Harvest Moon Fan Fiction ❯ My Enemy, My Friend ❯ At the Clinic ( Chapter 3 )

A/N- Thanks to Ultra Drama Queen for being the first to update chapter 2. Sorry that you guys had to wait for the next update until now- I'll attempt to not end this on a large cliffhanger- but it depends were I'm at when Saturday rolls around^^

p.s. Queenie-chan- and myself were successful in operation guy-nap Kai. I fought off the ninja warriors at Natsume while she made off with Kai. We have him locked in a basement and are holding him hostage. I think once I've healed up we're going to return and guy-nap Gray. LOL!

I don't own the characters- but I have joint custody of Kai because Queenie-chan was triumphant!

Gray's P.O.V.

I looked at Mary and sighed, slowly wrapping my arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. It had been over an hour and the longer it took for them to…fix…Claire, the more upset Mary became. She was crying right now- something that I found very uncomfortable. Tears…they just…with girls…I didn't like it. That's one of the few things I was appreciative about with Claire- no matter how nasty the argument was- she never cried. The Doctor finally came out and looked at me.

“Come on back Gray,” he said indifferently and I stood, Mary following behind me.

“What about Claire doctor,” she whispered.

“She'll be alright- her leg is broken- but we set it and I don't think it'll have a problem healing. She'll be good as new by the end of Spring.” He said as we walked by the bed Claire laid in. I stopped for a moment and looked at Elli finishing putting the cast on her leg. Claire was covered in multiple book corner shaped bruises on her visible skin- just like me and probably a lot more non-visible ones as well.

“But she has to work in the Spring,” I heard Mary say loudly.

“Well, she'll have to get someone to help her and she'll just have to take it easy this Spring.” He replied as he stopped to the bed next to Claire's . “Sit down Gray,” I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at Elli as she rolled Claire to her side and carefully parted her hair. Her eyes widened and she turned and grabbed some sanitizing solution and I moved to the side to get a better look at what was happening. The doctor followed my stare and turned quickly. “What's wrong,” he asked with a little more concern I his voice.

“She has a pretty nasty…gash,” Elli narrowed her eyes as she cleaned it, concentrating on her task. Tim approached and examined it as well.

“Stitch it up while I look Gray over,” he turned back to me as he gave Elli her orders and began cleaning my visible wounds. “Does your eye hurt?” he asked as I winced when the cold cotton ball soaked in alcohol or whatever the hell they used to clean wounds touched my cheek.

“Not really, Why?” I grumbled as I mentally winced- watching Elli sew Claire's wound shut with a threaded warped needle.

“It's black,” he stated and I let out a hiss when he touched a spot towards my temple. “You'll need a few stitches as well, in your hair line.” I stayed still as he pulled out another warped needle and some black string junk. He also pulled out an injection needle and packaged syringe. “Local anesthesia,” he said and I closed my eyes as he put it up to my face and I felt the small prick and then numbness. He looked over at Elli and gave her a smile. “Just a few more stitches Elli,” he said quietly and began to work on me. It was utterly silent in the room as Ellie turned Claire onto her back and made sure her leg was elevated.

“Gray,” I felt the doctor stop and I realized that it had been Claire that whispered my name. I suddenly felt a lot better than I had a minute a go- and Mary's relieved gasp and running to Claire's side made me feel like a large wait had been lifted off my shoulders. I don't know what expression I had on my face, but Elli had a bemused expression as she looked down at Claire while the doctor looked a little annoyed.

Claire's P.O.V. from a few minutes earlier:

Goddess my head hurt. I felt like I did that time I'd fallen of the monkey bars and busted my head open. I could feel a dull pain crisscrossing on the back of my head. What the hell was that?

“Just s few more stitches Elli,” a man's voice said. It must have been the doctor. Stitches- what the hell happened. I tried to open my eyes but Just couldn't. I guess I was in the state between consciousness and unconsciousness- when you can hear things and are vaguely aware of what's happening but just can't wake up.

I remembered I was at the library with Mary and….

