Hurts So Good (Neil Melendez (The Good Doctor) x OC)

Stitches

"Everything looks fine, there's no need to worry. No damage was done, thankfully. The kid doesn't know how to punch hard, you were lucky," says Dr. Lim, switching off her penlight. I let out a sigh of relief and Neil gives me an I-told-you-so look.

"Thank you doctor," I tell her, then I turn toward Neil, "I needed to hear that from someone not involved."

"Doctors can be awful patients, you did the right thing convincing him to come here," she says with a smirk on her face, "you may go though, there's no reason to stay overnight. Although," Dr. Lim faces Neil, "if you start feeling dizzy, nauseated or too slee.."

"Come right away, I know that, Audrey. Thank you."

Dr. Lim smiles again at the both of us and then leaves the examination room. Neil puts back on his shirt and takes his coat from the coat hanger and then takes my hand as he guides me out of St. Jose St. Bonaventure.

*

Kelsey is waiting for us in the parking lot and when we near her car, she unfolds her arms, that were crossed in front of her chest, "everything clear?"

"Yeah, Jay wouldn't believe me when I told her I was fine, back at home," Neil says laughing quietly.

Home, he said. Butterflies swirl in my stomach. 

"Still, she had to stitch you up, something needed to be done."

"Ah, that was completely unnecessary, she did it only to see me suffer," he says winking at Kelsey.

"Don't say that, I'm sure she knows what she's doing. Besides, if she'd wanted to see you suffer, she would have given you more than one stitch, wouldn't she."

We all get inside the car rather quikly then, the December air freezing us to the bone.

"Where should I take you?" Kelsey asks while fastening her seatbelt. Neil looks at me then, our hands still clasped together. He starts speaking while still looking me in the eyes, "I think my place would be better for the time being, what do you think?" 

"I agree. I just can't go back to the apartment now, I'm still... rather shaken. I feel my nerves tingling."

"Doctor's home it is, then," says Kelsey looking in the rear-view mirror and pulling us out of the hospital parking lot. 

*

Neil is opening his front door when a distorted sob comes up my throat. Gosh Jay, you were supposed to suck it up. 

"Hey," he says putting his steady hands on my shoulders, he's so close I could bend my head forward and rest it on his chest, "how are you, really?"

"Scared," I say not able to look him in the eyes, "guilty, and no don't tell me it's not my fault. I don't believe it, I can't believe it. My mind is firmly set on that and you telling me I'm wrong is only gonna make me more nervous," I gabble. I can feel a deep sigh coming from his lungs, but he doesn't say a word. He wraps his arms around me and wejust stay there a couple of seconds, until he says, "let's go inside."

He lights up the living room lamps and takes my coat and scarf. Making myself at home, I take a warm beige blanket and go sit on the couch. I feel like a very pregnant baby yoda, if that can even be a thing, only my head sticks out from the sea of beige and when Neil gets back with two mugs of hot chocolate, he puts on one of those I'll-melt-you smiles. 

"You're so cute wrapped up like that. You almost look like a burrito. Careful or I might eat you," here's the thing with Neil: the situation may be bad and everything, but he'll always try to lighten up the mood. I don't really feel like it, but I decide to play his game, "you'll have to warm me up though, first," I say muffling words through the thick layer of fabric now covering my mouth. He laughs and sits down beside me, handing me the mug full of melted chocolate.

"Can you feed me? I'm too cold to even let out one finger."

"It's because you're relaxing now. Your nerves are calming down, you're also shivering. That's the tension slowly going away," he explains while letting me sip on my hot chocolate. The taste is so full and bitter, but at the same time so sweet that it gets to my heart, I close my eyes and savour it sip by little sip. He's right, I'm slowly turning off. 

"I think I'm gonna doze off soon." 

"Yes, I think so too hun," Neil says while putting down our mugs and laying down on his back, his head resting on the armrest of the couch. He waves his hand in front of him, signalling me to lay down on him, between his legs. 

I do so and not even five minutes later, I'm into the dark.