The day couldn’t have been better for a stroll around the park. Shepard had been nervous it would be too hot for them to walk around, especially with the changing weather that had brought more and more wild fires to the surrounding areas. Thankfully, though, the heat wasn’t record-breaking. No eggs were being fried on the pavement and no one was seemingly melting down into the ground. The complete opposite, actually. There was a gentle breeze that kept the intense heat at bay. Shepard was wearing a thin green workout shirt and black shorts that ended above his knees, the perfect outfit to spend time outside in. Plus, he didn’t mind showing off a little bit of leg. He knew Nick was so used to seeing him covered up in scrubs, he figured Nick would appreciate some skin. Especially since Shepard never skipped leg day.

Griffith Park was massive. It was filled with a ton of hiking trails: some that led up to the iconic Hollywood Sign, others that led into more forested areas, and a few regular parks scattered around with swings and seesaws and monkey bars. There was the Griffith Observatory, which boasted some of the best views of Los Angeles, from the coast to the hills and everything in between. It was especially impressive when the morning smog cleared and the sun was shining down on a cloudless city of angels. Shepard considered making that their meeting spot, but parking was a mess and it wasn’t exactly an hours-long activity, and Shepard wanted to make sure that he spent as much time with Nick and his daughter as possible. Plus, he knew Emma wasn’t really old enough to appreciate the stunning views. So instead, they had decided to meet at a popular café near one of the entrances to Griffith. It wasn’t uncommon to spot a celebrity or two having their morning breakfast on the quaint wooden patio before taking off up one of the hiking trails, phones at the ready to Instagram their hike at a moment’s notice. Because, if a celebrity hikes and doesn’t take a selfie, did they even hike at all?

“Shepard, hey.”

The voice came from behind him. Shepard felt himself lighting up before he even turned around, his face already breaking into a smile. He turned and, sure enough, it was Nick, pushing a big stroller with a black hood drawn over the top, protecting a bubbly little bundle of smiles from the sun. Shepard smiled at Nick, who was looking like an absolute snack in his black Nike shorts and white T-shirt, the collar of the shirt dipping low enough to reveal the glint of a rose gold necklace underneath.

“I was scared you’d sleep all day,” Shepard said.

“You kidding me? She wouldn’t allow that,” Nick said. He opened his arms and took Shepard in for one of the best hugs of his entire damn life. And sure, that may have been hard to really measure, but damn it, Shepard felt it. He let go and looked down at Emma, who was so cute in a blue polka-dotted shirt and tiny khaki shorts, all while rocking a white bonnet that had Shepard involuntarily saying “awwww,” for far longer than he should have.

“She’s so precious,” Shepard said, reaching his hand out so Emma could grab at his fingers. She was giving a big gummy smile and a few random gurgles that told Shepard he was more than welcome to come hike with them.

“She woke up two hours after we hung up,” Nick said. Shepard looked up, his forehead wrinkling as he gave an apologetic look. “Oh, no, it’s fine,” Nick said, waving a hand, “I can run well on two hours. After a few days I need a good nap, though.”

“I feel like medical school trained me to work on barely any sleep, too. I used to get soo cranky when I missed even an hour out of seven. But after my first month in med school, things changed real quick.” Shepard spoke up to Nick while his finger was being held onto by Emma.

“It’s a good trait to have as a dad, too.”

“I bet.” Shepard had to look away from Nick and back down at Emma. He was finding that looking up at Nick was doing things to his body he couldn’t control.

“Do you want anything from the café? I’m thinking of getting some iced coffee.”

“I’ll take one, too. Vanilla latte if they have.”

“Nice choice, although I’m more of a mocha man myself.” Nick was beaming down at them. “I’ll leave Emma here with you.” He walked around them and up the wooden steps that led to the café. It was a cute little spot with a painted white wooden fence surrounding the path that led up to the entrance. The name was hand painted on a slab of wood and hung over the door.

“You’re such a cutie and you know it,” Shepard said to Emma, who was looking at his finger like it was an alien puzzle she was destined to solve. She had a strong grip, too. Shepard was impressed. She was either going to be a future president or a world-renown arm wrestler.

Potentially both.

Nick came back with their coffee a few minutes later. He playfully tapped the cold drink against the back of Shepard’s neck. Shepard flinched forward and looked up, smiling at Nick as he handed him the coffee. He got up off his knees and reached for his phone. “How much was it? I can send you the money.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You sure?”

“I mean, we’ll have to get by on eating old hot pockets for a few days, but I think we’ll be ok.”

Shepard gave a sarcastic smirk as they started their hike, iced coffees in hand, Emma getting pushed in her mobile throne by a very sexy Nick. Shepard had underestimated how good fatherhood looked on the man.

About half an hour later they were already reaching the peak of the hike. The trail wasn’t meant to lead them all the way up to the Hollywood Sign. This one instead ending at a beautiful outcropping of rock playfully named Lover’s Lookout. It boasted a stunning view of the surrounding hills and looked down on a small lake that frequently attracted families of deer and goats and sometimes coyotes. It was also a shorter hike and wasn’t as steep, so pushing Emma in her stroller wasn’t a Herculean feat after a while.

