One Hot Doctor by Sarah J. Brooks
Chapter 7
Cora
A ball of anxiety settles in the pit of my belly. Going to my mother’s for dinner always elicits this reaction, more so when my brother, sister, and their families will also be there. I lock my apartment door and trudge toward the lift, dreading the evening ahead.
I’m the underachiever in the family. At least I’ve always felt that way. It wasn’t any better when my dad was alive. He was a general practitioner, and my brother Caleb took after him, and my sister Adeline became a lawyer. My mother worked as my father’s secretary until they both retired. She loved and still loves reading.
And then I came along and got none of those academic genes. I loved sports, and when I grew up, I loved fitness. No one in my family understood my passion. When I got a chance to buy out the previous owner of the gym, I puzzled my family even more. My mother had even been kind enough to share what she believed my father’s thoughts would have been. He was a staunch believer in a steady paycheck. So was she. The general consensus was they would not bail me out when not if I got in trouble.
Then there’s my pregnancy. I have to tell them, and the earlier, the better. But what do I tell the truth about the baby’s dad? Just thinking about this gives me a headache. I can’t possibly admit to a one-night stand that resulted in the pregnancy. In addition to being a loser, I’ll look like a slut.
And if I were to be fully honest, I’d have to tell them that my initial plan, the one that took me to Thomas, was to have a baby by artificial insemination. I’d kept that particular decision to myself, knowing they would have tried to convince me not to do it. To hold out for love and do things the right way. My family would not understand that love just didn’t happen to everyone. I’m one of the unlucky people whom cupid never struck.
I feel sick.
It doesn’t help that my morning sickness has extended until it’s become all-day sickness. I’ve had to cancel some classes at the gym when it got too much in the last few days.
I push open the main building door and stop short when I come upon Thomas standing there.
“I’m going to assume you know someone else in this building and just walk past.”
He stands in my way. “No, it’s you I came to see.”
Unbelievable. “Can’t, no time. I’m going for dinner at my mom’s.”
“Please, Cora.”
“No.”
I place my palms on his chest, and sparks fly from his body to my hands. I give a mighty shove. He’s strong, but the surprise push is enough to nudge him out of the way. I march to my car while Thomas hurries behind me. I ignore his pleas. He has hurt me too many times, but this time, he went too far and rejected my baby. I won’t forgive him for that, and besides, I don’t need him. I won’t be the first woman in history who has to be both mom and dad to her child.
I unlock the door, enter, and get the car started. I glance at Thomas one last time, and I’m glad to see he has given up and gone to his car. I sigh and slowly drive toward my childhood home.
Sadness comes over me when I remember Thomas’s reaction that I was pregnant. It plays over and over in my mind like a bad movie.
I don’t want a baby.
Those words are ingrained in my brain. I’d cried half the night and then made a resolution to raise my baby alone. I’m not going to force myself on anyone. Because I’ve owned my own business for years, my finances are in pretty good shape, and I can even take a long maternity leave when my baby is born.
I reach my mom’s house and ease my car into street parking. I get out of the car, and that’s when I see him parking his car behind mine. I’m stunned. I march to his car, and gesture at him to roll down his window.
“You know what this is called?”
“It’s not stalking,” Thomas says. “Not when it’s your lover, and she’s pregnant with your child.”
I go weak at the knees. I bite my lower lip and caution myself. Thomas doesn’t want babies. He said it three years ago, and he said it again just days ago. I can’t let him charm his way into my life again.
“Look, forget I said anything. Go on with your life, and I’ll go on with mine.”
He gets out of the car, and I turn to walk away. A car door bangs shut, and I hear his footsteps behind me.
“Cora!”
I grind to a halt. That’s not Thomas’s voice. I turn around in time to see my sister getting out of her car. She rushes up to me, but her gaze is on Thomas.
“Hi, Cora didn’t tell us that we were having a guest for dinner,” Adeline says to him.
She’s so well put together that no one could tell at a glance that she’s the mother of energetic three-year-old twin boys. Her black hair is silky smooth and straight and falls stylishly on her shoulders. A lot of people find it difficult to believe she’s my sister. She looks every inch like a lawyer, even now, with a sexy cream skirt suit and killer heels. I’ve barely ever worn heels in my life. I’m forever in sneakers. We’re so different that even members of our extended family like to tease my mother that she’s been keeping secrets. At some point, I suspected that I was secretly adopted.
Thomas turns to her with a smile. “You must be Adeline, Cora’s sister. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Adeline smiles and offers him her hand. She’s smitten. I don’t blame her. When Thomas turns on the charm, he’s irresistible. Unless, like me, you know the real Thomas. Then resisting becomes easier.
“I hope all of it was good. And you are?”
“Thomas. Doctor Clarkson.” He takes her hand.
Adeline is impressed. “Welcome to our mother’s home, Doctor Clarkson.” She turns to me, and I know exactly what she’s wondering. How did I ever hook up with a doctor?
People in my family have this thing they don’t go to the trouble of hiding, where they are sure that gym owners have nothing between the ears. So what would a doctor and I have to say to each other?
“He was just dropping me off,” I quickly interject. “Didn’t you say you had to go somewhere?” I stare at him pointedly.
Thomas flashes me a smile. “No way. I’ve texted to cancel. I can’t miss a chance to meet your family, darling. Besides, we have to tell them the news together.”
“News?” Adeline says.
“Mom! You left us!”
