Alone Together

Ben drove through the lot looking for a spot for Miranda to park. "Right there is good," he said pointing. After he parked, he walked over to see her pulling a whimpering Tuck out of the car.

He gestured for the bookbag that was slung over her shoulder. After making eye contact for a second, she gave it to him. "Thank you. And, uh, don't mind him. He'll be asleep in twenty minutes."

"It's fine," he reassured her. "I'm this way."

They rode the elevator up to the tenth floor and he prayed that his apartment looked decent before he opened it. Tuck was fully awake now and wiggled from his mother's arms and took off. Miranda ran after him. "He's fine, Bailey. Let him explore."

"Um, okay. But if gets broken, it's broken." She shrugged with a smile. Ben put down the bag he'd carried up for her.

"I'm not worried about it," he told her genuinely. "So, uh, welcome to my humble abode. The bathroom is down the hall to the… right. The right. And I'll check and see what I have in here to eat."

"You don't know what's in your refrigerator?" Miranda asked moving further into his apartment. He watched her watch Tuck.

He put his hands on his hips. "Do you know what's in your fridge?"

Shaking her head, she walked to the large windows he had that overlooked the city. The view was the reason he paid so much and it was the selling point of the entire apartment. "No, I don't, but I hold the lives of people in my hands. I can't be worried about what's in my fridge."

"You really hate it that I'm not a surgeon, don't you?" He smiled.

Miranda picked up Tuck and brought him with her into the kitchen area and sat at the island. "No, I don't. I actually like that about you. I just like ribbing you about it."

"Cool. It's nice to know surgeons have hobbies outside of cutting folks open." The two of them laughed.

"Who that?" Tuck asked speaking for the first time.

Ben turned and really got a good luck at the boy. He could barely see any of Miranda's features in the boy, so he must have been the spitting image of his father. "This is Ben. Say 'hi'."

"Hi," Tuck said with a wave.

"Hey, buddy." Ben held out his hand and Tuck gripped it with his small, smooth one. "How are you?"

"Good. How you?"

"I'm great."

"Mommy, I'm hungry."

Miranda stared at Ben. "Me, too, baby."

"I have some… seedless grapes and… and… crackers to tide us over until I order some food because there's nothing in here. I'm sorry." She shook her head. "Don't look at me like that. You're making me feel bad."

She chuckled. "It's okay. But if you don't hand over those grapes, he might riot."

"Right. Right. Wouldn't want that." After pulling out the snacks, Ben dialed the nearest pizza place and ordered. "Do you want wine or is that inappropriate?" He asked, his voice near a whisper.

"One glass won't hurt anyone." He poured wine into two glasses. "I'm sorry this 'date' is kind of…"

"Delightful," Ben said filling in the blank. "I like this."

"Yeah, right."

"No, I'm serious. I'm happy to be here with you and Tuck. He's enjoying his grapes and food is on the way and you have that smile on your face." They looked at each other for a long time before Tuck accidentally knocked over his cup of juice. It spilled across the marble.

"I am so sorry, Ben. Ugh, William George." She stood up and headed for the paper towels.

"There's no need to apolo—wait, who…? I thought…?"

She sighed and shook her head. "This was a mistake."

He walked over to her and took the paper towels from her hand. "It's only juice. It can be cleaned."

"I meant me… us… coming here. And on today of all days. My head isn't on straight and Tuck is restless."

Ben reached for her hand. He rubbed her knuckles and stared at her. Her brown eyes penetrated his being. "Look, if you want to go, I'll understand. But I really hope that you don't."

"Really? It's not too much?"

"No, going on a date with a woman and having her dad approach me during dinner was too much. This is a cakewalk." Stealthily, Tuck hopped down from his chair and ran to him. Before Ben picked him up, he asked Miranda if it was okay.

She nodded with a wide smile. "I think he's a fan of yours."

"Of course, he is," Ben commented. He lifted the boy and thought about the fact that he'd spent more time with this child than his own goddaughter in the last few weeks. He shook his head. Maybe he would pick Ava up tomorrow and they'd hang out. Leaving the kitchen, he headed to the bookshelf. "Me and my buddy here are going to find a game or book or something while mommy tells us who William George is." Miranda followed them with the wine glasses and sat on the sofa.

"That me!" Tuck shouted.

"Oh?" The three-year-old nodded. "That's a great name."

"Thank you."

"He's named after my dad and after one of my residents. But his nickname comes my husband." Ben kept his face straight. "Ex-husband. I meant ex-husband. Wow, that's going to take some getting used to." She fiddled with a pillow.

"I can imagine." He bent down and searched the bottom of the bookshelf. There had to be something kid-like down there. He pulled out a toy that Ava liked to play with when she visited. Tuck's eyes brightened and he took the toy and began playing with it.

