Today has disaster written all over it. I should have seen it coming.

“Drew, hurry up in the shower.”

“Nearly done.” I don’t even know why she’s yelling. It’s not like she’ll be out of bed anytime soon. I shut off the mixer and dry off before wrapping a towel around my waist, heading back to the bedroom.

She glares at me as I step out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Still sitting in bed, her arms are crossed, and I continue to get the evil look as I cross the room. “Do you have to use all the hot water?”

“Yep.” I haven’t, but I enjoy teasing her. It’s too easy.

“Maybe I’ll call Ray today. We pay enough in rent and surely he can install a larger hot water cylinder.”

We.

Rolling my eyes, I open the wardrobe, pulling out a clean shirt and slipping my arms into it before retrieving a tie. Chances are by the end of the day, it’ll be a mess, but it’s the look that matters. I have outpatient appointments this morning, and I like to come across as professional.

Things aren’t good with Lucy. After going out a few times, she moved herself in. I didn’t mind. I hadn’t lived with a girlfriend before, and we were getting on great.

It was when she quit her job without talking to me that I had a problem.

I always thought I’d have a family one day to support. That my wife could choose whether to work or not. But when your girlfriend quits her job a month into living with you, and you suddenly realise you don’t actually know her that well? Yeah, not so great.

Especially when she’s so good at spending my money.

I get out the door with her still ranting from the bed about the hot water, even though I guarantee the minute I’m gone she’ll go back to sleep for another couple of hours. A real lady of leisure.

Reaching for the door handle of the car, my iPhone slips from my grip and lands with a crack on the concrete driveway.

I sigh, bending to pick it up. The screen’s splintered, but not shattered, held in place by a protective cover. I can read the screen at least.

Kind of.

If this is the start of the day, I’m not looking forward to the rest.

The drive to work isn’t long, but it’s slow in the traffic, and it’s hard not to be annoyed with myself for how my day’s started.

There have been too many of those lately.

As I stride into work twenty-five minutes later, I smile at everyone I pass in the corridors. I love my job. Every day brings me into contact with parents and children, and I can’t help but smile.

I’m just about to grab some lunch when I get a page to go to one of the delivery suites.

“Doctor Campbell.” I’m met at the door by Caitlyn, one of the hospital midwives. Her eyebrows knit in concern.

“What’s going on?”

“Clare Peters. The baby’s starting to show signs of distress. It’s been a long labour, and I’d like your opinion.”

“Sure. I met Clare a couple of weeks ago. She has high blood pressure, right? Let’s get her through this.”

She gives me a thin smile. Of all the doctors here, I think I have a better relationship with other staff than most. Midwives often call me in preference to the others.

I beam at the patient as I walk into the suite. She’s clearly exhausted, sweat dripping from her brow, and I note she has no support person with her. That always bugs me. Everyone needs someone.

“Hi Clare, I’m here to check on you and your baby. How’s it going?”

She glares at me. “How do you think it’s going?”

“I know you just want this over with, so I’m here to help.” I flash her a reassuring smile.

Even in her angry state, Clare gives me a faint smile. “Please.”

I check her chart. She’s not long been given a dose of pethidine.

“Right. I think I need to take a look, if that’s okay with you.”

She nods. With a loud retching noise, she projectile vomits. Over the floor, and all over me.

I grimace as I reach for a towel to wipe down. It’s not her fault. Pethidine’s given with an anti-nausea med. One that’s clearly failed to work.

“I’m so sorry.” She sniffs, gripping the edge of the bed as another contraction hits her.

“It’s no problem. Let’s get that baby out and you can have a rest.” I grab another towel and wipe down the side of the bed.

As I turn, the midwife shoves the latest readings of the baby’s heartbeat in front of me. It’s enough to concern me, and I finish cleaning myself as best I can with the towel. I smile as a set of clean scrubs are brought in.

Sliding off my shirt and the T-shirt underneath that’s got vomit on it, I decide I can live with the pants. I need to get that baby out, and smelly pants are the least of my problems right now.

I look up, and Caitlyn’s eyes are fixed on my chest. I’m pretty proud of my physique—lord knows I’ve paid enough to maintain it. Smirking, I pull the clean shirt over my head and raise my eyebrows, knowing her gaze will shift. As she meets my eyes, her mouth drops open, and bemused, I turn back to my patient.

