Chapter 4: Problems, answers and a warm fuzzy feeling.
Work was hard that day. All Susan wanted to do was to talk to Mark, tell her how she felt. She still didn't know what to say, so the best thing to do was to try and avoid him, try to get her head together and find the right words to use.
Meanwhile Mark is beginning to worry he really did do something to upset her last night, but she had been fine in the morning. Maybe she was pissed he didn't pay for his coffee. No that wouldn't have been it, Susan wasn't that petty.
As soon as she walked past him Mark reached out to grab Susan.
"Hey Susan. Look I know you're busy but have I upset you in some way?" Mark asked slightly worried she may say yes.
"No." Her answer was rather blunt. "But we do need to talk." She told him
"Ok, after work?" Mark replied
"Yeah" Susan answered and walked off.
"Wow that was weird" Carter commented. "You pissed her off?" He jokily asked
"I don't know. I stayed at hers last night.on the sofa Carter. We went out for the night, y'know my birthday. We both got drunk but I must have been hammered. Nothing happened and she was fine this morning, her usual self but now I just don't know."
"And I always thought Susan was one of the least complicated women here" Carter stated.
"Tell me about it" Mark answered.
The rest of the day dragged by both Mark and Susan were apprehensive about that evening. At least Susan knew why they had to talk Mark was virtually clueless.
The ER seemed dead today, hmmm what a pun. Only two major traumas had come in that day and Susan had avoided being in there with Mark every time. He was really beginning to get upset. He began to think Susan may be seriously angry at him. This wasn't a fight, they hadn't fallen out but somehow he felt they had. She seemed to have distanced herself from him. Little did he know all she wanted was to bring him closer, she just didn't know how to go about it. But she would.
As Mark walked into the doctors lounge Susan was already there, taking off her lab coat.
"Ready." She asked.
Her tone wasn't nasty but it wasn't exactly heart warming.
"Yeah let's go" Mark answered rather sheepishly
"I know a quiet place, you ok with that?" Susan said
"Yeah sure" Mark replied
They walked into the bar and found a table away from everyone else. A waitress wandered over and asked if they'd like any drinks.
"No thanks" Susan said as she turned to Mark. "I want to be in control of myself when I say this"
Marks face filled with worry.
"About last night, well this morning really"
Mark interrupted "I knew I had done something wrong, Susan I'm so sorry"
"Mark please be quiet this is hard enough as it is. This morning when you were humming that tune, you sang it last night but changed the words to Susie sue. I didn't want to read anything in to it but I can't help it. All my feelings hit me at once when I was fixing you up earlier. I scared me, hence the weird mood. I didn't know what to say, how to express myself. I didn't want to lose you as a friend but I also want you as more than that. There I said it."
Susan had finally revealed how she felt now she just waited for a response from Mark but he stayed silent.
"Mark please say something" Susan begged
"I er I" Came the reply
"Oh you don't feel the same, oh oh god" Tears built in Susan's eyes as she said it.
"Now you be quiet" Mark finally answered.
"We've been friends for so long I didn't think I could see you as anything else."
The words cut Susan like a knife.
"Then when I was going through my divorce you were there for me, listened to me as I despaired with Jen. Time and Time again you sat, quiet, just letting me tell you everything, and you never complained. Then a while ago I had a thought, and it made sense. You were the reason I didn't want to go. I tried to quash my feelings but the other morning to feel your touch, I knew I wanted something more. You were no longer Susan Lewis best friend, you were Susan Lewis beautiful, wonderful woman. Ok I've done my bit too. Is it just me or has the air suddenly cleared."
Tears rolled down Susan's face, Mark had never really seen her cry before.
"So can we give us a go?" Susan asked through her tears.
"There's nothing I'd want more" He smiled back
He wiped the tears away to reveal her smile coming through. He loved that smile, no-one else's could even come close.
They had both loved each other as friends, but now it had gone to a new level.
"Oh now we can have a drink. Only one though, I'm on at 7am" Susan said
"Ah my day off tomorrow. How about we do it then instead. You off at 6pm?" Mark asked.
"Yeah that'd be good. I'd better go home and get my beauty sleep then" Susan said
"You don't need that, you're beautiful already" Mark said
That one comment gave her that warm fuzzy feeling.
"See you later, enjoy your day off" Susan said as she and Mark left the bar
He walked back to her and there was a tentative moment as their lips met and they kissed. It had been a long time in coming and now it just felt so right.
