"Lois Marie Ashton, why can’t you get it through your head? I do not need a *man* in my life to make me happy!"

Lois Ashton sat in a large rattan chair on the comfortable front porch of her two-story renovated home in Los Angeles. She reached for her glass of iced tea and shook her head at her best friend’s foolishness. "Brenda Veronica Barrett, how long are you gonna keep lyin’ to yourself?" Just as she was about to wrap a hand around the iced tea, she sat up straight and grabbed the arm of the chair. "Ouch!!"

Brenda sprang up from the porch swing and rushed to crouch beside her very pregnant friend. "What’s the matter? Is something wrong with the baby?"

"Yeah! The same thing that’s *always* wrong with this baby! It’s BORED!" She began to massage her huge swollen tummy delicately. "Ned keeps tellin’ me that if I could just manage to swallow a basketball or a soccer ball, the baby would be a whole lot happier."

Brenda grimaced. "Sounds like a typical male response. He should try carrying the baby around for a while and getting kicked." She remained where she was, crouched next to the wicker chair. "So did you guys ever manage to settle on a name for junior, here? I mean, I know you’ve got another whole month before it’s born, but some babies *have* been known to arrive early….."

Lois waved her hand in the air. "I know, I know. I get the same question from my ma every time I talk to her on the phone." She nodded confidently. "So the other day I looked Ned in the eye and told him that if he didn’t make some time and sit down and talk with me about it soon, I would name the kid Ingo if it’s a boy or Vanessa if it’s a girl!"

Brenda laughed heartily. "After your two favorite soap opera characters, right?" She moved back to her seat on the swing. "I’m sure Ned cleared some room on his busy calendar for you after that!" She tipped her head to the side. "Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever had a hero named "Ingo" in any of my books! I’ll have to keep that one in mind – although I’m not sure exactly what time period an "Ingo" would belong in."

"Somehow I can’t see that gorgeous knight you wrote about as anything but a "Wulfgar."" Lois stretched her legs and added, "Even if he was a little bit of a male chauvinist pig in the beginning."

"Well, they’re all part MCP in the beginning," Brenda admitted knowledgeably. "That’s what makes them so intriguing." She held her hands up, as though she were sculpting something in the air. "See, you start with this handsome, dashing, brave, virile man…." She smiled wickedly at Lois. "….who also just happens to be dynamite in the sack….." She continued to sculpt. "…..and then you introduce him to the woman of his dreams." She sighed. "It’s a good thing that the readers don’t see what happens after the "happily ever after" part." Lois looked puzzled. "You know," Brenda gestured, "how the wife changes him from a MCP into a caring, sensitive hunk and they die of boredom."

"Nowwww, that doesn’t always happen," Lois scolded a smirking Brenda. "Look at me and my Ned. We’re happy, we’re anythin’ but boring, and we’re married."

"Yeah," Brenda looked downward, "well, I don’t think there are too many others out there like Ned anymore." She perked up, changing the subject. "Which reminds me – I might want to use him for research for the hero I’m working on for my next book." She took a breath to go on, but Lois held up a hand, stopping her mid-thought.

"Wait a minute, Brenda! How long ago did you finish the last one? Doesn’t Lucy EVER give you some time in between to just kick back and relax?"

Brenda grimaced and shuffled her feet on the porch floor. "I know. I just finished the last one a week ago." She looked up at Lois with sparkling eyes. "But I was driving to the market the other day, and it just hit me -- BLAM! – like a bolt of lightning! Someone in Ned’s profession would make a great hero for my next book!"

Lois tapped her foot. "Have you been plotting while you’re drivin’ again, Brenda? You DO remember that you got 2 speedin’ tickets for that last year and you promised me you would try to concentrate on the driving when you’re behind the wheel!"

Brenda came over to take Lois’ glass and pick up the tray from the rattan side table. "I know, but sometimes I just can’t help it! I get an inspiration and it’s like the characters are just talking to me, right there in the room!" She stopped for a moment and put a hand out to Lois to help her out of the low-slung chair. "I promise I’ll be more careful in the future, mom."

They went inside the house, with Lois still shaking her head. As Brenda took the glasses to the kitchen and returned to the large, airy living room, Lois had already settled herself in a large, overstuffed chair. "So, if you wanna use my Ned for research for your next hero, does that mean that you’re gonna write something contemporary?"

"Oh, no," Brenda shuddered in mock horror. "Perish the thought!" She smiled at Lois. "No, actually I thinking of using the early 1900’s as the setting for this one."

Lois’s face suddenly brightened. "Well then, if you REALLY want to use Ned as the basis for your next hero, why don’t you come over and spend some time with him and me, and really see him in action?" She made a steeple of her fingers and put them to her lips. "Like – say, this Friday night, for dinner?"