“Okay, Clare. Next contraction I need you to push hard.”

“Yes, Doctor,” she huffs.

I meet Caitlyn’s gaze again, and she nods. If this baby isn’t born soon, Clare will be in the theatre having a caesarean. They’re not my favourite way to deliver a baby, but in cases like this it sometimes becomes impossible to avoid.

The last thing I want is to freak Clare out. So, right now, my focus is on trying to get this baby out before I make that final decision.

Clare tenses, and the pain is on her face before she groans.

“Here we go,” I say softly.

She nods.

“Push. Let’s see that baby.” Come on Clare, you can do it. We’re in this together.

She’s so close, and from the pained look on her face, she knows what’s coming out of my mouth next.

“The baby’s crowning. You got this, Clare. Just a few more.” I position my hands and nod. She cries out, and I see a little more of the baby’s head. “That’s it. Keep going.”

“I can’t,” she whimpers.

“Make this next one a big one.”

Clare grits her teeth, and closes her eyes. And then it’s done, the baby slides out and Clare cries again, but her tone is relief.

The baby’s in my hands, and I grin as I take a quick look. Good colour—good movement. He might have been reluctant to come out, but this little boy looks perfect.

“Your son is beautiful.” I say.

She lets out a sob. “We didn’t know what we were having. He kept closing his legs.”

“I’ll finish his APGAR check and then you can have a cuddle.”

Her chest rises and falls quickly as she succumbs to the emotion. It’s common enough, but it hits me square in the heart every time. One day I’ll go through this with someone special, hold my own child in my arms. I can’t wait for that day, but something tells me it won’t be with Lucy.

The baby looks at me with big, dark eyes, and I grin before laying him on his mother’s waiting chest. Caitlyn covers him with warm towels, and I pause for a moment to watch the beauty that is mother and baby bonding.

“Typical. You turn up and the baby comes out. Maybe I should just page you at the start.”

I grin. It’s not the first time it’s happened.

“Her blood pressure’s down a little,” Caitlyn says, handing me the chart.

I nod. “That needs to be monitored, and if it doesn’t come back down further by tomorrow morning, we’ll look at our options.”

“Thanks, Drew,” she says quietly.

“You’re welcome.”

The door flies open, and a dark-haired, stressed-looking man comes running in, his face red and sweaty as if he’s just run a marathon. Clare lights up the room with her smile.

“Did I miss it?” He puffs.

“Only just.” She laughs, all the stress she suffered minutes ago completely gone with the arrival of her baby boy. Shifting her gaze to me, she still has that hazy, just-having-given-birth blissful look in her eyes. “We thought we had time for Dennis to make one last business trip before the baby arrived. This little one was just too impatient.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He covers her in kisses, and it makes me smile. His eyelids droop as he looks at me, he’s tired too. “I had to fly back from Sydney, and it took forever.”

“You’re here now, and that’s all that matters,” Clare said.

“I’m so pleased for the two of you. Congratulations.” My phone buzzes, and before I leave, I pluck my phone out of my pocket. I can’t help the grin spreading across my face. “My sister-in-law is in labour.”

Caitlyn’s eyes widen. “Here?”

“No, back home. She’s got a midwife, and I’m sure she’s good, but Adam wants me to be there. Although, by the time I drive there, there’s a good chance she’ll have had the baby.”

I shift my gaze to the patient. “I’ve got to go, but congratulations again, Clare, Dennis.”

Clare beams at me. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“You did all the hard work. He’s a beautiful baby.”

Caitlyn nudges my arm. “Get going. I’ll finish up in here.”

“Thanks.”

I head out the door and toward the locker room to get in the shower. I need to get clean again before finishing up and getting in the car to see Adam and Lily.

It’s not often I shower here. The water pressure is awful, but the heat is relaxing. I lather up the hospital anti-bacterial body wash, and rub it over my chest. My mind wanders to Lucy again. I need to do something about us. We haven’t had sex in weeks, and I’ve become accustomed to spending more time with my right hand than touching her, despite us sleeping in the same bed.

I close my eyes. When we met, she was everything. She had a blossoming career as a buyer for an upmarket women’s clothing store. She was so much fun, and whenever I wasn’t at work, we fucked like bunnies.

