Grow up, find love, settle down, start a family…

THE UNEXPECTED STRAIGHT AND NARROW

by Joe Reister © 2024

Table of Contents

• Ready
• Set
• Go
• Intros

Ready

“Hey, move it or lose it, stud.  Now.”  Milo heard, whirling around with a wide open mouth to see a straight faced woman with large eyes and noticeable curves under a doctor’s white coat rushing right at him with a loaded gurney and three other people in white right behind her.  “Come on, handsome.  You can do this.”  Her voice got deeper and louder, and she pointed him to the side.  “Right.  Now.”

“Whoa.”  He jumped and twisted his entire body out of the way with half a second to spare, banging his left shoulder off a dull wall, and hit the floor hard and knees first.  “Dr. Jaime Rockefeller.”  He half smiled, catching the fine print of the woman’s hospital ID badge out of the corner of his eye, and watched as she kept barreling down the corridor without slowing down or looking back, “Damn.”  He grimaced but still sort of smiled with wide eyes and a big nod.  “That is not something to forg...”

“You all right?” a young and very pregnant woman in bright and loose fitting clothes said, leaning against the same dull wall, and turned to Dr. Jaime Rockefeller just as she disappeared behind a set of now closing double doors.  She looked back at Milo as he winced and grabbed his right knee.  “Hey.”  She waved her right hand big and right in front of his face to get his attention.  “I said...”

“I heard.”  Milo caught his breath, frowning at the surprising damp floor he discovered he was now sitting on, and saw the Authorized Personnel Only sign on the double doors.  He shook his head and turned to look right at the young pregnant woman with half a nod.  “And yeah.”  He shrugged, rubbing the pain out of his knee and let go of half a smile at her.  “I guess I’m all right?”

“Great, but something’s not right there, sir.”  The young pregnant woman made a face, pointing two fingers at the wet spot under his butt, and looked him in the eye with half a grin and more than a giggle.  “Unless you’re having a baby or…?”

“No.”  Milo gave her a look back, touching the floor with the tip of his finger and a twisted expression, and found a frown.  “I didn’t pee and I’m obviously not preg...”

“He’s fine,” another young woman said, wearing blue hospital scrubs, and stepped up to stand almost on top him.  She chuckled as he just sat there staring back at her with a goofy look and a wet butt.  “Looks a little star struck, though, huh?”

“Um.  Obviously.”  The young pregnant woman nodded, still looking right at him, and kept pointing at the wet floor with her two fingers.  “Yeah.”  Her eyes narrowed on his disjointed and wide eyed expression.  “He’s got googly eyes like I’ve only seen twice in my life.”  She touched her belly.  “And one of those was when this hap…”

“What?”  Milo’s face tightened, glancing at the closed double doors, and he felt his wet butt for a quick second before turning back to the young woman in hospital scrubs with a squinty frown.  “Please tell me that’s not blood, puke or something worse.” 

“Probably bleach and water, Milo.”  The young woman in hospital scrubs rolled her eyes and pointed to the gray and beige building around them.  “Since you know, this is a hospital.”  She watched him shake his head to look past the young pregnant woman and at the double doors again.  “Something you’d probably put together if you weren’t just a little, teensy bit distracted.” 

“Distracted?”  Milo held up a hand to block out the young pregnant woman and half frowned at the other young woman in hospital scrubs.  “I told you I’m over that.”  He peeked around his hand at the young, pregnant woman’s glow and turned back to the other young woman in hospital scrubs as she took his dry hand in her own and yanked him up off the floor.  “Two years of the wagon now, Lilly.”  He grinned and nodded big.  “Two.”  He raised a pair of fingers, stretching his neck to check on his blue chinos and the bottom of his orange bowling shirt, and pointed to the giant wet spot.  “And are you sure that’s not pee?”

“Pretty sure.”  Lilly took in a deep breath over the wet spot with her own grin and pointed to everything around them with big eyes and a giant wave of her hands.  “Hospitals stress cleanliness over godliness, killing germs and keeping things sterile, Milo.”  She nodded big and smiled bigger.  “Kind of one our mission statements, you know.”  She touched the back of his pants, rubbing her fingers together on them with a shrug, and then pointed them to the caution wet floor cone behind them.  “Just maintenance doing their fifteen-minute mop.”  She looked at the Timex on her wrist.  “Right on schedule.”

“Good.”  Milo made a face at the sign but gave her a smile.  “Thank you.”  He nodded until he noticed Lilly giving him a pointed look at the eavesdropping young pregnant woman and then he turned to her with half a smile.  “I used to volunteer at Presbyterian.”  He shrugged.  “So…” 

“Not in maintenance.”  The young pregnant woman shrugged too, staring at the yellow cone and the now nearly dried floor, and turned to Milo.  “So...?”

“No.”  Milo shook his head, still smiling, and waved away the cone and the drying floor.  “No, in the maternity ward, snuggling preemies and putting up with a lot of crying.”  He gave her a look, pointing down the hall to the elevator that used to go to the hospital’s now closed and shuttered maternity ward, and turned back to Lilly with half a shrug.  “Thought it’d be a good life experience.”

“Knowing what I know you’re lucky they took you.”  Lilly shook her head, watching him glance at the young pregnant woman’s large belly with a deep shrug and a deeper breath.  “Although it didn’t hurt on your profile.”

“I know.”  Milo stood up straighter, beaming to her and the young pregnant woman, and turned halfway around with yet another glance at the double doors.  “And thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”  Lilly watched him stare at the doors, giving him a look, and pushed the messy dreadlocks out of her face.  “And you’re making this even easier than I thought it’d be.”

“What?”  Milo turned back, blinking, and noticed the young pregnant woman stand up straighter and turn too.  “Easier?”

“You know, I was worried when we first went out that you hadn’t gotten over the history of dating already pregnant women that is spelled out so very clearly on your profile.”  Lilly nodded big, showing off her cell phone for a second, and pointed to the young pregnant women’s large and obvious belly.  “But now I see that’s not really the problem.…”

“Right.  Look, I told you how I got therapy for that on our first date.”  Milo raised a blocking hand to the young pregnant woman’s large belly but kept his eyes on Lilly and her half twisted smile.  “A lot of it along with all of the other nonsense...”

“Yes, your bad business ideas, that super strange year in California and the way too weird a dependency on some friends named Puck and Grace, who I’ve still somehow never met despite you talking about them all the time.”  Lilly held up one, two and then three fingers.  “Especially Puck…”

“Exactly.  I like to get it all out in the open.”  Milo nodded, throwing up his hand, and glanced down at something humming by the double doors.  “Make sure there are no surprises.”

“I got that.”  Lilly noticed the glance, almost laughing, but just pointed to his face.  “And believe me it was appreciated along with the prettiness.”

“You too.”  Milo grinned, nodding big at her, and they shared a momentary look at each other’s big eyes, symmetrical features and athletic builds.  He shrugged.  “I kind of figured that helped you look past my mess of a profile.”

“It didn’t hurt.”  Lilly grinned too, noticing the young pregnant woman now staring right at both of them and listening to their conversation with rapt attention.  “And you might truly be over pregnant women for all I know…”

“If I’m lying, I’m dying.”  Milo grinned more, standing up straighter with a nod, but noticed the young pregnant woman too, and shifted his stance to avoid her look as Lilly stepped in front of the double doors to do the same.  “Seriously.”  He pointed again to the young pregnant woman.  “Once upon a time, I wouldn’t be able to think about anything but that amazing belly of life, hope and a brighter future, but that’s all in the past now.”  He held up his hand into a two fingered salute.  “Scout’s honor.”

“I believe you.”  Lilly nodded.  “I really do.  “She held up her work ID badge for both of them to see and waved to the gray and beige hospital around them.  “Particularly since Methodist doesn’t have a maternity ward anymore, but...”

“I know.”  Milo smiled, shrugging to both of them, and then nodded.  “It kind of rocked my world when they closed it.”  He almost lost his smile, looking around at the wide hallway, double doors and the cone warning about wet floors, and shrugged.  “I think because of insurance premiums.”

“And consolidation.”  Lilly stopped an eyeroll and smiled back.  “Unlike Presbyterian.”

They both turned to the young pregnant woman with narrow eyed looks. 

“Oh, I’m picking up my boyfriend.”  She smiled, covering her a quarter of her belly with her hands, and nodded to the cone.  “He does maintenance here, and his shift ended fifteen minutes ago.”

“Great.”  Milo raised an eyebrow at her, almost pointing a finger her way, but shook his head instead and turned back to Lilly.  “So, you were saying?”

The young pregnant woman ignored his raised eyebrow and took half a step closer, still looking right at them, and nodded for more.

“Well.”  Lilly frowned at her, glancing at the double doors, but mostly looked at Milo.  “I think you might not have ever really been into already pregnant women.”  She nodded to the large belly.  “No.”  She shook her head and then nodded big.  “Instead, I think you might actually be into big boned women, with impressive cleavage who are large and in charge.”  She raised two fingers and pointed back at the double doors.  “You know what I’m saying?”

Milo stared at her, shaking his head with half a frown, and threw up his hands.  “No.”  He started to frown the rest of the way.  “Although it sounds like you’re…”

“Is your mom like a surgeon, a scary high school teacher or somebody with a ton of authority or at least acts like it?”  Lilly took a step closer to him, reaching out to touch his shoulder, and nodded right to him.  “You know, someone who’s always telling people what to do?  A cop or a colonel, maybe?”

“She’s a lawyer.”  Milo backed up half a step, shaking his head, and his eyes narrowed on her.  “Who does lead a large team, including other lawyers.”  He half shrugged.  “And doesn’t take guff from anybody.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.”  Lilly chuckled, noticing the young pregnant woman half laugh too, and they shared a nod.  “That sounds about right.”

“What?”  Milo made a face a face at both of them, taking in a deep breath, and then turned right back to Lilly.  “What is going on here, huh?”

“More than you think, I guess.”  Lilly half smiled and shared half a look with the still nodding young pregnant woman and then shrugged big.  “And I can’t fault the love at first sight phenomenon, you know, when you’re still sort of in your twenties, officially, so…”

“I’m thirty, and I’m telling you I’m over the whole pregnancy thing.  Okay?” Milo said the last word loudly, almost stomping his feet, and kept his eyes right on Lilly.  “Entirely.”  He nodded big and pointed one finger at the young pregnant woman.  “Yeah, this mom to be is smoking hot with great curves and still awesome cheek bones, and I definitely would’ve asked for her number if she didn’t have a boyfriend only a few years ago.”  He nodded bigger.  “Absolutely, positively.  But that’s not what I’m about anymore.  No.”  He smiled, standing up straighter, and gave Lilly’s tight curves a long look.  “I’m all about you, Lilly.  Yes.”  He nodded somehow even bigger and almost tipped over.  “Seriously and truly.”  

