“You want to come in or just wait here?”
Just when I’m about to answer, Penny bursts through the door of the house they just moved into last week. I laugh when I see her excitement and Travis behind her with her bag looking exhausted trying to keep up with her.
“Guess this won’t take long,” Ollie chuckles, opening his door to greet his little sister.
I step out of the car and watch in adoration as this little firecracker of a girl leaps into her big brother’s arms. It’s the most beautiful thing to watch, and it doesn’t matter if it’s been hours or weeks since they’ve seen each other, their greetings are always the same.
I swipe the falling tear off my cheek as I open the trunk for Travis to put her bag in. “Never gets old watching them, does it?” he asks with a smirk, having caught me.
“No, it doesn’t.”
“I’m so happy she has him. He makes up for all the things I lack at giving her,” he tells me with furrowed brows as he shuts the trunk.
“I don’t think you lack anything with her. I’ve seen how she looks at you, too. You’re her whole world.”
He takes a deep breath, and I see his jaw tighten. “Thank you for having her tonight. She’ll probably be all over the place bouncing off the walls.”
“I’m excited! We’re going to have so much fun! You have any plans for your night?”
“Hoping to finally get the last of this house unpacked. It’s hard to do with that little tornado around,” he says with a nod toward Penny, while Ollie spins her in circles.
“We can keep her any time.”
“Don’t offer things you don’t mean. You’ve never had the full Penelope experience,” he says all too seriously.
“Is that her full name? Penelope?” He nods in response, watching her with Ollie. “I didn’t know that. It’s pretty.”
“My wife named her. She had dark red hair that looked like a penny when she was born.” He pauses, and I don’t interrupt him as he’s lost in his memories. “I told Josie she was my lucky penny. That’s how she picked Penelope—Penny. I call her LP sometimes, short for Lucky Penny. She’s the best thing I have. I’m damn lucky to have that little girl.” He watches her for another second before walking away from me and toward his LP.
My heart breaks for him and the loss he’s already had to suffer in his life. I don’t know Travis well, but I know him well enough to know he’s a good man.
* * *
We left Travis’s house with Penny and began making our way back to Ollie’s house. Penny hasn’t stopped talking for the past forty minutes, with us barely getting in a yes, no, or wow. She’s talking now about what she wants for her sixth birthday that’s next month. Ollie squeezes my hand and gives me an exasperated look, which makes me smile. I can see how some people might be annoyed by her incessant talking, but I find it refreshing and adorable.
“Hey,” Penny says, stopping for a beat to tap me on the shoulder. “Is it OK that I call you Bex? My dad said I should have asked permission and called you Ms. Morgan until you told me, but I told him that you told me that already but he didn’t believe me,” she says all in one long breath.
I shift in my seat to look back at her. “Of course, you can call me Bex. That’s what all my friends call me, and you’re my friend, right?” I ask her with a smile over my shoulder.
“Yep! Because I like you and I think Ollie does, too. He doesn’t bring his friends over and never girls.” She exaggerates the last part. “So I think you are best friends. I don’t have a best friend yet, but when I get one, they’ll be the only one I play with…”
She keeps talking, but I drown her out a little and look at Ollie again. Is he my new best friend? He’s my only friend, really. Well, besides maybe Susan at work and a certain five-almost-six-year-old. I don’t think I want to have to find any other friends. I agree with Penny; I want him to be the only one I play with.
Ollie parks outside the kid arcade, and Penny lets out a squeal of excitement that tells me we made the right decision to come here. We walk inside, and I order our pizza and drinks while Ollie and Penny buy tokens for the games.
We spend the next two hours playing video games and laughing, and when I think Penny might be getting tired, she asks to go in the ball pit. I may be up for a lot of things, but being a peds nurse, I know what kind of germs are in there. No, thank you.
“I’ll watch you if you really want to go,” I tell her.
“But that’s not fun.” She pouts.
