Part 1The Doctor and My Fake Baby

My best friend was pregnant, so of course, the first thing I did was drag her to my ex-boyfriend's hospital for her check-up.

Dr. Leo Shen looked up as I practically bounced into his office, Chloe trailing nervously behind me. A slow, knowing smirk spread across his face as he took in my ridiculously wide grin.

"Yours?" he asked, his tone completely deadpan.

I stopped short, the giddy bubble of my excitement popping. "Huh? What did you just say?"

He leaned back in his chair, enjoying my confusion. "Is the baby yours?"

"No," I said, shaking my head automatically.

"Then what are you so happy about? You're showing off every tooth in your head."

I was speechless. Utterly speechless.

* * *

My best friend was pregnant, and I was going to be a godmother. This was, without a doubt, a cause for monumental celebration.

Which is how I ended up dragging her into Leo's office. It was Wednesday during the lunch hour, his shift, leaving the room blissfully empty except for him. The thought of getting to be an auntie was intoxicating. I could already picture it: a tiny, chubby human I could spoil rotten and then hand back the moment it started crying. It was going to be the absolute best. I was so lost in this fantasy that my grin was probably splitting my face in two.

Still recovering from his initial jab, I decided to restart, puffing out my chest with the kind of pride usually reserved for Nobel Prize winners. "Leo, my best friend is pregnant."

A flicker of amusement danced in his eyes, a clear sign he was going to continue messing with me. "Mine?"

"What?" I blinked, my brain rebooting. I glanced at Chloe, then back at the man who had occupied far too much of my headspace for the past two years. A little huff of indignation escaped me. "What kind of joke is that? Of course not yours!"

"So," he leaned forward, steepling his fingers, the picture of cool professionalism except for that glint in his eye. "Is it yours?"

"What?" I was floored again. The man was speaking my language, but I couldn't seem to process the words. He'd already asked me this, and my brain still couldn't compute the sheer absurdity.

"Is the baby yours?" he repeated, his expression unwavering.

"No," I shook my head again.

"Then why are you grinning like you just won the lottery?" he said, echoing his earlier sentiment and leaving me, once again, completely lost for words.

Before I could formulate a comeback, he went on. "And if it's not mine, and it's not yours, what are you doing in my office?"

That lit a fire under me. "Leo, does your family own this hospital? Since when do I need your permission to be here?"

"They don't," he replied smoothly, not missing a beat. "The Dean’s name is Shaw. My name is Shen. No relation."