“There’s nothing wrong with you. Being a sub is just your nature, sweetheart. It’s just the way you are and certainly nothing to be ashamed of.”
Her nature. Like the way she enjoyed doing things for others, and the way she always put the needs of the people in her life ahead of her own.
Jillian shook her head. When it was break time later this afternoon, she’d take a minute and do some of that Internet surfing, and read about Doms, and subs, and whatever else took her fancy.
For right now, she had work to do.
She had the schedule for the doctors and had to grin when she saw just how often the senior Drs. Jessop planned to be in over the next month. Shirley had snickered when she’d mentioned that both Adam and James Jessop had affirmed they were going to slow down, let their sons take over.
Shirley hadn’t believed it for one moment. Jillian was coming to the conclusion that her aunt had been right.
The patient schedule looked steady but not heavy for every day that week—which left lots of space for any emergencies that might crop up.
Jillian had heard quite a bit about this clinic over the years from Shirley. Their profession was just one of the things they had in common, and it was a big common denominator. She knew that ranchers from miles around would avail themselves of the services here. Ranching and farming were both considered high-risk occupations, and accidents, unfortunately, happened. She knew from looking over the past files and from conversations with her aunt over the years that there’d been occasions when one or both of the doctors had been called upon to make a house, or ranch, or farm call.
Jillian had the entire month’s schedule in front of her. Robert and David would be here at the clinic this week and next, and then after that they would rotate weeks between here and Mercy Hospital in Waco. She knew that Robert would be joining the surgical team, while David would join the staff of the gynecology department.
Movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention, and when she looked up, David came to stand front and center.
“I was just reviewing the calendar.”
“You look confused about something, baby.”
Jillian double-checked the waiting room to ensure that it was still empty. She met David’s cheeky grin and shook her head. She should have known he wouldn’t risk embarrassing her like that. If there had been someone else in the room, he’d have just called her by name.
She nodded. “I am confused. You’re both only going to be working every other week in Waco. I’m just surprised the hospital has given you such a relaxed schedule.”
“Well, we’re working there for free, so they let us choose our hours. They were really happy we were going to be there as often as every other week.”
“You’re working for
free
? I mean, I can see donating your time to a free clinic, or, hell, even doing a stint with Doctors without Borders. But a major city hospital, and on a permanent basis?”
“Well, we don’t really need the money, honey.”
She guessed he read the shock in her face because he said, “What, you didn’t know we were a couple of trust fund babies?”
Shirley had once told her that most of the members of the founding families were rich, but she’d honestly forgotten that fact until now.
Jillian shook her head, laughing as much at his antics as she was at herself. “No, I really didn’t know. And no, you certainly don’t act the part, either of you.”
Robert came around the corner at that point. He must have heard the conversation because he said, “Of course we don’t. We all had any notions we may have had of acting like entitled little brats disciplined out of us when we were kids.”
“Remember how shocked we were when we turned twenty-five and got our inheritances?” David asked.
“Yeah, and I remember how quickly we got over it, saw to reinvesting the funds, and went about relocating our asses to begin our next rotation—orthopedics, I think it was—in Atlanta.”
Jillian just shook her head. Then she said, “Shirley told me how well she did with her own nest egg, thanks to some sound advice from Alex and Joshua Benedict. I have some money socked away in a term account that comes due next year. I already wasn’t very happy with my fund management. Maybe I’ll move it.”
“We’ll ask Jake to set you up with Derek O’Connor. He’s manager of the Town Trust’s investment fund. He could likely give you whatever tips and help you need.”
“
O’Connor
?” Jillian would have been willing to bet someone in such a position of responsibility would be a Jessop, Kendall, or Benedict.
David grinned. “He’s actually a cousin, too. His mom was a Kendall, and she married an O’Connor. Derek was with a huge firm in New York before he moved to Texas. The families are glad to have him. I heard Mom say the man seems to have the Midas touch.”
“I wasn’t just busting into the middle of your conversation,” Robert said. “I just noticed there’s a light out in exam room three. Could you call Jake and have him send Phil around?”
“Of course.” Jillian reached for the phone. David placed his hand over hers.
“I can certainly change a light bulb. Hell, I used to work on the maintenance crew when I was in high school, remember? I was the
man in demand
…I was the cool dude with the ’tude who knew how to turn it on or change it out…” He looked up from his blatantly “macho-teen” routine and blushed.
“He certainly was
something
in high school,” Robert said. “Can you imagine what it was like for me back then?”
Jillian could see that he was struggling to contain his laughter. She grinned and could just picture the young, into-his-hormones stud David had been.
She looked at David. “Let me guess, you went around in the summer, shirt off, tool belt hanging at a cocky angle around your waist.”
David laughed. “Hey. Believe it or not, it got me dates. That’s all I’m saying.” He smiled, and then said, “I saw some fluorescent bulbs in the back supply cabinet. I’ll just go and change the light now. It’s nearly the end of patient appointments, anyway.”
There was one gentleman in with Dr. Adam, and an older woman with Dr. James. Checking the schedule, Jillian saw there were only two more appointments booked that day, both for two thirty, a good twenty minutes away.
Shirley had mentioned that as the doctors tended to be prompt, most folks would only arrive a couple of minutes before their appointment times, which ended by three in the afternoon most days.
The rest of the average work day would be spent, by the doctors, in reading test results that arrived by Internet or mail, checking with colleagues on referrals, and doing any number of sundry tasks. The clinic’s doctors subscribed to several different medical journals and spent time every day reading and staying abreast of changes in their fields.