“Oh, come on, Bex, you scared of a few balls?” Ollie taunts behind her with a smirk. I know of a couple balls that may need to protect themselves later.
I concede, against my better judgement, and the three of us jump into the ball pit. Plastic germ bombs fly all around us. I fight every urge I have to run out of here and bathe in antibacterial. Now I know that if anyone wanted to kidnap me, all they’d have to do is threaten to touch me with these little balls. I shudder at the thought. Gross.
“You are so tense,” Ollie laughs, throwing a ball at my head. “Relax and be a kid for the day.”
“I’m trying,” I grit out. “But I know what I’m swimming in, and it’s making me feel icky.”
He jumps toward me, making the balls go flying all around me, and pushes me into them further. I scream as I feel my face go under. And this is how I die. Ollie kisses me as he lifts me up and laughs at my reaction, keeping his arms around my waist.
“Me too!” I hear Penny yell before she jumps on top of Ollie’s back. He lets out an, “Oomph.”
I finally relax a little bit, and we have a war between the three of us. Ollie of course wins, throwing Penny on top of me and covering us with plastic colored balls. When we climb out, we put our shoes back on, wash our hands, and head for the car with all of our cheap prizes.
Once at the house, I help Penny get settled and in the bath before we put on a movie. I close the bathroom door behind me, shaking my head at the fact that she still doesn’t seem tired in the least.
“Does she ever get worn-out?” I ask as I walk up behind Ollie in the kitchen where he’s making popcorn. I wrap my arms around his middle and lay my cheek on his back.
“Nope. Don’t think so,” he laughs. “Thank you for joining us today.” He turns around so we’re front to front now.
Smiling up into his cute face, I answer him with a kiss. His hands go to my butt, pulling me into him more, and when I begin to forget about everything around me, we hear a scream.
“Bex!!”
We both laugh into our kiss as we pull apart. “I think you’re being summoned,” Ollie laughs, smacking my butt when I pull away.
“You think? I’ll go check on her.”
We have the perfect evening watching cartoon movies and eating popcorn. A little more than halfway through the second movie, Penny falls asleep on my lap. Ollie picks her up and tucks her into the bed on the couch while I make my way over to his bed. He climbs in behind me, and we fall asleep together. And for the first time, I long to have a family of my own so I can always have this feeling.
Chapter Thirteen
Ollie
“Ollie,” I hear a little voice whisper, shaking me from my sleep. “Ollie, I don’t feel good.”
“Huh?” I grunt, turning toward the whisper. Cracking my eyes, open I see Penny standing next to my bed with tears in her eyes. “Pen? What’s wrong?” I ask, sitting up now.
“My belly hurts. I don’t feel good,” she says with a tremble to her chin as she hugs her stuffed pig.
“Come on, let’s go get you some water.” My feet hit the floor, and we turn to head to the bathroom just as she pukes. “Ollie!” she shrieks as another wave hits her and she spews all over my floor.
I’m frozen. I felt some splash on my feet. I smell the horrible smell of bile everywhere. I think I might be sick, too.
“Come on, sweetie, let’s get you cleaned up,” I hear Bexley’s soothing voice behind me.
At first, I think she’s talking
to me, but she’s talking to my sister. Yes, because she’s a child, and I’m a grown-ass man and a doctor, for fuck’s sake, and should be able to handle some vomit, but I still can’t will myself to move. Then, I hear my hospital emergency phone ring. And the night just got better. I let out a groan, taking a step and praying I don’t step in more puke as I answer my cell.
“Dr. Duncan,” I answer and listen to the nurse tell me about a patient who’s been admitted that I need to see. I hang up and make my way to the bathroom, knocking on the door.
Bex opens it a crack. “Is she alright?” I ask, thinking she looks so beautiful in this insane moment.
“She’s alright. I think just too much junk food and excitement. She doesn’t feel fevered.”
