tell Alex that!”

Doc laughed. “I know it’s frustrating for you, sweetie. Let’s do it one day at a time. Promise me you’ll stay off your feet tomorrow.”

“I can’t make a promise I know I will likely break.”

“Don’t take that attitude, hon. Make the promise with the intention of not breaking it. Stay off your feet just for one day. Then deal with the day after that. Remember, you can transfer in and out of the chair and you can walk into the bathroom from the hall. You don’t have to stay in bed just because I’m at work.”

“Okay, honey.”

“So, you promise you’ll stay off your feet tomorrow?”

“I promise.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll give you a big hug when we get home.”

“I love your hugs, Doc.”

When we got home, I went up the steps and into the house on my crutches. Normally, I would have sat in the living room until Doc brought the chair in. This time I continued into the house and started up the stairs. “Meredith! Where are you going!” he called out to me.

“Upstairs!”

“You aren’t allowed to! Remember your promise?” He was now starting up the stairs himself.

“I promised I’d stay off my feet *tomorrow*. Nothing was said about tonight.”

“You are being a brat, Meredith. I ought to spank you.”

“Go ahead, Doc. But I’m sleeping in the master bedroom tonight. I’m tired of not being able to sleep up here.” I continued up the stairs, into our bedroom and sat on the bed. Doc sat down beside me.

“You do realize that, in order to keep your promise, you will have to stay up here tomorrow?”

“That’s okay”, I said without emotion.

“Come here, hon.” He pulled me into a big bear hug. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I know how upset you are and I’ll do my best to help keep your mind occupied.”

“Thanks, Doc. I don’t want this hug to end, but I think Jessie wants out.” My lab was dancing around the bedroom. She wasn’t used to not being put out the moment we got home.

“Ok, I’ll go let her out. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Do you want anything?”

“A hot chocolate would be nice, but just use the instant stuff, don’t go to the trouble of making it from scratch.”

“Meredith, I do not use ‘instant stuff’”, he said with an insulted look on his face. “You should know that by now. I will make some while Jessie is outside. It’s no trouble.”

It was only about 7pm, but I was tired. I kicked my shoes off and lay down on the bed. Next thing I knew, Doc was waking me up. “Meredith, wake up, hon. If I let you sleep now, you will be awake all night.”

“You’re right, Doc”, I replied sleepily. I sat up and took my hot chocolate from him. I was on his side of the bed. Jessie had jumped up on my side and was making herself comfortable.

Doc picked my shoes up from the floor, muttering something under his breath, and put them in the closet. He sat down on the bed beside me and rubbed my leg.

“This is good hot chocolate”, I said to him as I took another sip.

“Thanks, hon.”

When I finished my cocoa, Doc took the mug downstairs while I went to the bathroom. He was back by the time I returned to the bedroom. He helped me get undressed and into my night shirt, then he got into his pj’s and I moved over toward my side so he could get into bed. Jessie did not take the hint to move, typical. I snuggled up to Doc and lay my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around me.

“Do you want to watch tv?” he asked.

“Not particularly.”

“What would you like to do?”

“Just lie here with you, honey.”

“Tomorrow is my last day at work for a while.” He didn’t have any patients booked until October, since we didn’t know how long the court cases would take or how much of them we wanted to be there for. He figured that if they didn’t take very long and if I was stable - meaning I wasn’t freaking out - he would go in and help out if they needed extra hands or do paperwork.

“Next week is getting closer and closer.”

“Are you okay, Meredith?”

“Yes, Julian. I’m not looking forward to court, but I want it over and done with. Hopefully, Jane will be bound over for trial and when that is done, it will be less than a month until the wedding. Then you and I can start our new life together.”

“I can’t wait to call you ‘Mrs Richards’, hon.”

“What if I decide to keep my name?” I teased.

“You wouldn’t! At least not your old married name!”

“I’m teasing you, Doc. I most certainly will be changing my name.”

“That’s a relief, Meredith.”

I propped myself up on my arm and leaned over and kissed him. “I hope you didn’t really think I’d keep Chris’ name, Julian.”

“With you, I never know!” I was still leaning over him and he grabbed me real fast, flipped me over onto my back - Jessie jumped off the bed pretty quickly - and leaned over me. He kissed me and let his hands wander.

“Doc! You are ready for more this soon after the other day?”

“What can I say, Meredith? You have that effect on me.” I giggled at hearing him using my phrase.

Later, I was lying in his arms again. “Doc, we need to make a decision on the cabin.”

“Yes, we do. What do you think?”

“You know I want to buy it, it was you who was uncomfortable with it.”

“Let’s put an offer in, hon. It really is perfect for us, even if a bit farther away than we were hoping for.”

We discussed how much to offer, then Doc went downstairs to let Jessie out one last time before we went to sleep.

The next day, I had to keep my promise and stay off my feet. Which meant I couldn’t go downstairs. By the time Karen had finished chores, I was going out of my mind with boredom, so I had her bring the wheelchair upstairs for me.

“What do you want it for?” she asked.

“To keep my promise to Doc.”

