Do I Do
Miranda Bailey woke up and reacquainted herself with her surroundings. Lying on her back, she looked up at the ceiling. She was in Ben Warren's apartment, in his bed, in his arms. She blinked slowly in the darkness. She sniffed and dragged a hand over her face and turned it in the direction of her boyfriend. He was on his stomach, his hand thrown casually and possessively around her stomach, in a way that would deter from moving without waking him or at least rousing him. She touched his shoulder and pinched him, hard. "What the hell?!" He yelled, rubbing his shoulder where she'd just assaulted him. She smiled, biting her bottom lip. She'd pinched him to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Making sure that everything was still as real as it was the day before. She sure as hell wasn't going to pinch herself. "Miranda, the hell?" He asked again. She didn't say anything, just rolled closer to him. "What do you want, you little weirdo?"
"Nothing."
"Okay," he said with a yawn. "But next time could you wake me up a different way? What time is it? Maybe you could wake me up with some h—"
"Uh, be very careful about what you say next, Ben Warren," she warned him. "And it's 4:30 in the morning."
"I was gonna say 'hugs'." Ben chuckled. She pinched him again. He cursed and pinched her back.
"Ouch!" She said soothing her throbbing arm. Nope, not a dream.
"Payback." Ben turned his back to her. She scoffed and put her arms around him, inhaling him as she mashed her body against his. He kissed the back of her hands.
"I love you."
"I love you," he echoed. She kissed his back and went back to sleep.
"Mmm," Miranda said waking up a second time. "I love the smell of bacon in the morning."
"Me, too," Ben responded, turning on his back. "Thanks for cooking."
"I'm not cooking. I just woke up." She opened her eyes and looked over at him. "You're not cooking?"
"How can I be cooking breakfast if I'm lying right next to you?" Ben reached over and pulled her in for a kiss. "Good morning."
She resisted the kiss. "Unh-uh! Good morning?" She looked at him crossly. "Someone is in your kitchen and you're talking about some 'good morning'?"
"Well, they're cooking, so it's probably just Curt." Ben hugged her and kissed her neck.
She pushed him away and moved to the edge of the bed, her feet slightly off of the ground. Ben sighed loudly. She gave him a wicked look over her shoulder, making him laugh. He rolled across the bed and put his arms around her. She looked down at him, his head buried into her waist. She patted his shoulder and he took his arms from her body. "I'll be back."
"Mmkay," he said dropping his head back on the pillow.
Miranda walked out of the bedroom door. She took a quick glance around the front of the apartment. "Hello?"
"Hi, Dr. Bailey!" Jazmin said popping up from behind a counter in the kitchen, making the surgeon jump.
"Oh!" Miranda said smiling. She crossed her arms across her chest. "Jazmin?" The girl nodded. " What are you doing here?"
"My mom dropped me off a few hours ago." She cracked a couple of eggs into a bowl.
"A f-few hours?" Miranda asked, confused, stepping into the kitchen and seeing the full extent of breakfast.
"Yes. She had to go to Portland for a few days and said that my uncle, Benji, would take care of me. Grandma left, too."
"He doesn't know you're here?" The girl shrugged and continued to fix the eggs.
"Ben Warren!" Miranda called.
"Yes, Miranda! Is it Curt? I told you it was probably Curt," he said, his voice getting closer. He put his arms around her body, dropping his head on her shoulder. She moved out of his grasp and pointed to the teenager in the kitchen. She'd turned off the stove and was fixing three plates. Miranda's stomach growled a little. "Jaz?"
"Benji!" The girl ran around the counter and hugged her uncle.
"W-what are you doing here?"
"Mom had to go to Portland."
"So?" He said.
"You're stuck with me for a few days," Jazmin said simply. "My stuff is in the spare room and I have a game today at five."
"Give me your phone," he told her. His waved his fingers at her and walked to the back of the apartment.
"Hungry, Dr. Bailey?" Jazmin asked. "I made breakfast."
"Actually, I am hungry. And it all looks so good," Miranda said. The girl waved her over. As they started to eat, Miranda tried to hear Ben's part of his conversation with Angela. She couldn't hear anything, not one single word, so she turned her attention back to Jazmin. The girl seemed to have matured a little since the last time that Miranda had seen her. Her hair was now in flat twists and she was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top. "How've you been?"
"Good. School is getting harder."
"It's supposed to," the doctor answered and they both laughed.
"But it's not the work part of it. It's the other part."
"Oh?" Miranda put a piece of bacon into her mouth. It was delicious. She would love to wake up to the smell of bacon every morning. Maybe she should get a chef.
