Note from the author (me!): If you're a sappy romantic nut like I am, then allow me to suggest any book written by Nicholas Sparks. This man is the God of romance novels. I'm almost done "A Walk to Remember", and I'm literally buried in fuzz. :o)

Anyways… Chapter four.

***

"I'll have the Caesar Salad and the Swiss Chicken."

"Excellent choice. And for you, sir?"

John took a moment to glance at the menu one last time before ordering. "I think I'll have the Minestrone soup and the rack of lamb." He closed the menu and handed it up to their waiter. "Do you have any cider?"

"Yes, we do. Apple, pear or apricot?"

John looked at Abby with raised eyebrows. "Well, what should it be?"

Abby frowned for a minute, then caught on. "Oh! Umm… Pear?"

"One bottle of pear cider, please."

Maurice nodded. "Excellent. I'll be right back."

"Thank-you." John called out to Maurice's retreating form. His gaze drifted back to Abby, who was giving him a puzzled look. "What?"

Abby shook her head. "Cider?"

"What about it?" It was his turn to reach across the table, letting his hand rest over hers. "We can't toast this evening with club soda."

Abby grinned and leaned forward on the table. "I suppose not…. Come here."

John obeyed her request and leaned towards her. She closed her eyes as he approached, waiting for the feel of his lips on hers. John smiled at her expression as he reached across the table, when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked up and pulled away almost immediately.

"Uh…."

Abby's eyes fluttered open. "What?"

"Don't look now, but I think we may have company."

She frowned at him, then followed his gaze over her shoulder. "Oh, great."

"Hey! I said don't look!" John tugged on her hand in an attempt to get her to turn around. She responded and faced him once again, her eyebrows raised with surprise.

"What's he doing here?" She hissed.

"Well, judging by who he came with, I'm guessing… The same thing we are?" He gave her a small smile.

Abby rolled her eyes. "I know that… Can you see who she is?"

John leaned forward and squinted at the couple across the room. "She isn't anyone I recognize. Cute, though."

"Is that a good thing?"

He focused his eyes back on Abby and shrugged. "As far as I can tell."

Abby bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder again. At that same moment, the couple they were spying on turned and began to walk towards them. Abby whipped her head back towards John. "Damn, I think he saw us!"

John ducked his head down, trying to conceal his presence. "No… No. They're sitting down."

"Yeah?"

John paused to double check before sitting up straight again. "Yeah."

Abby sighed and slumped back in her chair. "That was close."

John raised an eyebrow at her. "Was it? I mean, if you haven't noticed…. It's not like there's very many people in the hospital that don't know about us by now. Are there?"

Her face turned thoughtful for a moment as she considered his inquiry. "Well, there aren't if the ER gossip train has had any say in it…. Which they have."

He rolled his eyes in an exaggerative manner. "How could I forget?"

"And as I recall…. We've been outted on more than one occasion." Abby sighed and pretended to gaze into the distance wistfully, as she recalled their numerous romantic rendezvous in the ER during the past several weeks.

John tried not to laugh at her expression. "I remember."

Abby shook herself out of her reverie and looked at the man sitting across from her. "Those were fun."

Her confession made him frown. "You talk about it like it's over."

"Do I?"

He nodded.

"Well… then… I take it back." She turned her head to the side and looked at him with one eye. "Don't get so paranoid, Carter…. I'm not going anywhere."

John smiled. "Ever?"

"Well…" Abby paused for several seconds as she righted herself in her chair and pulled her cloth napkin onto her lap. "I might go to the ladies room later, but I promise I'll come back."

Her eyes lingered with his for a few more moments before her gaze shifted to the waiter approaching from behind John's back.

Maurice set the ice bucket stand beside their table and placed two flutes in between the couple "Enjoy."

Once he was gone, John pulled the bottle of cider out of the bucket and grabbed Abby's glass. Filling it halfway, he handed it to her before pouring himself some. Setting the bottle back in its place, he turned his attention back to her.

"So, what should we toast to?"

"Uh… Each other? Here's to you, here's to me?" Abby held her glass up and shrugged.

"We could, but…"

Abby dropped her arm back down to the table and frowned. "It's too cliché?"

"And we're not."

Abby scoffed slightly. "Well you come up with one, then."

"Ok… Here's to…." John held up his glass, pausing for effect. "… First dates."