"You look entirely too happy about this, Lois Marie," Brenda said suspiciously, and then her face dropped. "Oh, no, don’t tell me you and Ned are working TOGETHER now to set me up with Mr. Right!"

"Well, Brenda, if we don’t, you’ll end up an old maid!" She pouted prettily. "Besides, I would rather see you miserable here with a blind date than miserable in some tacky singles bar, with who knows what hittin’ on you!"

Brenda narrowed one eye and raised her eyebrow. "Let me guess – is this guy somebody Ned works with?"

"You are totally too smart for your own britches, young lady," Lois smiled, pointing her finger at Brenda.

"Will Ned be cooking?"

"Is the Pope Polish?"

Brenda grimaced. "All right, I’ll come." She waved her hand at Lois when the pregnant woman clapped her hands in glee. "But only because you’re pregnant and I don’t want you getting so upset you break your water and I’m here alone to deal with it."

Lois put her hands on her non-existent hips. "Now, Brenda, would I do such a ……" Suddenly she grabbed her stomach again. "OUCH!!"

Brenda rose from the couch like a shot. "Are you OK? Is it Ingo again? Do you want me to massage your back for you?"

Lois waved her off. "Yeah, I’m fine," she said ruefully. "I just wish old Ingo in there would hurry up and make his appearance and start kicking someone else for a change." She glanced at Brenda’s still-concerned face. "And I’ll pass on the backrub, for now. With me bein’ this pregnant, havin’ Ned rub my back with Ben-Gay at night is about as thrillin’ as life gets!"

"See! I told you marriage makes life boring!" Brenda shrieked, and the two women dissolved into laughter again.

The moment Ned stepped off the elevator, he questioned the wisdom of coming down to this floor. People were rushing back and forth like ants, and he had to quickly jump out of the way before he was mowed down by two of them, deep in a technical conversation. He felt like a football player, weaving his way through the defensemen, running the football back towards the goal after a kickoff.

As he spun for the third time to avoid being knocked down, he was sure he had made the right decision in his choice of career. He shook his head in silent admiration. {How does Jax ever put up with this kind of bustle on a daily basis?}

He made his way carefully to the main desk and spied a pretty blonde, busily checking some files. "Amy?" She looked up when he called her name. "Do you know where Jax is right now? Is he tied up on an emergency?"

She gave Ned a crooked smile. "Very funny. Don’t you know by now that EVERYTHING is an emergency around here?" She looked up at a large board behind the desk, and then came over to where Ned stood. "It looks like he’s in trauma 1 stitching up a head lac on an LOL, but he won’t be long, Dr. Ashton."

"Head lac? LOL?"

"Head laceration on a little old lady," Amy smiled. "We’re always in such a hurry down here in the ER that we kind of develop our own shorthand. Do you want me to page him for you?"

"No," Ned smiled. "I’ll just find my way there and wait for him." He pointed in one direction. "That way, right?"

Amy smiled. "Yes, sir." As Ned left, she called after him. "In case you get lost, just ask any of the nurses and they can point you in the right direction."

Ned was already on his way, weaving to avoid an intern rushing some vials towards the elevator. He waved his thanks towards Amy and then continued on his way.

He knew he was getting closer to the correct trauma room when he heard Jax’s lilting accent giving orders to the chief ER nurse. "Tell her to keep the stitches dry for at least the first four days and give her some samples of Kenalog to take with her to apply to the wound once a day." He was busily making notes in a chart as he walked out of the trauma room, the nurse bobbing her head in understanding and running to keep up with the pace he set. Jax cut a striking figure in the ER, being over six feet tall and having an intense personality to match. He had on dark navy pleated chinos, a white dress shirt, and a loosely-knotted, striped tie in shades of blue under his white lab coat.

"Tell her to come back in a week to have the stitches removed, and then…." He sighed as he handed the nurse the chart and pulled off his sterile disposable gloves, tossing them into a nearby receptacle. "……see if you can think of some kind of diplomatic way to tell her that LOL’s shouldn’t be standing on stepladders to get things off the top shelf." He gave the nurse a piercing look. "Clear?" The nurse nodded, and Jax put his hands on his hips as he wrinkled his brows. "Oh, and V? Before you do that, have one of the med students go up and rattle Ashton’s cage for those ankle films on that soccer player in trauma 3. They should have been back YEARS ago."

"Are you criticizing my unit again?" Ned bristled, and Jax turned in surprise, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his friend.

"Dr. Ashton! Since when does the head of the radiology department come down to the ER to deliver films in person?" Jax’s mesmerizing blue eyes crinkled in amusement and he reached out to shake Ned’s hand.

"Since never," Ned returned dryly. "And don’t you go picking on my people when there’s nobody around to defend them!"

Jax raised one eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, and like you radiation jockeys always speak of the ER personnel in such GLOWING terms!" he said sarcastically, laughing at his own humor.

