Page 23 of Dr. Scandal Claus

So the next call I placed was to Scarlett. She picked up on the third ring.

"Hey Nick, what's up?" She sounded cheerful but winded. I realized she must've been rushing around her bakery or maybe out to get Ethan from school this time of day.

"Hi, Scarlett…I was thinking. Let's have dinner soon." My wheels started spinning. I had to show her that I was serious without pushing too hard. I had asked her about having a family, which I thought was a harmless topic. I thought most couples brought that up at some point when they realized things were getting serious. We shouldn't even be together if we're not compatible, but I thought she wanted more kids. Then she just ran out basically.

That puzzled me, but maybe she was just put off by the fact that Marjorie was snooping around. Still, I had to prove I was in this for the long haul, even if she didn't want a big family. I wanted to show her that she, Ethan, and I could be family.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I come over and cook you dinner. Ethan too…We'll spend some time together." The line crackled with tension and I felt her hesitating.

"Oh, I don't know, Nick. You know my evenings with Ethan are limited and?—"

"Don't say no," I blurted out, cutting her off. I felt bad, but I wanted this so bad. "I really want to show you that I can be the type of guy you can depend on. Please, let me cook you dinner."

Again she hesitated and when she said, "Alright," it sounded more like a reluctant surrender. But I took it, latched onto it, and ran.

"Perfect. How about Thursday, your place. Just give me the kitchen and a few kisses and we'll have a fantastic evening."

Scarlett had to run, so I let her go, but when I hung up, my heart felt heavy. I really had pushed her too quickly, and now shewas having second thoughts. The thing with Marjorie had to be stress added onto that. There was no doubt in my mind. I had to correct this before I lost her.

17

SCARLETT

Nick told another stupid joke and had Ethan laughing so hard I thought he'd start coughing. Sometimes he did that, and I didn't know if it was something to do with his condition or just from the laughter. It was good to see them hitting it off so well. "Dr. Nick" was welcome in our house anytime if he kept my boy so happy and engaged. After months of being on low activity and missing sports, Ethan had been down. Nick came in like a breath of fresh air this evening.

We were eating stroganoff and breadsticks, and Nick had brought brownies for dessert. The evening was going off without a hitch, and my heart felt a little lighter and happier finally. After my chat with Nellie a few weeks ago, and having had a more normal schedule at work, it seemed like things were leveling out. And having Nick come cook dinner for us two weeks in a row was special.

"Now, what do you call a bear with no teeth?" Nick asked and I rolled my eyes as I took my last bite of food. Ethan seemed to be thoughtful as he chewed his breadstick and shrugged a shoulder as he narrowed his eyes at Nick. "A gummy bear!" Nick blurted out and Ethan laughed so hard he spit food out.

"Hey, now, no messes," I chided playfully. I stood and picked up my plate to carry to the sink and Nick mirrored my actions. We cleaned the table as Ethan finished eating, and Nick cut the brownies. He and Ethan each had one, but I had to pass. I'd eaten so much food my stomach was full and I couldn't eat another bite.

"Want to watch a show?" Ethan asked and sat on the end of the couch next to him as he munched his brownie. It looked like his lips were slightly blue, but he'd had blue juice with dinner. I tried not to panic, but I felt uneasy.

"Do you feel alright, buddy?" I brushed a mop of his curls off his forehead and leaned closer. His lips were definitely not as pink as they should've been. "Nick?"

"I'm fine," Ethan said, pushing my hand away, but Nick walked over to sit next to us on the couch, and I saw the concern etch itself across his forehead. Neither one of us wanted to scare Ethan, but I knew the look of worry. Nick was the professional and if he wasn't comfortable then I should be flipping out.

"Feeling anything funny in your chest?" Nick asked him. He shoved the last bites of brownie into his mouth and pushed Ethan's pant leg up. He pressed two fingers into Ethan's skin on a few places, and I watched his lips purse in concentration as he looked back at my son's face.

"I don't know." Ethan bobbed a shoulder. "Maybe a little funny, but just like squeezy or something." He pushed Nick away too, then reached for the remote. "I want to watch a baseball movie since I can't play."

Ethan was lost in the screen, surfing the movies available while Nick and I exchanged worried glances. "What do you think?" I asked him, and he frowned.

"I think I'll stick around to make sure this movie is a good one." Nick's tone was so heavy, and I knew was using cautious words to not frighten Ethan. But I could see the concern in hiseyes now. I wanted him to stay. We'd never made it obvious to Ethan that we were having adult sleepovers because I hadn't taught him about the birds and the bees yet. I wanted him to grow up at his own pace and be a kid for as long as possible.

"Are you gonna kiss again?" Ethan asked, yawning. It was a bit early for him to be so sleepy, but I wasn't going to put him to bed. My heart was anxious. I wanted him close to me so I could keep an eye on him, and Nick must've agreed.

"We're gonna kiss so much you will vomit," Nick joked and Ethan rolled his eyes.

"You're gross. You kiss girls." Ethan's snicker as he hit play on the remote made my heart feel a little lighter. I did love that he was warming to Nick. It made conversations like the one I had with Nick about family—the one where I ran away—less scary. Maybe I'd never have to tell Nick that Ethan was biologically his. If we were happy and together and we had a family, my heart would feel whole. Nick would still love Ethan like his own…

I pulled Ethan to my side as the movie started. Nick went to the kitchen to make us popcorn. We got about fifteen minutes in before Ethan was snoring lightly. His head lolled to the side so I laid him down across Nick's lap.

"He's tired so early," I said, biting my lip.

"Yeah, that's probably the slight hypoxia. His lips were blue; his legs were swelling. It's why I wanted to stay." Nick inched Ethan's pant leg up again and we both noticed the slight swelling hadn't gone down. "I want to stay the night in case something happens."