Page 40 of The Doctor's Surprise Family

My fridge back in Munich was the built-in kind, made to look like a cabinet with a wooden door. But I guessed I could tape it up, or, hell, get a frame. My kid thought I was cool. How awesome was that?

“Are you famous?” said Oli.

I chuckled. “No.”

“Mom’s boss is famous. She discovered, uh… cardi… uh… cardio… A new kind of medicine? It’s for your heart. Mom’s gonna be famous like her one day.”

I glanced over at Claire sprawled out on the couch, head thrown back, mouth open wide. “You proud of your mom?”

“Yeah. She’s the best.” Oli turned over a new page and started to doodle, yellow suns this time, and little red flowers. “How long are you staying here?”

“Another few weeks.”

Oli’s crayon was blunt, and he picked a new, sharp one. “And after that, when will you come back?”

“Well, I’m not sure. A few months, maybe?”

“Will you come for Christmas? Or Christmas and my birthday? They’re close together, so you could come for both.”

I took a sheet of paper, stalling for time. Winter was our busy time, lots of car crash traffic, overflow from the civilian trauma centers. Getting leave in December, my first year out of residency, I didn’t much like my chances of that.

“I’m not sure,” I said. “But I’ll send presents for sure.”

Oli’s face fell, then just as quickly, he brightened. “How about after that? For winter break? Gramps says this year, we’re all going skiing. Do you like to ski? You could come with us.”

I’d never skied in my life, but I grinned anyway. “Yeah, I love skiing. I could try and make that.”

“Do you have to go back?” Oli studied his drawing. “My friend Mike lived in Georgia, and now he lives here. Couldn’t you move here too, and we could play all the time?”

I doodled a smiley face, trying to think what to say. I hadn’t thought about moving back, but maybe I could? I could apply for a fellowship, something back here. Hospitals loved to hire military fellows — Uncle Sam paid their salaries, so they were good business. But I’d been offered an attending spot back inMunich, and I loved it there, loved the work, loved my team. I even loved Munich, with its red-roofed streets.

“Dad? Couldn’t you?”

Claire sighed and sat up. “Did I doze off again?”

“Yeah, Mom. Come see what I drew!”

I swallowed hard, relieved to be off the hook. But Oli might ask again, and what could I say? What did I want, even? This was happening too fast.

“Aw, flowers, so pretty!” Claire held up Oli’s drawing. Oli pulled a face.

“That one’s just doodles. Look at the other one I drew for Dad.”

I turned Oli’s drawing so Claire could see. She smiled.

“Me at work again?”

“With lots of guts.”

“Those stay on the inside, if I do my job right.” Claire pointed at the stick man. “And who’s this?”

“That’s Dad. He’s helping you save someone’s life. And there’s two hearts, because you’re in love.”

Claire made a sound at that, a sort of half-gasp. I felt my face burn and knew I was blushing.

“Interesting,” said Claire. Her voice had gone thin. “And what’s this, uh, this circle up here?”

“That’s the big light,” said Oli. “Like at the dentist.”

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