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As if reading my mind, Natalie replied, “Hospital? Don’t you think that’s a little much?” She looked down at Sophie, who had burrowed her face into her mother’s chest.
“It’s only a few blocks away. The urgent care is all the way across town, and besides, they’re probably about to close. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” I put my hand on her back, rubbing in circular motions. I felt her relax some, her shoulders releasing tension, and she looked back up at me.
“Okay… you’re right,” she said, nodding tentatively. I kissed her on the forehead, then swooped Sophie into my arms.
“Fear no more, Soph, the First-Aid Flight is ready for take-off!” I simulated airplane noises as I carried her across the room, and despite the obvious pain she was in, I felt her giggling softly.
“Grab her jacket—the thick one,” I yelled. “I’ll take her now, meet us there.”
I saw something in Natalie soften, and she nodded acquiescently before running to Sophie’s room to grab her jacket. But I had no time to waste. Sophie needed help, and I was going to make sure she got it. Swiftly I carried her out of the apartment, and in a matter of minutes, we were arriving at the hospital.
“Mr. Mendosa, hello!” said the receptionist, in a disarmingly familiar tone. I read her name tag: Gretchen. I’d ask Natalie about her later.
“Hello,” I said, ignoring her familiarity. I looked down at Sophie. “We need a doctor immediately; she’s not feeling well.”
Gretchen also looked down at Sophie. “Where’s Natalie?” she asked.
“On her way, but please, we need a doctor.”
She nodded, then spoke over the intercom. “Attention, we need a pediatrician in the reception area, stat. Thanks.” She disconnected, and in a matter of minutes a doctor appeared.
“Dr. Elyaszadeh,” she introduced herself, shaking my hand. “And I see you’ve met our friend Sophie.”
“Yes, my name is—”
“Lucas,” she finished, but my face betrayed confusion. “I used to work intimately with Natalie… she’s told me wonderful things.”
But before I could respond, she took Sophie from my arms and turned on her heels. “Follow me.”
It was then that Natalie burst into the hospital, holding Sophie’s jacket and earmuffs, and looked frantically around for us.
“Natalie!” shouted Gretchen. Then, pointed to Sophie and me “Over there.”
Natalie nodded at Gretchen, then ran over to us.
“Natalie, long time, no see.”
Natalie nodded again. “Nice to see you,” she said, avoiding eye contact.
Without wasting another second, Dr. Elyaszadeh ushered us into her office, where she laid Sophie down on an examination table and conducted a series of tests. Natalie and I sat together in the chairs against the far wall, holding each other’s hands anxiously. Not that either of us suspected anything was seriously wrong, but the fact of our being in a doctor’s office made Sophie’s illness feel all the more real.
After a few minutes, Dr. Elyaszadeh turned to face us. Behind her, Sophie sat up on the examination table, sucking on a lollipop. “It looks like she has a slight fever,” she told us. “I recommend rest and lots of water, but otherwise, she seems to be in perfect health.”
Natalie and I let out simultaneous sighs of relief. “Thank you,” I told her.
Once we’d left the doctor’s office, I paid the hospital fees, and together the three of us made our way back to the apartment, picking up food on the walk home.
It was here, as the three of us sat on the couch and watched a movie, with Sophie lying between Natalie and me, that I began to realize just how happy I was, not just to have Natalie in my life, but Sophie as well. As I stroked her hair, I felt overwhelmed by a sensation I could only understand as the love a parent feels for their child. It was unlike anything I’d experienced before, and I was grateful to have found it, never mind the fact that I wasn’t her father. I would be there for her, and for Natalie. I would make sure they knew they were taken care of, and that they had a family they could rely on—even if that family was me.
25
BREAKING BREAD
Natalie
It wasn’t long after Sophie’s health scare that my parents reached out. The two events were seemingly unrelated, as I hadn’t made mention of it to them, but something in me suspected it was an intuition of sorts. They asked what I was doing that Friday, as they wanted to plan a family dinner and weren’t sure how much roast beef to buy at the market. Sophie and I had plans with Lucas that night, to go see a movie in a theater, but given that they hadn’t met him yet, I thought it might be a nice opportunity for formal introductions, and so I told them to make room for three of us. My parents said fine, and that was that.
Friday came around quickly, and before I knew it we were pulling up to my parents’ house—the first time all of us were visitors—Lucas noticeably stiff with apprehension.
