{"id":3168,"date":"2017-12-07T05:37:17","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T05:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/?p=3168"},"modified":"2023-02-15T02:10:38","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T07:10:38","slug":"doctor-patient-confidentiality-chapter-fifty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/doctor-patient-confidentiality-chapter-fifty\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor-Patient Confidentiality: Chapter Fifty"},"content":{"rendered":"
Day 6<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/pre>\n
 <\/p>\n
\u201cOh, my God, Trix, you\u2019ve been at this for over an hour! Just pick one, already!\u201d I admonish, my tone mirroring my exasperation.<\/span><\/p>\n
My hands and feet drum and tap at whatever surfaces they can find, more fidgety than I can remember them ever being.<\/span><\/p>\n
We\u2019re surrounded by a myriad of costumes, practically swimming in piles and piles of various outfits, accessories, and cosplay attire. There are all types of costumes\u2014from various Marvel and DC superheroes, to milkmaids and leprechauns, to Disney characters, all the way to generic ones like cop and sailor outfits.<\/span><\/p>\n
The place is literally littered with them. Some are hanging off racks and flimsy hangers, while others are still displayed in their rectangular packages\u2014quite a few of which are halfway ripped from their plastic casings.<\/span><\/p>\n
It\u2019s officially Halloween.<\/span><\/p>\n
I really don\u2019t care for the day. Actually, I take that back. It\u2019s too much of an understatement. The truth is I absolutely loath<\/em> Halloween.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, I\u2019ve hated it ever since some douche-bag in a Freddy Krueger costume thought it would be funny to scare me shitless when I went trick-or-treating at the tender age of eight. I was so scared that I\u2019d actually pissed myself!<\/span><\/p>\n
Yeah. It was that bad.<\/span><\/p>\n
Needless to say, my costume got ruined, and my fellow trick-or-treaters wasted no time in turning up their noses at me and my piss-drenched outfit. I was devastated. My highly-anticipated Halloween was totally ruined within moments, and by no fault of my own\u2014even if it technically was my <\/em>piss leaving mon <\/em>bladder.<\/span><\/p>\n
I mean, come on, what kind of sadistic asshat gets off on scaring eight-year-olds to the point of pissing <\/em>themselves? As it was, my annual hunt for free candy got cut short and subsequently came to a permanent close.<\/span><\/p>\n
So, yeah. That was it for me. Halloween and I had officially parted ways\u2014with a brand new, piss-drenched Strawberry Shortcake costume to commemorate our separation\u2014and we have not crossed paths ever since.<\/span><\/p>\n
Until now.<\/span><\/p>\n
Since I don\u2019t normally celebrate Halloween any more, I\u2019d usually just work that night, and if not, I\u2019d opt to stay indoors, eat candy that I got for free or on sale, and listen to Beethoven on repeat.<\/span><\/p>\n
But I can\u2019t do that this year.<\/span><\/p>\n
As much as I hate Halloween, I can\u2019t bear to be by myself, cooped up in my apartment all alone. Not tonight. Not when I have a million and one unsettling thoughts racing through my head\u2014thoughts that all begin and end with a single person:<\/span><\/p>\n
Dexter Frost.<\/span><\/p>\n
To be honest, a part of me\u2014and it\u2019s a pretty big <\/em>part\u2014still can\u2019t believe what had transpired between us just five days ago. I swear I\u2019m having the hardest time just wrapping my head around the whole ordeal, the fact that it actually happened<\/em>! And more than anything, I think it was the manner in which he went about it that blew me away the most.<\/span><\/p>\n
I mean, he had such <\/em>a cavalier attitude and nonchalant demeanor the entire time! I was absolutely stunned\u2014and perhaps a bit mortified\u2014at his aloofness. Heck, I still <\/em>am!<\/span><\/p>\n
I should have felt disgusted by his proposition, but the truth is I wasn\u2019t. I\u2019m still not. All I felt was mind-boggled, brain-zapped, surprised out of my fucking bones, and every other word that can be used to describe indescribable shock. I was all those things, but crazy enough, I wasn\u2019t disgusted.<\/span><\/p>\n
I\u2019m beginning to question whether or not I\u2019m truly offended by his offer. To be honest, I\u2019m not entirely sure that I am, and that bothers me. It bothers me a lot.<\/span><\/p>\n
The rustling sound of plastic brings me out of my worrisome thoughts, if only temporarily.<\/span><\/p>\n
Trixie keeps going back and forth between two costumes\u2014which are really the same <\/em>costume in two different colors\u2014examining them in their packages for the billionth fucking time. Her indecisiveness is really starting to annoy me, but I know it\u2019s not the real reason for my angsty and sour state.<\/span><\/p>\n
No. Leave that to none other than the great blue-eyed doctor. He just seems more and more enigmatic each time I think about him\u2014which is clearly way too often.<\/span><\/p>\n
Even in a relatively crowded space with a gazillion costumes to look at and people shuffling up and down and constantly moving around, I can\u2019t seem to focus on anything else but him. My stupid mind can\u2019t steer clear of him for more than the two seconds it takes for me to frown at Trixie for being so time-insensitive.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so hard to choose, Roni,\u201d she complains.<\/span><\/p>\n
I can\u2019t stop myself from giving her the side-eye. \u201cTrixie, it\u2019s a white Playboy bunny costume and a black Playboy bunny costume. How <\/em>hard can it be?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Because I worked a double-shift yesterday and the bar\u2019s going to be closed tonight\u2014at Larry\u2019s discretion and for reasons he didn\u2019t mention\u2014I\u2019d agreed to going to a house party with Trixie without giving it much thought. I figured it was a no-brainer since I\u2019d rather not be alone with nothing but the company of my troublesome thoughts tonight.<\/span><\/p>\n
