Title: Why So Blue, Doctor? (a mini swoonfic)
Author: Catherine



For the ER swooners.   Enjoy!  --Catherine ;-)

*****
Why So Blue, Doctor?

It was a warm day in the Cove, and Christy longed to feel the cool spray
of the river and rest under the trees along its banks.  As she traversed
the mountain trail, she grew hotter and hotter.  She paused to rest, and
noticing no one else about, unbuttoned the cuffs of her sleeves and
rolled them up above her elbow.  "That's much better," she thought. 
Glancing up through the canopy of trees when she heard a mourning dove
coo, she blinked into the sun dancing among the leaves.  Today was a good
day to be alive.

At last, she came upon the rushing river.  Nothing else looked more
inviting than the cool water and she stepped close to the edge.  Closing
her eyes, she let the mist kiss the skin of her face and arms.  Soon, a
shiver raised goose bumps all over her arms and legs, and she hugged
herself in response.

"Surely you're not cold, lass.  It's hotter than blazes today. 
Especially for May."

The deep brogue caught her unaware and she jumped.  "Doctor, I didn't see
you."

"I know."  

His mischievous grin and twinkling eyes unnerved her even more, and she
laughed nervously.  "I'm surprised you can stand wearing that flannel
shirt, Doctor?  Don't you have something cooler to wear?"

"Aye, but this is a new shirt.  Don't you like it?"  With thumb and
forefinger he pinched the fabric at the breast pocket and pulled it out
as if to show her more closely.  

"Yes, of course, it's a very nice shade of indigo, but…"  she stammered.

"Women…" he shook his head "…never can dress to please them."

Flustered, Christy hurried to apologize.  "Really, Doctor, you can wear
whatever you want.  I only meant the material itself must be very warm. 
The shirt is very nice, but might be more appropriate in fall weather,
don't you think?"

"You're right.  What was I thinking?"  With that, the good doctor began
to unbutton his flannel shirt right in front of her.

"Doctor MacNeill!  What are you doing?"

"Taking off this hot shirt, of course."  He finished with the last button
and shrugged out of the sleeves, tossing the shirt over a nearby shrub.

Christy let out a gasp and stared unblinking at the doctor's unmistakably
blue skin.  Distracted by the unusual color, it took a moment for his
extra large chest and big muscles to register.  She couldn't take her
eyes off him.

"Why so blue, Doctor?"

"Well…you made that remark about my shirt…"

"No, I meant why are *you* blue?"  She pointed to his chest to clarify.

As he surveyed himself, he shrugged.  "It's a new shirt," he said,
matter-of-factly.

"Didn't you wash it first?"

"I said, it's new."  His brow furrowed with increased agitation at
Christy's extreme concern about his clothing.

Christy grew quite warm from looking at the blue doctor.  The breeze off
the river did little to provide relief.  "Aren't you going to put
something on?"  With great effort, she pried her eyes away and intently
gazed at a nearby tree trunk.

"Why no," the doctor exclaimed, "I've got to wash off this blue stain."  

Before she could reply, the doctor was in the river.  Christy stared in
shock at the puddle of his pants on the shore where he'd left them a
moment before.

Amazed, she saw Doctor MacNeill, waist deep in the river, wielding a
brown bar of soap and scrubbing vigorously on his chest and arms, paying
particular attention to his armpits.  He paused mid-scrub to wink
devilishly at her.  Feeling weak in the knees and faint, Christy found a
mossy spot by a tree and leaned against the broad trunk, deliberately
facing away from the river.

Moments later, he was sitting beside her, bare-chested and shining with
wetness.  As he leaned in close, his curls dripped water on her blouse
and arms.  She saw immediately the dye that had bled onto his skin had
been successfully removed by his impromptu bath.

"Is that better?"  He stared intently into her eyes, and Christy, not as
innocent as she sometimes appeared, knew exactly what that look meant.

"Yes, Neil, much better."

With that, he drew her against his
no-longer-blue-but-still-extra-large-muscle-bound-chest and gave her a
long, deep, toe-curling kiss.

"Just promise me one thing," she murmured into his ear, his damp ringlets
tickling her cheek and neck.

"Anything, lass."

"Let me know the next time you buy a new shirt."
*****



        
The End!