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Just a few more swings.
The late August heat was seething through every pore on your body as you swung your scythe. Just a bit more wheat left in the field until you were ready to preserve it for the winter. You could see the end of the bed approaching, but Yoba, did it feel like a gridball field away.
“Shit,” you groaned out as you maintained the right posture, swinging the tool back. That all too familiar peak season twinge sent a jolt from beneath your shoulder blade and down your arm. You couldn’t stop yet, but that old pain was seriously becoming less bearable. Swing and recoil, swing and recoil, you couldn’t help but bite down on your jaw with more force than your movements.
The end of the bed came, and you were finally able to put the heavy tool down, grabbing your harvest bin to collect the final stretch of grain for the year. Well, almost final, if you included the amaranth that was due for a harvest in about a month. Lugging your harvest bin and scythe up to your storage shed, you couldn’t help but dread the feeling of doing that for a whole entire day again, not with the state of your shoulder.
It had been a long while since you first noticed it; the pinch of a nerve hidden deep beneath your muscles on your right shoulder. It usually wasn’t too bad, but this time every year it always made an unwelcome appearance. You hung your harvest up to dry before checking the time, letting out a rough sigh of dissatisfaction.
Nearly half past two. A record slow day for you, something that you knew would only worsen if you didn’t tackle the issue at hand. You wouldn’t be able to get all of your crops out of the field before they overgrew at this rate. Searching through your overall pockets, you slipped out your phone, scrolling through your contacts before selecting your doctor’s name.
You bit at your lip, frustrated by the predicament you placed yourself in. It was a Friday, barely an hour left of the clinic’s working hours. If you had any chance of getting a walk-in, you’d have to drop him a call. But to see him in this state-
Harvey wasn’t exactly just a doctor to you. You’d come to share a lot of different aspects of your life, spending free time at the park, a glass of wine at the saloon on the weekends, you’d even run into him at a few live music shows in Zuzu City. This blurred the lines a little, something you’d subconsciously wished for since the first day you moved to the valley and brought in your medical records.
A line you hadn’t crossed, however, was showing up to an appointment without the courtesy of a shower and a clean pair of clothes. You hadn’t run into him in public at all without a little effort. But today, you’d spent the whole summer morning harvesting- clothes covered in chaff, soil, and dust, and body coated in a thick layer of grime.
Staring at his contact with a grimace, you weighed your options; face another week of high season labor without attending to your nagging pain and with the financial repercussions of a potentially failed harvest, or let your hot doc see you a little gross. Knowing you didn’t have a choice, you pressed the number, bringing it up to your sweaty cheek to hear him pick up within a single ring.
“Pelican Town Clinic, this is Dr. Harvey speaking. How can I help you?” Shit, he clearly had time for a walk-in if he was working the front desk.
“Hey, Harvey,” you spoke casually, forgetting the formalities with your exhaustion. “It’s farmer (Y/N). I was wondering if you had time for another patient today?”
“Hey there! Yes, of course. It’s been slow today. What’s the matter?”
“Long story short, I think I've got some sort of shoulder injury. Pinched nerve, torn rotator cuff or whatever, I don’t know exactly what, but it’s starting to get in the way of my work.”
“All-righty…” he drew out, clearly grabbing your file as he spoke. “Okay, I’ll get your chart filled while you make your way over.”
“Thanks, I’ll be there in a few.” You sighed, hanging up before he could respond. Quickly ducking into your house to change your shoes and at least wash your hands and face, you grabbed your wallet and headed into town.
It was only a few minutes before the end of the day when you stepped in, bell signaling Harvey to walk out the interior doors to greet you in the lobby.
“Hey, made it just in time. C’mon back.”
“Thanks, I’m so sorry I came so late. It took me a lot longer to finish today than it should’ve.” Harvey held the door back open for you, leading you into the back.
“I can understand why. Don’t sweat it, take a seat and I’ll get your vitals.”
“Alright,” you sighed, placing yourself on the exam table, cringing a little at the thought of the dirt you’d probably leave behind.
“So, tell me where the pain is.” Harvey directed as he busied himself with your blood pressure.
“Like, somewhere deep under my right shoulder blade. I can’t reach the spot with my hands to show you, but it's kind of above the center of it?” You tried to describe, lack of anatomical knowledge failing you. “It gets really bad this time of year.”
“This time of year? How many years?”
“Pff,” you blew through your lips as you tried to remember when it first started. “Jeez, since before I moved here for sure. Probably since college.”
“College?!” Harvey yelped, dropping the stethoscope from his ears. “You can’t be serious.”