“And I seriously and truly thank you, Milo.”  She nodded back, shrugging, and shifted on her feet to block him from looking at the double doors.  “But I’m talking about the other distractions around here.”  She pointed behind her and gave him a look.  “Okay?”

“You mean almost getting hit by a gurney?”  Milo pointed to the double doors, waving the world away, and shook his head but grinned.  “Yeah, that wasn’t fun.”  He touched his still wet pants and shrugged.  “I’m not a big fan of getting slammed into a wall and having a wet butt.”

“Yeah, you’re not the only one.”  Lilly shrugged back, again, noticing the young pregnant woman still staring and listening to them, but kept her attention on him.  “Sorry.”  She raised a finger to him and took in a deep breath.  “But…”

“No.  Wait a minute.”  Milo pushed down her finger and stared at her for a long second.  “You’re not breaking up with me, are you?”  He looked past Lilly , blocking out the young pregnant woman with his hand, and then turned back to her with one deep breath.  “And if you are, that’s fine.”  He sighed big and shrugged again.  “I mean, what can I do?”  He closed his eyes for a quick second, shaking his head and held up his own finger to her with a now narrowed eyed look.  “But please, please, please, don’t make this about my mom.  Okay?”  He almost frowned.  “Please.”

“Oh.  Kay.”  Lilly gave a look back, shrugging, and held up two fingers in front of him.  “But I’m not sure it’s a break up if we only went out twice.”

“Three times.”  Milo made his own face and held up three fingers.  “If you count tonight.”

“I wouldn’t.”  Lilly held onto the two fingers, half frowning, and shook her head.  “Since I obviously got called into work.”

“Where there are all these distractions.”  Milo pointed to the young pregnant woman and the double doors and then Lilly.  “What is going on here anyway?”

“Never mind.”  Lilly breathed in, shaking her head, and looked past him.  “Doesn’t matter.”  She rubbed her nose, laughing to herself, and looked right at him again.  “Ultimately, this is about the smell, Milo.”

“What?” he said, loudly, looking right at her with suddenly wider eyes.  “The smell?”  He shook his head back and threw up both of his hands.  “Are you saying I smell bad?”

“Not bad.  No.”  Lilly said, quietly, and her face twisted all the way around and halfway down.  “Just off.”  She twisted her hand half and half in the air.  “A little.” She nodded right to him with sort of a smile.  “It’s weird.” 

“Yeah.”  Milo tilted his head forward, lifting his shirt up, and breathed himself in.  “That is weird.”  He gave her another look, dropping his shirt, and raised a finger.  “I shower every day.  Twice when I work out and…”

“Look, this isn’t what you think.”  Lilly said, frowning at the young pregnant woman’s continuing stare, and held up her hands in surrender to Milo.  “And it has nothing to do with showering.  You don’t…”

“You know.”  Milo made a tighter face, shaking his head, and threw up just one hand in the air.  “There are easier, and probably less hurtful ways to break up with someone than to tell them they smell funny.”  He sighed and held up his own two fingers.  “Particularly after only two dates.”

The young pregnant woman nodded, still staring, and pulled out her phone to point it in their direction. 

“No.”  Lilly raised a hand to the young pregnant woman’s phone, and pulled Milo away from her, down the hallway and away from the double doors toward the beige and blue chairs ten feet away in the waiting area.  “Look, this really has nothing to do with you, okay?”  She sat him down but stayed close to him.  “It’s science, pure and simple.”  She nodded and touched his forehead with the tip of her finger.  “Seriously.  Basic biology a computer guy might not remember from high school.”  She looked at him with a smile up to her eyes.  “But have you noticed how we look a lot alike?”

Milo nodded, and they shared another look at their big eyes, symmetrical features and athletic builds. 

“Even the hair.”  Lilly touched her long dreadlocks, giving him a wink, and pointed to his shorter ones.  “Don’t you think that’s kind of weird?”

“I guess?”  Milo stared at her, shrugging again, and then half grinned right at her.  “I just thought pretty liked pretty.”

“Not when you look so much alike.”  Lilly eased back from him, pointing to his cocoa colored skin tone and then her own similar coloring.  “Because our bodies know something’s wrong, particularly the nose, and we’re repelling each other because we’re probably like third cousins or something.”  She nodded.  “I didn’t tell you, but I have relatives in Virginia too.”

“Great.”  Milo half frowned and pulled out his phone.  “You know, you could’ve just texted me if you wanted to end things.”

“That’s mean, and this isn’t crazy.”  Lilly straightened up and looked him in the eye.  “It’s science.”

“But you don’t smell bad.”  Milo looked back and pocketed his phone.

“I’m wearing perfume today.”  Lilly held out her wrist up to his nose.  “But wasn’t last week when we kissed and gave each other that weird look.”

“Huh?”  Milo looked past her for a long second, making a bugged eyed face, and then nodded.  “So?”

“Like that.”  Lilly pointed at his now bugged eyed face.  “Just like that.”

“Okay.”  Milo blinked a few times at nothing and then looked back at her again.  “That was a weird kiss, I agree.”  He rubbed his nose and nodded to himself.  “Strange even, but…”

“Look, I’m all for having fun.”  Lilly pointed to below their respective waists.  “But our bodies know something is off, and you’ve got to respect that.”  She touched her nose three times and flashed him a grin.  “No matter how good looking and frisky we are…”

“Frisky?”  Milo looked her up and down and almost smiled.

“Yes.”  Lilly took half a step back, crossing her arms over her chest and almost smiled too.  “And don’t deny it.” 

“I’m not.”  Milo found her eyes, now smiling, but then shook it off with a quick laugh.  “I think this conversation has gone on more than long enough, though, huh?”  He pushed back his own short dreadlocks out of his face and shrugged.  “And I’m not going to argue with science over three dates.”

“Two.”  Lilly heard the double doors open, glancing back, and pointed down the corridor.  “Because I’m not up to competing with other distractions.”

“Yeah, except I told you I’m over moms to be.”  Milo looked past the young pregnant woman again, back at the double doors and froze at the woman with large eyes and noticeable curves wearing a doctor’s white coat coming through them.  

“Nurse Brown, I am so glad you could come in on your day off.”  The woman with the Dr. Jaime C. Rockefeller ID badge smiled, stepping up to them, and half glanced at Milo.  “And I’m sorry I almost ran over your brother here.”  She pointed to him, nodding, and then turned all of the way to Lilly.  “Although I figured he’d have the sense to get out of the way in an emergency room.”  She made half a face at her and shrugged to him.  “No?”

“You’d think so, Dr. Rockefeller.”  Lilly smiled, noticing Milo’s stare only at the woman, and poked him in the ribs.  “But he’s always been the slow one in the family.”  She chuckled, seeing his face drop, and shook her head.  “Although he’s good for a ride.”

“Well, that’s something,” the doctor chuckled too, patting Milo on the shoulder without another look, and turned back to the double doors.  “Once you’re sure he’s all right why don’t you give us a hand?”  She started moving forward again.  “We’re having a busy day.”

“Like always.”  Lilly nodded, laughing as Milo just kept staring with big brown eyes, and the doctor disappeared behind the double doors.  “I think he’s almost figured out what’s going on.”

“What?”  Milo said, blinking, and turned to her with a look.  “I’m sorry.”

“You’re going to be.” Lilly noticed that the young pregnant woman had walked into the waiting room to eavesdrop on them again and shook her head.  “But you’ve got to stop looking that pathetic in front of women.  Okay?”

“Oh kay.”  Milo turned from the double doors to her, touching his nose, and gave her a nod.  “So, that smell thing is real?”

“As real as that terrible kiss the other night.”  Lilly made a face at him and shrugged.  “Right?”

“Yeah.”  Milo shrugged too.  “And I guess the third date fun was never going to pan out even if you hadn’t been called in.”

“Maybe.”  Lilly started for the double doors with a pointed look back and gave him a wave with just her pinky.  “Try some lotion or cologne next time.”

“Really?”  Milo smiled at the pinky, letting out a laugh, and waved back.  “Thanks for the ego boost.” 

“I’m glad you’ve recovered.”  Lilly rolled her eyes and smiled too.  “Although you should know that Rocky is probably out of your league.”  She stopped at the double doors, looking right at him now, and laughed.  “Like, I’m sorry to say, way out.”  She shook her head big.  “Like in a different sport kind of way.”

Milo turned to the double doors, ignoring the young pregnant woman, and gave Lilly a look.  “Fine.”  He pointed to where the doctor had just stood next to them.  “And she’s called Rocky because her real name is Dr. Rockefeller?”

“Nothing gets by you.”  Lilly laughed, giving him a look back, and pointed to the double doors.  “Yeah, she’s a very black doctor with a very white name.”  She shrugged.  “Crazy world, huh?”

“Yeah.”  Milo stood up from the blue and beige waiting room chair.  “And Rocky is about the whitest name ever.” 

“Yeah.”  Lilly smiled and nodded.  “That’s part of the fun.”

“Okay.”  Milo pointed past the double doors.  “And she is…?”

“Available?”  Lilly laughed again and shook her head with almost a frown.  “I don’t know, but I can’t imagine she does apps or online dating if that’s what you’re hoping.”  She opened one of the double doors and looked back at him.  “She’s very serious.”

“I would hope so.”  Milo’s face straightened out and he scratched his head.  “But just as a doctor or all the way around?” 

“All the way around.”  Lilly grinned and nodded big.  “At least, and more than what you’re looking for I’m afraid.”

“You said that.”  Milo nodded too and then found a grin.  “We’ll see.” 

“Why not?”  Lilly laughed yet again, trying to ignore the young pregnant woman still staring and listening to them, and pointed to the other side of the double doors.  “And good luck with that.”

“Thanks.”  Milo waited until Lilly disappeared behind the double doors and turned to the young pregnant woman with a full on smile.  “This has been a weird night, huh, but one I’m going to remember.”

“Great.”  The young pregnant woman chuckled, dismissing him with a wave of her hand, and took his seat.  “Whatever you say.”

“Shut up.”  Milo shook his head, opening his phone, and hit Puck’s number.  “I can be a super serious when I want to be.”

