Special Delivery.

'Corey'

There is no denying that I don't want to be in this room right now. I didn’t want to go to this thing the day the PR lady told me that it was my turn to "make an appearance", I really didn't want to go 3 hours ago when I had to put this suit on, and I still don't want to be here right now making small talk with the rich people of Chicago. Frankly I'm not even sure why they made me go to this thing, it's a charity ball for premature babies and to celebrate the opening of the new birthing center at Chicago Med and last time I checked I don't have any kids.

But here I am, sticking to the side of Brent and Dayna Seabrook who came willingly as people swarm by us in shifts saying quick hello's and wishing us luck on our season. The only thing making this event halfway decent is the open bar, a surprising touch for an event being put on by a hospital. A man takes the podium and instructs everyone to take a seat for a few speeches before dinner, so I grab a glass of champagne before following the Seabrook's to our table.

Throughout the first man's speech I am pretty zoned out, speeches bore me unless they're being made by my coach or my captain. And well these days I'm not really allowed to make them myself, you drop one F-bomb and you're banned from every podium in the city! The man who spoke first is apparently chairman of the foundation finishes his speech by introducing the next presenter, just the mention of her name peaks my interest. "I'd like to introduce next our newest addition to the foundation, Dr. Sutton Parker attending OBGYN and graduate of the Chicago Medical School. Without further a due Sutton Parker everyone."

A beautiful, and way too young looking to be a doctor girl takes the stage, she has dark brown hair swept up into a bun with big brown eyes and her body is wrapped in a bright red and gold dress that flows behind her as she walks. My eyes don't leave her as she moves towards the podium, the microphone creaks as she brings it down to her level breaking my stare and concentration as I can't help but study all of her features. She cringes a little and laughs lightly before beginning her speech.

"Good evening everyone, as Dr. Keeler said my name is Sutton Parker and I am a first year attending OBGYN at the Chicago Medical Center. I am so very grateful to become a part of this growing foundation, a cause very near and dear to my heart. As many years ago I was a preemie myself and my niece Rowan was born 6 weeks premature in 2012. Pre-mature births affect one in every nine babies born in the United States, and together I believe we can be the generation that shrinks the statistic. I would also like to thank everyone in this room for joining us tonight to celebrate the grand opening of our new birthing wing featuring a state of the art Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. As a doctor here I can assure you all it is absolutely amazing and will allow for new lives, whether they be early or full term to enter this world much safer and more privately."

Her voice is so sure, like she's speaking straight from her heart and the smile on her face is definitely real. As she finishes her speech and exits the stage I know I need to talk to her, but I guess I’ll just have to wait until after dinner to do that.

The food at these things are terrible and I spent most of the time chasing the food around my plate instead of eating it. A wave a relief hits me as people start to vacate their tables and start mingling again as a band takes the stage. My eyes begin scanning the room looking for the girl, but in this ballroom full of suits and updo's it's hard to tell anyone apart. Excusing myself from the table I venture off to find the bathroom, hoping maybe after I return she will appear to me. In the bathroom mirror I can't help but run my fingers through my hair, making sure it looks good before I leave in search of her. Just that thought makes me sound crazy I know but there's just something about her and I'm dying to know what it is.

By the time I return to the ballroom almost everyone has left their seats and the couple I came here with is nowhere to be found. Weaving through the crowds of people I look for the dark blue dress that Dayna was wearing, I'm sure I look like an idiot scanning the crowds but at this point who cares? When I finally found the Seabrook's I find I everything I've been looking for, including the brown haired girl in that killer red dress.

The three of them are chatting away as if they've known each other for years, smiles on their faces and hands waving as they talk when I approach them. "There you are! Corey, this is Dr. Sutton Parker, she spoke earlier and she also delivered Carter." Dayna introduces us and the girl smiles at me as she reaches her hand out. It's always weird shaking hands with girls but I return the favor, "Nice to meet you Dr. Parker, congratulations on joining the foundation."

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too, but umm you can call me Sutton. If I'm not wearing a lab coat, or inside a hospital it feels a little weird to be Dr. Parker." she laughs at herself and it shows off her perfect teeth and the dimples in her cheeks.

As I admire her facial features I can’t help but laugh with her, she's gorgeous, clearly smart, and dorky this girl's got it all and I'm interested to say the least. "Okay then, Sutton are you a Blackhawks fan?"

Her brown eyes sparkle a little as she looks over at Brent pointing her thumb at him, "Dealing with this one for nine months, and a few of the other players and their wives I kind of have to be."

My teammate smiles, "Oh come on, you were a fan before you became the designated Blackhawks baby doctor!" Sutton rolls her big brown eyes and giggles a little, and my God is it an adorable sound, "Whatever Brent, but to answer your question yes, I am a Blackhawks fan. I grew up in Evanston."

"So you'll be coming to some of our games this season, right?" I ask hopeful and slightly embarrassed for myself that I'm trying this hard to impress a girl I don't even know.
"Hopefully, it's kind of hard to make plans sometimes when babies are on their own schedule."

That gets a laugh out of all of us, but that kind of lifestyle must suck. Even our crazy schedules have downtime built in every once in a while! Before I can say something else a loud ringing sound breaks out and all of our eyes divert to Sutton who fumbles to get her phone out of her clutch. She takes a step back and answers the phone call, the three of us remain quiet as to not disrupt her.

"Dr. Parker, uh huh.. Yeah, I'm at the gala my ETA is 20 minutes. How far is she dilated? Okay, no Pitocin just get the fluids going and call the anesthesiologist for the epidural. Yeah, see you soon." Everything that rolls off her tongue is a foreign language to me but she speaks it fluidly as if that was a casual conversation.