“That’s good.” I pause and smile at her. She’s so damn perfect. “I just got a call from the hospital. I need to go in. I feel terrible leaving you—”
“Ollie, it’s OK. I’m glad I’m here to help. Go do what you need to, Dr. Duncan,” she says with a smile and kiss on my cheek.
“Thank you. I need to wash up real quick. Is she almost done in there?”
“Yeah. Can you grab her new PJs to put on?”
I can’t find another pair in her bag, so I go to my dresser and pull out a shirt that Tatum left here and take it back to the bathroom. I hand it to Bex, who raises a brow when she sees it. “Tatum’s,” I answer with a satisfied smile over her jealousy.
The girls emerge from the bathroom as I walk inside to jump in the shower. When I come back out, Bex has cleaned up the mess on the floor and is mopping. “I’m so sorry, Bex. You shouldn’t have to do that.”
“Ollie, it’s really OK. You realize this is a normal day-to-day part of my job, right?”
I chuckle at that. “I guess it is. Still. Thank you for doing it.” I bend and kiss her goodbye and make my way to Penny on the couch.
“How’s my girl doing?” I ask as I sit down next to her.
“My tummy doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“That’s because you just puked your guts out on my floor,” I tell her with a smile.
“I’m sorry, Ollie,” she says with the same tremble as before.
“Hey, you don’t have to apologize for anything. You can’t help getting sick,” I say, pulling her into a hug. “Why are you crying?”
“Oinkers got dirty.”
“I’ll put her into the wash, and she’ll be good as new when you wake up in the morning.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. Now, you try to get back to sleep. Bex will be here. I have to go to work for a little bit, but I should be back by the time you wake up.” She nods her head of wet hair against my chest. I kiss her on the head and move to leave. “Love you, Penny.”
“More.”
“Most.”
She smiles at me and lies down on her pillow.
I throw her pig into the wash, kiss Bex one last time, and make my way out in the dark night to head to work to see my patient.
Marla Morgan.
* * *
I’m unlocking the door to my loft with coffee and muffins in my hand. I don’t hear any sounds on the other side indicating that they’re awake yet, so I quietly push the door open and set the drinks and food on the counter. I panic for a second when I peek over the couch and don’t see Penny in her makeshift bed. Then I look up at my bed and see a mop of red hair lying there. I let out a sigh of relief, kicking off my shoes. Walking toward them, I see Bex curled around Penny, both of them sound asleep. Leaning against the wall, I smile watching both of them sleep, evenly breathing, relaxed features, beautiful.
I can’t keep away any longer. I quietly shuck my pants and shirt and climb in behind Bex, curling around her. She lets out a sleepy sigh and pushes back against me. My nose nuzzles into her neck, smelling her sweetness of brown sugar and flowers. I kiss her bare shoulder and snake my arm around her middle to pull her further into me. She fits against me so perfectly, like a matching puzzle piece. I want her to stay with me like this forever.
She turns her head back slightly and kisses my cheek. “Morning,” she whispers with a sleepy grin.
“Morning, sweetness.”
“Everything go alright? Your patient’s alright?”
I kiss her neck, up to her ear and nip at her earlobe. “Everything is fine,” I tell her, not wanting to ruin this moment.
“Good,” she says and pushes back against me with her butt.
“You can’t do that, or this is going to get real weird real quick with my sister in bed with us,” I chuckle.
She snorts a smothered laugh, but stops moving. We lie there in silence, enjoying the embrace of each other with our fingers laced together until Penny wakes up.
It’s obvious she’s feeling better when she starts to chatter on and on nonstop. Bex and I share a look over our cups of coffee, hiding smiles full of secret meanings and full of a growing love that I’m scared to admit.
* * *
A couple days later while I’m at the hospital making my rounds, I enter Marla’s room to check on her. She’s doing so much better than when she first came in. She was having a bad reaction to the radiation that needed to be monitored, but she should be able to go home today.
“There’s the most handsome man in my life,” Marla says when I walk in.