“Uh huh.”  The young pregnant woman shook her head.  “I doubt it.”

“What do you know?”  He scoffed, waving her away, and started texting.  “I can do anything I want.”  He swallowed, looking past his phone and took in a deep breath.  “Even if I never have before.”

SET

“This.”  Puck laid on his side in bed, facing Grace with a giant and growing smile, and placed the palm of his hand on her flat and bare belly.  “Would definitely make us adults.”  He grazed his hand up to her hip and around to the small of her back, looking into her eyes, and began to glow with an even bigger smile.  “Like super serious adults.”  He nodded.  “Right?”

“That’s what my Mom says.”  Grace took in his googly eyes, smiling back with her own emerging glow, and nodded past their messy queen sized bed to the clean and tidy brownstone beyond it.  “Except I think we’ve already kind of got the adult thing down.”  She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and then lips, glancing past him, and pointed to all of the many shelved books, framed photos, closeted clothes and expensive gadgets in their bedroom.  “Don’t you?”

“I guess.”  He kissed her cheek and then lips back, shrugging big, but did notice their tidy and well-ordered room, the shiny new paint job and the sleek new leather chair at their oak desk under a faux antique lamp just a few feet away.  “We did turn this place all the way around.”

“We sure did.”  She smiled more, noting the one tiny patch of the room that they had left unfinished with its raggedy one hundred years old chipped bricks and missing mortar, and let go of a grin.  “Sweat equity and thousands of dollars of cash under the table.”  She winked at him, pointing to the redone and refurbished walls, and nodded.  “A very adult thing, no?”

“Absolutely.”  He laughed, looking into her eyes, and shook his head.  “And I still can’t believe we did everything in cash.”

“The joys of Brooklyn, baby.”  She kissed him again on the lips with a big smile.  “We’re living the dream.”

“A whole lot different than Edmonton.”  He ran his hand through her hair and kissed her back.  “Definitely.”

“Yah.”  She grinned right at him.  “You bet cha, eh.” 

“Stop that.”  He made a face at the loud and dramatic over pronunciation but smiled too.  “Nobody talks like that except you, and Canada doesn’t deserve…”

I know, but...”  She kissed him yet again, slowly, shutting him up, and then gave him a long look and a small tap on the shoulder before nodding to him.  “Personally, I feel like I’ve been doing the adult thing for almost a decade now.”

“You’ve been working on it longer than me.”  He moved his hand from her long dark hair to her left hand and touched her two rings, caressing them and all of her fingers.  “Of course, being a woman helps with that.”

“Like we have a choice.”  She rolled her eyes, fist-bumping her engagement and wedding rings against his wedding band, and pointed out from the bedroom to the neat and tidy hallway with more framed photos and prints hung on the wall that led to the rest of their narrow and cozy brownstone.  “But I think a happy marriage, in our own home, with successful careers, and hosting our families and friends for the major holidays more than once gets us there, you know?”

“Except you like to host.”  He gave her a side eye, staring at her, but kept smiling ear to ear.  “So, does that really count?”

“Yes, and we also give to charities and sometimes volunteer too, remember?”  She kissed him yet again, nodding big, and looked back into his eyes with half a smile.  “And that’s all that’s all pretty adult, don’t you think?”

“I suppose.”  He nodded, taking in her eyes with his googly own, and pointed out the bedroom door to the brownstone beyond it.  “Double income and no kids make all of that a lot easier.” 

“No kidding.”  She noticed the 11 am time on the clock on a night table, taking in deep breath, and sank all the way into his arms.  “That’s why life is beautiful.”

“All the time lately.”  He grinned, pulling her even closer, and wrapped his arms all the way around her.  “Yes?”

“Good times.”  She turned to look into his eyes again, reaching up to see him nodding at it all, and then somehow pulled him closer.  “Yes.”

“Again?”  His eyes got bigger, twisting his hips to get even closer, and gave her another kiss.  “Really?”

“That’s how we’d become even more adult.”  She grinned, giving him a squeeze and a laugh, and let him go.  “But first I have to pee.”

“Understandable.”  He lost half his smile as she pushed him away but watched her get out of bed and raised a thumb’s up in her direction.  “The joys of cranberry juice.” 

“And no UTIs.”  She looked back, shaking her head at him, but nodded too.  “Makes us both happy, even if it tastes terrible.”

“Too true.”  He nodded back, watching her walk into the bathroom with a smile, and flinched with a double take to stare at her when she left the door open.  “Whoa.”

“Yes,” she said with a chuckle and pulled a pregnancy test out of the medicine cabinet.  “I think I might be getting over bit more of the privacy thing too.”

“Crazy.”  He chuckled too, half blushing, and turned to the ceiling with a face.  “And thanks for telling me.”

“Sorry.”  She gave him a look, sitting down on the toilet, and held up a hand that didn’t block his view.  “But I imagine there’s a lot more of this coming.”  She shrugged big and began to pee on the test.  “And I think we’re a little past this with all we do in there.”  She pointed into the bedroom and then back to the bathroom.  “Not to mention all we do in here, along with you peeing with the door open like half the time since we got married.”

“I’m not going to argue.”  He smiled and turned her way, looking in her direction with half a smile, but then frowned, hearing his phone beep on the nightstand.  “Who is texting me on Saturday mor…”

“Let me guess.”  She laughed out loud and shut the door halfway.  “Milo?”

“Who else?”  He held up the phone to her and the half closed door and then started reading.  “For like the tenth time he’s telling me about finding the absolute love of his life last night and using way too many exclamation points.”

“I told him to stop capitalizing things.”  She pushed the door back open so she could see him again and stood up from the toilet.  “But I’m taking the punctuation as a positive?”

“That’s one of us.”  He rolled his eyes with a sigh and put back his phone on the nightstand.  “And…”

“That’s mendacity.”  She laughed and threw a clean and folded towel that didn’t come close to hitting him.  “You can’t even talk a good game about Milo because you know the two of you would be lost without the other.”

“I’m glad he’s back in town, yes.”  He nodded, picking up the towel, and refolded it.  “And seeing him in person is a lot easier than dealing with long distance drama.”

“And you have to admit, he’s gotten better too.”  She nodded too, looking up from the test in her hand, and turned to him with a shrug.  “He just needed to figure out some stuff on his own.”

“Far away from us, twice now, and it was good for us too.”  He pointed to the pregnancy test.  “I’m thinking we actually succeeded last night.”

“If not a week or two ago.”  She glanced at the test, holding it up, and smiled.  “It was fun, though.”  She chuckled to herself and gave him a wink.  “Both times.”

“I thought so.”  He looked up from the test, back at her, and started to glow again.

“I could tell.”  She glowed too.

“I know.”  He raised his left hand, grinning right at her, and flashed his ring.  “The joys of a successful marriage.”

“We don’t need to be married.”  She saw his bright eyes, ignoring the ring, and came out of the bathroom.  “But it doesn’t hurt.”  She stepped toward him.  “And certainly made my parents happy.”

“Well.”  He got off the bed, meeting her halfway, and looked again at the test.  “I’m guessing your parents wouldn’t want to know anything about last night.”

“Shut up.”  She blushed but smiled, but smiled, and held up the test between them.  “And I told you last night would show.”  She side eyed him.  “It takes a while.”

“I know.”  He reached down to her hand and the test.  “But…”

“Yes, trying every day and few times each weekend for the last couple months doesn’t hurt.”  She laughed with a blush, crossing her legs for a second, and then straightened up.  “Although I am a little sore.”

“Sorry.”  He made a face, touching her arm, and kept his eyes on the test while putting on some shorts.  “And you are late.”

“Yes, but a week’s not a big deal after going off the pill since everything’s a little weird right now.”  She pulled on a shirt and picked up her own phone.  “Wow.”  She held it up to show off the newest text stream.  “Milo’s got me in this conversation too.”

“He’s doing that more.”  He nodded and slipped on his own t-shirt, giving her a kiss, and headed out of the bedroom to the rest of the brownstone.  “Ice coffee, right?”

“Good idea.”  She nodded and smiled, holding up the test, and looked at it with narrowing eyes.  “The results should be in soon and I should have pants on by the time you get back.”

“Too bad.”  He looked back, stopping for a second to check her out, and made more googly eyes.  “Because I had some thoughts.”

“Me too.”  She looked too but shooed him out.  “But I need to replenish first.” 

“That’s why I’m getting the coffees.”  He grinned at her continuing smile, taking the stairs down, and saw a photo of the apartment from three years ago, stripped down to the brown and gray studs with nothing but dust and dirt in it.  He stared at it for a second and then hit the first floor, with the living room’s fully painted and decorated walls, a pristine blue couch and two big bluer chairs on either side of a faux antique coffee table.  He nodded at the old clock with the screwdriver and level next to it and the empty spot for it above the mantle, and then smiled at all of it with a deep nod.  “We do have a pretty good life.”

He kept going through the barely decorated dining room with a round wooden table and four chairs and then into the barer kitchen, taking in the black marble countertops, the shiny, silver appliances and the double doored refrigerator before stopping.  “Yes.”  He grabbed two glasses from the wooden cupboard next to the cast iron sink, filled them from the refrigerator’s ice machine and poured chilled coffee and skim milk into them before sipping the darker one and nodding.  “A very good life.”

“You having another Canadian moment?”  Grace came down the stairs, wearing yoga pants and a grin, and took the other ice coffee.”  “Feeling that good about life?”

“All the time.”  Puck clinked his glass against hers, glowing even more, and raised a finger to the skies with a bigger smile.  “Doesn’t pay to do otherwise.”

“I guess.”  She rolled her eyes, taking a sip, and almost matched his smile.  “Good batch.”

“I know.”  He nodded big, seeing the pregnancy test palmed in her hand, and smiled bigger.  “So…?”

“I didn’t touch the pee if that’s what you’re thinking.”  She laughed, drinking more coffee, and held up the test for him to see.  “And I don’t know yet.”  She shrugged with a grin.  “It takes about six minutes.”

“Right.”  He drank and kept staring.  “Just wondering since we’ve been trying a couple months.”

“You said that, and that’s about normal.”  She checked the test, looking back with a laugh, and pointed to a photo of a slightly older couple hanging on the stairwell with the woman who looked so much like her.  “I couldn’t believe how much Gabby and David bragged about getting pregnant on the first try.”

“No kidding.”  He laughed, drinking more, and looked at the Grace look a like too.  “They missed out on all of the fun.”  He leaned in and kissed her.  “Not to mention that any fourteen-year-old can do it.”

