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“I don’t care what you say, Molly,” I tell my sister. “I haven’t done anything to deserve this.”
“Except strike it lucky in the gene pool,” Molly says, driving the car at a speed that borders on uncomfortable. “Did you tell me that everyone in that family is a doctor?”
“All except one, the older one. He’s the CEO of the clinic,” I tell her, gripping the dashboard. “Can you please slow down?”
She eases up on the gas. “You’re such an old fart. The beauty of this kind of car is the speed.”
“Can we get some ice cream, Mom?” James asks from the back.
“Sure, why not?” Molly says.
“Ice cream sounds great,” I tell the boys. I’ll enjoy my afternoon and then figure out what to do about this car in the evening.
The afternoon turns out to be an unplanned adventure. After getting ice cream, we head to the park and spend a couple of hours watching the boys run around and play. By the time we head back to my place, they are fast asleep in the car.
“We’ve worn them out,” Molly says proudly. “I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
“They are precious little things,” I say, staring at them fondly.
Back home, we move them from my car to Molly’s car. I can’t believe that I’m already thinking of it as my car even though I haven’t yet decided whether I’m going to keep it.
I wave goodbye to Molly and head into the house. It takes me another half hour to work up the courage to call Alec. He picks up his cell phone on the second ring.
“Ivy, hello,” he says.
“Hi,” I say. Silence falls between us, and then I do this embarrassing thing where I ramble to fill the silence. “I got the car, and it’s very nice, but I don’t think it’s the kind of gift you can casually give someone.”
“Why not?” Alec demands.
“It’s expensive,” I say weakly.
“So is jewelry,” he says.
“Where did that come from?”
“We’re looking at common gifts which are expensive.”
I picture him standing with his hand on his hip, trying to make sense of giving me a car as a gift. The image makes me smile.
“I was going to return it, but my sister convinced me to keep it,” I admit to him.
“I’d like to meet your sister; she sounds like a very reasonable human being,” Alec says.
“I still haven’t made up my mind,” I tell him.
“Just keep the car, Ivy. It’s really not a big deal, and you need a safe, comfortable ride for you and our baby.”
My heart skips a beat at the intimacy in his voice. Almost as if we were a real couple. I shake my head and rouse myself out of those dangerous thoughts.
8
Alec
I try Ivy’s phone one more time before entering the OR for an emergency procedure. It rings and rings but no answer. Being worried about someone is a new experience, and I don’t like it. It’s three in the afternoon, and we haven’t spoken all day.
I debated calling her in the morning but decided I might be coming on too strong. The first thing I thought about when I woke up was how Ivy’s night was. Did she have a good night? Did she get morning sickness? She’s carrying my baby, but on the other hand, we’re not in a relationship, so I cannot just bombard her with calls and text messages.
I turn off my phone and clear my mind for work. I cannot afford to have anything distract me when I’m cutting someone up to fix their body. Years of training kick in as soon as I put on my scrubs, and I forget about everything except the patient in front of me.
