The Long Lived Kiss

 “ Brittney Starfrost, age 25 came in with a broken wrist.” I look up to see my doctor and find it’s Dalton. I quickly averted my eyes not wanting him to see my face. It doesn’t work because I can see he’s confused about what I’m doing back here. Before he can talk to me someone approaches my curtain.

“ Brittney babe are you okay?” It’s my boyfriend Sam. He comes through the curtain and kisses me on the cheek. And then turns towards Dalton. “ Hi, I’m Sam, Brittney’s boyfriend. So what’s wrong with her?” Sam asks in a worried voice.

“ Well, Sam it seems that your… girlfriend has a broken wrist.”

“ Oh, Brit (Dalton makes a face at that name) I’m so sorry this is all my fault.”

“ No Sam it’s not. It’s okay. You didn’t have to leave work for this.”

“ Are you kidding me? My girlfriend is in the hospital of course I’m leaving work.” He grabs my hand that isn’t broken and kisses it. I give a smile.

“ What does he mean it’s all his fault?’ Dalton asks.

“ Oh, I left her alone to fix the roof because my work had an emergency, and something must have happened.” Sam answers.

“ Are you sure? Bri. Miss. Starfrost seems very capable of doing things herself.” Dalton says.

“ What are you applying doctor?” Sam asks, his voice getting sterner.

“ Well, I’m just wondering if that was what happened.”

“ It is. So what happens Now?” I ask, looking at the nurse trying to get the conversation on something else.

“ What happens now is I have to take you to get some x-rays.” Dalton jumps in, making me look at him.

“ Why can’t the nurse take me?” I ask.

“ Because she has to check in with my other patients don’t you Rose?” Dalton faces the nurse.

“ Yes, sir I do.” With that, she walks away.

“ Good news, we can go for your X-ray right now.”

“ Great, let's go!” Sam interrupts.

“ Sorry… Sam is it. You’ll have to stay back. She has to go alone. You can wait here if you’d like.” Sam looks like he wants to murder Dalton, but instead, he turns to me.

“ I’ll be right here when you come back.”

“ Ok.” And I kiss him. Dalton’s eyes avoid it.

He starts to push my genre. The ride was silent for a while until he speaks, “ I thought you left?”

“ I did leave, but now I’m back.”

“ When did you get back?”

“ About 3 months ago.”

“ You’ve been back for three months!!”

“ SHHH! Keep your voice down.”

“ Oh I’m sorry I just found out the girl that I loved who decided to move without telling me and is now back and has a new boyfriend and she’s been back for three months.” I zoned out. Did he just say he loves me no he couldn't have?

“ Wh… what…. What did you say?” I say looking back at him. His eyes look like they might pop out of his head.

“ Uh, nothing. We’re here.” He nods at the nurse and gives me to him.

“ Dalton, wait,” He doesn’t listen and just walks away. While the nurse was taking pictures of my arm all I could think about was what Dalton said. He loved me and he never told me.

“ Alright, Miss. Starfrost just try to stay still while I get your x-rays.” The nurse says. I just smile and nod. After my x-rays, I was done and I was pushed back to my curtain. Sam kept talking to me but I was too distracted.

“ God, why don’t they just put you in a cast? We've been here for 2 hours. How long does it take?” Sam said, getting frustrated.

“ Sam, relax. It takes a long time to see the x-rays. Doctors have other patients to worry about and they have to look at the x-ray before they do anything with my wrist even if it is broken.”

 Sam huffs, “ What would you know? You're not a doctor.”

“ Miss. Starfrost. We have your x-rays.”

“ Finally,” Sam huffs, again.

Dalton brings in a computer with my x-rays. He types on the computer and turns it toward me.

“ As you can see it’s badly broken in the wrist. We will have to keep you for another hour for the cast.”

“ For goodness sake, we’ve been here for so long just slap a cast on it.” 

Before Dalton can answer I do, “ You can’t just slap a cast on it, Sam.”

“ What would you know?” He lifts his hand and I flinch cause he’s about to hit me. Before he can Dalton grabs Sam’s wrist.

“ Wow, buddy. What do you think you're doing? And you know your girlfriend does know what she’s talking about. She used to work here, pal.” Sam looks at me shocked, but I avoid eye contact with him. “ You know what I think it’s time for you to leave.” 

Sam looks at me. And I look away. I didn’t want him to stay. I wanted to be alone right now.

“ Whatever.” He pulls his wrist out of Dalton's grip and storms off.

About an hour later Dalton is back with the stuff to wrap my wrist.

