As Max finished rounds, he sipped his coffee. With eighteen hours left on call, the OR was empty and the recovery room was quiet. Just his luck, he had traded away a quiet Saturday night. The pediatric fellow handled the only emergencies. Rounds were light, but he had his own patient to discharge after the labs came back.

When his phone rang, he expected it to be Olivia. "Hey, Trish."

"You were so much better than the new fellow."

"I thought she was more than qualified. She had a great mentor. What's wrong?"

"Rough night. Some of these residents."

"I know I met a few of them and now they've advanced a year. What else is going on?"

She let out a long sigh. "I had Friday off and he went out for drinks after work."

"You should have met up with him."

"I wasn't invited."

Max felt an uncomfortable tug in his head. He would want Olivia with him. Socializing was no fun flying solo. "That sucks. I hope he was glad to see you when he came home."

"Drunk and passed out."

"I'm an independent guy. I've lived on my own. He might forget he's not a one man show. I'm about to prove I should be alone."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's moving in with me."

"Does this baby mama have a name?"

"Olivia." He smiled as he said her name.

"Do you have a picture of her?"

His phone was full of her smiling face. After they hung up, he texted one of them at the wedding.

Trish texted back to say she was beautiful. He had known that for half his life. Maybe his biggest fear wasn't hurting Olivia.

Later he sat on his new sofa reading over notes to prepare for his September exam. His place still didn't feel like home, but it was a long way from the flophouse.

He sighed when his phone chimed. He had hoped to avoid the OR. It wasn't the hospital, and he replied to Livvy's text. He was home but it could change at any moment. Josh was driving her over. Max hadn't expected her to move in immediately, but he should have. He smiled at her response. Of course she had Emma's key.

When his phone went off shortly after, he knew it wasn't Olivia. He took a moment to text her, before putting on his shoes. A collision on Route 3 had trauma patients medevacked into the city. Traffic was always heavy leaving The Cape on Sundays.

The ED was bustling. A nurse looked at him and pointed to a room. He stepped inside to see the team shock the heart of a kid who looked seven or eight.

"Surgery?"

"Not now." Commanded a doctor.

He ducked out and saw his fellow heading for a room. "What do you have?"

He said, "Go to eleven or twelve. They're all kids."

It was chaos as he consulted and prioritized five kids. It had been a van for a church camp which explained the children. They were kids off to camp like Livvy.

Bone tired with more information than he wanted, he left the hospital at ten pm. They sent seven kids to them but one didn't make it, two critical, and two stable. The rumor was the driver was deceased on scene. As he stepped into his apartment, his heart sparked. Livvy jumped up from the sofa and hugged him. Fuck, he hadn't realized how badly he needed a hug.

"I saw the news. One died. The poor parents."

He nodded. "I met some. I need to sleep, since I'm still on call."

"Are you hungry? I ordered low mein. It'll keep if you don't want it."

A second ago, his answer would have been he wasn't hungry, but noodles woke his gut. "Yeah Thanks."

"I moved everything from Dover. Eventually I'll need to make a trip to New York."

He nodded as he had cold noodles in his mouth. Maybe a trip on a weekend off to see Seb would be nice. He finished the noodles without responding and stood up to throw the carton away and put the fork in the sink.

Olivia followed him into the bedroom. She had put away all her belongings. In the bathroom, some jars and bottles were on the counter along with her toothbrush. She reached for her toothbrush as he reached for his. The last time they just slept together was in his dorm, but he had to move to the floor when Zach pounded on his door.

Once in bed, Olivia curled into him. She didn't ask for a kiss. He shut his eyes but her hand on his chest and the scent of her perfume under his nose made him hard. He flipped her on her back.

"It's gotta be quick, because the phone."

She giggled. "If you insist." Then she wrapped her soft fingers around his rock hard shaft.

He slid his hand over her belly. It was hard to ignore the life inside. He continued on to find her thighs relaxed and open waiting for him. She was the sexiest, wettest woman he had ever encountered. Feeling proficient in pleasuring Livvy, he accomplished his goal in short order. She clung to his back as he moved within her. When she looked up at him, he held her gaze. Their eye contact created a connection. Quick wasn't a problem as he exploded inside her. Gathering her in his arms, he dropped off to sleep.