“Where are you going to go with it up here? You are allowed to walk to the bathroom.”

“I know. I’m going to look around here, do an assessment of the spare rooms, see if anything needs fixing or replacing.” I don’t think she totally bought it, but she did bring the chair up.

When she was gone, I got my keys and wheeled myself to our exam room at the end of the hall. I wanted to give it a cleaning - well, as much as I could clean from the chair. I was determined to stay off my feet. I took everything out from the drawers under the counter and wiped them down. I also wiped down the desk, chairs and exam table, cleaned the drawers under the table etc.

I was so absorbed in what I was doing that I didn’t pay attention to the time. Next thing I knew, I was hearing Doc’s footsteps coming down the hall. He was calling out to me. “I’m in here, Doc!” I called back.

“What are you doing, hon?” he asked as he came through the doorway.

“Cleaning.”

“Meredith….”

“I haven’t left the chair, Doc. I’m just doing what I can reach from here.”

“Well, okay then”, he said and gave me a kiss. “But what made you decide to do this?”

“I was bored. I got Karen to bring the chair up for me - I told her I wanted to assess the guest rooms and see if anything needed replacing or fixing.” He laughed. “I had to tell her something! She asked me why I wanted it and I couldn’t very well tell her about this room!”

“No, you couldn’t. Interesting excuse you came up with.”

“Could you let Jessie out please, honey? I’ll finish up in here, then get myself cleaned up.”

“Maybe you should stay in here, hon”, he replied. “I think you’re due for a check of that ovary.”

“Oh, Doc, you don’t want to do that right now. I’ve been cleaning, I need to freshen up.”

“You can do that while I’m downstairs. I‘ll let Jessie out, then feed her, since it’s her suppertime. Do you want supper first, hon?”

“No, honey. Unless you do.”

“I don’t.”

We had had a small bathroom put in, which would be shared between the exam room and the room beside it. Our plan was to eventually make that room into a simulated hospital room, with a real hospital bed and expand our role playing. I washed up in the sink and then went back into the exam room and waited for Doc.

He came up shortly after and lifted me out of the chair and onto the table, where he lay me down. “I’ll take your blood pressure first, hon.” He was pretty happy with the reading. “Now, let me listen to your heart.” He pulled my t-shirt up over my breasts. The diaphragm of the stethoscope was cold as he set it down on my skin. I could feel my heart speed up a bit as he listened at different places. Next, he had me sit up so he could listen to my lungs.

“Okay, Meredith, you can lie back down again”, he instructed as he took the stethoscope out of his ears and hung it around his neck. He pulled my t-shirt down but left a space between the hem and the top of my pants. “I’m going to loosen your pants so I can palpate your ovaries”, he said as he undid the button and pulled the zipper down a little bit. He slid his hands inside the right flap of my pants and pressed down, one hand over the other and making his way over to the left side. For some reason, this turned me on immensely - my pants being undone just a bit and his hands inside them, palpating my ovaries. I could feel myself getting wet.

“I don’t feel any cysts”, he pronounced. “But I need to do a bimanual to make sure. Let’s get those pants off. Lift your bum.” I lifted up and he deftly slipped both my pants and panties down and then off my legs.

“Gee, Doc - that was pretty slick. How many ladies’ pants do you take off?” I teased him.

“Just the very special patients”, he replied with a wink. He went to the closet in the room and came back with knee rests which he put on the table after taking the stirrups off. “I think this will be more comfortable for you with your sore feet.” One by one, he lifted my legs and set them down on the knee supports. My legs were higher than they are in the regular stirrups. It was a different feeling. I could sense myself getting even wetter.

Doc sat on the stool and wheeled over to the end of the table and asked me to scoot down. When I was where he wanted, he told me to stop.

He put on a glove and gently inserted two fingers into me. “Oh my, you are very wet, Ms Hottie.”

“Why would that be, Doctor?” I asked innocently. This was all part of a game we liked to play. Doc would mix in an ovary check with playing around. If he found another cyst, I had no doubt he’d get serious real fast.

“I don’t know, hon.”

I could feel him inside me. He placed the fingers of his left hand on my pelvic area and pressed down. “Let me know if anything hurts, Meredith.”

“It doesn’t hurt, Doc.”

“I still don’t feel any cysts. That is good.”

“It sure is!”

“I think I will take your temperature.” He withdrew his fingers from my vagina and took the glove off, exchanging it for a clean one. A moment later, I felt the bulb of the thermometer penetrate my sphincter. By the feel of it, I was sure he was using the large animal thermometer. As he waited for it to register, he placed the thumb of his left hand on my clit and gently massaged it.

“Doc, I think I’m getting wetter.”

“I’ll check that again after I get your temp, hon.” A couple minutes later, he took the thermometer out and read it. “It’s perfect, sweetie. Let me get this glove off and I will check that wetness for you.” He washed his hands before approaching the table again. This time he inserted a couple fingers without a glove. “You are right, Meredith. You’re very wet. I think we need to do something about that.” He sat down on the stool and rolled it up between my legs, then leaned in and ran his tongue all around my clit, while pushing his fingers into me yet again. He brought me almost to the brink of orgasm, then stood up and unzipped his pants. As he leaned over me, he pushed my shirt up and reached under my back and unhooked my bra. He fondled my breasts as he entered me.

