"There's the sunshine," Mary smiled at her as Marlene walked up at the day's end. "Has your Captain died?"
Marlene laughed and linked arms with her friend, "The opposite! He's tested typhus free! I'll be moving him to the Rehabilitation Ward tomorrow!" Not even the awful skull alley at the hospital entrance could dampen this feeling she had.
Mary hugged her tight as they stepped out onto the pavement. "That's wonderful news! Does he have his sight back as well?"
Marlene shook her head as they practically skipped home. "He still can't see, hence the Rehabilitation Ward. He'll remain there until his sight returns or the doctors determine it won't."
"So," Mary turned to her with excitement,"What's your new Ward assignment?"
"Rehabilitation Ward, Dr. Dodge thinks it will help his sight return if I move with him." Marlene smiled up at the sun, still high in the lovely end of May sky. "I'll be taking half the Ward, Sister Hestia was relieved actually. She told me that eight rooms had been nearly impossible to handle on her own because instead of putting all the patients in one room, they've been spreading them out, so she has six patients and they each have their own room at the moment."
"Wait," Mary stopped them, "You're moving to the Rehabilitation Ward as well?"
"Weren't you listening?" Marlene laughed and pulled Mary forward, "Yes. Dr. Dodge is hoping that keeping his same nurse will help to keep him relaxed and increase the chances of his sight returning."
"And … and you're happy…?" Mary looked at her like she'd grown two heads.
"Of course!" Marlene held back on her desire to run and laugh the rest of the way home. "How was your day?"
"Splendid," Mary continued to look at her like she'd gone mad as they finished their walk home.
Marlene pushed open the door to their flat and set about opening the curtains and the windows, letting the stuffy air from the day out. Marlene switched on the radio and danced as Glen Miller's In the Mood began playing part way through. She pulled her hair free of her veil and laughed as she shook her loose curls out.
"What has gotten into you?!" Mary demanded as Marlene spun around their little flat.
"I'm just happy!" Marlene laughed.
"Marly!" Mary caught her midspin, just as the horns cut out and the song ended. "What aren't you telling me?"
And as the music stopped, Marlene suddenly realized the implications of what had happened. The elation was suddenly mixed with a sense of panic, and her face fell.
"Shite," she breathed and fell into the couch. "Shite, shite, shite, shite!"
Mary sat down next to her with a huff. "I'm still in the dark, love."
"He kissed me."
Mary was silent, and Marlene didn't bother to look over at her because saying it out loud had brought the smile back to her lips. It had brought that feeling in her chest back, had made her think about how he'd touched her, how his skin had felt under her bare hand, how his breath had wafted down her neck.
Marry snapped her fingers in front of her face, "Marlene!"
"Sorry," Marlene jumped and looked over at her.
"I said, did you kiss him back?" Mary's tone had a concerned edge to it, but she smiled at Marlene encouragingly.
Marlene nodded, the excitement starting to push the anxiety away.
"Well," Mary chuckled, "At least you know he isn't in it for just your pretty face."
Marlene dissolved into a fit of giggles. It only took a moment before Mary was laughing too.
When they'd regained control of themselves, they set about making dinner.
"What are you going to do?" Mary asked as she pulled the bread from the cupboard.
Marlene sighed as she put the kettle on. "He'll have his own room. If he decides to kiss me again it's not like it'll be in front of every patient in Rehabilitation."
"Marls," Mary groaned, "That isn't what I meant and you know it!"
Marlene busied herself with getting the dishes down. Mary grabbed a fork and threatened to skewer her again.
"Fine!" Marlene snatched the fork away. "I don't know Mary. I don't know what happens from here. I don't know. And I'm scared to know honestly. Because if he recovers his sight he'll be sent back to Europe, and if doesn't he'll go back to where ever he lives in England and that will be that."
"You could always write each other if he regains his sight." Mary squeezed her arm and smiled.
Marlene sighed and shook her head as she pulled the kettle off the stove.
"Just talk to him about it in the morning. I'm sure he isn't sure either and you'll need to be on the same page in any case." Mary took her tea and smirked as she brought it to her lips. "Enough sad stuff, I'm dying to know, is he a good kisser?"
Marlene pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and giggled.
Marlene stepped quietly into the Quarantine Ward for what she hoped would be the last time. And she had never been more grateful not to see Arabella in her entire life.
"Ready to be free, Sirius?" She walked quietly towards his bed at the far side of the room and smiled at the way his face lit up at her voice.
