Chapter Text
Please don't make me waste a lifetime sitting in the waiting room.
He walked across the street and flipped off the person who almost ran him over.
"Pedestrians have the right away, ye bastard!" Jamie bellowed at the idiot driver and continued to walk towards the Royal Infirmary Hospital.
"What just happened?"
"A fucking idiot was trying to run a red light, even though pedestrians are crossing the street," he frowned, growing more irritated with his day. "I dinna ken why I have to get this done every single time I'm about to meet a potential employer, Murtagh. If I dinna get injured and go to the hospital before, then I'm perfectly fine."
"Ye've known this for the past 3 years, and for the past 3 years, ye've complained about it every single time. Have ye no’ gotten over it yet? It can't be that bad, right?" Murtagh asked his godsend, dubious of his godson's behavior.
"But it is!" He replies in a terse manner into his phone. "These waiting rooms are a breeding ground for sickness and making people pissed off with how they're being ignored for hours. A physical doesna take that long, ten minutes max, and I had to wait 2 hours last time."
"At least your day is relaxing and less stressful than mine. You don't have to deal with Mrs. Fitz yellin in yer ear about dinner and no’ hurrying the fuck up with the hunt. I already came back with a few rabbits this mornin', and now I have to go back out and kill a deer for her. And if I don't, she says, 'ye can cook yer own meal for the rest of the week.'" Murtagh sighs deeply with exhaustion and grunts into the phone. "So you can shut yer trap and have a nice day getting a simple physical exam. Goodbye, Jamie."
"Ugh, you're right. Sorry for all the complainin." Jamie exhales and rubs at his temple to relieve his growing headache. He rubs his hand against his jeans before saying, "Bye, Murtagh, and good luck with the hunt. I wouldn't want to have to prepare a eulogy because ye starved to death." He lets out a light laugh and ends the call before walking towards the hospital entrance.
The doors close behind him, and the smell of London rain and car exhaust is replaced with the smell of sterile equipment and latex. He takes a glance around the place, registering that the hospital isn't too busy at the moment. So it shouldn't take too long of a wait time, but of course, the universe loves to prove everyone wrong all the time. Jamie walks over to the reception desk, greeting the little blonde lady in the center.
"Hello, I have a 9:30 appointment for James Fraser," he says with a tight-lipped smile, grabbing his wallet to receive his ID. Not needing to grab an insurance card, as he would in the US because the UK healthcare system is simply better and less stupid.
"Morning, Mr. Fraser!" She greeted with unnecessary cheeriness, probably due to her attraction towards him if her wandering eyes were any indication. "I'm so happy to meet a fellow scot in these parts! It seems you're a wee bit early, but you can fill these forms out whilst ye wait, and I'll check in with the doctor to let them know you're here. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me personally," she states with the batting of her eyes.
He looks down at her name tad, discreetly. Laoghaire. I will personally make sure to not to find you if I have any questions.
"Thank you, Laoghaire. I will do just that. Do you mind telling me how long it would take for the doctor to see me? I just don't want to wait here for too long, but if I do at least, I have a nice lass like yourself to keep me company if I get lonely." He flashes a charming faux smile, leaning in to grab the forms from her. He hopes that with some flirtation, he can shorten the length of his torture. It looks like his efforts were working. The naive girl giggled and threw a coquettish grin over her shoulder before walking away from her desk.
Jamie rolled his eyes before turning back around to go towards the seating area in the waiting room. He sat down in an empty chair and tried to make himself comfortable. All in vain because the chairs supplied in these hospitals are not built for a 6'4" giant like himself, so his upper back will be sore in no time. He fills out the forms in 2 minutes flat, thanks to his years of experience filling out the same questions and circling the same answers. He looks up from the boring papers to assess how many exits and chokepoints there are in the place. His soldier and bodyguard senses have come in and taken over.
4 exits. One choke point leading to the ER.
