Massive thanks to Jackiez32, who read and reviewed this! Thanks for being the first, here's that update you wanted! Keep reading and clicking, it makes me happy!
Chapter 3
Once the last guests had gone home, Esmeralda returned to her back yard. Irish lay under one of the tables, exhausted from playing with the kids for so long, Esmeralda just pointed at the house.
"Irish, go inside." She watched Irish get up and go inside, tail drooping.
"That is one tired dog."
"You won't hear her complaining." Esmeralda smiled and blew out the candles still lit on the tables. The fire-flies were out, along with the crickets and cicadas, and she smiled. Overhead, the stars filled the full-moon sky.
"Esmeralda?"
"Hmm?" She turned to Leonard McCoy, her previously unknown neighbor and the last of her guests who just didn't seem to be in a great hurry to go home. He held out one hand in silent invitation. He was asking her to dance. Esmeralda smiled and took the outstretched hand and let him pull her into a close dance. They danced in the dark, just the two of them, letting the words and rhythm of the song guide them. Esmeralda listened to the words and realized how ironic it was that the two of them were dancing to this song at the end of the night. She smiled and closed her eyes as Leonard pulled her closer, if that was possible. When the song came to an end, she was almost disappointed. Another song came on and they danced again, just the two of them, closer than last time.
"So, how do you like Savannah?" He asked in a low drawl that sent lovely chills down her spine. Esmeralda looked up.
"I'm not sure yet, but I think I'm going to like it here. The people are friendly and the views are nice."
"The views are nice?" Leonard chuckled, brown eyes dancing with amusement. Esmeralda knew she was flirting, Leonard knew she was flirting, and neither one cared one way or the other.
"I like what I see, Doctor McCoy." She leaned back, held up by two warm hands folded under her shoulder-blades. Leonard's smile did things, his kiss did more. She wasn't expecting it, at all, and quite literally almost went to her knees. He tasted like the raspberry-chocolate cake they'd eaten for dessert, and mint mojitos, and whiskey. Esmeralda was pretty sure the ground beneath her feet moved, until she realized they were still dancing and the ground itself remained stationary. Leonard wasn't quite drunk, but something told Esmeralda his inhibitions had been brought way low. That was fine.
"I should warn you, sweetheart." He murmured, holding closer than ever, "I don't usually put out on the first date."
"I don't think one kiss counts as putting out, and I don't think a backyard party counts as a first date." She smiled, "I think you're safe." He smiled back and instead of answering to that, he kissed her again. Then something occurred to her. He hadn't actually said "I don't put out on the first date," he'd said "I don't usually put out on the first date." Did that…mean he wanted to? Esmeralda didn't think he was the one-night-stand type, and she knew for a fact she wasn't one herself. It couldn't be a one-night affair and never spoken of again. She pulled away and coaxed him into the house. He followed as though pulled by a string. Once inside, they found their way to the bedroom. With one hand on the doorknob, she looked at Leonard, meeting a dark, soulful gaze, "This can't be a one-night affair, we both know that."
"I don't want it to be, darlin'. The ex wouldn't let me touch her for a year before the split." Leonard looked sad, "I've gotta move on."
"Let me help." Esmeralda opened her bedroom door, backing into it, "But, I won't be a rebound-girl."
"You don't have to be, I'm over Josie, I just gotta stop lettin' that damn sister of hers get under my skin like she does."
"For what it's worth, I don't get along with Leslie. Kyle's a saint, I love him, I think he's a wonderful man, and he deserves better than what he's got." She pulled Leonard into the bedroom and he kicked the door shut with one foot. The moon lit her bedroom with silver, she opened the windows to let in the fresh air and smiled as the chorus of crickets and cicadas filtered in. Within seconds, she had his tee-shirt off and flicked open the waistband of his jeans. He untied the sarong she'd worn all evening, letting it fall in a heap of multicolored silk, hooking the waistband of her swimsuit bottoms as she made short work of the zip-fly. Whatever clothes remained landed in the same heap on the floor, and further thoughts of Leslie Groves or her sister were not a point of great interest. In fact, at one point, Esmeralda was fairly certain coherent thought was a foregone conclusion. She gave her focus to the man holding her, showing her something she had forgotten existed, who made her feel beautiful when she wasn't wearing make-up or nice clothes.