"It's like…," Jazmin looked toward Ben's bedroom. "All of my friends have boyfriends." She stared right at Miranda, making Miranda feel a little guilty about having a boyfriend as well. "I mean, I am getting better at ball, but I kinda want a boyfriend, too!" The girl blushed, making Miranda chuckle. "I m-mean, I would… would like one. People keep saying that I should, but I'm on two different basketball teams which means two different practices and I like to practice on my own." Miranda looked at the girl in awe of the dedication that she put into her passion at such a young age. "I work hard in school, too, so there's really no time for boys. And I feel… trapped. Between finding one and getting better at basketball."
Miranda nodded. "Sounds tough."
"It is!" The girl said taking a sip of her drink, some of it spilled out of the cup and onto the counter. She wiped it up. "Don't tell Benji though."
"Confidentiality," Miranda said holding up a piece of toast and taking a bite.
"Isn't that only with lawyers and their clients or doctors and their patients?"
"Or friends."
"We're friends?" The girl asked. Her eyes widened and for a split second, she looked just like Ben. Miranda nodded while eating some of the best grits she'd ever had. "So, is there someone you like?"
"Well, there is this boy…" Miranda remembered being that age and then a few years older and starting a sentence the exact same way referring to Tucker.
"Where is he?" Ben said coming back into the kitchen. "I'll kill him." Ben handed Miranda her phone. She put it down on the countertop.
"BENJI!" Jazmin said, startled. "Nothing. Stop eavesdropping."
"What boy?" Ben said ignoring her.
"Nothing," Miranda told him. She pushed the third plate in front of him and gestured for him to sit down.
"Jazzy, you made this?" Ben asked. Jazmin nodded. He ate some of it. "This is delicious." The teenager beamed.
"So, you talked to mom?" Jazmin asked.
Ben nodded and took a sip of his juice. "You'll be crashing with me for a few days."
"YES!" Jazmin shouted. "I get to stay up late and have a good time. Maybe miss school on Monday."
"Uh, you'll go to school on Monday and you'll go to bed on time," Ben said waving a fork in the girl's direction. She giggled incessantly.
"Don't forget my game at five."
"Game at five. Got it," Ben said stuffing his face again. Miranda watched them go back and forth. Loving the interaction. Ben was great with Jazmin and he was great with Tuck. Her guess is that he'd make a great dad some day. His phone vibrated on the counter. He picked it up, looked at the caller and excused himself, walking back to his bedroom.
When he was gone, Miranda got some more details from Jazmin about the guy she liked. "So, about this boy?" Halfway into their conversation, Miranda received a text message from Maggie: Dr. Bailey, Call me when you get a chance please. Miranda told Jazmin to go and take a shower while she called Maggie. While the phone rang, Miranda started to clear the counter, putting dishes in the sink and trash in the garbage can.
"Hello? Yes, okay! Dr. Bailey!"
"Dr. Pierce!"
"I want to offer you the chance to do a heart/liver on Samantha Calder."
"Calder? Calder? I know that name."
"Samantha Calder, age 24—"
"Oh, yeah! Right! Calder, I, uh, diagnosed her familial hypercholesterolemia."
"Well, you were right."
"I know," Miranda said. She ran some water over the dishes.
"So?"
"So what?"
"Do you want in?" Maggie asked.
"Why didn't you ask Webber?" Miranda asked while looking in her calendar.
"I did, he said to ask you."
"Well, okay," Miranda said with a little satisfaction. "Sure, let me take the liver."
"Awesome!" The cardiologist responded. "Have you read the Cleveland article on simultaneous heart/liver transplants under C.P.B.? It's different from a regular heart/liver."
"I got that." The two women laughed. "When are we operating?"
"Tomorrow at 11, but I want us to meet with the patient today to discuss everything."
Miranda dismissed the call and went back into the bedroom. "Damn it!" Ben shouted.
"What now?" She asked him.
"I have to go in and sit in on a 12-hour surgery in few hours!"
"Benji, you're leaving?" Jazmin said coming out of the bathroom in a pair of jeans and her sports bra.
"Oh crap!" He said throwing his hands into the air and staring at the teen with his mouth open. "And I totally forgot that I have a teenager to figure out what to do with," Ben groaned softly. "Shit."
"I can just… stay here. Someone from my team can come and get me when it's time for the game," Jazmin offered, a worried look on her face.
"No. Absolutely not," Miranda told her quickly.