You shrugged your shoulders in response, wincing a little at the pain.
“I haven’t had the time to get it checked out. My first few years here required a lot more of my time. Now though,” you trailed off, feeling a little ashamed for having held off on treatment. “I don’t know…”
“Better now than never. May I?” Harvey gestured to your back and you nodded, turning slightly so he could access your shoulder better. “Tell me when I’m close to it.”
“A little closer to the center, a bit- there,” you sighed, a little flow of relief at the notion of finding it as he pressed his fingers up against your shirt.
“Ah,” he noted, coming back around to face you. “This is a pretty common injury, pinched nerve for sure. It’s a bit inflamed right now, probably from all your hard work. I can print out some stretches and exercises you can do until the swelling goes down in a day or so, at which point I’d recommend you apply heat when you can. Have you finished most of your work for the week?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess so. Definitely got in the last harvest needed until this upcoming Monday.”
“Good g-,” he responded with a choke. “Take it easy until the inflammation goes down, don’t try to lift too much, and definitely don’t overcompensate with your other side. If you really need assistance, don’t be afraid to reach out. I know you can’t just stop your work, but you’ve got a whole town worth of willing helpers.”
“Thanks, Harvey,” you offered a half smile, admitting the defeat of needing rest during your busiest month. He helped you off the exam table and brought you back to the front, printing out a quick few pages from a file he’d already had open on his computer. Stapling them together, he grabbed a post-it and jotted something down.
“If any of the exercises don’t make sense, feel free to drop me a call on my cell phone. I’ll be around all weekend.”
“Oh, thank you,” you responded, a little raise in your pulse at having his personal number. “I’d hate to disturb your weekend.”
“Knowing you, we’d probably end up running into each other anyway.”
“You’re not wrong about that,” you laughed tiredly. “How much for the visit?”
“You’re good to go. I’m not going to charge you for a print out…” Harvey laughed you off, guiding you to the front door before you could make any further complaint.
“Oh, are you sure?”
“Positive, (Y/N). I have to usually beg you to come and get checked out annually. I’m going to consider this one a blessing.”
You laughed gently, careful not to agitate your shoulder further before waving goodbye with your free hand, taking a moment to roll back the pained shoulder after he retreated back into the clinic. Wincing immediately, you looked down at the pamphlet, giving the exercises a go the whole way home.
--
Sunday evening rolled in so very slowly. Your shoulder, although no longer screaming out in pain, remained a good deal sore as you sought out only your bare minimum tasks. You were counting down the hours until you could finally go to the baths, not wanting to further the inflammation with heat too early. As soon as five o'clock came around, you darted up, your pre-packed bag of your swimsuit and flip flops finding itself over your good shoulder as you headed out the door and up the mountain switchback.
The steps were the most exercise you’d had in over a day, going to show just how quickly a lack of work would affect you. You were going over it in your head again and again; you could not afford this injury. You never could from the start, everything requiring such immediate action. You could’ve taken care of it over one of the many winters you’d spent in the valley, but Harvey always seemed so busy during flu season that you never wanted to pester him with such a little thing. Not when he was always so generous. If he’d let you off that easily, you could only imagine how much work he did for free in the busier months.
The bathhouse was just up the next set of steps, your back aching mildly as you tried your hardest not to move your arms for momentum. You could hear the rushing water as you summited the steps, out of breath and eager to let yourself float amongst the steam. Inside, you changed gently, grimacing as you maneuvered your way through the straps of the top. Flip flops equipped and swimsuit haphazardly tied, you reached for your bag- fuck. You’d left the exercise guide in your living room, having used it during your lunch. In defeat, you closed the locker of your choice and slowly walked over the damp tiles into the bathhouse.
Beautifully empty, as Sunday evenings tended to be. You kicked off your shoes at the poolside before stepping in slowly, one toe testing the temperature and flicking it off at the sudden heat.
Suddenly, a door sounded from across the pool, sending your foot all the way in with alarm. You seethed for a second as you adjusted, looking over to see who entered from the other side.
Fogged glasses and green swim shorts adorned your doctor, the light from the pale blue pool reflecting off of him.
“Harvey?” you laughed out. Unbelievable. He really spoke no lies, you two were guaranteed to run into one another the moment you both had free time. “Is that you?”
“Hah!” a sharp laugh sounded from across the bath. “I should’ve known!”
You stepped in further, shaking your head with a small laugh. Shocking coincidences began to feel like routine, one of you always ending up near the other. Your heart rate jumped up a good twenty beats per minute or so; he’d probably tell you off for it, too.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got a bum shoulder as well?” you called, breathing sharply as the hot water poked your torso.
