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Nurse Parker gave him a scrutinizing look, brown eyes penetrating. “You know, some of your fellow residents say you’re an asshole.”
Stephen had no idea how to respond to that. Mostly because it was true. ”I—“
Parker waved it away. “I’m not judging. Tony’s an asshole, too. He’d probably find it an attractor.”
Stephen had even less of an idea how to respond to that. Given he was trying to convince Nurse Parker to give him Doctor Stark’s number—he’d wanted to ask for it, himself, but Stephen’s Attending had shown up before he could—that Nurse Parker thought Doctor Stark might find Stephen’s asshole-ish-ness an attractor was a good thing… right?
“Is that a yes?” Stephen asked.
A pause, longer than Stephen was strictly comfortable with. “You know what, why the hell not. Rachel was a disaster.” Nurse Parker snagged a sticky note from the nurse station and scrawled a number down. She handed it to him. “Fair warning,” she said. “He’s got a kid.” Nurse Parker’s smile was warm at the mention.
Stephen blinked and the pieces fell together, sweetheart. So that was who Tony had been talking to four years ago.
A kid.
That was… Stephen didn’t want to use the word ‘baggage’ but a complication, at the least. He’d never considered trying for a relationship with someone who had a kid before.
Not that he’d tried for many relationships.
Not that he was sure that this was trying for a relationship now, anyways.
He’d thought about it, though. It was why he’d asked for Doctor Stark’s number. But… should he? With a kid involved?
He thought about Doctor Stark’s voice, his smile, his brilliance, the energy he’d had when he’d taught Stephen’s classes so long ago.
He’d call, he decided.
He’d figure it out from there.