Miranda smiled to herself. She knew that feeling of needing another option with Tuck, someone to just watch him for a few hours. "Ben, come here." She took his hand and pulled him to the back of the apartment.
"Sit."
"I won't."
"Sit down."
"Fine, but I'm doing it under protest."
"Whatever." When Ben sat down, she sat next to him, her knee touching his. "It is not her fault."
"I know that!" Ben said.
"Yeah, but you're not acting like that. And she's a kid." He opened his mouth to debate. "You're taking your frustrations about Angela out on Jazmin—"
"She didn't even—" Ben screeched.
"You're taking it out on Jazmin and it's not fair."
"I'm not taking it out on her."
"You're complaining about her being here and it's not even a thing to complain about," Miranda said touching the sides of his face, trying to calm him down.
"It was okay until I got called in."
"And?" She said kissing him softly.
"And I'm a doctor, Miranda."
"Are you? I'm dating a doctor?" She said kissing him again.
"You're not funny, woman," Ben said putting his arms around her shoulders.
"Now, go and apologize to her." He made no move to get up, so Miranda started to stand up. He pulled her back down, knocking her onto the bed. He climbed on top of her. She giggled. She kissed his nose before pushing him off. She went back to the kitchen. Ben followed her and slapped her butt gently.
"Aye, Jazzy!" He said going over to his niece. "I love that you're here with me." The girl smiled. "But I guess you have to come with me when I leave. I'm gonna rest for a few hours, we'll go to the hospital and then I'll find someone to drive you to your game."
Her smile turned into a frown. "But..."
"I don't really have any other options," he told her.
Miranda turned to the girl. "You could come with me." Her face still had a little frown on it. "Unless you want to spend all day and night in the hospital," Miranda told her quickly. "I have to go to the hospital for a bit, but then I'm free."
"You're—"
"Please don't ask me if I'm sure because you know I wouldn't offer if I wasn't sure," Miranda challenged.
"Thank you, Dr. Bailey!" Jazmin jumped up from the stool she was occupying and hugged Miranda.
"Oh!" Miranda said receiving the hug. She ran into the second bedroom.
"Thank you, Miranda," Ben said. "I owe you one."
"Or two," she answered in a flirty tone.
"Consider it done." He kissed her forehead. "And now I am off to sleep."
"Uh, you have to take me home," she reminded him. He laughed. She got up and went toward his room. "And I'll just bring Jazmin with me." Ben nodded. "Tell her to bring her game gear because we probably won't be back."
"You could come back, if you wanted to."
"Yeah, but I don't have a key."
"I could get one made for you."
"No, no, that's okay," Miranda said waving away the idea.
"But I have a key to your place," he told her, pulling off his shirt. Miranda twisted her lips to the side. He did still have her key, but did that mean that she needed one to his apartment? She would think about it. It wasn't that big of a deal. On the other hand, it was. Giving someone the key to your house meant that they could come and go as they pleased. She doubted that Ben ever went into her house without her knowing about it, but he could. Maybe she should ask for the key back. After all, he was leaving, the thoughts tumbled through her head. Ben's voice pulled Miranda from her mental argument: "I will make you one and if you want it, you can have it. If not, I'll just keep it."
Jazmin and Miranda left Ben's apartment and went back to her house and then to Grey Sloan. Miranda grabbed Cameron and told her to show Jazmin where some of the teenagers who were staying in the hospital hung out. She told the girl to keep her phone on because she'd call when it was time to go. Miranda changed and then she met Pierce in front of the Nurses' Station. "Good morning, Dr. Bailey. Thank you for coming in on such short notice." They started to walk towards the patient's room.
"No problem."
"Did you get a chance to read that article?"
"I came in to examine the patient and to print it out."
"I know it's short notice, but could you please expedite your reading of it?" Pierce asked crossing her fingers.
"I think I've actually read it before, but I will definitely read it—expeditiously," Miranda said throwing the five-syllable word at the cardiologist.
Maggie laughed. "Thank you."
"Dr. Bailey! Oh my goodness, when Dr. Pierce said she needed a General surgeon to help with Sammy's case, I prayed that you would be the one. And look! It's you." Samantha's mother, Joy, a tall, redheaded woman, spoke quickly and rushed to Miranda, hugging her tightly. "Sammy's going to be so happy to see you."
Samantha, with her short black hair and equally black eyes, came out of the bathroom and looked from Maggie to Miranda. "Dr. Bailey, don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you, but forgive me if I don't smile." Samantha climbed into the bed.
"Oh, Sammy, don't be like that," Joy Calder said to her daughter, brushing some her out of the girl's face. "She's just tired." The woman looked at Miranda who smiled respectfully.
