Saving the Doctor Pt. 03

"You told Grace?" he asked.

"Yeah. She got it out of me Sunday night. I can barely keep anything from her at the best of times. Not that I really want to."

"I take it she's pissed?" Jon asked flatly.

Jeff sighed, "Yeah man. I'm sorry but Elaina just can't come to the New Year's party."

Jon nodded and took another sip. A blank, pondering stare still on his face.

Jeff continued, "Fuck, I'm even concerned about the two of them being in the same room next Saturday for the Christmas gala, even if it is a giant ballroom."

"You guys still gonna go?" Jon asked quietly.

"Yeah. I mean I think it might be okay. She promised she would just ignore her and um, not punch her in the face. As long as I promised I would tell you," Jeff said with an apologetic look.

Jon sighed and looked Jeff in the eye, "Thanks Jeff. Thanks for telling me. You're a good friend." he gave a pained smile and felt his eyes getting moist.

Jeff gave a tight, but relieved smile back, and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

They sat and sipped their beers for a second.

Jon almost spilled the last of his when the waitress, who had snuck up behind him and asked if they wanted a refill. They said yes and she gave him a sympathetic smile and walked off. Had she been listening? Maybe just reading his face...

"What do you think you'll do?" Jeff asked, once she was gone.

"I... I don't know," Jon said.

"Sorry, that's unfair," Jeff replied quickly. "I'm hitting you with this like a ton of bricks. Take your time and figure it out. It's none of my business how you deal with it."

"No it's okay. It's probably good to talk about it," Jon sighed, leaning back.

"Have you two been going through some shit?" Jeff asked delicately.

Jon shrugged, "Yes and no. At least not on the surface..."

They talked.

Jon spelled out his relationship and all the little things that were wrong, and a few of the bigger things. Minus Carly of course. It felt different than talking to the counselor, who had deliberately avoided going into specifics of his work and relationship, and instead had focused on the overall ways he was feeling and responding to them. Hearing himself talk about their relationship out loud was like hearing it all become real for the first time. It was laid out plain for him to understand clearly. Jeff barely said much in response, but he didn't really have to.

After they finished their beer and asked for the bill he had reached the conclusion that he needed to have some conversations with Elaina. Not even specifically about the kiss, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to confront her about it, but simply about their relationship and where it was going... and maybe make some decisions.

They paid up. The waitress gave him his receipt and he gestured for her to keep it. But she oddly insisted, saying it was one more thing for her to clean up, and flipped it around to hand it to him. He noticed something written on the back but stuck it in his pocket. She flashed another flirtatious smile at him and sauntered off. She looked to be in good shape and had a narrow waist, but her wider hips and larger, round, soft-looking ass swayed as she left and he couldn't help appreciating the sight.

He gave Jeff a hug and thanked him again before they left.

He started his car, and as he was waiting for it to warm up he took the receipt out of his pocket. There was a phone number written on the back of it, and a handwritten message:

- Hey Dr. McDreamy, call me sometime ;) - Chloe.

He stared at it. He hadn't registered her name when she had introduced herself.

No... he thought. There's no way she could be the same one...

When he got home Elaina was already engrossed in a movie. He felt like he didn't want to start any kind of heavy conversation at that moment, and figured it would be better to let his mind rest for a while, at least that was the excuse he told himself. So they spent the evening apart.

That weekend they went ring shopping. He had decided he wouldn't confront her about the kiss. He had obviously done much worse already, so felt like he almost didn't have any basis for even getting mad at her, but he still wanted to try to have some more serious talks about their relationship.

It didn't work out. She was fixated on the shopping and kept the conversation set on specifics about rings and other aspects of the wedding. He tried shifting the conversation, but it never worked. He made a couple comments about kids they saw, trying to get into that topic again, but she ignored it. Once they got to the stores and trying on wedding bands it felt like very much the wrong time to start into that kind of talk, so he dropped it.