But once we moved in together, she discovered life with a doctor wasn’t that much fun for her. I’d given her all my free time, but it was all I had to give.

My eyes spring open as the water runs cold. After five minutes, the staff showers stop giving you hot water. I frown, but I’m rinsed off, and it’ll do until I get home.

Towelling off, I pull on my spare shirt from my locker. Despite the water, I still have the scent of vomit in my nostrils. After all that, it might just be easier to shower again at home.

Knowing she was due to give birth any day now, I’ve already asked a couple of friends to be on standby, ready to cover my shifts, and I text them to call in the favour. In a year, I’ll be going into private practice, and my boss doesn’t want to lose me so he’s being as accommodating as he can. I dial his number.

“Hey, John. My sister-in-law’s in labour, so I’m heading off.”

“Let me know how it goes.” During the years I’ve been working with him, I’ve established a friendship with John that continues beyond my work at the hospital. It’ll help when I leave and have patients who deliver here.

“Will do. Thanks.”

I head out to my car, and look at my phone again. A replacement will have to wait. Lily’s more important.

It’s a short drive to my apartment. I’ll shower again, throw some things in a bag and get out of here. I already know Lucy will have zero interest in going with me. She’s never come home to meet my family as she loves the city. The thought of being somewhere remote for even a couple of days doesn’t do anything for her.

I open the door.

They don’t hear me, so busy focusing on themselves, and I have to admit, the thing that bothers me the most is Ray Steele’s bare white arse on my leather sofa. The leather sofa I’ve sat on so many times watching sport, beer in hand, my feet on the coffee table, tainted by him sitting naked on it.

Lucy’s blonde head bobs up and down so fast, she could take off at any moment. Ray’s feeling it, his hips thrusting toward her.

I’m still pissed his naked flesh is all over my damn couch.

I push the door, and it closes with a resounding slam. Lucy, her eyes as wide as saucers, looks up and sees me. The fear in her face has to be caused by the gravy train derailing. I’m the engineer, calmly waiting for the crash, and it’s too late to stop as Ray cries out again.

All I can do is laugh as cum spurts from his erect cock, landing in Lucy’s hair, covering the side of her head as she squeals in horror. I did love her once, or I thought I did, but finding her like this is the final straw.

She hits rock bottom as he blows his load all over her.

Gaping at him, she turns, rising her hand to her face as one last blob hits her in the eye. He reaches for the closest piece of fabric to him—God only knows where his clothes are—and it’s her dress. That very expensive designer dress she raved about for ages before she finally convinced me to buy it.

“You know, people usually have to pay to watch the money shot.” I laugh as she glares at me.

“It’s not what it looks like.” She stands, her hair sadly not resembling Cameron Diaz’s in There’s Something About Mary. It’s disappointing. Does cum not work the same way as hair gel? Can’t say I’ve ever tried it.

“What’s it supposed to be? It’s not every day I come home to find my girlfriend blowing the landlord.” I turn to Ray, who’s desperately trying to cover his cock and reaching blindly for his clothing. “Are we at least getting a rent reduction for this?”

“You’re a pig,” Lucy screams.

“You’re covered in someone else’s cum.”

Her chest rises and falls rapidly. It might be distracting if I was the least bit interested in her, but after that performance, I no longer care what or who she does.

“Anyway, I’m going to go and take a shower because I just had a woman vomit all over me, and the showers at work suck.”

“Don’t use all the hot water.”

It’s the line she uses every time I say I’m having a shower, but under current circumstances, it’s comical. “Are you serious? You’re worried about the hot water?”

I laugh all the way to the bathroom.

When I’m finally feeling clean, I go through my drawers and throw some things in a bag. Enough to keep me going a couple of days before I come back and sort out this clusterfuck.

“You can’t go.” She tries the puppy eyes, the ones I fell for way too many times. My brother, Owen, says I’m gullible, but I think I’m just soft-hearted. It’s not working this time.

“Yeah, I can, and so are you. Pack your shit and leave.”

Her lower lip wobbles. “You can’t be serious, Drew. How will I survive?”

“Maybe you can go and live with Ray.”

I slam the door, and a feeling of peace comes over me. I’m angry that she’s treated me this way, but not heartbroken.

It’s over.