Before he lived in the city and was a civilian, he lived every minute of his life balancing on the rope between life and death. Checking around every corner and dou-triple checking the ground for any tripwires and IEDs that could take him away from this earth. His anxiety used to be horrible when he first got out of the army; he used to panic whenever someone new entered a building. And when he heard footsteps outside his old apartment, he'd grab his baseball bat and hide in a dark corner, ready to attack. One time, he almost put one of his best friends, Angus, in the hospital after he came to his apartment without letting him know beforehand. His sister Jenny forced him to move to Lallybroch until he got his shit together. He never went to therapy, but living with his family and being around normal people helped with his anxiety. He stops his train of thought when he sees that Laoghaire returned to her station and walks over to give her his forms.
Jamie starts to walk over to her, and just as he starts to extend his forms towards the girl, a mass of brown curls knocks into his left side. All the forms and files the lady had scattered onto the floor. His exasperation for being knocked into and making experience here more difficult instantly disappears when his eyes land on the most elegant and alluring lady he has ever seen.
"Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, I'm so sorry, sir!" She exclaims, quickly bending down to pick up her files. A beautiful sassenach.
"Dinna fash, lass. It's just a small accident, no harm, no foul." He states in a hoarse and thick accent, with a small smile gracing his lips. His eyes stay trained on her, and his mouth gapes slightly at the sight before him. She's absolutely gorgeous. When she looks up to meet his gaze, her eyes are the exquisite shade of brown, looking like his favorite whisky, her cheeks flushed with the perfect shade of rosy pink, and her curly brown hair making a halo around her. Her expression turns from flustered to concerned when he continues to stare at her without moving a muscle.
"Are you alright, sir? Are you in pain? You look quite pale." She voices with concern, reaching out to put her hand against his forehead to check his temperature. All the nerve endings in his body get overwhelmed and lit on fire with the tingling sensation of her touch. And he suspects that she felt it too when her hand rapidly retracts like she was burnt from the touch.
"No, I'm alright Sassenach. Just a bit dazed from this lovely encounter." He states smoothly with a reassuring smile to calm her growing concern. "Here, let me help you with this small mess Dr...."
"Beauchamp. Dr. Claire Beauchamp. And you must be Mr. James Fraser... in for a physical exam." She states, looking down at one of his forms that she picked up, mistaking it for one of her own.
Ah Dhia, the way she says my name. I want to hear her say over and over again. I wonder what it would sound like when I had her in my arms, tangled in a mess of limbs and silky sheets. Wait. What the fuck am I thinking? I only just met the woman. Control yourself, Fraser!
"Aye, I am," he responds with another small smile, taking his form from her hand. He looks down at her left hand and notices that she isn't wearing a ring. They both stand once all the papers are collected and changed properly before continuing to stare at one another. The reverie between them is lost once Laoghaire clears her throat to snap them out of it.
" Mr. Fraser, I'll take those forms off of ye. And Dr. Duncan will see you in 15 minutes; she’s just about to finish up with another patient." She states with a smile but with a sharp glare pointed towards Claire.
"Oh, don't worry about getting Dr. Duncan; I can do Mr. Fraser's physical exam. I'm not doing anything important right now, and I'm sure Duncan wouldn't mind me taking a case off her load." She states with a beaming smile. Before Laoghaire could say a retort, Claire is already escorting Jamie to an exam room.
"After you, Mr. Fraser." She states, gesturing with her arm to go ahead of her.
"Jamie, lass. Please call me Jamie." He comments with a half-smirk, his hand moving on its own accord and settles on her arm. "James makes me feel a bit old... and I only get called James when my family wants to yell at me." He chuckles towards the end and walks over to sit on the exam table in the center of the room. With his back turned towards her, Claire lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding and lets the chill of his touch run down her back.
Mmmm, I wonder what other sensations I would feel if his hands traveled along my body. Feeling those rough hands touching my smooth skin, with his weight on top of me, and claiming me as his own. Ugh!! Stop it, Beauchamp. You are married and have a perfectly fine marriage with Frank. You should not have any sex fantasies with a complete stranger you just met 5 minutes ago. But I don't feel completely guilty about my thoughts, and Jamie doesn't feel like a stranger. Why is that?
She shakes her head to get rid of her wandering thoughts. "Alright, Jamie, do you mind taking off your jacket so I can hear a little better?" Claire asks, going back into doctor mode, putting on some gloves, and grabbing her stethoscope from around her neck.
