Page 14 of The Emerald Boa's Lover
“Oh?” I didn’t know how to feel about that. When would I find the time to fit in more patients?
“Yes, and quite a few of them are recommendations from Asma.” I stopped rooting around the basket curiously and turned to look over my right shoulder into her bright yellow eyes.
“You mean friends of hers, or colleagues?”
“Both, really.” Luha whispered with a hopeful smile. “Most are also pregnant.”
“But I’m not whatever the Ucfeni version of a gynecologist is. Or a paediatrician.”
“No, but youarea doctor who is willing to see them.” She worked her magical hands on my shoulders and I thought for sure she was trying to seduce me into saying yes. If I was straight, I think I would have already surrendered to this snake many times over. Her yellow scales were very pretty, she carried herself with grace, her voice was light and melodic, and her heart was so big. “If you don’t, then they don’t get to seeanydoctor…” I pouted and made damn sure she could see my glower.
“You’ve already booked them in to see me, haven’t you?”
“Because you have no intention of turning them away? Of course.” She giggled, having come to know me so well this last month of working together. She even told me that if I ever set up my own clinic somewhere else, shewascoming with me. I wonder if she’s told the other doctor’s the same…
I absently recall the way Dr. Yanzha and Dr. Ihi talk down to Luha like she’s their minion, rather than their receptionist and PA. Then I smirked at her hands working the tension out of my shoulders and neck.Yeah, I’m her favourite. She’s totally coming with me if I leave.
“You’re an angel.” I chuckled again when her hands remained on my shoulders and her yellow face arched over my head to look at me, upside and yet her head cocked to one side.
“What’s an angel?”
“Oh, sorry that’s an Earth thing.” I sighed and shook my head at her. “It’s a term of endearment. It means I think you have a pure heart and good intentions.”
“Oh, then you’re an angel too, Charlie.” Luha giggled and lifted her head back out of my view. Just as my vision cleared, I saw Dalahan in the open doorway of the clinic. He had a strange expression on his face. Like he was trying to smile but his mouth was full of lemon slices. “Hello Dalahan.” Luha was blissfully unaware of any tension in the green Ucfeni and giggled in greeting. Her hands still massaged my shoulders and she didn’t notice the way Dalahan darted his green eyes down to her hands and back up again. I did, and I had to smirk. If he wasn’t already evergreen from head to tail, I’d said he was green with envy.
“Hello Luha. Have you been taking good care of my Charlie?”Oh wow.I chewed my lips and folded my arms. Talk about staking a claim. The way he said ‘my’ was possessive, but onlyIseemed to detect it. My Charlie? I’m going to kick his scaley backside for that when we get home.
“Don’t I always?” Luha used her hands on my shoulders to push me out from my stool and desk to stand. These Ucfeni sure like to manhandle each other. Humans too. “I’ll update your calendar later with your new patients.”
“Yay.” I sarcastically drone as Luha uses her tail to loop around the handle of my satchel, and dropped it to hang around my neck whilst ‘walking’ me to the door. I surrendered without a fight to that battle. Part of me was warm and tingly that Asma was so happy with my bedside manner that she recommended me to other Ucfeni in the same ‘position’ as her. The great thing about being funded by Allico Inc means I don’t have to worry about patients being able to pay for my services. I get paid regardless. I can just give the best health care I possibly can, and hope none of them break my heart.
Like Asma…she’s down to three viable eggs now…but according to my research and a consult call I’ve had, she’s one week under the earliest recommended induced laying I could give her. I would risk losing the last three viable eggs if I made her lay now. Next week though? Asma has agreed to be induced.
“Time to go home.” Dalahan retrieved me with one hand on my right shoulder and I stumbled over his tail to stand in front of him. If I wasn’t exhausted, I would be kicking off about this ridiculous display of ownership. I didn’t even bat an eye when Dalahan lowered so I could hop up onto his back. I’ve seen so many humans being transported this way that I knew it wasn’t the big guy’s excuse to get my legs around him. The only reason I wrapped my arms around his neck was out of comfort and support. Even so, he relaxed like it was a cuddle. Again, I’m too tired to argue. “How was your day?” Dalahan’s tone was softer now he wasn’t raging with jealousy.
“Busy.” I mumble. “I miss my lab. I had a bed in my lab so I could nap whilst I waited for my tests to run.”
“Well, you can have a nap once we get home and you’ve had a bath.”
“Why can’t I nap first?”
“Because youstink.” Dalahan sniggered and turned his neck to look at me with an eerie amount of flexibility. Eerie by human standards at least.
“In my defence, Thelia is a jungle planet.” I raise my right arm to sniff at my armpit, to which Dalahan laughs at me. “Do I really smell that bad?” He leans forward, holding my legs with his arms looped around my knees as we wind at pace down the main street. I nod and smile at other humans with their sponsors who wave at me. I can’t believe I’ve been here a month already and the sight of a human riding the back of a Naga is totally normal to me.
“You? No.Yoursmell Ilike.” Dalahan hummed, rather liking my smell a bittoo muchI think. “It’s theotherswe need to wash off you.”
“Others?” I can’t help myself. I know this is asking for it, poking the scaly bear, but I enjoy riling people up. Dalahan is no exception to the rule. “Do you mean others, or do you meanLuha.”Dalahan hisses bitterly, telling me I hit the nail right on the head.
“And others.” He snapped as he turned a corner to head towards our block. The Ucfeni use the word cluster for a collection of nests, rather than a block of houses, but it’s the same thing. I see his nest long before we reach the private access bridge. It now has a middle walkway and a railing for me to use, but Dalahan doesn’t lower me to let me use it. Instead,heawkwardly slithers along the middle walkway, meant for me, just so I don’t screech at him to put me down. I hate when he spirals around these access spirals. I don’t care if he promises not to drop me. I always feel like I’m going to drop my stomach through my ass whenever we go round one. “You will bathe first. Our nest will not be smelling of other Ucfeni.”
“Oh? What if I don’twantto bathe first?” I snort as he coils on the spot to reel in the rest of his tail, before lowering me to climb down his coil to my feet.
“Your sense of smell and taste is not as sensitive as mine.” He whines, and I have to admit I like the sound of him begging. “Right now I can smell them all over you.” He waves a hand up and down my body, and a cautious part of me sees that I’m about to go too far. But I’m too tired to pay attention to the warning signs in front of me. The way Dalahan is leaning at bittooclose to me. How his hands open and close at his sides like he wants to touch me. The restlessness in his body language and green eyes.
“Why does that bother you so much?” I chuckle dismissively and push the door open. I was about to say something about the fact that a few kids giving me a hug and Luha giving me a shoulder massage shouldn’t be any reason to throw my ass in the bath. But he floored me.
“Because no one else’s scent should be on you.”
