Instead, she poured her entire margarita on his head.
The whole bar erupted in laughter and applause. Rather than walk around in defeat, he stood and strode back over to our table, red slush sliding down his face, and sat back down looking like he just scored a winning touchdown.
"Why the hell do you look so cocky? You just got turned down in front of the whole damn bar," I said, trying hard not to laugh, and not succeeding.
"Just wait," he grinned.
And so we did. We sat there and finished our drinks and ordered more. An hour or so went by, and when our third round came by, the waitress dropped Colin's drink in front of him, along with a napkin. He held it up triumphantly showing a phone number along with the name Ella. They've been driving each other crazy ever since. Unfortunately, my luck in that department had not been so good. But then, I’d been raised by a money-loving ass**le, so what do I know about love?
"Why do you sound so damn nervous all of a sudden?" I asked, running my hands through my messy dark brown hair. I didn't like nervous Colin.
“Got a call from Gabe the other day. He called to tell me Melanie’s pregnant. He wanted to call and tell you himself, but he wasn't sure how you'd take it. You guys haven't exactly spoken since the divorce.” I was silent; I didn’t know what to say. Did he expect me to react?
"Anyway, I thought you should know. It's fairly new. I think they're only a couple months along. Melanie is really excited. I know what the two of them did was shitty on an epic level, and I know they don't deserve our forgiveness, but at the end of the day, they're some of our oldest friends. And they're trying. I guess I'm trying, too. I think I still want to kick Gabe's ass again, that was fun.”
“I know, Colin. I get it. Honestly, I'm happy for them. Especially Melanie. She's finally getting everything she ever wanted.” Everything I couldn't give her.
“If you talk to Gabe, tell him I’m happy for them. I...I can’t do it yet. I can’t talk to them, not yet,” I said. Of course, it’s not for the reasons he thinks. I didn’t deserve to talk to either of them. I’d wronged them and they didn’t need me and my shit in their life anymore.
"Okay man, no problem. We’re not talking on a regular basis, but I’ll pass it along if he calls again. Well, I should let you get back to doctoring or something. We need to get together soon and have some man time,” he said, letting out a long sigh.
“This pregnancy stuff is getting to me. Ella made me read a book about breast feeding the other day. Have you seen what a breast pump looks like? It's frightening man, I need some dude time." He really did sound frightened.
"Okay, I'll call you. Later." I said, knowing I probably wouldn’t, and continued to stare at my half eaten dinner. I don’t even know why he continued to call. If the roles were reversed, I would have given up by now. I’m not worth it.
I looked around the cafeteria, which had long since emptied by now. A quiet hum came from the refrigerators, and I could hear the shuffling of people’s feet in the hallway. Life went on in the hospital as I thought about my ex-wife. Melanie finally got what she always wanted, a family. It just wasn't with me.
Love me Logan, just love me.
I thought I did. I tried. I gave her everything I had to give. But it wasn’t enough.
Looking at my watch, I realized I was needed back in the ER. I gathered the remnants of my lack luster dinner and dumped my trash. As I walked out of the cafeteria, my mind focused back to work...at least I’m good at that.
~Clare~
I sat near the end of the bed holding Maddie's hand. She’d thrown up a couple more times and the nurse had to come in to change her hospital gown. She seemed a bit calmer now but was still pale. I was amazed by how much liquid could come out of a human being. But, looking back to my college days, I seemed to remember saying something similar as I hugged the toilet and swore I’d never drink again. And wow, it smelled in here. I was really starting to question the sanity of those who worked in a hospital or the medical field in general. Willingly throwing yourself in the middle of sick people all the time? Yuck.
A knock on the door marked the entrance of yet another person. As I turned my head, I found myself face to face with the real-life version of Dr. McSteamy entering the exam room. Is this our doctor?
Holy hell, I think I just whimpered a little.
Tall and built like a swimmer, he was sexiest thing I’d ever seen in a pair of scrubs. Like the sky right before a summer storm, his eyes bordered between gray and blue, and I couldn’t help but stare into their thunderous intensity. His hair was dark brown that edged near black and had that "just f**ked" look to it. The kind of hair that made you want to run your hands through it. How did guys do that? Did they spend time creating that look in a mirror, or was it really a product of being f**ked? I suddenly wanted to know. Oh shit, was I drooling? Did he say something?
He was looking right at me, waiting.
“Are you the mother?” he asked. His eyebrow arched in question. A really hot question.
Seriously, Clare...get your mind out of the gutter.
"Uh, yes. I'm Clare Murray. This is my daughter Madilyn, uh, Maddie," I said, trying to cover up the fact that I had probably been standing there for an ungodly amount of time, lamely staring at him and forming my own mini puddle of drool while he tried to get my attention back on my sick daughter.
Yup, best mother ever.
“Nice to meet you Ms. Murray, I’m Dr. Matthews.” Turning to Maddie, he said, “And this must be the princess.”
Calling Maddie a princess earned him major brownie points and I think I even heard a faint giggle. She immediately looked up, her big brown eyes connecting with his as he began the examination.
Dr. Matthews bent down, leaned over her tiny frame and ran his hand over Maddie’s head. I knew he was checking for any bumps or abnormalities, but his gesture seemed protective and my heart did a little flip flop seeing my daughter in the arms of another man.
Done with his physical exam, he settled himself at the end of the hospital bed and motioned for me to take a seat in the chair positioned next to Maddie. It was a small room, making us all very cozy. I could feel the heat radiating off his body. His really, really hot body. His eyes lingered on mine briefly and I felt the blush start to creep up my cheeks. A quick smirk flashed across his face before he began speaking.
"Well, your nurse already gave me some of the details on what led to Maddie’s injury this afternoon. Sounds like you had an eventful day,” he said, giving Maddie a gentle smile. She looked up at him like he was the king of the world, which surprised me. Maddie’s generally not a fan of men, having not been around many in her life.