"All right, enough of the glow-in-the-dark jokes, Jax." He looked around Jax at the nurse, who was still staring in open admiration at her boss. Ned’s gaze caused Jax to turn back to her, startling her out of her gawking.

"Was there anything else, V?" Jax asked quietly.

"Uh, no…..no, SIR, Dr. Jacks!" she said defensively, and immediately took off like a shot to do her master’s bidding.

Jax held his hand out towards the lounge, and he and Ned began to stroll towards the one quiet haven in the madness of the ER. "V? You call her V?"

Jax shrugged. "She hates her first name, whatever it is, and it’s a lot quicker when you’re running a trauma than saying "Nurse Ardanowski" every time you just want an IV started." He pushed open the swinging door to the small room, and immediately headed for the coffee machine. Once he had poured himself a cup, he turned back to Ned, who was smirking and shaking his head. "What?"

"You love this, don’t you? The madness – the constant pressure ….fighting the clock to save lives."

"I wouldn’t have signed on to be co-chief of the ER if I didn’t, Ned," Jax said, sipping his coffee. "I’d go crazy if I was just stuck in the OR all day, cutting patients open and sewing them back up again."

Ned narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me, but isn’t that what surgeons normally are supposed to do?"

Jax laughed and motioned towards the large round table in the middle of the room. "You caught me there, mate." He took a seat and sighed in relaxation. "I guess I’m a frustrated ER doc with a background in surgery."

"I’d hardly call being the former chief of surgery at Mass General a "background in surgery." They were d*mn lucky to get you here at Cedars, Jax." He shook his head. "What ever made you want to leave Boston anyway?"

"Let’s just say that after the divorce, I felt that a change of pace was called for – personally and professionally," Jax said quietly. "You’re really the lucky one, you know. It’s a big mistake to get married at 18 and try to manage kids and medical school at the same time." Jax sipped his coffee. "You were smart to wait until the right woman came along."

Ned sat forward. "SPEAKING of that right woman, how would you like to come over to our house for dinner on Friday night? You keep saying that you’re dying to meet Lois, and she’s always interested in meeting my colleagues."

Jax looked at Ned suspiciously. "Do I smell an ulterior motive?" Ned cast his eyes down. Jax’s face paled in understanding. "It’s a blind date, isn’t it?"

Ned played with imaginary dust on the table. "Well, even if it was, would that be so terrible?" Jax began to shake his head and Ned rushed on. "She’s a REALLY nice gal, Jax. Her name’s Brenda Barrett, she’s 28 and never been married. She’s petite, got very dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, smart….."

"Now, all you have to add is "well-mannered" and "affectionate" and you’ve got a description of the perfect dog!" Jax said sarcastically. Ned bit his lip, because he was carefully avoiding the fact that Brenda was the most outspoken, opinionated woman he knew. Jax sighed. "Although, it has been a long time since I had a home-cooked meal….." He got a terrified look. "You WILL be doing the cooking, won’t you?"

"Absolutely!" Ned laughed. "Not after all those stories I’ve told you about Lois’s cooking!"

Jax rose from the table. "OK, then I guess you can pencil me in. At least I’m not on call Friday night."

Just then, a harried med student put her head in the doorway. "Dr. Jacks, I’m sorry to bother you, but V told me to find you….." Jax waved his hand in a "get on with it" motion. "Units just brought in a 48 year old male, MV versus pedestrian. Vital signs are fluctuating."

Jax was putting his coffee mug back in the sink before the student got three words out. "Gastric levage?"

"Positive."

"Bowel sounds?"

"Absent."

Jax pulled at his tie and had it off and stuffed in his pocket as he hit the door issuing orders. "Probably a ruptured intestine. Call the OR and tell them we’re on the way up and they’d better have a vacancy. Page Bobbie Spencer to the OR stat to head up the nursing team." He thought for just a split second. "Have them page Dr. Jason Quartermaine to the OR to assist, too. If Dr. Quartermaine ever wants to become a competent surgeon, he’s going to need more time in the OR than his family is giving him."

Ned followed the physician/tornado out of the lounge and towards the elevators as he was still talking to the flustered med student. "Don’t forget to have them page Dr. Alan Quartermaine to come down here and cover for me while I’m in the OR." His white lab coat fluttered behind him as he ran onto the open elevator.

"Jax!" Ned shouted. He saw a hand shoot out and hold the doors open, and then Jax’s head appeared in the opening. "Don’t forget – Friday at 7!" Jax gave him a brief smile and a thumbs-up before disappearing back into the elevator again.

