Doctor, Mommy...Wife?

by Dianne Drake

  She reminded him of him, back in happier days. Which was why he resented her. She had what he wanted. But he didn’t want it from another one like Yvette, who came equipped with a child already. He wanted his own child next time, one that couldn’t be ripped away from him the way Amy had been. “It sounds fine since I don’t have anything else to do.”

  She jotted down her address and gave it to him. “Good. I’ll see you then.”

  “Do you drink wine, or are you...?”

  “Nursing? No, I’m not. You can’t put your child in the day-care center if he or she’s still nursing. So it’s strictly the bottle and baby food all the way. And yes, I drink wine. Not much, though, since I work with FAS and I’ve seen what alcohol can do to a child.”

  “Then you wouldn’t be offended if I bring over a bottle?”

  “If you’re not offended that I’ll have only one glass.”

  He nodded. “One glass it is.” It sounded more like a business transaction than arranging a date, even if it was a working date. So maybe in Del’s mind it was a business transaction. Who knew? Admittedly, he was a little disappointed by her attitude, but what had he expected? A real date? They were hardly friends, barely cordial colleagues, and all of a sudden he’d asked her out. Of course, she had a child, which made her safe and he supposed that was part of it. He felt safe with Del because of his personal resolution. So, it wasn’t such a bad situation at all. And it would save him from spending another long, dreary night at home alone, looking at pictures of Amy or mulling over how much he missed her.

  * * *

  “Well, he’s down for a nap, and the pizza’s hot so what say we dig in?” Simon said, pouring himself a glass of wine and leaving the bottle on the table so Del wouldn’t feel pressured into drinking if she didn’t want to. As it turned out, she poured half a glass and sipped it almost cautiously as they ate their pizza and talked about the clinic. “He’s a cute kid,” Simon said. “Your Charlie.”

  “Thank you. I think so, but then I’m a little partial.”

  “Better that than some of what we see come into the clinic.”

  “Why did you choose pediatrics?” she asked.

  “Liked it when I rotated through when I was an intern. Liked the kids, like the way they’re braver than many adults. And they show so much heart and trust. I think it’s the vulnerability and trust that got to me. Most adults don’t have that. They’re cynical, or mistrustful. I remember one patient who told me right off the bat he had the right to sue me if he didn’t like the way I treated him and the hell of it was, he had his choices but as an intern I didn’t have those same choices, as in not treating him. Luckily his diagnosis turned out to be something simple, but you know the guy never even said thank you. He simply accused me of overcharging his insurance company. Which is one of the reasons I went with children. They’re not so vindictive.”

  “Most adults aren’t, either. You just happened to have a bad one at a time in your early career where you were open to influence.”

  “I gave some thought to going into a straight family practice but I just didn’t like treating adults the way I enjoyed taking care of the kids.”

  “Which is a good reason to go into pediatrics. Family practice’s loss.”

  “Not really a loss so much as I never gave it a fair trial. I’d already decided I wanted to treat children.”

  “Because you like kids that well?”

  “Generally, yes. Says the man who isn’t a father.”

  “You don’t have to be a father to be a good pediatrician. All it takes is a passion for what you’re doing.”

  He looked away for a minute, turned deadly serious. “I had this one little guy who was born with cerebral palsy. He wasn’t too severe but he had some limitations in walking and coordination, and the way he took to his physical therapy just made me so proud of him. He worked hard, never complained, never questioned. Just did what he was supposed to do when he was supposed to do it and I suppose he was my turning point. I’d always thought I’d be a surgeon, or something a little more showy, but with the kids I found that I liked the courage I saw every day. So I stuck with children and I have no regrets. Now you tell me yours.”

  “There was never a choice for me. I never had any grand delusions of going into one of the higher profile types of medicine. I liked children, liked working with them, and I think a lot of that stems from my childhood pediatrician, Dr. Dassett. He was a kind man and I was never afraid of going to see him. So even when I was a kid myself I always told my parents I was going to grow up and be just like Dr. Dassett. And here I am.”

  “But FAS? How did you get interested in that?”

  She shrugged. “One of my earliest patients was born with FAS and it interested me that a mother could do that to her child. So, I studied it, and eventually specialized in it.” She took a bite of pizza and washed it down with a sip of wine. “I still can’t explain the mind that thinks it’s OK to do that to your child, but my job is to coordinate care when I get the opportunity. Admittedly, we don’t see a lot of that at Lakeside, but I do get called out on referrals to other local hospitals from time to time.”

  “Isn’t it discouraging?” he asked her as he grabbed up his second piece of pizza.

  “Very. But somebody has to do it, so why not me? I see all the expectant mothers who drink—it’s all just selfishness, or that ‘bury your head in the sand’ attitude where you think it can’t happen to you. And odds are it won’t. But occasionally...” She shrugged. “It’s one of the ugly sides of medicine, but I can do it and make a difference, which makes me glad I’ve chosen FAS as my specialty because when you see one of these kids succeed...” She smiled. “If you want pretty you become a beautician. If you want to make a difference you become a doctor. And personally, I’ve always wondered what’s up with someone who wants to practice proctology. Now to me, that’s a field of medicine I’d rather not think about.”

