Deliver Me (13 page)

Erik
felt different. For the first time in longer than he cared to remember, he felt
alive. His practice was thriving. His heart was full of love for a baby girl he
couldn’t imagine living without. If he was honest with himself, he had a
boyfriend who was one of the biggest rock stars in the world. He wouldn’t dare say
that out loud, but Lee had already called Erik his boyfriend. Lee had also said
if Erik didn’t have a responsibility to his patients, he’d drag him around the
country with him. Erik believed him.

At
night he allowed his thoughts to fast-forward three months into the future,
when Lee was off the road and they were together. Was Lee serious about
quitting the band? He told Erik he had plans for the future that included music
except he’d be on the other side of the desk. Lee wanted to produce albums
instead of recording them. Nashville was one of the biggest record producing
towns in the nation. Artists from all genres were making their home in and
around the Music City. Taggart Lee, Producer, would bring in even more talent.

Erik
didn’t have to worry that Lee only wanted him for what Erik could do for him.
There was nothing he could do for someone as successful as Lee except love him
for who he was on the inside, not the man on the stage. He had never used the L
word with another man. He was with Bradley over a year and not once had he ever
had the type of feelings he felt for Lee. Deep down Erik had known Bradley was
probably using him, but the sex had been good enough, and it kept Erik from
hooking up with strangers. Now, he had a man who was a god in the bed. Lee
might not be as well-endowed as Erik, but he knew exactly what to do with what
he had. For Erik, Lee was perfect.

Erik
walked to the front to give Laura a patient’s file when he saw the lobby door
open. He groaned and stepped back so the man couldn’t see him.
What the fuck
is he doing here?
If Bethany were at the desk, she would know better than
to talk to Bradley, but Laura had no idea who he was. He didn’t have time to
get her attention before Bradley stepped up to the counter.

“May
I help you?”

“I’d
like to see Dr. Henrikson.”

“Do
you have an appointment?”

“I
don’t need one. Please tell him Bradley is here,” he replied with his nose in
the air. God, what had Erik ever seen in him? Sure he was handsome, but his
attitude tarnished his looks. Bradley took a seat as far away from the sick
kids as possible.

Laura
didn’t have to search far to find Erik. He put his finger over his lips and
motioned for her to follow him. When they were out of hearing range, he told
her, “Under no circumstances are you to ever let that man back here to see me.
He is my ex, and I have no desire to speak with him. Please tell him I am busy.
If he insists on waiting, let him wait.”

“You
sure do attract the good looking ones. But I can see why you wouldn’t like him.
He’s arrogant.”

“Yes,
he is. Here, I was bringing this folder to you. And Laura? Thank you. You’re
doing a great job.”

Laura
beamed at Erik. He wasn’t sure he’d ever praised her. She had caught on
quickly. The only time he ever had to say anything negative had been after Lee
came in. Once Erik realized why she acted the way she did, he let it slide. He
followed her to her desk and remained out of sight. When she sat down, Bradley
stood and said, “Well?”

“He’s
busy with patients.”

“I’ll
wait.”

When
Bradley started to sit back down, Laura whispered, “He said you’d say that. Can
I give you some advice? You might as well wait somewhere else. I’ve seen Dr.
Henrikson’s boyfriend, and let me tell you, he is hot!”

Bradley
huffed and frowned and then he huffed again before stalking out of the office.
Laura shook her head and said, “Jerk.” Erik laughed. The rest of his work day
was quite enjoyable.

Erik
was packing up to go home when his cell phone rang. Sarah’s name showed up, so
he answered. “Hello?”

“Hey,
Erik. Are you free for dinner?”

“Sure
am. Are you talking about your house or going out?”

“Out.
My house is a wreck.”

Erik
had never seen Sarah’s house when it wasn’t presentable. She might not be quite
as anal as he was, but she wasn’t a slob. “Okay, let me take Duke home, and
we’ll pick you up in about forty-five minutes.”

