This is an AU fic for Doctor/Doctor aka The Heart Guy bridging the time between Hugh and Penny's argument at the kite event and their conversation at Ajax's wedding. Feedback is much appreciated.
.~.~.~.~.
Typical of Floyd he'd climbed from the car toting his kite, throwing it right in the bin. "I'm over kites," he announced matter of factly. "I am into robots now."
"Fine, whatever," Penny agreed barely able to focus on what he said, thinking her feelings belonged in the bin amidst the clutter and garbage.
"Did you and Hugh have an argument?" Floyd asked curiously.
"You could say that," By the time Floyd was seven Penny had realized lying to him never worked. He would sail past the obvious answer that she and Hugh had indeed had an argument, to create an alternate grandiose explanation that would inevitably lead to a later greater problem. Besides she and Hugh were friends. Floyd had friends. He could wrap his mind around that sort of problem.
"You should call him and make up." Floyd suggested adding, "That's what you tell me."
"The next time I tell you that, remind me not to say that." She said pushing the door and entering the house.
.~.~.~.~.
Floyd went upstairs to begin his robot plan. Apparently, drawings and diagrams and internet searches were necessary. "I'll be busy all afternoon," He vowed certainly.
"Good, wonderful," Penny agreed reaching for her phone, lowering herself onto the couch. She had her own net searches to complete. She typed Harry…Harriet's name into the search engine and began reading the results. Depressingly there were dozens and dozens of accounts praising Harry's skills and talent as a dentist. Penny didn't click on a single one of these results. However, there were nearly as many negative comments citing missed appointments and bizarre bedside manner and odd accounts of theft of sugar products. Penny liked every single one of those criticisms.
.~.~.~.~.
She didn't sleep much Saturday night. Instead, Penny spent the night questioning her appalling taste in men. Especially her appalling taste in falling for a man that a year before she would never, ever have gone near romantically. Hugh was everything mothers warned their daughters against. That first day she'd even told him she did women, so he wouldn't bother hitting on her. That Penny would never have gone near Hugh. The problem was as she got to know Hugh, Penny realized she hadn't known Hugh at all. Oh, he was cocky, arrogant and irritating. But he wasn't the hotshot no care surgeon she had expected. Once he settled into the hospital she'd realized Hugh was a reasonably compassionate, concerned doctor. Much to her surprise he'd also been a good influence of sorts on Floyd. He was Hugh, so she was pretty sure he was the reason Floyd thought public urination was a remedy for jellyfish stings. But he also gave her son time and attention. He sent Floyd memes that she pretended not to find as funny as she actually did. Almost in spite of herself Penny had started to trust him with Floyd, and she never trusted anyone with Floyd. When he'd come to visit them in Sydney, Hugh had been the one to take Floyd to the beach both mornings. Still Hugh was Hugh and her Mark years had made her wary of any man, and especially wary of one with flashing red warning signs of partying and unreliability. But the thing was Hugh wasn't like Mark. Oh, she was sure in his heyday Hugh would have matched Mark party for party. But that was where the similarities ended. If Hugh promised Floyd he'd be somewhere he was there. Mark had been good at events like rodeos and circuses and then he'd float away. Hugh was there for Floyd's school play, he came to the kite event…the day to day stuff she'd thought would have bored him, that had always bored Mark, he seemed to enjoy. Hugh might never be a normal father, or a normal anything, but she and Floyd were not normal either. And she had thought maybe that was the point that maybe in their eccentricities she and Hugh suited each other. But she didn't think that Saturday night.
.~.~.~.~.
"Why are we having waffles?" Floyd questioned, his tone seemingly wavering between criticism and confusion when he came to the table Sunday morning.
"You love waffles?"
"Yes," Floyd agreed sitting down at the table. "But I usually have to go to a restaurant to get them since you never make them."
"I've been up since four, I had time for the whole production."
"I like waffles and ice cream best of all." Floyd pointed out seemingly testing her limits.
"Go get the ice cream," Penny suggested tiredly.
"You are letting me eat waffles and ice cream for breakfast." Floyd marveled needing clarification that his mother was allowing such a thing…
"Why not?" Penny answered shrugging. "What good is following rules or good nutrition…Doesn't get you anywhere except gray haired, toothless and alone with a bunch of cats."
Floyd looked at her curiously asking, "Am I supposed to understand anything you are saying?"
"Get your ice cream," Penny answered gruffly.
.~.~.~.~.
