Doug sat down in chairs, glad to take the weight off his feet.
"Busy eh?" Susan said from behind him, gesturing to the empty chairs.
Doug stood up. "You're back?"
"Yup. Took longer than expected – in fact they wanted me to stay longer but…"
"You're job is that important eh? I've been doing the opposite, trying to come up with really creative ways to get fired and still get severance pay. Any ideas?"
Susan smiled, she didn't really want to though, she needed to find Mark. "Is Mark here?"
"Not sure, he filled in for Kerry this morning and he's on again in a couple of hours so he might be getting some sleep somewhere."
"Okay, I'll hunt him down."
Susan poked her head in a few exam rooms before she found him. He was fast asleep. She sat on the bed beside him, watching him sleep. Softly she touched his forehead. She wanted to leave him like this – he looked so peaceful. But she knew she needed to talk to him.
"Mark," she whispered, stroking his face, his arm, then letting her hand rest on his chest.
His eyes opened slightly. He smiled widely, "Am I dreaming?"
Susan smiled at that and shook her head softly. Mark sat up and embraced her a little roughly. She held him tightly and let him hold her – wanting to leave it like this. But she knew she needed to talk to him.
"You okay?" Mark pulled away slightly, still not letting go of her.
"Um, yeah." She nodded slightly, "Look, I… um, I need to talk to you."
"Is everything okay?"
She nodded, holding his eye contact, not wanting him to worry. "Yeah, it went okay. You know, Chloe's not perfect but these things take time. She wanted me to stay longer but I had to come back."
"Oh, I could have done your shifts."
"That's not why I'm back." Susan stopped him. She paused and took a deep breath as if preparing him for what she was about to say. "I'm… I mean, we're… pregnant."
Mark's jaw dropped. "What… but we… I mean not since that first night…"
"No, at Christmas we didn't…" she shook her head by way of explanation.
"Oh." He didn't seem to understand.
"You okay?" she asked.
He nodded, holding her eye contact and allowing a small smile to grace his lips. "So… we're gonna… have a baby?"
Susan nodded, "Is that okay?"
He grinned, "I'm just surprised. Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I though I was just stressed – and that was why my period was late but I took the test anyway. And it turns out…"
Mark was grinning. "Are you okay with this?"
"I don't know." She whispered. "I'm in shock. I mean I wanted this – one day, you know. And certainly not in the near future, but now…" she allowed herself half a smile, "be honest – how do you feel about his?"
"Honestly?" he searched her eyes, "I'm rapt." He was grinning. "I'm stunned, amazed, but this is…" he slipped his hand around her waist, not quite ready to touch her stomach, "this is breathtaking. I don't know what to say?"
"So, we're going to have a baby. I didn't know how you'd react – I mean I knew you'd be okay eventually. I don't know what I mean. I'm so confused and excited and terrified."
"You'll be fine." He put his fingertips on her lips. "We'll be fine."
"You've done this before. I have no idea what is going on." Susan waved her arms around flustered.
"Shh," he kissed her softly. "Just enjoy it."
She smiled. "We're going to be parents." She bit her lip.
He nodded. "It'll be amazing… You… you are amazing." He kissed her again. She let him consume her, let their kiss say all the things she couldn't quite put into words. Until Doug opened the door and got half way through saying "You in here?" before he saw them and ducked out with, "Oh, sorry."
They separated laughing. Susan went and opened the door. "It's okay, come in."
He entered, allowing himself the cheeky grin that so became him. "So, you two kids ought to know better than making out in an exam room."
Mark threw the sheet off himself and turned so he was sitting on the side of the bed. "Oh, I dunno. We might be able to come up with some pretty good excuses." He stood up and rearranged his scrubs. Susan grinned guiltily.
"Right, back to work." Mark walked out, obviously not about to share his 'good excuses'. Doug followed and Susan sat back on the messy bed. 'That went better than expected.' She said aloud.
Mark swung back into the room, "Just one thing Susan." He kissed her desperately and walked out with an even bigger grin on his face.