Elaina had expensive taste. They could afford it, so it was fine, but it felt like it was all he registered from the ring shopping experience. She had already had her sights set on a select few styles before they got there, so it felt like offering more opinions might just undermine that, and she didn't really ask him for any. He definitely felt like he was just along for the ride. There to offer a finger for sizing and not much more. He expected her to be annoyed by his silence, but she seemed to be unbothered and simply chatted with the sales clerks as they went from store to store. He tried at least mentioning that one of the rings felt bulky and uncomfortable on his finger, but she scoffed and said he'd get used to it eventually.

He was exhausted by the end. She had it basically narrowed down to two sets, but seemed to still be bothered by trying to make the decision. He made his own bad decision by suggesting she was overthinking it, and mentioning that with how often they would be washing their hands and wearing gloves at work that they might not even be wearing the rings that often. She flashed an angry glance and said it was time to go.

He asked what she wanted to do for supper, but she said she had already made reservations at the steakhouse that Beth sometimes worked at.

"You didn't feel like telling me?" he said.

"I want to eat there at least one more time before we decide on a caterer, we should make that decision soon. Do you want me to cancel it?" she replied obviously annoyed.

"Nope, that's fine," he shrugged.

They drove on in silence.

"Your hand looked pretty with those rings on," he ventured.

"...Thank you," she said, and gave him a begrudging smile.

His wish that Beth wasn't working didn't come true. She ended up being their waitress.

"Oh excellent" Elaina exclaimed as the hostess said Beth's name.

He saw her walk up making eye contact with him and flashing a gorgeous smile of bright red lipstick. She was wearing black high heels, and darkly transparent thigh-high stockings, ending just below a tight black miniskirt and a tighter black tanktop with a lower cut then he'd ever seen on her. Her tits almost bursting out of it. A long sleeve partially see-through patterned shirt covered her arms and shoulders, seeming to save the outfit from being completely indecent.

"Hey you guys!" she said amicably as she got to the table. "Special occasion?"

"Ring shopping," Jeff said

"Ooooo romantic!" she said excitedly.

"So the main special tonight is the surf and turf..." she listed off all of the features and took their drink orders. Jon was told to order wine again, and eventually decided on one. Beth complimented his choice and squeezed his shoulder before walking off again to give them some time with the menus.

"Don't get seafood, we won't be serving that at the wedding, I found out one of my cousins is allergic," she said.

Jon looked at her blankly for a second and nodded.

They sat silent for a few minutes.

"I liked the last set," he said, referring to the rings they had seen.

She looked up from the menu at him mistrustfully, "Do you care? I thought you wouldn't be wearing it very much."

"I'm sorry for that," he said. "Look, which one did you like the most based on the first three seconds you looked at them?"

"I don't know what you mean," she said.

"Your gut feeling. What was your initial gut feeling in the first few seconds? Which one did you like the most without thinking about it?" he asked.

"That's ridiculous," she scoffed. "A terrible way to make a decision."

"It's something we're choosing for looks alone. For the appearance of it. A list of facts doesn't matter. Just go with what you liked at first glance."

"I..." she closed her mouth giving him an annoyed look.

"Well?..." he persisted.

She looked away and sighed.

"Don't tell me you're gonna choose the other set just so you don't have to agree with me," he smiled incredulously at her.

She scowled and looked back at the menu.

Beth came back with their drinks. The tops of her breasts bouncing into her tight shirt as she walked up to the table.

"All ready to order?" she asked.

"Someone keeps distracting me," Elaina said.

"Okay I can give you a few-" Beth started.

"No no, I'll just need a second, Mr. gut-feeling here can go first," Elaina said with a glare.

"Oh I can order for myself?" he smiled jokingly, though in his mind only half-jokingly.

Elaina simply frowned and looked at the menu.

Jon asked about one of the sides for the steak, and got more than he bargained for when Beth moved close and leaned forward to point at his menu. He tried to keep his eyes on the menu, but he stole the briefest of glances at her breasts bulging forward at him, not understanding how they didn't spill out completely from her shirt.

They decided and she took the menus, tracing her fingers over his as she grabbed it from him, before she strutted away again.

"I was already leaning toward the last set of rings," Elaina said defensively.

He smiled at her, but she just looked annoyed.

"Well we can sleep on it," he said, as his smile faded.

A few more silent minutes passed.

"Have you thought anymore about the wedding party?" he asked finally.