Later, as Leonard slept it off, Esmeralda couldn't bring herself to regret anything she'd done tonight, and decided she never would. She smiled as his chest rose and fell beneath her head, and closed her eyes to listen to his heartbeat. In her heart, she knew he would be gone by morning, and she was okay with that. Sleeping close, she didn't bat an eyelash until dawn, when Irish jumped onto the bed with her leash between her teeth. Esmeralda reached for the empty pillow and sighed.
"Huh. Well, Irish, you missed it. Shoot me if it turns into a one-night affair." She rolled over and got out of bed, wincing, "Ow. Guess we'll have to go easy this morning, huh?" Irish just wagged her tail and waited patiently by the door while Esmeralda got dressed for their morning run. She passed the Crossleys, Kyle Darbin, and Alex Holdon respectively both outbound and homeward, and chuckled. They all waved, of course, and made sure she was coming in to work. Well, duh? It was Monday, so yes, she would be in to the hospital. At her usual time, they were free to reassure Chief McCoy of that little tidbit if they wished. As she reached her house, she saw Leonard pulling out and stopped, folding her hands behind her back and telling Irish to sit.
"Hey."
"Sorry I didn't leave a note this morning." He looked well-rested, happy. Esmeralda just smiled and leaned against the car, shaking her head.
"I knew you'd leave before sunrise. You'd have to. Good thing you can sneak back to your house through my backyard, or we'd have god knows how many people on us like vultures."
"David and Mariah because I moved on…finally." He blushed, "Thanks for last night, Esmeralda, for everything."
"You're welcome over any time you want some company, it's just me and Irish."
"I'll remember that."
"Hey, have a good day at work, okay? I know you just got back yesterday and all that."
"I'll be alright. It's my coworkers I'm worried about." The eye-roll said everything. Esmeralda leaned into the car and took a good-morning kiss before waving as he took off for work. She'd never found out which hospital he worked at, never asked and had never been told. That was okay, and probably better for both of them if he didn't work at Savannah Central. Going inside, Esmeralda fed Irish, took a shower, and got dressed for the day. She'd get breakfast in the doctor's lounge.
Grabbing her keys and her backpack, Esmeralda set off for the hospital, leaving Irish with a gaggle of the neighborhood kids who arrived to hang out. When she got there, she noticed that the parking-slot to the right of hers was full this morning. It had been empty for a week. Whoever parked next to her was apparently back, or had been replaced. One of the two, she was counting on the former. Locking her car, she headed into the hospital and stopped by the locker room to dump her stuff. As she changed into scrubs, Mariah Crossley came tearing into the locker-room in a high fit.
"Esme!"
"A little early for a code, isn't it, Mariah?"
"What's into McCoy this morning?"
"Uh?" She looked up sharply, "Somethin' wrong with the chief?"
"No, you idiot! His son! What's wrong with Leonard McCoy?" Mariah couldn't seem to decide if she was happy or beyond furious.
"He works here?"
"Didn't you know that?"
"No!" Uh-oh.
"I thought you knew that."
"Mariah, I think I would have said something! Or asked! What's wrong with him?"
"He's in a good mood. He's never in a good mood, not this early and definitely not after a business-trip."
"Oh." She pulled the scrub-shirt over her head and grabbed her lab-coat and beeper, relieved that she obviously didn't look as panicked as she had felt a moment ago. She and Leonard had made an agreement that what had happened last night would not be a one-night affair, under any circumstances at all, and she suspected she could be civil with him should they come into contact during the course of the day, as they were bound to do eventually. As they left the locker-room, she noticed that Mariah wouldn't stop staring at her and actually fell back to walk behind her once. She rolled her eyes and turned around, "Mariah, what are you doing?"
"Boy, I thought somethin' was wrong with Leo, but you…you look good! You look really good!"
"Mariah, I'm wearing scrubs and a lab-coat."
"No, no, it's in your body-language. You feel good this morning, don't you?"
"I'm…happy, if that's anybody's business." She smiled, "Thanks for staying after the party last night to help us clean up, too, by the way. That was really nice of you."
