Saving the Doctor Pt. 09

Warning: Don't read the next paragraph if you don't want spoilers of this chapter.

Author's note: I've mulled over this one more than any other, wondering whether to nix most of it, but I'm only going to tell this story once, so I figure I might as well go all-out. This is as pornographic and self-indulgent fantasy-driven as this story is going to get. If you read the tags, yes, this chapter contains group sex. It is very dysfunctional group sex, both in the planning and execution, fueled by drugs and alcohol, and in no way should be emulated in real life. It's written to create drama, and as always, you should keep the drama on the page. If you're wondering 'how the hell did we go from the end of the last chapter to that?' well, you're of a mind with Jon after the fact, and with myself to some degree after I wrote it. I do think it contributes to the story, but if what you're hearing sounds repulsive, you could skip the middle act of this one from where he enters the party to the next morning and just know some crazy trust-breaking shit goes down, and the story will still work. Otherwise I hope it's still entertaining and captivating despite pushing the boundaries of plausibility.

Also, if you're getting concerned at the length of the overall story (you are completely fucking justified), I'll also spill the beans that there will be a total of 11 parts plus an epilogue.

Thanks as always for the support and feedback.

***

Part 9. Rebounding into Recklessness,

Jon's jaw dropped as Carly started down the aisle towards him. She shone in her wedding dress beyond his wildest dreams. Her spiraled blonde locks framed her cute face, smiling with those perfect dimples with tears of joy falling over them. He smiled back and felt his own tears forming. He realized she wasn't looking directly at him though. As she kept walking down the aisle it became more apparent that she was looking past him. His heart sank as his surroundings put him at the side of the aisle, at the edge of the row of seats. He turned and saw her eyes were on another man standing by the altar. His face not quite in focus, he couldn't recognize it. He felt devastation tear through him, like everything in the world was wrong. He felt a hand grasp his and looked to his side to see Beth. She was wearing a ridiculously revealing red dress, and smiling confidently at him, like she knew she was the sexiest girl in the room, and loved that he knew it too.

Her luscious lips and wet tongue mouthed "I love you" slowly and silently.

He turned back to see Carly smiling and giggling through tears, holding hands with her groom at the altar. He tore his hand away from Beth's and wanted to run, but he felt paralyzed. Suddenly she grasped his hand again and he tried to tear his hand away but the grasp was somehow too strong. He looked over again and suddenly it wasn't Beth. Elaina's piercing eyes held him in place with an arrogant smile.

"What's the matter Jon?" she said, knowing that he wanted to escape but couldn't.

"Jon?"

......

"Jon?... Is there a Jon here?"

Jon opened his eyes and sat up from the waiting room chair. "Yeah that's me."

"Carly in bed 5 is asking for you to come back in," the orderly said.

Jon nodded and found his way listlessly back through the doors to find Carly speaking with the ER doc, a middle-aged woman in scrubs holding a clipboard,

Jon was only able to glance at Carly's expressionless washed-out face before the doctor spoke.

"Jon right? I'm Dr. Hodgson, or Barb if you'd like. I understand you're a family doctor?"

"Yeah. Good to meet you," Jon said shaking her hand and trying to snap his mind back into the present moment.

"Carly wanted you in here while I was explaining everything," Barb said.

"Oh. Yeah sure." Jon nodded, glancing over at Carly who spared him an almost embarrassed, but vulnerable look, that made him want to reach out and touch her, but he crossed his arms and turned back to the other doctor to listen.

"So she has a mid-shaft tibial fracture on the left side. It's only slightly displaced, all in all doesn't look terrible, at least for that type of break. It sounds like it was a nasty mechanism of injury though, high velocity, fall from height, et cetera..."

"Yeah, absolutely it was," Jon confirmed.

"So because of that I want to take a few more x-rays, just to make sure there's no other fractures. Even though she's pregnant. We'll make sure we shield her really well again. The tenderness is pretty specific to that area, but we don't want to focus too narrowly and miss the bigger picture because we were distracted by the obvious, right?"

"Yeah, definitely agree," Jon said.

"So after we get a few more xrays I'll be consulting ortho either way, probably just by phone, and they'll help us decide whether it needs any internal fixation or not. I'm guessing not, especially since she's pregnant and they'd want to minimize the risk there, but I can't guarantee it."

