Under the Mistletoe
"Uh, I would like an invitation to your home for Christmas dinner," Miranda Bailey said to her colleagues and kind of friends, Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd. They looked at each other and then back to her hopeful face. "Uh, I know it's very late for me to be asking for such an invitation, given that it is, in fact, Christmas Eve. However, I wasn't able to make it home for Christmas and I don't have any place else to be." She sighed and looked from one to the other. "I have a bowel infarction to repair tomorrow, and then after that, I'll be free to come to your home."
"Sounds fine," Derek said.
Meredith gave a knowing smile, "Oh, absolutely."
"Thank you," Miranda said, exhaling and walking out of the room. One thing she hated doing was asking for favors and this was a favor. She had plans on being alone; but at the last moment, something propelled her to ask for an invitation to the Christmas shindig that many of her closest colleagues would be attending. She hoped it wouldn't be as bad as it sounded. Marching into the nearest doctor's lounge, she ran into someone coming out of it. "Oph!" She said picking up her phone, the battery had come out of it and the screen was cracked. "Just what I needed, a broken phone."
"Shit, I'm so sorry, Dr. Bailey," the person said. Miranda looked up into a face she knew very well, Benjamin Warren. She'd never known an anesthesiologist to be so maddening. They were usually the most laidback of the bunch, but this one… never… stopped… talking. That part she really didn't mind. But the man thought he knew every damned thing. And that pissed her off the most. She was the one who knew everything. "How can I make it up to you?"
Usually, she would have been furious and gone on a long tirade, but this was the first holiday that she was spending without a husband in five years. Her divorce from Tucker was trying her Christmas spirit. It had been long and painful and drawn out and it made her never want to look at another man or fall in love again. She shook her head. "You can't," Miranda grumbled before walking off. After eating a random mix of somewhat healthy food, she hurried to the OR. Scrubbing in with her resident beside her, she looked through the mirror to see Dr. Warren sitting at the head of the patient. She tried to put on a smile before stepping into the room. "Hello, everyone." The room echoed a greeting.
"Hello, Dr. Bailey," Dr. Warren said, his eyes small. Was he smiling?
"Hi. Sorry I'm a little late."
Dr. Warren picked up his clipboard. "It's all good, Dr. Bailey."
Miranda hated that the bass in his voice reminded her of Tucker. She also hated that he was still grinning at her. "Yeah, see, my phone was broken earlier and so I didn't get my usual alarm." His ears moved as his smile faded. That gave her so much satisfaction that she actually smiled. "Scalpel."
Finished the procedure, the door opened and Dr. Warren walked into the scrub room. "You were really good in there."
"I think great is the word you're looking for." The water turned off and she reached for a towel, the only one was on a shelf well out of her reach.
He raised a brow. "Need some help?"
"Only if you could put your ego away, Dr. Warren," she said through gritted teeth.
"Of course." He walked over to her, reaching over her and pulling it down. "Here you go."
"Thank you."
Miranda expected him to leave, but he watched her wipe her hands. "I'm sorry for bumping into you and sorry for breaking your phone."
"Well, things happen," she reassured him. She turned to leave.
"Goodnight, Dr. Bailey." The surgeon nodded and continued on her way. At home, it was so quiet. She put on the TV and shoved a frozen pizza into the oven. Remembering that she was going to someone's house for dinner, Miranda decided to make the one dish that was a surefire hit at any gathering: her artichoke dip. After eating her pizza, she drove to the store to get the ingredients. On her way to the register, she turned into the wine section to grab a few bottles. She wanted to get one for herself and two for the party. Down the long aisle, she saw Dr. Warren holding two bottles of wine. Miranda pulled her cap down to cover her face more. Spinning, she heard him call her name. She kept moving, pretending that she hadn't heard him. "Dr. Bailey?"
Sighing, she looked over at the man who was now standing next to her. "Oh, hello, Dr. Warren," she said giving an inauthentic smile.
"Were you trying to ignore me?"
"Yes," she answered before she could edit it. He nodded before laughing. Miranda smiled. The two of them just stood there, the silence swirling around them. Warren's lips made an "O". She paused. "It's not you per se, it's people. And the holidays." She stopped talking.
He put back one of the bottles. "I know what you mean. My family all headed back east, but I couldn't because I'm working."