Just breathe. Deep breaths, it's just a nice man. Albeit, he is a handsome, Scottish, red-headed giant that literally took my breath away near reception and is continuing to do so. I'm fine; this is only going to take ten minutes, then I can run away and scream internally. But then I would want to run back to him and feel those glorious arms wrap me up in a bundle of warmth.
He shrugs out of his leather jacket and places it on his lap. Claire walks over and places her stethoscope over his heart. "Deep breath for me," He inhales, his resting heart rate beating rapidly; maybe he's just nervous. Oblivious to him, struggling to keep his hands off of her, the smell of her hair filling his senses with notes of lavender and vanilla. Thank God he strategically placed his jacket over his lap. "And exhale."
He exhales and clears his throat before asking, "I hope I'm no’ being an inconvenience for ye. I was to wait for the other doctor if ye were too busy." He runs a nervous hand through his hair and ruffles up his long curls a wee bit.
She walks around to stand behind him and does the same procedure. "Deep breath. And don't worry about it. I wasn't doing anything important, and this gives me a good excuse to hide from some paperwork." Claire responded with a smirk.
"Is that the only reason?" He inquires, looking over his shoulder to meet her eyes.
"N-no, not the only reason," she mumbles quietly, avoiding meeting his gaze.
I just wanted to spend more time with you. A stranger that I find too attractive and maybe you can satisfy my libido, unlike my distant husband.
"Since I'm the one who ran into you, I thought I could make it up to you by doing your physical. I know the waiting room can take forever, and those chairs must not be comfortable for someone your height." She chuckles before adding in a low whisper, "I also enjoy your company." Claire looks up to meet his piercing blue eyes and flushes from the most sincere and softest expression she has ever received. Frank never looked at her with such adoration before.
He turns back, dropping his head down and smiling to himself after hearing her admission. "I'm glad." Her hands move to put her stethoscope under his shirt, and he panics. Quickly turning to place his hands over hers to stop them from moving forward to complete their task. Her body tenses, and emotions go from confusion, anger, fear, and concern from being stopped suddenly. He loosens his grip and bows his head apologetically now, not meeting her gaze. "Sorry, Sassenach, I'm- I'm just a wee bit self-conscious of an injury I had on my back from a while back. It makes me uncomfortable to have it visible to others. I dinna mean to offend ye by grabbing ye so forcefully; I just didn't want ye to see my back. Is it possible to continue the exam without lifting my shirt? I've had other doctors do it before."
His voice was so small and broken, riddled with shame and guilt. He didn't look anything like the Jamie she knew from moments before.
What happened to this beautiful man? Who would hurt you?
Her eyes started to well with tears from the thoughts of someone harming a sweet man like him. She places her stethoscope back on her neck and moves her hand to cup his cheek, forcing him to look at her. His eyes are full of mortification and remorse; it shakes her to her core. He closes his eyes and leans into her touch, bringing back the deep-seated warmth between them to the surface. "Jamie..." Her goal of comforting and reassuring him he did nothing wrong gets interrupted when they both jump at the sound of gunshots. Then Jamie is tackling her to the ground and pulling her against his chest against the exam table to protect her.
They hear the screams and cries coming from the ER. The cries for help are replaced with the sound of bodies thumping against the ground, making Claire shake and want to scream, but she can't because of Jamie's hand covering her mouth. Claire shifts to turn around and wrap her arms around Jamie's body, searching for all the comfort she can get being in his arms.
The intercom turns on, and Claire's blood runs cold when she hears the man say, "give us Claire Beauchamp, and nobody else has to get hurt today."
She lifts her head up from Jamie's chest to ask him, "why-why me? I haven't done anything. I-I should go. No one else should get hurt because of me." Her voice chokes on her tears, and she starts to move away, but Jamie's arms tighten around her, crushing her and making it impossible for her to move.
"I dinna ken why this is happening. I dinna ken why they would want ye but don't think for a second that I'm going to let ye walk away from me. I won't let them take ye away from me. I swear to ye that I will get you out of this nightmare alive, Claire. Do ye trust me?" He declares with a serious expression, looking down at her, waiting for her answer.
With my life.
"Yes. I trust you, Jamie."
