Anna wandered through the empty echoing halls in search of coffee. Not only was she exhausted but also she was shivering, as the waiting room had grown quite cold now that a blistering windstorm had blown in suddenly.

Being Christmas Eve, she eventually gave up on finding coffee, as most everything had already closed for the holiday. Instead, Anna started following after the faint sound of a piano being played from somewhere in the hospital. She continued toward the melody and soon discovered an open atrium near the main entrance, festively decorated with Christmas trees and a blazing fire place. Near it she also found a man sitting at a baby grand piano, tinkering out the familiar song White Christmas.

Anna paused to listen for a moment, almost forgetting where she had spent the last twenty-four hours, and when he paused from playing she spoke softly, "I think you'll get your wish." He lifted his head quickly, clearly startled by her voice.

Anna gave him a soft comforting look, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you. It sounded nice is all."

His eyes were red and tired, and his face clearly distraught. Yet, Anna saw past all that to see a very handsome man. His dark hair low and messy above his brow, a five o'clock shadow darkening his chin. He wore the remains of a black suit, a blue and red plaid tie hanging open around his neck and cuff links decorating his wrists. But Anna also noticed bloodstains on the tip of one shirtsleeve and spots of blood down the front of his white shirt as he turned around on the piano bench toward her.

"I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?" He asked politely. "I didn't think anyone else was in this corridor. The emergency room is thankfully rather quiet tonight."

"Except for us." Anna quirked her eyebrows up at him then noticed his paper cup sitting near the piano. "Is that by chance coffee?" She asked pointing at his cup.

He stared at her for a moment, drinking in her appearance. Seeing beyond her frail stature, her tired and weary eyes, she was dressed in a champagne evening gown, her hair still glamorous despite the many hours pacing the hallways that day. She carried her heels in one hand as he noticed she stood there in her stocking feet. "It is coffee…I know a secret place where you can find some if you're interested."

"I'm more than interested. I'm afraid if I don't get some coffee in me soon, I'll fall asleep standing up."

He smiled back at her, only out of one corner of his mouth. "Well we can't have that, now can we?"

Anna felt an odd familiarity as his kind green eyes met hers again. He stood slowly from the bench and opened his hand toward her. "I'm John Bates."

She met his fingers with her own and as his large hand embraced her tiny one, she felt a sudden calmness surround her. She was no longer alone, and that brought her a moment of peace at the end of a very long day. "Hello. My name is Anna Smith."

"Well if its coffee you need, you'd best follow me." He led her down the hall from where she has just came, and after turning a corner pointed toward an open staircase. "You might want to put your shoes back on. I'm afraid the floor in the café is a bit sticky."

"Really? That's not the usual standard of cleanliness for a hospital."

"There were some unattended children playing with sugar and water earlier today, after the cleaning crew had left for the holiday of course."

"Thank you for the warning Mr. Bates." She placed her left hand on the railing for balance and John glanced a look to notice her ring finger was bare. As she bent down to place one shoe on her foot, John felt enamored by the way long blonde locks of hair fell forward into her face.

Once her shoes were properly on her aching feet, they walked side-by-side down the stairs and toward a dark café. As they neared the bottom steps Anna lost her footing and started to fall forward before John quickly reacted and caught her. "Are you alright?" John caught his breath as she fell into him.

Anna's face flushed with embarrassment. "Excuse me – I'm so sorry about that. I'm just so tired."

He looked at her with deep concern, "Perhaps, you should hold onto my arm for support then."

She took a deep breath, " If you don't mind, I think I will," and slid her arm through his as they continued down the stairs together. Once reaching the bottom, John gave her arm a squeeze softly so she would stop. "Wait here one moment." He reached into his pant's pocket and pulled out his smart phone. Swiping at it a few times, he turned on the flashlight and lit the way for them to safely enter the café.

"Here's the easy brew machine, or if you'd prefer, I can whip you up something at the espresso bar over there."

"Espresso? Really? I'd love one."

"How does a latte sound then?"

"Right now, it sounds like a little piece of heaven."

John smiled at her gratitude and happily went about making her latte. Anna watched him with curious eyes as he opened the storage cooler, poured milk into a stainless steel pitcher and began steaming it under the machine's wand. He searched for a couple of large cups and winked back at her when he found two big Christmas themed mugs. When he was finished, he carefully handed Anna one of the mugs and then held his up toward her to wish her cheers. "I suppose being here isn't exactly a Merry Christmas for either of us, but I'd like to wish you one all the same."

"Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Bates."

"You're welcome… And please, call me John."

Anna took a long sip from the mug and sighed with heavy relief. "Seriously. You don't know how much your kindness means to me. Thank you."

"It was no trouble," He assured her.

"This is very good, I just realized I haven't eaten anything today."

"Would you like some food as well? I can jump the counter and grab you something. I'm afraid the only thing available are pastries though."

Anna looked at him with interest, "How is it you know all this Mr. Bates?"

"I'm afraid I spend a lot of time here. Too much time in fact. This is my mother's 7th stay here in the hospital this year."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. That sounds serious."

"It is…." John hesitated, although Anna sensed he wanted to say more, yet he didn't.

"Well, she is very lucky to have you. If you care for her as well as you've taken care of me this evening, then she is very lucky indeed."

"I hope so. It doesn't always seem like doctors know how to actually care for people, sometimes I get so frustrated with how they talk about her like she isn't even in the room."

Anna wasn't at all shocked by John's comment; she agreed many of her colleagues had terrible people skills. "Yes…bed-side manner isn't exactly a top priority in medical school."