“That’s what the school nurse reminded us of in the eighth grade.”  She raised a finger.  “Every week.”

“And we’re talking multiple times a day.”  He gave her a big nod with even bigger eyes and flashed all of the fingers on his hand.  “Like seve…”

“No.”  She held up her own hand, shaking her head right at him, and gave him a poke in the chest.  “Not worth bragging about, not at thirty.”

“I wasn’t bragging.”  He laughed, twisting his hips to and fro, and then sat in the bigger of the two big blue chairs.  “That was just a way of life in suburban Edmonston.”  He grinned, shaking his head, and laughed again.  “I think more than half of my eighth-grade class was going at it in every private moment they could find every day of their teen aged lives.”

“That’s what Milo told me, about a hundred times.”  She made a twisted face to the right, joining him in the bigger chair, and snuggled up.  “Unasked, even after I told him to shut up.”  She held up all of the fingers on her left hand.  “Five times every day after school.”

“That sounds about right.”  He chuckled, pulling her close, and pointed to the sun peeking through the front blinds.  “But it’s going to be a good day.”  He smiled and squinted at the blinds, pretending to shade his eyes with a big nod to the outside world.  “I can tell.”

“You say that every Saturday and Sunday.”  She turned right to him, laughing just inches from his face, and gave him a peck on the cheek.  “And you can’t see anything with the blinds closed.”

“I’m usually right, though.”  He clinked her glass with a dramatic shrug, drinking a lot more coffee, and nodded down to the test.  “And?”

“Not yet.”  She looked too, turning back to him, and nodded again to the photo of the slightly older couple on the stairwell.  “And I was kind of surprised that Gabby and David were so thrilled to beat us to the punch.”

“Really?”  He leaned back and turned to her with a straighter face.  “I thought she was worried about her biological clock.”

“Yes, but she’s only three years older than me.”  She took another sip, shaking her head at Gabby’s photo, and then looked right at him again.  “No, I think they needed a reason for the relationship since Gabby doesn’t want to get married again, and…”

“I know.”  He sighed big and shook his head too.  “And let me tell you how David’s thrilled sounds about all of that too.”

“I’ve heard.”  She sighed big back, drinking more coffee, and shrugged bigger.  “He’ll live.  Trust me.”

“I know.”  He looked right at her, losing about half his smile, and half pointed to David’s straight faced photo.  “But he’s getting better.”

“Too true, I guess.”  She shook her head again with another nod to the photo.  “I mean, he’s nice enough, you know, but Gabby could’ve done a whole lot better.”

“Of course she could’ve.”  He chuckled, stifling an eye roll before giving her a look, and turned to the test.  “But you’re not jealous that they’re first?”

“Please.”  She laughed, covering up the test, and poked him in the ribs.  “Matthew is adorable and a ball of joy, and I love him like nobody’s business.”  She nodded very big and right in his face.  “But he’s a boy.”  She shrugged and her face mostly straightened out with another, curter nod.  “And we’re going to have a girl.”

“Really?”  He gave her a look and made a face.  “You heard that from Milo?”

“Absolutely.”  She nodded with an even straighter face and threw up her hand holding the test.  “He insisted, for some reason, and that means we’ll have the first granddaughter on both our sides.”  The straight lines in her face disappeared as she smiled big again.  “Something my parents will love with their own two daughters.”

“So, you think.”  He laughed.  “But…”

“So, I know.”  She poked him in the ribs again.  Twice.  “And your folks will appreciate whatever we have as the first natural grandchild.”

“Natural grandchild?”  He poked her back once and made a face.  “Really?”

“Zack is a lot of fun and smart as a whip, but John Paul and Richard are never going to top whatever our bundle of joy is.”  She nodded big, dropping the test on her own lap, and grabbed his poking finger.  “Never.”  She drank more coffee.  “Why do you think Ann and Jeff keep sending me all those care packages of beans, leafy greens and ice cream.”

“To increase your fertility, yes,” he said raising a finger and one eyebrow, and reached down for the test before she snatched it away.  “But what really me impressed was that they figured out how to ship all of that stuff to our house in the first place.”

“Right.”  She laughed, holding out the test from him, and gave him a look him.  “Because the internet is so complex.”

“Absolutely.”  He laughed back, keeping the finger raised, but lowered the eyebrow.  “And I think you’re overestimating their desire to pass on their genes.”

“Not according to John Paul and Richard.”  She shook her head, peeking at the test, and flashed a grin.  “Ann told them they should use their own…”

“Right, I heard.”  He made a face and raised a hand between them.  “But I don’t need to know what my mother is telling you about my brother and his husband’s reproductive choices.”

“Fine.”  She put down her coffee, still grinning, and looked him in the eye.  “Then just accept that they’ll love ours more than everyone else’s because we’re going to have the best and greatest baby ever.”

“Of course we are.”  He nodded to her and put down his coffee with a laugh.  “And that is such a New York thing to say.” 

“Like you haven’t thought it.”  She looked right at him and turned the grin into a smile.  “Because you’re becoming more of a New Yorker every day.”

“Meh.”  He shrugged, smiling too, and shook his head big.  “I doubt it.”

“Mendacity again.”  She leaned in, putting put her free arm around him, and looked right at his eyes.  “You are such a bald-faced liar.”

“Look, I admit the city has a few good things in it.”  He looked back but shifted in the big chair to try to peek again at the test.  “But…”

“No.  You should stop while you’re ahead.”  She gave him a squeeze, and they both laughed as she held up the still covered test.  “You sure you’re ready for this?”

“You know something I don’t?”  He kept his eyes on hers but reached out a hand for the test.  “Because…”

“I don’t think you want to do that.”  She pulled the test back with one hand, covering it up even more, and raised her other to block his slow attempt to grab it.  “My hand and the test are definitely kind of gross now.”

“You said I’ve got to get used to it.”  He kept reaching, laughing, and almost spilled their coffees.  “And it’s only a drop or two.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”  She pushed him back, nodding to the nice furniture in front of them, the large screen television on the wall and the framed photos of both sets of their parents, with Gabby and Matthew next, John Paul and Richard to the side, Puck and Milo in caps and gowns closer to the middle and a more recent photo of all three of them smiling big with beers in hockey sweaters standing in a rundown hockey arena right in the center of it all.  “We do have a good life...”

“I’d say the best life.”  He lingered on all of the photos, focusing most on the three of them in the middle of it all, and then pointed to the rest of the laid out first floor with its numerous knickknacks, collectibles and artwork.  He looked at it all with a laugh but lost half his smile.  “Now that we have it just like we want it.”

“Right.”  She lingered on the photos and then everything else on the first floor and her face straightened out too.  “After a few years of hard work.”

“You mentioned that.”  He smiled big again, looking only at her, and gestured to her gross hand.  “And now on to something even better.”

“You sure?”  She took a deep breath and held up the pregnancy test even higher between them.  “Because…”

“Yes.”  He nodded, pulling down her hand and the test, and then shrugged to look right into her eyes.  “I guess.”  He took in deep breath.  I mean we won’t really know until we know, and....”

“Right.”  She swallowed but nodded too.  “That’s just how it works.”  She shrugged and looked at the test still hidden in her hand.  “But we can’t stop this once it starts.”

“I know.”  He nodded and gave her a thumb’s up.  “Like we talked about almost every day for the last six months.” 

“Yes.”  She looked right at him.  “And like I’ve known since I was twelve and sisters of St. Mary’s kept reminding us of once a month.” 

“Right.”  He half smiled, keeping his eyes right on her, and drank some more coffee with a nod.  “Where girls get that head start.”

“Yes.”  She gave him a look, picking up her glass again, and pointed it at him.  “I don’t want you passing out like David did in the delivery room.”

“I don’t want that either.”  He shook his head, clinking his glass against hers, and half laughed.  “It made him look like an idiot, and was definitely a bad way to start fatherhood.”

“Tell me about it.”  She laughed too and drank some coffee.  So…?”

“So.”  He pointed to her glass.  “You might have to give that up.” 

“Shut up.”  She brought her hand and the test back in between the two of them and started to unwrap her fingers when the phone in her hip pocket rang.

“Milo.”  They both said at the same time, looking down at the sound of the ring, then at each other and her closed hand.  “It can wait.”  She opened her hand, and they saw two bright lines. 

“No.”  Puck blinked.  “Yes?”

“Yes.”  Grace smiled and swallowed big all at the same time.  “Gracias a dios…”

“Holy moly.”  His eyes went wide, staring at the test without moving another muscle, and then drew her in closer and wrapped his arms all the way around her.  “We’re going to be…”

“Yes.”  She squeezed back with a big nod, kissing him slowly and deeply, and then came up for air.  “We are.”

They opened their eyes, his wider than ever before, and they both swallowed together this time.

“We’re going to have the best kid in the world.”  He stood up, bringing her with him in his arms and them spun around in a circle.  “The best.”

“Good to hear.”  Her whole face expanded as he stopped, and she put her feet back down on the floor with her arms still around him and squeezed even more.

“It’s a May miracle.”  He pulled her even closer with another slow and deep kiss before looking into her googly eyes with his own.  “I love you.”

“Good thing.”  Grace laughed, clinging to him with the test still in her hand and kissed him back.  “I love you too.”

They opened their eyes together to lean back and look at each other still smiling, and both heard her phone beep with a text.

“That.”  Puck winked at her and pulled the phone out of her pocket.  “Is why I left mine upstairs.” 

“Look.”  She held up the test, raising a finger, and her face half straightened out.  “It’s not official.  Okay?”  She nodded and then shook her head.  “It’s just an over the counter test and it’s too early to tell anyone.”  She took back the phone as he stopped dialing.  “So, we have to be cool.”  She breathed and put it back in her the hip pocket without looking at it.  “At least for a while.”  She gave him a quick and narrow eyed look.  “Right?”

“Right.”  He turned all the way to her.  “Absolutely.”  He nodded with still most of his smile,  and they stared at each other’s still glowing faces.  “Without a doubt.”

“Good.”  She breathed again, shrugging and shaking her head at the test in her nearly open hand, and smiled big again at Puck.  “Of course.”

Then they both noticed the slightest of shadows passing just outside their front door and caught their breaths. 

“Milo?” they both said.

