Cowboy Up (Lucas Brothers)
“Meadow Lewis?”
I stand up and force a smile for the nurse. I feel Blue rise up behind me. Immediately, his hand goes to the small of my back.
“Doctor Kelly is running a little late. He’s the only one on duty today. I read in your file that you didn’t have a preference.”
“I don’t really,” I murmur. I had an OB in Dallas, but he was on the verge of retiring when Adam was born.
“She wants the best,” Blue interjects.
I laugh, mostly because I know he means well, but I doubt a nurse is going to say if one of her employers is anything but great.
“Doctor Kelly is wonderful. He was my doctor for all three of my kids.”
“He?” Blue frowns. “I think Meadow would prefer a woman doctor.”
“I would?”
“You would?” the nurse asks me.
“She would,” Blue insists.
“Blue, I’m sure Dr. Kelly will be fine. Honestly, I had a male doctor with my first child. I’m pretty easygoing about it all.”
“Good. I think you’re going to love Dr. Kelly. If you two will just wait in this room.”
“Doe, I think we should leave. Petal has a great OB. You should see her.”
I frown looking at Blue—who looks extremely agitated. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing. I just don’t think you should have a male doctor.”
“Why on earth not?”
“Think about it, sweetheart. This doctor is a stranger. Do you really want someone you don’t know looking at you down there, inserting things and doing whatever it is they have to do?”
“I… they insert medical equipment or their hands to help the baby.”
“Exactly. You don’t really want a stranger doing all of that.”
“Blue, a new female doctor would still be a stranger,” I feel obliged to point out.
“Well, yeah, but it would be a woman. That would make it easier. Women are more delicate with this kind of thing.”
I blink.
“Don’t look at me like that, you know I’m right. Women have the same parts. They are more equipped to deal with it all.”
“You look so normal,” I murmur.
“What?”
“I said, you look so normal.”
“I know what you said, I just don’t understand why you said it.”
“Because you’re acting more insane than your mother around Faith’s husband, Titan.”
“No one is more insane than that. Jansen has gotten to where he refuses to let her go visit Faith—at least alone—and I can’t say as I blame him. Do you know the last time she went over asking if he would be interested in doing a photoshoot with Hamburger? She made up an excuse she was trying to get Hamburger to be the face of Beef Magazine.”
“Is that a real magazine?” I ask, having no idea.
“Who knows? The point is, she’s clearly the insane one of the family.”
“Oh yeah, a photoshoot for her pet is a lot more insane than a man not wanting a man to deliver my child.”
“I—”
“What if I told you that Petal’s doctor likes women?” I murmur.
“That’s good! See? You don’t want someone who is hateful.”
“I mean, she really likes women. Like if Paul Rudd and your sister, Petal were standing side by side naked asking for sex—”
“Can we stop with this analogy?”
“She would choose your sister,” I finish.
“That could still work. I mean, you prefer men.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“Who in the hell is Paul Rudd, anyway?”
“He’s an actor. Kind of hot in a boy-next-door kind of way.”
“Do you think I’m hot?”
“Is this really the conversation you want to be having inside my doctor’s office?”
“I just don’t like the idea of a man looking at you,” he grumbles, avoiding my eyes.
“Are you telling me you’re jealous?” I ask. In answer, he just shrugs. “You realize I’ve been married, and I have a child, right?”
“But you’re mine now,” he says, his voice solemn, staring straight at me with so much heat in his words that they brand me.
“Mrs. Lewis?”
I look up to see a young guy in glasses and a white lab coat come in. He’s carrying a clipboard and a file and has a stethoscope around his neck.
“That’s me,” I answer, putting my discussion with Blue in the back of my mind for now.
“Sorry I’m late. Today was my boyfriend’s graduation from medical school, and it took a little longer than expected.”
“No problem. I’m Blue Lucas, the baby’s father,” Blue answers, reaching out to shake the doctor’s hand—and sounding way too happy. They shake hands, and the doctor turns to me to shake mine. Then, he sits down to look at my file. Blue scoots his chair close to the exam bed I’m sitting on and holds my hand. “I think he’d pick that Rudd guy, too,” he whispers, making me shake my head and try to stifle my laughter.
“What’s that?” the doctor says, looking up from the file.
“Doe was just telling me about some actor she likes,” Blue responds with a shrug.
“I don’t watch much television myself. Now, I see from the records that you took a home pregnancy test and it came back positive?”