Title: We Are Going To Be Friends
Fandom: Degrassi
Pairing: Fiona/ Imogen-ish
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Degrassi is the property of Epitome, Inc.
Summary: Fiona and Imogen's mother reach an understanding of sorts.
She hated hospitals. She hated the smell of them. She hated the vomitous colors of the walls that were intended to induce comfort that made you feel anything but. Yet, the thing she hated more than anything else was harshness of the fluorescent lights overhead. It was as if they accentuated the ugliness of the place. It seemed like everything was amplified under their illumination, as if nothing could escape their scrutiny. And as a result, everything became that much bleaker under the oppressiveness of their relentless intensity. It surprised her to no end that people were actually able to heal in such a miserable environment. Which is why she avoided coming to this place and others like it as much as she could. Unfortunately for Fiona Coyne, today wasn't one of the days that she would be able to do exactly just that.
As Fiona walked through the long corridor of the surgical wing of the hospital, she couldn't help but feel a jumble of nerves in her stomach. Nerves that had nothing to with her loathing of hospitals but the nerves that come with seeing her girlfriend's, Imogen Moreno, mother. The first time she had encountered Dr. Natalie Granger was on the heels of a tragic event in Imogen's life. Even though she didn't have a whole lot of experience with meeting the parents of significant others, Fiona knew enough to know that wasn't exactly the best way to start off this particular part of her relationship with Imogen. And considering that Imogen's relationship with her mother is lukewarm at best, this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. But she knew that forging some kind of relationship with Natalie was necessary not just for her and Imogen but for Natalie too. After last night's dinner disaster, Fiona wanted Natalie to know that she and Imogen were not just good together but also good for one another.
Fiona finally reached the nurses station and just as she was about to ask the nurse at the desk to point her in Natalie Granger's direction, she heard someone call out her name.
Fiona initially came to the hospital to make a case to Natalie for her and Imogen's relationship and after Natalie more or less agreed to give her and Imogen another chance to see them together as a couple, they began to talk about other things. As Fiona looked at Natalie she couldn't help but notice the stark differences between she and Imogen. Where Natalie was extremely fair, Imogen an enviable tan. Natalie's deep auburn, wavy hair was a complete contrast to Imogen's chestnut brown, bone straight locks. Natalie also had a hardness to her face that Fiona suspected came from the years of being a doctor and perhaps the regret of leaving a family behind. While Imogen's face, on the other had, was one that was vibrant and full of endless wonder. She thought it was hard to believe that they were related much less mother and daughter that is until she looked into Natalie's eyes and saw Imogen in them. Something in her lurched in that moment. Something in her that made her want to gather up the woman standing across from her and hold her until all the hurt and pain and been squeezed out.
She hadn't realized how long she had been staring at the other women until the sound of a snap in front of her face registered on the auditory level and the spell was broken.
"I'm sorry Dr. Granger, I…I…she has your eyes."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Imogen. She has your eyes." The girl simply said by way of explanation as she continued to look into deep, dark pools that were both familiar yet foreign to her at the same time.
There was an awkward silence that followed and whatever amiable détente they achieved mere moments before quickly faded into something a bit more uncertain.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…" But be for Fiona could finish her apology, Natalie held up her hand to cut her off.
"No, don't be sorry. It's just…"
"Clearly I've upset you and that was so not my intention. Imogen tells me that sometimes I can be really thoughtless when I say things without thinking about what happens…"
"Fiona!" Natalie shouted, rubbing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.
"Sorry."
"Please do stop apologizing."
Before she knew it, Fiona was about to say the word once again but she quickly clasped her hand over her mouth before it actually escaped her lips. Again those familiarly alien eyes pinned her with intense emotion and all her hopes of building a rapport with this woman were slipping away. She had doomed her relationship with Natalie and thereby doomed her relationship with Imogen. It was if her entire life was flashing before her eyes. All of the things she wanted, slipping from her grasp, leaving her with nothing else but the soul shattering loneliness she thought she had left behind. Something in Fiona broke in that moment and it must have been terribly evident because before she even knew what was happening, Natalie had enveloped her and whispered into her ear, "Thank you."
