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What else was this woman dealing with that she hadn’t told him? While he’d wish for her to hand him all her burdens he didn’t actually expect that she had but this—Jesus, he wished she’d told him so she could be prepared. But someone had obviously impressed upon her that being doubled-over in pain and close to tears was typical. What the fuck?
He respected a lot of members of his profession, but what the hell were you doing in medicine if you didn’t actually want to help people feel better? If you were just going to dismiss and belittle their pain? Fuck that. They were going to find her a new primary doc and then some specialists to get her the care she needed and he wasn’t qualified to provide.
While he soothed her, he ran through possible diagnoses in his head—maybe not super useful in the moment, but it was what he’d been trained to do, how his mind worked. Endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, adenomyosis… He thought cervical stenosis was unlikely, and he couldn’t stand the idea of cancer so he dismissed it—because that was obviously how medicine worked, wishful thinking cured all. This was precisely why doctors shouldn’t treat loved ones.
Whatever it was, he’d do his best to keep her comfortable until he could pull some strings and get her into see anyone necessary.
* * *
Usually the pain low in her belly woke Devaney when she was getting her period. This time, yeah, her insides still felt like a wet towel being wrung out but she didn’t think that’s what had roused her. No, that would be Eric. Daddy.
He’d spooned her for hours last night until her pain had subsided enough for her to fall back asleep. She hadn’t noticed that he’d gotten up, but clearly he had since he was dressed like he was going to see patients—not the thin cotton pajama pants and bare torso he’d come to her with last night. She’d like to see that again sometime for sure, but when she could appreciate the view of his smooth brown skin clinging to the dips and swells of his muscles instead of feeling like Armageddon was happening in her uterus.
Now he was perched on the side of her bed and she could smell the soap-fresh smell of him layered over the warm, nutty, earthy scent that just seemed to be him. She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing but he shushed her and smoothed her hair. She hadn’t really wanted to say anything anyway and it was a relief she didn’t have to.
“Sorry I woke you, buttercup, just wanted to give you this to try.”
He held up what looked like a mashup between a pillow and a stuffed dinosaur. It was green and yellow and looked super soft and cuddly. Sure the stuffie was cute and it cheered her up, but she doubted it had some sort of magical powers that would make her godawful cramps go away.
“Here, baby, can you loosen up just for a second? I know it feels better to be curled up like a little cinnamon roll, but he’s not going to work if you don’t give him a hug.”
Daddy was right, it felt worse to force her knees away from her chest, but he kept his word, tucking the dino against her so she could wrap herself around it. When she did, there was a really nice, strong warmth at her belly. Just short of unbearably hot, she sighed at the deep warmth that permeated her thin gown and her diaper.
“That feel good?” her daddy asked, rubbing between her shoulder blades.
She nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Daddy.”
“He’s got a hot water bottle inside him, that’s why he’s so warm. I’m glad he’s nice to cuddle with. And I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve we’ll try out, see if we can’t get this pain more under control. I hate seeing you hurting so much, buttercup.”
“Will you cuddle me too?” she asked, feeling shy and selfish, but wanting to be the little spoon to his big spoon again so badly.
“I’d love to. I have a couple more patients to see before I can though. But I’ll be all yours in a little bit. We’ll try a couple more things to make you feel better and then we can put a movie on and we’ll be snugglebugs this afternoon, okay?”
Devaney was a grown-ass woman. She was forty-two years old, divorced, and had two kids of her own. So why then did it make her so damn happy to have a man treat her like she was small and in need of babying? As though she couldn’t care for herself so he would do it for her.
Although clearly she hadn’t taken very good care of herself. But Eric didn’t seem like he blamed her for that or was upset about it beyond fretting over her and wanting her to feel better. He didn’t act like she was an inconvenience or lying.
Yes, he wanted her to feel better but not so she could be useful but just because he wanted her to feel good, be happy. It almost felt like he loved her. Which was crazy. It was Sunday and she’d only been here since Friday. Well, Thursday actually.
Yes, you foolish girl, very important distinction. Because it makes it more reasonable for you to believe he’s in love with you after spendingthreedays with him instead oftwo.Besides, for much of that time she’d been asleep. But as foolish as she felt she wasn’t going to try to shake herself out of this dream. No, she’d let herself wallow in it for as long as possible.
“Yes, please, Daddy.”
* * *
Between the medicine Eric had given her and her new dino buddy who she’d named Spaghetti, she’d fallen back asleep until just a few minutes before Eric came in, looking like he’d washed up again and changed after seeing the patients he’d mentioned.
He’d heated up Spaghetti’s water bottle again and did that nice thing where he stroked her hair and skin while he asked her more questions about her period. Which was kind of embarrassing, although nowhere near as mortifying as when he’d wanted to feed her and she’d refused.
She didn’t feel like taking a bottle and when he’d said he would feed her theotherway, she’d had to confess that it felt like her body wanted to flush out everything inside her when it was that time of the month and however and whatever he fed her, it would probably come out as soon as it had gone in.
Yep, talking about her bowel movements made her want to die, but Eric’s matter-of-factness and kindness had made it easier to bear. And now he had her bottoms-up over the foam wedge and strapped down again.
It was nice to have her cheek against the cool sheet and to submit to his ministrations. He would never hurt her, and given everything he’d done to her, there was a good chance he’d make her feel at least a little better.
Eric rubbed her hips and her back and her flanks with his bare hands while he talked to her about what might be causing her to be in so much freaking pain, and also convincing her it really wasn’t normal and she needed to get a new doctor who would believe her. He said doctors were only human, but she felt like he was almost superhuman.
The sound of him snapping on gloves did nothing to change her comfort with and faith in him—if anything, it made it easier for her to hand herself over. She was his special little patient, and he was going to take care of her.