"Well, seeing as you're coming with me I don't know if I can consider this all that liberating." He teased, but he'd moved to sitting.
Marlene grabbed the wheelchair near the door and pushed it over to his bed.
"Alright, since Sister Emmeline took care of getting everything ready last night, all you have to do now is get in this wheelchair and I'll wheel you to Rehabilitation." She placed a hand on his arm and he immediately grabbed her hand and gave it a tug.
"Sirius," she started to protest, but even she could hear the lack of determination in her voice.
"Marlene," he smirked up at her and pulled again.
She looked back at the door and then sighed and let him pull her down to sit on the bed.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" His hand ran up her arm, following it to her neck and then her face, stopping to caress her cheek.
Marlene brought her hand up to cup his and tried to breath through the heart palpitations he was giving her.
"Everything about you is difficult, Sirius." Marlene whispered.
"Everything?" he brought his lips towards her and she met him halfway.
Kissing Sirius was different than anyone else, and she had kissed her fair share of men. Kissing Sirius made her spine tingle and body melt. Kissing Sirius made her mind stop working. Kissing Sirius made her never want to stop.
"Especially everything," she whispered when he pulled back.
The distance seemed to give her some clarity and she remembered that not only did she need to move him to Rehabilitation, she had two new patients to check in on as well.
"Let's step to it," she stood before he could pull her back. "I have two new patients to check on as well."
"Ah, I no longer have a big room to myself?" He chuckled as he reached out until finding the wheelchair and standing, guiding himself into the chair.
"Oh you still do, I have four rooms now and three patients. Technically one of the three of you could have two rooms." She started to push the wheelchair out into the corridor.
"I could send for my family's vast art collection to store in there? It would be terribly ironic and all."
"You're such a posh wanker. Vast art collection." She drew out the vowel in 'vast' and tried to imitate the plummy sounding accent that posh people spoke with.
He shrugged his shoulders in what looked like concession.
"I was born Prince Posh Wanker, I'll have you know. If not for a well timed coup d'état you might have had to call me your royal highness."
Marlene scoffed. His teasing was really ridiculous today, and she decided it was probably the same euphoria she'd been feeling since yesterday.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
"I wish I were." His sigh was full of contempt and Marlene second guessed her initial assumption.
Then she smiled.
"Yeah, it must be a right embarrassment to have to tell people that you were christened 'Posh Wanker'. No wonder your brother didn't want to name his child for you."
Marlene thought she saw one of the maids look over her shoulder at her at her as she wheeled Sirius down the last stretch of corridor before they arrived at his room. She might have been worried about what the girl was so curious about, but she'd been caught up in laughing with Sirius. She hadn't laughed like this since she was a child. He seemed to bring that out in her. She was too busy soaking it all in that she didn't have it in her to care what the maids might gossip about.
The second they were behind a closed door the air between them shifted.
"Marlene…" he reached back and grabbed her hand as she wheeled him to his new cot.
"Sirius I would tell you to stop looking at me like that but it occurs to me that you aren't actually looking at me," she smirked as he turned his head to face her. "So whatever it is that you're doing, stop it."
"How am I to stop if I don't know what it is that I'm doing?" He stood up from his wheelchair, and moved far too close to her for polite company. He reached out for her face but she stopped his hand with hers, before he could distract her anymore than he already had.
"I'm still working, Sirius." Her voice was soft and her heart fell with his face.
"I'm not to keen on sharing you." His tone had a touch of bitterness in it.
"I'll still be around," she chuckled, "remember, you won't be rid of me so easily."
"Hell has its perks," he smiled and his laughter made her heart sing.
Marlene got Sirius settled in before meeting up with Sister Hestia to hand off Privates Dearborn and Podmore. When that was finished she wandered back to Sirius's room.
"Can't stay away can you?" He taunted.
"The Devil has a habit of torturing people," she chuckled, gliding over to sit in the chair next to his bed, back facing the door.
"If this is torture, chain me to the wall." He winked at her and the notion of a blind man winking was too much for Marlene and she burst out laughing.
She calmed and tentatively took Sirius' hand in hers. "Sirius," she bit her lip. "Sirius I, I wanted to know what, what your intentions are, with you and I."
He opened his mouth to answer but Arabella came running in.
"Sister Marlene! Come quick! There's a battleship worth of casualties being unloaded at our dock as we speak!" Arabella panted, holding onto the door frame.
Marlene squeezed Sirius' hand once before releasing it and bolting for her Matron's office and her instructions.