  Simon laughed. “When you put it in those terms, I can kind of agree with you. But for me it’s radiology where you don’t get much patient contact. I like patients. Like working with them, like curing them or making them feel better, and viewing film and images just isn’t what I care to do. Although the world certainly does have need of great radiologists, especially in so many of the specific treatments and tests that get referred to them. Most everything starts with an X-ray of some sort, I suppose, but I can’t see myself in that role.”

  “So do you like Chicago?” she asked. “Is that why you applied here? Or were you just looking to get away from Boston and Chicago is where you were accepted?”

  “I’m from Chicago originally and I wanted to get back here. Had that little hiccup called marriage back in Boston when I was finishing my residency, which didn’t make moving home too practical since my wife was born and raised in Boston and wouldn’t leave there for me, even though I begged her. So I had to be the flexible one. And then she moved to Chicago anyway, so I did, too. It’s nice to come home to the big city. Not that Boston is small, but I love the lakeshore here, which is where I grew up, love the Navy Pier and all the park along the river.” He smiled. “It’s nice to be back where I belong. So are you from here?”

  “South side. Some people call it Indiana, but once you get past Merrillville, which is where I’m from, it all turns into Chicago whether or not it really is. I love a happening city. Love the restaurants, the theater, the museums. And like you I’m hooked on the lakeshore. I can’t wait until Charlie’s old enough to go to the Museum of Science and Industry, or take a ride on the Navy Pier Ferris wheel. I’ve got big plans for him. Already have him enrolled in a private school for when he’s old enough.”

  “Well, the coincidence is, we live only a block apart. And I was raised three blocks from here. So who says you can never go home? Because I have and I’m glad to be here.”

  “Are your parent
s here?”

  “Same condo building I was raised in. They love it, too, although now that they’re older they winter in Florida.”

  “My parents vacationed in Costa Rica and loved it so much they stayed. Now with Charlie, though, they come back every couple of months, which is good because he’s really the only family they have.”

  “No brothers or sisters?”

  She shook her head. “Just me. And you?”

  “One brother, who’s also a doctor, and a sister, who’s a military surgeon.”

  “Your parents wouldn’t happen to be doctors, would they?”

  “My dad was a surgeon, my mom was a teacher.”

  “And they both worked and raised you kids at the same time?”

  He nodded. “It worked out.”

  “My parents were both practicing physicians. My mother has had fits with me now that I’ve chosen to have a baby and work at the same time, which is what she did. She wants me to stay home with Charlie, and they’ll help me out financially if I need it. First grandchild and all.”

  “Doesn’t sound like a bad deal,” he said, taking his third slice of pizza.

  “But it’s not my deal. I want it all, and that includes my job. Speaking of wanting it all, I hear someone stirring in his crib. Sounds like it’s bath and snack time for Charlie.”

  “Does he like it?” Simon teased.

  “Give him time.” She hopped up and went to get Charlie, then brought him out to see Simon. “Want to hold him while I get his snack ready?” she asked.

  “Sure,” he said, but reluctantly. He stretched out his arms to take the bundle from Del as she got a jar of smooshed bananas ready for Charlie. Then when she took him back the baby giggled in anticipation of what he knew was coming.

  “He loves his bananas,” she said, putting him in his high chair. “Everything but vegetables. He spits out anything that’s green.”

  “Smart kid. Vegetables...” He turned up his nose. “Not a big fan myself unless they’re on my pizza.”

  Snack time was finished, then came bath time, play time and bedtime story, and Charlie was ready to crash for the night. Or at least part of the night. So she put him down and came back out to the living room only to find that Simon was cleaning up the kitchen mess Charlie had made. “You don’t have to do that. He hasn’t got the finesse of fine dining down yet so half of everything goes on the floor.”

  “What’s a few spilt bananas among the boys?” he asked, laughing. “Besides you look tired and I thought some help might be welcomed.”

  “Help is always welcomed, but I thought you wanted to talk FAS.”

  “Not tonight, Del. I’ve had a nice evening so why ruin it with something so serious?”

  “In that case I might be up to another half glass of wine before you leave, if you don’t mind.”

  “Want to keep the bottle?”

  She shook her head. “Drinking alone is sad. Even if it is wine.”

  “Which is why I never drink alone,” he replied. “It doesn’t go with cold cereal anyway.”

  “Cold cereal?” she asked as he wrung out the washrag and placed it on a drying rack inside the sink cabinet door.

  “My usual evening fare. Unless I stop and take something home with me like Chinese or Thai. Trust me, eating is not high on my priority list.”

  “But you don’t look emaciated.”

  He laughed. “I’m not emaciated. I just have bad eating habits. Besides, I usually have a pretty good lunch at the hospital. The doctors’ cafeteria is fairly respectable.”