Jon looked at Carly, "Are you getting this?"

She looked at her doubtfully, "Internal fixation is like...?"

"Surgery. To put in plates and screws, and that kind of stuff," Jon explained.

She nodded and hugged herself looking more scared.

"You can come take a look at the x-rays if you want," Barb offered to Jon.

"Well you should show Carly, if you want her to understand," Jon suggested, "It's not like I'm gonna make her decisions for her."

"No I don't want to look at it, it's just gonna freak me out," Carly shook her head. "Jon just... I'll feel better if you look at it, okay? Please?" She furrowed her brow and his heart melted at the trusting, pleading look she gave him.

He gave her a reassuring smile and nodded.

He stepped away to the desk with Barb who showed him the x-ray, which was exactly as she described. They had a brief chat about where Jon worked and where he had trained. She had apparently started out in family medicine and switched over a few years back. Overall he was relieved that she seemed like a reasonable, intelligent woman to be looking after Carly. Jon left her to tend to other patients with another friendly handshake. Barb said Carly seemed pretty distraught about the ordeal and that she was lucky to have a supportive partner like him. He walked away stifling a blush again at the thought.

He stepped back through the curtain into Carly's room.

"Well?" she asked.

Jon shrugged with a smile, "It's broken."

She swatted him and gave him an annoyed smirk. "Thanks for your expertise."

Jon chuckled, "It's exactly like she described. I'll make sure they do everything right Carly, don't worry. She's a good doc though, and more experienced with this type of stuff than I am honestly. Everything she said is true. It's the bigger of the two bones in your lower leg, broken about halfway down. A little bit out of place but not that bad. Usually a bit of displacement like that heals okay on its own."

"So you don't think it'll need surgery?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully.

"That's ultimately up to the surgeon. I don't want to promise something when I don't know for sure Carly."

She tightened her lips and a tear escaped her eyes, "I don't wanna have surgery Jon."

He reached out to her hand. "Even on the off chance you do, it's not the end of the world. I'll stay with you and help you through it if you need me to."

"What about the baby? The anesthetic? From what I remember, they don't have a lot of evidence for the safety of that in pregnancy," she said, squeezing it back.

Jon closed his eyes at the simple wonderful feeling of her hand in his, "That's technically true. It's always about weighing the risks though right?"

She nodded and looked out towards the curtain but more tears streamed down and her lip started to quiver. "I'm scared."

Jon knew it wasn't just about the broken leg, and his chest tore in two. He reached down instinctively to her shoulder.

"Hey, Carly, I'm here for you okay?" He said looking into her beautiful tear-filled eyes.

She sobbed and reached up for a hug and he wrapped his arms around her preciously. With her on the stretcher it was an awkward angle for his back and torso, but holding her in his arms was pure bliss. The smell of her hair filled his nose, and her soft, heavy bosom pressed up into him. She shook in light sobs and squeezed him back tightly. He felt like he never wanted to let her go. After a minute she seemed to relax but still kept her arms around him.

"I thought I was just getting fatter," she scoffed. "I thought I had just let myself go with all of the stress of everything. I'm already 10 fucking weeks," She sobbed again.

Jon squeezed her back tightly again, "You're more beautiful than ever."

He felt her arms hesitate, but he squeezed tightly again and he smiled.

"Carly I'm here for you," he whispered in her ear again. "Whatever you need from me, whatever you want from me. I don't want you to have to go through this alone. I..."

She broke away from him and he slid his hands down her arms as her moist eyes searched his face. He felt her hands squeeze his arms and her chest rose and fell in a deep breath as she seemed to look at him with a deep gaze that felt incredible. He started to move his face closer to hers, but she suddenly pushed back on his arm and looked away doubtfully.

"But you already said-..." she was interrupted by the curtain opening.

"Oh! Um, sorry I can give you two a minute if you need," he said in embarrassment.

"No that's fine," Carly said, pulling away from Jon completely.

"Okay, well they're ready to take you back to x-ray," he said.

"Alright."

Jon backed away as they started to move the bed. Wishing they had a few more minutes alone together.

"Grace is already on her way here, by the way," Carly said, as she rolled away.

"Okay," Jon said with a croaky voice, walking back to the waiting room in a daze.

