Long chapter. You're going to love it.
"Do they win?" The ads came on just before the judges announced the winner of the choir contest.
"Of course." Mark turned to her. He'd seen Sister Act 2 before. Truthfully he couldn't remember the ending. But surely they won.
"Man I'm lazy." Susan was so sunk into the sofa that she couldn't bare to consider moving.
"You're just tired." He kissed her forehead chastely. Anything more than that wasn't wise when she was this close in the dark, iridescent light reflecting off the TV in her familiar face.
"Yeah, but I should go soon and the prospect of moving is… well improbable."
He laughed. "So stay."
"Okay."
"That was easy." He grinned.
"You talk like I should be afraid you're going to jump me."
"Not that it's not tempting."
"Or that I'd put up much of a fight." She grinned up at him.
He shook his head, struggling for control. They'd decided not to rush things. To just enjoy each other they way they always had. But it wasn't getting any easier for practicing.
"And I've slept on your couch before."
"Yeah, so much for chivalry, I should have taken the couch."
"I think I was already asleep. History repeats." She let her head drop onto his shoulder dramatically.
He laughed.
The ads ended and the judges announced Whoopi Goldberg's choir as the winners. Yay. Then the students uncovered her secret identity. Not a nun, or even a lounge singer, but a headliner! The credits rolled over to 'ain't no mountain high enough'. Mark turned it off but kept singing, carefully getting up and carrying her to his bed. "Oh, no darling, no wind, no rain, or winter's cold, can't stop me baby, no baby, cause you are my goal, if you're ever in trouble I'll be there on the double, just send for me baby."
She'd been half asleep but she was laughing at him when he put her down and dropped the covers over her. "Wait, Mark." She stopped him from leaving.
He sat on the edge of his bed and pushed her hair out of her face.
Her eyes were barely open. "I'm too sleepy to seduce you."
"I don't know…" he teased.
"Stay with me." She took his hand.
He thought for a moment and then nodded.
He flitted around the apartment, turning off lights, brushing his teeth, tidying his bathroom so he wouldn't be humiliated when she used it in the morning.
He slid between the covers trying not to wake her. He rolled toward her, wanting to drift off to sleep watching her. He couldn't resist reaching out to touch her face.
She was still dozing and turned her head just enough to kiss the palm of his hand. "I love you." She mumbled sleepily.
He looked happy when he was sleeping. She couldn't help but smile watching him.
It wasn't quite light yet. She could see the windows through the curtains but she still felt like she had plenty more nighttime. No reason to get any further away from Mark yet.
She shuffled closer, taking his hand where it lay on the sheet between them and kissing it chastely.
"I think I could handle waking up like this everyday." He opened his eyes.
She just looked at him, as if to say, 'it's yours for the taking'.
"Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?" his sleepy voice was very sexy and she could only grin and nod.
He kissed her and almost wiped the grin off her face. Well, give him a moment.
Now he's wiped the grin off her face.
She rolled over, slipping her arms around him, asking him to follow her, which he of course did.
"Mark." She mumbled between kisses.
He pulled back expecting a reminder of their 'slow down' plan.
"Are you sure about this?"
His smile lit up his face. He didn't even nod. His lips met hers with unequivocal force.
Mark pecked her behind the ear on his way past between patients.
"How old are you?" Kerry whined from the other side of admittance.
"As old as you feel. Is that it?" Susan turned to Frank who was stuffing a donut in his mouth and not really paying attention. Susan smiled at him and walked away.
Curtain two. Back pain. She was carrying three charts under the arm of the hand holding this chart, then pen in her other hand ready to go.
Gallant fired of a list of symptoms. He clearly knew what he was doing so she handed him the chart. "Go for it."
Next.
Abby had started treating her patient already. Susan fell in place beside her, ticking the boxes. It was clearly a case for psych.
"They're on their way." Abby assured her. "What's next?"
Susan smiled. Abby was doing well. "Your choice: vaginal bleeding, foot ulcers or abdominal pain?"
"Ooh, fun. How can I choose? It's like a child in a candy store."
They walked together toward the vaginal bleeding.
"So you and Dr Greene eh?"
Susan laughed, "This is news?"
"No, not really. In fact someone did say that there's an outstanding pool on this one already."
"Carter?"
"You didn't hear it from me. So is it true?"
"Hey I didn't put any money on it. Don't ask me? What were we worth?"
"Carter lost fifty. He sent Doug Ross a cheque."
Susan cracked up laughing as they walked into exam 1.
"So, you going to tell me why there was a pool on you two before you even got here?" Abby asked en route to foot ulcers.
Susan was still laughing (well, she'd stopped to examine vaginal bleeding. She thought it was only polite). "I was a resident here."
"I heard something like that."
"Then why did you ask?"
"I'm digging."
