All the Single Ladies, Put Your Hands Up

Black-Angel-001: based on a question posed to me by a friend on facebook, and my response to him. may you enjoy the attempt at humor. this was intended to be posted on v-day, but what can ya do?

Disclaimer: I don't own E! or it's characters and most certainly don't own St. Valentine's, commercialistic thing that it's become.

All the Single Ladies, Put Your Hands Up

It started, like most things, with a question.

It was an innocent question to be sure, posed by a man who'd randomly thought about it as the holiday of love approached and he looked for an available woman to take out. Of course, most of this man's thoughts were pretty random to begin with and everyone who knew him was used to it. That didn't mean, however, that the question was appreciated by anyone.

John Gage and Roy DeSoto were on duty and stocking up on supplies at Rampart General Hospital, drinking coffee and talking to Dixie. Well, Roy was anyway. Johnny was running up and down the hallway (not literally, of course because he feared Dixie grabbing his ear), speaking with every nurse he came across. Roy had a good idea just what it was Johnny was doing and shared an amused and patient look with Dix. Valentine's Day was only a few days away, and Johnny was desperatly looking for a date. Finally unable to ask anyone else as he'd asked them all, Johnny dejectedly went to the bay station and slumped against the counter next to Roy, face drawn in thought. He looked up at a group of young nurses, back to his feet, then back to the nurses, and back to his feet. Roy braced himself for whatever wild thing Johnny would say and Dixie waited for her favorite entertainment (hey, Johnny wasn't her partner after all) to start. Watching her two favorite paramedics interact with each other was great fun as long as they were both in a good mood.

"How is it that every single girl I ask out for Valentine's is busy then? I mean, did they suddenly get boyfriends that I don't know about," Johnny asked while pulling a hand out of his pocket to put on his chest.

"No, everyone you asked is still single," Dixie comfirmed.

"Well then what is it? What in the world could so many beautiful, single women be 'busy' doing on Valentine's Day?"

Roy cut his eyes to Dixie, apprehension clear on his face. He knew from experience that there were some questions men just plain did not need to ask about women, questions men did not need to ask to women, and questions that men did not need to ask other men in the presence of women. Johnny didn't have that experience though, and so he'd asked. He saw a familiar glint in Dixie's eye, one he'd seen in his own wife's eyes before, and groaned.

"Uh, Johnny," he began.

"What do you think it is we do Johnny," Dixie asked, cutting Roy off. "We sit at home with a bottle of wine, self bought chocolates, and cry and watch reruns late into the night before we cry some more into our pillow in bed."

Johnny frowned at Dixie. "Really?"

Roy felt the unique urge to slap his forehead, then Johnny's. "Johnny, I don't think-"

Dixie cut him off again. "Oh sure. It's what every woman who enjoys being single does on Valentine's."

"You're putting me on," Johnny said with conviction, pushing away from the counter only to lean against it again from the side, one palm and hip resting against the surface with the other hand placed on the other hip.

"Am I?" With that, Dixie got up and went about her duties.

Johnny stared after her, mouth slightly ajar, before he turned to Roy. "She was putting me on. Right?"

Roy decided that sometimes, silence was best.

That Valentine's Day evening, Dixie settled herself into her sofa with a bottle of wine, self bought chocolates, and the reruns on tv. After pouring herself a glass and picking up a chocolate she suspected with coconut, she raised the wine glass and toasted the room in general.

"To all the women who are single and love it," she said with a smile.

Spread about the living room in various areas, all situated in front of the tv, all with their own bottles and glasses of wine, and their own self bought chocolates, the nurses from her shift raised their glasses and smiled back, all voiceing a quiet, "Here, here."

Contendedly, Dixie took a sip and settled in to watch her show.