Max was slowly getting the hang of things. In the operating room, it didn't matter what city he was in. Obviously, the faces of the staff were new, but he had always been good at remembering names. He confidently knew all the names in the outpatient clinic. Two days a week, seeing patients and performing minor outpatient procedures felt cushy and not work sixteen hours a day felt weird. The feeling disappeared when he started his first on call rotation and had to perform an emergency splenectomy on a six-year-old at three am. The family was driving through the night from Virginia to Saugus when someone hit them on the expressway. It was probably a drunk driver. Max never read the local news. He saved them and told a few jokes before sending them home. If he got too close, he wouldn't be good at his job. There was a reason surgeons had a reputation of being cocky.

He was waiting for six am rounds when the bleary-eyed residents showed up. Eventually, he would lead the group, but he was still the newbie, and everyone knew it.

He had just enough time to shower and change before heading to Newton for his office hours. By the time they broke for lunch he was starving. His five am power bar had worn off. He took the stairs down to the lobby. Although he could get in his car and grab a bite, the hospital cafeteria was good enough.

When he stepped into the lobby, his eyes caught the back of a woman who reminded him of Olivia. He was so convinced he tried to follow her. Unfortunately, when he reached the main entrance, she had disappeared.

Shaking his head, he told himself it was just because she was on his mind. The text exchange on the Fourth hadn't gone well. She loved him. Most men would be happy to be the recipient of her love, but he was his own breed, a surgeon dedicated to his patients. His life would always play second fiddle, but Olivia deserved first strings.

Olivia didn't tell him where she was in her texts. Max had assumed it was a repeat of when she ended up with Zach's friend. Something about the woman in the lobby stayed with him and he couldn't shake the feeling. Why would she be there? Everyone assumed she was in New York. Could they all be wrong? One thing for certain, if she came to Boston, someone else knew. His first guess was Emma Sumner. Maybe the woman he saw was a lookalike, but Oliver's wife was up to something.

Pushing Livvy aside, he looked for apartments online while he ate a sandwich. He had narrowed his search to Charlestown, where Zach lived, and Cambridge since both were easy drives to the hospital in the middle of the night. Wellesley took him longer than he preferred. He marked four to see on Saturday, assuming an emergency didn't ruin his plans.

Returning home at six o'clock felt strange. On surgery days, it was closer to his accustomed eight or nine. His father beat him home, and he walked in to find his parents with their heads together. It reminded him of when he, Zach, or both got in trouble as kids.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." His mother wrung her hands. "When did you leave this morning?"

"About two-thirty?"

She stepped forward wide-eyed. "Have you slept?"

"No. Mom, I'm fine. I thrive on only a little sleep. If the phone is quiet, I'll go to bed early."

He washed his hands and got some cold water. The placid, blue water caught his eye. A swim before sleeping, but swimming reminded him of Olivia.

When he turned around, his parents were acting weird again. "Is someone sick?" He meant to be sarcastic, but as they quickly shook their heads, the back of his neck itched. "Have you heard something about Livvy?"

"No!" Lois answered quickly as she handed him a plate of spaghetti.

"For the record, you're acting weird. I'm looking at some places on Saturday, barring any emergencies."

"We'll miss you."

Michael nodded. "It's nice having you back."

The dinner table was quiet, but his parents kept glancing at one another. Not used to a heavy dinner, Max pushed his plate back.

"You hardly ate."

"I know. I might eat more later. If I'm awake. Don't worry. I'm a doctor." Lois sighed. Medical school trumped mothering. "Excuse me. I'm going to go for a swim before bed."

His phone rang just after four am. Jumping up, it was not bad since he went to sleep at eight. As he listened to the surgical resident, he confirmed the appendix needed to come out. "I'll be in."

He would most likely just supervise. Phone calls at all hours of the night only woke him. Olivia didn't understand, but being single was easier. Shit. He went to bed thinking of her and woke up with her in his mind.

Once again he was early for rounds. He might get a reputation he couldn't live up to. When they circled around to post-op his overnight patient was stable.

His first appointment of the day was a consultation. A scared, pregnant mother and her husband reminded him of Olivia's homeless friend. The fetal ultrasound showed a defect called gastroschisis which meant the intestines and stomach had fallen through a hole in the abdomen. The baby would need surgery immediately after birth. Max saw two in his training. The first he observed and the other he performed.

