Doctors Orders (Book#1 Hope Ridge)

Chapter Seven: Time flies when you're fitting in.

The weeks flew by and before I knew it, I was celebrating my first anniversary at the clinic.

Dr. Bergs was a fantastic doctor. It was also apparent just how respected he was in Hopes Ridge.

I suppose being one of the only two physicians in this town helps with that.

In addition to my growing attachment to Dr. Bergs, his wife Ellie, has become a close friend of mine. Not too many people seemed to like the other doctor, Dr. Payne. After meeting him, I could see why. His bed-manner sucked. He was too arrogant for a small-town clinic doctor. He wasn’t some metropolitan ER surgeon.

Throughout the months here, I learned that the reason Tom didn't mention the family was that he and his father had a falling out after his mother died.

Ellie is Tom's eldest sibling by only two months. Tom's father was having an affair. After his mother died when he was just twelve, Tom’s father wasted no time and married his mistress with all his late wife's wealth.

Once Tom was accepted into medical school, he left and never returned. Completely severing all ties to his father and stepmother in doing so. He had a total of three half-siblings that I knew nothing about.

He and Ellie were on good terms. He even made a point to check up on her when she lost her sight, even though they hadn’t seen each other in years at that point. He has a closer relationship with Dr. Bergs though. They also had a half-brother just outside of the town limits. He ran a small wine vineyard with his wife of seven years.

Learning these things about Tom's past made me sad and all I wanted to do was call him up or drive down and hug him.

I couldn't imagine how I would have handled finding out that my father had a secret second family, especially after losing my mother to Cancer.

That was so heartbreaking. It was such a high level of betrayal, I couldn't imagine going through that.

Mine could never compare. Tom suddenly had to adjust to half-siblings.

I understood why he was the way he was a little bit more now.

Understanding Dr. Thomas Winston was like finding a unicorn, but I seem to keep finding unicorns when it comes to that Titanic sinking iceberg, otherwise known as Dr. Thomas Winston. I smiled victoriously every time.

When I wasn’t at the clinic, I spent my time with Ellie. We became fast friends.

Even with her blindness, she was always on the go. I could see how nervous Dr. Bergs was when it came to random Ellie adventures. Sometimes she’d get scratches or small bruises but she never stopped pushing for her independence. I respected that about her.

However, I also shared Dr. Bergs' internal panic.

Dr. Bergs and Ellie were inspiring to watch. There was no denying the mutual love they had for one another.

Ellie was only twenty-three when she lost her sight. She was involved in a horrible car accident and the fire caused too much damage to her retinas. After dozens of skin grafts, her burns were all removed. Her sight, however, will never return.

Dr. Bergs was the random driver passing by when her car was on fire and she was trapped inside. He saved her life without any hesitation or concern for his well-being.

They’ve been attached to the hip since. He was the reason she found the strength to adjust.

I loved to watch them.

There was a fifteen-year age difference, but that didn’t matter to either of them. Also, Dr. Bergs didn’t look like a man who was in his fifties. So there was also that. The driver who caused her car accident left the scene in their vehicle. They didn’t even stay to make sure Ellie was alive. Unfortunately, the driver was never found and charged for the hit and run. Ellie says that Rufus was God's way of making sure her life was saved. She dubbed him as her angel. He gave her the strength to be independent and strong.

They never had children. Due to the car accident, a large part of Ellie’s uterus was removed. They did, however, run a summer camp every year for underprivileged children. They had hundreds of applicants every year, so they reviewed lots of different things before selecting so that they could ensure that the right children were given the experience. It was incredible how many above-average families attempted to swindle the spots for their children. It was downright greedy.

During the summertime, both Ellie and Dr. Bergs went M.I.A in town. It was normal for everyone. It was lonely for me.

That was when I knew Ellie meant much more to me than I realized. I missed her.

While they were gone that first summer, Dr. Payne, who is an absolute Payne, I promise you that, ran that clinic.

It’s official; I hate summertime now.

Celebrating my one year lets me know that I am only a month away from summertime radio silence. And worse, only a month away from the reign of Payne.

I shuddered.

I really hated my job in the summer season. I always appreciate fall time now.

I had to stay strong. I wouldn't let Dr. D-bag Payne ruin yet another summer for me. I wasn't his slave and I wouldn't let him treat me that way.

