A/N: Not really sure if i like this ending or not...
Natalie blinked slowly, the orange glow behind her eyelids glaring harshly as she lifted her head from the pillow. Her gaze was drawn swiftly to the bed across from her, the neatly folded regulation sheets confusing her as she lifted herself into a sitting position.
"Therese?" she called softly, wondering if the child had been a figment of her imagination or not. Usually she would have trusted her instinct, in which case Therese was very real, but surely the child wouldn't have been moved with out her hearing?
And that face, so close to that of the blonde haired doctor she knew so well…
Natalie had never believed in ghosts, but she could find no other explanation for what Therese had told her. The little girl had sounded wise beyond her years; spoke as the forty something year old woman that she would have been today if her life had not been cut short as a teenager.
"No" whispered Natalie, blinking again as the light from the hallway was interrupted by a shadow.
"Thought Connor told you to go home?" asked Frank casually, looking up from the files he was carrying to the slightly sleep tousled woman before him.
"Did you decide the drive home was to long?" he teased further, realising Natalie wasn't going to answer.
"Something like that" she smiled faintly, glancing round the room once more. Her thoughts swirled conspiratorially around her head, binging the realisation that her twenty minute nap had done nothing to lift the exhaustion from earlier.
"Go home Nat" advised Frank wisely before turning on his heel, walking away from the hospital ward.
"Frank" called Natalie, catching the mans attention once more "Are there any patients in this ward?" she asked, feigning nonchalance.
"Don't think so" he replied, glancing down at the files he was holding as if they held the answer. He raised an eyebrow as Natalie's brow crinkled in confusion. Gaining no answer he slowly walked out of the room once more, turning in the hallway to glance back at his friend before leaving her to her thoughts.
"She wasn't here" whispered Natalie slowly; wondering if saying the words aloud would help clarify the facts. "It was all a dream, my imagination over working itself after a long day"
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, letting her bare feet fall to the cool flooring below. The bed next to her looked as crisp as it had when she had woken, no signs of recent life presenting itself even after further inspection.
"Therese?" she called out softly, turning around slowly to take in the whole room.
Somewhere in the distance she could have sworn she had heard giggling.
"So the evil witch turned towards the super princess as she brought out her magical wand"
The three Adam's girls each let out a surprised gasp.
"Keep going Dr. McCabe" squealed the youngest; tugging at the young mans sleeves.
"Please, pretty, pretty please" requested the other two brow haired children.
Miles shared a smile with Eva, sitting next to him as the three girls bounced playfully on the hospital beds, all signs of their earlier illness fading quickly as Miles delighted them with a special story, much to the amusement of his colleagues.
Through the glass pane dividing their room from the corridor Natalie watched silently, a small smile gracing her lips as her mind wandered aimlessly through the past and present.
"Thought it told you to get some sleep" came a voice from behind, the light teasing causing her to smile further.
"I did" she answered simply, laughing as the girls attached themselves to Miles arms in anticipation.
"Miles delighting our young patients" nodded Stephen, keeping his eyes on the woman before him. He stepped a little closer as she tipped her head to the side, sighing gently before turning to face him at last.
"He worked himself to the bone on this case" she stated, remembering the young mans determination to ensure the three sisters pulled through unharmed.
"Yeah" nodded Stephen in agreement. He watched her for a moment, slightly unsettled by Natalie's seemingly serene face after her earlier mini meltdown.
He'd expected yelling, maybe even the cold shoulder or at least the tired look of annoyance that he hated to cause on her usually smiling face. Instead Natalie had returned calmer than he had seen her in weeks.
And it was beginning to itch at him greatly.
"You okay Nat?" he asked, mirroring his line of questions from earlier that day.
"Eva did as well" continued the doctor, unperturbed by his inquiry "I think she was ready to bite the head off just about any one who dared try and get in the way of her and Frank's investigation"
She smiled at the thought of her two friends, wrapping her arms around herself as Stephen's intense gaze bore down on her from above.
"It must have been hard on Frank, seeing the girls so close to dying. Did you know Elise goes to school with his eldest?"
"No" murmured Stephen, wondering if Natalie's little spiel was going to end soon.
"Nat you didn't answer my question" he pressed further. She looked up at him, rather startled by the question, blinking twice before her brow crinkled once more in concentration.
"I asked if you were okay Nat" Stephen reminded gently, laying a hand on her shoulder and stepping closer once more.
"I'm fine Stephen" she smiled "Really, just a little drained but nothing I can't handle"
He watched her a moment longer, seemingly satisfied with the familiar expressions washing across her face. Squeezing her shoulder tighter, he brought her in for a hug, holding her to his chest for a minute to press a kiss to her forehead.
"Maybe we need to stop thinking about the ones we lose" she whispered slowly, gripping onto the front of his black t-shirt with her delicate hands.
"Maybe if we start remembering that we are making a difference it will get better?" she continued the statement more of a question directed at him.
"I think you might be right Nat" he murmured, releasing her gently to look her in the eye "I think we need to remember that we're saving the world each case"
She smiled, the light finally reaching her eyes for the first time in days.
"One person at a time" she laughed.
"One person at a time" he grinned.
Two months later
Stephen walked slowly down the corridors of the NIH, wondering when the next call from Kate would come in and the team would have to rush off again.
"One person at a time" he reminded himself with a smile.
He glanced into his office for a moment, eyeing the desk for any sign of change since he had made his last round. Not expecting anything he was quite surprised to see a small frame sitting up in the middle of his desk, a note attached to the top right corner.
Striding across the room, while wondering who on earth was at work at such a time, he swivelled the frame around, gasping slightly as he looked down at the worn photo in wonder.
Two children, a white-blonde haired four year old and a honey blonde haired 8 year old stood in their front yard. It was Halloween and their bright faces held all the hopes and dreams of the candy filled night to come.
He remembered that day so vividly, the lights and the colours. Even the stomach ache the next morning could be felt in full detail, he noted with a grin.
Therese had gone as Alice in Wonderland, her bright blue dress and ribbon shinning against the darker blues of her little brothers superman outfit.
Stephen picked at the note absently, before letting his eyes sweep over the message, the simple words bringing a grin to his face at the thought of its composer.
Someone once told me you'd always dreamed of being a superhero.
Just thought I'd reminded you that you always have been.
Don't ever forget it Superman
Nat