Miranda felt her face soften. "Where are you from?"
"Is the Dr. Bailey pretending to get to know me?"
She held up her hand. "I'm not pretending to do anything. I'm… curious and trying to make small talk."
"Oh okay. Sorry. You're usually so cut and dry."
"Thanks," she said her tone icy. But wasn't it well-justified?
His face flushed. "No, I just meant… anyway, anyway, I'm from Seattle, but my parents moved to Chicago a few years ago. So, that's where all my siblings and nieces and nephews went." Another guy came down the aisle and Miranda had to move closer to Warren. "What about you, Dr. Bailey?"
She looked up at him and for the first time she really got a full look at the man. Had he always been that handsome? His brown skin looks so smooth, so had to stop herself from reaching out to touch his hand. "Um, I also had to work today and I have to work tomorrow."
"So, uh, Dr. Bailey, what are your plans for Christmas besides working?" He asked.
"Um, you can call me Miranda," she told him. "I mean, you can call me Dr. Bailey, that's my name. But if you want to call me M-Miranda, that's fine, too." Miranda could hear herself babbling, but she couldn't stop. "You don't have to call me anything, but my friends call me Miranda." Warren was smiling and she looked away. Her cheeks were on fire. "I have to go. Bye, Warren."
Miranda started to walk away forgetting that they were in the middle of a conversation. Instead of turning around, she kept going, oblivious to the fact that he was following her. "And, uh, you can call me Ben." Was he making fun of her? He held out his hand and she stared at it. "C'mon, Miranda." Reluctantly, she shook it and her heart rippled at the fact that she'd been thinking about touching his hand and here she was doing that exact thing. She wondered what else she could manifest. They got in line and Miranda started to put her stuff on the belt. "So?"
"So?"
"Your plans tomorrow?"
"Uh, a dinner… I'm going to a Christmas dinner. What about you?"
He placed his items behind hers. "Going to a friend's house." When she was finished, she gave him a polite smile and headed to her car. Halfway there she realized that she didn't even get the damn wine. Putting her bags in the backseat, she heard her name. "Hey, Miranda!" Looking across the parking lot, she raised her eyebrow at Ben. "I know that face," he said coming over to her. She squinted. "That's your 'leave me alone' face. I recognize it from the OR."
"What do you want, Ben Warren?"
"I… You, uh, went down the wine aisle, but you didn't get any wine."
A smile crossed Miranda's face. "I know. But I'm not going back in there."
"Why not?"
She sighed dramatically. "Well, the last time I was in there, I started talking to this guy and then he followed me to my car."
Ben's mouth dropped open. "Haha. You got jokes." They laughed together and Miranda loved that it wasn't awkward or unpleasant. "Um, do you want to grab a drink or something?"
"I can't. I should get home and make something for the dinner tomorrow." She actually felt bad that she was telling the truth.
"Oh okay. Well, maybe another time," he offered.
She gave a slight nod. "Yeah, maybe." He pulled out a bottle of wine from his bag and handed it to her. "Oh, that's okay. I'll go without." Ben picked up her hand and put the wine into her palm. Thanks." With a nod, he just walked off.
Christmas morning, Meredith approached her. "Are we still expecting you tonight, Dr. Bailey?"
"Yes. And thank you again." The bowel infarction went well and as Miranda stepped out of the OR, she felt relieved. It was touch and go for a while and she hadn't been sure that the patient would make it, but she did and Miranda was grateful. Walking down the hall, she saw Ben and stopped in her tracks. Stealthily, she moved toward the elevators, praying that he didn't see her. Why did seeing him always make her want to run?
"Hold that elevator, please!" Someone called out. Miranda grumbled. Since she was the only one on the elevator, she had to push button that would deter the doors from closing.
"Thanks, Bailey," Derek Shepherd said hurrying into the elevator. "So, uh, dinner is at six, but we'll probably eat at seven," he said bobbing his head side to side. "Or at eight." The friends laughed together.
She looked at her watch and saw that six o'clock was only an hour away. "I'll be there at six-thirty." The elevator sounded and she got off. Changing her clothes, she stepped out of the lounge door. Someone held the door open for her. "Oh, thank you."
"You're welcome… Miranda." She looked up to see Ben standing there. Of course, she'd see the very person she was actively avoiding. "We just keep running into each other."