"Yeah. Sick and tired. Because it only means that I need more surgery," Samantha said. Miranda understood where the girl was coming from. Surgery was definitely taxing on the body, but this surgery would work and it would fix her and make her better. She told all of this to Samantha and Joy. Joy's eyes swelled with tears. "Oh, mom! Cut it out." The daughter and her doctors laughed.
After leaving Samantha's room and parting ways with Maggie, Miranda texted Jazmin: How are you making out? Are you hungry? It's been a few hours. Reply so that I know you got this message.
Within seconds, Miranda had received a response: Everything is good. I like it here. They are nice. Not that hungry. Are we leaving now?
Not yet. I have an article to print out and then we can go.
Do you have to read it?
Yes.
In the library? Miranda started to reply. Can I come with you?
Miranda thought for a second. It wouldn't hurt for the girl to come with her, it would actually speed up their whole process. Sure, I will send someone for you.
That is okay. I know how to get back to the locker room.
I will give you 15 minutes.
"Even though it shouldn't take her that long," Miranda said to herself as she put her phone into her pocket and walked towards the locker room.
"Dr. Bailey!" A voice called out.
"Noo!" She grumbled. "I'm not here."
The voice laughed. Miranda recognized the voice as "male". It was probably one of her male co-workers who sometimes thought it was her sole purpose in the hospital to cater to and listen to them. She put her hand into her pocket to get her cell phone. It had been about eight minutes and Jazmin hadn't texted her. "Dr. Bailey?"
"You don't see me, Ross." She held up her hand in a motion to get him to back off.
"How could anyone miss a beautiful face like that?"
"Excuse me?" Miranda whipped around with a cross look on her face and stopped talking. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else."
"You are Dr. Bailey, right?" The guy asked. He held out his hand for her to shake. Miranda took a moment to think about where she knew him from. He was tall, dark-skinned with hazel eyes. He had a chiseled jaw and dreadlocks that fell just past his broad shoulders. She'd met that face before.
"Seems that way," she said taking his hand.
"I'm Joshua—"
"Moore. Right, right. I remember, Anesthesiology, correct?" He nodded, jostling his locks. They'd worked together a few times. He was a fantastic doctor and his handsomeness was not lost on her. Every woman had a crush on him. She'd had several spicy discussions with Callie and Bokhee about him before she'd met Ben. There was one conversation that came to mind immediately. They were at Joe's and the question, posed by Bokhee, was: if you could date anyone in the hospital excluding your current partner or an ex, who would it be? Miranda had taken some time to think, sipping on her drink that Callie had promised that she'd liked, but it was too sweet and it was a struggle to swallow. "Moore," she'd croaked out.
"You want some more of the tropical sangria?" Callie had answered with a wide smile. "I knew you'd love it. Jason! More—" She waved over the bartender, Joe's nephew, Jason.
"No, not more of this. This is just nasty." The ladies had laughed. "Moore. Dr. Moore."
"The Anesthesiologist?" Bokhee had replied.
"Yes!" Miranda had cackled. The man was hot.
"Oooh, I know who you two are talking about. From Mercy West!" Callie had answered getting back into the conversation.
Miranda had nodded as Jason appeared at their table. That sangria had almost killed her, so she ordered a different drink. "To Mercy West," Bokhee said raising her glass in the air. Miranda lifted her complimentary water.
"Because they sure knew how to grow them and pick them over there at Mercy West, don't they?" Callie said as the three women clinked glasses while laughing and continuing the conversation.
"Um, Dr. Bailey?" The voice said bringing her back.
"Yes, Dr. Moore," Miranda said aimlessly turning her watch on her wrist. She checked it quickly before looking into his gorgeous eyes.
"How are you? We haven't worked together in a long time."
"Well, maybe someone will come in with a bursting appendix and you'll put them in a temporary coma and I'll get to cut them open."
"Funny. You're funny." Moore chuckled and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"I'm just a barrel of monkeys." She checked the time again. Jazmin should be back by now. She wouldn't worry until the time came for it. "What can I do for you?"
He scratched his head while standing there, staring at her. Miranda opened her mouth to move the conversation along. "I know you're on your way out of the door by now, but I wanted to know if—"
She cut him off, holding up her hand. "I can't take another case right now. I really need to get going," she told him. She tried to sound as sincere as possible.
"No," he said with a short laugh. "Uh, it's not a case or anything like that. Hell, it's not even really work-related." He smiled. She hadn't seen it in a while, it was nice.
