Turtlenecks in June, an er fanfic

Notes: Response to Challenge #5: "Ray's Birthday" at the Ray/Neela LJ community. The product of spending one too many nights at The Gutter. ;) Set post-finale, but Gallant & Neela never slept together when he came back.

Rating: FRT (Fan Rated suitable for Teens)

Spoilers: None, I don't think. But if there are, they're very minor ones, and the whole season is fair game.

Content Warning: Not much, really. Some references to sex, but nothing explicit.

Disclaimer: ER and its characters are the property of Michael Crichton, John Wells, Amblin Entertainment and Constant C Productions. No infringement intended, please don't sue, yadda yadda yadda.

Turtlenecks in June

Neela made her way to the supply lock-up, intent on restocking the suture room's stash of kits, since she'd just used the last one.

Her eyes scanned the shelves. Suture kits...suture kits...suture...

Aha! There they were. She frowned. On the top bloody shelf, of course.

Grumbling about the lack of thought for people under five-foot-six, she looked about for a stepladder. Finally locating one, she opened it in front of the shelf and climbed up.

He entered as she was reaching for one of the kits. "Hey."

She turned. "Hey. How's your day?"

"Oh fine," he replied, deadpan, "Morris has given me every barfing child that's come through here, and Pratt left early so Lewis is making me stay an extra three hours to cover his shift, which means I won't be able to meet Bret and Nick for drinks before they leave for Atlantic City in the morning."

Neela shot him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry."

"Story of my life," he sighed in dismissal, "Happy Birthday to me."

She reached up for the suture kits again, and realized that even with the stepladder; she was still a few inches too short to comfortably reach them. She felt him step up behind her.

"You want me to get those for you?"

"No thanks, I can manage," she stubbornly replied as she stood on her tiptoes, stretching her arm until her fingertips just grazed the box.

She would have had it, too - if the metal contraption hadn't suddenly shifted under her weight and sent her toppling backwards.

Right into Ray's arms.

Which, when she thought about it, wasn't a bad place to be.

Dazed, she tilted her head back to look at him for a few seconds before twisting around to face him. His arms circled her waist, her hands resting on his shoulders as she recaptured her footing on the stepladder.

He flashed her a playful smile. "Hello there."

She blushed, offering a bashful smile in return, voice dipping to a whisper. "Hi."

His eyes never left hers and his voice dropped as well. "Are you...?"

Her heart hammered in her chest and she licked her lips, still whispering; her mouth mere inches from his and closing the distance. "Uh-huh..."

The door opened suddenly, and the two second-year residents jumped apart so fast that Neela almost fell off the stepladder again as Jane and Babinski entered.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hey, Neela-"

"Dr. Barnett-"

The two interns watched as a flustered Neela abruptly removed her hands from Ray's shoulders. Ray, meanwhile, yanked his arms from around her waist, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck.

"Uh, what's up?"

Babinski answered timidly. "The labs are back on the kid in two."

Jane glanced between Ray and Neela, narrowing her eyes to give both a funny look before finally addressing the dark-haired doctor. "X-rays are back on our guy in four."

Neela nodded too quickly. "Great. Uh, just let me get the uh..." she frowned, looking as though she were trying to remember.

"Suture kits?" Ray offered, after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Right," she cleared her throat nervously, "suture kits."

"Maybe you'd better let me," he suggested, and Jane thought there was something off about his tone.

They watched as Ray reached past Neela and took down a stack, briefly meeting her eyes as he handed them to her and helped her down from the stepladder.

"Uh, thanks." She glanced up at him, but he avoided her gaze.

"No problem," Ray said - a little too easily - turning to Babinski as the four of them exited the room. "Come on."

Neela followed his lead and turned to Jane. "Let's go."

Jane and Babinski watched as they walked off in opposite directions, then turned to each other and exchanged a knowing glance before following their respective resident.

They'd definitely interrupted something.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Neela led the way to Exam 4, trying to regain the ability to form a coherent thought; acutely aware of Jane following close behind her.

"So, what happened back there with you and R-"

"Nothing."

And dammit, she'd answered too quickly. The other woman shot her a dubious glance, but didn't speak.