Please don't make me waste a lifetime sitting in the waiting room.
He walked across the street and flipped off the person who almost ran him over.
"Pedestrians have the right away, ye bastard!" Jamie bellowed at the idiot driver and continued to walk towards the Royal Infirmary Hospital.
"What just happened?"
"A fucking idiot was trying to run a red light, even though pedestrians are crossing the street," he frowned, growing more irritated with his day. "I dinna ken why I have to get this done every single time I'm about to meet a potential employer, Murtagh. If I dinna get injured and go to the hospital before, then I'm perfectly fine."
"Ye've known this for the past 3 years, and for the past 3 years, ye've complained about it every single time. Have ye no’ gotten over it yet? It can't be that bad, right?" Murtagh asked his godsend, dubious of his godson's behavior.
"But it is!" He replies in a terse manner into his phone. "These waiting rooms are a breeding ground for sickness and making people pissed off with how they're being ignored for hours. A physical doesna take that long, ten minutes max, and I had to wait 2 hours last time."
"At least your day is relaxing and less stressful than mine. You don't have to deal with Mrs. Fitz yellin in yer ear about dinner and no’ hurrying the fuck up with the hunt. I already came back with a few rabbits this mornin', and now I have to go back out and kill a deer for her. And if I don't, she says, 'ye can cook yer own meal for the rest of the week.'" Murtagh sighs deeply with exhaustion and grunts into the phone. "So you can shut yer trap and have a nice day getting a simple physical exam. Goodbye, Jamie."
"Ugh, you're right. Sorry for all the complainin." Jamie exhales and rubs at his temple to relieve his growing headache. He rubs his hand against his jeans before saying, "Bye, Murtagh, and good luck with the hunt. I wouldn't want to have to prepare a eulogy because ye starved to death." He lets out a light laugh and ends the call before walking towards the hospital entrance.
The doors close behind him, and the smell of London rain and car exhaust is replaced with the smell of sterile equipment and latex. He takes a glance around the place, registering that the hospital isn't too busy at the moment. So it shouldn't take too long of a wait time, but of course, the universe loves to prove everyone wrong all the time. Jamie walks over to the reception desk, greeting the little blonde lady in the center.
"Hello, I have a 9:30 appointment for James Fraser," he says with a tight-lipped smile, grabbing his wallet to receive his ID. Not needing to grab an insurance card, as he would in the US because the UK healthcare system is simply better and less stupid.
"Morning, Mr. Fraser!" She greeted with unnecessary cheeriness, probably due to her attraction towards him if her wandering eyes were any indication. "I'm so happy to meet a fellow scot in these parts! It seems you're a wee bit early, but you can fill these forms out whilst ye wait, and I'll check in with the doctor to let them know you're here. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me personally," she states with the batting of her eyes.
He looks down at her name tad, discreetly. Laoghaire. I will personally make sure to not to find you if I have any questions.
"Thank you, Laoghaire. I will do just that. Do you mind telling me how long it would take for the doctor to see me? I just don't want to wait here for too long, but if I do at least, I have a nice lass like yourself to keep me company if I get lonely." He flashes a charming faux smile, leaning in to grab the forms from her. He hopes that with some flirtation, he can shorten the length of his torture. It looks like his efforts were working. The naive girl giggled and threw a coquettish grin over her shoulder before walking away from her desk.
Jamie rolled his eyes before turning back around to go towards the seating area in the waiting room. He sat down in an empty chair and tried to make himself comfortable. All in vain because the chairs supplied in these hospitals are not built for a 6'4" giant like himself, so his upper back will be sore in no time. He fills out the forms in 2 minutes flat, thanks to his years of experience filling out the same questions and circling the same answers. He looks up from the boring papers to assess how many exits and chokepoints there are in the place. His soldier and bodyguard senses have come in and taken over.
4 exits. One choke point leading to the ER.