After 30 minutes of whirling thoughts and doubting everything in his life and getting nowhere with it, Jon was called back in. There were no other fractures. It would be more waiting now for word back from Orthopedics, but they didn't know how long.

Carly looked more put-together as he walked back through her curtain. Her tears were gone and a more assured face greeted him with a small cautious smile.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Hungry," she said with a sour look on her face.

"Right." Jon smiled sympathetically. "Can't eat until they know if you're having surgery or not."

Carly nodded, "Have you eaten though? You should go get something, don't suffer for my sake."

"I don't mind. I'll stay with you here if you need me," he said, admiring her face and smiling with an affectionate look.

He took her hand, and her soft fingers felt amazing, caressing him back for a split second, but then she pulled away and frowned.

"Jon..."

"Carly I meant what I said. I'm ready t-"

"Jon, no. I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything, like you're obligated..."

"But I want to. I want to... be with you Carly," he said, feeling a deep excitement at saying the words out loud.

"You just spent the last 2 days insisting it was over between us," she argued back with an accusing look that took him off guard.

"I... was never really sure. I swear, I was trying to do the right thing, but... THIS feels like the right thing now."

"No! It isn't. I don't want you, if the only reason you're with me is because we have a child."

"That's not the only reason Carly, when you almost died I-"

"It sure as hell seems that way," she interrupted with a growing frustration. "It's impossible for me to know for sure now, isn't it? I don't want to be in a relationship where one person was pressured into it because it was the 'right thing'. It's a recipe for disaster, and I won't do it. I don't need your money, I don't need your time and effort, and I sure as fuck don't need your pity."

Jon stepped back at the hurtful words. He shook his head. "No, this is NOT pity, Carly don't think that for a second. You're a strong, incredible woman and I'd be the luckies-"

"No! Stop. Spare me, please. Where was this 6 hours ago then?"

"I... I was still trying to figure stuff out, I think I was in denial. I'd worked so hard to get over you, for so many weeks..."

"And it sounded like you did."

He felt his own eyes growing moist as he looked at the angry tears streaming down her face.

"Just... I can't handle this right now. I feel like I can't trust what you say now," she said.

"I meant it," Jon said.

"What?"

"You asked me about that day in the park. What I almost said. I meant it."

"Don't..."

"I meant it down to my bones. It was true. I think it still is. Carly I..."

"Don't you fucking dare. Don't you dare say it now, when you wouldn't earlier. Things don't change that quickly."

"I should have."

"Well you didn't."

"Carly it... look it doesn't even matter to me whether you keep the pregnancy or not, if you're not ready for that. I still want to be with you either way. All of this has made me realize what I really want. What I've really wanted this whole time."

"Well I... I am keeping it," she said, looking thrown-off of a second. "I am... either way, so that's irrelevant."

"What do you want from me then? What can I possibly do to convince you?"

"Nothing. You already convinced me you're happy with Beth, and you shouldn't fuck that up just because of a mist-... because of this. Just... This is too much for me right now. Okay?" she said, looking away with a face contorted in sadness and doubt.

Jon wiped away a tear and let out a defeated sigh.

"Okay. I just don't want you to think that I-..." He looked at her glare and stopped himself. "Okay... I'm sorry."

She sniffled and pulled her eyes away from him. "Can I be alone again for a while?"

"Yeah. Yeah of course." Jon said, and gave her one last exhausted glance before walking away.

Jon walked through the waiting room and headed outside. The cold night air felt refreshing on his skin. He let out a long breath and watched it condense in the air beneath the stars. It reminded him of new years. He closed his eyes and cringed, fighting away more tears and started to walk. There was a convenience store a block away and he decided some food would help him feel better and get his mind straight. Walking up to it reminded him of that first party months ago when they shared their first kiss...

He was hopeless. He felt like if he couldn't be with her, she would haunt him for the rest of his days. He reminded himself that Beth had made him feel happy. She should be everything he could ever dream of wanting. Carly was giving him an out. She wasn't asking for anything. He should feel like he'd dodged a bullet. Though he just admired her even more for it.

He finished the stale sandwich as he approached the hospital again and came to the bleak realization that if Carly didn't want him, then he didn't really have any choice he needed to make anyway. Simple as that. Crisis averted...