Abby made a face. "And that's not clichéd?" She smiled and raised her glass. "Here's to our first date."

Their eyes locked the moment they toasted, bringing their glasses to meet each other with a 'clink'. Abby was the first to draw her arm back, taking a sip of the cider. John followed her lead, bringing his own glass to his mouth.

"Mmm…" Abby pulled the flute away from her lips and held it up. "I like it."

John nodded in agreement. "Good." He set his glass on the table. "Ok, enough with tradition. Now we toast the John Carter way…."

Abby gave him a curious look in response. John reached across the table and put his hand out, palm up. Abby smiled and abandoned her own glass, resting her hand inside his. She smiled as she watched him lean over and kiss the back of her hand lightly. It was the kind of touch that never failed to take her breath away, and she sighed as she felt him draw his head up.

"I like that more."

He looked up at her and smiled. "I thought so."

Abby squeezed his hand and leaned forward on the side of the table so that her face was inches away from his. "My turn…." Closing the space between them, she captured his lips with hers - barely – in a soft kiss. Pulling back ever so slightly, she smiled at him.

John released his hand from Abby's grasp and brought it to the side of her face, stroking it lightly with his thumb. "Would it be extremely rude of us if we left right now?"

She opened her mouth to answer, paused and started laughing lightly instead.

John frowned. "What is it?"

Abby's hung her head, her giggles growing. "My stomach is growling." She pulled back, much to John's dismay, and shook her head.

He raised his eyebrows at her as he moved to sit up. "So I guess we can't leave, then?" He looked across at Abby, who was having a difficult time trying to control her laughter.

"I'm sorry, John… I really know how to kill a moment." She managed to get out in between fits.

All he could do was watch and laugh along with her. They were both caught up in the irony of it all, and were unaware of someone making their way towards the two, coming to rest just beside their table.

"Well if it isn't John Carter… To what do I owe the pleasure of running into you this evening?"

John's head snapped up towards the voice. "Oh…. Hi, Dr. Romano." He looked at Abby, who was staring wide-eyed back at him. "We were…. uh…"

Robert Romano shook his head. "No need to explain, Dr. Carter. Your private jokes are none of my business, nor interest. I'm just surprised to run into you here… " He looked from John to Abby. "... And keeping such company."

Abby frowned and looked at Robert. "What's that's supposed to mean?"

"Well, I…." Robert bit back a John Carter-directed insult and opted for the high road. "I wasn't aware that the two of you were… together."

Abby and John exchanged a look with each other. John cleared his throat.

"Well, we are."

"That much I can see, Dr. Carter. Are you two enjoying your evening?"

Abby nodded. "Yes, we are."

Robert smiled. "Good, very good." He turned back to John. "This place is excellent. Why, I've been here four times since it opened. I hear reservations are hard to come by. Wouldn't you agree, Dr. Carter? How many months in advance did you have to call?"

John smirked. "Only eight weeks."

"Eight weeks, really. Well… " Robert shifted his gaze from John to Abby. "… I suppose I should be glad I know the owner, then!"

Abby gave Robert a cold stare. "I suppose."

Robert raised his eyebrows at her reply. "Yes. Well… I guess I should leave you two… lovebirds… alone." He looked towards his own table. "I really shouldn't be neglecting my own date so much."

Abby perked up and tried to put on a smile. "Probably not. Goodnight, Dr. Romano."

Robert looked at John, who nodded his greeting, and then back to Abby. "Yeah. Goodnight."

John and Abby watched as Dr. Romano made his way back to his table. The second he sat down, Abby turned back to John.

"I've never liked him."

John laughed. "Who has?" He smiled at her.

Abby returned his smile warmly and picked up her flute for more cider. When she noticed it was empty, she gave a little pout. John was quick, filling up her glass before she even asked. Moments later, Maurice arrived with Abby's salad and John's soup.

She picked at her salad with her fork as she watched him eat. "John…."

John perked up at the sweetness of her voice. "Yes?"

"When did you say you made these reservations?"

His eyes grew wide. He knew he was caught. "Um… Almost two months ago."

Abby nodded, and they continued eating for a few minutes.

"John?"

"Yes?"

Abby put her fork down. "We weren't together two months ago."

"Thanks for reminding me."

She smiled and shook her head. "So, how'd you know I'd say yes?

"I just knew."

***