"What do you say to Ben, Tuck?" Miranda said to her son.

Tuck didn't pick his head up from the toy when he said: "Thank you, Ben."

"You're welcome, bud." Ben smiled and got up, walking over to the sofa.

Miranda leaned over. "Thank you," she said.

"Don't mention it," he told her. They watched Tuck quietly. "So…"

"So?" She repeated.

Ben felt his palms sweating. "H-how long were you married? If I may ask."

"You can. Tucker and I were married for eight years." He listened closely, trying to focus on her words and not only on her beautiful lips. He almost lost it when she licked them before continuing: "He was my first love and…" She paused to laugh. "I used to be really shy and quiet and he liked that. And I liked that he was a man's man." When Miranda finally picked her head up, he locked eyes with her. "Sorry for talking so much."

He picked up his glass of wine. "I don't think it's too much. In fact, I enjoy listening to you speak."

"You're probably just watching my lips move."

"That, too," he said. Ben's phone buzzed. "Hello? Okay. Here I come." He ended the call. "Food's here."

Miranda stood up and went to the bookbag Ben had carried up and pulled out a wallet. "Um, how much is it?" She asked pulling out a twenty-dollar bill and setting the wallet on the counter.

"Put your money away please, Bailey. This is a date and it's on me." She waved the money around. Rolling his eyes, he took it. "I'll just use it as a tip."

"Hey! Wait! Nooo!" She walked over to him and reached for it. The height difference between them became quite evident. He held the money above his head. Miranda moved closer to him. Feeling a moment about to happen, he dropped his hand and she snatched it out of his hand with a soft grunt.

"Touché," he said walking out of the door. After getting the food, Ben rode up the elevator and couldn't wipe the grin from his face. There was a woman in his apartment. And not just any woman, one he wanted, one that he would have to chase and one that would keep him on his toes. And she trusted him enough to meet her son. Back in his apartment, they dug into the food and got to know each other a little bit more. Ben loved every second of it. Tuck knocked out after eating and Miranda put him on the sofa.

"It's getting late," Miranda said at the same time Ben was saying: "This is great."

"Oh, yeah, I guess it is late," he told her with a nod. He grabbed the plates from the table. He saw her picking up the cups and shook his head. "I'll do that. Please."

"Why are you being like this?" She asked putting the cups on the island.

He turned on the water and rolled up his sleeves. "Like what?"

"Um, nice." Ben chuckled and when he turned around, he saw the seriousness in her eyes. "You're a really nice guy, Ben Warren."

He shut off the water, shaking his head. "I'm not a nice guy, Miranda." Miranda tilted her head slightly. "I mean…" Smiling, he walked over to her. "I'm not cruel or vindictive, but I'm not nice." Taking another risk, he touched her waist, his heart beating so fast he had to take a deep breath. Miranda looked up at him, reaching her hand to his face. He stared at her, looking into the brown eyes he'd completely fallen for. Her curls framed her face perfectly, her nose begged to be kissed, her lips sat plump and shiny with lip gloss that he'd seen her apply after dinner. Miranda Bailey was perfect. "I'm thoughtful and appreciative and I'm ambitious. But I'm not nice." She blinked slowly and Ben clenched his jaw.

As he leaned in, Tuck began crying, breaking the trance they were both in. "Mommy!"

"I'm, uh, coming, Tuck," Miranda said. She took her hand from his face and backed away.

As she soothed her son, Ben finished the dishes. Sticking the last dry dish into the cabinet, he headed to where they were in the living room. Miranda was putting away the toy and fluffing the pillows. Tuck had on his coat and was half-asleep. "It's past his bedtime. We're just gonna, uh, be going now. And thank you for dinner and for listening and for being a friend. Today was a day."

Ben didn't know why but hearing her call him a "friend" pissed him off. No doubt he wanted to be Miranda's friend, but he wanted more, so much more. "I could carry Tuck for you."

"No, it's fine. I've got it handled." Ben grabbed Tuck's bookbag and slid it on his shoulder. They rode the elevator in silence and at her car, he waited while she strapped Tuck in. She must have forgotten he was there because she turned around and yelped. "Oh! You scared me." They laughed. "I guess I must be tired, too." He opened the driver's door and she slid in. "This was a good date. Dinner was phenomenal. Your ordering skills are outstanding." Ben smiled a little. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Uh, no, I'm off for a couple of days."

"Maybe on Tuesday then?" She asked. Her eyes looked hopeful and he nodded.

"Yeah, maybe on Tuesday." He wanted to ask if he could call her. Or maybe he was supposed to take that initiative on his own. Ben looked in the backseat and saw that Tuck was awake and staring at him. "Bye, Tuck," he said with a full smile. The boy waved.

She looked at him again. "Goodnight, Ben Warren."

"Goodnight, Miranda Bailey."