"Meaning you can't stop getting in my way," she countered. He smiled slowly and she couldn't help but to mimic it. "Are you following me again?"
"No, I promise," he said moving closer to her as someone else came out of the lounge. "I saw you practically run away from me earlier, so I gave you a head start."
She sputtered, "I… wasn't running. I was just in a hurry. I have to go home and get changed."
"Well, don't let me stop you." Ben gave her another smile. "Merry Christmas, Dr. Bailey." Her eyes flickered when he didn't call her "Miranda". She liked when he called her Miranda. Just as she was about to strike up another one of their playfully aggressive conversations, he was gone.
Staring in her mirror, Miranda pulled off the blue dress she was wearing leaving her half-naked. Nothing looked right. Rifling through her dresser, she pulled out the blue jeans that hugged her curves perfectly. Every move she made, the denim contorted itself to her hips. In the back of her closet, she found a red, ribbed sweater that sat just at the top of her jeans. "This seems Christmas-y," she said out loud. Pulling it on, she began nodding. Miranda slipped into the new, black ankle boot that she'd bought immediately after her divorce. She'd been dying to wear them. Why not tonight? Placing the dip into a box, grabbing the wine that Ben had given her, she headed to the Grey-Shepherd home.
Miranda Bailey rang the doorbell and Meredith opened it. "Merry Christmas, Bailey," she said as Miranda stepped into the house and admired the decorations. "I'll take your coat."
"Thank you and, uh, what's the acceptable amount of times that I have to say, 'Merry Christmas' before I can stop responding?" Miranda asked, her eyes falling on the tall tree in the corner of the room. She also saw two long, decorated tables taking up an entire room.
"Two or three seems socially acceptable. I stopped this morning," Meredith said with a shrug. She took the dip and the wine.
"Merry Christmas, Grey."
Walking into the house, Miranda was kind of glad to see that it there were a lot of people, but it wasn't packed. Seeing her mentor and Chief of Surgery, Richard Webber, she walked over to him, grabbing a glass of wine. "Merry Christmas, Bailey. Glad you could make it."
"Glad to see you're enjoying spirits," she said. The old friends laughed together. Miranda surveyed the room. "Who else is here?"
"Oh, a bunch of people. Reuben and Kent are already liquored up." A waiter passed by with a tray of snacks and Richard followed it. Miranda sauntered from room to room. It was nice to be in a setting with her colleagues that wasn't a hospital.
Someone clinked on glass. And all eyes landed on Derek. "Dinner will be served in ten minutes."
As she talked with her closest friend, Callie Torres, and her wife, Arizona Robbins, and another surgeon, Maggie Pierce, Miranda excused herself briefly to grab a little food. Even though dinner was around the corner, she was starving. Going to the appetizer buffet, she saw a very familiar figure in front of the table. Taking a deep breath, she walked over and reached in front of him, grabbing a plate. "Dr. Bailey," Ben said. "So, you're following me now?"
She noticed his outfit, dark blue dress pants and a light blue shirt. "No," she scoffed. "These people are my friends. What are you doing here?"
"Some of them are my friends, too." Nervous, she accidentally put stuffed peppers on her plate. "I guess that makes us friends, too." She screwed up her face; she hated stuffed peppers. "You don't want to be my friend or you don't like stuffed peppers?"
Miranda rolled her eyes at him. "The peppers."
"I'll take them." Miranda thanked Ben and pushed them onto his plate next to the artichoke dip he had. She smiled. "How's the dip?' She asked picking up two pieces of fried ravioli.
"It's great. Want to taste?" She looked up at him to see him unsmiling with a twinkle in his eye.
"I can get my own, thank you very much." Miranda picked up a mini mac and cheese cupcake, taking a bite and walking away. She could hear him following her and it pleased her.
"Those are so good." She nodded. "If I ever get married, those are going to be at my reception."
Miranda laughed, finding a comfortable spot near the bottom of the stairs, forgetting all about her friends. "You would be on to something." She sat in one of the folding chairs and Ben sat next to her.
He cleared his throat and stared at her. "I hope you don't mind me saying, but you look really…," he stated, his eyes drawing a line from her head to her feet, "really beautiful, Miranda. You look good."