Sunday afternoon Penny had curled up on her couch with her whiteboard and a tub of chocolate ice cream. Every time she thought of an additional reason why Harriet was wrong for Hugh she ate another spoonful of ice cream. By the end of the afternoon she'd consumed a quarter of the carton.
"Are you sure you are okay?" Floyd asked coming down the stairs.
"Couldn't be better." She had listed 24 separate reasons why Harriet was a disaster for Hugh. At least six of those reasons were very solid, some less credible, two were laughable.
"What are we going to eat?" Floyd asked glancing pointedly at the clock.
Penny held up the tub of ice cream, "Want to finish this?"
.~.~.~.~.
Sunday night Penny came up with a much longer and more valid list of reasons Hugh might prefer Harriet. Harriet was fun and carefree. Not like a country GP with a young son. Harriet would rent convertibles for them to roar off in search of sun, sex and other sins. Whereas Penny would envision Hugh driving too fast in a convertible and getting thrown from the car. Harriet would be the type who removed Tom Cruise's braces. Penny was the type that tested foot fungus from a kid stepping in a cow dung. Harriet would save Hugh from the small box of Whyhope go with him to big cities and fancy places, whereas Penny dreamed, childishly, about them going to Sunday dinners at Arcadia, or of simply sitting with him on the couch running her hands through the few strands of gray Hugh tried to disguise. Of course, Hugh would prefer glamour and excitement to Whyhope. The man had a countdown clock for goodness sakes. The last thing he wanted was a small-town country GP.
.~.~.~.~.
Monday morning resting her head against the shower stall, letting the water stream down her neck and shoulders, Penny cast aside her negative thoughts, deciding Hugh Knight would be lucky to have her. Sure, she was a country GP, but she was the one who found his father a home dialysis unit, who financed his stent, who didn't mind when he texted her at one in the morning with some obscure song lyric only they would both love. Harriet would never get the San Francisco reference. Harriet would never help put an experimental heart in a pig, or just know as she did that one day that heart would go in a human. Penny knew she had made mistakes, she hadn't trusted Hugh when she should have, but she could, would prove to Hugh that she valued him, loved him and that they could be happy.
.~.~.~.~.
Penny had followed Floyd to school and then gone into work two hours early determined to have it out with Hugh, indeed she had stomped down to his wing armed with some predetermined arguments about how he was making a wrong choice, how she could make him happier. The room was dark, and no one responded to her knocks. And while she wasn't proud of it she even peeked between the newspapers and saw no movement in the room. Nothing. Sure, he was recovering but Hugh was generally up early…
Penny had stomped right back to reception asking, demanding actually, "Where is Hugh?"
Betty looked up from the plant she had been serenely talking to, confusedly muttering, "On sick leave."
Penny bit back her frustrated retort. "I know that but where is he…geographically." Sometimes with Betty you had to leave no room for error or side interpretation.
"Oh yes," Betty agreed closing her eyes as if trying to remember. "He said he needed some sun and surf, said he was off till the weekend in Sydney." She smiled as if pleased she had remembered his exact words.
"Right," Penny answered nearly spitting out her response. "He's on sick leave recovering from major surgery and he flies off to parties and the beach. That's exactly Hugh."
"Well yes." Betty agreed looking at her strangely.
"Exactly like him," Penny agreed even more bitterly than before. "I'll be in my office." She said turning on her heel and moving down the hall.
.~.~.~.~.
Reaching her office, Penny slammed the door, releasing a gigantic sigh. She had thought his promises of partnership, the times he called her partner or referred to her as the Ernie to his Burt meant something. Clearly it did not. It was just Hugh being Hugh; funny, charming and casual Hugh. Hugh who slept with half of Sydney and probably didn't remember most of their names. She had misread everything… She was back standing in the hall watching Celia flirt. Back sitting alone in a restaurant in Sydney foolishly pretending she'd blown off their dinner date. Back walking herself home from dinner alone because after all Dr. Penny Cartwright was not about to trust Hugh's words. Back watching he and Harry roar away in Mustangs while she got to cry through a consult. Back alone sitting in her office, alone with no prospects of being otherwise.
.~.~.~.~.
Throughout the day Monday whenever Betty or Ken would creep near Penny's door they would hear either muffled comments such as "Penny you have to move on" "There are other fish in the sea" or more oddly they would hear noises like some object hitting the desk. By the time Penny decided to go home the entire clinic staff was on edge. Tuesday, they decided, would be better.
.~.~.~.~.
"I'm going to have to run some data to contrast reasons for ER admissions," Ken was explaining to a Nurse Williams as he watched Penny walking into a patient's room Tuesday morning. In under a minute she walked out of the room and into the next. "What is Penny doing?"