“ You know Brittney I can keep you tonight as your doctor I can do that.”

“ No it’s ok I’m fine. Sam doesn’t normally act like that. He’s so sweet.”

“ Really? Because it looked like it had happened before.”

“ Dalton. I’m fine you can send me home.”

“ You know what I think I will keep you overnight.”

“ No. You can’t do that.”

“ As your doctor, I can keep you overnight actually.” He pulls the wrap hard.

“ Ow!”

“ I’ll be back with the rest of your cast.” 

I watch him walk away and talk to a nurse. He’s probably telling them to keep me for the night to find me a room. I Lay my head down on the pillow and take a deep breath. About ten minutes later a nurse comes to take me to a room. While I’m in my room I decide to call Sam.

“ Hey.”

Brit what's going on why aren’t you home?” Sam asks.

“ Well, my doctor wanted to keep me overnight just to see if my pain gets worse or anything.”

“ What the hell! It’s a freaking sprain Britteny I’m not a doctor but I know you don’t have to stay in the hospital for a broken bone.”

“ I know I know. (someone appears at my door) Listen I have to go.”

“ Whatever.”

“ Love you.”

“ Yep.” 

And he hangs up the phone.

“ Sorry I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“ No, it’s okay. To be honest I don’t think there was anything to interrupt.” The figure gets close to the door.

“ Dr.Steph?” I ask. The figure comes through the door.

“ You got me.” She comes to sit on my bed. “ What have you been up to? When did you get back?”

“ I haven’t been up to anything and I got back about three months ago.”

“ Three months. And you never came back to get your job?”

“ No.” Another figure enters my room.

“ Lady’s,” Dalton says, approaching my bed. : I just came to get the rest of her cast on.”

“ Oh cool, so what's wrong with her?” Steph asks Dalton.

“ Nothing, just a brake.”

“ Then why is she in a room?”

“ I could be asking him the same question,” I say.

“ As her doctor, I felt concerned for her safety”

“ You felt concerned over a broken wrist?” Steph asks.

“ Just leave it Steph! I’m her doctor, not yours. You know I’ll just come back later.” Dalton storms out of the room.

“ What’s wrong with him?” I ask, looking at Steph.

She looks at him through the door and then back at me. “ Don’t tell him I told you but when you left with no note, call, or message it broke him. I think he stayed home for about 2 weeks from work.” 

I feel my gut drop. He was that hurt. I look through the door and see him staring at me. When he catches my eyes he quickly looks away. 

Me and Steph kept talking for a while till she left. After she left Dalton came in.

“ Hey,” I say.

“Hi,” he walks in and sits on a stool next to my bed. “ How does your arm feel?”

“ It hurts, but not as much as it did.”

“ That’s good.”

“ Yeah I know.” I say with a smile.

“ So what did you and Steph talk about?”

“ Oh nothing really. Just about things.”

“ You know the chef wants to see you tonight.”

“ Really? Why don't I even work here anymore?”

“ I don’t know.” He looks up at the door. “ Speak of the devil.” I look in the same direction and see the chef come into my room.

“ Brittney! We missed you! When did you get back?”

“ She got back three months ago,” Dalton answers.

“ Has her voice disappeared Dalton.( He shakes his head.) Then she can talk for herself.” 

“ What do you want chef?”

“ Well I want my favorite doctor back.”

“ I’m not coming back sir. Being a doctor is behind me.”

“ We'll see about that. Come see me tomorrow, we can talk.” With that he left.

“ How’s my arm doing?” 

“ I don’t know you tell me.” He looked at me in his Dalton way. I just stare at him.

“ What?” He asks.

“ Dalton… I’m sorry.”

“ For what,” He asked, still working on my cast.

“ For leaving. I… I didn’t mean for it to hurt that much.”

“ What do you mean? I was fine when you left fine. Great event.”

“ D a l t o n.” 

I put my hand on his cheek and made him face me. His eyes are looking at everything but me. “ Dalton, please look at me.” My voice was so soft it was almost a whisper. His eyes met mine and I saw the tears forming in his eyes. He looked so hurt like the memory of me leaving was floating in his brain again. His hand caressed my cheek and he kissed me. I didn’t back away, instead I let it happen. The kiss was like we were starving for it. Like it was bound to happen whatsoever. I missed him. I missed this. He pulls away slowly, but I grab the back of his head before he can get too far away and kiss him again. When we pull away we are both gasping for air our foreheads together.

Finally he says the three words I’ve been waiting for, “ I love you!”

A smile appears on my face. 

“ I love you too, and he kisses me again.