John looked at her with soft admiration. "May I ask you Anna…why are you here this Christmas Eve?"

"Well, as it turns out, I was visiting London for an awards ceremony when my friend Elsie became very ill. I rushed her here and she's in surgery at the moment."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Do they know what's wrong with her?"

"No, not yet. The surgery is exploratory, she had severe pain in her abdomen…and well, they weren't able to conclude anything without going in I'm afraid."

"That sounds rather troubling….and are you here alone then?"

"I am now. There were others, but seeing as it's so late on Christmas Eve, I sent everyone else home to be with their families."

"That was very selfless of you…and what of your family?"

Anna's thoughts seemed very distant for a moment before she looked back at him and smiled. "Oh…I'm afraid I'm all the family I have."

"How can that be? No family to speak of?"

"I was an only child and my parents were killed in an automobile accident when I was very little. Elsie actually raised me…so she's more like a mother to me than a friend."

"I see…" He looked at her with such compassion, it nearly overwhelmed her.

She blinked back some tears. "Yes, well…what about you John? Are you alone sitting bedside with your mother? Any siblings to speak of?"

"It would seem you and I have something in common Anna…I too am an only child and my father passed several years ago."

She smiled at him knowingly, that was an uncommon trait to have. "Merry Christmas to you John….is there…is there anything I can do for you?"

John was touched by her kindness. "I must say, I appreciate the company. Mother is sleeping finally and I won't leave tonight. Would you mind terribly if I waited with you until you hear news of your Elsie?"

"I wouldn't mind at all, in fact, I welcome your company."

"Let's head back to the waiting room then." John chivalrously held up his arm for Anna to balance on as they walked back up the stairs.

"Thank you Mr. Bates."

John smiled and quietly led the way back to the waiting room. When they reached the small area, there were two other people asleep – a man lying across a long leather couch and a young girl curled up on a chair. The only remaining place to sit was a second leather couch against the wall. John helped Anna to one end and he slid over to the other end as he watched Anna quickly remove her high-heeled shoes. He whispered to her, "Those are one of the great mysteries to men."

Anna seemed confused as she looked toward him, "What's a mystery?"

"Why women feel the need to dress in uncomfortable shoes."

"Well, twenty-four hours ago it seemed like a good idea. I don't usually wear heels. In fact, I spend most days in very comfortable shoes and clothing. So…its nice to get dressed up on occasion."

"Well, if you don't mind me saying, I do think you look very lovely, even without shoes."

Anna wasn't sure if John was flirting with her, but whatever it was, she liked it. "I'm quite certain any chance of loveliness faded from my appearance hours and hours ago…" Anna giggled softly in amusement.

John glinted his eyes at her and folded his arms, "There isn't an once of truth to that…" He spoke louder than they had been and both he and Anna noticed the little girl stir at their sounds. When they looked back at each other, John lifted his finger to his lips to indicate they should probably sit together quietly. Anna nodded her head in agreement before yawning, then whispered to John. "I'm just going to close my eyes for a few minutes."

An hour later Anna was startled awake by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She realized she had fallen asleep and was leaning against John's shoulder. He too had been asleep on the couch with her. She quickly realized they were now alone in the waiting room as she answered her phone loudly. "This is Dr. Smith."

John, still in a daze of sleep rubbed his face with his hands, then stood for a moment to stretch his back while Anna continued to talk on her phone.

"I understand…do you anticipate a vacuum-assisted closure?...Yes, I would recommend that, especially if there is a risk of infection…Alright, thank you for the update…Call me when she is in recovery please."

Anna ended her call and John sat down again beside her. She looked at him slightly embarrassed. "It would seem I fell asleep on you…I'm so sorry." She laughed when he gave her a big grin.

'That's what I'm here for…Anna, was that call about Elsie?"

"It was, she's very lucky. Her appendix ruptured, so they had quite the internal mess to deal with. She will have to remain in the hospital for while, there's too much risk of infection with something like that."

"I see…and…Anna? Why didn't you mention that you were a doctor?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Perhaps…I just wanted to blend in for the evening."

"But I made that rude comment earlier about doctors and…"

Anna interrupted him quickly, "No. Please don't feel badly about that. I completely agreed with you, remember?"

"Well, I'd still like to apologize. It was a broad statement about all doctors and I'm sure you're a very caring person."

Anna tilted her head toward John and smiled. "Well…I'd like to think so…if only people would give me a chance to show it."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh…I don't know, usually once someone finds out that I'm a doctor, they usually lose interest in getting to know the real me."

Just then they were interrupted by Anna's cell phone ringing again. "I'm sorry, excuse me again." She answered the call, "This is Dr. Smith."

This time John smiled as she said it. He stared at her with growing admiration. Not only was she beautiful and kind, but also she was a caring and a highly intelligent doctor. How was this woman not married he wondered to himself.

Anna ended the call abruptly. "I'm sorry John, there seems to be a complication in surgery and I would like to be there to consult with the surgical team."

"Of course…please go." He stood with her and she was comfortable enough with him now to simply lean on his arm again to assist her balance while she threw on her shoes quickly. But before she left, she leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you John Bates."

"You're very welcome…Dr. Smith." There it was. Anna frowned for a moment. John would no longer think of her as just Anna. "I haven't lost interest by the way…" He spoke quickly as she put on her other shoe. She stood on both feet and paused for a moment looking at him quizzically. "I'd like to get to know the real you Anna…that is…if you'd like to get to know me."

Anna smiled as she rushed away, "I'll find you…and I'll check in on your mother!"