Bedside Manner (Love Under Lockdown)

“No,” Dr. Smith said, sounding annoyed, and both Julia and I knew that meant the conversation was over.

Dr. Smith always meant business. And you didn’t want to get on his bad side.

I’d never actually seen a human being deflated before, but Julia got as close as ever in that moment. There was a touch of conflict deep in what passed for my heart, as to whether I should have taken offense.

Normally I would be glad that I didn’t have to have houseguests. The “voluntary” aspect of this shared housing program was up for debate, since Dr. Smith had had to bother me for weeks before I agreed to have my name added to the list.

And normally I would be especially glad not to have Julia as a houseguest. Not only because she was my enemy but also because… well, let’s just say I couldn’t avoid a certain sexual attraction to her in spite of that fact. I’d always been attracted to her curves even as I had hated her personality. The last thing I needed was temptation walking around my house.

Still, the fact that she didn’t want to come stay with me even though she was out of other options made me feel like some kind of leper.

“I take it you will be accepting Mr. Booth’s kind offer,” Dr. Smith said to Julia, in a tone that suggested that he wanted to close this conversation and get us out of his office so that he could move on to other more pressing matters.

“I guess I have no other choice,” she said.

He looked at her with his eyebrows raised, so she added, “So. Yes, please. And thank you.”

“Very good.” Now he turned to me. “Keep in mind that we don’t yet know if it will even be required, Dr. Booth, but I wanted to let you know and get it all arranged, in case it is.”

“Yes. Thank you,” I told him.

It was a bit like calling in a bomb threat, but I appreciated the thought. Julia seemed more down in the dumps about the whole thing than I felt. She slumped in the chair in a way that accentuated her beautiful body, even through her protective clothes.

She was so hot that I could feel my cock start to harden in response to her soft femininity. I felt the need, on a primordial level, to touch her, as well as to do other, even more intimate things, with her. But I reminded myself that this was not the time to be indulging in such thoughts.

“I believe you have some test results to collect,” Dr. Smith remarked, prompting me to action.

“Yes, sir.”

I got up and out of his office as quickly as I could with the newly developed bulge in my pants, and beat a hasty retreat for the door, so that I could go check on the test.

It was positive. Because of course it was. There was no way the fates could pass up such a ripe opportunity to give me a metaphorical ass kicking. Their celestial boots were being firmly planted into my foolish mortal ribs right about now.

I figured that it was best to deliver the bad news sooner rather than later.

Julia’s grandma was still in the consultation room, waiting like I had requested. It was so nice to have someone who actually did as I asked.

With most people having access to the Internet, a lot of them seemed to have gotten the idea that they were lay doctors, or at least medical researchers, Googling away on anything they didn’t understand, which was, quite frankly, most of it.

“I’m sorry to say your test is positive,” I told Julia’s grandmother. “On the upside, it seems to be only a mild case of Covid and is likely to stay that way. Checking your history, there isn’t much reason to worry. You’ve got strong lungs and a healthy immune system, especially, well—”

I paused, wanting to kick myself for always having such a bad bedside manner.

“For someone my age?” she asked, smiling as she finished my botched sentence for me.

“Yes, well, that exactly.”

“Don’t worry. I take that as a compliment,” she assured me. “And I get it a lot.”

“I can see why. There really shouldn’t be too much of an issue with you making a full recovery. You will have to isolate, of course— even more than usual, I mean. We have already found alternative accommodations for your granddaughter. Will you be okay at home on your own?”

“I suppose so. I did it for years, Dearie. That was back before Julia started medical school but I’m guessing it’s like riding a bike.”

“Most likely,” I agreed, the ghost of a smile haunting my lips.

I really wasn’t used to smiling but she was just so charming that I couldn’t help myself.

It was a pity that her attitude towards life in general and me in particular hadn’t seemed to have rubbed off on Julia. Or maybe I could have gotten into her pants instead of having to spend all this time hating her and vice versa.