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It figures that they’d end up in the emergency room on their family vacation. All they had to do was manage to get through six days in Oregon while they visited Jess’s family. But even that was easier said than done.
Jess runs her hand through Reggie’s hair, trying to comfort him through his pain- not that she has to, he was taking a broken arm like a champ. Jess swore that when Reggie tried to walk it off, she saw pride flood Nick’s face.
They’ve been waiting for what feels like hours. Luckily, her six-year-old was distracted by the books in the waiting area. She peered over to see her husband nearly asleep on the other side of Reggie. She momentarily thought about sneaking to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee, but just as she was going to plant her feet, a nurse called their names.
The nurse escorted them to a bed surrounded by other beds and separated with only a thin curtain, and went through some preliminary questions about Reggie’s pain, allergies and medications. The nurse informed them that the doctor would be with them momentarily and moved on to another patient where they were left to wait again.
Nick decided to use the time to teach his son how to blow up a latex glove to make it look like hand-balloon. He was in the middle of blowing up his third one, when the doctor opened the curtain.
“Reginald Miller?”
As soon as they got a glimpse of their doctor, Nick released the glove, causing it to fly uncontrollably through in the area, all while Nick started choking on the extra air he inhaled.
Three pairs of eyes flicked between each other as nobody knew how to proceed. Reggie was the only one that wasn’t aware of the tense change in atmosphere.
“That’s me,” he said optimistically. That was enough for the adults in the room to remember where they were and why.
“Hi Reginald. Can I call you Reggie?” The boy nodded, already enjoying Sam’s childlike energy. “I’m Dr. Sam. It says on my chart that you hurt your arm pretty badly.”
“Yeah. I fell off of a ladder.”
“What were you doing on a ladder?” Sam asks while his eyes look to Jess for an answer.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nick puff his chest and answered before he could. “He and Nick are building a tree house with my dad. Apparently, he saw a kitten in the tree and reached too far.”
“Yup, that sounds like a Jessica-Day thing to do,” he chuckles, examining Reggie’s arm. He gently sets the arm back on Reggie’s lap. “Well, we will need to get an x-ray to be sure, but the good news is that it looks like a small fracture instead of a much larger one. I will order the scans and someone will be by soon to bring you back.”
“Thank you, Sam… Dr. Sam,” Jess corrected herself, unsure of what their history allows her to call him.
“Of course. I’ll see you soon Rege-mite!” as he holds up his hand for a high-five.
Nick’s stomach churned at the nickname. Logically, he knows that it’s Sam’s job to make children feel better, but considering their past, he can’t help but feel a little territorial about his son. He bites his tongue and flashes a close-mouthed smile as Sam exited.
It’s another agonizing thirty minutes of waiting before someone retrieves them to get an x-ray. There’s another line of patients waiting to get their scans when they arrive. Jess decides to take this opportunity to get her and Nick a coffee from the cafeteria.
While she waits in line to pay, she hears someone behind her clear their throat.
“Sorry, was I humming loudly? I do that sometimes.” She says turning to see that it was Sam once again.
“Old habits die hard, I guess. Hey Jess.”
“Hi Sam.” There’s another pause while they try to come up with something to say. Jess errs on the safe side of simple niceties. “So, how are you?”
“Pretty good, pretty good. And you?”
“Great,” she says, trying not to let him see the exhaustion she feels in her bones. Jess takes another step forward and Sam follows closely behind.
Jess notices his hands fall into the pockets of his lab coat; history has taught her that that’s his nervous tic. “Do you have a minute? Maybe we can catch up.”
She hesitates. Jess’s priority is Reggie, but she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t wondered what her ex has been up to since they became reacquainted.
“Sure. Just for a few minutes; Reggie and Nick should be back soon.” They sit at a nearby table, nursing their drinks.
“So. You have a son now.”
“I do! He’s terrific. How about you? Any kids?”
“Yeah, twin girls.” He says pulling out his wallet to show Jess a photo of his girls sitting on Diane’s lap. “They’re four.”
“They’re adorable. You have a beautiful family.” Sam proudly gazes at the photo for a moment longer before putting his wallet back in his pocket. “How’s Diane?”
