[Kitsumi]

Ethan Emerson and Declan Kane
Continuation of this plot.

The doctor turned his frantic gaze to the clock on the wall. When the numbers weren’t what he had wished, he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth nervously. He had hoped to already be on his way to the restaurant now. Instead, he was standing in his bedroom, clothed only in the towel that was wrapped around his waist.


“I knew I didn’t have time to take a shower,” he grumbled as he hurriedly reached for the white t-shirt lying on his bed. Once he was completely dressed, having donned a beige sweater over the t-shirt and a pair of jeans, he made a beeline for the door, barely pausing to shove his feet into his shoes.


His hair was still wet, and he was pretty sure he was going to be late. All he could do was hope that Declan would be understanding of his tardiness.

[Kitsumi]

Chest heaving, Ethan paused in front of the diner to take a moment to compose himself before Declan saw him. The attempt was wasted, however, when he noticed the other man seated right next to the window, smiling in the doctor’s direction. Ethan smiled back sheepishly before pulling open the door to enter the restaurant.


“I’m so sorry I’m late.” He immediately began to apologize as he slid into the booth across from Declan. “I must have lost track of time in the shower. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”


“Don’t worry,” Declan said easily. His smile was meant to calm Ethan’s nerves, but only succeeded in giving him butterflies. “I only just arrived. Is this booth okay? I love to sit by the window so I can people watch, but if you wanted more private seating we can pick another spot to sit.”


Ethan shook his head. “No, no. This is fine.”

[Kitsumi]

The conversation lapsed into silence. Ethan took this chance to study his companion up and down, trying to be as subtle as possible about it.


Declan looked just as good as he had the first time that the doctor had seen him, perhaps even better. He wore a soft peach-colored shirt with the top two buttons undone, and the same cream scarf he had been wearing the day they had met. His hair was slightly tussled, probably from wearing the hat that was on the table to his left.


When Ethan finally looked at the other man’s face, he blushed slightly upon realizing that Declan was doing some staring of his own. He stood up a bit straighter, hoping that his appearance didn’t disappoint.

[Kitsumi]

“You look really good,” Declan said finally. “I like that color on you, too. It looks great against your skin tone.”


Ethan grinned shyly. “Thanks,” he said. “You look really good too. I see you’re wearing that scarf again - it’s good to see that the ursice cub didn’t do any damage with his nibbling.” The two men chuckled as they remembered how they had met.


“I feel like I owe that cub something,” Declan said. “After all, he helped me meet you.”

[Kitsumi]

Not knowing what to say, the doctor simply blinked in surprise at the statement. Was Declan really so happy to have been able to meet him? He tried to force his brain to work, to formulate a response, but he came up blank. Luckily, the appearance of their waitress saved him from having to respond.


“Hey there, welcome to Sally’s Diner,” the blonde said cheerfully. “I’m Kendra, and I’ll be your server today. If you need anything just let me know, okay? Can I start you two off with a couple of drinks?”


Once the two had ordered their drinks - water for Declan and an unsweetened iced tea for Ethan - the waitress left. This time, Ethan was determined to be the one to start the conversation.

[Kitsumi]

“So, what kind of work do you do?” Ethan asked. He hoped that it was alright for him to dive straight in with questions. Wasn’t that the whole point of a date? They were supposed to be getting to know each other. Surely asking questions was expected...right?


Declan didn’t seem the least bit surprised to immediately be faced with questions “I’m a writer,” he answered. “Right now, I’m writing articles for the local newspaper. I’m hoping to get one of my novels published soon, though. I’d like to break away from the articles and get more into creative writing.”

[Kitsumi]

Ethan nodded, smiling. “That doesn’t surprise me. Something about you made me peg you for the creative type right away.”


“Really?” Declan laughed quietly. “I’ve never had anyone notice that about me. You must be quite observant.” Their drinks had arrived, and he took a sip of his water before speaking again. “Is that observation a trait you use in the workplace?”


Even his way of asking about Ethan’s occupation was creative, and caused the right side of the doctor’s lips to curl into a half-smile. “I suppose you could say that,” he replied thoughtfully. “I’m a doctor. Now that I think about it, being observant probably is required for correctly diagnosing patients.”

