Susan opened her old front door and stepped into a cold and dark apartment. She carried her suitcase through to the bedroom, not needing to turn the lights on till she got there. His bed was unmade but other than that it was fairly tidy. Just not as colourful as it had been when she'd lived there. She turned the lights on in the lounge. He had a tree – sparsely decorated. And she noted the definite lack in mistletoe. It was too late for dinner and a quick look in the kitchen told her the makings of supper where not to be found there.
She grabbed her hand bag and made a quick mental shopping list then set out to find a shop open after eight on Christmas Eve.
*~~~*
Mark signed off his last patient and checked his watch for the thirtieth time since Susan had walked through those familiar doors and changed his life.
Then he heard the words he most dreaded, "multiple MVA. ETA six minutes."
He ran to the lounge and picked up the phone, dialling his home number. No answer – machine. "Hey, Susan. I hope you got there okay. I might be a bit late. You know how it is. I'll call again and let you know. I'm so sorry bout this. Alright, I have to go. Love you." He hung up the phone. And sighed, leaning against the wall.
Doug poked his head around the door, "need you out here mate." He disappeared and Mark forced himself to follow.
*~~~*
Mark walked into a warm and softly lit apartment for the first time in a long time. To have someone waiting for him – and more importantly, the one person he wanted to see most in the world right now…
He dropped his backpack and walked into the lounge. The lights were off but the Christmas tree lights danced colours all over the room – wait. Christmas tree lights? For a moment he doubted he was in the right apartment. Then he saw her curled up on the sofa, sleeping. She must have put the lights up. He knelt down beside her and kissed her forehead.
She stirred. "Oh, hi." She smiled, her eyes still half shut. She stretched and yawned luxuriously.
"Hey." He pushed her hair back out of her face.
"You okay?" she asked, letting one hand linger on the side of his face.
"Yeah. I'm so sorry I couldn't be back earlier."
"It's okay." She sat up. "You hungry? I made some supper."
Mark smiled as she yawned again. "Lets have it for breakfast." He lifted her off the sofa and carried her through to his bedroom, keeping his arms around her even when he put her down. "This is the best Christmas present I ever got." He smiled at the beautiful face that blinked at the brightness of the lights in his room. "Be right back." He did a quick once-over the apartment, turning off lights and such. When he got back to his room Susan was sitting up, lazily pulling off her socks, wondering if she had enough energy to get changed, or if it was worth that energy not to sleep in her clothes. Mark stripped down to his shorts and sat beside her. She had undone the top button of her jeans but didn't seem to be going any further than that.
"Would you like some help?"
She let her head fall to one side, her eyes blinking for longer than normal blinks. "I'm all floppy." She lifted her hand to caress his cheek, then let it fall to his leg.
He unzipped her jeans and pulled them off, while she giggled at the whole scenario. He dropped them at the end of the bed and climbed over her, pulling the duvet over them. The only light was the bedside lamp and it lit her features charmingly.
"Of all the things I have wished for," he carefully unbuttoned her cardigan, "I never thought this one…" she slid her arms out and around his neck, "would come true." He lifted her up and threw her cardigan onto the floor with her jeans. She didn't let go when he lay her back down.
"I was planning on staying with Chloe for Christmas. I came here to say hello and then goodbye, but only for a little while. Then I found myself at the hospital. I waited outside for so long, trying to decide if it would be easier see you and walk away or just wait and see you later. But it turns out I couldn't even walk away then. I called Chloe and said I simply couldn't be there." She looked him in the eye. "Seems I had no choice in the matter."
"Well whoever did choose things to be this way, we'll toast to them tomorrow." He kissed her softly. "Right now…" he kissed her again… "I can think of better things to do…" and again.
"Mark." She stopped him.
"Mmm." He kissed her neck.
She rolled over to push him back so she could see his face.
"What?" he stopped
"I'm sorry I left."
He shook his head.
"No, it wasn't fair. Chloe chooses her life. I choose you."
