Page 10 of Hello Doctor

“Wouldn’t dream of anything else,” I said honestly.

We hung up, and I went to the living room to turn off the TV and get Maya ready for bed. I squared my shoulders, bracing myself for another round of World War III.

* * *

My stomach was alreadya ball of nerves when my alarm went off too early in the morning. I did some deep breathing to calm down and then rolled out of bed and drank the cup of water on my nightstand. (Some things you learned in med school just stuck.) Then I got on my Peloton and did a quick workout before going to wake up Maya.

She was old enough now that she usually did a pretty good job of getting herself dressed and combing her hair, but I still had to help out with braids or a ponytail, depending on her mood.

I finished on the bike, then got in the shower, hurrying to get ready so I’d be ready before Liv came over. Still, this sense of dread persisted. The last thing I wanted was a call at the office telling me this was yet another failure. Brenda had already vetoed keeping Maya busy in the waiting room, even if it was just for summer break. And the idea of bouncing her between my dad and my brothers just so I’d be covered...

I toweled myself off, praying this would work.Please let it work.

After dressing, I went to check on Maya in her room. She was gone, and I caught a whiff of something. Bacon?

Shit! Was Maya trying to cook again?

I sprinted toward the kitchen, only to see Liv standing by the stovetop, one hand on the pan’s handle, another on her hip as she spoke to my daughter.

“You may not speak to me like that, Miss Maya.”

“Why? You’re not my mom!” Maya yelled.

“I’m not, but I do get to decide how I am treated,” Liv said firmly. “And I do not let people call me fat in a mean way. You may call me Liv, Olivia, Livvy, or Miss Griffen.”

“How about Miss Piggy?” Maya fired back.

Anger flared in my chest. “Maya Marie Madigan,” I snapped. “You go to your room right now, and you do not come out until you are ready to treat Liv with respect.”

Maya opened her mouth to argue, but I pointed in the direction of her room. “Now.”

Maya stomped past me, and then the door slammed, rattling the house.

I flinched at the sound and faced Liv again, hoping she wouldn’t take Maya’s comments to heart. “I am so sorry, Liv. That was out of line.”

But instead of looking hurt, Liv glared at me. “I had it handled, Fletcher!”

I raised my eyebrows, feeling like I was a little kid being scolded. “What do you mean? I’m supposed to stand by and watch my daughter talk to you like that without saying a word?”

“If I am going to be in charge of Maya, I need her to listen to me without you having to come in and be the heavy. It’s going to be hard for a little while, but you need to take a step back and let me handle it.”

I went to the island, sitting at the counter and rubbing my face in my hands. It was barely seven o’clock, and I was already messing up as a dad. “You’re right; I’m sorry. I’m just nervous about today. I want things to work for you and Maya.”

Liv smiled gently at me. “You made it through med school. You can do this too.”

7

Liv

I sent Fletcher on his way to work with a breakfast sandwich and a travel mug of coffee before plating up food for Maya and me. It hadn’t been easy to hear Maya tell me I was fat and ugly, but she was a little girl. I couldn’t let an eight-year-old ruin my day.

When Fletcher’s truck had disappeared down the dirt road I could see through the front window, I walked back to Maya’s room and tapped on the door. “Maya?”

“What do you want?” Maya snapped.

It was like hearing her door slam all over again. “Can I come in and talk to you?” I asked gently. “Please?”

After a moment, she uttered an irritated, “Fine.”

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