Go

“You know, Dan.”  Grace and Puck heard a woman yelling all the way through their thick front oak door and into their living room.  “It’s hard to miss you when you’re still here.”  The voice got much louder.  “So, get out, and…”

“Whoa.”  Puck peeked through the white curtained slats in the front door’s high window, seeing scattered socks and too much underwear with strewn toiletries, a half open fifty year old black suitcase and a silver framed photo under cracked glass of a young and smiling, curly haired brunette all laying on the rough gray concrete slab that substituted for a lawn in front of their small brownstone.  “Sounds like a whole lot of different drama.”

“You said it.”  Grace looked out through another slat at a frowning, scraggly and pale faced young man in an old white t-shirt and older grayish sweats who needed a haircut and a shave grabbing the half open suitcase and picking up a strangely unbroken tablet and a large and fancy bottle opener. 

“You know.”  The young man stepped forward to reach for the socks, underwear and toiletries without touching the framed photo of the young brunette.  “I’m glad I made the right decision, Maddy.”

“By letting me choosing for you, Dan?” the unseen woman said with almost a roar.  “Yet again you mother…”

“Seriously?”  He dropped the suitcase with a loud bang on the concrete slab, losing socks, underwear and a bunch of already half packed clothes all over the brownstone’s front yard, and pushed his fingers through his mop of hair.  “Are you kidding…?”

“If you’re having a hearing problem,” the unseen woman said, raising her hand where Grace and Puck could see just the tips of her fingers, and then turned up the middle finger up right in Dan’s face.  “I’ll turn this up.”

“Real nice, Maddy.  Real nice.  Mature even, and about as classy as I’d expect after the last two weeks.”  He shook his head, looking past Maddy, and picked up the suitcase again.  “So, exactly what are you saying my problem is today?”

“That you’re the one can’t handle things, Dan.”  Two arms went high in the air and then were both pointed at his face.  “You.”  She shot him with fingers guns.”  The one who’s running home to mommy.”  Two middle fingers now replaced the guns.  “So, she can’t take of her little itty bitty baby.”  Her voice turned into baby gibberish.  “Tuck you in at night.”  She lowered one hand and waved a finger from the other right up in his face.  “And make sure you get your bowl of Product 19 cereal just the way you like it every morning.”

“Shut up.”  Grace and Puck heard and watched Dan step back as his face curled up in a snarl and his hands tightened into fists.  “Really, just shut up or...”

“You’re the one who can’t handle the real stuff, Dan.  At all,” she said, waving him forward, and tightened her hands into fists too.  “After all the big talk at Albany about how real the world is….”

“Seriously, Maddy?”  Dan turned away from her with a backhanded wave, grabbing up the suitcase again, and started picking up socks, underwear and the rest of his clothes with the other odds and ends.  “That again?”

“Yeah, Dan.  That again,” she said and almost stepped forward with the tips of her black leather sneakers peeking into Puck and Grace’s line of sight.  “You talk a good game but can’t handle anything at all when it truly matters or counts.”

“Yeah, right.”  He scoffed, frowning deep and turned right to her with a finger raised high in her face that was still out of sight.  “I get it.”  He nodded and shrugged all that same time.  “You’re unhappy, like you have been for the last two and a half years since I found you crying on that porch outside that after party.”  He laughed out loud at her.  “But that really doesn’t have anything to do with me, does it?”  He leaned forward, shaking his head right in her face, and then turned back to the suitcase.  “No.  That’s all about the first twenty years of…”

“This has everything to do with you, Dan,” Maddy said, even louder, and stepped all the way into view in very tight black pants and an untucked, dirty black button shirt with her hands on her hips and her long, dark curly hair pulled pack into a loose bun.  “My God, how did you get through with even a Political Science degree?”

“Shut up.”  He turned back to her, taking a step closer, and came toe to toe with her to point two fingers in her face.  “Shut the hell…”

“No.”  She slapped the fingers aside with one hand, pulling her curly hair out of the bun with the other, and waved a finger in his face.  “Not today, not tomorrow and not ever again.” 

“Sure.”  He stopped, glaring back at her, and then threw up both his hand up close to her face.  “I’ve only heard that before a dozen.”  He turned away from her and the brownstone to start scooping the rest of his clothes and tablet into the suitcase as fast as he could and shook his head with half a laugh.  “I’ll be back for the rest of my stuff in a few days.”  He zipped up the suitcase, pointing to the remaining clutter, and glanced back at her.  “Or you can just give it to David.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”  She kicked over a throw pillow that Dan had left behind.  “At all.”  She half laughed through a glare and a frown.  “In this lifetime.”  She shook her head.  “Or even the next.”

“Oh well.”  His face turned all the way down as he stared back at her.  He stood up straighter then, pointing to her lips down to her waist and looked her up and down slowly with a giant grin.  “I’m sure you’ll remember the fun.”

“Yeah, it was nowhere near as much as you think, quick shot.”  She scoffed, walking walked past him while dragging a larger, zipped up and new suitcase from the garden apartment and put it on the sidewalk next to a beat up car parked almost in front on the brownstone.  She turned back to him, waving him away, and raised her middle finger again.  “Bye and don’t come back, okay?”  Her face tightened into three straight lines, and she wagged the finger in his face.  “Or call.”  She shook her head.  “Or touch base through social media.”  She frowned.  “Or even look me up in twenty years when you’re sitting alone somewhere in a barely one bedroom apartment wondering where everything went wrong and why you lost the best thing that ever happened to you in your five years of college.”

“Don’t start.”  He frowned back, eyeballing her with a growing frown, but then noticed that others were watching him too.

“Well, it’s obvious who’s dumping who.”  Grace clicked her tongue, stepping back from the front door slats, and sighed with a shake of her head and a big sigh.  “And about time too.”

“Yes, it’s definitely not a surprise.”  Puck turned away from Maddy and Dan to look right at her.  “Right?”

“Even David knew it was coming.”  Grace turned back and glanced out the door slats again at the pair.  “And he actually told me Maddy could do better.”

“Let’s just hope she can still pay the rent, eh.”  Puck looked out again too, eyes narrowing on Maddy still lecturing Dan when they both saw her turn to the brownstone and right at them.

“Great.”  Grace groaned, stepping back from the slats and the thick front door, and turned to Puck with half a frown.  “We’ve got to deal with this now, I guess, huh?”

“We didn’t before?”  Puck gave her a look, noticing his large blue hoodie on the hook right next to the front door, and looked around for anything else to wear.  “Take that.”

“And?”  Grace grabbed the hoodie from him, wrapping it around herself, and got lost in its size.  “You’ll wear what?” 

“The usual.”  Puck shot her with a finger gun, laughing with a wink, and raced up the stairs and to the bedroom two steps at a time.  “Whatever I find next probably.”

“That sounds about right.”  Grace laughed too, shaking her head while watching him run, and then turned back to the slats to see Maddy and Dan.

“Keep going, Dan.”  Maddy shooed him away with both hands while walking up the stoop to the front door of Grace and Puck’s apartment.  “I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with any of your responsibilities by talking to our landlords for once.”  She approached the front door where Grace waited and watched her raise another middle finger in Dan’s direction.  “Particularly when they’re your fake brother and sister in law.”

Grace took a breath, hearing it all before letting it, out and opened the heavy front door just as Maddy knocked.

“Hey.”  Maddy put on a half a big smile, half swallowing a frown, and put down her hand from the mid knock.  “Um.”  She pushed her curly hand out of her face and wiped dried tears from her cheeks.  “I didn’t...”

“I noticed.” Grace smiled back, meeting her eye, but then glanced back at Dan shoving the black suitcase and other stuff into the parked beat up car.  “So…”

“Obviously, we’ve got some stuff going on,” Maddy said with another wave and a middle finger to Dan.  “Sorry.”  She put on a full smile and threw up a hand.  “For the noise.”  She made a face, shrugging mostly to herself, and pointed to the concrete front yard.  “And all of the stuff scattered over the front lawn?”  She turned with a narrow eyed look at the bottom of the stoop.  “Or area, I guess?  She stared at the concrete slab in front of the brownstone for a long second, nodding to herself, and took in a deep breath.  “Too much noise in general, and the general weirdness of the last six weeks.”

“Pretty much since you moved in.”  Grace kept smiling, taking in the scattered remains of Dan’s life in front of her and the brownstone, and shrugged big to Maddy.  “Life, huh?”

“Yeah.”  Maddy lost half of her smile, letting out her deep breath, and then reached down under her low cut, black shirt with a golden name tag on it and into her black lace patterned bra.  “And about the rent.”  She pulled out an envelope and handed it to Grace.  “That’s a thousand in hundreds.”  She sighed, frowning at the envelope, and pushed her other hand through her loose and now tangled hair.  “My savings, minus two hundred so I don’t get charged those automatic fees.”  She reached around to pulled out a wad of smaller bills from her back pocket and started counting out twenties, tens and fives.  “I’m sorry this is eight days late.”  She glanced up at Grace with a high pitched laugh, half swallowing, and recounted the money.  “But…”

“Yes.”  Grace took the envelope, pocketing it in Puck’s large hoodie, and looked at all of the bills Maddy was counting.  “We were about to talk to David about that.”

“Yeah.”  Maddy stifled another frown, double counting, and shook her head before looking right at Grace.  “Well, I’m glad you didn’t.”  She half nodded and pointed back to Dan.  “Obviously, you can see my idiot boyfriend is moving out.”  She sighed.  “And we’re parting ways.”

“Seems that way.”  Grace looked at Dan loading up the second newer suitcase in the backseat of the beat up car and then turned back to share a look with Maddy.  “So?”

“Yeah, I discovered that we had a different idea of shared responsibilities, finances and what needed to be done in life that was a whole lot different than what we talked about while we were screwing around in college.”  Maddy said as Puck returned from the second floor and stopped in his tracks to give her a look.  She smiled at him, handing Grace a large handful of loose bills, and made a face at the too small woman’s sweatshirt Puck was wearing with a shrug and a nod.  “Sorry for the cash.”  She pointed to Grace’s full hands.  “It’s been a weird and rough couple days.”  She breathed in and let out a deep sigh.  “You know?”

“Looks like it.”  Puck nodded back, turning from Maddy’s put on smile to Dan’s scowl from the beat up car and then to Maddy’s all black and mostly tight outfit, and gave it and her another look.”

“Yeah, I quit my job at the theatre yesterday.”  Maddy nodded, seeing Grace count the straightened out money, and frowned again.  “Got full time hours at the Shot Diner over on 2nd.”  She waved her hand over her tight black outfit and the golden name tag.  “And discovered they give you two meals a day if you work their full time.”  She nodded, half smiling now, and let out half a laugh.  “So, that’s good if you like sandwiches, burgers and pancakes, you know?”

