by Lexy Timms
“I didn’t know.”
“No one did…does. I didn’t want special treatment because of it, nor did I want anyone to think me unprepared to finish my residence.”
“I highly doubt anyone finds you incompetent, Dr. Thompson-Bennet.”
“I’m getting shi—crap for a doctor’s appointment that I squeezed in between surgeries. An appointment that took fifteen minutes! Other residents take longer than that in the bathroom!”
Dr. Fulton stood, apparently annoyed. “I didn’t call another resident in here, I called you in.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Had you been honest with me from the start and told me about your situation, I may have been a lot more understanding. There are protocols to follow when medical staff are pregnant. I assume Dr. Bennet knows this and was taking precautions for your fetus?”
“The baby is doing fine.” Doctor or not, the little peanut growing inside of her had always been a baby… or a peanut. She thought about when Elijah had kicked her out of the room to run the navigational X-ray. “Dr. Bennet is very aware. So am I. We’re both careful.”
He strode around the desk and slipped his white lab jacket on. “Good. However, since you are twenty weeks, I don’t think you’ll be able to keep this secret much longer. I’m happy for you and Dr. Bennet, but don’t let it get in the way of your work. You’re here to learn and right now it’s with me.” He headed toward the door.
“It won’t.” She turned to follow him.
“Good. I had high hopes for you.” He shook his head. “Shame it’s not going to happen now.” He sighed. “Come now, another surgery awaits.”
Pardon? Charity hesitated before hurrying to catch up with him. Had he just hinted that he wasn’t going to take her on next year? She wasn’t supposed to know, so she shouldn’t be disappointed, right? Then why was she? She straightened. Screw it! She didn’t want to get into cardio anyway.
Three more weeks under him and she would be moving on to the Emergency rotation. She tried to make herself feel better. She grinned behind Dr. Fulton’s back. It wouldn’t be her begging to have her back.
Mandy and the other three interns on their rotation were waiting for them just outside a patient’s room who was about to go into surgery. Mandy mouthed, ‘What happened?’ when Dr. Fulton had his back to her. Charity crossed her finger by her neck and pretended to make a dead face, and then she shrugged.
The surgery took two hours and Dr. Fulton had another intern lead. He barely spoke to Charity, which only infuriated her more and more throughout the surgery. As Tyler, the other intern, was closing, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket for the sixth or seventh time. She stood by one of the medical staff and ignored the look he sent her. For some reason, the vibration sounded loud, like a bee flying in the room.
“Sorry,” she whispered using her hand to cover the phone in her pants and shifted her weight to her other leg. She also needed to pee. The entire stupid situation had her wondering why she had even decided to come back to do this. It wasn’t for the money. It wasn’t so she could see Elijah more. She had a decent job that she could do working from home. She was having a baby! Why did she think this was a good idea? Her jaw clenched tightly. She did not plan on dropping out of med school again. Her father and Elijah had pulled strings to get her in, and she restudied and worked her butt off the past four months.
“… and we are finished.” Dr. Fulton clapped Tyler on the back. “Well done.” He checked the patient’s stats. “Those of you on call today can stay back. Those of you who are finished, there are a stack of mock patient’s files that you need to asses. I want them on my desk before you leave. Grab them from the nurse’s station.”
Another hour of work. Charity checked her watch. Her father would be at the airport now and Elijah’s mother should be somewhere at customs or baggage claim or just coming out now.
Charity followed Mandy out of the OR and to the nurse’s station to collect the rather tall looking pile.
Mandy waited for Charity. “What happened earlier? It sounds like the star pupil is in the dog house.”
Charity rolled her eyes. “It’s ridiculous.” She saw the lady’s bathroom sign. “Can you hold this a second?” She handed her files to Mandy and nipped into the toilet. She washed her hands and after drying them remembered to check her phone.
Elijah had texted several times.
Glad to hear all is good with the peanut! Heading home shortly to prepare for Mum’s arrival. He made a shark at the end of the sentence.
He texted again an hour later: Just leaving now. Got pulled into a surgery.
Her father sent a message as well. At the airport. Margaret’s plane is on time. I’ll take her back to my house since you and Elijah are both at the hospital.
Elijah messaged her again: Ordering Thai. What will your father want? Or should we do something else?
Two minutes later he sent another. Charity scrolled through. Changed mind. Going to pick up steaks and BBQ. I will take care of everything…
Or we can go to the Twisted Cork. What do you think?
Ten minutes later came his last text: Let’s not do Twisted Cork. No fair if you can’t drink. I will buy steaks… and chicken in case you feel like it instead of red meat. Love you.
Charity sent him a text to say she was out of surgery and had files to fill out. She would be done in about an hour.
She made her way out of the bathroom as she typed. Her phone vibrated as she headed toward Mandy. She checked it again.
Her father messaged: Margaret arrived. About to head to my place.
An image Charity knew she would never be able to erase formed in her head. She sent Elijah a text to let him know dinner would have to be at her dad’s. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Mandy handed her the stack of files back. “Was that you in the room buzzing away?”
Charity nodded. “Elijah—Dr. Bennet’s mom is arriving today from New Zealand.”