She smiled, too. "Then what is it?" She took her phone out of her pocket and saw that Jazmin had messaged her. Somehow she'd managed to make it to Dermatology. Miranda held up a finger to Joshua. He nodded. She messaged Cameron and told her to go and retrieve Jazmin. "Yes, sorry, what were you saying, Dr. Moore?"
"We're in a casual setting right now, so I think we can call each other Joshua and Miranda."
"Dr. Moore," she said lowering her eyes at him. "I really—"
"You know what?" He asked cutting her off.
"What?"
"I actually like it when you call me Dr. Moore," he said laughing. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Men. Everything just had to be about them.
"So, Dr. Moore, please tell me what I can do for you so that you will go away?'
He bit his lip a little and took a step toward her, closing the distance between them. Miranda shuffled her feet. "I was wondering if we could go to lunch."
"Like… together?" Miranda asked.
"Like a date," Joshua said exhaling.
Before she could answer, she heard her name again. "Miranda?" She knew that voice well. She'd waken up to it several times and fallen asleep to the sound of those vocal chords snoring. Ben. She looked down the hall to see her boyfriend strolling toward her, his bag slung across his right shoulder. He walked up to her and kissed her cheek, making her blush.
"Dr. Warren, it's nice to see you outside of meetings," Joshua said to Ben, extending his hand.
"Sweetheart, I thought you would have been gone by now, no?" He asked ignoring the outstretched hand and her present company altogether.
"Wait, sweetheart?" Joshua mimicked. "You two are together?" He gestured between Ben and Miranda.
"Yeah," Miranda said with a wide smile. She looked over at Ben who was staring at the ceiling. His nostrils were flared and he looked jittery. His fists were balled up. What was his problem? She thought. He was usually the friendliest one between the two of them, but he was being extremely rude. He seemed to be annoyed by Joshua's presence and it was unsettling. She turned to him. "And to answer your question: I am. I just have to make one more stop."
"Where's Jazmin?"
"She's around," Miranda said quickly. She wanted the awkwardness to go away. "Hey, you two should know each—"
"Can I talk to you for a second? Alone," Ben interrupted. He touched her arm lightly and gestured toward the locker room. "Is he bothering you?"
"I think most people bother me, unintentionally," Miranda told him smiling. Ben's face was unchanging. She raised one of her eyebrows. "What is going on?"
"I just want to know if he's bothering you."
"Did you get enough rest?"
"Miranda!" Ben shouted. A few heads in the room turned to look at them.
"Bothering me? No, he's not bothering me. What does that mean? What is going on?" She said, getting pissed off. Both of their phones went off. She'd gotten a message from Jazmin: outside of the locker room. Miranda peeked out of the door and told the girl that she'd be a few minutes and that she just had to change.
"I have to go," Ben said.
Before she could answer, he'd walked away from her. Miranda headed in the opposite direction toward her own locker. As she changed back into her jeans and shirt, she felt a pull of her arm. It brought her back into Ben's arms. He stared at her for a second before kissing her softly. She grabbed his face, deepening the kiss. His tongue eased into her mouth, making her body warm. She loved that feeling, when the passion flowed over her. She pulled away and looked around. Thankfully, no one was paying them any attention. "Is everything alright?"
"I have to go," he repeated and he was gone.
In the library, Miranda quickly printed out two copies of the article, one for herself and one for Jazmin. They sat in extremely quiet room for an hour before leaving. "Hungry?" Miranda asked.
"Yes!" The girl exclaimed. "They had pizza in the hospital in that play room, but I didn't feel right eating it in front of some of them."
"No?"
"Yeah, some of them have like stomach issues and so they couldn't even eat."
Miranda nodded. Riding in the car and talking with Jazmin, Miranda imagined what it was like to have a daughter. Someone who was literally the spitting imagine of her, who was just as passionate and funny and stubborn. The woman and the girl talked easily as if the short time that they'd known each other had exactly been years. Miranda heard one of her favorite songs on the radio and turned it up a little. "I like this one," Jazmin said with a smile.
"You do?"
"Yeah. My mom says I have an old soul."
"You do," she confirmed. They pulled into a Wendy's drive-thru.
The girl searched through her bag. "Benji didn't give me any money and my wallet is at his house." The girl made a face.
"Don't worry about it," Miranda reassured her. "It's my treat. It's no problem."
"Really?" The surgeon could only smile. "Thanks, Dr. B."
"You're welcome, of course."
"You know, you're way nicer than Eunice."
"Eunice?" She was very familiar with that name, Ben's ex-girlfriend; she didn't really know much about Eunice.