Sarah
was quiet on the other end.

“Did
I lose you?”

“No.
You said we. Who are you bringing?”

“Delilah.
Who’d you think I meant.” Erik was really beginning to worry about his friend’s
mental state.

“Can
you get a sitter? I want to talk to you, and I don’t need the interruption.”

Erik
went from concerned to pissed off in three point five seconds. “Interruption?
When have you been around Delilah that she was an interruption?”

Sarah
sighed loudly. “Fine, bring her. I’ll see you soon.” She hung up without saying
goodbye. Erik needed to get to the bottom of her mood change and soon.

When
he pulled into her driveway almost an hour later, Sarah was standing on the
porch waiting on him. She didn’t give him time to get out and open the door for
her. Erik used the opportunity to take in her appearance as she got in the car
and buckled up. Once again, she was less than put together. Sarah had long
curly hair she straightened most days, even those she was working with the
dogs. Today the curls were piled on top of her head in a messy knot. Her
perfect makeup was absent. She had on khakis, but those were beyond wrinkled.
If Erik had to label her look, he’d call it frumpy. Never in all the years they’d
been friends had she not taken great pains with the way she presented herself.

“Hey,
gorgeous.” Erik leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. Just as he got there, she
turned her face to meet his, and their lips touched. He jerked back, and she
frowned.

 “Sorry,
didn’t mean for that to happen.” She touched her fingertips to her lips.

“No
worries. Where would you like to eat?” Erik asked as he backed the car out of
her driveway. He was pretty sure she meant to kiss him, but why? She knew he
was gay. He had explained to her many times he had never been attracted to
women. Never.

“Let’s
go to Giovanni’s.”

Erik
hadn’t been back to the Italian restaurant since they’d run into Lee and Cade
there. He could look back on it with a smile now. Delilah made a noise from the
back seat, and Erik glanced in the rearview mirror. He had another mirror situated
above her car seat so he could see her face. If he were in the car alone, he’d
talk to her. He really shouldn’t care if Sarah thought he was silly or not, but
he didn’t want to rock her boat any more than it already was.

When
they were walking into the restaurant, an older couple was coming out. The
woman stopped them and made baby-talk to Delilah. She patted Sarah on the
shoulder and said, “You have a beautiful daughter.” Erik felt the arctic blast
that was now his friend. Something about Delilah was setting her off, and he
intended to find out what.

When
they reached their table, Erik got the baby situated on the chair beside him.
Once the waiter had taken their drink order, he said, “Okay, what’s going on?”

“I’m
pregnant,” Sarah blurted. There was no happiness, no sadness, no real emotion
when she told him her big news. If she didn’t want the baby, wouldn’t she at
least be crying?

“That’s…”
Erik didn’t know what it was. “Aren’t you excited?”

“I
was, but now…” She shrugged.

“But
now what? Sarah, why aren’t you excited now?”

The
waiter returned with their drinks. Erik didn’t think anything about her
ordering wine, but now that she’d dropped her bomb, he was surprised. Erik
waited until the waiter took their food order to say, “You really shouldn’t be
drinking.”

“One
glass of wine isn’t going to hurt me.”

Her.
She didn’t say it wouldn’t hurt the baby. Okay, she was pregnant. Now he knew a
little of why she was acting strange. “Tell me why you aren’t excited. Is it
the father? Is he not happy?”

“He…
What are you doing here?” Sarah asked, looking over Erik’s shoulder. When he
turned to see who it was, he about lost it. If they hadn’t been in a public
place, he would probably be yelling.

“I
saw you come in and thought I’d say hello. Sarah, good to see you and your
baby. I didn’t know you were expecting. She looks just like you. And Erik,
sorry I missed you at the office today. Your receptionist told me how busy you
were. So glad I ran into you now.”

Erik
could tell Sarah was getting ready to blow a fuse. He placed his hand on her
arm, hoping it had a calming effect. He turned his attention to the smug
bastard standing next to him. “Bradley, the baby is not Sarah’s. She’s mine.
Now that you’ve seen me, you can excuse us so we can continue our evening.”

