Chapter 2

                                    

                                          
A lot could have happened after the successful operation.
A quiet moment to let the stress melt away.
A quiet moment to maybe even get something to eat.
A quiet moment to finally treat yourself to a life-saving coffee.
A lot could have happened but surely you didn't expect to bump into a man. Or rather he into you.
As a woman, you noticed countless little things at the same time...
...his height, since you bumped with your face into his chest.
...his broad shoulders and strong arms that enveloped you so you wouldn't land rather unceremoniously on your butt.
...his scent, which surrounded you and reminded you of wide meadows and forests.
...his suntanned neck, which told of the countless hours in the great outdoors.
...and finally his piercing blue eyes when yours finally met his.
Love at first sight, love once in a lifetime, these were all foreign concepts to you, but you knew that the man in front of you could turn your life upside down if you weren't careful. And so you pushed the woman into the back seat and let the doctor take over.
Because as a doctor, you noticed countless little things at the same time as well...
...his height, constrained by his stooped posture to ease some of the pain he must have been feeling.
...his broad shoulders and strong arms, trembling slightly in protest at the effort to keep you from falling.
...his scent that spoke of a cowboy's freedom, but also the current stench of hospital disinfectants.
...his suntanned neck that was slowly but surely draining its color as pain seemed to engulf him.
...and finally his piercing blue eyes that still looked at you like you were the best thing of his day.
Eyes that turned to the pleading eyes of an innocent little boy, who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, as you heard your CEO's booming voice. Letting your emotions rule you had always ended in disaster, but before Oliver could unleash one of his rants, you decided to follow your heart.
"What's the matter, Oliver? And please watch the volume of your voice because in case you forgot, we're still in a hospital." You asked him politely and quiet enough that no one else heard because it wasn't the smartest thing to piss off the CEO. Again. Realizing that he had gathered quite a large audience, he ushered the three of you into an empty room.
"You, Mr. Dutton, are a troublemaker of the first order. And trying to escape will certainly not get you out of the hospital sooner, quite the contrary, until (Y/N) and I agree, you will not be released."
Oh boy, you had to act fast before disaster struck. You couldn't believe that Oliver chose this exact moment to grow a pair. You hadn't known who the man in your arms was, although an inner voice had already pointed it out to you. But you were sure that there was no way Oliver wanted to butt heads with John Dutton.
Looking at John Dutton out of the corner of your eye, you saw that his posture had straightened and that the pain he had momentarily shown when you both had collided was hidden behind a mask of controlled anger. To scold this man like a little schoolboy and tell him he would not be released was tantamount to a death sentence. You were sure of that. But before either of them could say anything, you intervened.
"You've lost me, Oliver. Escape attempt? What are you talking about?"
Oh, you saw the wheels turning in both of their heads. But John Dutton certainly had a better poker face than your CEO.
"But..."
"No buts, Oliver. I told you I'll check on Mr. Dutton after the operation. That's exactly what I'm doing right now, so I don't understand your problem."
"Well, after not finding him in his room, I thought he was about to bolt."
"Really, Oliver?! You know how tight security has been for the past few months and you think Mr. Dutton is just trying to sneak right past them to get out of here. Seriously?!"
"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds pretty... but how could I have known you were walking the corridors with him."
"Walking the corridors? Oliver, you wanted me to make sure he was fit enough to be released. You know all the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks has been getting on my nerves and I couldn't understand why you needed a neurosurgeon to discharge him. But I agreed nonetheless because no one else has the guts. And now that I'm checking to see if he's fit enough to return to his ranch, that he still has all his marbles - what else would you need a neurosurgeon for if not for his head, the only place he hadn't been shot, right - we're back again with all the unnecessary fuss."
You didn't know why you were defending a man you didn't even know. But something in you pushed you to do it. And it felt right. And that's why you didn't even have any doubts when you agreed on the formalities of the discharge a little later. Although the biggest hurdle was still ahead of you. Because how Oliver and you were going to tell John Dutton that he needed professional help around his home was beyond you. And it was the only condition that was non-negotiable.
Since you jumped to his side to save him, he hadn't said a word, endured everything without comment. It was a smart move on his part to avoid angering Oliver further. But you were sure that Mr. Dutton knew that Oliver carried out the examination more intensively than was actually necessary. If you thought about it, he hadn't even spoken a word to you yet - and you to him. And so you barely kept your jaw from hitting the ground when his drawn-out, raspy voice said as he nodded at you: "I want her."
Gosh you wanted to pinch yourself. Were you dreaming? That was probably the most obvious explanation, because how else could a man like John Dutton want you. Until you were brought back down to earth and realized what you were just talking about.
"Mr. Dutton, with all due respect, I'm not one of your show horses that you just point to and then wait for it to happily trot over to you."
How dare he?! That cocky cowboy who gave you a look that said more than words ever could and a grin that made his eyes shine like he knew the effect he had on you. Gosh, you just had to explain that you were doing it for the team. That everyone in the hospital would go crazy if peace didn't come soon. Exactly, that would be your explanation. Why else would you be playing nurse to a man who didn't want help in the first place?