Page 57 of The Doctor's Surprise Family

Oli tossed the ball again. It bounced off the window.

“Oli! Be careful.”

“It’s just foam, right?” I smiled. “I think my windows can take it.”

Claire leaned on the counter and let out a sigh. “It’snota bad time, is it? We can go if it is. It’s just, he remembered you’re staying around here, and he had his new toy, and?—”

“Dad! Dad, come see!”

“It’s a great time,” I said. “On my way, Oli.”

I headed out to the yard, Claire right behind me. Oli yelled outgo longand wound up to throw, but he fumbled the ball and dropped it and it rolled away. He chased it and grabbed for it, and it kept rolling.

“Watch out for the— Oops.”

Oli hit the fence running, and he bounced off. The ball dropped in the garden patch and he pulled it out muddy. He threw it straight at me, too quick to dodge. I caught it instead. Mud splashed my shirt.

“Sorry,” said Claire.

“Nah, it’s okay. Just a bit of dirt, right?”

She handed me a tissue and I wiped off the ball. I tossed Oli an easy one, and he caught it. He ran down the yard and crashed into the fence again, and slammed the ball down in the damp grass.

“Touchdown,” he screamed.

“Yeah, MVP!”

“Don’t encourage him,” said Claire, but she was smiling. She caught the ball when he tossed it back, and passed it to me, and I passed to Oli. He ran in circles around us and tackled my leg. I chased him around, threatening to tackle back.

“Gonna get you!”

Oli giggled. “Too slow!”

I chased him in circles till he tripped over his feet, then I scooped him up and spun him around. He shrieked and squealed. A window slammed shut next door. I felt bad for a moment, for all the noise — then I remembered, you’re only three once. I spun Oli breathless and set him down, and laughed as he staggered around with his ball.

“I’m dizzy, Dad.”

“Yeah, so am I.”

Claire nudged my arm. “You got fruit in your kitchen?”

“In my fridge. Why?”

“I’m going to slice some for Oli, for his snack. You kids can both have some, when you’re done playing.”

I tossed the ball with Oli for a while more, till I figured my neighbors had suffered enough. Then we headed inside for apples and juice, and Oli ate his and conked out on the couch. Claire stretched out next to him and closed her eyes. I touched her arm.

“Tired?”

“I always nap when he does.”

I sat down as well, in the big La-Z-Boy, and kicked up my feet. I closed my eyes and pretended this was my life, a routine I knew like the back of my hand. I worked ten minutes from here, twenty in traffic. I’d just picked up Oli from his pre-K. I had him, just the two of us, all afternoon, then Claire would come and we’d eat together. We’d give Oli his bath and read him his story, and then we would crash out and dissect our days — if Claire got “the face” from Dr. Muller. If I got the equivalent from whoeverI worked for. How Oli had been. If he’d gone down for his nap. Small, everyday things, details of our life.

“Don’t fall asleep,” said Claire. “You have to wake us up.”

I grunted I wouldn’t, but set my phone alarm in case. I could get used to this, predictable hours. Coming home to my family. To Oli and Claire. I’d be right here when Oli got a sniffle, or when Claire was exhausted from residents’ hours. We made sense, the three of us. But what if Claire?—

“Blake?”

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