“Yes, and it makes her father feel really old,” Rowan replied with a smile.
The rest of the lunch break passed by quickly, just small talk and general chatter. Soon, it was time to return to work. I headed up the stairs, followed closely by Rowan. Neither of us said anything, but the air was thick with unspoken words. As soon as we were in the sanctuary of Rowan’s dental room, he groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Is it alright that I will undoubtedly be meeting your daughter today?” I asked, fiddling with some papers. “I mean, obviously I’m not going to say or do anything out of the ordinary, but how do you feel about it?”
Rowan shot me a sympathetic smile. “It’s not ideal, but I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. I’m surprised it’s taken this long for your paths to cross. Teegan is always forgetting something that she needs to come to the surgery for.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry you’re being put in an awkward position. Again.”
“It’s entirely my own making, Max,” Rowan replied, tying a mask around his neck. “Don’t feel guilty, this is my problem to sort out, not yours.”
“Sure, I guess,” I mumbled. I stared at the list of patients on the paper in my hands but didn’t actually absorb any of the information. My mind was reeling, just considering what could happen should Rowan decide this problem was too complicated to fix.
“What’s that look for?”
I glanced up, surprised to see Rowan looking at me with concern. I forced a smile.
“What do you mean?”
“You look like someone just kicked your puppy,” Rowan replied, closing the gap between us. He took my face in his hands, giving me no choice but to look up at him. Our eyes locked, and I was reminded anew of the day Rowan, and I first met and how many times I’d looked into their dark green depths. A wave of sadness hit me as I considered not being able to see them any longer.
“I just…” I floundered for the right words. “I don’t want this to get so complicated that you decide it’s not worth the trouble, that’s all.”
Rowan leaned in and kissed me softly. “Max, if you weren’t worth the trouble then trust me, I wouldn’t have gotten involved in the first place. I’ve had many, many opportunities to get out of the situation I’m in, and I have never deemed any of them worthwhile until now.”
My heart thumped in my chest, stomach fizzing with nerves.
“As I’ve said before, I could have handled the timing of this better, but we’re in it now.” Rowan shrugged. “Just give me a bit of time.”
I nodded, releasing a shaky breath as we parted. I glanced down at the list in my hand once more and ran a hand through my hair.
“Now go get my two o’clock before she wonders if we’ve forgotten about her.” Rowan grinned, pulling his mask up to cover his face.
I nodded, slipping out through the door and into the waiting room.
???
An hour or so later, just as we were seeing a patient out, a knock rang out at the door.
“Come in,” Rowan shouted, scribbling his signature on a prescription slip.
I turned to the door, surprised to see Becca’s head appear through the gap.
“Teegan is here. Shall I ask her to wait downstairs?”
Rowan glanced at me briefly before tugging his mask down. “No, no. Send her up. I’ll get her to sit in my office whilst she waits.”
Becca nodded and shot me a quick smile before disappearing. Rowan passed the prescription to the middle-aged man still in the chair.
“There you are. That should clear up the abscess. Take the full dose as instructed and if you have any problems, or questions, don’t hesitate to call the office.”
“Righto, thanks.” The man nodded, folding the paper and sliding it into his pocket. “I’ll see you in six months?”
“Less if you have any more problems, otherwise yes.”
We all made polite farewells and as the patient was letting himself out, I spotted a young woman hovering outside in the hallway. I smiled at her and held the door open.
“Teegan?” I asked.