"Thank you." Her heart was doing all sorts of flips and jumps. "You look ni… handsome. You look handsome, Ben Warren." She took a bite of the ravioli wanting to pocket some for later. "So, you don't plan on getting married?"
"Huh?"
"You said 'if;' do you not want to get married?"
Ben wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Uh, right person, right time and all that." Miranda nodded. "What about you?"
"Oh, I've been married before. Right time, wrong person," she said. The ease with which that confession slipped out of her mouth made her want to slap her forehead. "I mean, I agree with what you said."
"Hmm." They continued to eat. "Can I get you something to drink?"
She turned to him a little. "Yes, red wine."
"Save my seat, please." Miranda nodded. "Can you hold my food?" Unable to speak because her throat was so dry. Why was it so dry? She just nodded again and took the small plate.
The moment he was gone, Callie sidled up to Miranda, sitting in Ben's seat. "Is that Warren from Anesthesiology?"
Miranda rolled her eyes, "Yes."
Callie gasped quietly. "I heard that… oh, shoot, here he comes," she said moving away.
"Heard what?" Miranda hissed, but Callie was already halfway across the house. She and Ben exchanged items. "Thank you, Ben."
He nodded. "You're welcome, Dr. Bailey." Her stomach spun. "I mean, Miranda."
"Dinner's ready!"
He offered to throw their plates away and Miranda made her way to the table, sitting across from Callie. The food looked really good and she couldn't wait to eat. Ben was one of the last ones to come into the large room. Miranda was glad that her seemingly gruff demeanor kept the seat next to her open. She started to wave over Ben, but another doctor that she didn't know well plopped down next to her. "Hi, Dr. Bailey," he said brightly. Miranda and Ben made eye contact and she looked at Callie who shrugged unfortunately.
Ben rounded the table and tapped the guy on the shoulder and leaned down to tell him something. As the guy stood up, Ben said: "Thanks, Rob." One man found another seat and the other sat down next to her. Callie clapped and held onto Arizona, silently squealing. Miranda made a face that demanded and begged her to stop. "I thought I asked you to save my seat," he said reaching for a glass of water. Miranda did the same and they realized that he'd picked up hers.
"I tried, but Rob and I go way back, so…"
"Ahh, okay. Well, I can move, so you two can…" he said standing up.
Miranda touched his leg, holding him in place. She froze. Jesus. "Sorry," she whispered.
She started to pull back her hand when Ben put his hand on top of hers. "It's fine." He squeezed and they returned their hands to the top of the table.
The sound of clinking glass returned Miranda back to reality. "Um, thank you all for coming," Meredith said. "Let's dig in."
As dinner went on, Ben and Miranda talked some more. She knew that they'd said they were 'friends', but were they actually becoming friends? "So, do you have any kids?" She asked taking a bite of her roll.
"I do, actually, a little girl, Aaliyah. She's with her mother for the week." He smiled. "You?"
She shook her head. "Not yet." A few people had to leave and the dinner party began winding down a bit, but Miranda hadn't noticed. Her conversation with Ben while they ate was turning out to be one of her favorites. When they all moved to the living room, Miranda found a seat next to Callie and Arizona and Richard sat on the arm of the sofa, next to her.
Another doctor, Owen Hunt, pulled his guitar from behind the sofa and began tuning it. "I don't know many American Christmas songs," he started in a thick, Irish accent, "but my mam played this one often." He strummed the first chords of "Baby, It's Cold Outside".
"I know that one!" Callie said loudly. "Um, I really can't stay."
"But, baby, it's cold outside," Owen and Miranda sang at the same time. Everyone chuckled.
"I've got to go away," Callie continued.
Miranda and Owen looked at each other before saying: "But, baby, it's cold outside."
"Wait," Arizona piped up stopping the song. "Didn't we all make a social contract that 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' is a little… inappropriate?"
The doctors all looked around the room, nodding. "Got anything else, Hunt?" Richard asked.
"Um… I did prepare something." Hunt started playing.
"What do you know about this?" Richard asked Owen who just smiled. Miranda closed her eyes, letting the song take over her. It was her father's favorite. "Sing with me," he said nudging her.
She opened her eyes and shook her head. Miranda turned to Callie: "No, uh, Torres, you sing."
Callie shrugged. "I don't know the words."
"Come on," Richard said. "Chestnuts roastin' on an open fire. Jack Frost nippin' at your nose." The older man looked at her and she sighed and looked up to see Ben smiling at her.