He woke to his alarm. It was a miracle he slept through the night. Olivia had turned over and didn't stir as he got out of bed. After a lightning quick rinse in the shower, he was out the door in no time. He had rounds and scheduled surgeries all day. The accident victims dominated rounds. The residents talked about the events with excitement. Had he ever been that stupid?

When his day ended, just after seven, he remembered his apartment wasn't empty. Bracing himself to defend why he hadn't contacted her all day, it startled him to see Olivia's smiling face.

She stood and walked to him. As she ran her hand down his cheek, she said, "Food and bed." She bit her lip. "I can wait until you're asleep so I don't tempt you."

He chuckled. "It's up to you."

She brushed the front of his shorts. "It's really up to you." He stood watching her backside as she went to the kitchen. "I made chicken. I hope it's okay."

"I'm sure it's fine. Anything is better than the cafeteria."

"Sit. I'll tell you about my day."

He took out a glass for some water. "What did you do?"

"I found a driving instructor to get me ready to pass the test, but I'll need a car. Then I found a pool with expanded hours and signed us up."

"I don't have time."

"It's up to you, but you have the days you have office hours and weekends when you aren't on call."

He stopped himself from asking if she would mind. "What else did you do?" She handed him a warmed plate. "I can serve myself."

"But I can be nice since I wasn't on my feet all day."

"This is good."

"Thanks. I made dinner and took some calls. The business cards Emma made for me generated some interest."

"That's good. Liv, it would be the perfect career. Maybe the Boston office will pay you."

"I'd like to work with some nonprofits. I enjoy helping a cause."

"You have a big heart."

She smiled. "Lucky you because the whole thing loves you."

Not too many months ago, her words would have caused him to wince. He shifted slightly, because he didn't say it in return. "A real big heart would be a cause for concern."

She laughed. "You are a joker. Did you tell any today?"

He shook his head. "It seemed in poor taste to joke with kids who lost a friend."

"I checked the news. The driver of the car that caused the accident was drinking."

"No surprise. I've seen it too many times." He ate a few more bites before pushing his plate back. "Thanks. I'm going to sleep."

Standing, he walked over to put his plate and glass in the dishwasher. As if testing her, he walked straight to the bedroom. She didn't follow him, but when he climbed in bed, he heard the soft buzz of the TV. It reminded him of the flop house as sleep pulled him under.

He woke to his alarm feeling rested with soft breathing in his ear. The urge to brush his lips on hers surprised him.

On Thursday as he walked into the medical office building, the heat was already unbearable. The August temperatures were sizzling. He felt sweat on his back and was glad to step into the cool air-conditioned building. As he waited for his first patient, he texted his mother to ask if he could swim after work. It wasn't until the late afternoon when he remembered to let Olivia know he would be late. She swam every day at her new gym. Max would rather swim outside.

After his last patient left, he packed up. His mother greeted him with a frown. "Where's Olivia?"

"At the apartment. It's Thursday, so I worked at the office all day." Only a few miles from his childhood home.

"Oh. I thought you were both coming."

"It would take me an hour or more to pick her up and drive her back."

"She could have taken the subway."

He frowned. "It never crossed my mind. Next time. I'll make sure she knows which trains to take."

"You'll bring her this weekend. She has always loved the pool."

"I will. I'm going to change and swim now that I'm here."

Feeling guilty, he called Olivia from his old room. "Hi. I stopped by to see my mother."

"She must be glad."

"I won't be too late. I'm gonna take a swim and she wants to feed me, but I can say no."

"It's okay. I'll eat the leftovers here. Enjoy your visit."

"Hey Liv. If it's nice this weekend, we can hang out by the pool like old times. How was your day?"

"My day was good. I have an opportunity to help with a party."

"That's great. You can tell me all about it later."

"Okay. Bye."

She hung up, and he held his phone. He didn't know how to be in a relationship.

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