“Fun. I think. Is she the right kind or bad kind of mother-in-law?”
Charity pursed her lips. “Not as bad as I initially judged her. She’s nice. I don’t really know her all that well. I’ve met her twice. Once for a funeral and once for a wedding.” Elijah’s dad’s funeral and Charity’s wedding, but she didn’t disclose the details.
“Is she getting a taxi from the airport?”
“Actually my dad offered to pick her up. Elijah’s taking care of dinner.” Charity shrugged. “Apparently everything is organized.”
“Except for the stack of files Dr. Fulton gave us, which he is never going to check except to see if we finished. What’s his problem today? He’s always tough on you, but it’s like he went out of his way this afternoon” Mandy pushed open the door that led to the library/office style room they worked in.
Charity sighed. Everyone was going to know by the end of the week now. “I’m pregnant.”
Mandy nearly dropped her stack of files. “You’re jokin’.”
Charity nodded. “Nearly twenty weeks.”
“Seriously?”
“Yup. We haven’t told anyone. First we were waiting till we hit the three-month marker and then we decided to wait until Elijah’s mom arrived. We’ll tell them tonight and by tomorrow everyone in the hospital will be buzzing about it.”
Mandy held her hand up. “High-five sister! Congrats!”
Charity slapped Mandy’s hand.
“You don’t even look pregnant. I can’t believe it.” Mandy made a face. “That’s going to be hard. Having your baby while trying to do your residence.”
“I know. I wanted to try and get in as much as I could before and then take a bit of a break before I came back. You doing your boards this year?”
Mandy nodded. “You too?”
“I figured I would wait till next year. I need more surgery practice time and I have no idea what I would like to specialize in or how it’s all going to work once the baby’s born.”
“You don’t need to wait. You’re a good
surgeon.”
She didn’t feel ready. Not even close. “We’ll see.” She flopped down into one of the hard plastic chairs and opened the first file. She glanced at the same file in front of Mandy. “Want to do these together? Maybe try and cut the written work in half?”
“Heck yeah!”
Three-quarters through Charity sent Elijah a text: Can you pick me up in half an hour? Maybe swing by our place first? My black dress is hanging in the closet, I can change here so we can head straight to my dad’s place. Pretty please?
Elijah replied: At your dad’s now. I’ll come grab you and then we can swing by the house.
Shoot! She should have figured he would head over there. Her dad had probably been texting both of them updates and if he had the whole afternoon off, he had most likely headed to their house after picking up steaks. She felt bad he had to come pick her up. She should have driven separately into work this morning. I can take the subway and then catch a cab. Saves you having to drive to come get me. It’s fine.
His reply came back instantly. It’s not okay, silly. You are not taking the subway. I’m already on my way. See you in 25min.
“Lover’s quarrel?” Mandy teased.
Charity rolled her eyes and tossed the next finished file into her pile. “Terrible, terrible fight.” She grinned.
“Those ones have the best make-up sex.” Mandy pointed her pen to Charity’s mid-section. “That’s probably where that came from.”
“Probably.” Charity opened the next file and made a face. “Ugh! This’ll kill the sex-buzz.”
Mandy opened her file and glanced over the page. “Yuck. I hear ya.”
They continued working through the files, reporting and finding courses of treatment, discussing what surgery, if required, would be needed.
They wrapped up, handed the assessed files back to the nurse's station and clocked out. Elijah was waiting for her just outside the resident’s locker room.
“Hello, Dr. TB,” he said when she stepped out. He wore a pair of jeans, a white shirt and leather jacket. Movie star hot man. He slipped his arm over her shoulder. “How was work today?”
“You don’t even want to know.”
“That bad?”
She waited until they were in the elevator alone. “Dr. Fulton called me into his office. He blew up because I left after surgery for my appointment.”
“Did you check with him yesterday or this morning before you left if it was alright?”
Charity frowned. Whose side was he on? “I thought we weren’t telling people.”
Elijah watched the red light change to lower numbers. “You should have cleared the appointment with him first. What happens if the surgery had run late? Would you have left midway through?”
She frowned. “Of course not. That’s how I missed last week’s appointment.” She stepped out of the elevator and waited for Elijah to lead her to where he had parked the car.
“You could have just told him you had an appointment.”
“I was gone fifteen minutes. Half the resident’s take longer bathroom breaks!” The conversation was sounding like déjà vu from earlier today.
“Doesn’t matter. They aren’t you.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “What is with all of you thinking I’m this particular goddess of life or something? Is it because I’m Dr. Thompson’s daughter or Dr. Bennet’s wife? Is there some image I am supposed to uphold?” She was taking her stress of the day out on him. She knew it, but couldn’t stop herself. She should have cleared the appointment with Dr. Fulton. The mistake was hers alone. Whatever excuse she wanted to make, she knew better.
Elijah stuffed his hands into his coat pockets as they stepped outside into the cold night air. “Come on, Charity. You know you’re a cut above the other interns here. You’re a superior surgeon, have a natural instinct and even with a six-year hiatus you are simply better. Don’t be modest about it. Just accept it. It’s a good thing.”
