Page 92 of Nanny for the Doctor

It’s been too long since Mae left, and Stevie’s attempts at playing mediator between Johnny and me aren’t working. At least she had the presence of mind to get us out onto the porch so we don’t wake up Henry.

“How did you not know? How did you not use protection?!”

Johnny’s anger still fumes, making him a ticking time bomb, ready to go off again, and I’m right there with him.

“I’m not doing this again! I already told you that Mae said she was taking birth control. I trusted her.” I shake my head, huffing out a breath. “And if you really want to know, I pulled out most of the time!”

A wild swing comes my way, and I just manage to duck out of Johnny’s range.

“That’s my fucking sister!”

I scream at him as Stevie steps between us again. “I’m fucking aware!”

Then my pager goes off out of nowhere, and I grab it out of my pocket, confused. I almost forgot about the hospital altogether.

Seeing the call for a bad accident, I shake my head. I should have expected it, considering how it’s pouring rain.

I start for the door, intent on grabbing my bag and leaving Johnny to sulk like a goddamn five-year-old.

His hard laugh cuts through my attempt to block him out.

“Of course, you’re leaving. Choosing work over everything else, yet again!”

Spinning around, I level him with a glare. “You know it’s not that fucking simple. I’m on call like every other doctor, and sometimes I have to go help people, you know, not die.”

“Whatever. You’ll never change.”

That bites harder than it should, probably because it’s been Mae’s big issue since the beginning. I toss the pager on the wicker couch taking up a good chunk of the porch.

“You don’t want me to go. Fine. I won’t go.”

Johnny grins sarcastically. “Well, look at that. Actually sticking around for a whole ass minute. All it took was knocking up Mae to get you to come around.”

“Johnny!” Stevie glares at him. “She’s my friend, too, and I won’t listen to you talk about her like that. I’ve been struggling with you assholes for way too freaking long now. Work this shit out.”

The corners of my mouth turn down as I nod at Stevie. I have to hand it to her, she hasn’t quit trying to get us to chill since she arrived.

“What more would you like me to say, Johnny? Because at this point, I’m ready to lay it all out for you again, but I’d rather cut to the chase.”

I cross my arms over my chest and hold his stare. Johnny shakes his head before Stevie elbows him in the ribs.

“Fine.” He exhales forcefully through his nose. “You lied. You slept with Mae behind my back, and now she’s pregnant. I’m supposed to just be cool with that? You’re fucking up her life, and that’s exactly what I was worried about. She’s a person, not just one of your booty calls, and you’ve left her broken in your wake, like all the others.”

I start to come back at him with another “fuck off” before stopping myself and taking a deep breath.

“Look, I get you’re angry. I’m not expecting you to be okay with me betraying or harming Mae, though. I’m expecting you to listen to what I’m saying. I didn’t know she was pregnant, clearly. Mae said as much herself. I didn’t, don’t, want to leave her behind ‘in my wake.’ I care about her, and frankly, it sucks that you can’t see that.”

“If you care so much, why didn’t you talk to me about it sooner? Why’d you go and get her pregnant? You can’t just—”

Johnny’s phone rings in his pocket, and the upbeat rock song is so incredibly off base for the situation that I actually laugh.

When he answers, though, I watch Johnny’s face go from annoyed to panicked in a flash.

“I’m on my way.” He hangs up.

“What was that about?”

My best friend stares at me like he’s just been punched in the gut, tears brimming behind his eyes.

---