“She’s good.” His tone was upbeat, but his eyes don’t spark when he mentions her- not like Jess has seen when she came back into his life. Her eyes wander to his left hand where a ring is supposed to be. She’s unsure if that means the worst or if he simply chooses not to wear it at work. Lots of doctors do that. She considers pushing the matter, but he adds on too quickly. “She’s a great mom.”
They both take a moment to sip their coffee. It’s no longer an awkward silence, but pleasant.
“So, you guys are visiting your parents?”
“Mhm. My mom’s been begging to see him and we thought it would be fun to take Reggie on a trip while he’s on spring break… Now he has to finish the rest of the semester with a cast.” Guilt takes over and her eyes fall to the cup that’s still keeping her hands warm.
He takes one of her hands and gives it a firm squeeze. “Hey, it wasn’t your fault. This stuff happens to kids all the time. Besides, I guarantee that Reggie won’t care about the cast. He’s going to be the most popular kid in his class.”
“Yeah, and he’s probably going to be milking it, just like his dad.” They chuckle at the idea of macho-Nick Miller bedridden with a fever, acting like a toddler.
A sense of relief fills her. “Yeah. You’re right. Thank you.” She gives his hand one more squeeze before she places it back in her lap.
The two spend a few more minutes learning about their whereabouts since the last time they saw each other. Jess has to admit that talking to him like this: no strings, no pressure, no worries that another person is hanging over her head is rather pleasant. She can tell that he’s letting her do the talking, causing her to believe that he wants to avoid the topic of his own life.
Jess tells him the story of their chaotic wedding day, and Sam is nearly in tears when he learns what Winston named their son while Aly was asleep. As he’s coming down from his laughing fit, the doctor gets a page, informing him that Reggie’s results are ready. She stands to leave, and Sam tells her that he will catch up with them in a few.
Dr. Sam finally enters, x-rays in hand, and holds them up to the fluorescent backlight.
“Well Reggie, I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that there is a small crack in your bone and it’s going to need some time to get better. The good news…” he pauses to build the anticipation, “is that you’re going to get a cast in any color you want! How does that sound?”
Reggie gets excited and begins to swing his legs beneath the bed he’s perched on. “Can I have blue and orange?”
“Why those colors?”
“For the Chicago Bears. That’s our favorite team.”
“Yeah it is!” Nick rambunctiously exclaims while he and his son throw up a routine high-five.
“Well that’s an awesome idea, Reggie, but we can only do one color. BUT if you were to pick an orange cast, you can have your friends and family sign it with a blue pen, then it’ll look just like the football team. What do ya say?”
“Cool!”
“Alright! I’m gonna go get it ready, and I’ll be back faster than you can say ‘Dr. Sam is the coolest person ever’.”
As Sam leaves, Reggie tries to say it, but the doctor jumps back in. “Told ya! Just kidding; I’ll be right back.”
Only a short while later, the cast is on, prescriptions are written, and the Miller-Day family is discharged. Before he moves to his next patient, Sam tells Reggie he wants to teach him a new handshake. They go through the motions once, and Sam puts it into gear.
“Fish tail, fish tail, up top!” he says in his signature voice. Jess remembers the time when that kind of thing had her almost instantly falling for him. Her eyes go to her son, then over to Nick who is still maintaining his tight smile.
Jess knows her husband doesn’t harbor any ill feelings for her and the doctor’s previous relationship, but she knows that he’s still upset about getting punched in the throat- TWICE. Part of her believes that he’s keeping quiet in fear of it happening again.
"It was good seeing you guys again," the doctor says. "Take care, Jess."
Reggie falls asleep on the drive home. Nick and Jess drive in comfortable silence, exhaustion coursing through their entire beings.
Her mind replays today’s interactions with her old flame. Something told her that he wasn’t being entirely transparent about his happiness (or lack of). Her thoughts drift and Jess imagines what her life would’ve been like if he did ask her to marry him. But it only lasts a moment as she looks to her husband behind the wheel, then turns to check on her sleeping son. She doesn’t need to waste her time thinking about what-ifs.