The Doctor Is In (2 page)

Dr. Kasen Phillips sat tentatively at his desk, listening to Mr. Jones speak. Kasen’s heart went out to his terminally ill patient, who was dying of cancer, but the doctor refused to let his emotions spill over. On the inside, he was broken. He hated to see Mr. Jones, whom he considered a friend, suffer like this.

Mr. Jones didn’t look fifty-four years old anymore. With sunken cheeks, swollen eyes, and pale, flaky skin, Mr. Jones looked every bit of seventy or eighty years old. Just from looking at him, Kasen’s stomach felt as if it were tied in a knot, and his throat ached badly. Several times, he blinked to clear his watery eyes. His hands were clenched together while he gave his patient all of the attention he needed.

“To be honest with you, Doc . . .” Mr. Jones scratched his bald head then licked across his dry lips. “I have no idea how much longer I’ll be around. Nonetheless, I wanted to come here and thank you for all of your help. You’ve been good to me, and your counseling helped me change things. I can only wish that I had been granted additional time to reverse more of the mistakes I’ve made with my wife, but it looks as if I won’t be given that opportunity.”

Kasen swallowed then cleared his aching throat. “Whatever you do, make every single day count. I appreciate you for coming here, but go to your family. They need you. Our friendship has meant a lot to me, and I’m not writing you off just yet. You’re a strong man. I truly believe that you still have a substantial amount of fight left in you.”

Mr. Jones smiled, but deep down, he knew his life was about to abruptly end. “Your words are kind, Doc, but look at me. I have no more fight left. This cancer done kicked my ass and shut me down. If I had known this a year ago, I would have taken extreme measures to change my life around. The best I can do is encourage you to live for today, not tomorrow. Whatever you deem wrong, make it right. Whatever you want to do, don’t hesitate to do it. And whomever you want to be with, settle down and do right by her.”

As Kasen watched Mr. Jones struggle to stand, he rushed out of his chair to assist him. Mr. Jones shooed him away.

“I’m good,” he said. “Where I’m going, I’ll be okay, but please continue to pray for me.”

Kasen reached out to Mr. Jones, wrapping his arms around him. “I have and will continue to do so. Take care, my friend. I will see you soon.”

“If your future travels consist of Heaven, then yes, you will see me one day.”

Mr. Jones chuckled as he backed away from Kasen, limping his way to the door. Kasen gazed at him with sympathy in his eyes. He only wished that they were about to go play golf like they used to, or indulge in lengthy conversations while having a drink or two at the bar; but from the looks of it, Kasen suspected that it was probably the last time he would ever see Mr. Jones.

After Mr. Jones closed the door, Kasen returned to his chair, exhausted. He wiped his hands down his handsome face, thinking hard about Mr. Jones’s advice: Live for today, not for tomorrow. Those words alone caused him to reflect on his relationship with Raine. She meant the world to him, but Kasen had been procrastinating when it came to fully committing to their relationship. He wasn’t ready, but the more he thought about Mr. Jones’s situation, the more he realized that he didn’t want to lose Raine. Their relationship was more than just a fuck-thing, and Raine had made it clear to him that she deserved better.

At one point, she had threatened to leave him if he didn’t make some kind of commitment to her. That was when they moved in together. That move allowed Kasen a little more time to prepare for what he thought Raine ultimately wanted, which was marriage. One day it would happen. Kasen was sure of that, but he hadn’t expected his patient’s situation to help speed things along. He definitely considered Raine the full package, and only a foolish man would let her slip away. He realized now that it was time to make a move. A big move. A move that would let Raine know he was on the same page as she was.

It wasn’t that Kasen had been involved with other women. He hadn’t been in quite some time. He had cheated on Raine only one time during their three-year relationship, and after that, never again. Lessons were learned; he didn’t like the idea of hurting her. Fortunately, they had managed to work it out. Kasen promised Raine that, going forward, she would be his one and only. He had remained true to that promise, although Kasen was still a flirt. Now, he was a looker who didn’t touch. He smiled at women who smiled at him, but he was very aware of his limitations.

