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“Yes, what did change to take you two from just being friends to more?” my dad asks.
Cooper and I share a look.
“It was that Bradley, wasn’t it?” my mom asks. “I told Ryan as soon as I heard that it was going to spur Cooper into action if he really wanted our daughter.” She playfully pats Cooper’s forearm.
“That’s part of it, but I think we just got out of each other’s way.” Cooper shrugs. “But I was seething with jealousy seeing the two of them together, especially when she showed up at the game with his jersey on.”
My mom laughs and sips her wine. “I love it. I never could make this one jealous.” She glances at my dad. “His first love is medicine. So, it’s me being jealous until he retires. Even then, he’ll probably find some way to keep his toe in it.” She’s laughing, but I saw the times when Dad didn’t show up at my concerts or soccer games. When she’d have to make excuses and pretend it didn’t bother her. Or the nights he was supposed to be home, and she’d make a big dinner only for the two of us to eat at the breakfast bar. She always put on a good face, and I never knew differently until I was in high school.
“Oh stop it, Dana, you know I love you.” My dad sips his wine.
She smiles up at him. “I know you love me, but I also know what you love more.”
I cross my fingers that this doesn’t turn into a conversation about dedication and how he cannot just leave in the middle of a case. That it’s not a nine-to-five job. Plus, I’m not sure how much more I want Cooper to overhear, although he’s already aware of how my schedule changes.
“I have another announcement,” my dad says.
I look at my mom, and she shrugs, looking questioningly at my dad. Cooper’s hand finds my thigh, and he squeezes.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I just accepted a position at Sherman Hope in New York as Chief Medical Officer for them.”
He’s so excited that we all numbly push our glasses toward the middle of the table in cheers.
“But dad…”
He raises his hand at me. “Don’t worry, guess what position I’m filling first?”
I’ve never seen him so happy before.
“What?”
“Head of Emergency Medicine, and something tells me it’s yours.”
Cooper’s wine glass slips from his hands, but he grabs it right before it falls, only a splash of wine landing on the tablecloth.
I swallow at the sudden dryness in my throat. “What are you talking about?”
“Yes, Ryan, because you never discussed this with me. I have friends here, and the last place I want to live is in New York.” My mom downs the rest of her wine and reaches for the bottle, but Cooper grabs it first and refills her drink for her.
My dad totally ignores my mom’s comment. “I’ve already told them how I want you with me. Yes, the hospital is a little smaller than Mercy, but you’re going to love it there. The patient care is wonderful.”
“I’m not leaving Chicago,” I say, but at the back of my mind, I’m thinking about how being the head of emergency medicine at my age would be insane. Am I even ready for something like that?
“Why not? We just need to get Cooper traded to New York, or better yet, you can live separately for the season. You can still see one another.” My dad smiles across the table at me.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Cooper says.
I’m not sure if he means it or not, but his smile is genuine.
How do I leave him when we’re just getting started? A long-distance relationship doesn’t seem like the best decision for us, but then again, maybe it would be a natural way to slow down our trajectory.
Chapter 26
Cooper
I really hope my face shows the excitement I have for her and not how sad I am thinking of her living so far away from me. I won’t be able to stop in at the hospital or meet her after work. We’re just so early in our romantic relationship—can it survive the long distance?
