Page 36 of Doctor’s Surprise Twins

“Well... ” The background noise on the line got quieter, as if Dad were walking away from a commotion or something. He didn’t say anything else. I wasn’t sure how to take his response. It wasn’t that I needed his approval. As a grown man, I didn’t need my father to pat me on the back. And as I sat there in the silence, I didn’t even know why I’d bothered calling him.

“Anyway, I’m going to expand my practice to Evansville.”

“Don’t you think that’s a waste of your time? You should expand to the south. Move to the city. That makes more sense.” I heard a door shut and some shuffling. “Why Evansville?”

I sighed. There was no way to tell him why I had really chosen Evansville. If I planned to open up about my feelings for Maggie, I had to do it to her first.

“Dad, the wealthy folks in the city aren’t the only ones who need good medical care. Evansville doesn’t have a strong birthing unit. They still deliver babies in regular hospital rooms. If I go there, I can make a difference and bring more advanced care to the women of that region.”

I knew the lecture that was coming before I even asked, but I asked anyway. “Would you support me if I chose to invest my inheritance into helping the hospital build a state of the art birthing center?”

“Oh, Derek.” I heard the disappointment in his voice. He didn’t need to go on, but he did. “Your mother would roll over in her grave. You know what she believed. Cursed is the man who makes the flesh his strength.”

“Dad, I get it. Okay, never mind. I’ll let you go. I just thought you’d like to know what was new in my life. I’ll chat later.” I hung up before he got the opportunity to lay into me. It was fine that he didn’t want to support me. It just hurt that he brought Mom into this too. I bet wherever Mom was—heaven, hell, the cosmos, a hole in the fucking ground—if she was still speaking today, she would be saying ,“Build the healthcare center and save lives.”

I took a deep, cleansing breath and blew it out. My focus had to be on this new office in Evansville. And Maggie. Finding Maggie was top priority. I was one step closer to doing that now.

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

Maggie – Five Months Later...

Office banter heatedup pretty quickly. The new guy, Phillip, a pediatrician with a huge heart, had a way with the ladies. The office was small, just Phillip and Doctor Rhoads—a GP—and that made it feel like home. I had settled into this new life, but I thought of Derek every day. Especially at lunch time.

My fries were a bit soggy, the result of sitting beneath a heating lamp in their own grease for too long. I listened to Phillip as he spoke to Dr. Rhoads and Sheila, the nurse. He told a story of how he’d spotted a heart defect in a two-month-old that had gone undetected during the mother’s entire gestation. I found myself so smitten by the story that I was glued.

“So, what happened?” Sheila and I were friendly, but nothing like Gypsy and I had been or still were. I was grateful for the light conversation, but I wished my best friend were there.

“So I tell the OB who cared for the mother during pregnancy, and we check out the sonogram. Her tech missed it. We barely saved that kid’s life. The parents were so grateful. It makes the long hours and hard days so worth it, you know?” Philip finished his story and smiled at me. Unlike other men who would be arrogant and brag about the accomplishment, I got the feeling that Philip was genuinely humbled by the experience. I loved that.

“Well, I’m going to get back in there.” Dr. Rhoads stood and took his trash with him. “I have a few patients this afternoon I need to prepare for. Some charts to look over. Sheila, did you see that Betty Gardner is back? She’s still having that blood pressure issue. Call in to the pharmacy and see if they can offer her an increased dosage starting today, and if not, we need to call around to neighboring cities.” He pushed his chair in beneath the breakroom table. “That is just a miracle, Phillip. I’m so glad you’re on our team.”

With a smile, Dr. Rhoads walked out and Sheila rose to follow him.

“See you all after a bit.” She took her Tupperware container with the remnants of her home-cooked lunch and scurried after the doctor like she was a puppy nipping at his heels.

“Dr. Rhoads is right, Phillip. That is an incredible story.” I smiled and picked up my cup of diet soda. The babies moved, jostling my stomach and making me squirm. I splayed a hand on my stomach and felt them move.

“It’s really just a miracle I heard the heart murmur. How far along are you?” Phillip crumpled his sandwich wrapper up and threw it at the trash can, sinking it like a three-point shot.

“Um, let me think. I’m about thirty weeks, but I’m having twins, so I’m almost there.” His smile was dazzling. I found myself feeling attracted to him, wondering if he would ever take interest in a single mother of twins.

“That’s so great. Dad must be so proud.”

I shrugged. Was that his way of feeling me out, seeing if I was dating someone? Part of my heart shied away from the answer at first, hesitant. I loved Derek. But Derek had made it clear to me on a number of occasions that I was free sex and nothing more. The thought of that was so discouraging that I blurted out the truth.

“Dad’s not in the picture.” I collected the fry container and wadded up the wax paper from my sandwich, tossing them into the takeout bag. I stood, leaning on the back of the chair for balance. Phillip seemed to notice me struggling and grabbed my elbow to help me straighten.

“It’s a shame when a man doesn’t want to take care of such an incredibly attractive woman like yourself.” He steadied me and then picked up my trash. I didn’t know how to respond to him. I didn’t think pregnancy was very attractive on me, but that likely had more to do with my frustration with Derek and less to do with my self-confidence.

He must have noticed my reluctance to agree with his compliment. “I mean it, Magnolia. Maybe it’s not workplace appropriate, but I am very attracted to you. Maybe we can catch dinner tonight and see where that leads?” I followed him as he strolled toward the trash can and waited as he gestured for me to go through the door first.

“Uh, dinner sounds nice. I’m pretty tired, though. Making babies with your body is a whole lot of work. Can we plan another day?” I blushed. I felt the heat in my cheeks and the arousal growing between my legs. Phillip had only been around the office a few weeks, long enough to get a feel for his personality, and there was nothing to make me think he would be a horrible person, but my heart still shrank back, despite the attraction I felt. I was carrying Derek’s babies.

And I loved him—even if he wanted nothing to do with me.

“Sure.” Phillip excused himself, disappearing into the office, and I slunk into the bathroom to dry the puddle in my panties. It had been months since I’d felt aroused. Months since I’d even thought of sex.

Unfortunately, the damage was done. Phillip had started the juices flowing and made it difficult for me to concentrate on my work the rest of the day. I felt embarrassed by my utter lack of self-control thinking about how good an orgasm would feel. I finished my workday early, cutting out after my last patient and heading home at three. The office didn’t close until five, but I wasn’t needed. And Friday was my day off, so I would get a reprieve from answering Phillip’s request for at least three days.

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