Page 51 of Doctor Daddies

I head down the corridor to find Mathilda, stopping at the coffee machine on the way there so I can get Millie and myself a cup. Feeling that bump has left me feeling all the more protective ofher, and though I can’t do much better than bring her coffee for the time being, I will do whatever I can.

Because I want her as more than just my surrogate.

Seeing her with Lewis, I know I want her as the mother to my children. She has already done such an amazing job with Lewis, it’s not hard to imagine her being just as incredible with our newborns too. I don’t know what life looks like for us once the contract is up, but I’m certain that I want her in it, in any way that she wants.

As long as she’s there, I’m happy.

I reach Mathilda’s office, knock, and step inside. Despite myself, I find that I have a smile on my face. Because no matter what might have happened with Matt at the clinic, everything else seems to be falling into place.

24

MILLIE

“There we go,”I say, as I help Lewis out of the car. “You feeling okay, honey?”

“I’m okay,” Lewis replies, though I can tell he’s still more than a little shaky after everything that happened over the last day.

It’s the evening of the day after his emergency trip to the hospital, and the doctor finally gave me the go-ahead to take him home again. Truth be told, I’m just relieved that he’s back on his feet after everything that happened; I know it can’t be easy for everything to flip up on its head like that with no warning, but at least he seems to be feeling a little more human now.

I lead him to the elevator, and it sweeps us smoothly upstairs and to the apartment. I stifle a yawn, hoping he can’t tell how exhausted I am right now, because it feels like my legs might give out underneath me at any moment.

I lean against the wall, my eyes drooping shut, trying to remember everything that still needs to be done around the apartment. I know that I have to take care of the dishes, plus make some food for tonight, and maybe clean the bathroom ifI have a chance. Lewis is off school tomorrow, thankfully, so I don’t have to worry about getting him up early to make it there on time, but I can still feel the weight of it all pressing down on my shoulders.

James offered to stick around at the hospital a while longer, to make sure that Lewis was entirely back on his feet, but I insisted that I would be able to handle it myself. Truth be told, I would have liked to have him there, but I knew I couldn’t ask for them to give up any more of their time than they already had. I’m lucky that they helped out as much as they did, and I don’t want to demand more coddling on their part when I know I am entirely capable of handling this all by myself.

I pull out my keys as we approach the apartment, but to my surprise, the door is slightly open—as though someone is already inside. I frown and take a step forward, pushing it all the way open, and when I see what’s waiting for me on the other side, my heart swells with relief.

“Guys, what are you doing here?” I gasp, as I look around, taking in all the activity that’s taking place in my home.

James, Ross, and Cole are all there, and it looks as though they have been for at least a couple of hours. The place is spotless, appears as though it has been scrubbed top to bottom since the last time I set foot in there, and there’s a delicious savory scent drifting out of the kitchen, announcing that they’ve already put dinner on too.

“Thought you might want to just kick back and relax when you got back,” Ross explains, as he makes his way over to me, greeting me with a quick hug before he stoops down to check on Lewis. “And how’s the patient, huh? Starting to feel better?”

Lewis nods, still standing a little behind me, clearly not entirely sure what to make of all this activity. I don’t blame him. It must be strange, having a home so full of life, given that the one we shared for so long was just the two of us.

“I put some food on,” James tells me, as he emerges from the doorway of the kitchen. “Just a risotto. Hope that’s okay.”

“That—that sounds great,” I reply, blinking as I try to take it all in. This isn’t the first time that I’ve spent a night in hospital with Lewis, but this is a far cry from anything I had to look forward to on those lonely trips I made before. No, coming back to find them like this, it’s almost as though…almost as though we’re a family.

“Take a seat,” Cole instructs me, putting an arm around my waist and guiding me to the couch. “You need to rest, after all that stress.”

“Come on, sweetie,” I murmur to Lewis, holding my hand out to him and gesturing for him to follow me. He does as he’s told, and I pull him onto my lap there on the couch, pressing my face into his hair and trying to convince myself that the worst of it is really over.

“How are you doing?” Cole asks with some concern.

I guess they’ve got every right to wonder, given the pregnancy, though I still haven’t discussed it with Lewis yet. Cole is being careful to avoid saying anything too specific, but I can tell what’s going through his head, praying that the discomfort and sleeplessness hasn’t left me feeling worse off than before.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I reply, but a yawn escapes me before I can finish what I’m saying, somewhat undercutting my attempts to soothe him. “Just…just glad to be home, that’s all.”

“Of course,” Cole replies, and he lays a hand on my shoulder, just out of sight of Lewis, and gives it a squeeze, a silent promise that they’re not going anywhere. With that, he withdraws to the kitchen to help James, and Ross appears with some water for both Lewis and me.

“Thanks for doing all of this,” I tell him, gesturing around. “I was dreading coming back from the hospital and finding there was still so much to do, but looks like you already took care of it for me.”

“Least we could do,” he replies, sinking into the armchair opposite us and studying us both with some concern. “You need your rest. Both of you.”

He glances to Lewis, quickly warming his face with a sincere smile. “And you’re already looking better,” he adds. “You got plenty to eat at the hospital?”

“Yeah, Mathilda made sure that we had good food,” I reply. “She really seems to know what she’s doing.”