She smiled back. "Yuletide carols being sung by a choir and folks dressed up like Eskimos."
"Everybody knows… a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright."
"Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow will find it hard to sleep tonight."
Miranda and Richard sang a bit more and when they were finished, the room clapped. She got up and went to get another drink to moisten her throat. "I didn't know you could sing," Ben said coming up beside her.
"Why the tone of surprise?" She asked him, keeping her eyes on the punch bowl.
"Because I am surprised, but in a good way."
"Hmm."
He reached around her and grabbed a cup, his chest touching her shoulder briefly. She could smell his cologne and took a deep breath. "You have a beautiful voice, Miranda."
"Thank you." Sipping some of the drink, she turned to him. "Now, it's time to reveal a hidden talent of yours."
"I can… play the piano. Rather, I can play three songs really well on the piano. One of them is 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'."
This sent her into a fit of laughter. "You'll, uh, have to play for me sometime."
"Bet."
"Um, excuse me," Callie said coming over to them. "Can I just borrow Bailey for a quick second? Real quick. Thanks."
"What?" Miranda said as they moved away. Miranda was facing Ben and could see him watching her.
"You like him."
Miranda swallowed. "I like how he smells."
"Huh?"
"He smells good. It's soft, but manly." She licked her lips. "And no one else is interesting enough to hold my attention." The friends laughed.
"You like him."
Miranda sighed. She really didn't want to have this conversation and definitely not now. She wasn't up for figuring out her feelings for the man in the middle of a dinner party. "I…"
"Say no more."
"I haven't said anything," she told Callie as a woman sat next to Ben. He nodded as she spoke. He also glanced at Miranda who looked away, her face flushed. "But it doesn't matter."
Callie followed her gaze. By the time she turned back to her friend, Miranda had disappeared. Somehow, she found her coat and walked out of the backdoor, leaning on the deck railing. Maggie and another one of their colleagues, Jackson Avery, were talking and laughing quietly at a little table a few feet away. Miranda probably wouldn't say it out loud, but she wanted that. A connection. With every breath, a puff of air formed as she wondered how long she could stay outside or even at the party before it was okay to leave. The door opened and someone moved next to her. "You're intense," they said.
Miranda looked over to see Ben. "That sounds like an insult."
"It's not. It's a compliment."
"That's a terrible compliment."
"No, like, you're smart, obviously talented and gorgeous, but kind of intense."
"Okay. Thank you for the personality check, Dr. Warren." She crossed her arms. Miranda saw him push back his coat. The sight of his belt turned her on in ways she didn't know how to explain. She could see his undershirt through his shirt and briefly wondered about the body beneath the fabric. What was wrong with her? Why was she undressing this man with her eyes?
"I'm getting this all wrong," Ben told her.
Miranda gritted her teeth. "So, very, very wrong," she said turning on her heels.
"I just mean that… I like all of those things about you. I do."
She cocked her head to the side. "Why are you saying this?"
"Because I feel like I need to be transparent with you." Miranda swallowed. She didn't know why she was nervous, but she was. "Especially when I say that I like you."
A ringing went off in her left ear. "Oh!"
"Yep," he said popping the "p".
"But you called me 'intense'."
"I said 'kind of'." He said breaking out into a huge grin. Miranda pushed his chest and he laughed harder grabbing her arm. She bit her bottom lip as Ben licked his.
"Yo, Warren!" Jackson said.
Ben let go of her arm: "Yeah?"
Jackson laughed. "Look up."
"Aww!" Maggie said making Miranda lift her chin. Never had she hated the sight of mistletoe more. A stupid tradition started by the stupid Greeks. She exhaled.
Ben looked up as well. "Mistletoe." He smiled quickly. "We don't have to."
"Yes, you do!" Maggie called out.
"Pierce!" Miranda said. "Can you two mind your business please?"
"Sorry!" Maggie and Jackson said at the same time.
Miranda smiled and stood on her toes, giving Ben a kiss on the cheek. "There you go. Tradition fulfilled."
"Booo!" Jackson yelled.
Whipping around to glare at him, she saw that Maggie was taking Jackson by the hand and pulling him back into the house announcing that they were giving Ben and Miranda privacy. "Those two are funny," Ben said.