She was near tears again, and not just from the cold wind blowing in her eyes. “You have no idea the amount of pressure I am under to succeed,” she muttered, staring at the ground and kicking a stone out of her way.
Elijah sighed. “There is no pressure except what you are putting on yourself.”
“Bull crap!” Great! Now they were going to have a fight and then try and pretend everything was perfectly normal when they arrived at her dad’s place. “Why don’t you just drop me off at the house? I’ll see your mom tomorrow. You can tell her I’m exhausted.”
“No way! You are coming! We are telling our folks tonight. You said yourself you didn’t want your dad to find out from someone else at the hospital.”
“Who have you told?” She wasn’t about to admit her blabbermouth had told a threesome today.
He hesitated before answering, apparently knowing it would get him in trouble. “I told Simon.”
“And?”
“That’s it. Just Simon.” He unlocked the car with his keychain. “I know you told Julie. Simon said.”
She was going to shoot Julie. That woman could not keep a secret! “Yeah. Dr. Fulton knows too. So does Mandy.”
“Who’s Mandy?” He pointed to the hospital behind him. “The resident?” He shook his head. “So we have to tell your dad and my mum tonight.”
She threw her hands in the air before jerking the car door open. “Fine! Let’s go straight there right now.”
“I thought you said you wanted your black dress from the house.”
“For Pete’s sake, Elijah! Who cares what I’m wearing? We can walk in the house, tell them we’re having a baby and then you stay and have a drink and I’m going back home. I’m tired, hungry and in no mood for company.” She threw her hands up. “Fine, let’s go to our place first so I can change.”
Elijah pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward their house. He didn’t say anything.
Charity stared out the passenger window refusing to look at or acknowledge him. She clenched her jaw tight. If this was what the first five months were like, what were the next four going to be? It was a bloody nightmare! She shouldn’t have gone back to do her residence. It was a stupid, stupid mistake.
Elijah slowed the car and turned into their driveway. He set it in park but did not shut it off or make an attempt to get out of the car. “Charity.” He sighed. “What do you want to do? What do you want me to do? Or say?” He waited until she looked at him before speaking again. “I’m trying to do everything right, but just seem to be blowing it up instead. If you want to stay home that’s fine, but my mother just took a twenty-hour flight to come see us, so I’m going back.” He stared at her with confused eyes.
Charity wanted to cry… again. For probably the millionth time today. “No, I’ll go.” She opened the car door. “I’m sorry. I had a bad day and I’m taking it out on you. That’s not fair.”
“You don’t have to apologize. Residence is frustrating. I remember that clearly. It’ll get better, you’ll see.” He opened his door and followed her to the front porch. He unlocked the front door and held it open for Charity.
“I’ll get ready fast.” She stepped through the threshold of their house.
Elijah reached out and hugged her. He kissed the top of her head. “I love you Charity Bennet. With all my heart. And I’m beyond excited you are having this baby. You are doing a fantastic job juggling everything you do.”
She slipped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his shirt so he wouldn’t see the tears. When she went to sniff her runny nose and snorted instead, she giggled. “Sorry. That slipped.”
“Better your nose than your bottom.”
Charity’s head popped up and she burst out laughing. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”
Elijah grinned. “My father always had a million and one phrases for whenever something bad – extraordinary happened. Guess I’m turning into him.”
Charity stepped back and untangled her arms from around his waist. “Let me go c
hange. I’ll be ready to go in five minutes.” She headed for their room but stopped halfway there before she spun around and raced back him. “I love you, Mister Elijah Bennet.” She pressed her hands over her growing belly and made a heart shape over the top of the small bump. She slipped her hand into his and tugged his arm gently towards the hallway. “I was thinking about this the other day.”
“Thinking about what?” Elijah allowed her to lead him.
“If my dad and your mom like each other. What if they, say, got married? Where would they live? He’s not going to leave the hospital and your mom doesn’t seem the moving kind.”
“She wants to move out of the big house.”
“Yeah, but would she move here to America?” Charity couldn’t picture it.
“Maybe they’ll be snowbirds.”
“Snowbirds?”
“Spend six months here and the other half of the year in New Zealand.” Elijah chuckled and then started laughing harder.
“What’s so funny?”
“Imagine they married? Your dad would be my step-father and my father-in-law. What would that make him? My step-dad-in-law?”
Charity sniggered. “Then that would make you my half-brother. You’d be my half-brother husband.”
“That’s gotta be illegal somewhere.”
“How about we just let them live together in sin?” Charity giggled. “My dad’s probably just in it for the sex.”
Elijah playfully pushed her away and nodded toward the bedroom a few feet away. “That’s my mother you are talking about! Go get dressed young lady, and think about what you are saying!”
Charity hurried to the room, tossing a comment back at him over her shoulder. “If I recall on our honeymoon, your mom gave my father a heart attack. And you said they were messing around. You started it.”
“You’re just like your father, never forget anything, do you?”
Charity’s laughter echoed from the bedroom and down the hall as she changed. “You’re the one who married me and then knocked me up!” She loved how he could turn her horribly, bad mood into fun. Yeah, I’m going to keep him. Forever.
