Chapter Thirty
Reid
I brought Poppy back to the office today.
She loves greeting everyone from her cat bed at the front desk and Martha and Amanda enjoy her company too.
But man is she a bitch to get in the carrier.
You’d think by now, she wouldn’t give me so much trouble.
I’m really questioning how Caroline got her to our clinic so easily.
Speaking of, I asked Caroline to meet me for lunch today.
I haven’t seen her since my call for help over the weekend, but our discussion left me wanting so much more.
Her break time at the hospital seems to line up with my appointments, so this is my attempt at warming her up.
I’m not sure what either of us are looking for here, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to take her on a real date.
I feel like we both have grown into such different people since we last left off and still have so much to discuss.
She’s like a drug that I got a fresh taste of and now I’m hooked again, begging for more.
I sneak out the back door without saying goodbye to anyone, with just my keys and wallet in hand.
I crank up the truck and take my last swig of sugar free Redbull, as I throw it in reverse and pull out of the lot.
Approximately three Morgan Wallen songs later, I'm pulling up to the public parking lot on Maple Street. I hop out and throw the door closed. I’m not sure what’s got me feeling so confident, but I’m still just happy she agreed to meet up with me.
Heading towards the sidewalk, I see Caroline’s car pulling up into the lot, so I head over to her door and open it for her.
“Good afternoon, my lady.” I bow and gesture for her hand to help her up. It’s weird seeing her in her work uniform outside of the hospital, but she probably thinks the same about me. At least we match each other’s vibe of scrubs for this lunch.
“Thank you, kind sir.” She matches my faux English accent and places her hand in mine. She’s relying on my strength a little more than usual with her growing belly throwing off her balance. She grabs her giant purse and I close the door behind her.
“Bold of you to be seen out here in the open public with the town harlot. Are you sure you want to stand so close to me on the sidewalk?” She jokes, but there’s an underlying seriousness to her tone.
“Harlot? Oh please. I think you mean goddess.” I fiercely stick out my hand in an offer to take hers in mine.
“Oh wow, are we on hand holding terms now? You really are brave. I’m not sure the town will recognize this goddess in all her swollen glory.” She jokes, but I can feel a sense of nervousness shift between us both.
“Just trying to win brownie points by helping out the pregnant lady,” I say as if it’s no big deal.
“Ah, I’m so glad I could fulfill your charity work for the day,” she says, rolling her eyes.
I just smile and wink at her because I know this banter could go on and on and she would never accept a true compliment, so we’ll keep it playful for now. Walking up to the diner, I pull open the glass door and let her in, seating ourselves in a corner by the front window.
Broccoli cheddar soup with a baguette for her, a club sandwich for me, and iced teas for both.
We sip our drinks after the server takes our menus and puts in our order.
It’s been simple small talk up to this point, but how long can we pretend we’re just old pals and beat around the bush?
Finally, she breaks the ice before I grow the balls to do so.
“So, how is your dad doing?” Caroline politely asks.
I debate whether to give a nice, short response, or to actually share the hard truth. I pause and let out a breath, “He’s doing alright… Still struggling with some mobility issues. I think it’s finally taking a toll on my mom though.”
“Ugh, that’s got to be so hard. I’m sorry. Your mom is so sweet, I hate picturing you all having to handle that. Is there anything I can do to help?” She seems genuinely concerned.
“Wanna move in with me?” I laugh and say this as a joke, but am I really? It sounds outrageous, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it once or twice.
She nearly chokes on her straw at that.
“Excuse me?” She says, wiping her mouth off on the back of her hand and widening her eyes.
“I’m kidding… kind of. My parents want to sell the house.” I express, pressing my lips to one corner.
“No! Not the Oak Street home?!” She sounds horrified at the idea.
“Yup, my mom thinks it’s time to downsize and find something a little more manageable as they age.
I’m trying to convince them to let me fix it up and keep it in the family.
The only problem is, I didn’t picture myself without a family at this point in life.
” I explain, sharing a little more than I had planned to.
“Not sure what to say to that…” She hesitates, seemingly overwhelmed by my longwinded answer.
“Oh, you don’t need to say anything. I’m just venting. How’s your… um… situation going?” And I’m back to beating around the bush over here.
“I can’t do it.” She glances down at the napkin in her lap. She seems defeated, but also eager. As if she had been anticipating someone asking her this.
“I can’t bring myself to take it.” She continues on, “I even reached out to Grant to let him know about the gender results, to give him another chance to be in her life. But his response just reaffirmed my decision to never go back there.”
I wasn’t sure what sort of terms or communication her and Grant were on, but I honestly wasn’t expecting this information. I’m not sure how to respond or what sort of support she’s looking for at this point.
The quiet freckled blonde comes back to our table with a tray of food and sets it down in front of us. I swear the servers show up at the most awkward of conversational times. Either way, I thank her and eagerly dig into my sandwich, happy for the distraction.
“Wow. This looks delicious. I was starving for anything but hospital cafeteria food.” Caroline seems to light up at the diversion as well.
I can't even respond with anything other than a closed mouth “mhmm” as I chew a large bite. We are silently eating when she takes a break with a sudden giggle.
“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I went back for my check up this week and do you remember the little old lady at the front desk of the OB office?” She interjects, abruptly.
“With the pink glasses? Of course, how could I forget? She was basically drooling all over me.” I recalled the secretary of the doctor’s office that gave off the weirdest vibes.
“I went to check in without thinking anything of it, and she goes ‘No boyfriend today?’ I said uhh… nope, just me. Because I obviously didn’t feel like explaining things to her.
And she completely drops her face and says ‘Oh, well make sure you bring him back with you next time.’ The woman wanted nothing to do with me unless you were there.
” She says, pausing in giggles between each sentence, as she tries to get the story out.
I busted out laughing. “Damn she really isn’t afraid to ask for what she wants, huh? You know who she kind of reminds me of?”
“Hmm?” She answers, finishing off the last spoonfuls of soup.
“Roz from Monster’s Inc… that slug. Do you remember her?”
She refrains from spitting out said spoonful of soup.
“I’m dead. Yes I do, but how on earth do you even remember her name?” Caroline asks.
“Oh I still watch that movie. You don’t?” I quip back instantly.
“No, I think the last time I saw that was probably in your parents basement when we were like 18.” Her eyes look up, as if scanning her brain for the memory.
Our laughter slowly dies off and becomes somber as we try not to discuss the past.
“Ahh good times. Well this was delicious, but I have to get back to the clinic before our next patient arrives.” I say, wiping my mouth and placing my napkin over my plate.
“Yeah me too, I never take lunch breaks this long. Oops.”
I get up to pay at the counter while she grabs her purse, then walk her back over to her car. As we go to turn our separate ways, I turn back around over my shoulder.
“Thanks for listening today. Let me know if you need another appointment boyfriend any time soon.” I smile as I yell back and walk towards my car.
“You too. I’ll be sure not to let the OB staff down next time. Prepare to be drooled all over.”