“So you’d prefer going to a play than a movie?” Shepard asked, taking the last sip of his coffee, sucking up through the straw.

“Yeah, there’s just something about live theatre. When it goes right, it goes right. Obviously, not all of them are great, but you could say the same about films. There’s been plenty of movies that I’ve wanted to walk out of.”

“I guess I haven’t been to many good shows, then.” Shepard was hoping Nick would take the bait and invite him to a show, but it seemed to have floated right over his head.

“I’ve been to a few crappy ones, but I’ll never forget the great ones.”

They turned a corner. Shepard didn’t notice the woman at first, but she was hard to miss as she got closer. Running down the path was Lisa Flynn, a resident in his same year with a big golden mane that reflected the sun. Her face was a cherry pink with sweat dotting her forehead. That was when Shepard became hyperaware of Nick walking by his side, pushing his daughter along with them. Shepard immediately felt self-conscious, almost uncomfortable. There were no legal ramifications for a resident dating an attending, but it wasn’t exactly a common thing either. Shepard was lucky in that Nick already handed in the evaluation every attending needed to give whenever the residents moved on to another floor. Shepard’s evaluation was turned in a couple of weeks ago. But still, people talked and shit spread. The last thing Shepard wanted was for Nick to get into any hot water if other residents even sniffed out something that felt unfair. To add to Shepard’s stress, he and Lisa have never exactly been friends. They got along well enough, but Lisa was extremely high-strung and had problems with Betty from the start. He considered himself extremely loyal and he certainly wasn’t going to get close to anyone that had an issue with his best friend.

So Lisa was maybe one of the last residents Shepard would have hoped to randomly see out on a hike.

He glanced down at his watch, hoping that would obscure his face and stop Lisa from recognizing him. Nick was at his side, talking about his love for Wicked, completely oblivious to the familiar face getting closer to them. It didn’t help that the path was getting narrower, forcing them on an even tighter trajectory.

“I love pretty much any Broadway show. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed. Book of Mormon, that one has to be one of my favor—“

“Dr. White!” The voice was loud and excited and a little out of breath. This was a code red, worst-case scenario for Shepard. He would have been fine if she simply recognized them and kept on with her jog. Then he could go on with his life, and hope Lisa would do the same, maybe second-guessing herself by the end of her jog and deciding it wasn’t even them in the first place.

“Lisa! Hey, how are you?” Nick sounded happy. Too happy, but then again Shepard was already a little on edge, maybe he was just being overly sensitive. That’s when he remembered Betty mentioning something about Lisa already talking about him and Nick being together. Shepard wasn’t entirely sure why it bothered him so much. He wished he had more of a “fuck it” attitude but in reality Shepard cared way too much about what other people were thinking and saying. He knew he had to get over it, but it was just going to take some more time.

They moved to the side so that other joggers had a clear path. The view where they stood was already beautiful and they hadn’t even reached the top yet. The side of the hill was clear of trees and looked out to even higher hills, the sides rocky and brown, dotted with green from the trees that survived the desert-like conditions. The city seemed like such a distant thing, even though they would be able to see it when they followed the bend in the path.

“I’m great, just getting some opioid peptides pumping before heading into Sierra View.” That was when Shepard noticed Lisa’s gaze was practically devouring Nick. She barely even acknowledged Shepard, who managed to say hi even past his dry mouth.

Opioid peptides? Did she really just use the chemical family instead of just saying endorphins like a normal person?

Shepard felt like giving an audible “pfft”. He sucked air and ice water through his straw instead.

“Looks like someone’s been focusing their study time on the nervous system,” Nick halfheartedly joked. He didn’t seem that impressed either.

“Oh, I’ve got all the systems down.” She wiped her forehead with a pink towel she had wrapped around her wrist. “And who’s this?” Lisa said, turning her attention down toward Emma.

“My little girl, Emma.” Nick puffed his chest out a little bit. Shepard wondered if Nick realized just how proud he was of his daughter.

“What a cutie!” Lisa bent down to say hello. Shepard couldn’t see Emma since the stroller’s hood was covering her, but he could hear her and she didn’t sound very happy. Her gurgles were much different compared to the ones she gave Shepard earlier. These sounded angry. “Oh, she must be tired,” Lisa said.

I know I am.

I’m tired of you.

Shepard was feeling salty. He suddenly transformed into an insecure housewife bumping into their sexy nanny out in public. It was probably the lack of sleep. Had to be. He knew it was irrational, but he couldn’t help it. The way Lisa was bending over to see Emma was doing everything to highlight her boobs that threatened to burst out of her neon pink sports bra. And she was clearly focused in on the doctor and wanted nothing to do with Shepard. That part was clear as she stood back up, keeping her eyes pinned on Nick’s lips.