"I don't know," Williams replied, "But she's been doing it all morning."
"Excuse me," Ken said walking away from the RN. "Penny?" He called hesitantly. "Is everything okay?"
Without offering a greeting of any sort Penny began explaining, "No it is not okay. I don't know what kind of slipshod facility we are running. Do you know that I have discovered three clocks in this building that are displaying the wrong time?"
"Last week it was probably like eight or nine." Ken announced cheerfully, "That is progress. And progress is the goal of any successful organization."
Penny frowned stating, "Not good enough. I want every clock check and calibrated to the second. Is that clear?"
"Very clear," Ken acquiesced nervously.
Penny stomped away, her heels clicking against the floor. Nurse Williams walked over saying, "A couple of the nurses and I have been talking, she needs an enema." She nodded as if affirming her own diagnosis.
.~.~.~.~.
At ten o'clock Wednesday Penny stomped into reception announcing, "Do you know we have seen seventeen patients since seven o'clock this morning?"
"I haven't been counting," Betty admitted matter of factly.
"Well we have, and last Wednesday we had seen eighteen patients by this time." Penny announced coldly. "And the Wednesday before we had seen 14. You do see the pattern, don't you?"
"I truly do not." Betty admitted flatly.
"Our fluctuations in admissions must have a statistical cause."
Betty narrowed her eyes asking, "You believe there is a statistical cause linking ear aches and colds?"
Seemingly ignoring Betty's question, Penny continued her narrative directing Betty, I'm going to need you to compile a spreadsheet on the last 52 Wednesday clinic admission data." Penny instructed, clearly warming to the idea. "As we examine the data we will discover why more people come to the clinic on certain Wednesdays than other Wednesdays."
Betty contemplated the idea before admitting, "I just assumed it was because they get sick."
"The data will show," Penny said insisting, "I will need that report before you leave today."
"Wouldn't it be easier to call Hugh?"
Penny drew herself up feigning confusion saying, "Why would I call Dr. Knight? He is on medical leave. As his supervisor I would not disturb his rest." Shaking her head as if dismissing the mere idea, Penny announced, "I must perform rounds. Please work on that data. I need it," She insisted determinedly.
.~.~.~.~.
"Good morning," Ken called smiling down at Mia who was sprawled across the floor with her head inside a cabinet, seemingly scrubbing about her head. "May I ask why you are laying on the floor?"
"Well it's not for fun," Mia grumbled. "Penny decided that every cabinet containing staff equipment must be cleaned."
"Isn't that generally tasked to the cleaning team."
"Busy hands are not idle hands," Mia repeated in a sing-song. "Do you even know what that means?"
"Not a clue." Ken said asking, "She is a bit sharp this week."
"She's completely anal." Mia declared hotly.
The phrase reminded Ken of Williams words causing him to ask, "Have you heard anything about Penny needing an enema?"
"Oh, we have all moved past just thinking that," Mia assured him. "Now we're doing a drawing to see who gets to administer it." At Ken's surprised expression she shrugged explaining, "Don't worry for every ticket you have to donate a dollar. We're giving the pot to the breast cancer fund. We've raised a lot of money…" Without further comment she lowered herself back to the floor and returned to scrubbing the cabinet.
.~.~.~.~.
Friday driving in Penny craned her head looking for either a Mustang or his blue car. Seeing neither she groaned resting her head against the wheel. Ajax's wedding was tomorrow surely, he'd be back for that… Surely he…Except there was no surely with Hugh. He was the most unpredictable person she'd ever….loved. Reaching over she punched a preset number on the phone. "Betty I'm taking a personal day…" She was sure she heard, but no she couldn't have heard that. "Betty did you say thank goodness."
.~.~.~.~.
"What time are you dropping me at Billy's?" Floyd asked Saturday morning. Breakfast had been cleared away, and they had been watching a television special on robots.
"Why am I dropping you at Billy's?"
Floyd looked at her confoundedly. "Ajax's wedding."
"Oh, I don't know if I'm going."
Floyd fixed her with a dubious expression, "You've been planning it for weeks."
"Well after this week, I unplanned it." Penny retorted reaching for the remote.
"Good morning," A voice called as a sharp knocked struck on her screen door.
"Hugh," Penny said releasing a breath that she had no idea that she had been holding. "What are you doing here?"
"The wedding." Hugh reminded her asking, "You are going right?"
"Of course," She said laughing lightly as if thinking otherwise was ridiculous.
"But you just said." Floyd said glancing over at her.
