The Pairing (The Proposition #3)(61)

“Yes, she is.”

“You’ve taken a special interest in her, haven’t you?” Kristi asked.

Pesh’s steps momentarily faltered, and he stumbled. “Whatever do you mean?”

Kristi chuckled. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“It is true that we know each other outside of the hospital, but when we’re in the ER, our relationship is strictly professional.”

“I never said it wasn’t.”

After gazing around the somewhat deserted parking lot, he shook his head. “What you’re alluding to between me and Megan? Nothing good can come of those types of rumors.”

Patting his arm, Kristi smiled. “There are no rumors—merely an observation by someone who loves and admires you.”

His brows rose in surprise. “You don’t disapprove?”

“Of course not. I think it’s a good match for both you and her.”

He remained silent for a few moments, contemplating her words. “Perhaps I should call and check on her.”

“I think that would be a very good idea.” She took her keys out of her purse and motioned at the Honda they were standing in front of. “Well, this is me.”

“Have a good night, Kristi.”

“Same to you, Dr. Nadeen. And good luck.”

He smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

When he got to his car, he slid inside and took his phone out. He scrolled through his contacts to find Megan’s number. After he dialed, he anxiously drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. The call went to her voicemail, leaving him with a defeated feeling. Although he knew it probably wasn’t the best idea in the world, he decided to go to her house to check on her.

The moment he rang her parents’ doorbell he really regretted making a house call. One of her younger brothers answered. “Hey, what’s up?” he asked.

“Hello. I’m Dr. Nadeen. I work with Megan.”

Snapping his fingers, he pointed at Pesh. “Wait, I know you. Aren’t you Noah’s godfather?”

Pesh smiled. “Yes, I am.”

“Cool. Listen man, Megan’s downstairs. If you go around the side of the house, she has her own door.”

“I see. Thank you then.”

“No problem.”

When the door closed, Pesh debated going straight to his car. But he knew it would look even worse if her brother told her he had been there and then he had left without seeing her. Heaving a frustrated breath, he headed off the porch. He followed the sidewalk around the house to where it sloped down the hill.

At the side door, he knocked loudly. When the door flew open, Megan stared at him in a mixture of both surprise and horror. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

Pesh shoved his hands in his pockets. “You called in sick today. I was worried.”

“I’m fine.”

He fought the urge to say that by her disheveled appearance and dark circles under her eyes, she most certainly didn’t seem fine. “I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. Kristi and I were worried about you.”

Her expression softened a little. “I’m sorry. I must’ve forgotten to charge my phone.”

“Can I get you something to eat? Some soup maybe?”

“Really, I’m fine.”

“But you look so pale. Will you let me do an exam? You know the flu is—”

“I don’t have the flu.”

“How can you be sure if you haven’t been checked? Did you get the flu shot at the hospital? Sometimes it can give you a mild case.”

She shook her head and smiled. “I don’t have the flu. Since you’re going to keep on and on, I’m going to go ahead and tell you. I have really horrendous cramps with my period. Usually, I can manage them with birth control, but when I started clinicals and stopped working, I couldn’t afford the birth control without health insurance. And it wasn’t like I was ha**ng s*x anyway.”

While he appreciated her honesty, he was also slightly mortified. “Oh, I see.”

“I’m sorry to have embarrassed you,” Megan said.

He waved his hand dismissively. “Listen, when you return to work tomorrow, there will be a script for you for birth control. I don’t like the idea of you in pain, so I don’t want this to happen next month.”

“But the money,” she protested.

He shook his head. “It will be discounted through the hospital pharmacy.”

“Thank you, Pesh. That’s a very decent thing for you to do.”

A blonde head peeked around Megan. “Hi Esh. You play?”

He smiled at Mason. “I came to check on your mommy.”

Mason tilted his chin to look up at Megan. “Her tummy hurts. She no play. U play?”

“Um, well…” He wanted nothing more than to spend time with Mason, and in the same token, with Megan as well. But he was also walking such a fine line with her that he didn’t want to come on too strong and scare her off. “I’m not sure your mommy feels up to company.”

Megan smiled. “If you really don’t mind staying, we’d love to have you.”

“Are you certain?”

“Sure.”

“Okay then.”