Chapter 4The Surgeon and My Secret Baby

The following afternoon, my younger brother, Seth, arrived on an interstate flight.

The moment he walked into my hospital room and saw me hooked to an IV drip while nursing Toby with a silicone shield, he blew a gasket.

"Cece, you are an absolute idiot," he hissed, throwing his duffel bag onto the chair. "A single mother at twenty-six. You decided to play Russian roulette with a one-night stand, had the kid, and now look at you. Do you finally realize how rough life is?"

"Seth, keep your voice down—"

"When Mom and Dad begged you to terminate the pregnancy and marry the accountant they set you up with, you packed your bags and lived out of a studio apartment! What the hell is wrong with your brain?"

I shrank back against the pillows, murmuring defensively, "I know life is rough."

Seth glared at the bassinet, angrily shaking a bottle of pre-mixed formula he had brought. He looked like an angry bull, but the moment he reached into the crib, his hands were entirely gentle.

"Was the guy really worth this?" he muttered, his voice cracking slightly. "Ruining your body, wearing adult diapers, going into labor completely alone in an underfunded county hospital? You used to obsess over your waistline. You used to cry over a single stretch mark."

Seth had always been blunt, but hearing it out loud made my chest ache. I had gained thirty pounds during the pregnancy. My skin was loose, my breasts were leaking, and my hips were wider. I had swallowed every bit of it in silence.

"I know I messed up," I whispered, reaching out to tug his sleeve. "Please, Seth. Just help me watch him for three days until they discharge me. When he grows up, I promise he'll buy his favorite uncle a car."

"He'd better," Seth grunted, sitting down and gently tipping the bottle into Toby’s mouth.

The door handle clicked. Logan walked in, holding a royal blue clinical clipboard. His expression was carved from granite.

"Morning rounds," he said, not looking at either of us. He grabbed the privacy curtain and yanked it across the bed with a violent metallic screech.

"Shirt up."

I flinched. "Logan, you don't have to be so—"

"Up."

I meekly peeled back my hospital gown, barely daring to breathe while he conducted the palpation. His fingers were colder today, efficient and clinical, though he didn't press nearly as hard as he had yesterday.

When he yanked the curtain back, his eyes locked onto Seth, who was holding the baby near the window.

Seth froze, his mouth dropping open until he looked like a landed fish.

"L-Logan?" Seth stuttered. "Logan Hayes? Holy shit... the ghost of Christmases past has returned."

Logan didn't even blink. He signed the chart, turned on his heel, and walked out of the room without uttering a single syllable.

"Arrogant jerk," I muttered under my breath. "Act like you're God's gift to medicine. See if I care."

I turned to glare at Seth, who was still staring at the open doorway. "Why did you call him that? He’s not your brother-in-law."

"You made me call him that for three straight years in college!" Seth snapped, turning around. Back when Logan was the star pre-med student at our university, Seth had trailed behind him like an eager puppy, begging for gym advice and calling him 'bro' at every turn.

Suddenly, Seth’s eyes narrowed into sharp, suspicious slits. He marched over to the bed, holding Toby up like Exhibit A.

"Cece. Look me in the eye. Is Toby his?"

My heart slammed against my ribs. I forced my face into an expression of utter boredom. "Are you insane? We broke up five years ago. Did I get pregnant through an interstate telepathic link?"

Seth gave me a deeply unconvinced, smirking squint. "You're lying. I know that twitch in your eyebrow."

I grabbed the plastic water pitcher to hide my trembling hands. "Shut up and feed the baby. Stop asking stupid questions."