They were having trouble deciding on whether to have just 1 or 2 bridesmaids and groomsmen.

"I feel like we should ask who's willing to, and who can make it, and then decide," Elaina said.

"Well I don't want to ask someone and then later tell them 'actually no thanks you're cut'," Jon explained.

"I feel like they should understand," she replied with a shrug.

"Seriously? You wouldn't be offended if it was you?" he asked in disbelief.

"I like to think I would be flattered just to be considered," she replied defensively.

"Well who did you have in mind?" he asked.

"Well my sister's definitely going to be my maid of honor. I'm just not sure about Veronica as a bridesmaid, we haven't talked in a while and she lives across the country now, I'm mostly just hoping she can make it. What about you?"

"Well I think Todd for sure as my best man," he said.

Todd was his oldest friend from growing up, one he'd lost track of in the last few years of residency, and had finally reconnected with online recently.

"And then... I had been starting to think that Jeff could be a groomsmen," Jon said. Prior to the night before he wouldn't have hesitated before saying it.

"Oh," Elaina said surprised. "I thought you had said Craig before."

"Yeah we were great friends in undergrad, but I've only talked with him a few times since. I'm just not sure. Jeff and I have really been connecting now," he said, reading her face carefully.

"I hadn't realized you'd become so close so quickly," she said, clearing her throat.

There was a few moments of awkward silence.

She sighed, "It might have been better to have our wedding before moving. It's like we've done away with our old lives and haven't quite started out new one's yet. But then it would've been rushed and we wouldn't have been able to get a larger venue or anything else we would've wanted."

Speak for yourself, he thought to himself, he would've loved a small simple wedding.

"I don't know," she said, looking at her glass. Maybe we should bump the date back until we get more settled here, or even..."

As she paused to think, Jon looked up at her, suddenly shocked at her train of thought.

"Oh what am I saying..." she said, shaking her head.

Jon looked seriously at her with both pain and relief in his eyes. "No, if you really want to, we could..." his words caught in his throat.

Beth coughed as she stood next to the table, with a polite 'hi'. Neither of them had noticed her walking up to the table with their food. She didn't indicate that she'd heard anything, but simply explained their dishes with a smile as she set them down. She served Jon last, and he was given another ridiculous view of her chest as she bent forward to put his plate down, and seemed to linger in the position longer than she needed to. She stood back up brushing her hand against his and gave a cool smile as she asked if there was anything else, and then left again, her miniskirt accentuating her firm flexing ass as her heels clicked away.

The food tasted amazing. Elaina agreed. They ate in satisfied silence for a few minutes.

"Mmmm, forget what I said honey. I think being too hungry was getting to me," Elaina said with a laugh. "Can you imagine if we canceled on that gorgeous venue after all the time and effort."

He gave a nervous smile as he chewed.

The conversation was lighter over the rest of the meal. Jon was relieved and felt like they had just wandered too close to a cliff, talking with a smile and trying to ignore the nervous knot in his chest from what she had said.

They finished up and Beth brought them the bill. Jon paid and gave Beth a generous tip, feeling that as a friend he simply should. She gave an almost embarrassed smile and said a genuine thanks to him as she saw it. Her eyes sparkled at him as they said goodbye and 'see you Monday'.

On the drive home he tried to think of how he could start a serious conversation again, but he couldn't help remembering the sudden fear that shot through him when she had almost mentioned postponing the wedding. It had started as a twinge of excitement and hope, then quickly morphed into pure terror. He wasn't sure if he was really ready to lose her. So much of his life, so much of his soul had been given to her for so long, even if she felt like she was eating away at it, he couldn't help but feel he would lose so much of it if he lost her. He thought back to everything he had done with Carly and cringed at how close to disaster he had wandered, without fully realizing what he stood to lose.

He lay awake for a long time that night feeling like he had never been so unsure of what he wanted.

On Sunday they went to the local art gallery. It wasn't his thing, but he tried to get into it for her sake, and actually surprised himself that he started to appreciate some of the work, enjoying that it was mostly local artists on display.