So, why not get married?
he thought while sitting behind the desk with his index finger pressed against his temple. He was in deep thought about seriously making Raine his wife. It was time. Now or never, before it was too late.

There was a soft knock at the door. Kasen snapped out of his trance to see his receptionist, Voncile Harper, strutting into his office. She was more than attractive, with short layered hair that was cropped in the back, and cat-like hazel eyes that lured in many men. Her mellow-brown skin appeared soft as satin, her five foot six height was just right, and her shapely legs rivaled those of any model. Kasen appreciated women who went the extra mile to look good, and Voncile certainly went above and beyond to look her best every day. When Kasen had hired her two years earlier, he took her skills into prime consideration, but he also knew that her good looks and bubbly personality would do his business good.

As she sauntered closer to Kasen’s desk, his eyes scanned her from head to toe. The tight navy blue skirt she wore hugged her slim curves and gripped her heart-shaped ass. Kasen took one last look at the cleavage that was visible through her sheer blouse, but when she cleared her throat, his eyes shifted to hers.

“In deep thought again,” she teased. “Every time I come in here, you seem preoccupied.”

“I can’t help it. In case you haven’t noticed, I do take in a lot of information from my patients. I’m always thinking about things they’ve said to me, and about what I can do to truly help them.”

Voncile extended her hand to give Kasen a manila folder. “I totally understand that. And after seeing Mr. Jones leave, I assumed you needed a few minutes to regroup. Your one o’clock appointment cancelled. You don’t have another appointment scheduled until three this afternoon. If you want to get out of here for a while and go get some fresh air, I have you covered.”

Kasen did indeed need some fresh air after that intense session. This was also the perfect opportunity for him to stop at the jewelers to pick out a ring for Raine. Envisioning her reaction made him feel slightly better, and by the end of the day, he hoped, things would be looking up.

Kasen looked up at Voncile. “You know, you’re right. Mr. Jones’s situation has taken a toll on me today, so I’m going to take your advice and go get some fresh air. Can I get anything for you while I’m out?”

“Well, I was gonna say that what I would like only my boyfriend can give me, but since we called it quits the other day, that’s not likely to happen. So, I guess you can bring me back a salted caramel shake.”

Kasen stood up and took his jacket off the back of the chair. “I’m sorry to hear about your boyfriend,” he said.

Voncile shrugged. “No big deal. We weren’t together that long anyway, and I can do better than him,” she said with a flirtatious smile.

He chuckled
.
They often teased each other around the office. If he was being honest with himself, there was some sexual tension there, but he had never pursued it.

Voncile often wondered why he didn’t make a move. She certainly had thrown enough hints his way. She knew that Kasen was involved with Raine, but she always hoped the relationship would run its course so she could step into position by Kasen’s side. Obviously this wasn’t the right time, because he changed the subject like he hadn’t even noticed she was trying to flirt.

“So, a caramel shake today, huh? You usually order chocolate,” he said.

“No, not today. I’m in the mood for something a little different. That happens from time to time.”

Aren’t you ready for something different too, Kasen? Don’t you want to dump that boring chick and sample what I have to offer?
she thought, wishing she had the nerve to speak the words out loud.

Kasen nodded. “I get it. In fact, I’m making some changes in my life too,” he said.

“What do you mean?” she asked, totally unprepared for what she was about to hear.

“Well,” he started, slipping into his tailored jacket, “my talk with Mr. Jones really put some things in perspective for me this morning. I’ve been thinking for a while about taking my relationship with Raine to the next level, and, well, today’s the day.”

She looked at him with a puzzled expression. Something inside her knew where this was going, but she didn’t want to believe it could be true. “Huh?” she said, unable to form a sentence at the moment.

“I’m going to propose,” he said happily.

The words were like a punch to Voncile’s gut. Her legs suddenly felt like they were made of jelly, and her heart took off like an out of control racehorse. She struggled to keep her composure.