Last summer, I was still new. I wasn't sure about my footing in the town yet, but that's changed.

Outside my friendship with Ellie and great work relationship with Dr. Bergs, I have been spending time around and getting to know many of the locals. Mayor Richards spearheaded most of that.

Whenever Mayor Richards and his wife, Louise, saw me out and about, they'd rush right on over to me to introduce me to someone else whom they'd deemed a must-know people.

I enjoyed it to a degree. It allowed me easy introductions to the town, but it was also overwhelming at times.

Sometimes I just wanted to wander and explore, and not be tied down in the same conversations of my life.

Louise was also determined to fix me up with one of the eligible bachelors around town. I was always polite but also very honest.

I gave them and Louise the same response. “Thank you but I am not ready to date just yet. I am always looking for friends, though.”

None of them ever seemed interested in being friends, however. I have been ghosted many times now. I was okay with it. Nate’s words would always repeat in my head. “No other man will ever want you now. You only have me.” I hated that I was still haunted by my horrible marriage.

I just wanted to focus on myself and improve myself before I even considered taking on a serious relationship, but I wasn't one to casually date. I was never that type.

Nate wasn't my first, but he was the longest intimate relationship I have ever had.

My first love was a boy named Brayden Churn. My dad loved making fun of his name with all his horrible dad jokes, but I loved him. We dated from grade ten until graduation. I promised him s*x before I left for university, thinking it would strengthen our relationship over the long distance my education would be putting us.

It didn't.

We broke up a week later.

I was fine with it, though. Graduation s*x was sort of anti-climactic. You think it is going to be this grand and inspiring moment, but it's just sixty seconds of, "Why would I ever think this would be magical?"

After Brayden, I focused even harder on my studies. It left no room for boys. I stayed true to that. Until Nate, that was. Perhaps if I dated more while I was still in University, I would've understood the signs better.

When I graduated and first met Nate, I had a s****l interest in him, but after learning about his reputation, I decided against it. It wasn't until we were about seven months into it that I was able to relax and let him be more intimate with me.

When I said I made him work for the trust, I meant it. I thought for sure that he would wander away if I made him wait so long for s*x, but he never did.

I felt he genuinely cared. The person Nate became during our last year together wasn't the same man I thought I had married, but oddly enough, he was still a better version of himself during our marriage than he was in the first three years.

I wonder if, on the business trip, he was the victim of a full lobotomy. Perhaps brainwashed by a cult of whores? Suddenly, I was no longer his property, but now just extra luggage.

I don't know why I was still trying to find a reason for the rapid change, but some subconscious thoughts can prevent them.

I wasn't interested in going back to Nate, but I wanted to understand why. I felt like I had failed, divorcing so young. Marrying a real-life monster and not seeing the obvious Red Flags.

I just wanted to know why so that I wouldn't make the same mistakes or miss the same signs or triggers.

Since Louise has made it open season for men to pursue me, Sam Rochester has also been coming around a lot more. Always with the same rouse of just checking to see how you're settling in. It takes everything in me not to scream “Same as the day before!” but I can't. I need to play nice and hope all this newness wears off and people stop fussing.

I made sure to regularly call my parents. I knew the distance would be hard for them just as much as it was for me. When I wasn't spending hours on the phone with my parents talking about randomness, I was doing the same with Tom.

We had regular scheduled face-time hours. Typically, right before we both go to bed. It seemed like the best time for us both. We both had busy work lives, and he always accepted that I would spend at least an hour after dinner chatting with my family. After that, I was all his and vice versa.

I feel like, because we weren't face to face, we had no reserves on the topics we discussed. We were learning so much about each other because there was no longer a need to filter our responses or topics. I was no longer Dr. Winston's assisting nurse. Was I Tom's... friend?

I wasn't sure what we were, but whatever it was, I was enjoying the flow. I often found myself wondering if we lived in the same place now, would we be more than friends? Was he romantically interested?

Deep down I knew I was interested, but these were the things I would never admit to him. No. I wasn't going to put myself out there like that just to be rejected or hurt. Again, Nate’s words tormented my confidence and mind.

What I did know was, I was celebrating my first year here and I wished Tom and my parents were here. It hasn't even felt that long, but I guess it's true what they say. Time flies when you're having fun. I wasn't having fun, per se. I was just fitting in.