Prognosis: A Baby? Maybe

The rest of the day flew by, with patients lined up for appointments. Many, he concluded after reviewing their charts, were candidates for the latest techniques. Like Loretta, most couldn’t wait to start.

After work, Jason stopped by the supermarket. Having transferred his few possessions to his new home yesterday, he’d been too tired to do more than send out for pizza.

On his way to the checkout stand, a bag of puppy food landed in his cart. One minute he was passing a display of chow, and the next minute there it was, nestled among his selections. Jason nearly put it back, until he told himself that he should give it to the little boys. Maybe it would convince their mother to let them keep Frodo.

At the town house, he stowed the puppy food near the washing machine and fixed himself a meal of rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes and salad. Afterward, silence settled over the town house like a shroud. He hadn’t realized how much larger this place was than the bachelor flat he’d leased in Virginia.

Jason threw on a light jacket and went out for a walk. What a peaceful place this was, he reflected as he admired the lavender azaleas and orange-and-purple birds of paradise. As he passed one unit after another, he heard the murmur of voices and the clink of pots and pans.

When he was growing up, his mother had often missed dinner while selling houses and his father, a doctor, had frequently worked late, too. Still, they’d made a point of dining together two or three times a week.

Meals were meant to be sociable. Jason shoved his hands into his pockets and hurried on.

On the far side of the pool and spa enclosure, he heard yipping noises coming from one of the units. Jason didn’t even have to think about it. He walked right up and knocked on the door.

It was answered by the older boy he’d met on Sunday. “I don’t suppose Frodo’s still for sale, is he?” he heard himself ask.

“I thought you weren’t allowed to have pets,” the boy replied.

Did the kid have to have such a good memory? “I’m not,” he said. “I was asking for a friend.”

The boy’s father came to the door and introduced himself as Gordon Gray. While they were shaking hands, a small black-and-tan whirlwind flung itself at Jason, leaping at him until he couldn’t resist picking it up. His reward was to have his chin sandpapered by an eager tongue.

After he explained that he was considering buying the pup but was concerned about leaving it alone all day, the man said, “My wife, Alice, runs a service, taking dogs for walks. That way they don’t get so lonely.”

“It sounds perfect,” Jason said.

The dog was still for sale and the price of Alice’s service proved reasonable. Jason tried not to think about the fact that he was breaking his newly signed lease by acquiring a pet. After a lifetime spent living by the rules, he figured he was entitled to a minor infraction.

There was also the issue of whether he’d be able to take a dog with him to wherever he might move in the future. Jason decided to worry about that when the time came.

He tucked Frodo inside his jacket, where the pup settled contentedly, and went outside. Some brave soul had ventured out to soak in the spa, he realized when he heard the rumble of the jets. As long as the pool gates were unlocked, he might as well cut through to get back to his place.

Halfway across, Jason came abreast of the spa. Steam formed a pillar in the chilly air, ghostlike beneath the overhead lights.

He broke stride when he spotted the woman lounging in the water with her eyes half-closed. There was no mistaking that auburn hair or that familiar face. Although most of Heather’s shape disappeared beneath the roiling water, her breasts made an impressive appearance in a skimpy bikini bra that more than matched his fevered imaginings of the previous day.

They strained the fabric almost beyond endurance. Almost beyond his endurance, anyway.

Beneath his jacket, Frodo chose that moment to protest his confinement by squirming. The normal complement of two arms and two hands weren’t nearly enough to hold one puppy while maintaining a nonchalant attitude, Jason discovered.

Heather’s eyes flew open. “Jason? I thought you weren’t going to use the pool!”

“I’m not,” he said. “I’m just taking a walk.”

“Then what are you doing in here?” She frowned at the way he clutched his chest. “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” he said. “I’m in kind of a hurry, actually.”

“I don’t understand. What…” She stopped as a nose poked out of his jacket and a sharp yip disturbed the evening calm. Heather’s expression warmed. “What a cute puppy.”