Ned smiled to himself, putting his hands into his pockets. {Nice work, Ned. Lois will be so happy with you.} Then he sighed. {Now, if Brenda could just manage to keep her mouth shut for one evening……}

Brenda sighed as she stared up at the front door of the Ashton’s house. {Now, don’t think negatively, Brenda. Lois has always had excellent taste in men. After all, Ned’s no slouch in the looks department, and he’s a great cook to boot. And Lois said that I should "have faith, baby!" Surely that’s a good sign that this guy won’t turn out to be a troll, isn’t it?} She began climbing the stairs and stopped halfway up. {Of course, Lois’s instincts could be totally off base from the pregnancy, too.} Shaking her head, she went the rest of the way and rang the doorbell.

Brenda had to wait a few minutes so she checked her appearance quickly in a window near the door. She had chosen to dress up tonight, so she wore what she considered "dressy" in her California-chic opinion – a matching pale pink charmeuse halter top and pants. Her excellent posture displayed her tanned back to perfection in the daring top. Her hair was pulled high on her head in a ponytail, and she had applied the most minimal of make-up to her perfect tanned skin. High-heeled mauve clogs completed the outfit, and when she walked in them, her bare heels striking the soles made a soft slapping sound. As she heard the sound of someone coming to the door, she pulled out a few tendrils of hair at her forehead and then stood upright again.

Ned opened the door, wearing an apron that made Brenda burst out laughing. She pointed to it as Ned opened the screen door to let her in. "Ummmm…..excuse me, Ned, but shouldn’t that be "Kiss" the cook?!"

As he closed the door behind her, Lois called to her from the living room. "Oh, honey, are you wearing that vulgar apron again?"

Brenda went into the living room to give Lois a hug and present her with a bottle of white wine. Ned followed, grousing. "I’ll sure be happy when that baby gets here and I get my wife back." He pretended to pout. "I’m oversexed and underloved."

"Well, I hate to break it to ‘ya," Brenda retorted, "but that ain’t gonna change when the baby gets here, Ned." She smiled as she came over to hug him. "Will that help?"

"Ahh…." Ned sighed, "a woman I can get my arms around! What a refreshing change!"

Lois began tapping her long fingernails on the end table. "Uh…Ned, do I smell somethin’ burnin’ to smithereens? Like…..any possibility you’ll ever have sex with me again in this lifetime?" Lois held out the bottle of white wine, and Ned came and took it from her, placing a kiss on her lips as he did.

"You really didn’t have to bring wine, Brenda," Ned said after Lois had affectionately pinched his behind.

"Well, I figure it’s the least I could do, since I usually tend to drink at least a whole bottle myself in an evening." She perched on the arm of a chair. "Dinner smells delicious. Of course, it’s all low-cal and low fat, right?"

"Why would you have to worry, Brenda?" Ned said with a smile. "You’re so thin you put those runway models to shame."

"Yes," she replied grimly, "but at least THEY get exercise, marching up and down those catwalk things. I just get to sit on my butt all day, staring at a computer screen and making words appear out of thin air." She glanced back over her shoulder. "It’s called computer derriere."

Ned laughed, but then sniffed the air seriously. "Despite the joke that the love of my life was making, I do believe I smell the chicken burning in the kitchen!" He moved quickly towards the hallway just as the front doorbell rang. "Lois, would you mind answering that? I don’t want dinner ruined."

Brenda took a look at Lois and decided it was better not to disturb the extremely pregnant woman. "Never mind, Lo," she said with a wave of her hand. "I’ll get it for you."

"Thanks, Bren. It’s probably our other dinner guest," she said with a sly smile.

"Ahhh…..my blind date!" Brenda returned, trying to sound playful while at the same time hoping against hope that he might actually turn out to be something special. Brenda tried to peek through the lace curtains on the front door, but with the mesh of the screen door, she still couldn’t get a clear view of the man, other than the fact that he was tall. She glanced out the window and noticed that a large, black SUV was now parked behind her sporty red Toyota Camry.

{Oh, great. He probably hunts Bambi on the weekends for fun. Why did I ever agree to this torture? PLEASE let him not be a troll, so at least I’ll have something nice to look at while I tune out the sound.}

The doorbell rang again, and Brenda jumped at her close proximity. "Brenda? Are you gonna open it and let the man in?" Lois prompted, and Brenda took a deep breath and nodded.

When she finally got through to open the screen door, her breath caught somewhere in the middle of her chest. The man wasn’t only tall, he was a giant compared to her. He was holding a large bouquet of tropical flowers and looked at her with the most amazing blue eyes she had ever seen. They were the color of the Pacific at sunrise, or the Caribbean at sunset, or at least ONE of the oceans SOMETIME in one of her novels.

Her date broke into the most beautiful smile Brenda had ever seen on a man while letting his eyes travel up and down her body. "Well," he finally said in the sexiest voice she had ever heard, "I hope I’m in the right place, because either you’re carrying the pregnancy EXTREMELY well, or you’re definitely not Lois!"

Brenda suddenly seemed to lose the power to speak competently. {And you, my friend, are DEFINITELY not a troll!!!}

To be continued……