*~~~*
"Busy eh?" Susan said from behind him, gesturing to the empty chairs.
Doug stood up. "You're back?"
"Yup. Took longer than expected – in fact they wanted me to stay longer but…"
"You're job is that important eh? I've been doing the opposite, trying to come up with really creative ways to get fired and still get severance pay. Any ideas?"
Susan smiled, she didn't really want to though, she needed to find Mark. "Is Mark here?"
"Not sure, he filled in for Kerry this morning and he's on again in a couple of hours so he might be getting some sleep somewhere."
"Okay, I'll hunt him down."
Susan poked her head in a few exam rooms before she found him. He was fast asleep. She sat on the bed beside him, watching him sleep. Softly she touched his forehead. She wanted to leave him like this – he looked so peaceful. But she knew she needed to talk to him.
"Mark," she whispered, stroking his face, his arm, then letting her hand rest on his chest.
His eyes opened slightly. He smiled widely, "Am I dreaming?"
Susan smiled at that and shook her head softly. Mark sat up and embraced her a little roughly. She held him tightly and let him hold her – wanting to leave it like this. But she knew she needed to talk to him.
"You okay?" Mark pulled away slightly, still not letting go of her.
"Um, yeah." She nodded slightly, "Look, I… um, I need to talk to you."
"Is everything okay?"
She nodded, holding his eye contact, not wanting him to worry. "Yeah, it went okay. You know, Chloe's not perfect but these things take time. She wanted me to stay longer but I had to come back."
"Oh, I could have done your shifts."
"That's not why I'm back." Susan stopped him. She paused and took a deep breath as if preparing him for what she was about to say. "I'm… I mean, we're… pregnant."
Mark's jaw dropped. "What… but we… I mean not since that first night…"
"No, at Christmas we didn't…" she shook her head by way of explanation.
"Oh." He didn't seem to understand.
"You okay?" she asked.
He nodded, holding her eye contact and allowing a small smile to grace his lips. "So… we're gonna… have a baby?"
Susan nodded, "Is that okay?"
He grinned, "I'm just surprised. Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I though I was just stressed – and that was why my period was late but I took the test anyway. And it turns out…"
Mark was grinning. "Are you okay with this?"
"I don't know." She whispered. "I'm in shock. I mean I wanted this – one day, you know. And certainly not in the near future, but now…" she allowed herself half a smile, "be honest – how do you feel about his?"
"Honestly?" he searched her eyes, "I'm rapt." He was grinning. "I'm stunned, amazed, but this is…" he slipped his hand around her waist, not quite ready to touch her stomach, "this is breathtaking. I don't know what to say?"
"So, we're going to have a baby. I didn't know how you'd react – I mean I knew you'd be okay eventually. I don't know what I mean. I'm so confused and excited and terrified."
"You'll be fine." He put his fingertips on her lips. "We'll be fine."
"You've done this before. I have no idea what is going on." Susan waved her arms around flustered.
"Shh," he kissed her softly. "Just enjoy it."
She smiled. "We're going to be parents." She bit her lip.
He nodded. "It'll be amazing… You… you are amazing." He kissed her again. She let him consume her, let their kiss say all the things she couldn't quite put into words. Until Doug opened the door and got half way through saying "You in here?" before he saw them and ducked out with, "Oh, sorry."
They separated laughing. Susan went and opened the door. "It's okay, come in."
He entered, allowing himself the cheeky grin that so became him. "So, you two kids ought to know better than making out in an exam room."
Mark threw the sheet off himself and turned so he was sitting on the side of the bed. "Oh, I dunno. We might be able to come up with some pretty good excuses." He stood up and rearranged his scrubs. Susan grinned guiltily.
"Right, back to work." Mark walked out, obviously not about to share his 'good excuses'. Doug followed and Susan sat back on the messy bed. 'That went better than expected.' She said aloud.
Mark swung back into the room, "Just one thing Susan." He kissed her desperately and walked out with an even bigger grin on his face.
*~~~*