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Lucas
Ihad to hand it to Brooke. She had an inviting way about her which put Shannon immediately at ease. But in addition to her warm personality, she was clearly competent. Not that I’d been worried, but this side of her was drastically different from my first impression of the crazy girl at the bar. Of course, witnessing this new aspect of her did nothing to quell my attraction. Quite the contrary.
“You have time to see my newest purchase?” Chad inquired, pulling my attention away from his wife.
There was no good reason to say no, and since this was Brooke’s appointment, I could manage a few minutes. “Yes, of course.”
Chad was a big-time basketball agent for the LA Lakers and, as a serious sports buff, collected all types of memorabilia. Although I enjoyed watching a game or two, my busy work schedule didn’t give me time to be a diehard fan for any sport.
“I acquired this Michael Jordan autographed jersey the other day. Cost me thousands.” He led me into his office, a shrine to all things sports, including the newly framed jersey of the famous Michael Jordan.
Never one to spend money on frivolous shit or try to impress people by mentioning the price, I forced a false smile. “It’s incredible.”
“I sure hope we have a boy at some point; otherwise, who will inherit all of this?”
My brow furrowed at the sexist statement. “Your daughter might become just as into sports as a son.”
“Yeah, maybe.” He put his hand through his hair as if the idea hadn’t occurred to him. “Hey, you seeing Antonio next week?”
Antonio was a rookie with the Lakers. Since moving to the LA area, he’d suffered from allergies. “Yeah, I see him again on Tuesday. So far, the allergy meds I prescribed are working well for him.”
“Terrific. Glad you could fit him in. Any chance you could get him painkillers for his back?”
Here’s where my job was starting to get tricky as I took on more athletes and stars. I wasn’t a paid prescription drug dealer. No matter how much money was offered, I’d never compromise my ethics. “As I told him, ice, massage, physical therapy, and Motrin will do the trick. No need for narcotics. Especially at his young age.”
He sighed but seemed to understand from my tone there was no room to negotiate. “Yeah, okay. You’re probably right.”
Chad might find another source for his player, but I hoped not. The kid was twenty-two and in prime shape. A sore back was something he could play through with proper care. A narcotic would only mask the pain and possibly cause further injury. “He’s a healthy guy. Simply needs to do the exercises and stretches before his workouts.”
“Yes. I’ll definitely pass that on. Guess we should get back to the ladies. You banging the new doc? She’s a sexy treat.”
My low-level irritation with him spiked. “The new doctor is a colleague, and your wife’s new OB.”
He was quick to dismiss his inappropriate comments. “Yeah, of course. Let’s get back.”
Brooke had the sonogram hooked up by the time we came out to find Shannon on the sofa. “The positioning looks good for this little girl. Do you have names picked out?”
“I already told Shannon I have dibs on the boys’ names, and she can have the girls’ names. Any chance the last doc was wrong, and we’re actually having a boy?” Chad asked, hope eternal in his voice.
Brooke handled the asshole question beautifully. “The DNA test you had done is ninety-eight percent accurate. Coupled with the imaging completed last week to confirm, tells me you are definitely having a girl.”
“Bummer. But next time. Right, babe?”
Shannon either was accustomed to her husband’s asinine comments or didn’t want to make a scene in front of us. “Yep. Next time for sure.”
Brooke finished up the exam, and we packed up. We didn’t speak until we were in the car and pulling out of the driveway.
“What an asshole,” she said on an exhale.
Yes, he was. “I’m sure you’ve dealt with your fair share.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I have, but he makes the top ten. As if having a girl is somehow an inconvenience until they can get to what he truly wants. You would think after having fertility challenges and going through IVF, they’d both just be happy with a healthy baby.”
“Yeah, you would think so.” I found myself curious. “If Chad was only one of the top ten, who was your worst?”
“Ah, number one goes to a patient’s husband I had to deal with last year. After I did a post C-section visit in the hospital, he followed me out into the hall and propositioned me. Without any shame. As if it was perfectly natural to ask me to come over to his place while his wife recuperated from childbirth in the hospital. So yeah, I’ve dealt with my fair share of assholes.”
I was immediately indignant on her behalf, but checked my anger lest it appear like jealousy. “Unbelievable. You okay with two more appointments before breaking for lunch?”