"She used to be Benji's girlfriend." Miranda ordered them some food. They ate it in the car on the way to the game, which Jazmin failed to mention was forty minutes away. She smiled guiltily when Miranda put the address into the GPS.
"And one time I went over to her house and she didn't even offer me anything to eat or drink," Jazmin said stuffing fries into her mouth.
"I'm sure it slipped her mind," Miranda told the girl as she pulled onto the highway.
"Yeah. Maybe. But she never came to the park with us not even when Benji had games. She never came to any of my games."
"Maybe she wasn't a basketball fan." Why was she feeling the need to defend Ben's ex-girlfriend? It didn't make any sense. Ben had told her the story of Eunice cheating on him. Eunice was the antagonist in his love story.
The thirteen-year old girl's voice brought her back to the actual conversation she was having: "If you weren't a basketball fan, would you still go to the park with us?"
"I… guess I would. Of course I would."
"See?" The girl clapped her hands as they made their way to the gym. They listened to music and ate for a while before Jazmin said: "That's why I was kind of glad when they broke up." Miranda's eyes widened. From the mouth of a babe. "…I told him he should ask you out." Miranda parked and they got out of the car, walking toward the entrance.
"What?" Miranda said, her brows furrowed.
"Oh! I see my team! Gotta go."
"Okay, I'll see you in there."
Jazmin hugged Miranda. "Can you record a little for my mom and uncle, please?" Miranda nodded. "Tell them you're a coach and you'll get in for free," Jazmin said in a low voice. Miranda watched her join a pack of laughing girls. In the gym, she sat and watched the current game finish up. It was a blowout. In the corner of the large, hot room, Miranda saw Jazmin's team bouncing around and stretching, waiting for buzzer to sound, signaling the end of the game. As they took the court, Jazmin scanned the room for Miranda. When their eyes found each other, the girl smiled and waved. Miranda was glad that she could be there for the girl. It was her pleasure, especially since she knew that Ben would do the same for Tuck. Butterflies bounced in her stomach as the game started. She was more nervous for this game than she'd been for her own. The ball was tossed into the air and the game started. By halftime, Jazmin's team was down by twelve. Miranda looked at her phone while both teams were in their huddles for the break. She had a text from Ben: Going into surgery. Jaz will cmoe over to you during the half. If they are up she will just need to stay focused. If they are down, she is going to need some advice ab how to turn the game around. Miranda took a deep breath and put her phone back into her pocket just in time to see the girl running toward her. "Dr. Bailey?"
"Yes, ma'am?" Miranda said.
"I need help," Jazmin said. She sat down next to Miranda. "My shots aren't falling. And they are too big."
Miranda glanced at the clock; she had exactly two minutes to give the girl some words of wisdom. She took a deep breath. "Jazmin, size isn't everything. You guys aren't attacking the basket or getting enough rebounds. Box them out, they will jump over your back and you will get the calls." The girl nodded. "And, if I'm not mistaken, your team is quicker, right?"
"Yes!"
"Then, use your speed, put on a press and make them work. I, uh, don't really see any ball handlers on their team."
Jazmin nodded firmly and ran down the bleachers, landing onto the court just as the buzzer sounded.
Miranda exhaled and hoped that what she'd said had made sense. As the second half started, Jazmin caught a pass on the right wing. Her defender was overplaying her and Jazmin should have attacked the basket, but she didn't look to drive. She shot and air-balled a three-pointer. The ball hit the side of the rim and went out of bounds. Embarrassed, she looked up at Miranda who mouthed: Press! She could hear the girl yelling on the floor. "Press! Press! Press! Press!" Jazmin's team chased the ball around the floor; the bigger team was caught off-guard and fumbled the ball. Jazmin picked it up and laid the ball up for two points. With eighteen seconds left in the game and the score tied, Jazmin had the ball on the right again, the defender overplayed her again. She shot faked, making the defender jump. Jazmin went right around her and scored an easy basket with the horn sounding. They ended up winning by two points. "Man! That was great game," Miranda said as she opened the door to her house.
"That was one of the toughest teams in our division."
"I can tell."
"And they were way bigger."
"I told you size wasn't everything."
"You were right."
"Thanks again, Dr. B."
Miranda checked the time, it was nearly eight o'clock. "So! We can go to the hospital and get the keys to your uncle's apartment."
"I have a set!" Jazmin said.
"You do?" Miranda asked, confused. The girl nodded. "Why didn't either of you say something earlier?" Miranda said.
The girl shrugged. "I forgot?" She dropped her bag on the floor near the door.