Work was hard that day. All Susan wanted to do was to talk to Mark, tell her how she felt. She still didn't know what to say, so the best thing to do was to try and avoid him, try to get her head together and find the right words to use.
Meanwhile Mark is beginning to worry he really did do something to upset her last night, but she had been fine in the morning. Maybe she was pissed he didn't pay for his coffee. No that wouldn't have been it, Susan wasn't that petty.
As soon as she walked past him Mark reached out to grab Susan.
"Hey Susan. Look I know you're busy but have I upset you in some way?" Mark asked slightly worried she may say yes.
"No." Her answer was rather blunt. "But we do need to talk." She told him
"Ok, after work?" Mark replied
"Yeah" Susan answered and walked off.
"Wow that was weird" Carter commented. "You pissed her off?" He jokily asked
"I don't know. I stayed at hers last night.on the sofa Carter. We went out for the night, y'know my birthday. We both got drunk but I must have been hammered. Nothing happened and she was fine this morning, her usual self but now I just don't know."
"And I always thought Susan was one of the least complicated women here" Carter stated.
"Tell me about it" Mark answered.
The rest of the day dragged by both Mark and Susan were apprehensive about that evening. At least Susan knew why they had to talk Mark was virtually clueless.
The ER seemed dead today, hmmm what a pun. Only two major traumas had come in that day and Susan had avoided being in there with Mark every time. He was really beginning to get upset. He began to think Susan may be seriously angry at him. This wasn't a fight, they hadn't fallen out but somehow he felt they had. She seemed to have distanced herself from him. Little did he know all she wanted was to bring him closer, she just didn't know how to go about it. But she would.
As Mark walked into the doctors lounge Susan was already there, taking off her lab coat.
"Ready." She asked.
Her tone wasn't nasty but it wasn't exactly heart warming.
"Yeah let's go" Mark answered rather sheepishly
"I know a quiet place, you ok with that?" Susan said
"Yeah sure" Mark replied
They walked into the bar and found a table away from everyone else. A waitress wandered over and asked if they'd like any drinks.
"No thanks" Susan said as she turned to Mark. "I want to be in control of myself when I say this"
Marks face filled with worry.
"About last night, well this morning really"
Mark interrupted "I knew I had done something wrong, Susan I'm so sorry"
"Mark please be quiet this is hard enough as it is. This morning when you were humming that tune, you sang it last night but changed the words to Susie sue. I didn't want to read anything in to it but I can't help it. All my feelings hit me at once when I was fixing you up earlier. I scared me, hence the weird mood. I didn't know what to say, how to express myself. I didn't want to lose you as a friend but I also want you as more than that. There I said it."
Susan had finally revealed how she felt now she just waited for a response from Mark but he stayed silent.
"Mark please say something" Susan begged
"I er I" Came the reply
"Oh you don't feel the same, oh oh god" Tears built in Susan's eyes as she said it.
"Now you be quiet" Mark finally answered.
"We've been friends for so long I didn't think I could see you as anything else."
The words cut Susan like a knife.
"Then when I was going through my divorce you were there for me, listened to me as I despaired with Jen. Time and Time again you sat, quiet, just letting me tell you everything, and you never complained. Then a while ago I had a thought, and it made sense. You were the reason I didn't want to go. I tried to quash my feelings but the other morning to feel your touch, I knew I wanted something more. You were no longer Susan Lewis best friend, you were Susan Lewis beautiful, wonderful woman. Ok I've done my bit too. Is it just me or has the air suddenly cleared."
Tears rolled down Susan's face, Mark had never really seen her cry before.
"So can we give us a go?" Susan asked through her tears.
"There's nothing I'd want more" He smiled back
He wiped the tears away to reveal her smile coming through. He loved that smile, no-one else's could even come close.
They had both loved each other as friends, but now it had gone to a new level.
"Oh now we can have a drink. Only one though, I'm on at 7am" Susan said
"Ah my day off tomorrow. How about we do it then instead. You off at 6pm?" Mark asked.
"Yeah that'd be good. I'd better go home and get my beauty sleep then" Susan said
"You don't need that, you're beautiful already" Mark said
That one comment gave her that warm fuzzy feeling.
"See you later, enjoy your day off" Susan said as she and Mark left the bar
He walked back to her and there was a tentative moment as their lips met and they kissed. It had been a long time in coming and now it just felt so right.