His eyelids drift shut. I want to say more, but now’s not the time or the place. This isn’t about me.
I drag myself to the car. I call Logan as I pull into traffic. “A girl, huh?”
“Yeah, she’s pretty cute for a brand new wrinkly thing.”
“I hope your sister is doing well.”
“I think so, yeah. How was your shift?”
I can’t tell him about Leo, but I tell him about how heavy the lead apron is, how much I’m looking forward to a long bath.
“I downloaded a pregnancy app,” he says when I’ve run out of work stuff to chatter about and I’m still stuck in traffic. “Our baby is the size of a Brussels sprout, did you know that?”
Weird to think about a high-fiber veggie representing the tiny little thing inside me that's going to completely rearrange my entire existence. “That’s wild when you think about it, yeah.”
“Oh right, yeah, I bet you know a lot about them.”
“Not that much. I did one OB/GTN rotation last year. I couldn’t fit one in this year. I’ll probably do a couple as a resident, though.” I might end having to do an extra year of residency anyway. But I’ll make it work. Being a doctor isn't something I just want to do. It's a core part of who I am.
Maybe that plan is going to look different now. Maybe I'll start residency hiding a baby bump under oversized scrubs. Maybe I'll be pumping breast milk in the call room at three in the morning between patients.
But I'm still going to do it.
“How was my dad?” I finally ask. Not wanting to know, really. But knowing that as much as Logan wants to be the protector in our relationship, we need to take care of each other.
“He ignored me. Didn’t see him for very long this morning. We have a whole team dinner tonight, but I’ll probably just sit at the other end of the table. It’s fine.”
CHAPTER 53
LOGAN
Fine is a funny word. We use it all the time, and it means so many things. I’ve never lied to Frankie. Everythingisfine, because I’m not bothered at all by Wilson.
But on the other hand… He definitely knowssomething. There’s a confident coldness to him, and I bet right nowhethinks everything is not fine.
It’s just a matter of time before he reveals his hand.
MEN'S HOCKEY NEWS: THE SCOREBOARD RECAP
Granger Rejoins Buffalo in Jersey After Missing Boston Game
March 8— Logan Granger returns to the Buffalo lineup tomorrow night in New Jersey after missing yesterday’s game in Boston due to what the team called a “personal matter.”
The 30-year-old forward, who has been the driving force behind Buffalo’s improbable playoff push, was noticeably absent from the team’s 4-2 loss to the Bruins—a game that saw Buffalo’s three-game winning streak come to an end on the road.
Head coach Frank Wilson offered minimal details about Granger’s absence when asked before the Boston game.
“Family situation,” Wilson said tersely. “He’ll be back with us soon.”
True to Wilson’s word, Granger was on the ice this morning for a team skate in Newark, looking sharp.
“Sometimes life happens,” Granger said after the skate, deflecting questions about the specifics of his absence. “I appreciate the organization giving me the space I needed. Now we’re focused on getting back in the win column.”
The timing of Granger’s absence raised eyebrows across the league, coming as Buffalo battles for playoff positioning with just over a month left in the regular season. But teammates and coaching staff alike dismissed any suggestion that the brief leave indicated anything more serious.
“Logan’s a team leader,” said captain Jonas Wilks. “You don’t build the kind of trust he has in this room without being there when it matters. If he needed a day, he needed a day. We move forward.”
The Sabres will need Granger at his best as they face a grueling stretch run. Currently holding onto the second wild card spot by a single point, Buffalo can ill afford many more losses if they want to end their playoff drought.