"They're annoying," she added as they laughed together.
"Yeah. But they're right."
Her smiled evaporated. "Huh?"
"That kiss," he said shaking his head, "was wack."
"Excuse me?" Miranda said putting her hands on her hips.
He inhaled and nodded. "So, we're pretending like we didn't spend the entire party talking to each other?"
"We… did not."
"That we don't have a lot in common?"
"Circumstantial."
He reached for her hand and she let him, loving how her hand fit perfectly in his. "And that you didn't practically beg you to rescue you from sitting next to Rob at dinner." She shuddered a little. "Are you cold?"
"A little."
Ben took a small step toward her. "How's this?"
"Better."
Nodding, he pulled her closer, hugging her, making Miranda gasp. Ben moved a hand up and down her back. "How's this?"
"We could have just gone back inside, you know."
"But where's the fun in that?" He looked down at her, biting his bottom lip and Miranda's breaths deepened. Christ. "Can I kiss you?"
"Aren't you supposed to just do it?"
He laughed. "Consent is sexy."
She laughed, too, and her teeth were hit by a chill. "Well, if you're going to do it, do it because I'm going b—" Ben leaned in slowly. His lips connected with hers and she was unable to breathe or process what was happening. She didn't know what to do with her arms, so she put them on his hips, hooking a finger onto his belt.
They both pulled away at the same time. "Sorry," he said.
Catching her breath, she asked: "For what?"
"I don't know."
Miranda opened her mouth to speak, but she just tightened her hold on Ben, bringing him in for another kiss, this one longer. Every nerve in her body was on high alert. She could feel his hands on her hips. And could hear her heart thumping in her ears. Her nipples were at attention. Her stomach was churning. He tasted so good and she enjoyed every bit of him that she could. "Well, well, well," someone said coming out to the deck, interrupting them. Miranda and Ben jumped apart and she felt like wringing whosever neck it was. "Pierce, you were right," Callie said.
"Told you," Maggie responded sipping on a glass of wine.
Ben was still holding on to her and she still had his belt. He glanced at her. Thankfully, Arizona came out and shooed them away. "Sorry, you two. Just… yeah."
When the three of them were gone, Miranda shook her head, embarrassed. She didn't know what to say and waited for Ben to speak first. But he didn't. What he did do was push their bodies back together and moved in for another kiss. She stopped him, putting a hand to his chest gently. "Oh. I just thought that…"
"We were under the mistletoe then. And as you can see, we're no longer beneath it," she said with a sly smile. Ben let go of her and reached up and grabbed the mistletoe and moved back to her, holding it over their heads. "So, you're gonna carry mistletoe whenever you want to kiss me?"
"Whatever works." He kissed her once again, their tongues getting even more acquainted. She couldn't stop a low moan from escaping as he reached his hand past her coat and to the bottom of her sweater, finding skin. His cold hands made her squeal.
"I am so cold," she said as she took his hand and they walked down the backsteps. Miranda pulled him to her car and unlocked the door. He got in on the passenger side and she turned on the heat, exhaling and rubbing her hands together. They sat for a several minutes as her body melted. Finally warm, she looked at him to see that he was already looking at her. "What?"
"Nothing. Just looking."
She faced Ben fully. "At?"
"You."
Miranda blushed, "Benjamin Warren."
"Miranda Bailey." She shivered.
"Don't say my name like that."
"You said my name like that," he argued.
Miranda's heart was beating out of her chest. She heard it and knew Ben had to hear it, too. Her nerves hadn't been this wretched in a long time. Not since she'd first met her husband. No other man had ever gotten close enough to make her feel… things. In places. He touched her face. "Do I have to hold up the mistletoe to kiss you again? Or can I just go for it?"
"Shut up," she said kissing him on the lips. She did it so easily that it shocked her. Miranda's phone rang and she tried to see who it was through the cracks in her screen. "Hello?"
"Season's Greetings, my beautiful daughter!" Her father, William, said in her ear.
"Hi, daddy." Miranda turned away from Ben a little.
Her mother, Elena, called out from the background, "Merry Christmas, baby!"
William continued: "I was waiting all day for you to call, but you didn't."
Miranda nodded. "Well, my cell broke yesterday," she said looking at Ben who looked apologetic, "so it's hard to use."
"Excuses, excuses," William said.