My nephews come tearing past us and run to the house. John Mathews joins us on the path, looking harassed. Adeline introduces him to Thomas, and we all move toward the front door, which the boys have left open and swinging on its hinges.
I lag behind, hoping that Thomas does too. He doesn’t and keeps up a conversation with John. I’m going to kill him. You can’t force your way into a family dinner.
We all burst into the house at the same time and find my mom hugging my nephews in the living room. Caleb, Laura, and their little girl Kelsie are already there. Hugs are exchanged all around, and Adeline takes it upon herself to introduce Thomas.
I hug the twins and Kelsie a little tighter than normal. I can’t wait until I give them a little cousin. All along, I feel Thomas’s glance on me, and I do my best not to look at him.
I was so distracted by Thomas that I had not noticed my mom. My jaw drops when I take in her hair. She has dyed it a bright screaming strawberry blonde. Adeline notices it at the same time.
“I love your hair, Mom,” she says.
“So do I,” Laura, Caleb’s wife says.
Caleb and I exchange a look, and then he shrugs and looks away.
“Dinner is ready; let’s all go to the dining room,” Mom says, a grin splitting her face.
I relax then as it dawns on me that we, her family, give her the most joy, but now we’re adults and have our own lives. If dyeing her hair makes her happy, then so be it.
The adults troop to the dining room while the kids are shepherded to a small adjoining room that acts as their little dining room. I help my mom carry dinner to the table.
“Smells delicious,” I say, peering into one of the dishes.
“I get so excited when you’re all coming for dinner that I tend to go overboard,” Mom says. She’s cooked roast potatoes, grilled chicken, pot roast, and a variety of vegetables.
My stomach growls. I’m so hungry; I can’t wait to sit down and sample the food. Laura and Adeline come in to help too, and in minutes, we are all settled around the dining table.
“We’re all surprised by you,” Adeline says, addressing Thomas. “We’ve never heard any mention of you.”
My sister has no filter. What her brain thinks is what comes out of her mouth.
“That’s because I keep my private life private.” I glare at her hoping to shut her up.
“No, you don’t,” Adeline says.
“She does, and I should know,” Thomas says.
“Did I hear someone say you’re a doctor?” Caleb asks. “What’s your specialty?”
“Caleb is an ER doctor,” Adeline tells Thomas. She’s appointed herself his tour guide to navigate dinner. A dinner that he was not invited to.
My brother and Thomas engage in a discussion regarding the state of the county hospitals.
I stuff myself, which turns out to be a huge mistake. I start to feel as if there are men playing baseball in my tummy. I sit back in my chair, hoping the extra space will make me feel better. It doesn’t. Without warning, the dinner I’ve just eaten heaves in my belly. I push my chair back, jump to my feet and run out of the dining room.
I make it to the toilet just in time. As I’m heaving, someone enters the bathroom, rubs my back, and holds my hair back. It doesn’t take long to figure out that it’s Thomas.
Even after flushing the toilet, it still stinks, and I’m sure that my face is pink with embarrassment. Thomas helps me to the sink, and I feel marginally better after brushing my teeth and washing my face. I make a mental note never to throw away the spare toothbrush I keep in my mother’s bathroom.
“Thanks,” I mumble to Thomas when I’m done.
He smiles in a way that seems so genuine. “It’s the least I can do; after all, you’re the one who is doing all the work.”
This is my chance to tell him to leave, but the words stick in my throat. It’s kind of hard to be mean to someone who held your hair when you were throwing up in the toilet. Instead, I smile at him and lead the way back to the living room.
Everyone stares at us as we sit back down.
Of course, my big-mouthed sister is the first to speak. “Are you pregnant?”
I feel as if I’ve been punched in the belly, and for a few seconds, I can’t speak.
“Yes, we are pregnant,” Thomas says.
A stunned silence fills the room. I’m just as shocked as everyone else. We are pregnant? From Thomas? It’s as if someone else has switched places with Thomas. How can he shift from ‘I don’t want a baby’ to ‘we are pregnant?’
My mother is the first to recover. “But you two barely know each other.”
“We first met three years ago,” Thomas says.
“Three years is long enough to know someone,” Caleb says.
“How is that possible when Cora’s never said anything about you?” Adeline asks. “Are you ashamed of him?”
“Don’t be silly,” I snap.
The conversation shifts to how secretive I am. I should come clean and admit that in those three years, I can count the number of times I saw Thomas. I feel bad at the deceit, but I have to admit that it feels good not to have to explain the whole sorry business to my family. I have a black sheep family tag, but if they knew the whole story, they would label me as a lunatic as well.
“I can’t believe I’m going to be a grandmother all over again,” my mother says. “When are you two kids planning on tying the knot?”
My breath hitches. “We’re not ready for that step yet.”
“But you were ready to sleep together without protection,” Adeline says.
“Stop it!” My mom says surprising me. “Lots of people these days have kids without getting married first.”
“Mom!” Adeline protests.
I’m shocked too. Those are not my mother’s normal views. It seems her opinions have changed along with her hair color.
“Life is short and should be lived to the fullest,” she declares and jumps to her feet. “Anyone for some wine?”
That’s another first. My parents had never been drinkers, and unless I’m mistaken, that bottle of wine will be the first-ever to grace this table.
She returns with a bottle of white wine and glasses, which she hands to everyone except me. We watch in reverence as she expertly pours it.
It’s a weird evening, and I can’t wait to get Adeline alone to ask her what she thinks of this woman who has taken our mother’s place.
