Blaire: Good night, baby. XO

Axel: Good night, Bear. XO

Laying my head on my pillow and fingering Carrie’s tiny curls, I let my mind wander to today’s events. Telling Carrie about her dad had gone much better than I had thought, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. Our little girl’s heart had an amazing capacity for love. And Axel… God, he was so patient with her, and I had never seen him smile so much.

He’d held my hand the entire day while keeping one hand protectively across Carrie’s legs as she rode on his broad shoulders. It was like we were a real family.

Pressing my face into the pillow, I let out a muffled squeal of pure joy. This was what I’d always wanted but never allowed myself to dream of. Axel. Blaire. Carrie. ABC.

A perfect beginning. A perfect family.

THIRD QUARTER

THIRD QUARTER

30. Blaire

Blaire

I went into work a little early the next day at Eve’s request, and butterflies took flight in my stomach when I entered her office and noticed her serious expression. Oh, God. Had one of my surgical patients developed complications?

“Blaire, please sit down,” she said gesturing to the maroon leather-upholstered chair across from her desk. “I have some news I would like to discuss with you.” I sat as she took a deep breath, and I noticed a tightness around her eyes. A deep sense of dread slid down my spine at her tone. “Christopher has prostate cancer.”

“Oh. God. Eve, I’m so sorry.” I reached across her desk and took her slim hand.

She plucked a tissue from her desk and dabbed at her eyes as she squeezed my hand. “It’s okay. We’ve caught it really early, though he will be lightening his workload a bit as he goes through treatments.”

“Of course. I’ll be happy to do whatever I can to help out. Just let me know.”

“Thank you, Blaire,” she said, straightening her face and looking directly at me. “You are honestly the best resident we have ever had. You’re professional, the patients adore you, and you are going to be a damn fine surgeon.”

I was stunned at the sudden change in topic. “Well, thank you, Eve. You and Christopher are excellent teachers.”

“We’ve talked about it, and after your residency, we would like you to remain with us, as a part of our practice.” She watched me closely for my reaction, which was something along the lines of, holy fucking shit!

I managed to keep my excitement under control long enough to say, “Eve, I don’t know what to say. Thank you. That would be a dream come true for me. I really love it here.”