“Okay.”  He stared at the uniform for a short second, glancing at the money in Grace’s hands with a quick nod, and then they all turned as Dan’s beat up car roared and sputtered to life.

“I am not going to miss that.”  Maddy closed her eyes, mouthing the words, one, two, three, and found another smile before looking right at Grace and Puck with another shrug.  “And I bet neither are you.”

“No.”  Grace nodded, pocketing the loose bills into the oversized hoody with the envelope of hundreds, and frowned at Dan’s hand gesture back to them all as he pulled beat up car into the street and drove away.  “Classy.”

“Sure.”  Puck glared at Dan and the beat up car, taking in a breath, and then turned again to Maddy.  “So?”

“So, I’m glad he’s gone.”  She squared her shoulders and stood up straighter , raising an eyebrow at Grace and Puck’s mismatched Mets hoodie and Oilers sweatshirt , and took a step back from them with almost half a grin.  “Although his leaving might make up for the crushing of my professional dreams and the hundred people on his caseload who are wondering who their new case worker will be.”

“Whoa.”  Puck blinked, taking it all in and almost shook his head.  “Okay.”

“Yeah.”  Maddy’s face tightened into two lines.

“Sorry.”  Grace half nodded, looking right at her, and made a face as she felt the hundreds of dollars of rent in the hoodie’s pocket.  She looked at the last few five dollar bills and a couple of ones that Maddy put back in her front pants pocket and half shrugged.  “So.”  She gave her a lopsided look and nodded to the garden apartment below them.  “That means you’re staying?”

“I’m going to try.”  Maddy swallowed all the way, wiping her cheek with a look at Dan’s beat up car waiting to turn at the end of the block, and then looked back to Grace and Puck with her own half a nod.  “Unlike him I’m not running back home because the real world is tougher than I thought, and I suck at acting.”  She took in another very deep breath, nodding all the way to herself, and then shook her head at Dan and his beat up car.  “No, my plan is to first move past Dan’s never-ending earnestness, whining and complaining.”

“College.”  Puck pointed to Dan too and put on a smile.  “I remember guys like that.” 

“Yeah, well, guys aren’t so cute afterwards.”  Maddy put on a smile too, but only for a second, and then frowned.  “Particularly when you have to pay the rent every month and buy groceries every week.”

“No.”  Grace stared at her, feeling the envelope of cash again, and shook her head.  “You’re right.  It’s not.”

“Plus, he was a slob, didn’t understand the first thing about cooking and couldn’t even make a decent cup of coffee to save his life although he loved drinking mine.”  Maddy looked down the street again to see that Dan’s car had turned and was now nowhere to be seen but still raised another middle finger.  “What an idiot.”

Grace and Puck nodded, sharing a nod, and they both gave her a look.

“So?”  Puck shrugged.  “You’re going to stay

“Yeah, I am.”  She turned back to them, nodding to herself again, and stood up even straighter.  “I’m better than Dan, far and away, and there’s nothing for me back home.”  She pointed north and frowned.  “Nothing.”  She shook her head big.  “Even if I’m back to waiting tables, serving coffee and putting up with people checking out my ass and looking down my shirt.”  She sighed and buttoned the lowest of the three undone buttons from the top.  “It’s better doing it here than in Watertown.”

Grace’s eyes narrowed on Maddy’s new and bigger frown.

“Okay,” Puck said, turning away from Maddy’s slow sinking expression and still low cut shirt, and looked again at Grace.  “So…?”

“So, you can pay the rent?”  Grace stepped forward, holding the envelope of cash and loose bills in her pocket, and looked right at Maddy.  “On time?”  Her face twisted halfway down and to the left.  “Every month.”  She nodded to her and waved for more.  “First day of the month?”

“That’s the plan.  Yeah.”  Maddy nodded back, not quite looking at either of them now, and pointed down to the garden apartment.  “Might need to get a new roommate and my own couch, I guess.”

“It would be a squeeze.”  Puck made a face.  “The roommate.”  He straightened up.  "Not the couch.”

“Right, but that’s Brooklyn.”  Maddy caught her breath, pushing back her hair again and looked up at them.  “If that’s all right with you.”  She nodded and pointed a thumb back to the still empty parking spot in front of the brownstone.  “Since Dan left.”

“Um.”  Puck turned to Grace, searching her face but not seeing anything, and then looked back at Maddy.  “I don’t know.”

“We’d need to do a credit check on any new roommate, Maddy.”  Grace straightened up too, looking Maddy right in the eye and nodded big.  “Since I don’t think your old co-signee is valid anymore.”

“Yeah, I hear you, although David’s been surprisingly supportive,” Maddy said, taking in Grace and Puck’s straight faces, and then took half a stepp back from them.  “Anyway.”  She pointed back down to the concrete front yard.  “I should probably get the rest of Dan’s junk off the front… area, and I need to straighten up my apartment now that it’s only just my stuff in it.”

“Right.”  Puck gave her a look, almost reaching out a hand to her, but stopped short and just put on another smile.  “Anything good happening today?” 

Grace gave him a look and almost a frown, but Maddy nodded, and raised a thumb’s up.

“Yeah.  Got my period.”  She smiled big with half a laugh, but then noticed Grace look past her and Puck squirm just three feet away and her face turned down.  She threw up a hand and took another step away from them.  “Which means I can totally put Dan behind me in every way because I’m not pregnant by that idiot?”  She breathed, raising up a thumb, and looked up at the sky.  “Thank God.”

“Okay.”  Grace said, sharing a look and half a nod with Puck, and reached down for her stomach.  “Life moves forward, huh?”

“I guess.”  Maddy turned to her with half a nod and shrugged at the same time.  “Yeah.”

“Always an upside.”  Puck put on a smile, nodding to Grace and her belly, and half waved to Maddy.  “Thankfully.”

“Yeah.”  Maddy stood still then, taking them in, and noticed their stiff expressions.  “Sorry.”  She made a face, shaking her head, and gave them two thumbs’ up.  “Too much information.”  She shrugged, throwing up her hands, and started down the stoop to the concrete front yard.  “I’m just processing and plan to put away my complaining about Dan soon.”  She nodded.  “Really soon.”

“You made a good start.”  Puck pointed to the last few of Dan’s odds and ends in front of the house.  “Although you probably will need that new couch.”

“Right.”  Maddy started picking Dan’s remaining junk up while looking back at Grace and Puck with a narrow eyed look.  “And are you guys good?”  She picked up a torn comic book missing its cover, frowning, and put it in the brownstone’s trash can.  “I thought I heard a shout or something from upstairs while I was yelling at Dan to get out.”

“Yes.”  Puck nodded, turning to Grace with a glow and a growing smile, but saw her face tighten and shrugged.  “I guess so.”

“Yes.”  Grace nodded, pointing to Puck, and put on a big smile too.  “Puck’s brother is coming for a visit with our nephew.”  She looked right at Maddy.  “He’s a lot of fun.” 

“Cool.”  Maddy half smiled, just staring at them for a long moment, and stifled a look at the obvious glow on both of their faces.  “Well, it should be a lot quieter with Dan gone.”  She shrugged, looking past them for a second, and then turned back to just Grace.  “So, hopefully that’ll help with the family visit.”

“Yes.”  She nodded and put on even more of a smile.  “I’m sure it will.”

“Right.”  Puck said, sharing a look with Grace, and gave Maddy a big nod.  “It will.”

“And I’ll be quiet with the late and early shifts too.”  Maddy nodded big to both of them and gave Grace a longer look.  “My schedule’s all over the place as the new waitress.”

“Right.  Not a problem.”  Grace looked back at her and held up the envelope.  “As long as we get the rent.”

“Yes.”  Puck smiled at Maddy, almost taking half a step back, and raised his thumb up.  “Good stuff.”

“Not a problem.”  Maddy took in both of them again, noticing the mismatched hoodie, sweatshirt, sweatpants and shorts, and almost took half a step back to her garden apartment.  “And sorry.  I’ve clearly ruined your morning?”

“We were just starting the day late is all.”  Grace waved her away.  “Not a problem.  Believe me”

“Okay.”  Maddy’s face twisted into a crooked smile, half raising her hand in a wave, and she started again toward her own door.  “I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

“Sounds good,” Puck smiled, and he and Grace both waved stiffly to Maddy before heading back into their own apartments to shut the door behind them and take in very deep breaths. He turned to Grace.  “Weird morning.”

“Just a little bit.”  Grace half laughed, sharing a long look with him, and held up the envelope.  “But she paid the rent with the last of her savings, got a better paying jobs and it sounds like she’s serious about getting it to us on the first next month.”

“Well, let’s see what happens.”  Puck shrugged, staring past her for a second and then pointed down to the garden apartment.  “But she is definitely better off without Dan.”  He half nodded and looked at her again.  “So, that’s something, and probably worth celebrating.”  He laughed and made a face.  “At least for her.”

“I’ll add it to our weekend to do list.”  Grace laughed too, touching her belly, and stepped up to give him a quick kiss.  “On the plus side.”

“Excellent.”  Puck kissed her back, and they shared a smile.  “Breakfast?” 

“Good idea.”  Grace took and squeezed his hand with a wink.  “We’ve got a lot going on now, huh?”

“And I thought we had plenty before.”  Puck smiled, catching a nod from her, and winked back.  “But it’s all good.”  He nodded big back and kissed her again.  “We’ve got this.”

“God, you’re so very Canadian.”  Grace laughed, rolling her eyes, and touched her belly.  “But you’re right.”  She kissed him one last time.  “We’re going to be just fine.”

Intros

“I am so sorry, young man.”  A blue haired white woman in a gray raincoat half smiled, smelling the white rose in her hand, and pointed to the rest of the crowded blue and beige emergency room waiting area.  “But don’t you think this would be better for someone else?”  

Milo stopped in his tracks two feet past her with a look and his face twisted to the right.  “What?”

“Seriously, my grandson here is the one who could use really use the pick me up.”  She pointed across the narrow and cramped aisle of chairs to the too bruised and battered twenty something man staring into space with a bloody white towel wrapped around his hand and nodded.  “I’m doing fine.”

“Okay.”  Milo took in a breath, watching her try and fail to give the rose to the bruised and battered twenty something man who shook his head, ‘no.’  “Sure.  That sounds fine, ma’am.”” 

