Page 166 of Wait for Him

Tomorrow, a doctor. Whether she likes it or not.

I grab my phone off the counter and dial Jenn. It's funny. I'm surrounded by people I consider family now, and I couldn't tell you exactly when that happened. Jenn and her fiancé Joseph are expecting their first child, and she has been extremely vocal about every side effect of said condition, which currently makes her the resident authority on feeling like absolute garbage.

"Jackie boy, this better be good. I was just about to come on my fiancé's cock."

"Goddamnit, Jenn."

"Fucking hell, Jennifer," Joseph mumbles somewhere in the background, in the exhausted tone of a man who has accepted that this is simply his life now.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "When you're done with... that, I need a favor. Blaire's not doing great, so I'm keeping her at my place tonight. I need you to grab her some things. Overnight stuff, clothes for tomorrow."

"Is she okay? What's going on?"

The shuffling starts immediately, followed by Jenn's muffled voice, presumably aimed at Joseph. "I'll suck you off later to make it up to you, give me five minutes, will you?"

I'm collecting foul Care Bears for women friends.

This is my life now too.

"She's been sick on and off for a while, vomiting today. She's pretty weak."

"Fuck, my poor girl. Yeah, I'll be over soon."

"Thanks, Jenn. Door's unlocked, just come on in. I'll send my driver for you when you're ready, or you can just send the stuff back with him."

"No, I need to lay eyes on my girl for a few minutes at least." There's a pause, and when she speaks again her voice has gone soft and wobbly enough that I know exactly where this is headed. "You're a good big brother, Jackie. You're gonna make an awesome dad one day."

She sniffles.

Fuck.

"Don't you start fucking crying on my phone, Jennifer." I point my finger at absolutely nothing, because that's going to help.

"Don't yell at me! I can't help it!" she wails, and there goes the dam.

Fucking hell.

"Jenn, listen..."

"Hey, man." Joseph's voice cuts me off as the phone changes hands, calm as a hostage negotiator while Jenn sobs gloriously somewhere behind him. "We'll get her stuff over soon. I'll handle the waterworks."

Give this man a prize.

"Thanks, man. See you soon."

We hang up, but her words don't go with her.

You're gonna make an awesome dad one day.

Kids aren't something I've let myself spend much time thinking about. Not seriously. There have been too many other things in front of me, and for a long time my marriage made the entire question laughable anyway.

But I know exactly who my brain wants to put beside me the second I let the thought breathe.

Nope. Not tonight.

I put that one in the drawer I borrowed from Rose where I keep the things I can't afford to want yet and head down the hall to check on my patient.

A knock stops me before I get there, and the front door opens without waiting for an answer.