Gabriel sighed as he locked the door. It had been a long day, what with all that paperwork, the fact that he and Lisa were now officially divorced, and how he had nothing to do, other than paperwork, all day.
"Good evening, Doctor Cunningham!" Tomoe Tachibana, the best endoscopist at Resurgam, said, waving hello. Gabriel jumped a little.
"Sheesh! You scared me there, Tomoe," Gabriel said.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"No, it's fine, really," Gabriel sighed.
"Is something wrong, Doctor Cunningham?" Tomoe asked.
"No, everything's alright," Gabriel replied. Tomoe sighed, then shook her head.
"I just wanted to ask if I could help. After all, ignoring a friend's pain is not the way of honor."
"That's sweet, Tomoe, but I'm fine. Really. Anyway, I've got to go somewhere, so...bye, Tomoe."
"Bye, Doctor Cunningham. If you need anything, just tell me!" Tomoe said, starting to walk away.
As she was walking away, Gabriel thought about how his day had gone, and how he had told Maria that, sometimes, you had to ask for other people's help. Which, of course, made him feel like a huge hypocrite.
"Hey, Tomoe?"
"Yes?"
"Do you...want to go out to dinner and talk, or something?" Like that's the most natural way to ask for a favor...
"Sure, Doctor Cunningham. I don't mind."
I get the feeling that Gabe feels about as awkwardly about talking about his personal matters as Maria is with asking for help. Tomoe, on the other hand, just wants to help her friends out, which is just great for a situation like this. Hope you enjoyed this first one-shot for Blurred Flowers! Five more to go! - Element