Page 84 of Geordie

“Geordie, Stephen?” calls a woman in blue scrubs standing by the double doors.

Stephen points a finger at me, just short of my chest. “This isn't over, MacTavish. We'll settle this later.”

“Looking forward to it, laddie.” I smile. I'll enjoy beating the shite out of him.

“Geordie, Stephen?”

“Here,” I say, leaving Stephen's presence. “Do you have news?”

“Lily wants to see you both.”

She looks a little paler, sitting up in bed, a fresh bandage on her hand. Stephen and I stand on opposite sides of the bed, inches away from machines that monitor her; it's a tight fit.

“How are you feeling?” Stephen asks.

“Better. I'm waiting for the doctor to talk with me before I leave.”

He takes her hand. The way they look into each other's eyes, it's like two star-crossed lovers; it brings my bile up to watch this reunion. Maybe they'll be together and my hopes for Lily are in vain. Something like this could bring them closer.

“I'm ready to take you home when they release you.” He touches her hair, and she gives him a wee smile. “I'll cancel my trips for a few weeks to take care of you.”

“Thank you,” she says, glancing at me, “I'll think about it.”

“I'd be glad to help you back to health, lass, you're welcome to stay with me,” I say.

“Hello, I'm Dr. James,” says a voice from the other side of the curtain. “Can I come in and join the party?”

“Please,” Lily says as she and Stephen pull apart, the cocky bastard taking his place by the bedside, his hand resting on the pillow above her head, like he owns her.

The doctor pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Is it okay for these gentlemen to be present while we have our discussion?”

“It's fine. It seems these two are interested in my condition. Maybe you can convince these guys I'm alright and I'm not terminal.”

“As you wish. We cleaned the wound and glued the ends together. You'll have an impressive scar. It will give you the opportunity to invent a really interesting story of how it happened.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” Lily giggles and the mood is lightened.

“You should take it easy and rest. The nurse will give you printed information of all the dos and don'ts to take home before you leave. If the wound looks angry, contact us. If you have pain, take Tylenol.”

“No anti-inflammatory?”

“I've prescribed Amoxicillin. They'll have it ready for you when you leave.”

“Sorry, but shouldn't it be Tetracycline? I had something like this happen earlier in my career.”

“Yes, that's normally what we'd prescribe. About that.” She pauses, glancing at each of us, gauging her audience. “We don't normally prescribe Tetracycline to pregnant women.”

Lily's head snaps back, eyes wide. “What the f–? Say that again.”

The doctor's eyes soften as she slips her hands into the pockets of her white coat. “It's the hospital's policy to test all women of childbearing age when they come to the ER. Some women don't know they're pregnant. It's precautionary to ensure we don't endanger the fetus.” The doctor adjusts her glasses. “Sorry if the news of your pregnancy has come as a shock. That topic was the last on my list to discuss.”

Lily grips the metal siderail of the bed, and she’s biting her lip, staring at the doctor. Stephen gapes at his ex-girlfriend. If it were me, I'd be ready to ask the obvious question of paternity.

An unexpected surge of elation engulfs my body. I want to shout that we've done it, but no one in this room is in the same mood. I look over at Stephen, who's losing his confident demeanor. There will be time for celebration later when the real intruder is gone.

There's a long moment of unnatural silence, while a gurney creaks past the curtained enclosure we're trapped in. The doctor notices the strange scene and takes a step back from the bed, a hand already parting the slit in the curtain. “Well, that's it, unless you have questions.”

Lily shakes her head.

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