“You’re needed in the ER.”I give the medical assistant a quizzical look. “The ER? Are you sure?”She’s sitting behind a desk in the PACU and just got off the phone. Her eyes dart to it and she nods. “That’s what they said. I asked twice since it’s not your area, but you’re being requested by Dr. Harris.”Sam is in the ER asking for me? He’s off today and he’s never in the emergency room. Why would he—oh shit.Alyson.My phone battery was low, so I plugged it in and left it with my clothes when I changed into surgical scrubs. I rush through the recovery area to get it and see I have missed texts from both Alyson and Sam. The most recent one is from Sam, and I have to read it twice because my brain refuses to believe what I’m seeing.Someone tried to break in and Alyson got hurt. We’re at the ER. I’ll have you paged.I

“I ’ll call you when I get home.” Alyson slides her hands up my back. She’s already pressed up against my chest, but I pull her in even tighter. I knew her leaving would be hard, but I didn’t expect it to be as hard as it is. This long distance thing fucking sucks, and is made worse with her being pregnant.Not only do I miss her so much it hurts, I hate leaving her alone to deal with the symptoms brought on by our baby. I want to be there for her, bringing her water after she gets sick in the morning, running out to get whatever food she’s craving, and helping her with just everyday living since I know she’s exhausted.Having her here with me the last few days felt so natural. We’re supposed to be together, and it’s crazy to think I was right all those years ago when I first saw her. I wanted her then solely based on her appearance, but the more I got to know her, the more she worked her way into my heart.I

Itake my earbuds out and wipe sweat from my brow, having just finished stretching after a workout. There’s a gym not even a block away from my apartment, and though I work crazy hours I try to make it a point to get in some exercise a few times a week. Though I haven’t lately.Alyson’s been too much of a distraction, in a good way of course.It’s early Tuesday morning, and I don’t think Alyson is awake yet. I’m not actually sure what time she gets up and heads out for work, and I don’t want to call or text and risk waking her up in case she’s still asleep. I stretch my arms out once more, knowing I’m going to be sore for going back into my workout routine hard instead of easing in after a few weeks away. I’ll probably stick with it this week and fall off the wagon again, but that’s more than fine with me if it means I get to be with Alyson.Sam worked late last night and is still sleeping. I quiet

I haven’t seen Alyson in over a week, and when we met a week ago, it was brief. She was finishing a project and I was doing back-to-back call shifts. We’ve talked and texted every day, and FaceTimed as often as we could. I miss her like crazy, and now I agree that absence makes the heart grow fonder.I just got done working a long shift, and I’m hot and sweaty from standing in the OR for the last surgery I performed. It took twice as long as we expected; once I opened the guy up, I realized the damage was much, much worse than anticipated. It was a tense process, and I’m so fucking grateful I had my preferred team working with me.“You ready to go get some pussy now?” Sam asks, pulling his scrub top over his head. We’re in the locker room, changing out of our surgery scrubs.“I’ve been ready since the last time we said goodbye.” Sam shakes his head. “I couldn’t do long-distance.” &ldqu

“Look at you!” Mom coos, going right for Alyson’s belly. Alyson grins and bears it, and I mouth sorry to her, knowing she doesn’t like to have her stomach touched. “That’s a definite baby bump. She’s so precious, Jim.” Mom steps away, throwing her arms around me. She wasn’t always overly affectionate, but seeing your eldest son repeatedly knock on death’s door does something to you. “She is,” I agree. “I think I’ll keep her.” “How are you feeling?” Mom asks Alyson, following us into the house. We’re having dinner first, and Mrs. Langford went all out with the food. This wasn’t supposed to be a big ordeal. Alyson and I wanted our family and that’s it, but it’s grown to more of a party-party than a small dinner party. We woke up this Saturday morning to Mrs. Langford bustling about the kitchen, starting the cooking and cleaning early. I didn’t expect my parents to come all this way down from Michigan, but Mom insisted she and Dad needed the break. Whic