Penny fixed him with a strained smile saying brightly, "I said I couldn't wait to go to the wedding."
"Clever," Floyd complimented rising from the sofa saying, "I'll go pack my bag for Billy's."
They both stood silently watching Floyd climb the stairs. "Can I come in?" Hugh requested, and Penny realized she hadn't even invited him inside.
She walked over removing the latch and waited until Hugh stepped in, gesturing toward one of the chairs. He sat down slowly, once he did, Penny took the chair nearest him. "So," She asked more curtly than she'd intended. "What brings you here?"
"It is Ajax's wedding. Father of the groom doesn't have much to do but show up."
"Funny." Penny said clarifying, "I meant why are you here? At my house."
"The doctor hasn't cleared me for driving. I need a ride." The statement was so blunt and so very Hugh, that Penny almost laughed.
"I saw you and …. I saw you driving the other day." She certainly did not need any reminders about that day.
"That was convertible driving," Hugh clarified lightly. "I haven't been cleared to drive a proper car."
Penny fought the smile that touched her lips. "I see."
"You are going to the wedding, right?"
Realization dawned on Penny and she said in the tone she knew he'd expect, "And you expect me to drive you." It had only been seven days and she hadn't realized how much she missed the banter between them.
Hugh considered her statement before replying lightly, "Change expect to hope and pretty much."
Before she could stop herself, Penny heard herself asking, "Where's Harriet?" She wanted to bite back the words, yank the obvious petulance back lest he guess why his partner was so bothered by his wife.
"With any luck back on the North American continent." He said offering as an afterthought, "God help 'em."
Penny studied him a moment before inquiring, "Your choice or hers?"
"Mutual decision." Hugh admitted more easily than she might have expected. She watched him carefully looking for disappointment or regret. None seemed evident. "I just wanted her away from me, I didn't force her off the continent."
"Funny." Penny said softening her tone. "If you want to talk about it…."
"I don't not really, not today anyway." Hugh said before turning to face her, "I didn't come over about that…." He paused uncomfortably before continuing, "I wanted to apologize about the other day, I was kind of well…"
"Idiotic," She offered flatly.
Hugh half smiled countering, "Not my typical charming self."
"That how you see it, then?"
"Not really," Hugh sighed leaning back in the chair and hissing softly. Penny leaned forward, causing Hugh to caution her, "I'm alright just a bit sore."
"Don't rush things," Penny reminded him gently. "You're still recovering."
He sighed and then took a moment before explaining, "The other day at the park, Harry and I had an argument the night before and she'd driven off and I had no idea where she was…."
"Hugh, I had no idea…"
"In the past," He sighed at the memory, "That meant a bender and worse…I kept having these images of her smashed up or sprawled out…. or god knows what…"
"And you were worried, and I was only blubbering about our partnership…."
Hugh shook his head saying, "I should have told you."
"Communication is not your strong point."
Hugh sighed acknowledging. "True…" He seemed to be wrestling for what to say next. "I think I want to do better…. for my partner."
Penny felt a flush run through her asking, "So we are still partners?"
"Absolutely. "
"And what is Harriet."
"My ex and that's what she'll stay. We had it out that afternoon, Harry's not a horrible person." Penny arched a brow slightly. "She's not. But it's like being on a rollercoaster sooner or later fun as it is, you have to get off."
"You sure you want off…."
"Absolutely," Hugh said firmly.
Penny looked away saying, "And do I need to call your Los Angeles attorney?"
Hugh frowned looking confounded for an instant before saying, "I can't imagine why." Their eyes locked for a long silent moment before Hugh said, "Partners take care of each other."
Penny gave his arm a reassuring squeeze before reminding him, "It's your son's wedding day. Hardly a time for a talk like this…" She released his hand and rose saying, "Give me twenty minutes and I'll be ready."
"Thirty if you need them." Hugh said flashing a quick and reassuring smile, that pleased her far more than she had expected.
.~.~.~.~.
"So," Hugh suggested to Floyd twenty-nine minutes later, "You ever think of combining robots and kites." He said sounding intrigued by his own idea, pausing to flesh it out before suggesting, "Like robots warring over kites or kite robots."
Floyd's head jerked up, his interest clearly engaged. "Clever."
Fighting the urge to groan at the inevitable expansion of the robot fascination, Penny came down the stairs saying brightly, "Ready?"
Hugh looked up smiling saying, "Well look at you." Penny had fought against flushing at the praise, compiling when Hugh twirled his finger saying, "Let's see." As she turned Penny tried to mentally calculate how many years it had been since a man asked her to do this. Three her instinctive choice she instantly dismissed, more like five or six.
