"Cassie, how do you work your coffee maker?" Ravi called from the kitchen while I was in the bathroom, tending to my messy bedhead.
"You have to push the button on the top!" I responded, applying a thin coat of mascara to my already dark eyelashes.
"What button?" He asked and I rolled my eyes, chuckling and shaking my head as I went to the kitchen to help him.
"This one, silly." I said, reaching around him to press the very obvious button on the top of the red coffee maker. "I thought doctor's were supposed to be smart." I teased.
"Wow, you're mean in the morning." He joked, pulling me against his chest as I squealed, pretending to be fighting his grip. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue boxer shorts while I had stolen his plaid shirt, which fell mid thigh on me since I was significantly shorter than him.
"I try my best." I joked back as behind us, the coffee began to brew. He let me go and I kissed him before reaching up to open one of the cupboards, grabbing two coffee mugs. "You know, the whole production last night across the hall was just a big ploy to get you to stay the night." I said, kidding around with him as I grabbed a bottle of creamer from the fridge.
"I figured." Ravi responded, pretending to wear a sympathetic expression. "That's just wrong. Extorting a baby like that."
"You're right. I should only extort Emma in the moral ways, like being a Disney Channel star and making Pull-Ups commercial cameos." I said sarcastically, pouring us each a cup of coffee. I hopped up onto the counter so I was sitting on it, making head levels a little closer, but he was still much taller than me.
"So. I'm dating a nanny now, huh?" He said, standing in between my knees and playfully brushing his fingertips up and down the outside of my thigh, sending chills through my body.
"That sounds better than 'I'm dating a starved actress,' doesn't it?"
He chuckled. "I'll update my status." He teased. "So I take it you didn't hear back from that casting agent?"
"Well, not yet. They did say it could take a few days, but I've learned in the acting world, you can't get your hopes up too much when it comes to roles." I explained to him as he slid on his dark slacks, which were draped over the back of one of the kitchen chairs.
There was a knock at the door and I jumped, startled. "Crap. That's Ben. Can you get that while I throw on some clothes real quick? I'm supposed to go with him to a doctor's appointment for Emma." I told him, sliding off the counter. He nodded and I hurried back to my room where I took off Ravi's shirt to slip on a striped t-shirt and skinny jeans, sliding on an olive green jacket and black combat boots.
"Ravi, hey... you're... here." Ben said from the hall. He sounded taken aback that Ravi had opened the door rather than me. "Drop by for coffee before you get to the hospital?" He assumed.
"Actually, Ravi stayed the night." I corrected as I joined him at the door, passing the plaid button down shirt to Ravi.
"Well, we're already a couple minutes late. I don't wanna keep Emma's doctor waiting." Ben said in a rushed voice, which was surprising, since I'd never seen Ben try to be on time to anything in his life.
"Right. Lock the door behind you when you leave?" I requested and Ravi nodded. "I'm sorry." I apologized before standing on my toes to give him a quick peck on the lips.
"Woah! Got a baby here!" Ben hollered, jumping back and covering Emma's eyes. Emma was facing outwards in a carrier strapped to Ben's chest.
"Yeah, okay." I said, rolling my eyes. "Bye, Ravi." I said as I followed Ben into the hall.
"So. You and the good doc are moving awfully quick." Ben commented as we started our descent down the stairs.
"Yeah, you're probably right. How long did you date Angela before having a baby, again?" I replied sarcastically to Ben, whose entire life was a string of questionable one night stands. "Look, I like Ravi. And he likes me. He's a good guy, Ben." Ben looked as though he was trying to refute this, but wasn't coming up with anything. "He's a doctor. For children. Pretty similiar to the one that's about to make sure this little girl is all good and healthy." I reminded him, Emma grabbing my finger and giggling.
"By the way, Tucker said he wanted to come to the check-up so he's meeting us after breakfast with Vanessa." Ben informed me. Poor Tucker was completely locked under the control of his girlfriend, Vanessa. One of these days he was gonna actually work up the courage to break up with her.
"He wants to come to steal cotton balls and rubber gloves, doesn't he?" I assumed.
"Yeah, pretty much."
###
As expected, Tucker stuffed a handful of cotton balls into each of his pockets. "Hey Tucker, you mind not committing theft in front of my child?" Ben said in a somewhat sarcastic tone. Tucker turned around, busy shoving a fistful of bandaids down the front of his pants.
"Ay, man. Don't knock the system." Tucker argued. "Why do you think we always have toilet paper and napkins?"
I gave a purposely overdramatic gasp. "Those restaurant robberies were you?!" I exclaimed and Emma's face lit up as she squealed gleefully, like she had understood my joke. "Yeah, I didn't see that coming either." I said to her. I was sitting in one of the chairs to the side of the small examination room, which was painted with pastel colors and decorated tailored to the infant clientele.