"Keep digging." Susan teased and handed her the chart. "Talk me through it."
"So why did you leave?"
"My sister had a baby."
"What about Mark?"
"He wasn't the father."
"Oh, come on…" Abby stopped walking.
"Abdominal pain can't wait for a gossip session." Susan opened the door and followed a disgruntled Abby inside.
"I'll get it out of you one day?"
"Pillow talk with Carter will probably be just as lucrative." Susan got the reaction she'd hoped for.
"What are we worth?" Abby found a reply. Or stole one. Or something.
Susan laughed. "Not as much as us. Have a nice weekend." Susan pushed through the door into the staff lounge still laughing.
"I'm working this weekend." Abby yelled after her.
"I know. Have fun." Susan turned back then let the door shut on Abby's disappointed amusement.
"Fifty bucks." Susan found Mark in exam three.
"Huh?" he turned from his patient for only a moment. He was only suturing so Susan decided it was fairly safe to distract him.
"That's all we're worth. Six years later and we were only worth fifty bucks."
Mark looked up at his patient. "Do you know what she's talking about?"
Susan laughed. "You know that pool they had going on us before I went to Phoenix? Carter sent Doug a cheque. Fifty bucks – that doesn't even keep up with inflation."
"And Carter could afford it. Though I always wished the proceeds of these pools went to the poor souls they're betting on."
Susan shrugged. "I'll call Carol and make sure she spends it on the girls."
"I'm lost." The patient shook his head.
"But you're also free." Mark had finished the suturing and walked the man out to admittance.
Susan sat on the bed and waited for him.
"Fifty bucks?" he swished through the curtain.
She laughed and reached up to kiss him. "You finished?"
He nodded, "I'll just grab my coat." He held onto her hand as they walked to the lounge.
She sat down in a chair while he got ready to go. "Did today seem really long to you?"
"It was slow I guess."
"Mm," she nodded, "I guess. I wonder what Doug and Carol are up to?"
"Oh, probably living the high life. We should call them."
"They'll probably call us if Carter sent them their winnings." She smirked as he took her hand and pulled her up into his embrace.
"Well I think this is worth more than fifty bucks." He kissed her once, playfully.
"Doug would have upped the stakes if he'd stuck around." She speculated as they exited the lounge.
Abby winked at them from behind admittance.
"We have an audience." Mark mumbled so only Susan could here him.
"Yup. Get used to it. Come on, lets go home."
"Do they win?" The ads came on just before the judges announced the winner of the choir contest.
"Of course." Mark turned to her. He'd seen Sister Act 2 before. Truthfully he couldn't remember the ending. But surely they won.
"Man I'm lazy." Susan was so sunk into the sofa that she couldn't bare to consider moving.
"You're just tired." He kissed her forehead chastely. Anything more than that wasn't wise when she was this close in the dark, iridescent light reflecting off the TV in her familiar face.
"Yeah, but I should go soon and the prospect of moving is… well improbable."
He laughed. "So stay."
"Okay."
"That was easy." He grinned.
"You talk like I should be afraid you're going to jump me."
"Not that it's not tempting."
"Or that I'd put up much of a fight." She grinned up at him.
He shook his head, struggling for control. They'd decided not to rush things. To just enjoy each other they way they always had. But it wasn't getting any easier for practicing.
"And I've slept on your couch before."
"Yeah, so much for chivalry, I should have taken the couch."
"I think I was already asleep. History repeats." She let her head drop onto his shoulder dramatically.
He laughed.
The ads ended and the judges announced Whoopi Goldberg's choir as the winners. Yay. Then the students uncovered her secret identity. Not a nun, or even a lounge singer, but a headliner! The credits rolled over to 'ain't no mountain high enough'. Mark turned it off but kept singing, carefully getting up and carrying her to his bed. "Oh, no darling, no wind, no rain, or winter's cold, can't stop me baby, no baby, cause you are my goal, if you're ever in trouble I'll be there on the double, just send for me baby."
She'd been half asleep but she was laughing at him when he put her down and dropped the covers over her. "Wait, Mark." She stopped him from leaving.
He sat on the edge of his bed and pushed her hair out of her face.
Her eyes were barely open. "I'm too sleepy to seduce you."
"I don't know…" he teased.
"Stay with me." She took his hand.
He thought for a moment and then nodded.
He flitted around the apartment, turning off lights, brushing his teeth, tidying his bathroom so he wouldn't be humiliated when she used it in the morning.
He slid between the covers trying not to wake her. He rolled toward her, wanting to drift off to sleep watching her. He couldn't resist reaching out to touch her face.
She was still dozing and turned her head just enough to kiss the palm of his hand. "I love you." She mumbled sleepily.
He looked happy when he was sleeping. She couldn't help but smile watching him.