Hugh grinned offering, "Beautiful."
.~.~.~.~.
Floyd chattered about robots the entire car ride to Billy's house. Once he was dropped off, however the car grew atypically quiet. Glancing over Penny saw Hugh's lips lightly moving, and she realized he'd dropped off to sleep. A strange protective instinct washed over Penny at the sight. There were things she needed to know, questions she wanted to answer. But for this moment his proximity was enough.
.~.~.~.~.
"Hugh, Hugh," She called softly when she parked the car. Finally, she reached across the console cupping his cheek lightly. "Hugh?"
Hugh's eyes snapped open and he started at the sudden wakefulness. "I'm…"
Penny brushed her fingers across his lips. "Let's go see Ajax get married."
Hugh smiled and reached for the door handle. Penny did the same causing him to call, "I'll get your door." Sitting back Penny waited until he opened the door waiting while she stepped out. They walked side by side toward Arcadia. Seeing a crowd gathered in the back Hugh rolled his eyes observing with feigned disdain. "Looks like the whole town showed up," Hugh observed feigning disdain.
"What else do we have to do," Penny questioned playfully. "Bingo doesn't start until seven."
Hugh chuckled replying, "I asked for that one." Seeing Meryl greeting guests, Hugh groaned warning Penny, "She's in reelect Meryl mode, best be ready."
"Well hello Penelope, Hugh…." Meryl said curiously. "How very nice to see you…. together." There was a slipperiness to her tone, as if she was overly intrigued by the sight of them together.
"She's my driver." Hugh said offering no further explanation.
Meryl smiled inquiring, "Is that so?"
Penny waited for the inevitable follow up question about Harriet, but none came. She watched Hugh and Meryl's hard stares and felt they were having an unspoken discussion. After a moment she broke the silence saying, "Why don't we find our seats?"
Hugh shrugged helplessly to his mother even as he fell into step beside her stating, "You wrangled out of that one handily."
"Never doubt my skills in that arena." Penny parried trying to repress her smirk. "Are you going to sit with Charlie and Matt?"
"Nah, "He said glancing at the seats. "Shall we sit together," He asked, and she could sense the caution in his voice. It mirrored her own.
Still, Penny put her hand out taking his saying, "That would be lovely."
.~.~.~.~.
"Do I get to ask if there is significance in you attending this wedding with Hugh," Betty asked taking a sip of her soda. The reception was in full force-the dance floor crowed with couples, the music pounding, and everyone seemingly in the best of moods.
"Driving significance," Penny said not bothering to clarify, before changing the subject by asking, "Have you danced with the Brew King?"
Betty looked over at her complimenting, "Sly the way you changed the subject. And," she added chuckling in response, "I have and he's very delicious."
"Isn't he," Penny agreed adding, "I thought Matt was about to cut in while we were dancing."
"Didn't you want to dance with Matt?"
"I thought Matt wanted to dance with him."
"Attraction often defies gender," Betty observed as the music changed to a slower tempo.
Penny watched Hugh walk away from Charlie who he had been chatting with for some time, crossing the floor determinedly in her direction.
"Betty," He said nodding politely before turning to Penny saying, "They are playing our song."
Penny frowned answering, "We don't have a song."
He put out his hand, "Come on partner?" She wanted to ask what he meant by partner, why she felt that he had never looked at her exactly the way he was looking at her now and what that meant, yet she stilled the questions. Instead, she rose to her feet extending her hand to Hugh's, tugging him toward the dance floor.
As they stepped out on the dance floor Hugh pulled her closer asking, "You recognize it yet?"
Penny found it difficult to concentrate, she wasn't sure she'd ever been this close to Hugh. The smell of his aftershave and the oddly inviting scent of the whiskey he'd drank mixed and seemed to be fogging her brain. Then all at once she knew… "I left my heart in San Francisco." She cried delightedly.
Lifting her head to face him Penny asked, "And they just happened to play that song."
Hugh grinned bashfully admitting, "Perhaps I might have asked my future daughter-in-law for a small favor."
"And when did you ask this favor."
Hugh seemed to consider this before saying slightly abashedly, "Tuesday I think."
"You decided to have this song played when you were in Sydney?" Penny asked feeling as confounded as touched by this information. "On Tuesday?" She felt tears pooling in her eyes. "You were thinking about me on Tuesday?"
"And Monday, and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday." He looked at her asking, "Good?"
Chuckling Penny rested her head against his shoulder letting the music, the moment and the man wash over her declaring, "Very, very good."
.~.~.~.~.