"I miss you two. Very much. I will come and see you early next month. I promise."
Her father laughed. "Honey, she's making promises again." His voice was so loud that Ben could hear him and he was cracking up.
"Shh!" She said to Ben with a grin of her own.
"Are you talking to me?" William asked.
"No."
"Then who are you talking to?"
"My… a friend," she said looking at Ben who picked up her hand. "I'm at a Christmas party."
Her father sounded surprised and said he didn't want to keep her. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she said.
Ending the call, Miranda tucked hair behind her ear with her free hand. Ben asked: "Um, can I take you somewhere?" A raised eyebrow from Miranda made him fix his question. "Nothing creepy, but like a Christmas… thing."
"Fine, but if you try anything, I'll—"
"You'll what?" He teased as they got out of the car. Passing each other, he swiped his hand along her hip.
She laughed. "I'll figure something out."
They pulled off. "So, uh, what happened with you and Aaliyah's mother?"
"Jumping right in, huh?"
"You're driving my car; I can ask questions."
"Fair point. Look, I would never say my daughter is a mistake, but her mother getting pregnant was. We weren't together…" Miranda nodded. "But Aaliyah is the best thing that's ever happened to me."
She couldn't stop staring at this man. This aggravating anesthesiologist who was in her car, making her smile, touching her, opening up to her, it was a lot to take in. "That's great, Ben."
It was his turn to nod in agreement. "What about you and your ex?" He asked.
Her ex-husband was not a topic she wanted to discuss. She'd wasted so much time with him, trying to please him into being a good man, a good partner. "We weren't… right together," she said giving him the short answer.
"He's an idiot."
"I think so, too." They laughed as he pulled into the parking lot of a fancy apartment complex. "Where are we?"
"Um, my apartment." She tilted her head to the side. "I didn't know you were going to be at the party tonight, so I didn't bring the gift I had for you."
"You got me a gift?" Miranda tried not to let her pure excitement show on her face, but she failed.
He parked the car. "Well… you know what? You'll see. I'll just run up and get it."
"Actually, can I use your bathroom?"
Ben nodded. "Sure," he said turning off the car. They walked inside of the building, being greeted by the attendant behind the security desk. He lived on the first floor and ten seconds later, he was opening his door. "Uh, the bathroom, is down the hall to the right. "
"Thank you." Miranda used the bathroom, observing how clean it was. Looking in the mirror, she was glad that the night hadn't taken a toll on her makeup or hair. Returning to the front of the apartment, Ben stood up as she walked over to him.
"Are you ready for your gift?"
"I am ready for my gift."
"Close your eyes."
"Don't make this weird, Ben Warren." She smiled, shutting her eyes. "I'm scared."
"Don't be," he laughed. "Open your eyes."
She did as she was told and he handed her a wrapped box. Excited, she ripped into it, revealing a brand-new cell phone. "You got me a phone?" She'd never gotten a gift from a coworker and even though it was to replace one that he'd broken, it was still a really nice gesture.
Ben nodded. "I broke yours and felt really bad. Then when you were talking to your parents, I felt awful."
Miranda turned the box in her hand. "This is kind, thank you. But now I feel bad that I didn't get you anything," she chuckled, turning the box over in her hand.
"Oh… wait, what's that?" He asked pointing upward.
She followed his sight line and sucked her teeth. The same bunch of mistletoe from the party was clumsily taped to his ceiling. "You're a pain!"
Ben shrugged. "You know the rules," he said leaning in.
Miranda moved away, leaving him sighing. "You have a lovely place."
"Thanks." She sat down on the sofa and he came over and sat next to her. Pulling a pillow into her lap, she wondered if anyone at the party knew she was gone or wondered where she was. "So, uh, I can help you set up your phone if you'd like."
"You think I'm incompetent?"
"No, I was just offering." He put his arm on the back of the chair, his fingertips touching one of her shoulders. They sat in silence and Miranda was unsure of what she wanted to do. Of where the night was going. Of what he wanted. "Um, I can put on some music. Or I have some wine."
"Wine please." Ben got up and she turned and watched him move around the kitchen. He caught her looking at him and she smiled. He brought back two glasses and sat even closer to her. This was him making his move. "This is good," she said sipping the wine slowly.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Yes."
"I'm nervous as all hell."