“How you feeling today?”
“Lot better thanks to you, Doc.”
“I didn’t do much this time but check up on you and change your radiation treatment. Don’t go tooting my horn too much.”
“You know, I wasn’t sure when I first got the cancer if I’d beat it or if I really even cared if I did. I know it’s because of you that I’m here. You might have missed half my treatments because of my daughter being her golden self,” she says with an eyeroll, “but I know it was your plan that kept me here and kickin’.”
“Thank you for that, but you did the hard part, Ms. Morgan,” I say, choosing to ignore her dig at Bex.
“Marla. How many times I gotta tell you to call me Marla?”
“Marla,” I correct with a wink. “You ready to get out of here?”
“You bet your cute ass I am!”
I huff a laugh at her. “Then let’s make it happen. I’ll sign off on your discharge paperwork. Fingers crossed they’ll get you out of here in a couple hours, max. Do you have someone to take you home? You still aren’t cleared to drive.”
“Probably just call a cab or somethin’.”
“Marla…” I hedge.
“Don’t. She don’t want nothin’ to do with me, and that’s just fine. I don’t need to disrupt her life more than I already have. I’ll be fine, Doc.”
“I don’t like this, Marla,” I tell her with a shake of my head, but really there isn’t much I can do to stop any of it without breaking all the doctor/patient confidentiality stuff.
“I know you don’t. You need to let her have her peace with it—me—if she wants. I’m alright. Promise,” she tells me with a pat on my cheek and a wink of her own.
I finish up with Marla and make my way down to the pediatric floor with a sticky note to deliver. I hand Susan the paper and ask her to be sure she delivers it quickly. I know that old woman will make it her life’s mission to help me with Bexley, so I have no doubt this will work.
Chapter Fourteen
Bexley
“Nurse Morgan, I have a message for you,” Susan tells me from the doorway as I take the vitals of a patient.
“I’ll be right there. Thank you for letting me know.”
“It seems fairly urgent. Would you like me to finish here so you can get it?” Susan’s question takes me by surprise. She doesn’t do this type of nursing much these days, sticking to the work behind the desk.
It makes me panic a little bit, so I take her up on her offer and run down to the nurse’s station to check for my message. I look around, searching for the message pad, but then I see it. I see the bright orange sticky note with Ollie’s scratch on it.
M
eet me in room 536 as soon as possible.
I bite back my smile and take off without thinking about any of my other responsibilities. My smile falls the second I open the door to room 536.
“Mom,” I deadpan, “what are you doing here?”
“Bexley?” she questions, like she has no idea why I’m there, but she has to know since she probably bullied Ollie into getting me here.
“That’s the name you gave me.”
“I told him not to tell you I was here. I told him I was fine.”
“Really?” I ask in disbelief.
“Really,” she confirms, and for the first time in my life, she looks and sounds honest.
“What’s going on? Why are you here?” I ask as I begin to assess the room. She’s clearly been here for a while, but more than that, she’s thin, has little hair, and dark circles under her eyes. “You alright?” I add, not able to help myself from caring, yet hating myself for it.
She keeps her eyes down at her hands in her lap, fidgeting with her blankets and sheets. “I’m fine,” she whispers. I stare at her for a minute, and when I see her wipe her eye, I can’t stop my feet from walking to her bed and sitting down next to her. I take her hand in mine and ask again, “What’s going on?”
“I had a reaction to the radiation. Your cute doc fixed me up again, and I should be leaving soon.”
“Good. That’s good.” I take a second to sort through what I’m feeling at this moment for my mother.
It’s a weird thing I have going on. An inner battle of not wanting to care and yet still caring more than I should for a woman who never showed an ounce of actual love and affection toward me my whole life. I guess that’s the truth of it all though, isn’t it? We never outgrow wanting to be loved by our parents, no matter how much they suck. We will always seek their approval, long for their hands to show affection, and hope to hear them say they’re proud of us.
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