It wasn't quite light yet. She could see the windows through the curtains but she still felt like she had plenty more nighttime. No reason to get any further away from Mark yet.
She shuffled closer, taking his hand where it lay on the sheet between them and kissing it chastely.
"I think I could handle waking up like this everyday." He opened his eyes.
She just looked at him, as if to say, 'it's yours for the taking'.
"Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?" his sleepy voice was very sexy and she could only grin and nod.
He kissed her and almost wiped the grin off her face. Well, give him a moment.
Now he's wiped the grin off her face.
She rolled over, slipping her arms around him, asking him to follow her, which he of course did.
"Mark." She mumbled between kisses.
He pulled back expecting a reminder of their 'slow down' plan.
"Are you sure about this?"
His smile lit up his face. He didn't even nod. His lips met hers with unequivocal force.
Mark pecked her behind the ear on his way past between patients.
"How old are you?" Kerry whined from the other side of admittance.
"As old as you feel. Is that it?" Susan turned to Frank who was stuffing a donut in his mouth and not really paying attention. Susan smiled at him and walked away.
Curtain two. Back pain. She was carrying three charts under the arm of the hand holding this chart, then pen in her other hand ready to go.
Gallant fired of a list of symptoms. He clearly knew what he was doing so she handed him the chart. "Go for it."
Next.
Abby had started treating her patient already. Susan fell in place beside her, ticking the boxes. It was clearly a case for psych.
"They're on their way." Abby assured her. "What's next?"
Susan smiled. Abby was doing well. "Your choice: vaginal bleeding, foot ulcers or abdominal pain?"
"Ooh, fun. How can I choose? It's like a child in a candy store."
They walked together toward the vaginal bleeding.
"So you and Dr Greene eh?"
Susan laughed, "This is news?"
"No, not really. In fact someone did say that there's an outstanding pool on this one already."
"Carter?"
"You didn't hear it from me. So is it true?"
"Hey I didn't put any money on it. Don't ask me? What were we worth?"
"Carter lost fifty. He sent Doug Ross a cheque."
Susan cracked up laughing as they walked into exam 1.
"So, you going to tell me why there was a pool on you two before you even got here?" Abby asked en route to foot ulcers.
Susan was still laughing (well, she'd stopped to examine vaginal bleeding. She thought it was only polite). "I was a resident here."
"I heard something like that."
"Then why did you ask?"
"I'm digging."
"Keep digging." Susan teased and handed her the chart. "Talk me through it."
"So why did you leave?"
"My sister had a baby."
"What about Mark?"
"He wasn't the father."
"Oh, come on…" Abby stopped walking.
"Abdominal pain can't wait for a gossip session." Susan opened the door and followed a disgruntled Abby inside.
"I'll get it out of you one day?"
"Pillow talk with Carter will probably be just as lucrative." Susan got the reaction she'd hoped for.
"What are we worth?" Abby found a reply. Or stole one. Or something.
Susan laughed. "Not as much as us. Have a nice weekend." Susan pushed through the door into the staff lounge still laughing.
"I'm working this weekend." Abby yelled after her.
"I know. Have fun." Susan turned back then let the door shut on Abby's disappointed amusement.
"Fifty bucks." Susan found Mark in exam three.
"Huh?" he turned from his patient for only a moment. He was only suturing so Susan decided it was fairly safe to distract him.
"That's all we're worth. Six years later and we were only worth fifty bucks."
Mark looked up at his patient. "Do you know what she's talking about?"
Susan laughed. "You know that pool they had going on us before I went to Phoenix? Carter sent Doug a cheque. Fifty bucks – that doesn't even keep up with inflation."
"And Carter could afford it. Though I always wished the proceeds of these pools went to the poor souls they're betting on."
Susan shrugged. "I'll call Carol and make sure she spends it on the girls."
"I'm lost." The patient shook his head.
"But you're also free." Mark had finished the suturing and walked the man out to admittance.
Susan sat on the bed and waited for him.
"Fifty bucks?" he swished through the curtain.
She laughed and reached up to kiss him. "You finished?"
He nodded, "I'll just grab my coat." He held onto her hand as they walked to the lounge.
She sat down in a chair while he got ready to go. "Did today seem really long to you?"
"It was slow I guess."
"Mm," she nodded, "I guess. I wonder what Doug and Carol are up to?"
"Oh, probably living the high life. We should call them."
"They'll probably call us if Carter sent them their winnings." She smirked as he took her hand and pulled her up into his embrace.
"Well I think this is worth more than fifty bucks." He kissed her once, playfully.
"Doug would have upped the stakes if he'd stuck around." She speculated as they exited the lounge.
Abby winked at them from behind admittance.
"We have an audience." Mark mumbled so only Susan could here him.
"Yup. Get used to it. Come on, lets go home."