"Oh no problem!" Mariah rolled her eyes, "Isn't that what neighbors are for?"
"I left the Stengler kids playing in the back yard with Irish when I left, so…yeah."
"You're the new girl and already you're the golden child." Mariah was teasing, and Esmeralda blushed.
"Man, I'm starving. Let's hit up the lounge before we hit the charts."
"Sounds good. Annalese brought coffee cake and cinnamon rolls for everybody, too."
"Oh, God bless that woman!" Esmeralda's stomach growled at the very thought of Annalese McCoy's home-cooking for breakfast. Every few days, every two days precisely, the Chief's wife would bring something for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner for the late-shifters. Those were the days no body went home until after midnight. When Mama McCoy cooked, you did not leave the hospital for anything short of a family emergency, which had a tendency to come to you anyway so it wasn't really worth it to leave.
"Looks like I'll be taking a triple today."
"I think we all will. Which gives you a chance to find Leo again. How did you not know he worked here?"
"I never asked, you never told me, and it never occurred to me that there might just be a Doctor McCoy Junior."
"Hah!" Mariah snickered. When they got to the doctor's lounge, it was already buzzing. Word had spread quickly, mostly among their small cliquish group of doctors.
"Ooh, it smells good in here!" Esmeralda stuck her head around the corner to find Alex, David, Kyle, Leonard and Erica helping themselves. She arched an eyebrow and looked at Mariah, "Talk about somebody who makes the scrubs look good. Geeze."
"Oh yeah. You can see why Leslie's stalking him."
"I'd rather not think about that this morning, Mariah, thank you."
"Welcome to the club, girlfriend." Mariah patted her on the shoulder. Esmeralda went around the corner, slipped around behind Leonard, and studied the offerings. She settled with a cup of coffee and went back around, very calmly reaching over and stealing a piece of what Leonard had on his plate.
"Hey! You get your own!"
"You've got enough for two people." She scolded, "I'll pay you back at lunch."
"Did anybody else just see that?"
"And nobody gives a damn." David chuckled, "Good morning, Esme."
"Oh don't look so surprised to see me, David. You know I show up early on the days Mama McCoy cooks, and today's my lucky day." She waved a dismissive hand at him, pulling off a piece of the cinnamon roll she'd stolen from Leonard. She looked at her neighbor and smiled, "See, Leonard, if you'd been home last week, you would know by now that your mother, God love that woman, has already declared me the skinniest girl in this hospital who isn't a patient and has apparently made it her special goal to make sure I don't wither away into dust."
"Surprise surprise."
"Precisely. So, I pay you back at lunch, and your mother stays happy that I stopped skipping meals when I got here." As if summoned by name, the door opened and Annalese McCoy came in bearing a heavy dish full of something that smelled wonderful.
"Speaking of which." David snickered into his coffee.
"Esmeralda, there you are!" Annalese saw her there and just beamed as she set down her burden, "Sweetheart, you are still too skinny!"
"Told ya." Esmeralda whispered conspiratorially, "I came for breakfast, Mama, and I'm stayin' for the rest of it."
"Good girl. Now come here." Annalese beckoned her over and handed her a bowl full of oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins with a spoon, "Now you eat that and not another word out of you, hear?"
"Yes, ma'am." She added a splash of milk and leaned against the crowded counter to eat. Moving down, she pushed aside stacks of dishes and sat down on the counter, kicking her heels against the cabinets beneath. She watched the others congregate and smiled as Leonard greeted his mother the way a son should. When she had scraped the bowl clean, she tossed the bowl and spoon into the sink and leaned back, smiling. Leonard came over and she adjusted to let him stand in front of her, taking the glass he handed her.
"Mom loves you."
"Told ya. She's convinced I'm too skinny for my own good."
"Sounds like Mom, to worry about a pretty girl." He smiled and leaned back a little. She set down her glass and reached over, stealing another bite from his plate, and this time he let her, pulling off a piece of what she'd taken for himself.
"So much for keeping it quiet." She picked up her glass again and just watched. Their immediate company wouldn't blab or gossip, but if it got beyond them, things would take off like wildfire. Finally, it was 0900 hours and time to get busy. This morning it was coffee and cinnamon rolls for Leonard. As she left the lounge with Mariah and Erica, she looked over her shoulder, "You boys leave him alone!"