"Speak of the devil, I have to run. But it was nice meet you Corey, good luck this season." I thank her and watch as she hugs the Seabrook's goodbye before taking off in a speed walk out of the ballroom her heels clipping at the floor as she goes. My gaze panning after her is interrupted as Brent coughs loudly to regain my attention.

"She's gone dude, you can stop gazing after her." he chirps and I can feel my face heat up beneath the stubble on my cheeks. "Shut up Seabs, she's- she's wow. How old is she?" He laughs at my lack of words but Dayna smiles at me, reaching a hand out to grab my forearm. "30, maybe. She is a great doctor and person, Sutton's young but she's very good at her job. Sometimes too good, practically lives at the hospital, poor girl."

"So you guys really know her? Have I seen her before?" I sound desperate to myself let alone to others at this point but I don't really care, I just want to know more about her.

"She's delivered probably a handful or more of the Blackhawks babies, and all of the wives really love her. She's sat in our box a few times too, Lindsay V does her hair I think and I know she adopted one of Bick's pits last year. Very connected with the team, would be a great addition to the WAGs." Dayna says with a wink in my direction to which Brent laughs at his wife. "I think you've had too much champagne if you think Crow has a shot with Sutton, babe."
"Ouch, I'm not that bad!" I plead, or am I? What do I know about dating a doctor? Why am I even talking about dating her, I don’t even have her number.

"Well if he ever talks to her again we'll see, right Corey?" she asks and I smile at my new favorite Seabrook.

"Of course, let me know if she ever comes to a game."

/////////// 'Sutton'

When I became an OBGYN in Chicago I thought that maybe I would have one or two high profile clients in my entire career. I never dreamed I would be the baby doctor of choice for almost the entire Blackhawks roster! But what they say is true, word travels through locker rooms fast and after one of the wives gave birth and told her fellow WAGs about my practice it spread like wildfire. Before I knew it I was up to my eyeballs in Blackhawks babies and becoming friends with half of the team! Nothing brings strangers together like giving birth, I'll spare you the details but after you've seen that you've literally seen it all and that’s a bond you can't break.

So it was really nice seeing the Seabrook's at the charity ball, hearing some stories about little Carter and their plans for future mini Seab's. It was also great to officially meet Corey Crawford, one of the few Blackhawks players I hadn't met, though he doesn’t have any kids so it makes total sense. And if I'm not mistaken I'm pretty sure he was hitting on me throughout our entire conversation, to which I'm sure he caught some chirps on from Brent after I left! Poor guy, but duty calls and here I am throwing on my scrubs and making a mad dash to the labor and delivery wing of the Chicago Medical Center.

Deliveries are the best and worst part of my job, they are so rewarding to bring new life into this world but it also sucks because they can literally happen at any time. And no matter what I'm doing, if one of my patients goes into labor I have 30 minutes to get to the hospital and get the show on the road. Some can be quick and some can be nightmares that end up in the operating room, but to be honest I like a challenge sometimes if it were always easy I wouldn’t love my job so much. And if I didn't love my job I sure as hell wouldn’t have spent 8 years in med school, or work almost 80 hours a week.

It's been about 3 weeks since the charity ball and the city of Chicago has erupted in hockey fever, the Blackhawks season is officially in full swing! And so is the baby boom! After seeing a familiar name on the patient list when I arrived at the office this morning I can't help but smile before I even walk into the room to greet her.

"Congratulations, Dayna!" are my first words as the gorgeous brunette sits on my exam table, a huge smile on her face.

"Thank you, I think talking to you at the ball really hyped up my hormones!" she laughs and I smile, "Well I guess I'm your good luck charm! Let's get the little peanut checked out, yeah?"

When her exam is over and all looks well the two of us get to talking more about hockey than the newest Seabrook. "Been to any games yet, Sut?" she asks and I shake my head no.

"Nope, I'll be there Thursday night though. Finally have a couple days call free!" She rubs her hands together like she's formulating a plan and I give her a questioning look, "What is that look for? Why do you look so excited?!"

"Oh, no reason.. Just a certain person will be very happy to hear you'll be in the UC."

"Wait, what? Who?" she's completely puzzled me as I tap my pen on the patient clipboard.

"Well, you just met him.. And he may have asked us a thousand questions about you after you left the ball." I'm sure my face is priceless as I realize who she's talking about. All of the players I've ever dealt with are either married or in a committed enough relationship to be having kids so this is a new ball game for me!

"Why in the hell is Corey Crawford asking questions about me?"

Dayna rolls her eyes, "Oh come on Sutton, he has eyes! You're gorgeous, and in case you were unaware that dress you had on was a man killer."

My turn to roll my eyes, "Shut up, he wasn't looking at me like that. Besides, there's no way he wants to date someone who barely leaves the hospital."

"You'll never know unless you try, which is where Thursday comes in! Don't you worry though, I'll set it all up!" I mentally cringe at the idea of Thursday and externally groan realizing it's only 2 days away.

"The fact that you're jumping into this is exactly what worries me, where there's one WAG there's 4 or 5." she stands from the table and hugs me "Don't you worry, doc we've been waiting for this day since we first met you."

Escorting her out of the exam room I move onto my next patient, one that doesn't try and set me up on date with hockey players that are way out of my league.

Notes

welcome to my latest project! uI figured it was time to give a new team a try, and I have developed a thing for CC lately sooo here goes nothing! ;) comments and feedback are always appreciated! xoxo -Ally

Gala

Sutton's World