about canceling their plans.
“Looks like I’ll be keeping the kid brother for the weekend,” he said on a resigned sigh. Though she’d made real progress being around Robbie on Thanksgiving, he wanted her all to himself the first time he took her out to dinner.
Phil felt compelled to give her the whole story about his father’s illness, flight home, and current status. Once he’d filled her in they’d settled into an easy conversation, and as Robbie was still erecting the west-coast version of the Empire State building, he kept talking.
Hell, he’d had sex with the woman. They knew each other intimately now. And though completely out of character, he wanted to take the opportunity to get to know her even better.
“Do you have a minute to talk?” he asked. How busy could a person be in a hotel room?
“Sure,” she said.
The problem was that, if he wanted to learn more about her, he’d have to talk about himself. Should he take the risk?
He glanced at Robbie, who’d now moved on to scribbling with crayons in his newest coloring book from Hawaii, and decided what the heck.
“It’s been bugging me. I mean, how does a doctor with an aversion to kids wind up being an obstetrician?”
To her credit, she blurted out a laugh instead of taking offense. Though maybe she sounded a little nervous? “I guess it does seem odd, and please don’t get me wrong,I love delivering babies. It’s just…well, pregnancy and delivery is one thing, and child rearing is another.”
“See, now, that’s where I get tripped up,” Phil said, trying hard to understand her elusive explanation. “It’s been my experience that people usually go into a specialty profession because it’s their passion. For instance, I chose medicine because of my mother.”
Maybe it was the fact that his dad was sick and in a hospital, looking all too frail. Maybe it was because, even after professing to hate his mother all these years, he still missed her, but she’d been on his mind today.
“Your mother wanted you to become a pulmonologist?”
“Actually, she never knew, because I stopped talking to her.”
Phil wasn’t ready to tell Stephanie the whole story, that he’d been in Australia at a surfing championship when his father had been diagnosed with lymphoma the first time—and that his mother’s leaving turned his life upside down. It had made him quit the surfing circuit at twenty to care for his dad and, eventually, head back to school.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Phil.”
He’d confused her. He sensed honest compassion in Stephanie’s voice and it felt like a forgiving breath; made him want to be honest with her. Maybe he did owe her an explanation.
“My dad had lymphoma, and when he first got diagnosed, my mother walked out on us. She couldn’t deal with his disease. Evidently she didn’t give a damn about me either because I never got to say goodbye.”
“Oh, God, how awful.”
Phil hadn’t meant to turn their conversation in this maudlin direction, he’d just wanted to keep her on thephone a little longer, but here he was stripping down barriers and letting the new girl on the block know about the secret of his mother. He could count back ten girlfriends and know for sure they’d never had a clue about his family or whether either of his parents was alive or dead. So why had he opened up to Stephanie?
“Yeah, I haven’t talked to her since. I don’t have a clue if she knows I’m a doctor or not.”
“I see.” She sounded suddenly distant.
As he’d gone completely out of character, he decided to get something else off his chest.
“Stephanie, this is a really weird question, but something I noticed yesterday made me wonder if you have a child.” The way she’d put Robbie into his pajamas and had left the bedroom door ajar. A novice like himself wouldn’t know to do that without being told. But not Stephanie.
She inhaled sharply.
He kicked himself for bringing up the subject. “Are you
“Looks like I’ll be keeping the kid brother for the weekend,” he said on a resigned sigh. Though she’d made real progress being around Robbie on Thanksgiving, he wanted her all to himself the first time he took her out to dinner.
Phil felt compelled to give her the whole story about his father’s illness, flight home, and current status. Once he’d filled her in they’d settled into an easy conversation, and as Robbie was still erecting the west-coast version of the Empire State building, he kept talking.
Hell, he’d had sex with the woman. They knew each other intimately now. And though completely out of character, he wanted to take the opportunity to get to know her even better.
“Do you have a minute to talk?” he asked. How busy could a person be in a hotel room?
“Sure,” she said.
The problem was that, if he wanted to learn more about her, he’d have to talk about himself. Should he take the risk?
He glanced at Robbie, who’d now moved on to scribbling with crayons in his newest coloring book from Hawaii, and decided what the heck.
“It’s been bugging me. I mean, how does a doctor with an aversion to kids wind up being an obstetrician?”
To her credit, she blurted out a laugh instead of taking offense. Though maybe she sounded a little nervous? “I guess it does seem odd, and please don’t get me wrong,I love delivering babies. It’s just…well, pregnancy and delivery is one thing, and child rearing is another.”
“See, now, that’s where I get tripped up,” Phil said, trying hard to understand her elusive explanation. “It’s been my experience that people usually go into a specialty profession because it’s their passion. For instance, I chose medicine because of my mother.”
Maybe it was the fact that his dad was sick and in a hospital, looking all too frail. Maybe it was because, even after professing to hate his mother all these years, he still missed her, but she’d been on his mind today.
“Your mother wanted you to become a pulmonologist?”
“Actually, she never knew, because I stopped talking to her.”
Phil wasn’t ready to tell Stephanie the whole story, that he’d been in Australia at a surfing championship when his father had been diagnosed with lymphoma the first time—and that his mother’s leaving turned his life upside down. It had made him quit the surfing circuit at twenty to care for his dad and, eventually, head back to school.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Phil.”
He’d confused her. He sensed honest compassion in Stephanie’s voice and it felt like a forgiving breath; made him want to be honest with her. Maybe he did owe her an explanation.
“My dad had lymphoma, and when he first got diagnosed, my mother walked out on us. She couldn’t deal with his disease. Evidently she didn’t give a damn about me either because I never got to say goodbye.”
“Oh, God, how awful.”
Phil hadn’t meant to turn their conversation in this maudlin direction, he’d just wanted to keep her on thephone a little longer, but here he was stripping down barriers and letting the new girl on the block know about the secret of his mother. He could count back ten girlfriends and know for sure they’d never had a clue about his family or whether either of his parents was alive or dead. So why had he opened up to Stephanie?
“Yeah, I haven’t talked to her since. I don’t have a clue if she knows I’m a doctor or not.”
“I see.” She sounded suddenly distant.
As he’d gone completely out of character, he decided to get something else off his chest.
“Stephanie, this is a really weird question, but something I noticed yesterday made me wonder if you have a child.” The way she’d put Robbie into his pajamas and had left the bedroom door ajar. A novice like himself wouldn’t know to do that without being told. But not Stephanie.
She inhaled sharply.
He kicked himself for bringing up the subject. “Are you
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