Dueling Drs: A Small Town Hospital Romance

“What we know and what we’ve heard are two different things which you well know as a lifelong resident of our lovely small town.” Ryan filled all three glasses and sat back, an expectant expression on his face. “Talk.”

“No thanks. Not interested.”

“Too bad.” Cal shrugged and leaned a little further back in his seat, one leg crossed over the other knee, his eyes fixed on Ryan. “Remember when I almost lost Teddy and I was a surly bastard that no one wanted to be around? Bad times.”

“Terrible times,” Ryan responded with a playful smile. “Persy’s ex coming to town turned me into a mad man too. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”

“Same,” Cal agreed. “Just glad we got our heads on straight before we lost out on loving our incredible women.”

“Me too.” Ryan agreed and lifted his glass. “To being smart enough to go after our amazing women.”

“Cheers.” The traitors clinked their glasses together loudly and clumsily, making them impossible to ignore.

“Very funny, you guys just missed out on one important point. I don’t love Zola. I don’t want her either.” The last five words tasted like acid on my tongue, a lie that even I couldn’t make myself believe.

Cal nodded slowly as if he was gathering his thoughts. “Makes sense then that you’re being such a dick and the timing coincides with the giant fight you had at Gavin’s welcome home barbecue. Perfect sense.”

Ryan held a hand up to stop Cal. “Okay, let’s say you’re not upset about screwing things up with Zola. Why are you upset, then?”

It was a good question, and one I didn’t have an answer for, which made me angry as hell. I was so angry about the whole damn situation that I couldn’t think straight or clearly. “She’s pregnant. Pregnant,” I growled and shook my head, staring at each of my friends, waiting for shocked expressions that never came. “Can you believe it?” I still couldn’t believe it, hell the truth was that I refused to believe it.

“You had sex with her? At least once?” I nodded at Ryan’s ridiculous questions. “Then yeah, I can believe it.”

“No.” I shook my head because clearly he didn’t get it. “You don’t get it. Zola did this on purpose, that’s so obvious.”

“You can’t be serious,” Ryan shot back, his voice thick with disbelief.

“I can and I am.” I looked at my friends who would surely be on my side, who would have my back against these false allegations, only to find Ryan shocked and Cal amused.

Cal barked out a loud laugh that drew a few stares as The Outpost started to fill with the after work crowd. “No offense man, but you’re not that good a catch.”

I flipped him off and he only laughed louder as he smacked his hand against the table. “Thanks, Cal. You’re a real friend.”

While Cal continued to laugh, Ryan turned his full attention to me. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why would she get pregnant on purpose?”

Seriously? “To get me to agree to a serious relationship. Obviously. It’s what all women want even when they say it’s not.” I felt so foolish for believing Zola when I knew better.

Ryan and Cal looked at each other for a long moment and then both men erupted in laughter. “Someone thinks the world of himself, doesn’t he?” Cal banged on the table and shook his head as laughter rocked his body.

“At the risk of agreeing with Cal on anything, you sound like you’ve lost it Drew.”

Cal laughed even harder.

“You guys can think what you want, but I know what I’m talking about.” I drank my beer while my friends laughed at my expense.

Cal nodded. “You used condoms and she poked a hole in all of them?”

Ryan tapped on the table. “Or you put the condom on and she slipped it off before you slipped in?”

“Very fucking funny, guys.” They didn’t get it. They didn’t understand. They didn’t have manipulative women in their lives so how could they? “Fine,” I whispered. “We didn’t use anything. I was too caught up, too consumed with her to think straight. To think about something as insignificant in the moment, as birth control.”

“Ah, I see.” Cal nodded as if he understood. “So it’s her fault because you wanted her too bad to use your big brain?”

I nodded, feeling like the biggest piece of garbage in all of Jackson’s Ridge. “Something like that, yeah.”

“I see what the problem is,” Ryan declared as he refilled the glasses around the table.

“Yeah, enlighten me.”

“You, my friend, are a jerk. Plain and simple.”

Cal laughed again and I gripped my glass tight to avoid punching him in the face. “I agree with that assessment. Jerk. A cruel jerk from what I heard.”

I sat up at his words. “What did you hear?”

“I was in the ER that night but Teddy wasn’t.” He didn’t say more because he didn’t need to. Teddy had witnessed it first hand, which means I was lucky to still have all my teeth and family jewels.