27. Dodged That Bullet
DODGED THAT BULLET
“It’s so nice to have you back here, Gabriela, even if it’s only for two days.”
“Thanks,” she said ten days later. They needed coverage in Boston and she was off. They didn’t really ask. Or they kind of did, but the underlying message was if she didn’t have plans, she really should take it.
And by plans, that meant something more than going to the gym or doing chores around the house.
Since Luca was working until Sunday anyway, it wasn’t that big of a deal to stay in Boston until Saturday morning. No reason to rush to catch a ferry on a Friday night when she finished either.
“How do you like it on the island?” Cassie asked.
“I’m really enjoying it. It’s not as fast-paced as here.” She was looking over her appointments for the day. Jam-packed. Some hours had four in them depending on the reason for the visit. Others two.
She really hated that she couldn’t spend more time with her patients.
Or maybe she was getting used to having that luxury on the island most times.
“It seems like we are busier than normal,” Cassie said. “Or there are so many out sick. Last week they were able to steal a nurse practitioner away from another practice to cover for Dr. Nixson. She woke up with a fever. Caught what was going around.”
“One of the things that always happens this time of year when you work around so many sick people.”
She almost always got some kind of cold in the fall and again in the spring. Thankfully, nothing that put her down for the count lately.
“Don’t I know it,” Cassie said. “I had it last month. Hopefully, I’m good for a bit. At least you’ve got a few days here to get out and do something fun. Got anything planned? Any guys you can catch a drink with? Though we won’t get to hear any funny stories because you won’t be here on Monday.”
She curled her lips some. Guess she hadn’t realized how much she talked about her personal life at work.
No one in their office knew yet that she and Luca were dating. Kind of funny now that she thought of it.
Of course it was not like her family was going around announcing it.
And no one saw the two of them together at work. The last time they were together in such a public setting was a month ago at the hospital fundraiser.
Their first night together in bed.
But since in public they spent just as much time away from each other and socializing with other people, and everyone was told she was introducing him around, no one thought much of it.
Hmm, guess that was going to be another conversation they’d have to have soon.
“No plans. I’ll catch the ferry back on Saturday and relax. Though I might bum dinner off my mother on Friday night. Depends on their plans and the weather.”
“I heard we’ve got snow coming on Saturday. I’m kind of excited about it.”
“Me too,” she said. Her head shook a tiny bit, sending her snowflake earrings floating around her head.
She had them on most days now. It seemed to fit.
What she wasn’t so excited about was the cold and the wind when she walked to work this morning.
There was no reason to fight for a parking spot when it only took five minutes to get here.
That was the appeal to her condo. Driving would have taken her twenty, half the time to drive, but when you add in finding a parking spot and walking from there. Yeah, not worth it.
One of those nice conveniences on the island. No traffic! Plenty of places to park.
“Those are pretty earrings,” Cassie said. “Are they new?”
“Yep, they are. A gift for Christmas,” she said cheerfully. “And we should get a move on.”
“On it,” Cassie said.
Two hours in, eight kids down, and she was already behind. A sick visit meant there was no chance this would be a quick fifteen minutes.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Gabriela,” she began—then stalled.
Shit.
The man standing in front of her was unmistakable. The guy from the mixer months ago. Three kids. Too much confidence. Too memorable of a smirk.
“Brian,” he said, rising to his feet and giving her an unapologetic once-over.
Did he recognize her? It was hard to tell. The look could have meant I know you or I like what I see. Possibly both.
She ignored it, shifting smoothly into doctor mode. “And you must be Jonah. You don’t feel good today?”
“He’s got a cold sore on his lip that won’t go away,” Brian said. “It’s been over a week now.”
“Let me take a look,” she said, taking a seat and rolling her chair closer. “Those lips look pretty chapped. Does it hurt?”
Jonah shrugged.
“I keep telling him to use Chapstick,” Brian added. “Even my aunt has tried Vaseline, but he hates the taste.”
“Your aunt?” she asked, glancing up.
“She watches my kids.”
That did it.
Any lingering doubt slammed shut.
“Vaseline definitely helps, but in this case, it looks like you’ve got a staph infection.”
“How did he get something like that on his mouth?” Brian asked. “If he were an adult, I might not question it. Or could make some joke.”
She barely kept the roll from her eyes.
Not funny. Not here at least. Nope, not at all!
