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Adeline’s hand falls to my leg. “I get it. I do. I wished I could turn back time so many times. That I would’ve played harder to get. If I did, would Damon have chased me?” She shrugs. “Doubtful, but I’ll never really know. Then I realized it didn’t matter. This little one brought us together, and that’s all that matters. So, relax. All relationships go at different speeds. No one is saying you need to be engaged, looking at houses or wedding dresses. And Cooper loves you, so trust him with your worries.”
I squeeze her hand on my leg. She doesn’t know Cooper though. If I tell him I want to slow down, he’ll be just like Bryce and think there’s something wrong. This is something I have to get over myself so that I don’t hurt him. And I will, I just need a little time.
Bryce comes back over, and Adeline shows us the pictures of the new house. It’s beautiful, with a small yard in the back for Clover. It’s not far from The Den but in a more family-friendly area of the city.
How can Damon take this all in stride? Up until two years ago, he was a womanizer, sleeping with women and never wanting a commitment. And now he’s married with a kid, wanting another one, and buying a house in an area with zero nightlife. Surely, if Damon can go from one to sixty in such a short time, I can too.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Wallace,” I say, sanitizing my hands and walking into the patient’s room.
There’s a man in there with a woman seated next to him on her phone. She tucks it away in her purse and gives me all her attention. “You’re Cooper Rice’s girlfriend,” she says. “The quarterback for?—”
“Yes, I am.” I offer her a smile.
“I just saw you on my feed. You two make a cute couple.”
“Thank you.” I turn my attention to the patient. “What brings you in today, Mr. Hunt?”
“I hope your man plays a good game on Sunday. There’s a lot of predictions out there that you could either make or break his game. It happens all the time, they get a girlfriend, and their game goes to shit.”
I offer him a wane smile and push down my frustration.
“Well, I hope so too. So, Nurse Janet told me that you have some stomach pain. Can you tell me where?”
“Right here.” He points to his lower right side. It’s in the area of his appendix. “I remember this one guy, I don’t even remember his name, but he was gonna be the next big player, his number had been called up like they say. Got himself a girl, and it all went to shit. I think he’s third string somewhere now, signing one-year contracts.”
“And how long have you had the pain?” I ask, not wanting to continue this line of conversation.
“About a week.”
“I don’t know how you girls do it. I could never date someone like that. All the competition for his attention. The out-of-town games. That man is gorgeous and could get anyone even if they didn’t know who he was, which I’m sure they do.”
I move over to the computer to pull up his file, trying not to engage.
“Can you give me a number one through ten for how intense the pain is?” I’m pretty sure I could give him a number. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that a man in pain wouldn’t be sitting here gossiping about my relationship instead of complaining about how much pain he’s in.
“An eight. It’s gotten worse tonight,” he says.
I type it in. “I’m going to send you down for a CT scan of the abdomen. It’s late, so the results should come back within an hour or so. We’ll go from there. I’ll get your bloodwork going as well.” I go to leave, but the wife stops me.
“You keep that man on a leash if you want him to stick around,” she says, smiling like she’s just delivering me good advice.
I manage a small smile and leave the room.
As I’m writing out the orders for his tests, Alice comes along one side of me with Hayes on the other.
“So?” they both say in unison.
I groan. “Not today, please.”
“We’ve been waiting all week to work a shift with you. You have to fill us in,” Alice practically whines.
“Is he good in bed? I bet he is,” Hayes says. “Men with that kind of confidence always are.”
I turn to one and then the other. “I have to work.”
I would be talking to them about this, but after the Hunts’ opinions, I’m not really in the mood.
“Well, I say it’s about time. I love Cooper and I love you, so the two of you together is perfection.” Alice beams, sipping the coffee she grabbed from the gourmet place down the block.
