Craig had vacated. "Katherine Elizabeth." They all stared at him.
"She picked it and a boy's name last week." Craig watched Jack's face carefully. His heart felt frozen in ice, realizing what he had denied for the last months. "But just because I know that doesn't change anything." He stared straight at Craig. "So don't worry." He stood and stretched, and put his hand out. Craig took it, wary but too shattered to think much about the gesture. "Thank you. You saved her life, both of their lives." He ran a hand over his face. "I'm a wreck. You handled everything well, very well." Craig put a hand on the other man's arm, but words that truly reflected how he felt escaped him.
He watched as Rob put an arm around Jack's shoulders. "This is about as fucked-up a celebration as it gets but, can I buy you a beer? Something harder?" The tall blonde man smiled at them both, let his eyes flick over the attractive redhead at his side. "Suzanne."
She lifted her chin. "Rob." Without thinking about it, Craig slipped his arm around her waist, tried to defray some of the tension between them. She shrugged him off. "I'm okay. Let's go." Rob raised an eyebrow at him before he turned, forcing his wobbly legs to move forward. He felt like he could sleep for a week.
****
By the time she pulled into his condo's underground parking garage, Craig realized something about the slight red headed woman behind the wheel – she was not only one of the most attractive women he'd ever seen, but she had an aura of calm about her that took the tension right out of him. He rolled his neck around and tried not to stare at her too obviously.
"Coming up?" He asked, one hand on the door, not sure if he wanted it or not. His feelings for Sara and the baby he'd watched taken from her body represented the most complicated and irritating set of emotions he'd experienced. The past year had been a whirl of together, apart, together and finally apart – and then, the big news. Suzanne smiled and it lifted his heart, forcing words from his lips. "I want you to."
"All right." She followed him to the lift.
He slid his key card into the elevator's locking mechanism, sending it to the topmost floor. She wandered into the kitchen, leaving him to ponder the weird turn of events of the previous twelve hours. He could be a father, then again he might not be. He loved Sara, so much his head still pounded at the memory of her body seizing and the sounds of the beeping alarms around her. Then again, he felt himself falling into an infatuation with the woman currently rummaging around in his refrigerator. Feeling like a side story in a daytime drama, he staggered into the bathroom. After shucking his shirt and pants, throwing them straight into the garbage, he turned the shower on full-blast hot. Letting steam spill into the room he flopped down on his bed and tried to still his whirling emotions.
He launched himself off the bed when a hand landed on his bare chest. "What the…" His heart pounded in his ears. Suzanne stood, cup of coffee in hand, concern in her gaze. "Shit." The running water had stopped. "How long did I…" He reddened, and tugged the duvet over his nakedness.
"Over an hour. I came in to check on you and turned off your shower before you drained the building of hot water." He groaned and flopped back onto the pillow. "I'm gonna go. You rest."
"No, no, wait. I'm usually not such a shitty host." Keeping the bed cover more or less wrapped around his waist, he side stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. "I'll make us something to eat. Give me a minute." He shuddered as the cooling water hit his skin.
An hour later, stomachs full from omelets and strong coffee, they sat together on the couch, feet up on the coffee table, in companionable silence. After filling her in on his story, the dead father, abandoned college degree, he stopped and looked up at the ceiling for a minute. "You know, I think I want to go to medical school."
She stared at
"She picked it and a boy's name last week." Craig watched Jack's face carefully. His heart felt frozen in ice, realizing what he had denied for the last months. "But just because I know that doesn't change anything." He stared straight at Craig. "So don't worry." He stood and stretched, and put his hand out. Craig took it, wary but too shattered to think much about the gesture. "Thank you. You saved her life, both of their lives." He ran a hand over his face. "I'm a wreck. You handled everything well, very well." Craig put a hand on the other man's arm, but words that truly reflected how he felt escaped him.
He watched as Rob put an arm around Jack's shoulders. "This is about as fucked-up a celebration as it gets but, can I buy you a beer? Something harder?" The tall blonde man smiled at them both, let his eyes flick over the attractive redhead at his side. "Suzanne."
She lifted her chin. "Rob." Without thinking about it, Craig slipped his arm around her waist, tried to defray some of the tension between them. She shrugged him off. "I'm okay. Let's go." Rob raised an eyebrow at him before he turned, forcing his wobbly legs to move forward. He felt like he could sleep for a week.
****
By the time she pulled into his condo's underground parking garage, Craig realized something about the slight red headed woman behind the wheel – she was not only one of the most attractive women he'd ever seen, but she had an aura of calm about her that took the tension right out of him. He rolled his neck around and tried not to stare at her too obviously.
"Coming up?" He asked, one hand on the door, not sure if he wanted it or not. His feelings for Sara and the baby he'd watched taken from her body represented the most complicated and irritating set of emotions he'd experienced. The past year had been a whirl of together, apart, together and finally apart – and then, the big news. Suzanne smiled and it lifted his heart, forcing words from his lips. "I want you to."
"All right." She followed him to the lift.
He slid his key card into the elevator's locking mechanism, sending it to the topmost floor. She wandered into the kitchen, leaving him to ponder the weird turn of events of the previous twelve hours. He could be a father, then again he might not be. He loved Sara, so much his head still pounded at the memory of her body seizing and the sounds of the beeping alarms around her. Then again, he felt himself falling into an infatuation with the woman currently rummaging around in his refrigerator. Feeling like a side story in a daytime drama, he staggered into the bathroom. After shucking his shirt and pants, throwing them straight into the garbage, he turned the shower on full-blast hot. Letting steam spill into the room he flopped down on his bed and tried to still his whirling emotions.
He launched himself off the bed when a hand landed on his bare chest. "What the…" His heart pounded in his ears. Suzanne stood, cup of coffee in hand, concern in her gaze. "Shit." The running water had stopped. "How long did I…" He reddened, and tugged the duvet over his nakedness.
"Over an hour. I came in to check on you and turned off your shower before you drained the building of hot water." He groaned and flopped back onto the pillow. "I'm gonna go. You rest."
"No, no, wait. I'm usually not such a shitty host." Keeping the bed cover more or less wrapped around his waist, he side stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. "I'll make us something to eat. Give me a minute." He shuddered as the cooling water hit his skin.
An hour later, stomachs full from omelets and strong coffee, they sat together on the couch, feet up on the coffee table, in companionable silence. After filling her in on his story, the dead father, abandoned college degree, he stopped and looked up at the ceiling for a minute. "You know, I think I want to go to medical school."
She stared at
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