DISCLAIMER: I don't own Medical Investigation. I wish I did. Then I'd be able to cuddle Chris Gorham all the time. I'm not making any money from this. If I was I wouldn't be working a crappy high school job.
The private jet landed smoothly and soon enough the doors were opened by the pilot, but none of N.I.H's top team moved. All of them, bar Eva were asleep, and Eva was doing a last minute clean up of the plane. It had been an excruciatingly long week and to end it with an 18 hour plane flight only made it worse. There were coffee cups everywhere, papers strewn haphazardly about and what she though was a pizza box from the trip over, but couldn't be sure. Whatever it was, it was green, furry, and just had to go.
The sound of someone yawning made Eva turn to see Miles stretching and rubbing his eyes.
"Hi," he murmured, and smiled.
She smiled back. "Hey, sleepyhead."
He looked as if he might make a comeback but didn't. He stood, and looked around him. "This place is a mess."
She nodded and went back to her cleaning. After a minute, Miles came and joined her. They worked quietly and efficiently until the plane was respectable once more, and then disembarked the plane, Miles carrying a bag of things to be put in the nearest trash can.
The walk from the tarmac to headquarters seemed to Eva to take hours, battling against the harsh wind and the rain that was falling. The bright lights hurt her eyes and she shivered and paused for a moment. Miles stopped and turned to her, then without saying a word came and put his coat around her shoulders.
"Thanks," she smiled at him.
"You're welcome," he said, as they began to walk again.
Once inside, Miles deposited the trash into a bin, and headed downstairs to the office he, Eva and Natalie shared. He sat down at his desk, and looked over the mass of papers strewn on it. Sighing, he put his head in his hands.
"This might help," he heard Eva say, and looked up to find her holding him a cup of something warm.
He took the cup, and grinned at her. "You're an angel."
She laughed. "No, just quick with a coffee machine." She took a seat at her own desk. "A week saving lives and this is what we get?" She groaned. "I've chosen the wrong job."
Miles nodded and sipped his coffee, and then grabbed the first pile of papers. He began to read, highlighting in green as he went.
Three hours later, Eva shut her laptop and looked over at Miles. He was still reading, but his head was dropping a little. Natalie had stuck her head round the door earlier to say that the rest of the team were going home, and could they please lock up when they left. Miles had nodded, and gone back to his reading.
Eva stood up. "Come on, kid. Let's get out of here." She began to put the things she needed into her bag.
Miles put his papers down, and looked at her. "One, don't call me kid," he snapped, "Two, No; I've got to finish this."
She shrugged. "Fine, suit yourself. I was going to offer you a lift home, but if that's how you're going to be..."
Miles instantly regretted snapping at her, and it wasn't just that he needed a lift home. He winced. "I'm sorry. I'm just really tired, and I can't finish my report until I've done th-"
Eva cut him off. "Don't worry about it. Your report can wait, you need to sleep." She held out his jacket. "The sooner we leave, the sooner you can be tucked up in bed."
Eva parked outside Miles' apartment, and looked up at the building. No lights were on.
Miles undid his seatbelt. "Thanks," he began, "not just for the lift home, you know, but for your help this week."
She smiled, a maternal kind of smile, and for a split second Miles found himself wishing she didn't just see him as a kid to look after.
"You're welcome. It was a tough case. You did well." She leant over and kissed him softly on the cheek.
Miles felt himself colour, a little, and mentally scolded himself. "Night," he said, as he got out of the car.
Eva watched and waited as he jogged to the doorway, and then saw him hit his hand to his forehead and say what she assumed was a cuss word.
He returned a moment later, and she opened the door for him. "Did you just cuss?" she asked him teasingly. He rolled his eyes.
"I forgot they're painting our apartments this weekend. I meant to make reservations for a hotel, but then…" He sighed.
"It's ok. You can stay at my place; I've got a sofa bed." She spoke softly, and he could see she was smiling at him in the dim light.
He climbed back in beside her, and thanked her awkwardly. Miles cursed himself mentally, feeling like his thanks were inadequate. Here he was, so far from his home town, needing someone to show compassion towards him, and she was doing just that, and he didn't know what to say. Internally, he smacked his hand to his forehead once more.