"We'll be good, Esme, we promise."
"Suure they will." Esmeralda just rolled her eyes and left Leonard to the mercies of the boys. Once they were out of earshot, Mariah and Erica pounced on her.
"What was that?"
"I'll tell you this, it ain't a one-nighter."
"Esme!"
"Oh, hush. Give it a few months and I can drop it on Leslie and her sister."
"That's true. That would be sweet revenge." Mariah seemed to like that idea. She had to put up with relentless teasing for the rest of the morning, and she knew Leonard had to put up with it from David and the boys.
Around noon, Esmeralda escaped to the lounge, snagged a bowl of red beans and rice with sausage, and found an empty exam-room to hide in so she could eat in peace. She wasn't alone very long, however. The door was coded open and Leonard crept in. She smiled and patted the floor beside her.
"Was your morning as crazy as mine was?"
"If by crazy do you mean the girls wouldn't leave me alone except when we were within earshot of Leslie? Yeah, it was crazy. How was yours?"
"Ugh." The body-language said it all and they ate in companionable silence. After clearing their plates, so to speak, they moved to the bed and took five minutes to rest. When they got the same page at the same time, Esmeralda wanted to think it was just coincidence. She sighed and heaved off the bed, brushed off her scrubs and did something with her hair. Leonard, ever the gentleman, held open the door for her and let her go out first. Tossing their dishes into the nearest recycler, she looked at the pager again.
"You want this one?" She looked at Leonard.
"You can take it. I've got a stack of paperwork yea high waiting for me."
"Welcome home, huh?"
"Tsh." He made a dismissive sound and they parted ways. Esmeralda found her next patient down in Holding Room Six. Just before she went in, Leonard appeared. She smiled.
"So much for paperwork?"
"That can wait. This is more fun. What's going on?"
"Eighteen-year-old Human male, Caucasian, possible abuse situation."
"Based on what evidence?"
"Multiple lacerations, severe bruising, mild memory loss from possible head-trauma, possible concussion therein, and…three or four broken ribs."
"Sounds like it could be abuse or the kid just did somethin' real stupid." Leonard read the chart over her shoulder, "Well, onward ho."
"Brace yourself, the young ones are the cockiest."
"Don't I know it?" He waved her in first and she stepped into the room to find her patient laying on the bio-bed, eyes closed. He was stripped to the waist and they could see the damage. Venturing closer, Esmeralda noticed that he was in restraints.
"Leonard?"
"Hmm?"
"Find a Social Worker, I don't think this is from an accident." She studied bruising on his arms and neck, "I haven't seen something like this since…New York."
"Can you handle him if he wakes up?"
"Yeah, this is something I can handle. Go on." She waved Leonard out, oddly touched that he didn't want to leave her alone with an unstable patient. Once the door had closed, Esmeralda turned to her patient and dug out her earpiece, tucking it into her ear and turning it on, "This is Doctor Esmeralda Shirin, MO, MD, CMO. Patient is Human Male, Caucasian, approximately eighteen standard years of age. Vitals and Stats: Height: Six foot standard. Weight: 165 pounds standard. Pulse and pressures abnormal for trauma. Patient is unresponsive, under sedation for personal safety. Patient Name: Kirk, James T. Age: Stated above as 18." She paused and looked at the name again. Kirk? She knew a Kirk! Scrolling through the information at her disposal, she found the demographic data. Name, age, date-of-birth, place of residence, next of kin, Federation Identification Number, education, employment, affiliation if any. There was a marker under the affiliation heading and she tapped it open. She raised an eyebrow, "Next of kin stated: Frank Lawson, Stepfather; Winona Kirk, Mother. Biological Father: George C. Kirk, Admiral. Afiliation: Starfleet; Rank: Rear Admiral." This was Admiral Kirk's son? What on earth was he doing in Savannah, Georgia? She finished taking notes and dictating, and waited for Leonard to come back. While she waited, Kirk regained consciousness.
So there it is! Chapter 3! I hope this fills in a little more about Esmeralda, her story's going to come in bits and pieces as the story progresses, so just be patient. Next up: Jim! Yay for troubled souls!
