Page 65 of Dr. Off Limits

Sutton

If I’d thought my introduction to the Coves yesterday had been a baptism of fire, breakfast this morning had proved it was only the start. Another of Jacob’s younger brothers, Dax, had turned up late last night and insisted on cooking breakfast for everyone this morning. John was supervising. Zach was doing—I wasn’t sure what.

It was chaos.

But fantastic.

Carole was sitting at the table, flicking through a magazine, no doubt trying to zone out the bickering among her husband and her sons. It was all in fun and had an underlying warmth to it that betrayed intimacy.

I binge-watched from my chair like it was my favorite boxset and all I was missing was the popcorn. There was something so compelling about their dynamic—they clearly loved each other, liked each other, and enjoyed each other’s company. They shared in-jokes and a history I was completely jealous of.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my parents. When I’d gotten into medical school, I’d called my mum to tell her. It had been awkward because we hadn’t spoken since I’d left. I hadn’t been accusatory or asked why she changed the locks on her sixteen-year-old daughter. She gave no hint of a desire to reconcile, so I didn’t reach out again. I spoke to my dad from time to time but he wasn’t interested in me or my life. I’d given up hoping that would change.

Watching the Coves, it was clear how much I’d missed out on.

“Dad, they’re tinned tomatoes,” Zach said. “We don’t need instructions.”

John was squinting at the can. “Jacob, can you get my glasses from the office?” John asked Jacob.

“Have you checked the top of your head?” Jacob asked, winking at me from across the pine kitchen table.

“Ha bloody ha,” John replied, but reached up and felt his head, just in case.

Jacob tilted his head toward the door. “Come with me. I’ll show you the office of the great Doctors Cove.”

Jacob took my hand and we headed across the dining hall and down a corridor painted daffodil yellow.

“You okay?” Jacob asked. “I figure if you don’t have brothers, three of us can be a bit overwhelming.”

“It is overwhelming. But not in a bad way. Growing up in your family must have been... wonderful. You all seem so... connected.” I tried to think back to a time I felt any kind of connection with my parents. There must have been times when my mum and dad soothed me or sang me to sleep or read me a story or laughed with me, but if there were, I couldn’t remember.

“We have our fair share of disagreements. My dad and I fought a lot when I was younger. But we’re family.” We came to the end of the corridor. “Sorry if that’s insensitive.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’m well aware that family means different things to different people. I’ve always been okay with that. Being here... it’s the first time I’ve ever felt... well, jealous, I suppose.”

He pressed a kiss onto my forehead. “You’re amazingly normal, considering... Matilda.” The door creaked as it opened and revealed a huge office. In the middle stood an old, dark library desk with heavy, antique chairs on either side.

The low ceiling was a crisscross of beams, and the deep, red carpet made it feel almost womblike. The walls were covered bookcases stuffed with texts and papers.

“Wow, I could imagine King Arthur in this place.”

Jacob chuckled. “No knights around here. They’re pretty much completely retired, but every now and then Dad will give a speech or they’ll give Mum some kind of award or name a building after her or something.”

I wandered over to the bookshelves and traced my finger over the spines of familiar and not-so-familiar medical texts. On one shelf were a stack of what looked like photo frames, but when I moved closer, it was clear they were framed certificates.

“They’re my mum’s. She should put them on the wall, but there’s no space. Even her OBE is there somewhere, dumped like it’s a rock she pulled from the beach.”

“Your father got an OBE as well, right?”

“CBE actually. Rumor has it, he’s up for a knighthood.”

“CBE? What’s the difference?”

“One’s Commander of the British Empire and one’s Order. I think Commander is meant to be more prestigious. From what they’ve said, both involve a trip to the palace and a handshake with the Queen.”

What a pedigree Jacob had. It was a far cry from my family’s medical credentials, which consisted of my dad’s infected ingrown toenail and my mother’s kidney stone.

“You must be so proud.”

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