“Yes, and I’m sorry.”  She pulled the rose away from the bruised and battered man, leaning forward to hand it back to Milo with a stern look and a curt nod.  “I don’t think he’s having a good day.” 

“I can see that.”  Milo turned to only her and the rose.  “But you know, it’s pretty and smells good.”  He half shrugged at the flower and then nodded back to her.  “So, why don’t you enjoy it until he’s in a better place?”

“He needs to sober up first.”  She sniffed the rose with a smile, but then took in the bruised and battered man, and shook her head with a frown.  “And probably get stitches for that cut.”

“At least.”  Milo nodded to the bloody hand and bloodier towel, smelling the last rose in his own hand, and turned back to the one old man, five old women, three young men and one pregnant woman each holding one of the other ten roses he had brought into the emergency room with him.  He pointed to all of them and their sort of smiling faces and looked back at the first old woman.  “It’s making them happy.”

“Sort of.”  The old woman looked with half a nod, redirecting his attention to the pregnant woman and three messy kids eating a half empty box of Belgian chocolates, and shook her head at him.  “But I think they’re going to have a fit the second you’re gone.”

“Yeah, maybe.”  Milo shook his head too.  “Sorry about that.”  He waved to the pregnant woman with half a shrug.  “I thought I was helping.”

“Don’t worry.”  The pregnant woman waved him away and half shrugged at her messy kids.  “Saved me the trouble of buying them snacks.”  She smelled her rose, smiling, and tipped it his way.  “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Milo said, a big smile taking over his face, and turned back to the old woman.

“That’s the kind of thing my daughter used to do with my grandson.”  She shook her head at the kids with the candy, pointing to the bruised and battered man with the bloody towel on his hand, and turned away from it all.  “Stupid.”

“Great.”  Milo stared at her for a second, starting to frown at all of it, and then saw Lilly wink at him with a wave from the edge of the waiting area.  “Thanks.”

“Making new friends wherever you go, huh?”  She came over with a laugh, glancing at the chart in her hand, and looked right at the bruised and battered man with the bloody towel on his hand.  “I’m not surprised.”

“Thanks.”  Milo winked back, nodding to her dirty blue scrubs as he got up and walked over to her with his last rose.  “Busy day?”

“Like every other.”  Lilly took the rose, smelling it for a half second, and pointed him back to the full waiting area.  “It’s an emergency room.”

“Well, yeah.”  He made a face as she turned away from the rose to the chart.  “But…”

“I am impressed with your enthusiasm.”  Lilly lowered the chart, turning to all the rose inspired smiles before giving him a look, and laughed again.  “I heard this is your fourth evening here?”

“Fifth.”  Milo sighed, looking past her, but kept up a smile.  “Don’t tell anyone.”

“I don’t need to.”  Lilly laughed yet again, looking him up and down in his dark chinos and bright button shirt, and tapped the tip of his chin with the edge of the white rose petals.  “Thanks for this.”

“Don’t get any ideas.”  Milo looked back at her, then the rose, and shook his head.  “That’s not…”

“I know.”  She touched her nose with the edge of the rose petals.  “Remember, science?”

“Yeah, our exciting third date.”  Milo sighed, shaking his head, and gave her a look.  “But I thought we were still cool.”

“Why wouldn’t we be?”  Lilly looked back, nodding straight at him, and held up the rose with raised eyebrows.  “And you ever think this might be a little overkill?”

“Well.”  Milo looked past her and the rose with a shrug.  “I get told that more than you think.”  He found her eyes and shrugged again.  “For years actually.”

“Shocking.”  Lilly chuckled, handing him back the rose, and started toward the bruised and battered man with the bloody towel around his hand.  “Anyway, keep coming back.”  She pointed her now free hand at him with a big nod.  “I want to win the pool.”

“What?”  Milo turned to her, and his eyes went wide.  “There’s a pool?”

“Of course, there’s a pool.”  Lilly stopped mid step, nodding at the chart, and then almost threw up a hand.  She looked right at him and shrugged.  “The staff is wondering how long you’ll keep coming back to the gift shop for white roses and chocolates.”  She let go of a grin.  “Two days more and I’ll get the $200.”  She stepped back up to him, pointing for the bruised and battered man with the bloody towel around his hand to wait, and leaned in close to Milo with a softer voice.  “I’ll even buy you a few beers and a two star dinner if you can make the week.”

“Great, but I think I’m done at five days, okay?”  Milo looked at her with a squint, taking half a step to the exit, and did throw up a hand at her and then all of the roses.  “I’ve already spent…”

“I don’t want to know.”  Lilly put a finger to her lips, half following him, and half waved to get back his attention.  “You know.”  She grinned and leaned in even closer to him.  “Rocky wasn’t even here Tuesday or Wednesday.”

“Don’t tell me that.”  Milo stopped, his face sinking into a frown, and turned back to give her another look.  He shook his head.  “And there’s no way you’re winning that pool now.”

“Still worth it.”  Lilly pointed, holding back a laugh, and poked him in the ribs.  “And I thought you knew that we only work three or four day weeks and are usually too tired to bother with these kinds of bells and whistles after a twelve-hour shift.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t looking to do anything other than to ask Rocky to dinner.”  Milo dropped his hands with a sigh and then lifted them back up to push his dreadlocks out of his now reddening face.  “Or just introduce myself as not your brother.  You know?”

“Yeah, that might not be the worst idea.”  Lilly nodded with bigger eyes and a larger grin and grabbed back the rose from Milo.  “Good thinking.”  She turned to the waiting bruised and battered man with the bloody towel around his hand and handed him the last rose.  “There might be hope for you yet.”

“What?”  The bruised and battered man straightened up with a frown at the rose.  “What is this for?”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Felton.”  Lilly checked the chart, shaking her head at him, and then pointed her thumb back to Milo.  “I was talking to handsome here.”

“Your brother?”  The man turned and made a face at Milo.  “That’s creepy, and why the hell is he handing out roses anyway?”  He shook his head at her.  “Like it’s really creepy and…”

“Really?”  Lilly made a face at him and pointed to herself.  “You’re giving a nurse crap in an ER?”

Milo just watched it all with a big laugh.  “Be good, Lilly.”  He half waved, turning around, and started again for the exit.  “And thanks, but I already knew about the schedules.”

“Right.”  She waved back along with everyone with a rose and then gave him a giant thumb’s up.  “Sure, you did.”

“Such a nice young man.”  The old woman said, and Lilly half nodded.  “Handsome too.”

Milo smiled at the old woman’s words and kept going, his mouth turning all the way down when he stepped outside to grey skies.  “So much for that.”  He pulled out a $99 receipt from his pocket and tossed it in the garbage can next to a cigarette smoking doctor before starting to cross the street when a car pulled up quietly in front of him.  “Hey?”  He eyeballed it with half a frown.  “Watch where you’re going.” 

The front seat passenger window opened.

“What?”  Milo turned to look inside.  “Who the he…”

“Need a lift?”  A youngish woman with big eyes and clear skin flashed her familiar hospital ID badge at him from the driver’s seat.  “I’m Jaime Rockefeller, MD.”  She smiled big, looking right at him, and gave him half a nod.  “I heard you’ve been handing out roses and chocolates trying to find me.”  She raised an eyebrow.  “Is that true?”

“Um...”  Milo did a double take as she unlocked the passenger door.  “I guess?” he said through a cough and stared at her with wide eyes.  “After five…”

“Need to decide quick there, handsome.”  Jaime pointed to the ‘No Standing Or Loitering’ street sign right in front of him.  “The entrance to the emergency room is right there, and you don’t want to get knocked over.”  She chuckled and shook her head.  “Again.”

“Right.”  Milo laughed, noticing nobody else around, and opened the passenger door to see Jaime pat the seat twice and wave him in.  “Okay.”

“You should know I was just lying.”  Jaime smiled big and nodded him to sit down.   “There’s nobody around.”  She pointed to the empty drive-thru and the emptier sidewalk just in front of the ER.  “They’re already inside, which is why I left.”  She pointed more and laughed.  “And my shift was over.  So, I kind of figured I should find out why you’re stalking me, you know?”

“Um, sure.  Smart move.”  Milo sat down next to her, giving her a look, and took in her tight blue jeans and tighter red blouse.  “Real good.

“You’ve been knocked over before, huh?”  She turned to the exit, starting them forward as Milo shut the car door, and almost side eyed him.  “Probably because you were poking your nose into places and situations you shouldn’t.”

“Probably.”  He kept staring, slipping back into the pushed back seat, and managed to put on his seatbelt.  That sounds like something stupid I would’ve definitely done once or twice.” 

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but you might try to avoid that in the future, huh?”  She pulled up to a uniformed parking attendant standing on the hospital ground right next to the city street and unrolled her window.  “Hey, Chester.”

“Chester?”  Milo’s face scrunched up at her, and he turned to the tall, older and wrinkly black man in a uniform of a white button shirt, black tie and blacker pants.  “Really?”

“Hey, Rocky.”  Chester nodded to both of them, giving Milo a long, hard look, and then his eyes shifted to light up on Jaime.  “Heading home, huh, kid?”

“After a little cruise, Chester.”  Jaime smiled big and nodded bigger.  “Yes.”

“Okay.”  Chester turned to Milo again with the long, hard look.  “See you soon, kid.”

“Not if I don’t see you sooner,” Jaime said, sharing a look and grin with the older man, and put her foot on the pedal as the car moved forward and Milo looked back.

“I didn’t anybody was named Chester anymore?”  He almost frowned.

“That’d be Mr. Call to you.”  Jaime nodded again and smiled more.  “But yes.”  She gave him a look and patted him twice on the knee.  “That’s his first name.”

“Oh.”  Milo looked at her and her patting hand, still almost frowning, and then turned back to where Chester had been.  “He sounds straight out of a western with that name.” 

“Well, westerns were big in the day.”  She shrugged big, keeping her eyes on the street, and sped up.  “Chester got me on to this classic show called Gunsmoke.”  She glanced over at Milo.  “Ever heard of it?”

“No.”  Milo’s eyes narrowed, and he shook his head as Jaime stopped at a light.  “Why?”

“Longest running TV drama ever.”  She nodded to him and pointed behind her with almost curt chuckle.  “Started in the fifties with 432-hour long episodes and that’s not counting the radio show.”  She turned to him with a wide eyed look and most of a smile.  “Crazy, huh?”  She noticed his narrowed eyed look and then returned it.  “I’m hoping you can keep up, okay?”

“Okay.”  He kept staring and tried to straighten up in the half reclined seat.  “Me too.”

