Rowan put a fresh pair of gloves on and pulled his mask back up onto his face. He sat down on his stool again and adjusted the lamp. “Sorry, I know that’s bright. Feel free to close your eyes. We need to see right to the back,” he explained.
Charlotte nodded and closed her eyes as instructed. A few minutes passed whilst Rowan double checked all the instruments. I quickly slipped a paper bib around Charlotte’s neck.
“Right. Let’s get this show on the road. It shouldn’t take too long, Charlotte. The tooth will be out in less than a minute and then it’ll be another five maybe for me to reform that tooth next to it.”
The girl nodded a little and made a noise of acceptance before opening her mouth again. Rowan didn’t waste any time – he slid the elevator tool in, and I handed him the forceps. It took him less than a minute to rock the tooth free from Charlotte’s gum. He quickly placed it on the square pad of cotton wool I had laid out before turning back and plugging the hole with cotton wool.
“The bleeding should stop within the hour, alright, Charlotte, but it’ll go on no longer than twenty-four hours. If it’s still bleeding then, there’s something wrong and you need to get in touch. The wound will probably take about a week to heal up.” He informed her, clicking the correct head attachment into the drill and leaning in to get a better look at the tooth that was previously next to the other one.
“Max, can you hold that for me?” Rowan handed me the mirror and I pushed it to the back, pulling Charlotte’s cheek away and angling it for him to be able to see clearly what he was doing.
It took little time for Rowan to remove the old filling and replace it with a new one. Soon, he was pulling his mask down and pushed the lamp out of Charlotte’s eyes.
“That’s all done. Everything’s fine – you might get a bit of aching for the next day or so, but it shouldn’t last. As always, feel free to get in touch if you have any problems or concerns.” He smiled kindly and I handed Charlotte a small paper cup filled with mouthwash. She took it gratefully from me and rinsed her mouth out.
“Thank you very much.” Charlotte gave Rowan a lopsided smile due to the anaesthetic. I removed her bib and threw it in the bin before Rowan helped her up to her feet and disappeared to show her out.
As usual, I was left feeling impressed by Rowan’s skill. Even more so, knowing how difficult it had to have been to hurt her. I yawned and stretched my arms above my head, moving to start clearing up.
Chapter Seven
That night I laid in bed, wide awake. I was tired, I could feel the tell-tale weight in my limbs, yet no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t seem to doze off. I rolled onto my back, kicking my covers in frustration. I knew the reason why I was still awake.
I glanced across into the darkness to where I had set my phone down for the thousandth time and sighed heavily, tucking the duvet tight under my chin. Suddenly, the room lit up with an eerie glow I knew could only be from my phone. I sat bolt upright and snatched it from the side table.
’It had better not be anyone else’I thought to myself as I unlocked the screen. My stomach flipped when I realised it was exactly who I had hoped it to be.
ROWAN: Sorry if I wake you. I couldn’t sleep. We could go to that new restaurant on Saturday, if you want? You seemed keen on it this afternoon.
I smiled to myself, tapping out a reply.
MAX: I can’t sleep either. I’m really not bothered – I was just kind of making small talk about that place today. I’ll let you choose where we go. You probably have better taste in date locations than I do.
A reply came through swiftly.
ROWAN: I don’t know how you figure that. I’ve only been on a handful of dates in my entire life.
I was a little taken aback at first, wondering how that could possibly be true. Then I remembered how young Rowan had married. It was almost sad to think he’d missed out on so much freedom and fun he should have experienced when he was younger.
MAX: Great – so that’s both of us at a loss then! I have high hopes for this date already.
I teased and awaited the reply.
ROWAN: Surely, you’ve been on thousands of dates?
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I typed out a few messages before finally sending:
MAX: Not so many that I have any idea where we can go. Don’t worry about it, you could take me to the local tip, and I’d still be ecstatic.
ROWAN: I doubt that, but thank you, that makes me feel a bit better. No matter what I choose now, it will always be better than taking you to the tip.
I laughed softly to myself, but before I could type out a reply, another message came through.
ROWAN: I’m sorry for what happened at work today, by the way.
I pressed my lips together, trying to put the kiss out of my mind as I typed a response. I desperately wanted to ask him what had happened on the phone with his wife, but instead I said:
MAX: That’s alright. You can shove me against a door anytime.