Miranda exhaled and put a hand to her chest. "Me, too."
"Really?" She nodded. "Look, um, I don't really know how we ended up here, but…"
She put her glass on the table in front of them and took his glass and did the same thing. Miranda reached for the front of his shirt, closing the gap between them. "I like you, too." She fell into his chest, their bodies touching in several places. Ben grabbed the back of her neck tenderly, lengthening the kiss. His body rose against hers and her body reacted, ready. "Ben?"
"Yeah?" He said putting his lips against her chin, moving down to her neck. She whined as she pushed him away. The look he gave her, she knew so well. He wanted her. And it felt good to be wanted. But Miranda also knew that if she didn't stop now, if they didn't stop now, they'd never be able to. He felt so good and kissed so good and smelled so… damn… good.
"I think I should go." Ben exhaled and she could hear the disappointment behind it. He bit his bottom lip and stared at her, his eyes pleading. "I know," she whispered, gently grabbing his chin.
He drove them back to the Grey-Shepherd house and she saw that nearly every car was gone except for his. Ben got out and opened her door. They held hands as they walked around the car. "Please tell me that I'll get to see you again—outside of the hospital."
"Maybe," Miranda answered. She leaned against the car as Ben reached into his pocket. "That had better not be any more mistletoe."
Shrugging, he said: "You told me to carry some around if I want to kiss you."
"I said no such thing."
"That's what I heard."
"Now, I don't want you to get any big ideas." Ben shook his head. "This is not the start of anything or a relationship. It was nice, enjoyable… fun."
He nodded, smiling. "Fun. Got it." Ben pushed his lips against hers. They were way past familiar now, but it still threw her to have a man want to hug her and kiss her. "I want to see you again." He stroked her hair, slowly, waiting for an answer. Her brain came up with several that told him that this was a one-time thing and it wasn't going to happen again. It couldn't. They worked too closely together. It was the mistletoe. And the combination of wine and music and holiday traditions.
But all that came out was: "What about New Year's Eve?" Ben shook his head again and her heart plummeted into her stomach. Maybe she was too intense. She screwed up her face. "Too soon?"
"Not soon enough."
"Talk about intense," she said making them both laugh.
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" He nodded. Miranda smiled. "Fine tomorrow. Breakfast and you're buying."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." He hugged her tightly as she got into her car, starting it. "Let me know when you get home please."
"I don't have your number," she said, putting on her seatbelt.
He closed her door. "It's in the box."
"So ominous." Miranda pulled away and headed home. It took an hour to set up the new phone with the operator and she stared at Ben's number the entire time. He consumed her mind. Since she left him, he was all she could think about. And if she were being honest, she'd been thinking about him since seeing him in the grocery store. And before that in surgery. God, she wanted him. By the time her phone was ready to go, instead of calling him, she took a shower. Stepping out of the bathroom, she grabbed her phone and called him hoping that he wouldn't pick up. On the fifth ring, she was about to end the call when he answered.
"Hello?"
"H-hi."
"I man could die waiting for you to call."
She went into her bedroom. What used to be her and Tucker's room. "And wouldn't it be worth it?"
He yawned. "Now that you mention it…" They laughed. "So, uh, what are you doing?"
Miranda sighed. She could lie or she could tell him the truth. "I'm just sitting on my bed." Feeling mischievous, she finished: "In a towel."
"Dr. Bailey is a tease," Ben groaned. "Who would have ever guessed?"
"I knew," she told him. The two of them chatted and she loved how they could just talk about anything and everything. "I have a confession."
"What's that?"
She played with the hem of her towel. "I had a good time tonight."
"You don't have to thank me."
Smiling, Miranda rolled her eyes. "I wasn't. My good time had nothing to do with you."
"Nothing, huh?" She nodded as if he could see her. "Well, I did, too. And it was definitely thanks to you." Her smile widened and lay back on her bed. "I wish it didn't have to end so soon."
Miranda felt her heart racing. "Me either."
"And in light of everything, I just want to say that my intention isn't just to have fun with you." She stayed quiet. "And I'll leave it at that."
"Okay."
"So, uh, have a great night and I will see you tomorrow. Merry Christmas, Miranda," Ben said in a voice that sent a chill up her spine.
Miranda bit the corner of her bottom lip. "Merry Christmas to you, too, Benjamin."