"All that matters is that you're back." He kissed her lightly, "And I can spend the rest of my life making up for the past four months."
She stroked his head with one hand and ran her other up his side. "Sounds like a plan." She reached up to his lips, her kiss saying what her words couldn't.
She grabbed her hand bag and made a quick mental shopping list then set out to find a shop open after eight on Christmas Eve.
*~~~*
Mark signed off his last patient and checked his watch for the thirtieth time since Susan had walked through those familiar doors and changed his life.
Then he heard the words he most dreaded, "multiple MVA. ETA six minutes."
He ran to the lounge and picked up the phone, dialling his home number. No answer – machine. "Hey, Susan. I hope you got there okay. I might be a bit late. You know how it is. I'll call again and let you know. I'm so sorry bout this. Alright, I have to go. Love you." He hung up the phone. And sighed, leaning against the wall.
Doug poked his head around the door, "need you out here mate." He disappeared and Mark forced himself to follow.
*~~~*
Mark walked into a warm and softly lit apartment for the first time in a long time. To have someone waiting for him – and more importantly, the one person he wanted to see most in the world right now…
He dropped his backpack and walked into the lounge. The lights were off but the Christmas tree lights danced colours all over the room – wait. Christmas tree lights? For a moment he doubted he was in the right apartment. Then he saw her curled up on the sofa, sleeping. She must have put the lights up. He knelt down beside her and kissed her forehead.
She stirred. "Oh, hi." She smiled, her eyes still half shut. She stretched and yawned luxuriously.
"Hey." He pushed her hair back out of her face.
"You okay?" she asked, letting one hand linger on the side of his face.
"Yeah. I'm so sorry I couldn't be back earlier."
"It's okay." She sat up. "You hungry? I made some supper."
Mark smiled as she yawned again. "Lets have it for breakfast." He lifted her off the sofa and carried her through to his bedroom, keeping his arms around her even when he put her down. "This is the best Christmas present I ever got." He smiled at the beautiful face that blinked at the brightness of the lights in his room. "Be right back." He did a quick once-over the apartment, turning off lights and such. When he got back to his room Susan was sitting up, lazily pulling off her socks, wondering if she had enough energy to get changed, or if it was worth that energy not to sleep in her clothes. Mark stripped down to his shorts and sat beside her. She had undone the top button of her jeans but didn't seem to be going any further than that.
"Would you like some help?"
She let her head fall to one side, her eyes blinking for longer than normal blinks. "I'm all floppy." She lifted her hand to caress his cheek, then let it fall to his leg.
He unzipped her jeans and pulled them off, while she giggled at the whole scenario. He dropped them at the end of the bed and climbed over her, pulling the duvet over them. The only light was the bedside lamp and it lit her features charmingly.
"Of all the things I have wished for," he carefully unbuttoned her cardigan, "I never thought this one…" she slid her arms out and around his neck, "would come true." He lifted her up and threw her cardigan onto the floor with her jeans. She didn't let go when he lay her back down.
"I was planning on staying with Chloe for Christmas. I came here to say hello and then goodbye, but only for a little while. Then I found myself at the hospital. I waited outside for so long, trying to decide if it would be easier see you and walk away or just wait and see you later. But it turns out I couldn't even walk away then. I called Chloe and said I simply couldn't be there." She looked him in the eye. "Seems I had no choice in the matter."
"Well whoever did choose things to be this way, we'll toast to them tomorrow." He kissed her softly. "Right now…" he kissed her again… "I can think of better things to do…" and again.
"Mark." She stopped him.
"Mmm." He kissed her neck.
She rolled over to push him back so she could see his face.
"What?" he stopped
"I'm sorry I left."
He shook his head.
"No, it wasn't fair. Chloe chooses her life. I choose you."
"All that matters is that you're back." He kissed her lightly, "And I can spend the rest of my life making up for the past four months."
She stroked his head with one hand and ran her other up his side. "Sounds like a plan." She reached up to his lips, her kiss saying what her words couldn't.