Hi guys! So this is an alternate ending to the last chapter. I've made some changes but, for the most part, it's the same. Let me know what you think.
Sitting in his car, Michael took inventory of everything in the backseat. Checking things off in his head, he smiled. All was accounted for.
Turning around, he started the car, backing out of the driveway and onto the road. Driving to his first destination with the windows down, Michael enjoyed the feel of the cool air soothing his sun-warmed face. He turned the radio up, whistling along to the tunes.
He arrived within fifteen minutes for his pick-up. It only took about ten minutes before he was on the road again, headed to his second of three destinations. This was the most important stop on his way and he enjoyed every minute of the trip.
Another ten minutes later, he was turning off his car, sitting in a large parking lot. When he walked into the large, white building, the smell of antiseptic filled his nostrils. It smelled just like Sara's office at Fox River and a wave of nostalgia hit him. He smiled all the way up the elevator, remembering their many conversations in that room, his safe haven over those agonizing few months. They had taken so much from him in there - his freedom, his safety, hell, they took three of his toes...but in return, they gave him something much better - or someone, rather.
As the elevator dinged, opening up on the fourth floor, Michael stepped out, and immediately caught sight of something red in his peripheral vision. Smiling, he watched the red locks of hair being pushed behind their owner's ear as she bent her head, studying a clipboard that no doubt contained the medical information of her next patient. Starting over to her, he stopped for a moment, noticing the bags under her eyes and then retreated, remembering how little she'd slept over the past few days. He realized he'd forgotten one crucial thing and hurried down the hall in the other direction before she could spot him.
Two minutes later, he returned, two takeaway Starbucks cups in his hands, the smile back on his face. He went back towards the nurses station where he'd seen Sara earlier, but she wasn't there anymore. She was probably with her next patient.
Debating over whether to wait for her at the nurses station or to just call her and let him know he was at the hospital, Michael pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 2:30, which meant that it would be her lunch break in about-
"Michael?"
He turned around, smiling as he instantly recognized the voice, his eyes meeting green ones across the hallway. Sara smiled and started over to him, her mouth opening to say something, probably to ask what he was doing there, but she never quite got the words out. All of a sudden, a nurse ran through the hallway, bumping into a startled Sara, making her fall backwards.
"Whoa!" Michael acted on instinct, dropping the coffee cups as his feet carrying him the two steps towards his wife. Had he been even a step further, she would have fallen against a cart full of glass vials, but luckily Michael caught her just before her head made contact. She held onto him for dear life and he steadied her, both of them in wide-eyed shock.
"Are you alright?" Michael asked, holding her tightly in his arms as if afraid she might fall again.
Sara nodded, making no move to loosen her grip on his arms. "Thanks to you, yeah I am."
He looked angrily after the nurse that had rammed into her, not seeing her anywhere. She didn't even have the decency to make sure Sara was okay.
"It's okay, Michael, she's new. She probably doesn't even realize that she hit me."
"She should have been more careful. You could have been seriously hurt!" Michael exclaimed.
"I know but she's still getting into the swing of things. It's her second day here and she's been running around like a headless chicken, trying to make sure all the doctors have what they need. We were all like that at some point, she'll get used to the busyness of the job soon, trust me." Sara smiled reassuringly, squeezing her husband's hand. "Besides, I'm fine, honestly. I have some coffee on my lab coat, but otherwise all good."
Coffee stains? Looking down, Michael realized that he no longer had the coffee cups in his hand. They were now on the floor, surrounded by the dark liquid that they had contained. "Oops."
"Thanks for bringing it anyway," Sara said, kissing his cheek. "Which reminds me, were you just here to bring me coffee or...?" She looked a little worried that maybe something was wrong.
"Actually, no. Nothing's wrong or anything, but when's your lunch break?"
Sara lifted Michael's wrist to look at his watch and he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing a kiss to her hair. "In about fifteen minutes, but if it's important, I can..."
"No, no, it's fine. I just thought maybe we could have lunch together. I got burgers from that diner by the house, the one you like. And I brought a picnic blanket so we can go down to that park a few blocks away..."
Sara smiled, leaning up to give him a chaste kiss. "That was very sweet of you, Michael."
Michael grinned. "What can I say, I'm just a great husband," he said with a wink.
Sara playfully slapped his chest. "Well, given the circumstances, I can't deny it."
"See?" Michael said, cheekily.
Sara laughed, wrapping her arms around his side. "I'm going to go and see if one of the other doctors can fill in for my last patient and we can go."
"No, no, take your time. I'll just run down the hall and get more coffee while I wait," Michael said, gesturing towards the direction of the Starbucks.
"You sure?" Sara asked. "Because I could just-"
"Yeah, finish up your work. I wouldn't want to deprive a sick patient from the chance to meet everyone's favourite doctor," Michael replied, grinning.
"Alrighty then, I'll see you in a little bit," Sara said, kissing his cheek before she headed in the direction of the nurses station. When she looked back and saw him watching her, her cheeks tinted into a rosy pink and she bowed her head, taking the clipboard she was reading and heading into one of the rooms. Michael chuckled to himself before he went to retrieve the coffees so they could make their way to the third and final destination.
Some of you may have already read the second chapter but I just wasn't satisfied with it at all. (I wrote it in between assignments and it was kind of rushed). So I decided to rewrite this chapter and I feel like it turned out a lot better this time. Enjoy! :)