“Good.”  She noticed him readjust the seat up and turned right onto 7^th Avenue and accelerated.  “We’ll see.”

“Good.”  He laughed, now getting comfortable next to her, and then smiled.  “So…?”

“So, my name is Jaime Cassandra Rockefeller from Brooklyn, New York, and I am a very busy and very, very serious young woman, Mr. Ellison.”  She put her foot down harder on the accelerator, causing Milo to stare at the changing yellow light, and patted him twice on the knee again.  She turned right to him as she made the light and slowed back down.  “I just made attending physician after many years of study and hard work, and although I’m nowhere near rich, I just bought a condo that I don’t see very much of because I still study and work like 70 hours a week, sleep about 50 and only have a little less than 48 hours to do everything else in life.”  She turned back to the street that he was now pointing her to.  “Including, eating, commuting and buying basic everyday food and stuff.”  She breathed and gave him another nod.  “You know what I mean?”

“I do.”  He nodded back, turning back to her as she kept her eyes in front of her, and almost raised a finger.  “And…”

“I’m very interesting, funny and smart, well read and a good if not a great conversationalist with the right person.  If you know what I mean.”  She came to a stop in the middle of the street then, waving to let a middle aged woman with a stroller cross, and turned back Milo for a just a second.  “And I try to do the right thing whenever I can.  Understand?”

“I see that.”  Milo said, smiling at the middle aged woman with the stroller, and turned to see no cars behind them.  “I’m guessing you don’t take a lot of BS either.”

“Nope.”  She shook her head, twice, starting forward again, and flashed him half a grin.  “I don’t.”  She adjusted her review mirror and gave him a look.  “And you’re obviously a pretty boy optimist, who looks way too much like Lilly, and probably knows it.” 

“Thanks?”  He made a face and almost frowned.  “I guess.”

“Who is obviously attracted to big boned and breasted strong women with a pretty smile.”  She showed hers and gave him a wink.  “Yes?”

“Yeah.”  He looked at her with narrowing eyes and raised a finger.  “How…?” 

“I talked to Lilly.”  She shrugged, throwing up her free hand, and gave him a twisted look.  “I thought that was obvious.” 

“Really?”  He gave her a mostly twisted look back.  “Obvious?”

“Of course.”  She kept up the look before stopping at a yellow light and looked him in in the eyed with a laugh.  “She said you weren’t the brightest bulb, but were fun, respectful and paid for dinner.”  She nodded and then smiled.  “Twice.”  She raised three fingers.  “And didn’t mind her paying the third time out.”

“Except that’s when she got the check and ended things.”  He watched her keep an eye on an old man crossing the street and threw up his hands.  “Such as they were.”

“Yes.”  She turned right to him again.  “She said you weren’t that into her either.” 

“Yeah, well, we looked too much alike.”  He shrugged, making a face, and laughed too.  “Which is saying something for me.”

“Sort of self-aware.”  She laughed more, turning back to the street, and nodded to herself.  “I like that.”

“Apparently, the smell…”

“Is a thing.  Yes.”  She nodded to him, hanging a left, and pointed to an expecting mother at the corner.  “Science.”

“Huh?”  He glanced at the expecting mother but kept his eyes on the street and then her.  “So…?”

“I also heard about this obsession with pregnant women that you claim to be over.”  She pulled the car into a free parking spot, laughing a little more, and turned to him with a raised eyebrow.  “Is that true?”

“Yeah,” he said, turning all the way to the left to look right at her, and cut his hand through the air in between them.  “It’s definitely over.”  He nodded big and put all of his focus on her.  “Why?”

“You’re also a computer geek?”  She ignored his look with a shrug.  “Right?”

“And a good one.”  He nodded, shifting shifted in his seat, and flashed a grin.  “Versatile even.”

“Yes.  Developed a repugnant dating service called MarryMommy, I read.”  She caught him wince and pulled back onto the street again.  “Dabbled in virtual reality, failed in a reality show involving too much nudity, did time in California on AI…”

“That’s all from Lilly?”  He made another face and wagged his finger in the air.  “I don’t…”

“The power of the internet.”  She pushed down his finger and hung a right on 6^th Avenue.  “And standard operating procedure for anybody dating nowadays.”

“True.”  He nodded, leaning back into the seat again, and pointed to the streets around them.  “And now I’m back in the northeast where I’ve found myself, am setting up an app/site called wetour.com, along with a couple of other consulting gigs and am starting to reconnect with Pu…”

“Puck and Grace?”  She stopped at Sterling Place and turned back to him again.  “Correct?”

“My best friends, yes.”  He gave her a look but laughed.  “You didn’t get that from the internet.” 

“Nope.”  She shook her head, smiling again, and turned on the green light.  “Back to Lilly.”  She sighed.  “She said you couldn’t shut up about them.”

“Okay. Fine.”  He sighed back, noticing his neighborhood up ahead, and gave her a look.  “Obviously.”

“So.”  She grinned.  “Other than me being a kick ass and smoking hot doctor with great boobs, beautiful eyes, and a heck of a smile, why did you go to such trouble to meet me?”

“That’s your question?”  He grinned too..  “I’m in your car.”  He shifted in his seat to look right at her again.  “You literarily picked me up.”  He threw up a hand and pointed back in the general direction of the hospital.  “Out of the blue.”  He laughed.  “And…”

“True.”  She grinned more and turned down Prospect Place.  “Very true.”  She looked at him.  “But I heard you’ve been hanging out in the emergency room waiting area staring at the double doors like a lost puppy with a box of chocolates in one hand and a dozen roses in the other.”  She half frowned.  “And white roses?”  She frowned the rest of the way.  “Wasn’t that for friendship in eighth grade?”

“Yeah, except we’re not in eighth grade.”  He smiled and watched them drive up to right in front of the brownstone where he lived.  “But I like them, and they’re beautiful and smell good just like you.”

“Nice line.”  She shrugged, rubbing the hint of a blush out of her cheeks, and pointed to the second floor of the brownstone where he lived.  “Particularly, when I’ve just shown you how much I learned about you since you started stalking me.”

“Touche.”  He bowed, keeping his eyes on her, and smiled up to his eyes.  “So, what do you say to dinner and drinks to get past Lilly’s perspective and your over reliance on the internet?”  He shrugged, smiling more.  “It could be fun.”

“Fun?”  She smiled back with half a laugh and raised both eyebrows.  “That’s an idea that I’d almost forgotten about.”

“Well.”  He nodded as she started driving again.  “What do you sa…”

“I’d say it was strange that you drove and parked at Methodist to stalk me.”  She put her foot on the gas, keeping her eyes on the road, and retraced their route back to the hospital.  “Even though we live in Brooklyn, and it’s barely fifteen blocks from your apartment.”

“I’m a busy guy.”  He shrugged big but half frowned at himself.  “Time is money, and I can’t…”

“So, I thought I’d take you back to get your car in visitor’s parking.”  She smiled more.  “And then, maybe, make some kind decision about you.” 

“Okay.  Um.”  He looked past her with is face tightening into three lines for a moment and then nodded to her.  “I guess you’re still weighing your choices here.”

“Can’t be too careful with pretty boys stalking you with roses and chocolates in hand.”  She shrugged, smiling more, and stopped at another light. 

He stared at her.  “Meaning Chester…?”

“Is my back up, yes.”  She nodded and gave him another wink.  “He’s expecting me back even though Lilly vouched for you.” 

“Smart.”  He laughed and smiled bigger.  “Really smart.”

“Thanks.”  She kept driving, smiling even bigger than him, and didn’t try to cover another blush.  “I’ve heard that.”

“Of course.”  He turned to right at her again after they’d gotten halfway back down 7^th Avenue.  “So?”

“So, you’re pretty good looking, apparently have some money and know how to dress.”  She nodded to his professional look and shiny shoes, grinning now, but shrugged.  “You seem a little slow though sometimes, still a lot self-centered and I kind of thought you’d be doing more than renting the second floor of a brownstone at your age.”

“Yeah, well, I save a lot.”  He gave her a look.  “And have a high credit score.”

“I didn’t get that far.”  She stopped at a light and gave him a look back.  “So…?”

“Want my license?”  He pulled out his black, lambskin wallet and flicked out a handful of credit cards and other identification.  “Social security number too?”

“Nope.”  She winked and started forward again.  “Chester’s looking into it.”

“Great.”  He stared at her again, pocketing his wallet at her now even bigger smile, and turned back to the street in front of them as they hit one more light before pulling back to the hospital’s visitors parking garage.  “Go Chester.”

“All good?” Chester said standing in the same spot as fourteen minutes ago as Jaime gave him a thumb’s up and Milo got yet another long, hard look.

“He used to be a cop and knows my dad.”  She said, driving up one level to where Milo parked his clean and shiny electric car.  “Always keeps an eye out for me at the hospital.”

“I got that impression.”  He grabbed the door handle, but looked her way, and shrugged right at her.  “So, did I pass?”

“You’re not as good looking as you think you are, but decent enough for a first date.”  She handed him her white embossed business card with a number handwritten below her hospital contact information.  “And Lilly said you were nothing but a gentleman.”

“So?”  He took the card without looking at it and gave her the slightest of shrugs.  “I guess I passed the test.”

“We’ll see.”  She rolled her eyes with half a laugh at him but pointed a finger east toward downtown Brooklyn.  “Why don’t you meet me for a drink Saturday night at The Atlantic.”

“Okay.”  He sat up straighter and smiled big.  “It’s a date.”

“Sort of.”  She stayed right where she was, and half smiled back.  “Say, 7:00?”

“Sounds like a date.”  He nodded, opening the door, and kept his eyes on her.  “And yes.  Seven on Saturday is perfect.”

“We’ll see.”  She laughed, looking back as he got out of her car, and shook her head right at him.  “Don’t expect much.”

“I won’t.”  Milo turned halfway around with more than hint of a glow in his cheeks.  “But this went better than usual.”

“If you say so.”  Jaime leaned forward to get another look at him with a glow of her own.  “But remember that we doctors are pretty smart, and like to make our own decisions.”

“I picked up on that.”  He nodded right to her.  “A lot.”

“Good.”  She pointed to her still open passenger door.  “See you Saturday.”

“Saturday.”  He shut her door, and she took off a second later with him watching until she turned and disappeared around a corner.  “Sounds good.”  He saw Chester staring at him, holding a deep breath, and let it out slowly.  “I hope.”

***

Of course the drama, silliness and humor continue.

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