They stood in the embrace for a brief moment and the slowly began to pull away from one another, each with a bit of moisture in the corners of their eyes. Once again they faced each other trying to wordless convey thoughts and emotions that were far too personal for two people who barely knew each other but it was Natalie who was the first to finally speak.
"Does she know?" Came the question.
"Does she know what?" Fiona responded not knowing where this was headed. And that's when she saw it. That's when she saw the crooked smile on the red head's lips. That crooked, knowing smile that she sees so often on her friend Eli Goldsworthy's face.
"Does Imogen know that you're head over heels in love with her?"
And there it was. It was that inescapable truth that she had kept to herself ever since that day when they talked about feelings and rockets to the moon while building a model house. It was that inescapable truth that was now lay out to bare for all the world to see including the woman who had given birth to girl at the heart of that inescapable truth. This caused her to give a little knowing smile of her own.
"I don't know. I mean that is to say that I haven't told her…yet."
"I see. And may I ask why you haven't told her…yet?"
Fiona furrowed her brow in deep concentration and thought about the reasons and the rationalizations and excuses that she had for not telling Imogen just how much she means to her. And then it hit her; just exactly what was the real reason.
"When we decided that we ready to be more than friends Imogen needed it to be a slow process and I needed to show her that I could give her that. I needed to prove to her that I could put her first. And that's exactly what I plan to continue to do, put her first. So I guess I'll be ready to tell her when I'm sure she's ready to hear it."
"Then in that case, you have my blessing."
"I do?"
"You do. All I ever wanted for Imogen was for her to be happy. You seem to make her happy. And given my shortcomings as her mother, it would be silly of me to add more fuel to that proverbial fire and stand in the way. Even though there are certain aspects about living arrangement that I'm not exactly enthused about, it's very clear that your feelings for my daughter are genuine."
"Thank you Dr. Granger!" She said as she launched herself into the doctor, nearly toppling her over. "You have no idea how much this means to me and Imogen."
"I think I have a pretty good idea." This was said with a wink and a smile as she disengaged herself from the ecstatic young woman. "However, I still have some concerns. Parental concerns that hope you will be sensitive to. At least until you are both of age."
Fiona caught Natalie's meaning and merely nodded her head to affirm that understanding, still grinning from ear to ear.
"Good. Now that we have that out of the way, I still want us to spend the day together as we agreed and I expect to see more of you around the house so that we all can get to know each other better. How does that sound to you?" Natalie too wore a brilliant smile as she laid out the course of action that was to be taken from that moment forward.
"That sounds absolutely perfect." Fiona beamed back.
"Good. Now if you will excuse me, I have a patient waiting for me. I'll call you in the next few days to schedule our shopping date and we'll take if from there. And Fiona, I'm truly looking forward to spending time with you and Imogen."
"Me too Dr. Granger."
"Call me, Natalie. Dr. Granger sounds far too formal. Especially now that we're all going to be friends."
This too was said with a wink and a smile and all the anxiety that Fiona had felt before she came to the hospital had all but disappeared. "Okay, Natalie it is."
"Good. I will be in touch very soon. Have a great rest of the day."
And with that Natalie Granger disappeared down the shiny, brightly lit corridor. Fiona Coyne sighed a huge sigh of relief. It was as if she could finally breathe again after holding her breath in for longer than she should have.
As she made her way out of the hospital and into the natural light of the waning sun, the former socialite couldn't but feel optimistic about the future. Her future. Forgotten was the ugliness of the place she just left as well as the ugliness of recent past. What a difference a year made. How different today is from a year ago when she fell about as far as a person could fall. Life is odd in that way because who would have thought a weeklong suspension, a mini house, and a kiss on a ferris wheel would lead her to the happiness that had eluded her for so long. It was as her best friend Holly J Sinclair had predicted, new attitude, new love life, and with the exception of a hiccup here and there, this term had been quite a hoot. And Fiona Celestine Arabella Coyne wouldn't have it any other way.