“The
kid’s yours? What did you do, adopt? I didn’t even know you wanted kids. This
is great, Erik. I love kids.” Bradley reached his hand toward Delilah, and Erik
grabbed his wrist.

“Don’t
even.” Erik pushed Bradley’s hand away. There were too many other guests in the
restaurant for Erik to tell Bradley what he really thought of the man. It
wouldn’t do for potential patients to hear the doctor tell Bradley to go fuck
himself. Sarah chose that moment to retreat into the restroom.

Bradley
took her vacated chair and leaned closer to Erik. “I’m glad she gave us a
moment. Seriously, Erik. You know I never stopped loving you. This is the
perfect opportunity for me to show you how much you mean to me. We could be a
family. Me, you, the baby.”

“Do
you even hear yourself? Bradley, the baby is mine with another man. They are my
family. Do me and yourself a favor. Stay away from me. I don’t love you. I
never loved you. And if the twink blowing you in a dark alley is any
indication, you never loved me, either.”

Bradley
didn’t flinch. “You were never home. You didn’t have time for me, Erik. What’s
changed? If you couldn’t make time for me, how do you have time for a baby? And
where’s this new man?”

“Not
that it’s any of your business, but he travels with his job. As for her, she’s
important enough for me to make time for. Now, I will ask you nicely to walk
away from this table. If you choose not to, I’ll involve management.”

With
Erik’s admission that Bradley hadn’t been important, he stood. He took one last
look at Delilah and walked away. Erik was beginning to think Giovanni’s was
hexed.

When
Sarah returned to the table, Erik said, “You were going to tell me about the
father.” Erik needed to get his mind off his ex. The best way to do that was to
focus on helping Sarah.

“There’s
nothing to tell. I was lonely, went out for dinner and drinks and ended up
going home with a stranger. I thought we were safe, but here I am.”

“How
far along are you?”

“Almost
eight weeks. Still early enough that I might not carry it to term.”

Erik
grabbed her hand. “Sarah, do you want this baby? I want you to dig deep and be
honest with yourself. A child is a huge responsibility. If you aren’t sure you
can love him or her unconditionally, please consider adoption. There are so
many people in the world who would love the opportunity to raise a new baby.
Married couples who can’t conceive. Gay couples who deserve the right to be
parents.”

“Is
that why you latched on to the rock star? Because he gave you a baby?” Sarah’s
eyes filled with tears. Erik was in over his head. He was a physician of the
body, not the mind. Sarah was the psychiatrist, but she was in no frame of mind
to self-diagnose.

“Let’s
just say he and I latched onto each other. Just because I have Lee and Delilah
in my life now doesn’t mean I have no room for you. If you keep this baby, he
or she will grow up with Delilah. They’ll have a built in best friend.”

“Do
you honestly believe someone like Taggart Lee is on the road remaining celibate
while you pine away at home like a fool?” she asked, clenching her fists on top
of the table.

“You
know what? I do. I didn’t ask him to, but he made me a promise to remain
faithful. Do I believe he’ll be able to? I honestly don’t know. But I’m giving
him the benefit of the doubt until he proves me wrong. I may be a lot of
things, but I’m no fool.” Erik flagged the waiter and asked for a to-go box and
the check.

“Please,
stay here and enjoy your meal.” Erik handed the waiter his credit card and
placed a twenty on the table beside her plate. “Normally I wouldn’t do this,
but I can’t talk to you right now. Here’s money for a taxi.” Erik signed the
receipt and looked at his friend. “I love you and want to be there for you. But
until you decide if you’re going to be the friend I need or the one who
disapproves of everything in my life, I need some space. Take care of
yourself.”

Erik
grabbed the handle of Delilah’s seat and left Sarah sitting with her mouth
open. He would reach out to some of her women friends. Maybe one of them could
offer support that he could not.