“Children aren’t always so good about washing their hands. With his cracked lips, it’s an open sore. He easily could have transferred bacteria there if he touched his mouth.”
“Of course he touches his mouth,” Brian said, laughing. “When he eats.”
It was said almost as if silverware was never used in the house.
“That is most likely the way he contracted it.”
“So how is it treated?” Brian asked.
“Antibiotics,” she said, turning back to her computer. Good. In and out in under fifteen. “Oral is best for something around the mouth.”
“Isn’t it always.”
She paused. “What?” she asked, already knowing.
The smirk confirmed it. A crude joke. In front of his kid.
Maybe in a bar she would have rolled her eyes. Maybe even laughed. But here? With a six-year-old sitting two feet away?
Nope.
She didn’t react. Didn’t bite. Just shifted gears like she’d never heard him at all.
“Jonah,” she said pleasantly, “do you want chewable antibiotics or liquid? I’m guessing pills aren’t your thing yet.”
Most six-year-olds didn’t swallow pills. Thankfully.
“Chewable,” Jonah said.
“Perfect.” She typed quickly. “I’ll send that to your pharmacy. Anything else you’re concerned about today?”
“So I can’t touch the baby now?” Jonah asked.
Her fingers stilled. “Baby?”
“He’s getting a little brother,” Brian said.
She lifted her brows. “That’s exciting. Congratulations, Jonah. When is your mommy due?”
“It’s not my mom,” Jonah said.
She coughed—harder than necessary.
“It’s my ex,” Brian added easily. “But, you know, we’re working things out. Baby’s due in a few weeks.”
Of course she is.
“This should clear up well before then,” she said, already standing. “If it doesn’t improve by the time the antibiotics are finished, or if it worsens, please call and bring him back in.”
She opened the door, rolled her computer into the hallway, and didn’t slow until she turned the corner.
The moment she was out of sight, she shook out her arms like she’d brushed through some creepy crawling things.
“Are you okay?” Cassie asked.
She exhaled. Since she rushed through that appointment, she had to get this off her chest. “You want a funny dating story?”
Cassie’s grin spread. “Always.”
“Oh, I’ve got one.”
She leaned against the wall and lowered her voice. “Okay. So. Really fast. A couple of months ago I went to a mixer here in Boston.”
Cassie’s eyes lit. “Okay. Tell me, did you just see him here?”
“Saw him. Treated one of his kids,” she said. “And he was sending me the same look in the exam room as he did in the bar. Thankfully, he didn’t realize who I was.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Men like that, they don’t really absorb anything. Three kids, different mothers, thought he was charming. Turns out he’s apparently collecting kids like loyalty points.”
Cassie covered her mouth. “No way.”
“Yes. Fourth baby on the way. His son just let that slip. And it’s with the ex. Due in a few weeks.”
Cassie winced. “So he was out cruising women while he had another baby on the way?”
“He was,” she said flatly. “Smirking. Making a dirty joke about oral antibiotics in front of his kid.”
Cassie groaned. “Oh, that’s foul.”
“I ignored it,” she said. “It was hard, but I pushed through with full professional mode. I smiled. I redirected. Then treated the cold sore. But the whole time I’m thinking—dude, are you actively shopping for Baby Mama number five while your ex is pregnant with number four?”
Cassie laughed. “At a pediatric visit.”
“At a pediatric visit,” she repeated. “Like I’m going to look at this situation and think, Yes. This is the life path I want.”
Cassie shook her head. “The audacity of some people.”
“Tell me about it.” She held her fingers up in a pinch. “I was so close to asking him if he was working things out before or after the mixer when he’d made a comment about making it work.”
Cassie snorted. “I would have paid to see your face.”
“Oh, I was calm,” she said. “Too calm. That’s how you know it was bad. I got out of that room in record time and immediately felt like I needed a shower and to find the closest place for a sage cleanse.”
Cassie laughed. “Well, look at it this way. At least you dodged that bullet.”
“Dodged it?” she said. “I watched it whiz past my head in slow motion and thanked every life choice I’ve ever made allowing me to see a loser on the first glance.”
“Now,” Cassie said, “that might just make it easier for you to find the one.”
She grinned.
She might have already found him, but she couldn’t very well say that.
Not without having another one of those serious conversations with Luca first.
Considering the last one they had about Zoe wasn’t horrible, and ended up with them naked, maybe he was more ready than he thought.
Or it could be wishful thinking on her end.