Tailwind (Love By Design 4)

Winnie held court just outside the door.

“I’m gonna pull up a chair if that’s okay.” I cringed listening to the chair scrap against the linoleum flooring squeaking.

“You think I’m going to be here awhile?”

“I googled this. It’s could take hours.”

“Fuck me.”

“Later, but if you get good at pushing these out maybe we should consider you being the one to give birth to any future children.”

“Cute, Winsome. Planning on naming this stone too?”

“Sure, what about Coal?”

“Coal?”

“Yeah as in Diamond if this takes you that long.” She snorted.

Winnie might be joking about me turning this stone into something precious but I was glad she was here even if we kept having these ridiculous meet ups. I’d do all the practice pushing in the world if it meant she’d be here by my side for all of it.

26

Winnie

My boyfriend was a horrible patient. If it was possible to quantify the worst of the worst, Chase Calloway was it. Volunteering at the animal shelter was looking like heaven compared to him whining and carrying on. At least the animals would have been receptive to a chin scratch or a bowl of fresh water. I heard he was a bear with his knee after the surgery, but this was a kidney stone for fucks sake.

Maybe he was worried about sexual dysfunction. Maybe he was pissed I asked the nurse about it who laughed out loud snorting. Yup, full on snort. Maybe he was mad about his mother stopping by several times and making him an appointment for a doctor in Albany. Maybe we needed a break.

Except right now we were driving to Albany, rather I was driving because he was in too much pain. The kind of pain that made the attending doctor call the office and get his appointment moved up a week.

“What time is the appointment again?”

“I think eleven thirty.” He groaned looking out the side window as I navigated traffic up route 87 in his car because it was more comfortable for him to get in and out of. My hands sweated on the steering wheel driving his car but he insisted handing me the keys without eve

n a second glance. Probably not a good time to tell him about my last fender bender or slew of parking tickets. I wasn’t the best driver and my city girl life relied on public transportation.

I pulled up to Albany Mass General and parked the car in the outpatient lot. “Alright wimpy, we doing this?”

“Fine, but I’m walking in.”

“If you say so.” I parked as close as possible to give Chase a break but we still had to navigate inside the hospital to the urology department. I held onto his arm and took note of the effort it took to get him to walk down the hall.

“Are you sure you don’t want a wheel…” I didn’t even get to finish the sentence.

“No.” He gritted out pushing the doors open to the Urology practice inside.

I helped him sit down and grabbed the clipboard with release papers for him to fill out. We’d done most if it online except for all the HIPPA forms.

“Chase Calloway.”

I glanced up hearing the gruff voice I’d only heard over the phone the past few months.

“Dad?”

“Winnie?” Both Chase and my father said my name looking back and forth between me and Chase and then my dad. It was awkward at best. Poor Chase flushed scarlet and I felt a heat of embarrassment come over me.

“Sweetheart, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?” Dad was as confused as the rest of us.