Bugger and bollocks, who the bloody hell did she think she was kidding? Certainly not Jane, and certainly not herself.

Between the staring, the accidental touches, and the awkward late-night trips to the kitchen, tension had been steadily building between her and Ray for months. An invisible elastic band, stretched to its limit, it had finally reached the breaking point.

Hell, she'd finally reached the breaking point.

First, there was the stepladder and the almost-kiss. Then there was the stepladder again, when she nearly fell off a second time. That, she could've handled. But then he'd handed her the suture kits, and when their gazes met for that brief instance, the flash of pure lust that tore through his eyes had sent an answering wave of heat through her. Betrayed by her body, she was finally forced to admit to herself the truth she'd been denying all along.

She wanted him. Hard and fast, slow and easy; anywhere and everywhere she could get him. And the look in his eyes had told her he wanted her just as much.

But she knew what they'd do. They'd forget about it, ignore it, or pretend it never happened; just like all of the other times.

No more.

She was tired of fighting it, tired of forgetting about it, tired of pretending, and she wasn't letting this go. He probably thought that she wasn't interested, that he wasn't her type. And when they'd first met, she would've agreed. But what she'd thought was 'her type' either wasn't anymore, or never was to begin with. Whatever her 'type' was now, Ray was it, and she was going to show him in a way that let him know exactly how interested in him she was.

He'd be stuck covering Pratt's shift an extra three hours, which would give her just enough time to put things together before he got home. Her mind raced with the planning, even as she entered Exam 4 with Jane in tow and smiled at the patient.

Ray was in for one hell of a birthday present.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Ray made his way to Exam 2, vaguely aware of the intern following a few steps behind him. His heart was still racing, walking was uncomfortable, and he couldn't get his mind off Neela. Not that that was anything new; his thoughts always seemed to find their way to her.

Exactly where he knew they shouldn't be, but he couldn't help it.

He'd asked her to move in because he thought she was safe. Prim, proper, bitingly sarcastic, a freakin' genius...not his type at all. But as the months had worn on, he'd discovered - much to his surprise - that his 'type' wasn't quite what he'd originally thought. And much to his dismay, Neela was it.

Not that he could do anything about it, of course. Okay, she'd been about to kiss him before Jane and Babinski had interrupted - and for the record he was glad they had. Because he knew what would have happened after. She'd have realized that he wasn't her type at all, and run away from him; just like she ran from everything else.

That was something he knew he couldn't handle, and the thought of it had kept him firmly in control over the last several months. He'd forgotten, ignored, and pretended his way through the stares, the accidental touches, and the late night trips to the kitchen, but it was getting harder and harder to fight the impulse to tuck that stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, or pin her beneath him and tease her body until she begged him for release.

God, he needed to stop thinking before he embarrassed himself - he looked down - anymore than he already had. Shifting the chart he was holding so it covered him, he pushed open the door to Exam 2.

"Well, the lab results are back on Billy, here."

The mother looked worriedly at him. "And?"

Ray stepped up next to the exam bed, striking as laid-back a posture as he could while still keeping himself covered with the chart. "It looks like a bacterial infection." He glanced down at the child and offered a smile. "We'll give you some antibiotics to help you-"

Suddenly, Billy was spewing the remains of his lunch down the front of Ray's jeans.

"-feel better."

He sighed and looked down. At least he had an excuse to take that cold shower he needed.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Neela stood at admit, finishing up the last of her charting.

"Hey."

Just as she'd expected, things were back to normal. Or at least as close as they could get. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself before raising her eyes from her chart.

"Hey." She frowned, taking in his sleeveless t-shirt and scrub pants. "What happened to you?"

"Barfing kid. So, you off?"

She clicked her pen closed. "Yeah. You're still on, right? Covering for Pratt?"

He nodded. "Hey, you wanna order in dinner or something when I get home?"

She gave him an apologetic look, surprised at the ease with which the lie rolled off her tongue. "Sorry. I thought you were going out with Nick and Bret tonight, so I made plans with Abby. I'd ask you to join us, but she wants to talk about Jake. It's a girl-thing; you understand."

"Sure, yeah. I guess I'll see you later, then."