A few times a year they attended conferences, and sometimes even took specialized courses of study.
All this Jillian knew from years of being in communication with Shirley, a woman who didn’t completely understand the town she lived in but who nonetheless admired its citizens.
“David and I were wondering if you’d like to go out to eat, tonight. You know, a real dinner, that consists of more than one course?”
Jillian grinned. “That would be nice, but I can just as easily throw something—”
A large crash and the sound of shattering glass were followed closely by the epithet “Oh,
fuck,
that hurts.”
Jillian catapulted from her chair at a full run, heading toward David several steps behind Robert. Her heart was in her throat as she wondered what had happened to him.
By the sounds of it, nothing good.
She told her inner voice to shut up and not borrow trouble. The first thing she saw when she entered exam room three was Robert, his hand gripping his brother’s right wrist, leading him over toward the sink. Rivulets of blood decorated the table, the floor, and David.
“Stupid,
stupid,
” David muttered as his brother turned on the water, irrigated the wounds, and began to inspect the damage. “I used the table to stand on without checking that the brakes were on, first.”
“And then, what, forgot to let go of the light when you fell?” Robert bit out his words, his tone terse.
“Yeah, I think it’s karma biting my ass for bragging a few moments ago.”
“At the moment I don’t care about your ass, it’s your hand I’m worried about.”
Robert’s tone sounded off to Jillian. In a flash she understood that his brother being injured hurt him in some way that was deep and real, and something he didn’t have any defense against. Jillian didn’t understand all that went through Robert’s head, but she was beginning to get a pretty good idea.
Research into the D/s psychology had just moved to the head of the list, right behind helping now.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Do we have an empty room?”
“What’s all this?”
Jillian looked over her shoulder at the older man who stood at the doorway taking in the mess of the room. Adam Jessop was shaking his head. “We have a service that comes in to change the lights, son.”
“Room one is just now available,” Jillian said. “I’ll go get it ready. Give me two minutes.”
They had sterile suture trays on hand, and she grabbed one from the shelf as she headed toward room one. It took her barely a minute to change the paper on the exam bed, set the tray on the wheeled cart, and get a couple of chairs in place. She set the box of sterile gloves, gauze and disinfectant out.
She wasn’t a nurse, but in her former position she’d helped with prep work often enough that she knew what was needed.
Robert led David into the room, still having hold of his hand. Jillian remembered there was a pair of micro goggles on the shelf and rushed out, bringing them in just as James Jessop joined the group.
“Here, these might help.” It had been a fluorescent bulb that had shattered in his hand. Jillian recalled dropping one of those once and the number of tiny glass slivers was enormous.
“Thank you, sweetie.”
“You’re welcome.”
Robert didn’t look up from his examination of his brother’s injury. Now that some of the blood had been rinsed off she could see there were a couple of really bad cuts and a bunch of tiny nicks.
Robert and David moved so David could sit on the stool. Dr. Adam took the wrapping off the suture tray. Robert picked up a pair of tweezers and began removing the pieces of glass. The small light that one of his fathers had moved into place made the job simpler. Robert worked methodically and quickly.
Jillian laid one hand on David’s shoulder and rubbed. He took a moment to tilt his head so his cheek made contact with her hand.
“You okay?” she asked him.
“Yeah, hurts a bit. Mostly I feel stupid. Don’t worry about me, baby. It’s not as bad as it could have been.”
“How many more patients do we have coming in today?” Dr. James asked.
Jillian knew the question was asked of her. “Just two and they’re due in about ten minutes.
Dr. Adam nodded. “James and I will take them, then.”
“Yes, sir.” Jillian wanted to stay and help take care of David, but she knew he was in good hands. She gave David’s shoulder one more squeeze, and then excused herself. She needed to get to her desk. It wouldn’t do to have patients arrive with no one to greet them.
Still, she took a moment, just outside the exam room door to breathe deeply and gather her wits.
“You work pretty fast,” Dr. James said.
“No, I’ve taken my time. There’s not much glass left here. Don’t worry, I’ll get it all.”
“I don’t think Jim was talking about your glass picking skills,” Dr. Adam said. “I think he was referring to the speed with which you’ve claimed that young woman as your own.”
Jillian felt a blush suffuse her face. She clamped a hand over her mouth so she didn’t laugh out loud.
Oh, my God!
The men had been careful to appear professional in front of the senior Drs. Jessop, mostly Jillian suspected because of her desire to stay within certain boundaries. But in the heat of the moment, with David getting hurt, they’d all three totally forgotten where they were. She should leave, but she stayed, wondering what Robert would have to say about his father’s accusation. She wondered if he would take issue with the verb his dad had used. “Claiming” had been, in her estimation, an odd choice.
She didn’t have to wait long. She heard Robert make a “pfft” kind of sound. “Coming from the two of you? You forget who you’re talking to, pal. I know my antecedents.”
“The boy has a point,” Dr. James said, “as well as very steady hands. Now, let’s get out of his hair so he can get our David stitched up.”
Jillian didn’t wait another second. She hotfooted it back to her desk—just as the outer door opened and a man with one of the two thirty appointments walked in.
David wanted to kick himself for making such a dumb move. He sat in the back seat of the Jeep while his brother drove the short distance home. Robert had been tight-lipped and tense since having to pick glass out of his hand. His concentration had been absolute as he’d put those few stitches in. David regretted the stress he’d inadvertently dealt him. Thankfully the two larger slices hadn’t been deep enough to do any kind of real muscle or nerve damage.