  “What about a home-cooked meal?”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “What I’m going to cook for you Sunday night if you don’t have other plans. I’m not a gourmet chef by a long shot but I do love to cook, and I’ve been practicing for the time when Charlie starts to eat real food. So, dinner?”

  “You sure you want to do this?”

  She nodded. “I’m working tomorrow, but I’m off Sunday, so I think I can whip up something you’ll like and maybe we can talk FAS then.”

  “What time?”

  “How about eight o’clock, after Charlie’s down for the first part of the night?”

  “He doesn’t sleep through the night yet?”

  “He’s rambunctious. And eager to get up and play. What can I say? He’s all boy.”

  “And you indulge that?”

  “I embrace it.” She smiled. “Love it, too, even if the clinic staff has to suffer my grumpiness the next day.”

  “So now I’ll know why to stay away from you on the days you look frazzled.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve enjoyed our evening, Simon. You’re very considerate, actually. Better than what I expected.”

  “You were expecting an ogre?”

  “Not so much as a grouch.”

  “Well deserved.”

  “But you’re not really a grouch, either. Just someone who’s preoccupied.”

  “Not so preoccupied as grumpy.”

  “Why?”

  “I had a daughter, Amy. Stepdaughter, actually. Raised her from being tiny and when her mother and I divorced, I lost the battle. She had a restraining order taken out on me. I can’t see her, or talk to her. When I’m grumpy that’s usually what it’s about.”

  “Simon, I’m so sorry. I didn’t... Can’t even imagine...”

  “Most of the time I still can’t imagine it, either. But it is what it is and so far there’s been nothing I can do about it.”

  “You’ve gone to court?”

  “Several times without any luck. Yvette says no, that my presence wrecks her little family and she doesn’t want me around. So I’m excluded.”

  “I wish I knew what to say or do.”

  “So do I, but the battle is over and I lost.” He shrugged. “And Amy’s the one left to suffer.”

  “I can’t even imagine what I’d do if someone took Charlie from me.”

  “You’d let it tear you up. You wouldn’t sleep, or eat. You’d walk around in a blur.”

  She corked the wine bottle and handed it to him. “So you would consider coming over Sunday night for dinner?”

  “Looking forward to it,” he said, taking the bottle of wine from her. “My days off get lonely.”

  The brush of his smooth hand across hers gave her goose bumps. Luckily, she was in long sleeves and he couldn’t see them, but she could surely feel them skipping up and down her arms. “Good night, Simon.”

  “Good night, Del,” he replied, then headed to the front door of her condo. It was on the twenty-first floor overlooking the lake, and she wondered since he lived only a block away if it also overlooked his condo. But she didn’t ask. Didn’t want to be tempted. Didn’t want to catch herself going to the window and gazing out wondering if he was gazing back.

  It was physical attraction, that was all. But she did like him better than she had before this evening. In fact, she liked him a lot. If only Eric had been this nice to be with she might not have left him, but he’d been a bully. Never lifted a finger to help, always criticized, and most of all he always cheated and lied afterward. Somehow, she didn’t see those ugly traits in Simon. In fact, now that she knew him a little better personally, she had an idea he was full of good traits. Except for his grumpy days, but now she knew what that was about and felt bad for him.

  Del frowned as she put Charlie to bed. Life was good to her. Very good. She was glad for what she had.

  CHAPTER THREE

  SATURDAY WAS BUSY and complicated after her first nondate date with Simon. They had time to catch a quick lunch in the doctors’ cafeteria but she missed out on Charlie’s lunch altogether. She felt guilty about that but there was nothing she could do because work came first.

  “Y
ou OK?” Simon asked her that afternoon.

  “I miss Charlie. I hate not being there for his lunch.”

  “I’m sure he won’t notice.”

  “I think he will. It’s part of his routine now. And I’m sure he misses it.”

  “Babies are forgiving at that age. Take him to the park or something on his way home. I know it’s getting chilly out so his outside days to play are numbered until spring. In fact, take off work now and I’ll cover for you.”

  “Do you mean that?” she asked excitedly.

  “Of course I mean it. Take Charlie out and go have some fun.”

  She was taken aback by Simon’s generosity. And to think her first impressions were that he was grumpy. Yet he was the furthest thing from ill-tempered she could think of. “You’re sure?”

  “It’s a beautiful day. We’re not busy for once. Go take advantage.”

  Stirred by the moment, Del reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

  “Yes, I do,” he whispered in return as she sped to her office to grab her jacket. “I really do.”

  * * *

  The afternoon couldn’t have gone more perfectly. They played in the park, stopped at the pier for dinner and ice cream and went home exhausted. By the time the doorman buzzed them in, Charlie was sound asleep, his face covered with chocolate.

  “Looks like you two had a big afternoon,” he said.

  Del smiled.

  “We did. Sort of a gift from a friend.”