Before he lived in the city and was a civilian, he lived every minute of his life balancing on the rope between life and death. Checking around every corner and dou-triple checking the ground for any tripwires and IEDs that could take him away from this earth. His anxiety used to be horrible when he first got out of the army; he used to panic whenever someone new entered a building. And when he heard footsteps outside his old apartment, he'd grab his baseball bat and hide in a dark corner, ready to attack. One time, he almost put one of his best friends, Angus, in the hospital after he came to his apartment without letting him know beforehand. His sister Jenny forced him to move to Lallybroch until he got his shit together. He never went to therapy, but living with his family and being around normal people helped with his anxiety. He stops his train of thought when he sees that Laoghaire returned to her station and walks over to give her his forms.
Jamie starts to walk over to her, and just as he starts to extend his forms towards the girl, a mass of brown curls knocks into his left side. All the forms and files the lady had scattered onto the floor. His exasperation for being knocked into and making experience here more difficult instantly disappears when his eyes land on the most elegant and alluring lady he has ever seen.
"Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, I'm so sorry, sir!" She exclaims, quickly bending down to pick up her files. A beautiful sassenach.
"Dinna fash, lass. It's just a small accident, no harm, no foul." He states in a hoarse and thick accent, with a small smile gracing his lips. His eyes stay trained on her, and his mouth gapes slightly at the sight before him. She's absolutely gorgeous. When she looks up to meet his gaze, her eyes are the exquisite shade of brown, looking like his favorite whisky, her cheeks flushed with the perfect shade of rosy pink, and her curly brown hair making a halo around her. Her expression turns from flustered to concerned when he continues to stare at her without moving a muscle.
"Are you alright, sir? Are you in pain? You look quite pale." She voices with concern, reaching out to put her hand against his forehead to check his temperature. All the nerve endings in his body get overwhelmed and lit on fire with the tingling sensation of her touch. And he suspects that she felt it too when her hand rapidly retracts like she was burnt from the touch.
"No, I'm alright Sassenach. Just a bit dazed from this lovely encounter." He states smoothly with a reassuring smile to calm her growing concern. "Here, let me help you with this small mess Dr...."
"Beauchamp. Dr. Claire Beauchamp. And you must be Mr. James Fraser... in for a physical exam." She states, looking down at one of his forms that she picked up, mistaking it for one of her own.
Ah Dhia, the way she says my name. I want to hear her say over and over again. I wonder what it would sound like when I had her in my arms, tangled in a mess of limbs and silky sheets. Wait. What the fuck am I thinking? I only just met the woman. Control yourself, Fraser!
"Aye, I am," he responds with another small smile, taking his form from her hand. He looks down at her left hand and notices that she isn't wearing a ring. They both stand once all the papers are collected and changed properly before continuing to stare at one another. The reverie between them is lost once Laoghaire clears her throat to snap them out of it.
" Mr. Fraser, I'll take those forms off of ye. And Dr. Duncan will see you in 15 minutes; she’s just about to finish up with another patient." She states with a smile but with a sharp glare pointed towards Claire.
"Oh, don't worry about getting Dr. Duncan; I can do Mr. Fraser's physical exam. I'm not doing anything important right now, and I'm sure Duncan wouldn't mind me taking a case off her load." She states with a beaming smile. Before Laoghaire could say a retort, Claire is already escorting Jamie to an exam room.
"After you, Mr. Fraser." She states, gesturing with her arm to go ahead of her.
"Jamie, lass. Please call me Jamie." He comments with a half-smirk, his hand moving on its own accord and settles on her arm. "James makes me feel a bit old... and I only get called James when my family wants to yell at me." He chuckles towards the end and walks over to sit on the exam table in the center of the room. With his back turned towards her, Claire lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding and lets the chill of his touch run down her back.
Mmmm, I wonder what other sensations I would feel if his hands traveled along my body. Feeling those rough hands touching my smooth skin, with his weight on top of me, and claiming me as his own. Ugh!! Stop it, Beauchamp. You are married and have a perfectly fine marriage with Frank. You should not have any sex fantasies with a complete stranger you just met 5 minutes ago. But I don't feel completely guilty about my thoughts, and Jamie doesn't feel like a stranger. Why is that?
She shakes her head to get rid of her wandering thoughts. "Alright, Jamie, do you mind taking off your jacket so I can hear a little better?" Claire asks, going back into doctor mode, putting on some gloves, and grabbing her stethoscope from around her neck.