“More like preventative measures for me. I haven’t seen you here before.” He waded in after removing his glasses by the poolside, a bit faster than you could manage. You could tell he came often by the way he practically jumped in.
“Neither have I. I don’t make it up the mountain as often as I should.”
“Ah. I usually find myself here on Tuesdays after aer- uh, getting some exercise in.”
“Harvey, we go to aerobics together.” You tried to get in deeper, but you couldn't quite make it past your waist before Harvey waded his way over to you.
“Shh,” He raised a finger, earning a quip of laughter from you.
“Who are you hiding it from at this point?”
“The hill’s… they have eyes…”
“Oh my Yoba,” you giggled, having walked right into his dad-joke trap.
“Once you get in it’s not as bad. C’mon,” he glided to you from beneath the water, a wet hand reaching up to grab one of the ones you were subconsciously holding up beneath your chin, covering your chest. You extended your right hand out, attempting to take his, but the moment your weight shifted you collapsed, shoulder zapping you. “Shit!”
“Whoa there,” You fell into Harvey, grasping at his shoulder with your left hand as he guided you into the water, no splashes made. “Shoulder still giving you this much pain?”
“Y-yeah,” you twinged, the mixture of the sudden heat and residing pain disorienting you. “I’ve been taking it easy, I promise.”
“Hey, hey,” Harvey soothed, letting go of your weight and letting you find your own footing. “I believe you,”
“I’ve been doing the exercises too, all of them! I’ve been trying to memorize them but I left the pamphlet at home, I’m so sorry.”
“(Y/N), why are you apologizing? I believe you. You don’t need to defend yourself.” He reassured. “Just relax. You coming to the hot springs tells me you’re taking this seriously, not that you’d need to prove anything to me.”
Your neck immediately released a season’s worth of tension. He was right, you didn’t have anything to prove. The manic mindset of your injury equating failure; that was a Joja mentality. It seemed all those years spent behind a desk couldn’t be undone by a few on the farm.
“Thank you, Harvey,” you smiled at him. “For everything. I can’t even go to the bath without your help.” He lifted his chin, a chuff escaping his mouth in a mild version of his laugh from before.
“That’s not true. It’s just another happenstance. By the way, you should probably skip aerobics this week.”
“That’s for sure,” you responded, subconsciously reaching your hand over your chest to the top of your shoulder, clenching your jaw as you couldn’t quite reach.
Harvey’s face contorted in an unfamiliar way- his lips pursing and moving to the side as his brows furrowed. You caught his glance, about to ask what was up when you realized it- you’d never seen him without his glasses. Your hand fell into the water slowly as you looked into his eyes, finding them glued to your collarbone- no, shoulder. Definitely your shoulder.
“Do- do you need a hand?” he asked, eyes meeting yours after lingering a moment longer. Your eyes flashed, cheeks heating from the steam. “Sorry, I just, I know a few massages that might help. Nerve compressions…”
“Nerve compressions,” you repeated, nodding your head with permission. “Sounds, uh, sounds good.”
“May I?” Harvey’s hands breached the water, beckoning you to turn around. You nodded again, this time turning, making sure any lingering hair fell over your left shoulder. “Let me know when I’ve found it again.”
“Mhmm,” you nearly purred, hearing him wade just a little closer as his warm hands found your skin. He didn’t have to search, not really, as he placed his hands upon your shoulder and immediately slid them into place. “Right there,” you whispered.
“Right,” he confirmed, gently pressing his thumb into the space beneath your shoulder blade. Your neck arched back slightly, chin feeling the steam from the pool beneath you as it greeted the ceiling. “Let me know if I’m being too firm.”
“No, you’re good. Firm is good.”
“Alright, whatever you say,” he confirmed once again. Pressing in deeper, moving his hands this time, you let out a sharp sigh, being oh so careful not let any true vocalization out. Any hint of it would be greatly exacerbated in that echo chamber of a hot spring. He continued, moving up with his fingers, the steam keeping your skin slick beneath his trained hands.
Your head fell forward, no longer able to hold back the immense relief as each push of his hands felt less and less painful. It was like he was moving the pain out of your muscles, sending it on its way through your bloodstream, the cluster of muscle loosening.
“Yoba’s sake, I can feel how tense you are. When was the last time you were up here?” Harvey wondered aloud, albeit lowly.
“Yikes, maybe my first year here? After the rockslide cleared?”
