Ava: Ignore Eric. He is not getting laid since Tristan is back in LA for the week.
Me: His obsession with the word ‘fellatus’ is oddly disturbing
Ava: A simple blow job should suffice.
Bowing my head inside the elevator, I forget what a blow job feels like since it's been forever. Not to mention Ava and I have never officially engaged that way.
Me: It should. It would.
Ava: Well played, Dr. Carter. I walked into that. See you after your shift.
My parents left for a quick weekend away in Montauk before heading back to LA. I’m somewhat relieved they left since juggling the baby and Ava’s family—is beginning to take its toll. Everyone has an opinion on everything, and I’m not used to being surrounded by so much family.
Inside the breakout room, I stretch my arms, then crack my neck, desperate to alleviate the stress. My hands reach out for the coffee machine, but I retreat since I’ve already drunk multiple cups.
Today tested me with a patient admitted with multiple bullet wounds. We tried our best to revive the man who remained under police guard, but in the end, his injuries were too horrific.
His teenage children wept in the corridor, the trauma too much to handle as they apparently witnessed the whole aftermath.
Closing my eyes, I intake a breath, and when I open them again, Ava’s face comes to mind. For the last week, it’s been weighing on my mind where we go from here. Ava’s treating doctor advised she can be discharged on Monday with Emmy. Everything is progressing nicely, and as long as Emmy continues her routine check-ups, she doesn’t see the need for either one of them to stay any longer.
The news is great, and although I’m yet to tell Ava, there is the matter of where we stand.
I don’t want Ava to be alone, knowing she needs support. But where does that leave us?
Aside from the constant visitors, Ava spends any free moment she has in the NICU. When she returns to her room, she always falls asleep.
I just need her to be alone, to confess how I feel, and ask her if she would consider living together. The thought of being apart from Emmy leaves me unsettled. I don’t want to miss her milestones because it isn’t my day to take care of her.
But things are complicated.
If I bring this up, and Ava agrees, there’s no turning back.
This isn’t a break-up-get-back-together situation. We have a child to consider, and we can’t play Russian roulette with our relationship.
Also, Ava’s emotions have been somewhat heightened of late. So it really could go either way.
“Hey, stranger,” a voice says behind me.
I swiftly turn around to see Lane. It’s been a few weeks since I saw her last. Our shifts never rostered at the same time.
“Hey yourself.”
“Rumor has it you had a baby?”
I nod with a proud smile, leaning back against the locker. “Yes, she came early.”
“Congratulations,” Lane offers, then grins. “You know, a bunch of the new nurses are deeply disappointed you’re in a relationship.”
“The girls in the geriatric ward?”
Lane laughs, crossing her arms, still dressed in her scrubs. “Yeah, there was some pool on who could get into bed with you first.”
I drop my head to chuckle, then rub my face. “How do you know all this?”
“Hmm, the gossip train moves fast. They somehow found out we were together and, um, wanted specifics on, your um… anatomy.”
My lips press together, unsure of what to say. “I’m not sure how to respond to that, but Ava and I are just co-parenting right now.”