Just breathe. Deep breaths, it's just a nice man. Albeit, he is a handsome, Scottish, red-headed giant that literally took my breath away near reception and is continuing to do so. I'm fine; this is only going to take ten minutes, then I can run away and scream internally. But then I would want to run back to him and feel those glorious arms wrap me up in a bundle of warmth.
He shrugs out of his leather jacket and places it on his lap. Claire walks over and places her stethoscope over his heart. "Deep breath for me," He inhales, his resting heart rate beating rapidly; maybe he's just nervous. Oblivious to him, struggling to keep his hands off of her, the smell of her hair filling his senses with notes of lavender and vanilla. Thank God he strategically placed his jacket over his lap. "And exhale."
He exhales and clears his throat before asking, "I hope I'm no’ being an inconvenience for ye. I was perfectly fine waiting for the other doctor if ye were too busy." He runs a nervous hand through his hair and ruffles up his long curls a wee bit.
She walks around to stand behind him and does the same procedure. "Deep breath. And don't worry about it. I wasn't doing anything important, and this gives me a good excuse to hide from some paperwork." Claire responded with a smirk.
"Is that the only reason?" He inquires, looking over his shoulder to meet her eyes.
"N-no, not the only reason," she mumbles quietly, avoiding meeting his gaze.
I just wanted to spend more time with you. A stranger that I find too attractive and maybe you can satisfy my libido, unlike my distant husband.
"Since I'm the one who ran into you, I thought I could make it up to you by doing your physical. I know the waiting room can take forever, and those chairs must not be comfortable for someone your height." She chuckles before adding in a low whisper, "I also enjoy your company." Claire looks up to meet his piercing blue eyes and flushes from the most sincere and softest expression she has ever received. Frank never looked at her with such adoration before.
He turns back, dropping his head down and smiling to himself after hearing her admission. "I'm glad." Her hands move to put her stethoscope under his shirt, and he panics. Quickly turning to place his hands over hers to stop them from moving forward to complete their task. Her body tenses, and emotions go from confusion, anger, fear, and concern from being stopped suddenly. He loosens his grip and bows his head apologetically now, not meeting her gaze. "Sorry, Sassenach, I'm- I'm just a wee bit self-conscious of an injury I had on my back from a while back. It makes me uncomfortable to have it visible to others. I dinna mean to offend ye by grabbing ye so forcefully; I just didn't want ye to see my back. Is it possible to continue the exam without lifting my shirt? I've had other doctors do it before."
His voice was so small and broken, riddled with shame and guilt. He didn't look anything like the Jamie she knew from moments before.
What happened to this beautiful man? Who would hurt you?
Her eyes started to well with tears from the thoughts of someone harming a sweet man like him. She places her stethoscope back on her neck and moves her hand to cup his cheek, forcing him to look at her. His eyes are full of mortification and remorse; it shakes her to her core. He closes his eyes and leans into her touch, bringing back the deep-seated warmth between them to the surface. "Jamie..." Her goal of comforting and reassuring him he did nothing wrong gets interrupted when they both jump at the sound of gunshots. Then Jamie is tackling her to the ground and pulling her against his chest against the exam table to protect her.
They hear the screams and cries coming from the ER. The cries for help are replaced with the sound of bodies thumping against the ground, making Claire shake and want to scream, but she can't because of Jamie's hand covering her mouth. Claire shifts to turn around and wrap her arms around Jamie's body, searching for all the comfort she can get being in his arms.
The intercom turns on, and Claire's blood runs cold when she hears the man say, "give us Claire Beauchamp, and nobody else has to get hurt today."
She lifts her head up from Jamie's chest to ask him, "why-why me? I haven't done anything. I-I should go. No one else should get hurt because of me." Her voice chokes on her tears, and she starts to move away, but Jamie's arms tighten around her, crushing her and making it impossible for her to move.
"I dinna ken why this is happening. I dinna ken why they would want ye but don't think for a second that I'm going to let ye walk away from me. I won't let them take ye away from me. I swear to ye that I will get you out of this nightmare alive, Claire. Do ye trust me?" He declares with a serious expression, looking down at her, waiting for her answer.
With my life.
"Yes. I trust you, Jamie."