“Voncile, are you okay?” he asked when he noticed the odd expression on her face.

She tried to straighten her face to look more neutral. “Oh, yeah,” she said, trying to sound calm. “My blood sugar is probably a little low or something. I guess I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast.”

He frowned at her excuse. He had been a therapist long enough to know when someone was avoiding the truth. “Blood sugar, huh? Why don’t you have a seat for a minute,” he suggested.

She inched backward and slumped into the chair where his patients usually sat. Kasen leaned against his desk.

“What’s really going on?” he asked.

“Um, I don’t know,” she answered. “I’m just surprised. I mean, I didn’t think your relationship was that serious. You barely talk about her, and when she comes here to visit, it looks like the two of you barely click. Are you sure you’re ready to tie the knot? As a friend, I think you really need to think this through more carefully.”

Kasen was a little taken aback by her assessment of his relationship. “We don’t click?” He shook his head. “I disagree. I don’t like to put my personal life on display in the office, so maybe it appears like we don’t click, but trust me, Raine and I have been together for a long time, and this is the logical next step for us.”

Voncile felt an anxiety attack coming on. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. Was she really too late to make Kasen her man? She had seen the way he looked at her in the office, and she knew he wanted her. She had always thought it was just a matter of time before they were a couple. This marriage thing sure messed up her plans. She took several deep breaths to calm herself.

“If you say you’re ready, Kasen, then by all means, go for it. Congrats,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound too phony.

Kasen could see that something was wrong with Voncile. Trying to get a sense of where the negativity stemmed from, he walked up and stood directly in front of her. Putting a hand under her chin, he lifted her face to look into her eyes.

Voncile momentarily took in the view before her. Everything about Kasen was perfect—from his muscular frame to his tailored suit that fit him so well. The scent of his masculine cologne set her on fire. Normally she loved to gaze into his tranquilizing light brown eyes. In the moment, though, she avoided them so he wouldn’t see the jealousy that rested in her eyes. In her opinion, no woman, especially one who gave off such cold vibes like Raine, deserved to have a wealthy, established, and handsome man like Kasen all to herself.

“Listen,” Kasen said, “I don’t know what’s going on here, but is there something you need to talk to me about?” He was thinking that maybe the breakup with her boyfriend was affecting her more deeply than she was ready to admit.

It was moments like this when Voncile truly believed that Kasen cared deeply for her. He was such a gentleman, taking her feelings into account in a way most men didn’t. No man had ever made her smile and laugh as much as he did. She treasured the time they spent together at work and hoped that someday they’d be spending lots of quality time together outside of the office. If she didn’t get herself together quick, though, she might scare him so much that he would let her go. She certainly wasn’t willing to take that risk, so she stuffed down the tears that were threatening to burst forth from her eyes and tried to put a smile on her face.

“I am very happy for you, Kasen,” she said as she stood up. “And please know that all I want is the best for you. Your news just took me by surprise. I didn’t mean to come off so negative. Marriage is just so serious. You have a lot to offer Raine. I hope she’s able to give you all that you need in return.”

Kasen stepped backed to the edge of his desk, sitting against it. He hadn’t expected this kind of a reaction from Voncile. If anything, he would have expected this from his boy Omar, a self-professed lifelong bachelor.

“Of course I know marriage is serious. But it can also be a beautiful thing. My parents have been together since they were twenty years old, and they’re still happily married. They work hard at it, and I’m ready to do the same thing with Raine.”

“But why so suddenly?” Voncile asked.

“It’s not really that fast,” he answered. “We’ve been together for years. But I don’t know, I guess seeing Mr. Jones like that today reminded me just how precious life is. I don’t want to waste my life being indecisive. God forbid I get sick like Mr. Jones. I don’t want to look back and have any regrets. I love her and she loves me, so why not just go ahead and do it, you know?”

Voncile felt like she was ready to explode. She wanted to break down in tears, or else go crazy and break something, but she blinked away her tears then stood with open arms.