Page 72 of The Doctors Will See You Now

“No. No drama. Ever.”

“Pshh!” She laughed. “Okay, William. Good one.”

“Cassie!” Georgia scolded. “Back off. You’re scaring Melody.” My eyes narrowed. I appreciated the backup, but normally Cassie and my sister played on the same damn team. I didn’t trust this new development.

“I’m okay,” Melody offered. “Really. A day in our office is a little bit like an episode of Dallas.”

“You work together?” Winnie asked excitedly, and Melody’s eyes jumped to mine.

No. I hadn’t shared that little detail.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “Melody is my nurse.”

“Ohh,” Cassie breathed, grabbing Melody by both hands and yanking her toward herself. “Are you his naughty nurse? Thatcher and I could really use some ideas for that role-play.”

“Gross,” Georgia muttered, grabbing her tea to take a sip.

Carefully, I reached down and untangled Cassie’s hands from Melody, asking, “Can we sit down now, please? We’re hungry and on a schedule. It took a little effort to sneak both of us out two times in less than a week.”

I looked at Georgia pointedly. She’d all but insisted that we come to lunch today.

“Fine, fine,” Cassie acquiesced. “Sit down. Eat pussy. Doesn’t bother me.”

“Oh, Cass, geez,” I snapped, noticing Melody’s eyes were now the size of saucers.

Georgia had employed her own tactic, covering her ears and chanting, “La La La, that’s my brother, La La La!”

“Sorry, Melody,” Winnie apologized. “Cassie has zero filter.”

Melody’s cheeks were pink, but all in all, she recovered nicely. “Oh, that’s okay. I’d be in trouble if I were bashful with this guy around. The other day he had a woman come in for an exam with a laminated phone number in her vagina.”

I sank my head into my hands. “Oh, here we go!”

“What?” Georgia yelled. “That is incredible! You have to tell us everything!”

“Dish, diva!” Cassie commanded.

And she did. For the next twenty-five minutes, I watched, enthralled, as Melody inserted herself into their little circle seamlessly. I didn’t even really mind that ninety percent of her material came from embarrassing stories about me. I’d sacrifice myself as long as she felt comfortable.

“You should hear the way she—” I said, hoping to actually add something to the conversation.

“You know what I just realized,” Cassie interrupted now that someone with a penis was trying to talk. “There’s a chance we could have a little birthday baby!”

“What?” I asked. “Whose birthday is in late July?”

She rolled her eyes. “No one’s. But Big Dick’s is at the end of June.”

“But then she’d be having the baby a month early,” Winnie pointed out, and I nodded.

“And?” she said, waving her off with a swat.

Winnie looked to me and bugged out her eyes, prompting, “Will?”

Cassie’s hard stare turned to me swiftly. Her look was nearly as sharp as I knew her tongue could be, so I dropped my sandwich onto my plate and cleared my throat as a means to gather my courage. “As a medical professional, I’d have to advise against it if at all possible.”

“Ugh,” she huffed. “What do you know!”

Melody’s eyes came to me, and let me tell you, they were wide. “Um, you’re only the head of obstetrics at St. Luke’s Hospital,” she leaned close and whispered.