He sighed and walked through the door.

He recognized a voice and found Grace talking worriedly with the registration desk.

"Hey!" she exclaimed in relief when she saw him.

They shared a long friendly hug.

"Oh my God I'm so glad you guys are okay!...ARE you okay?" Grace asked looking at his face.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine it's just... been a hell of a day," he said.

"Aww, Of course," she said hugging him again and giving a sympathetic pat on the back.

"Carly's got a broken leg but she'll be okay. There's a chance she might need surgery though," he explained.

Grace sighed, "It sounded crazy, like she was lucky to have you there."

Jon nodded, "It was so close, she's lucky to be alive."

Grace hugged herself and looked out at the hospital doors. "Oh my God I can't even imagine."

"Yeah I've been trying not to."

"Can you take me in to see her?"

"Yeah, she wanted to be alone for a bit there, so I had just got a bite to eat, but I'm sure she'd be happy to see you," Jon said.

"Oh... well I can give her some time I guess."

"No it was me....I think, I wasn't being the most comforting presence I guess. Maybe a woman's touch would be better."

Grace squinted at him "What did you do?..."

Jon tried to keep his face neutral at the unintentional weight of her question.

She chuckled, "Whatever. Bedside manner or no, you're still a man in the end I guess. I'll go see how she's doing."

Jon gave a tired smirk, "Thanks. She's in bed 5."

He watched her make her way into the department and he collapsed down onto a waiting room chair again. He stared thoughtlessly for a few minutes and then decided to text Beth.

An hour later she hadn't texted back.

He looked up in surprise to see Carly hobble through the doors with crutches, giggling with Grace as they awkwardly made their way through. She had a large cast on her left leg going above the knee. Grace had already written "Skiing iz hard!" on it. Jon couldn't help but chuckle.

Both his and Carly's smile's waned a bit as they made eye contact but he stayed cordial.

"No surgery then?"

"Nope," she smiled. "He's going to send a consult to the ortho clinic back home to follow-up with me in a week and make sure it hasn't come out of place."

"Awesome. Simple as that then?"

"Yup. Ain't no mountain gonna defeat this warrior princess," Grace laughed.

"Oh," Grace stopped before they got to the doors, "I should have a tinkle before I go just wait up," she said and headed to the washroom.

Jon and Carly sat down and the awkward silence seemed to split the air.

Jon simply stared ahead bitterly, not intending to say anything more.

Finally Carly leaned in and whispered, "Jon.. I don't want to get into it again, but I just need to be clear, I need you to keep this secret okay? I don't know when I'll be ready to tell people I'm pregnant, but when I do... as far as everyone's concerned the child is Brent's. It has to be."

Jon sat stiffly and nodded. "Okay. If that's how it has to be. That's fine," he whispered hoarsely, not meeting her eyes.

They made their way to the SUV and helped Carly in.

The drive back wasn't as awkward as Jon expected. Mostly Grace and Carly chatting and Jon brooding silently in the back, but he chimed in and tried make light small talk where he could, mostly so Grace didn't think something was wrong.

It was just before midnight when they got back to the resort.

The rest of the group, minus Beth, were in the cabin and stood up from a board game to give a huge cheer and exchange a round of hugs.

He sipped a glass of the champagne that the manager had left for them, and was happy to be back among his friends. He really didn't feel like heading over to the other party but after 10 minutes Rob started pressuring him.

"Come on man, go ball it up with the elite for a bit at least. Go find your girl," Rob said.

"Want me to see if I can get you in too?" Jon suggested, dreading being alone among that crowd.

"Naw, Beth already tried that a few hours ago when we went over. Bouncers were pretty strict with that list."

Jon sighed, "I guess I could make an appearance."

He turned into the kitchen where Carly gave him a smirk and a knowing look.

"You should. Come on, you know it's the right thing to do," she said softly.

He gulped the last of his champagne and gave her a look of resignation, and a tight smile.

"Go to her," she half-whispered, reassuringly.

He stared at her face, searching for a sign that she was lying and wanted him to stay, but she seemed to just tighten her smile a bit and finally turned away.

He wanted to stay so badly, and find some excuse to be alone with her again, but he closed his eyes and let the realization sink in that she was right.