“Don't touch me,” I screamed at Gray and pushed him away from me. How dare he try to touch me after saying that to me? Why couldn't he just get the hell away from me? I shoved him a lot harder than I'd intended to and I felt a chill go down my spine as I realized he lost his balance and was about to tumble down the stairs. “No!” I screamed and made a wild grab for his jacket. I was pissed off at him but I didn't want him dead- not by my hand anyway. When my finger's gripped his jacket I pulled as hard as I could towards me and let out a grunt as his heavier body hit mine. I wasn't solid enough to stop his movement and we hit the railing and I closed my eyes tightly when I felt a sharp pain in my leg right before we began to plummet to the first floor…and I was going head first. I felt his hands on my overall straps and opened my eyes as I was pulled into his arms. I felt him wrap his arms around my head as he shifted his body so he'd land on his back.

When we hit the ground it took everything in my being to not cry out as I felt the pain in my leg intensify as we hit the ground. I heard the wind go out of Gray's body and opened my eyes after a moment to see his deep sapphire ones wide and looking at something up high…I followed his gaze and saw the teetering bookshelf and let out a scream. The weight of that old shelf alone could kill us- let alone the hundreds of books that it held. I sat up and closed my eyes tightly for a nanosecond as I pushed myself off of Gray and grabbed his arm, pulling him with all my might. Then something hit me on the head- and my vision briefly blacked out. But I felt myself being jerked to the floor and a body covering my own before the combination of the blow to the head- the intensified pain in my leg caused me to slip into the darkness.

“Gray,” I heard his name escape my lips and mentally groaned. I finally succeeded in opening my eyes only to be punished by an intensified pounding resulting from the light. I saw Elli staring down at me. I was on my back now. She looked relieved and amused. I took that as a sign most things were alright “Is…is Gray dead?” I muttered.

“You're not that lucky, brat,” I heard his deep voice to my left and turned my head a little too quickly to see Tim standing over him- blocking his face and patching him up like he was a human quilt before I had to close my eyes to fight the wave of nausea coming over me.

“Damn…jerk,” I muttered and heard a light giggle. I opened one eye to see Mary standing over me, her eyes puffy from crying.

“Well…let's hear what happened,” she said with an angry tone- but she couldn't fool me. She was glad everyone was alright. I looked over at Gray. He hadn't jumped on the chance to tell Mary I'd tried to break his neck by shoving him down the stairs? Maybe he wasn't completely heartless

“I…I…” I found myself angry with…myself. This was one argument I couldn't place the brunt of the blame on Gray- not the intensity of my reactions. It was just a touchy subject- my family. Tim moved away from Gray and closer to me “I don't really remember. I think I was going to put my book back upstairs and Gray was…going to get a book to read up there,” I muttered and saw Gray's eyes widen. He gave me a look that said `Where are you going with this,' “Somehow- we fell over the railing…I think…”

“I bumped into her at the top of the stairs and lost my balance- she pulled me to keep me from falling down the stairs and we ended up falling over the railing.” Gray finished with a blank look on his face.

“Exactly,” I agreed with him immediately. I refused to look at him, afraid of what he would do the next time we we're alone. Gray had found one of my weak points- and he wasn't a total idiot- he would take advantage of that…not for argumentative purposes- but to score points with Mary. After all- I was Mary's favorite pet project right now. She'd accept any facts about my past- despite how they were retrieved.

“Well, it's not like you to be so klutzy,” Mary muttered and turned to Gray. “At least not you,” she wagged her finger at him and I saw him blush deeply out of the corner of my eye.

“I think Claire should rest,” Tim muttered as he continued patching up Gray. Mary nodded and turned to Elli.

“I guess I'll go then,” she said to the nurse. Elli smiled brightly.

“I've got your present at my grandmother's house. I'll go with you and we can stop there and pick it up.” She turned to Tim. “Is that alright Tim,” she asked sweetly. Tim nods his head and stops working on Gray.

“That's fine. Gray is done,” he added and turned back towards me- his cold stare causing me a slight tremble.

“Gray, will you go get Claire's jacket from the library and help her home,” Mary asked with a warm smile that caused Gray to turn even redder than before. He nods and I mentally panicked. I didn't want to be alone with him…or Tim…Doctors in general freaked me out …and I was fixing to be alone with him too. But everyone left in a flash and there I was- with Tim standing at the foot of my bed.