But, in the midst of that conversation, she\u2019s somehow persuaded me to go last-minute costume shopping with her. Of course, I agreed, as I typically do whenever it comes to my dear best friend. But honestly, right now, as I sit on this hard, uncomfortable stool while I wait eons for her to make up her fucking mind, I can\u2019t help but feel like I made a huge mistake agreeing to come to this store with her. I\u2019m seriously two bloody seconds away from strangling the girl!<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cThere are tons of outfits to choose from!\u201d I admonish, raising my hands and gesturing wildly to the costume-filled space around us. \u201cWhy the hell are you picking a Playboy bunny costume? That\u2019s not even remotely <\/em>close to your style.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
It\u2019s a legitimate question. Trixie doesn\u2019t do Playboy anything, at least not until this very moment, apparently. She\u2019s always claimed to hate the whole blonde bombshell fascination, said it was outdated and overrated. I guess she changed her mind\u2014and she did it awfully quick, too.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cTonight\u2019s different,\u201d she explains, absently running her fingers through her choppy pixie. \u201cI\u2019m telling you, this party\u2019s going to be swarming <\/em>with athletes. The host, Pete, told me the entire basketball team is going to be there, plus he mentioned quite a few of the football players will be stopping by. Who knows, maybe the almighty Jamie Wrighton will make a surprise show, too,\u201d she adds, giving me a wink and extra-large smile.<\/span><\/p>\n
I sigh out loud, not holding back the irritation I feel. I really couldn\u2019t care less whether Jamie\u2014or the damn Pope<\/em>, for that matter\u2014shows up to this thing or not. I have other, far <\/em>more important things to worry about. \u201cWhatever. Just pick something so we can go,\u201d I say, ignoring her remark.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cOkay<\/em>, fine. Sheesh, such a buzz-kill,\u201d she scoffs. \u201cI\u2019ll take the black one,\u201d she finally says, but then she holds out the other package to me. \u201cBut you should take the white one. We can be twinsies. Sexy bunny twinsies!\u201d she adds with a playful smile.<\/span><\/p>\n
I only have one response. \u201cFour words: Hell. To. The. No.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cOh, come on!\u201d she admonishes. \u201cHow the hell are you going to go to a Halloween party without a Halloween costume, Ramona?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
I shoot her an obviously fake wide smile. \u201cEasy. With the clothes I\u2019m wearing \u00e0 pr\u00e9sent<\/em>,\u201d I say, my tone dry and impatient.<\/span><\/p>\n
First off, I don\u2019t have the money for it. And even if I did, even if by some miracle, I actually wanted <\/em>to dress up for Halloween, there\u2019s no way in hell I\u2019d dress up as a friggin\u2019 Playboy bunny. I had quite enough of squeezing my body into tight and revealing clothing after the last go around, thank you very much. I sure as fuck don\u2019t need another night of breathing problems. And I also sure <\/em>as fuck <\/em>won\u2019t pay for something that will do just that.<\/span><\/p>\n
She places her hands on her hips. \u201cSeriously, Roni?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously, Trixie,\u201d I say adamantly. \u201cThanks, but no thanks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
She sighs and raises her hands in surrender as she finally accepts that I\u2019m not going to budge on my decision to not dress up.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, fine. Be that way, then,\u201d she says in mock hurt, sticking her tongue out at me. \u201cBut don\u2019t come crying to me when you don\u2019t have as much fun because you decided to be a buzz-killing ninny and not dress up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cPretty sure I\u2019ll live,\u201d I shoot back dryly.<\/span><\/p>\n
She just shakes her head. \u201cWhatevs. Your loss,\u201d she says, tossing the rejected costume back onto its shelf. \u201cLet me just pay for this and we can go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0She heads over to the register without another word and I wait for her to finish up. Thank goodness the line isn\u2019t that long. I don\u2019t know how much more of this place I can take, especially when a certain doctor and his unbelievably scandalous proposition won\u2019t stop invading my thoughts.<\/span><\/p>\n
***<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Day 6   \u201cOh, my God, Trix, you\u2019ve been at this for over an hour! Just pick one, already!\u201d I admonish, my tone mirroring my exasperation. My hands and feet drum and tap at whatever surfaces they can find, more fidgety than I can remember them ever being. We\u2019re surrounded by a myriad of costumes, practically swimming in piles and piles of various outfits, accessories, and cosplay attire. There are all types of costumes\u2014from various Marvel and DC superheroes, to milkmaids and leprechauns, to Disney characters, all the way to… En savoir plus<\/a><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"series":[99],"class_list":["post-3168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-contemporary-2","series-doctor-patient-confidentiality"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DPC-Wattpad-Header-1024x341.jpg","blog_images":{"medium":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DPC-Wattpad-Header-300x100.jpg","large":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DPC-Wattpad-Header-1024x341.jpg"},"ams_acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3168"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=3168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}