"Okay, Miss I Forgot, let me just go and get some stuff and I'll be right down." They drove to Ben's house. Walking through the building, it felt a little weird to be going to his place without him being there. Jazmin let them into the house. She went to the spare room and threw her stuff in there. "You can take a shower and I'll find something for dinner."
"Okay!" Jazmin shouted running through the apartment.
"And call your mom!"
"Okay!"
Telling the girl to call Angela, made Miranda realize that she hadn't spoken to her own mother about what time her plane was landing on Tuesday. And try to get some information out of her about the reason for her visit.
She called her mom. "So, what time are you coming in on Tuesday?" She opened the refrigerator. It was neatly stocked. She pulled out chicken breasts.
"Why hello, Miranda. Nice to hear from you," Elena said sweetly.
"All that," Miranda responded with a smile. "What time? I want to make sure that I can come and pick you up." Miranda looked in the fridge again and decided that all of the ingredients to make tacos were there. Tacos it is, she thought.
"I think three in the afternoon. Is that okay?" The time seemed good, but being a surgeon, everything was unpredictable. She told this to her mother. "Yes, Mandy, I know. Got it. I can always just get in a cab or your boyfriend can come to get me. We'll figure it out."
"And you're sure dad doesn't want to come?"
"Darling, I have to go," Elena said rushing her daughter off of the phone. Miranda looked at the phone. This was odd, Miranda was usually the one trying to get her mother off of the phone.
"Alright, I love you. And give dad a kiss for me." Elena said that she would and hung up.
Jazmin strolled into the front of the apartment in a long t-shirt and short shorts. "My mom says thank you for today and for reminding me to call her."
"Of course," Miranda said. "You like chicken tacos, right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good." Jazmin helped Miranda fixed the tacos. If basketball didn't pan out, she could definitely have a future as a chef. They took their tacos and sat in front of the TV. As much as Miranda liked Jazmin, letting her have full reign over the TV was a terrible idea. There were more reality shows than Miranda would have cared to watch or to even know about. She had enough drama in her life. "When is your official bedtime?"
"Well, mom tells me to go to bed at 10 and I'm usually asleep by 11. Benji lets me stay up as late as I want to." Miranda started to lecture the girl. "Honestly. He only said that earlier because it was you asking."
Miranda laughed. "Well, let's keep to your regular sleeping schedule." The girl feigned a pout. Miranda watched as her brown face broke out into a fit of giggles. "I'm more scared of your mom than Ben."
"I'm the same way. Benji can be a bit of a… what do they call it?" The girl asked letting out a burp. She excused herself.
"A pushover?" Miranda offered.
"Yes! He basically lets me do whatever I want, but not, like, in a bad way." Miranda just nodded and listened to the girl talk. Jazmin stopped speaking suddenly. Miranda looked at her. There it was again. Ben. "He's kind of like the dad I never really had. I mean, I have a dad, but Ben has always been there, you know?"
"Yeah, I do," Miranda said thinking about Richard. Her Seattle dad. "I really do."
The girl yawned. "Well, I guess I'll just go to bed now."
"Same. I have surgery in the morning and you have… school." Miranda touched her chin. "How do you get to school?"
"My mom drops me off."
"Okay, so Ben can probably dr op you off in the morning. What time do you go in?" Miranda asked releasing a yawn of her own.
"Seven thirty."
"Got it. I'll set some alarms for him." The girl took their plates to the sink.
"Goodnight, Jazmin."
"Goodnight, Dr. Bailey."
Miranda made sure the apartment was locked before showering and getting into bed. While dreaming, she heard the distinct sound of her cell phone going off. She looked over at Ben's clock. It was almost three in the morning. Her heart stopped for a minute. Usually her phone ringing this early (or late) meant terrible news. She sat up quickly and picked up the phone that was on the nightstand. "Hello?"
"Miranda?" A deep voice said.
"I…I'm Miranda," she said rubbing her eyes. Miranda turned on the lamp and looked at the caller. It was Ben's phone number. Her heart dropped into her stomach.
"Are you dating Ben Warren?" She looked down at the phone again. If there was any bad news, they would have said so by now. "Hello? Are you dating Ben Warren?" Miranda listened to the voice again. It was definitely Ben playing around. She wanted to punch him for nearly giving her a heart attack.
"Yes."
"And do you love him?"
"For the most part."
"That's cold, baby," Ben said breaking character, his voice normal.
"Baby? Sir, I'm sure I don't know you. Or know why you're calling from my boyfriend's phone," she said turning off the light and getting back under the covers.