Doc held each of my wrists down with his hands - he had not used the restraints this time - as he thrust in and out of me. It wasn’t long before I was having an earth shattering orgasm. I screamed out in pleasure as wave after wave came over me. Julian couldn’t hold on any longer and he cried out as he climaxed.

Afterward, he rested his head on my chest and we stayed that way for a bit, then he stood up and took my legs out of the supports and helped put my pants on. “Want me to do up your bra, hon?” he asked.

“No, that’s okay, Doc. I’m going to get undressed and into my nightshirt anyway.” He helped me off the table and into the wheelchair.

“I’ll clean up in here, then I’ll get supper. How about I just defrost some stew that’s in the freezer?”

“Sounds good to me, honey.”

Doc had his supper with me in our bedroom, as I was not allowed to go downstairs on either foot. We ate on tv trays, I sat on the edge of the bed and he sat on a chair facing me. Jessie lay on the floor nearby. She was trained not to beg, as all of my dogs have been. She would lie there until we were finished our meal or one of us put a plate down with some leftovers for her. It seemed Doc did that more than I did.

“Meredith, we need to talk about Alex and Deanna coming for supper. Do you want to do it Saturday or Sunday?”

“I think Saturday, Doc. That way, if he gets me pissed off, I have more time to calm down before court starts.” Monday was Labour Day and Tuesday, Doc and I were meeting with the Crown Attorney to go over things. Jane’s preliminary was scheduled to start on Wednesday.

“Okay, I’ll give them a call and let them know. I‘ll have to sneak away for a bit tomorrow to shop for some things.”

“What are you going to make?”

“I think I will do a prime rib roast with roasted vegetables.”

“Sounds yummy, Julian.” He smiled.

“I’m going to take these dishes downstairs and clean up the kitchen. Anything you want when I come back up?”

“I don’t think so, honey. But I’ll text you if I think of something.”

We were up bright and early the next morning as the workers were due to arrive at 8:30. Doc left at 8 to go shopping. He wanted to get it done early so he could finish making lunch for the guys putting in the solar panels. He’d told their boss that he would do that so they would know not to bring their own.

They didn’t waste any time once they got here and introduced themselves to Karen and I. Karen, of course, was doing morning chores. She’d come over early so that the horses would be finished eating their grain and would be turned out to pasture in time for her to get the stalls done before they started on the barn roof. They were doing the house first. We had also decided to have them do the guest house if they had time. The guest house doesn’t get used a lot, as there are lots of bedrooms in the main house, but every now and then we have company that wants the privacy it affords them. It’s just a couple bedrooms, bathroom and small living room with a small fridge, microwave, hotplate and kettle.

I hung around the barn with Karen. I was using the ATV to get around. Doc had said I could go down the front steps so Karen brought it up to the house for me. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t do anything to help her in the barn. I couldn’t even refill the grain cans for supper feeding. I was tempted to, but didn’t want to get Doc upset. Which I knew would happen if I did anything on my feet or even just one foot.

Karen did the stalls, then we went to the house for coffee.

“How are things going?” she asked.

“Okay, I suppose”, I replied. “I hate being in this chair and thought I’d be out of it tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that was a bad break that you have to stay in it longer. Pardon the pun.”

“I told Doc I don’t think I can comply for much longer.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me to take it one day at a time.”

“Then do it.”

“I’m trying. I just want to go to sleep and wake up the day before the wedding.”

“That’s understandable. You have stressful times coming up starting next week.”

“And I can’t show any stress or Doc and Alex will have me back on Ativan.”

“I doubt that, Meredith. They both know it’s going to be stressful for you and I’m sure they will expect you to be showing some signs of it. It’s just if it gets too much for you, they will want you to go back on it.”

“Well, I will refuse it unless I absolutely can’t handle the stress.”

The installation of the solar panels went off without a hitch. It was a nice sunny day, so Doc and I went to the hydro meter and watched it turn backwards instead of forwards, meaning that we were generating more power than we were using, so we were not drawing from the grid. While we could easily afford the bill, why pay when you don’t have to? Besides, this was so much more environmentally friendly.

The guys really enjoyed the lunch Doc served. He had made beef stew the week before and froze it. He also made salad and rolls and I had made cupcakes and pie for dessert. As usual, he made more than was needed, so we had plenty left for our evening meal.

“Doc”, I said during supper. “Let me dry the dishes. Please. I need something useful to do around here.”

“Okay, Meredith, but only if you sit on the stool and stay there.”

“I will, honey.” I was almost glad that Alex was coming to see me the next day. I was really feeling frustrated and pissed off about not being able to do anything and welcomed the opportunity to talk to an outsider about it. I just had to be careful not to say too much or appear too frantic, or he’d try to get me to go back on Ativan.

That night, for the first time in a while, I dreamt of Jane.