“As your doctor, I’m going to encourage you to make a trip a little more often. And as your friend, I’m going to tell you to come up here as often as you can. You’re loosening up so easily after just being in the water for a bit.”
“You sure it's not the ‘nerve compressions’?” you bantered.
“I’ll let you be the judge of that,” he softened. You could feel his breath on your neck- if it weren’t for the toasty waters, your hairs would be standing taller than the mountain you sat atop of.
“Oh, fuck,” you groaned, bringing up a hand to slap over your mouth immediately afterwards. Harvey had just found the real core of the nerve, smoothing it out with one go. He eased up, but didn’t fully stop, as you turned your head ever so slightly to see him sucking in his lips and holding back a grin. “Please don’t laugh,”
Your plea broke him, making a breathy chuckle fall through his lips as you turned back around and placed your head in your hands.
“Don’t worry about it, please. It was just sudden,” Harvey continued, feeling you tense up beneath his hands again. “Hey,” he consoled, moving even closer to try and comfort you.
“It’s totally fine, I just surprised myself as well,” you squeaked out.
“I’m not going to judge you, (Y/N). I just want you to feel better,” he pushed your hair back over your shoulder, it having fallen back when you looked at him. “I want you to feel good.”
Looking out at the pool from your hands, you took in a steady breath.
What a thing to say…
Your body responded before you could think of a response, hands dropping back into the water and shoulders straightening for him. How obedient you were to his wants.
“Good,” Harvey squeezed the top of your shoulders before continuing back to the one at hand. “You’re doing great.”
“Mm,” was all you could offer in response. “Ah,” you let out a little more as he found that spot again, working it so well that you found yourself moving along to the same rhythm of his hands.
“Right there?”
“Yes, shit, Harvey,” you called gently, the release of your pain so good that you couldn’t care anymore. “Right there.”
“Good, good,” he croaked out, his voice… was his voice shakier than yours? You could hear him swallow dryly behind you.
“Wait,” you spoke, stepping forward in the water a little before turning back around, finding him riper than a cherry. “Harvey…”
“I’m so sorry,” he backtracked. “If it was too much, we don’t have to-”
“Harvey,” you tried to stop him, stepping forward as he stepped back.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,”
“Harv.” You commanded gently as his back found the edge of the pool. “You…” you tried to find your words as he scanned your face, blushed from ear to ear. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
He stared at you for a moment, the small hint of fear and shame on his face shifting into curiosity before he shook his head no, ever so slowly.
Fuck it.
You took another step towards him, dangerously close to his face.
“Hmm?” you hummed in the same tone of your previous question. .
“Not at all,” he answered back with a hush, features finally relaxing as your shoulder had before.
“Good,” you breathed, taking yourself just an inch from his lips before looking up at his eyes again, then back down. “You were doing so good.”
You placed a kiss on his lips, and he melted. He sank a little into the water as you wrapped your arms around his neck, his own finding their way to the small of your back to pick you up ever so slightly. You couldn’t help but moan into his mouth the way you had aloud before, silently begging for this outcome the moment you saw him enter the other side of the pool.
He greeted the sounds with his arms tightening around you, hands gripping to you like you could wash away in the spring if he let you go. Your lips broke apart, letting you gasp for air as you looked into his wanting, needing eyes.
“Are you in pain at all?” he asked, placing your feet back to the bottom of the pool before bringing a hand to your cheek. He wasn’t begging with those beautiful hazel eyes. He was checking on you, making sure you were being taken care of. Your heart seized momentarily as you let out a little sigh of exasperation.
“No, not at all. Not right now.”
“It might take some time for it to fully go away,” he continued, eyes focused just on yours, not your shoulder. He was nurturing you, not just your injury. “Let me help you around the farm this week. I know what you're going to say, but you don't have to worry about the clinic It’s the slow season for me, I don’t have anything scheduled. I want to help.”
“How could I even think of saying no to that,” you almost cried out, the internal weight of the situation lifting off of your pained shoulder. “Of course you can, Harvey.”
“It would be an honor. Plus, I’d finally get to see you work in those overalls you wore on Friday.”
Your jaw dropped at the bravado, a laugh finding its way out before Harvey pulled you in for another kiss. You happily obliged, feeling his smiling lips greet yours. His hands found their way beneath your thighs, lifting you up with ease beneath the water and beginning to move.
“Where are you taking us?” You laughed out, watching as he carried you through the spring.
Harvey smiled to himself, stopping for a moment to look back at the doors before pressing forward with a kiss to your collarbone.
“The next room,” he whispered, “a private bath.”