Love, Doctor (Inner Harbor 1)

“No Diana, this is a terrible idea.” I hand her a bag filled with a gooey pastry hoping the shock of sugar will kick some sense into her.

She crinkles the bag open peering inside.

“Cherry Danish?” She sniffles.

“Yeah, I figured we could binge today.” Our joke between the two of us. I am a health nut, personal trainer, and Scorpio. Diana is a paralegal, and a Danish aficionado with a knockout right hook.

“But it’s not Friday.” Through her exhalations I shrug.

“Sometimes a crisis just calls for a food fix.”

She’s stuck on this idea that somehow marrying Dr. Milo will fix everything and in this case I can overlook a little emotional eating feeling as helpless as Diana.

“I’m single.”

I lean down again warming her hands holding the coffee in mine. “Being single isn’t a reason to do this, let alone…” Yeah, nobody needed to remind us what a deadbeat Allen turned out. When he learned that Maisy had a form of acute myeloid leukemia, the asshole divorced Diana quicker than an annulment with a Vegas stripper. He left her high and dry paying for hospital treatments and insurance out of her own pocket. The only good thing was Natalie’s boss Isaac helped with the divorce so she got the house paid off, but not much else from the deadbeat.

“But then he could treat her and he wouldn’t have to leave.” I hate being the one to crush her solution to a problem. A problem which I’m not even sure is a problem. You can’t trust hospital gossip.

Shaking my head no, “Doctors can’t treat family.” My best friend since the second grade radiates with anxiety and I can’t blame her. Maisy only started responding to the treatments in the last few weeks under the care of Dr. Milo here at the pediatric oncology unit. Nothing is going to convince her otherwise that any change won’t jeopardize her health.

“But Piper, They’re sending Dr. Milo back. Who will treat Maisy?” My heart hurts for my goddaughter and I feel at a loss of what to do.

“Well, surely he has working papers? A passport? What does he need to stay?” I have no clue what is required for foreign doctors to remain in the US. It isn’t the standard work related problem like filling out tax forms and health care documents. I certainly didn’t know the science behind cancer. I sculpted bodies in a gym for a living while cancer ravaged them. I didn’t want him to leave anymore than she did.

“I’m scared, Piper. Maisy is my baby. My one and only. I don’t know what I would do without her. I’d do anything to get her healthy and keep her safe.”

“I know you would Diana, but marriage? That’s a bit much and even if you could, I think the hospital has all kinds of rules about that don’t they?”

“I guess they do.”

“I’m sure he as an attorney looking into whatever this mess is.”

“Well, you marry him then. He’s hot.” She’s right about him being hot. Dr. Milo is a legend among the staff and patients. Glimpses in the hallway fuel my fantasies because I’m not dating while I work on getting the gym up and running with Jax. By the end of the day I’m physically exhausted.

Groaning, “Diana, I would do anything for the two of you, but marry a stranger? Even a hot one? Come on.” The idea is ludicrous.

“You could do worse.” Diana isn’t far off the mark. I had done worse. Way worse. In the past, my dating track record looked more like something from a Nightmare on Elm Street hence the ready supply of box wine I keep stashed at my parent’s house now that Im temporarily taking up residence there. The last guy I dated lives in Austin and probably snorts whey protein like an addict.

“Diana…” I warn her. She turns her big blue eyes on me and I’m lost in my loyalty and love for her and Maisy.

Sucker punched in the gut she says the one thing I can’t say no to: “She’s your goddaughter. What if something happened to me? Allen doesn’t want her and all I have are my aging aunt and uncle who still live next door to your parents.”

I am not doing this.

This is crazy.

I could at least talk to him and find out what is going on and put Diana’s mind at ease.

A deep breath and a chug of too hot coffee, I’m a

sking the next semi-logical question, “Where’s his office?”

2

Milo

“What do you mean my Visa cannot be extended longer?” Gripping the bridge of my nose I stare at my office ceiling. White popcorn board sports a stain in the corner that predates me. The space is smaller than my pantry at home. I don’t care about the corner office but an upgrade from the closet would have been nice being the lead physician here.