"Dude!" Ben exclaimed, grabbing something from the counter where Tucker had already emptied several jars. "Tongue depressors! Or as I like to call them, kickass drumsticks!" He grabbed a pair of them and began drumming on the counter, and then the examination table to no particular rhythm. At the same time, the door opened and a brunette woman stepped in.
"Emma Wheeler?" She called and Ben realized the nurse had just walked in, but kept drumming.
"...And her backup band!" He continued. "And... big finish!" He tossed the drumsticks up in the air, one landing in my lap, Tucker failing to catch the other. "Hi, I'm Emma's dad. Formerly known as just Ben." Ben started. "This is Cassie, Emma's favorite girl in the world!" He introduced me and I gave a small wave to the nurse, who was overly peppy.
"Oh, good. I was hoping you could fill in some holes in the paperwork." The nurse said to me and I gave her a questioning look. "You are Emma's mom, aren't you?"
"Oh, no. I'm just her aunt." I corrected.
"And new nanny." Ben added.
"Not that it matters, but I'm Tucker. And we are not together." Tucker declared, motioning between him and Ben.
"Why do you keep telling people that?" Ben asked.
"Dude, it's New York. People assume." I answered for Tucker.
"Nobody assumes!" Ben countered.
"I assumed." The nurse confirmed and Ben shifted his weight between his feet.
"We're not together, and we're not together." Ben clarified, motioning between him and Tucker, and then me and him. "I'm Ben Wheeler, Emma's straight and very single father."
The nurse smiled flirtatiously. "That's good to know, Emma's very single father."
Aaaaand I'm uncomfortable.
Ben smirked triumphantly at Tucker as the nurse directed her attention towards Emma. "Let's take a look at our little patient here. She really is adorable!"
"Aren't all babies adorable?" Tucker commented.
"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" The nurse replied.
"Well, thanks." Ben responded to her initial comment. "I made her myself. I like to think that she got all of my good parts. Well, not all off--" He stopped himself when he glacned at me and Tucker, who were both mouthing for him to stop.
"If you could sit up on this table for me?" The nurse requested and Ben complied, sitting on the examination table, Emma sliding into his lap.
"Hey, I didn't get your name. Doctor...?"
"Courtney. I'm a nurse practitioner." She filled in, ticking Emma's hand as she mindlessly looked around the colorful room.
"Oh, well then we have a lot in common because I'm practicing to be a dad." Ben responded with a smug grin.
I rolled my eyes. "Hey, Ben. Remember when I told you not to say anything stupid? Well, things like that is what I meant."
Ben chuckled. "She likes you. I guess it's true what they say."
"What is?" Courtney asked, looking up from Emma to Ben.
"Pretty girls like to hang out together."
"That too." I mumbled, referring to my earlier reminder to Ben. I pretended to gag when Tucker glanced at me and he replicated the expression.
"Okay, so there were some missing items on the intake form." Courtney began, picking up her clipboard from the table and flipping through the papers, looking for the holes.
Ben shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, some of those questions were a little tricky."
"Date of birth?"
"Whoa. Straight to the tough ones." Ben responded awkwardly. "Yeah... got any other ones?"
"Mother's history?" Ben glanced between me and Tucker for an answer.
Tucker shrugged. "Checkered." Good, that was better than my answer of "we're currently hoping psychopathic bitchiness isn't genetic."
"Let's just leave it at 'it's a very complicated story.'"
"She abandoned Emma on Ben's doorstep after a one-night stand and then skipped out. It's not all the complicated." I sat flatly.
Ben shot me a glare and gave a fake smile. "Thanks Cas. I knew you'd be helpful here." He said sarcastically. "Look, the point is, Emma is my number one girl in my life right now, and I just want to make sure she stays as healthy and perfect and happy as she seems. Please." Ben plead and Courtney gave an 'awww' face.
"Well, she's already got one thing going for her." Courtney began. Don't say it. "She's got you!" And she said it. Gag.
Courtney ripped off a small piece of paper from a page on her clipboard and jotted something down on it. Girl, don't do this. Don't make it weird.
She passed the paper to Ben. "What's this?" He wondered, raising an eyebrow at it.
"My phone number." Whoomp, there it is. "Give me a call sometime, very single Ben. The doctor will be in shortly."
Courtney left and Ben jumped off the table, throwing his fists in the air triumphantly. "Oh, yeah! I just got hit on by a hot baby nurse!"
I wrinkled my nose. "Hot? Because she kind of sounded like she took a hit of helium before coming in here. But I guess boobs works as nice soundproofing." I responded sarcastically.
Still, Ben looked down at Emma. "We make a good team, Emma."
I looked at him skeptically. "I don't think exploiting your child for a date counts as 'teamwork.'"
Tucker turned around, his hands full of stolen rubber gloves. "Sure it does. Now shove these down your pants."
AN:
Me: Wow, what an original chapter title.
Also me: Well, if it walks like a duck...