Page 124 of Lone Star Longing
“I know.” She didn't want to make him go into it. “So tell me about med school. Tell me about Baylor. Tell me about Waco.”
He’d just drawn in a breath to start talking when Beck reappeared. “How are you doing? Any more contractions?”
“It’s only been a couple of minutes, so no. Austin’s going to tell us about the hopping metropolis of Waco, Texas. Was med school fun? What was your favorite rotation?”
“Honestly? I loved orthopedics best. I could totally see myself being an orthopedist when my time here is done. I liked the puzzle aspect of it. I liked the way the bones heal themselves.”
“The good thing, you’ll probably get a lot of practice setting bones out here,” Lacey said.
“Yeah, I can see that. Someone always falling off a horse, a tractor. But I’m ready to treat just about anything, I guess. One day when you’re not possibly in labor you’ll have to come by and I’ll show you around the office and the apartment.”
“I’d like to see it. This place has been empty since we were kids, so I hope they fixed it up well for you.”
“It’s okay. Definitely bigger than the apartment I had in Waco.”
Lacey tried to keep smiling as her stomach tightened again, and Austin wrote something on his chart. Beck laced his fingers through hers, and she let herself squeeze them, letting herself lean on him just a little.
“So what about a social life at Baylor? Did you have one of those? Was it likeGrey’s Anatomywhen you were studying?” she teased with a wink.
“Yeah, all we did was stand around and flirt.” Austin rolled his eyes. “That’s how I got my degree. I slept my way to the top. No, I barely slept at all, much less had a wild romance. I mean, there were some hook-ups, sure, to kind of relieve the stress, with someone who was going through the same stress. But no, nothing longterm or even worth talking about. Looks like that’s not going to change around here, either. I mean, jeez, it’s not like this place attracts single women. Everyone here who’s single I’ve known since kindergarten.”
Lacey winced at that.
“Another contraction?” Beck asked.
She shook her head. No, just a well-placed arrow.
Chapter Twenty Eight
EVERYONE HAD STILLbeen at the house when Austin decided she wasn't in labor and sent her home. Lacey felt so bad for her dad and Marianne. What had they all talked about for three hours?
“I’m heading to bed,” Lacey said, not above using her pregnancy to get some rest.
Beck had waited until she had hugged everyone and they left, then he walked her down the hall to her room, kissed her softly, and headed out himself.
Now she was on the way to church for the first time in years. She knew it would make her mother happy, and really, her mother had driven all this way to see her, so she was okay with that.