"It's like that."
"And that's the way it is," she said with a yawn. "Are you on your way?"
"Yes. I am undressing as we speak." Miranda gritted her teeth. The image that she had in her head was almost too much to bear. She wanted to be laying next to his bare chest right now, their bodies entwined. "I called you because I need some company on the drive home."
"I can do that."
"Alright, talk dirty to me," Ben said, deepening his voice again. She laughed loudly, clamping a hand over her mouth, muffling the sound. Ben laughed, too.
"Still want me to talk dirty to you?" She asked biting her lip.
"Mmmhmm," he said.
"How about mud?" She said in her sexiest voice.
Ben inhaled a little. "Say more."
"You like that?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Feces."
"Okay. You can stop now," he told her. In the background, she could hear the sound of his car door closing. She laughed again. Simple things, simple conversations made her so happy that he was a part of her life. "How was your day hanging with Jaz?"
"She is amazing, baby! Just funny and smart and talented. And she looks just like you."
"I know. That's my little road dog. Every since she was a baby, we've been tight."
"She said that."
"What else did she say?"
"Other… stuff," Miranda told him quickly. "How was surgery?"
"Great! With each surgery I watch, it makes me want to be a surgeon more than anything." Miranda licked her lips as she listened to him. "I don't want to leave you, but I want to go. Does that make sense?" He asked.
"Yes, it does. I get it."
They were quiet and she heard soft music in the background. "Miranda?"
"Yeah?" She answered with her eyes closed.
"I thought you'd gone to sleep on me."
Miranda smiled. "Not this time."
"I'm… sorry." She was about to ask why he was apologizing. "For yelling. Earlier. In the locker room."
"That's okay."
"No, it's not. I was out of line. And I'm sorry." He sounded so sincere; she almost wanted to apologize to him for making him yell.
"So why did you?"
"I hadn't had my coffee yet," he said with a laugh. Miranda joined in. He was ignoring the heart of the question, but she knew that it had something to do with Joshua, she just didn't know what.
"Are you guys at my house or yours?"
"Yours. Why didn't you say that Jazmin had a set of keys?" She questioned. Miranda jumped up and went into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and washed her face.
"It slipped my mind, I guess," Ben said with a yawn.
"Hey! No yawning. Um…" Miranda tried to think of a subject that would keep him alert until he got home. "Jazmin told me a little bit about Eunice."
He scoffed. "Eunice."
She giggled silently. "I hope that if we ever break up that if someone mentions my name, you don't say 'ugh, Miranda'."
"Miranda, I have no intention of ever looking back on our relationship without still being it," he said slowly.
A lazy smile appeared on her face. "Jazmin also said that she was the one who told you to ask me out. Is that true, Ben Warren? You took advice from a teenager?" The smile was still etched on her face.
"Yeah, well, just remember that I'd already made a decision to ask you out a long time before that."
"Mmmhmm."
"She likes you."
"The feeling is mutual." Miranda rolled out of bed. "I'm going to check on her now."
"I'm on my way up," he said.
She walked into the room where Jazmin was sleeping. "Okay." The bed was against the wall and she was curled into a ball in the corner of it. Miranda closed the door and went to the front of the apartment and took the chain off of the door; she opened it to see Ben dragging himself down the hall. She chuckled softly. When Ben got to the door, she pulled him inside.
"Thank you. I am struggling," he said with drooping eyes. She was so attracted to him. Even as tired as he looked and as sleepy as she was. She climbed back into bed as he undressed. He dropped his shirt, socks and pants on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed for a second before falling back on the bed. He moved next to her, rolling onto his stomach. He put an arm around her waist. He sighed deeply. "Can I have a kiss?" She turned on her side, his hand sliding down to her butt. She kissed him, pressing her chest into his. A shiver ran through her body. He pulled her into him. She closed her eyes as he kissed her again. "I am so tired."
"So go to sleep," she told him, kissing his cheek and turning over.
"Okay."
"Oh, and you need to take Jaz to school in the morning. I've, uh, set a few alarms on your clock." She listened for his response. When he didn't say anything, she kicked him a little.
"Ow!"
"Oh, that didn't hurt, did it?"
He chuckled. "No, but I heard you, Miranda."
"Answer me then," she said sassily.
"Okay. Thank you, my dear. You are the best."
"Tell me something I don't know." Ben touched her stomach and half-tickled her. She slapped his hand away.
"Only because I'm tired as hell."
"Go to sleep," she demanded. They were quiet for a bit and soon she heard him snoring loudly.