He looked dejected, but she consoled herself with the fact that she was more than going to make up for it.

She nodded. "Enjoy your shift."

"Thanks," Ray replied, deadpan, as he grabbed another chart off the rack and headed for chairs.

Turning from the desk, she exited through the ambulance bay and walked toward the El station, making the necessary stops to buy supplies before she finally made her way home.

Entering the apartment, she immediately began putting things in order. Grabbing a pot from the kitchen, she wrapped a towel around it, filled it with ice, and set the bottle of champagne inside, carrying it back to her room with a couple of glasses. Once the rest of the groceries were sorted, she headed to the bathroom for a quick shower and then back to her bedroom, shutting all the lights off on her way.

Closing the door behind her, she dropped her towel and withdrew a length of blue satin material from one of the shopping bags. Winding it carefully and strategically around her body, she tied a bow at her neck. Then, turning off the lamp, she sat on her bed to wait.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Ray sighed heavily, signing out his last chart to Morris as he shouldered his bag.

Jerry looked up from the desk. "You off, Barnett?"

Ray forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm outta here."

Morris grinned at him. "Got big birthday plans?"

Ray's smile faltered, but it was back in place a moment later. "Oh yeah. I got a date with a six pack and MTV."

The Chief Resident clapped him on the shoulder. "Bummer," he said, still grinning, then walked off down the hall.

Ray shook his head and exchanged a look with Jerry. "See ya, man."

Jerry nodded. "Hey, Barnett."

He turned. "Yeah?"

The big man grinned. "Happy Birthday."

A genuine smile crossed the resident's lips. "Thanks."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Neela waited in the dark for the sound of the front door. She held her breath when she finally heard it, afraid that even that might give her away. As she heard him pass her room, she allowed herself to breathe again and tried to calm the swarm of butterflies that had suddenly begun beating their wings in her stomach.

Part of her wanted to forget about the whole thing, but she dismissed the thought. She'd never done anything like this before, but then, Ray had driven her to do a lot of things she'd never done before. She was nervous, that was all; but it would pass.

She listened as he moved around in his room and then crossed the apartment. The bathroom door closed and a few minutes later, water gushed through the pipes. He was in the shower; this was her cue.

Quickly but cautiously, she carried the chilling champagne and glasses into his room, setting them on the nightstand by the bed. She made a second trip for the strawberries - placing them on the nightstand as well - then went back for the candles, taking a detour to the kitchen to retrieve the whipped cream.

Closing his bedroom door quietly behind her, she set the can of whipped cream next to the strawberries and placed the candles around the room - making sure they weren't near anything flammable before lighting them. Then, stomach still fluttering with nervous anticipation, she laid herself out across his bed and waited.

0-0-0-0-0-0

He'd showered at the hospital, but another one had definitely been in order. He didn't smell of vomit anymore, but he hadn't had his shower stuff there, so he'd ended up smelling like hospital soap. Which - he'd decided - was almost as bad. Rinsing the suds out of his hair, he lathered up his body and washed it clean.

Shutting off the water, he grabbed for his towel. Drying off a bit, he secured it around his waist as he stepped out of the tub. Neela was out, so he hadn't brought his clothes in with him, electing instead to go back to his bedroom to put them on.

He slowed when he got to his room, regarding the closed door with a frown. Funny, he was pretty sure he'd left it open. Shrugging, he breathed a heavy sigh. Some birthday this had turned out to be. With the exception of the incident with Neela in the supply lock-up, it'd been a pretty craptastic day all the way around. He couldn't wait until it was over.

Pushing open his bedroom door, he took two steps into the room and stopped dead. Neela was sprawled out on his bed, and she was wearing...a sash and a smile.

Oh God.

This had to be a dream, a product of the incident in the supply lock-up. Yeah, that was it. All he had to do was close his eyes and shake his head clear and...

He opened them. Nope, she was still there. That meant...

Oh God. This was real.

She sat up. "What's the matter, Ray?" Her voice dipped seductively. "Cat got your tongue?"

A/N: I have a second chapter, but it's rated MA, so I can't posted it here. If you're interested, drop me an e-mail (it's in my profile) and I'll send you the chapter