Page 36 of Silver Fox's Intern Dilemma

My heart sank at his news. I couldn't do that to Leah, because I knew damn well I had to be on call every other weekend. Right now, it worked out with Dana having Leah every other weekend while I had her on Wednesdays too.

"Well, that won't work for me." I felt frustrated and stubborn, but I had to do something.

"What's your news, then?" Howard asked, and I braced myself for his reaction to my surprise. I wasn't sure if it was good news as far as the custody hearing was concerned, but to me it was very good news.

"Well, I've been seeing someone and it turns out I'm going to be a father all over again. I'm just giving you a heads up because eventually, it's getting back to Dana, and I'm sure she'll throw a fit."

"I see.” At first I thought Howard sounded like this was a horrible thing, but when he spoke again I felt relieved. "Well, congratulations, Dad. Next time you're in my office, let's smoke a cigar… In the meantime, that will actually play well for the judge. He'll see you bringing a new family aboard and see the stability. He'll see Leah as having a new sibling, and that will make him lean toward wanting to keep her closer to her family here in Denver. It might work in our favor."

The news was encouraging to me, but not enough to make me relax yet. I couldn’t let Dana take my child away and move to another state. I knew it was the beginning of a slippery slope. Leah had to stay here. If not, I'd lose her for good.

"And what if I countersue? I want my daughter to be with me full time. I don't know anything about the men Dana's seeing and I don't trust them. Leah doesn't have anything good to sayabout them." I held my breath waiting for Howard to respond, and I loved his answer.

"We can do that. You'd have a good shot. Based on her lawyer's paperwork, I've noticed a few of the guys she's had in and out of that house are unsavory types. One of them has a criminal record. That's definitely not going to look good to a judge."

That answer both disgusted me and encouraged me at the same time. "Good. Then go ahead and get the papers started. I want to countersue for sole custody. Leah belongs with me."

"No problem, Jack. I'll have them ready for you to sign first thing Monday morning." Howard excused himself to what sounded like his dinner being served, and I shoved my phone in my pocket.

It wasn't like Sophia to not call, but after the long day she'd had and feeling ill, she was probably resting. I stood and stretched, then headed out. My plan yesterday was to go to HR and discuss with someone there the situation and find out what to do. I hadn't intended to sleep so long, and I wasn't even on call last night. So, waking up in the hospital and needing a shower had been the last thing on my mind.

When I got to the HR office, there were only a few people on the clock. The redhead with a crooked nose who sat at the reception desk looked more like an administrator than a secretary, and I figured it was short staffed right now, it being the weekend. But I had questions with no answers and I wanted to put my mind at ease on a few things. I'd read the policy, but it was uncertain and left room for interpretation. If I had something more concrete to tell Sophia the next time we spoke, I'd feel better.

"Can I help you, honey?" the woman asked, and I wasn't even surprised to hear the nasally tone of her voice as she looked up at me.

"Uh, yeah… I'm here to discuss the non-fraternization policy with someone. Is there a rep I can speak with?" I wasn't sure who my rep was, but any of them would have access to the standard and be able to answer my questions.

"I'm it today, honey… We only staff a few people on the weekend." She took out a pair of glasses and slid them on, then used a finger on the frame to push them up the bridge of her nose. "What can I do for you? Is this a harassment thing?"

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and stared at the split-pea-soup green color of the walls. Everything in this hospital was so ugly and mundane—like that wall color that was everywhere, except maternity.

"If a supervisor starts a relationship with one of his employees, how does HR handle that?" My questions had to remain very vague. Eventually, Sophia and I would fully come forward, but now that she had an added complication, I wanted to do things the best way possible for her. If I were able to move to a different department and shift her and Dr. Briggs over to one of the other surgeons on staff, it would be better for her. I just had to play my cards right.

"Well, that's tough to say. If they've been hiding a relationship for a while, likely, one of them would be fired, probably the supervisor if there was any indication it was motivated by their authority. But if you're talking a run-of-the-mill declaration of relationship, the employee would be reassigned to a different department and they'd be granted permission to have the relationship." She scrunched her nose and pushed her glasses up again. "Of course, it's up to the board to decide, not us in HR."

Taking my chances with the board didn't sound good at all. Sophia had fought her parents so hard to stay here, and if she got shifted around, I'd have done nothing but hurt her more, and just when she needed this job more than ever.

"And how long is 'a while’?" I asked.

"Oh, you know… a month or two." She winked at me and asked, "So, is there a relationship you’d like to declare? You should probably wait until Monday when your rep is here.”

I took a step backward, already regretting coming here. If one or two months was the cut off for "a while" then Sophia and I were screwed. It had already been two full months and we were starting on our third. If she got pregnant that first time we had sex, which was the only time we'd been even slightly reckless, that meant anyone with a brain and an understanding of the female reproductive system would know it had been far too long.

"Not at this time," I told her, and I let myself out. So, coming clean to HR wasn't the best idea unless I put in a transfer request and made sure Sophia wasn't going to be affected. I could still help her with learning. I just wouldn't be the one to whom she reported. And it would mean the only thing I could do was give up my career trajectory. I'd be shuffled into diagnostics or internal medicine and be moved far away from surgery where I wanted to be.

But if it meant having her, I'd do it.

I just had to wait until Monday and hope she called me before then.

29

SOPHIA

Sunday morning, I managed to choke down some breakfast while Mom and Dad were out. I made myself a piece of toast and kept it dry, hoping it wouldn't upset my belly. Maylin was sleeping in, so I sat at the kitchen table alone, thinking of Jack. I'd had the nerve to go to the hospital last night and get my phone, but when I put my shoes on and walked out, Dad was in the living room. I thought he'd gone to bed. He asked me where I was going and I realized I was stuck unless he gave me permission to drive his car.

I didn’t have the guts to ask, so I just sat on the front porch for a while and got some fresh air. When I noticed that he'd gone to bed, I did too, with a listless feeling about the future. Mom informed me earlier that they'd called the hospital on my behalf and told them I was taking a week off, which I very much was not taking a week off. I'd be there tomorrow morning one way or another, but it might require me using Maylin's Uber, if she let me.

Now, I just had to keep myself focused on not throwing up whatever I ate. I had yet to find anything my stomach accepted and I was hungrier than normal with a growing fetus in my womb. I was pleased when the first few bites didn't come upinstantly, but after the very first sip of fruit juice, I was on my knees by the trash can. And I was still there when Mom and Dad came home.

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