Cam: Just a day in my life. Driving women wild. It’s a curse, really.

Blaire: So, you brought the food?

Cam: Wasn’t us. It was your man.

Blaire: Axel?

Beau: Jesus. How many fucking men do you have?

Blaire: Legions, bro. It’s a wonder I can even walk.

Tank: You go, Blaire!

Woody: Your brother’s face is so red right now, and he’s doing that growling shit. BTW yes, Ax brought you the food. We made him stay and eat with us.

Hawk: I think he’s starting to like us.

Cam: Who wouldn’t? We’re fucking awesome.

Bode: So did that earn Ax some brownie points?

Cam: Is that code for anal?

Beau: Oh, God. STFU now, Cam!!! That’s my sister, for fuck’s sake.

Cam: What? Like you don’t ream ass all the time.

Blaire: LALALALALA! [has fingers in ears]

Woody: That’s better than where Beau has had his fingers.

Blaire: Christ on a cracker, Woody. I’m outta here before this gets any worse. Thanks for cooking, Cam! Love you guys!

I pulled up a picture of Axel on my phone and held it up for the nurses to see. “Was this the guy?”

“Holy hell. Put that away, Doc,” Deborah wailed, holding her stomach. “I can’t have twins at my age.” I grinned, thinking that I couldn’t wait to tell Axel that his super sperm was being blamed for impregnating a woman with no reproductive organs.

“That’s him. So, he’s your brother?” Natalie asked excitedly, snatching my phone from my hand.

I gave the women a sympathetic look. “Sorry, ladies. That’s not my brother or his roommate. That’s Axel, my, ummm…” How did I put into words what Ax was to me? Baby daddy? No, these nurses were notorious gossips, and we couldn’t let the press find out Ax had a secret love child yet. We hadn’t even broken the news about Carrie to Axel’s parents. Boyfriend? That seemed too mild a word for the history that we shared.

I decided to go with what Axel called me… with both his words and his actions. “He’s mine,” I told them, feeling giddy as the words crossed my lips.

I left the envious grumbling behind me and took my rose and my food to the lounge to eat while I still had time. I grabbed a Mountain Dew from the machine and sat at one of the tables alone, texting Ax while I ate one-handed. Jesus, I was hungry!

Blaire: Thank you for the rose and the food. I’m eating it right now.

Blaire: I mean I’m eating the food, not the flower. Why didn’t you stay to talk?

Axel: Didn’t want to bother you. Just wanted to make sure you had something to eat.

Blaire: You’re my hero! How did the shoe shopping go?

Axel: Good.