“You'll need to take it easy,” he began, walking over to a closet and pulling out some crutches and then walking back. I nodded to show I understood. “Your leg will be pretty much healed up by the end of Spring,” I felt my eyes widen.

“But…I need to plant things and stuff…” I guess I could maybe talk the Sprites into helping but they were going to start their tea party soon…I was suddenly aware of Tim's face very close to mine.

“Your health is more important than crops,” he muttered. I was very uncomfortable with his proximity. He was in my personal bubble- and I wanted him out.

“Alright,” I grunted and attempted to stand. To my relief he walked away to get a wheel chair out of the storage closet. I sat in uncomfortable silence as he opened it up and locked the joints. He helped me sit in the chair and bent down to my eye level.

“Now, if you don't feel any better in the next few days, or you begin to feel worse, come back here immediately,” he murmured and I nod. Was it just me or was his face getting awfully close to mine? Oh Goddess, was he trying to kiss me….WTF!

“Am I interrupting?” Tim jumped away from me and for the first time since I met him I praised the Goddess and the heavens above that Gray was alive and well- here to take me away from this extremely awkward situation. I think I might have unconsciously given him a very happy and very relieved grin.

“I was just looking at this large scratch on Claire's face,” Tim muttered to Gray and handed me a large tube of Neosporin and Mederma.(A/N- I don't own those either) Is that what he was doing- whew- what a relief. “Just put this on any scratches you have to help them heal w/o much scarring.”

 

Gray's P.O.V.

I looked at Claire and handed her jacket to her in silence. Scratch…I didn't really see one…HOLY SHIT! EWW! I closed my eyes and saw the scene again. He was going to kiss her- gross! I was mentally barraged by images of Tim and Claire lip locked and shook my head. I think I just threw-up a little in my mouth. Tim…just wasn't the type of person to…show affection like that.

I noticed how Claire had been uncomfortable looking when I left and truly happy to see me when I came back- of course it probably could have been the Kappa and she would have reacted the same. Mary had told me to hurry because Claire was uncomfortable with doctors. Well let's get the hell out of here then- frankly I was getting uncomfortable with Tim's death glare directed at myself…

“Gray,” I looked down at her as I heard her whisper my name. “Will you please take me to the church- I have to ask for a favor.” I nodded to her and pushed her out of the clinic, not looking back at Tim.

 

Doctor Tim's P.O.V.

They we're lying about what had happened to them…but if they wanted to keep it to themselves- it was their business. I was a little angry at the situation. I knew Claire was not comfortable with me because I was a doctor- Elli had told me. She must have been traumatized as a child- a bad experience at the hospital.

She would never be able to return the feelings I had for her- she just was afraid of me. We would be lucky if we could ever make it to a close friendship level. I had tried to accept the fact that Claire and I were not meant to be- but it bothered me- her relationship with Gray- or more Gray's relationship with her. I didn't want him around her- a goal that Claire and I seemed to share. If one were to be technical about it Claire would take every given opportunity to avoid the man. It appeared to me that she had no desire to establish a civil relationship with the man for any other reason but to placate her friendship with Mary.

Gray on the other hand had some type of feelings for the blonde farmer- however small they may be. A soft spot that, in my opinion, appeared to very much resemble the one his grandfather had for Ellen- and would undoubtedly lead to tender feelings if the two ever began to make amends. A similarity that greatly annoyed me I might add. Perhaps it was this similarity that keeps me hoping I could get the young woman to become comfortable with me. Perhaps there was a similarity that I shared with my Grandfather- and I would be able win her affections over that of the rough blacksmith. After all- history has a way of repeating itself.

 

Sooo…. What do you guys think so far? You like? Hate? Have comments or suggestions? Then please click on the review link and lay them out for me. Ohh..and don't rack your brain over the Dr. similarity complex- I caught my goof and for the sake of the story- let's say Sibara had another girl he had the hots for (like Ellen) during his youth and the Dr.'s Gramps got her to fall in love w/ him- cause I just realized I made Elli and Tim blood related- but let's follow Jeannie-chan's funky plot bunny for this fic, please.