Elaina's thoughts seemed to go in the opposite direction. She was excited to go and had twisted his arm a lot to go, but by the end of their tour of the small gallery she was openly criticizing the artwork, with only the thinnest of veils, saying that she hoped the artists were still learning and evolving. He almost felt like apologizing to the staff by the end.

On the drive home they got into a heated argument about it. He had danced around it at first, but then blatantly told her she had acted horribly and that he had been embarrassed of her. She was furiously defensive and actually told him if he wasn't driving she would have every right to slap him.

It didn't get much better when they got home, they ignored each other for a while but eventually argued again at the dinner table. He had suggested she join him to see some live music at some point, but she said if it was as amateur as the art gallery she would gladly pass. As they argued she kept implying heavily that she was less than impressed with the city they had chosen to live in, that it lacked a level of class that she was entitled to. He asked her point blank if that was the case, and reminded her that it was she who insisted they move there. She bit back that he should fit right in then, and asked why he'd still been such a stick in the mud.

They spent the rest of the evening apart. By the time they went to bed his anger had cooled into hopelessness.

"Honey, I think we need have some a serious talk," he said sitting on the bed as she closed the door.

She stayed facing the door for a moment and then turned around to face him with a determined stare. "About what?" she said, leaning against the door in her version of a casual pose.

"About us," he sighed.

"What about us?" she frowned challengingly.

"I feel like we're not doing very well. As a couple. We're arguing more, about so many things, and we're never really solving anything when we do."

She took a couple steps forward with her hand on her hip seductively. "I feel like you don't mind at all, how SOME of our arguments end these days," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Actually... I kinda do. Of course I love being intimate with you Elaina, but flat-out manipulation isn't okay. Wanting to have control over another person isn't okay. It's not healthy."

"Oh don't fucking talk to ME about healthy," she said, her seductive walk suddenly coming to a halt. "Especially if we're talking psychological health. I know you've been talking to a counselor. Did you tell them that you're smoking up when we go to parties?"

Jon opened up his mouth to protest.

Elaina continued, "Oh come on, I saw the counseling website on your browser history. Plus I have a nose, and that disgusting shit gets on your clothes."

"So we both need to work through our problems, at least I'm identifying some of mine," he said.

She stood staring at him as if deciding how to proceed, her face gradually turning softer.

"I'm sorry I'm not perfect Jon. I try, but everyone has flaws. I hadn't said anything because I still love you and am willing to forgive you for yours," she said, taking a last step up to him and hovering over him.

"And I'm not saying I'm not willing to forgive you for yours," Jon said defensively "But you n-"

"Good, then I forgive you too," she interrupted with a satisfied smile.

"It's not that simple Elaina, can you at least adm-"

"Ssshhh," she pressed her finger to his lips.

"Is it really so bad that I like how your veins pop when you're worked up?" she smirked, as she straddled him and sat on his lap with her arms around his neck.

He sighed at the feel of her against him. "If only it was just about that..." he started to say, but she kissed him to stop him from continuing.

He wanted to push her away but she was gyrating her hips on his lap and quickly turning him on. He hadn't wanted this to happen. This cop-out way she had of ending their arguments by simply having sex with him rather than dealing with their problems, but her lips and her body felt amazing. They were familiar, safe, and stable. She knew too well how to turn him on, even when he didn't want her to. His body fell into her. He felt his cock getting fully erect.

"Mmm, isn't this better than fighting?" she purred.

...

10 minutes later he was exclaiming how amazing she was and how this city didn't deserve a queen like her. She was on top of him panting with a victorious smile as his cock pistoned in and out of her pussy. She brought up Beth again and without any instruction he blurted out how much he wanted Elaina more than her, and how she'd never compare. Elaina moaned and dug her nails into him in confident approval.

The pleasure of her body outweighed the defeat and withering of his ego inside him. He grabbed her ass desperately and clawed up her back pulling his face into her. He clasped into her longingly, feeling like he needed to hold on for dear life and just drown in her control. That it was all he deserved. That he didn't even deserve it, so he should cling that much more desperately. He didn't have the strength or the courage to leave her, and feeling her incredible throes of passion against him, he felt like he never would. She was a goddess he was destined to succumb to.