[Kitsumi]

“Ah, I knew you were an intelligent man,” Declan complimented. “But I didn’t realize that you were that smart. Where exactly is it that you work? I’ve been looking around for a good doctor, seeing as I’m new in the area. Have any recommendations?”


Ethan rubbed his neck nervously. It was rare for him to speak about himself so openly, and he wondered how much he should divulge. “Well, I work at the nonprofit clinic when I can. But I’m actually privately employed.” He took a sip from his own drink, studying Declan’s expression in an attempt to know what the other man was thinking.

[Kitsumi]

The writer seemed more intrigued than anything. “What does that mean, privately employed? Do you have your own facility?”


“No, I think that would be considered more of a self-employment,” Ethan answered. “I’m privately employed by a single family. I’m on call for them at nearly all times. I am the primary physician for their entire family, as well as for all of the staff under their employment, and their guests as well.”

[Kitsumi]

Declan let out a low whistle. “It must be some special family. I’ve never heard of anyone privately employing a doctor. Are there a bunch of people in the family?”


The other man shook his head. “Actually, no. The family consists of only three people currently. But as I said, I also see to the needs of their private staff and guests. It actually takes up more of my time than you would think.”


“Wow,” Declan blinked in surprise. “You don’t work for the mafia or anything, do you?”

[Kitsumi]

For a second, Ethan just stared in shock at Declan. Then, he burst out laughing. “Oh, goodness, no! I could never work for anyone engaged in illegal activity. I mean, I’ll treat anyone who needs me. But I wouldn’t want a crime lord as my boss.”


“Thank goodness for that!” Declan gave a relieved sigh which was purposefully overly dramatic. “I was just trying to think of what sort of family has enough people working solely for them that they need their own private doctor. The first thing that popped into my mind was the mafia.” He played with his scarf, looking a bit sheepish. “I hope I didn’t offend you.”

[Kitsumi]

“You didn’t offend me,” Ethan assured the writer. “I understand that my occupation is a bit...confusing. I would love to share more details with you, but for the sake of my employer’s privacy I probably shouldn’t.”


“Oh, of course. I should have realized it was that sort of situation.” Declan tapped his chin thoughtfully. “In that case, I suppose I should ask you something else.” He pondered his next question silently for a few moments before speaking again. “Ah, here’s an easy one. Do you have any siblings?”

[Kitsumi]

The doctor laughed slightly. “Actually, that’s not the easiest question to answer. Not for me, at least.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “I was taken from my parents at a young age. I’ve done enough research to know that I have siblings somewhere, but I’ve never found any of them. At this point, I doubt they’d want to be found.”


Declan had leaned forward as Ethan spoke, without realizing it. Now, he sat back, placing his elbow on the table so that he could rest his chin in his hand. “Oh, geez. Apparently I keep asking all the wrong questions tonight! I’m sorry if I brought up any painful memories.”


“Oh no, please don’t apologize,” Ethan said. “It’s not a touchy subject for me. I’m simply afraid that the topic of my siblings isn’t one I know much about.”

[Kitsumi]

"What about you?" Ethan returned the question. "Do you have any siblings?" The only family that the doctor had spent a lot of time with was the family he worked for. And they weren't exactly a 'typical' family. So he was curious to hear more about Declan's family.

The writer shook his head. "I was an only child. My parents wanted more children, but my mother ended up with cancer when I was around four years old. She fought it for a long time, and we had several good years together before she passed away. But with the treatment and everything, having another child just wasn't an option for her."

[Kitsumi]

Before he even realized what he was doing, Ethan had reached across the table. His hand rested lightly on the other man's, a gesture that he hoped was as comforting and sympathetic as he had intended for it to be. When he spoke, his voice was soft. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said. "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand."

Declan smiled, turning his hand palm up so that he could give the doctor's hand a grateful squeeze. "I'm actually pretty open about the whole thing, but thank you for your consideration." He took one end of his scarf in his free hand, playing with it idly as he continued. "Like I said, my mother fought for a long time. We all had plenty of time to prepare ourselves. And while her death was probably the most painful thing I have ever experienced, I couldn't help but be a bit relieved that her suffering was finally over."