He used the calmest and most self-assured voice possible to explain the procedure. "Once the repair is healed, your baby will not have any complications. I know it sounds scarier than it needs to."

"You've seen this before?" Trust the father to ask the nonemotional questions.

"I have. The team will coordinate everything. I'll be ready and waiting the minute you go in for your scheduled cesarean."

The mother nodded. "I like you. I trust you."

He nodded. "Thank you. I will treat your baby like it's my own."

"Do you have a baby?"

"No." He wiggled his ringless left hand.

Once again he wondered why people had babies. His knowledge took the miracle out of life. Birth defects, accidents, cancer were some of the reasons he saw children. When JJ and Violet stopped by his party with their new baby, Max had to tamp down his desire to examine her. A birth should be celebrated, instead he wanted to look for hernias and listen for heart murmurs.

The rest of his day went fine. He stayed late to finish his documentation and to avoid his parents being weird. He doubted he would sleep through the night. When his phone rang, he sighed. He wouldn't be going home.

After a busy night, as the surgeon on call, he led rounds. He told a few jokes and the third-year resident rolled his eyes at the fourth year. On zero sleep, he looked at four apartments. He could afford them all, so he was interested in location, parking, and laundry. The layout was important, since one-bedroom apartments were small.

The third one was close to the exit and to Zach. It was updated and modern. "When can I move in?"

"It's ready after the credit check. We can prorate the month."

He yawned as he took out his checkbook to write a deposit. He left with forms to complete. If only, he had furniture. He thought of Olivia. She would help him shop. Then he thought of Emma. If he hired her to furnish his place, he could ask her about Olivia. His immediate goal was to take a nap, before he was called back in. He passed the baton on Monday morning.

Sunday afternoon, the house was empty. He was asleep, when his phone rang. "Doctor Steele."

"Doctor Steele's brother."

He groaned. "Zach, I was asleep."

"Did mom tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Anita told Kurt, but he was supposed to keep it a secret. Kurt told dad and you can guess the rest."

"What's the big secret?" He was still groggy and hardly following.

"It's about Olivia."

He sat up, fully awake. "What about her?"

"I can't believe it. Of all people, she's the last I ever expected."

"What! What is it?"

"She's pregnant."

"She's what?" He stood, but the magnitude made him fall back onto the bed.

"She's having a baby."

Max ran his hand through his hair. Shit. Fuck. "Are you sure?"

"I know. I can't believe it either. Livvy never has sex."

She did in April. Max didn't want to count how many times, but he assumed she had been on the pill. He didn't ask. Fuck. He just took what he wanted. Never had he been so reckless. It would be easy to blame her, but she wasn't alone. He felt ten again as he thought about the disappointment he was bound to face starting with his parents. The list was long - Uncle Kurt, Anita, Ian. Fuck.

His phone buzzed. Double fuck. "Zach, I have to take this call. Dr. Steele."

He threw on shorts and had to go. How could he have a child? He didn't have time for a nap.

He sat in the cafeteria on Sunday evening hoping to go home after checking on post-op. He picked up his phone and texted Oliver for his wife's number.

His phone rang. "Max, what is it?"

"I found a place, but I don't have time to furnish it."

"Oh! I can help. Tell me about it."

"It's a one bedroom." Would he need a bigger place?

"Okay. Send me pictures. Do you have anything?"

"Clothes."

"Plates? Cups?"

"Nothing. It's a rush."

"Lucky for you I don't have any other jobs."

"I have one other question."

"I'll give you a family discount."

"Thanks, but it's about Olivia. Where is she?"

"No one knows."

"I bet you do. Do you know all her secrets?"

"I know you love each other."

He ignored her. "Are you telling me, you don't know she's pregnant."

"What? No! I didn't know. Did she tell you?"

"No! My brother did. No one has any idea it could be mine."

"Max, 'could be' is too vague for this situation. Did you sign on your place? You really need a two bedroom. I could do a darling nursery."

"No. She lives in New York." He was like Ian's dad.

"Are you sure?"

"She's here. Shit! I thought I saw her in the medical building. It wasn't my imagination. Do me a favor. Don't tell her I know or I'll hire a competitor to do my place."

"Olivia could just do it, but I promise."

"Don't tell anyone!"

He texted Olivia. We need to talk. Where are you?

On the way to post-op, his phone buzzed.

Now he knows! Thanks for voting ⭐️