Susan pulled on her white coat as she came into the ER ten minutes after she was supposed to have started work.
"Oh, good, Susan. I need you in here." Benton poked his head out of Exam 2.
"Yah, I'll be there in a moment." She half-ran to the lounge and threw her bag in her locker and slammed the door.
"Susan?" Mark's familiar voice asked of the darkness.
She spun around to see his silhouette in the moonlight that seeped in through the tiny windows.
"Oh, hey. I'm late. You're still here?"
Mark didn't reply but Benton stuck his head in the door. "No hurry Lewis. Too late for that guy. You can put your coat on the right way." He laughed and let the door swing shut.
Susan took off her coat and breathed a sigh of relief putting it back on properly. Then she sat down beside Mark, braving the wrath of less friendly co-workers. "So, how's your day been?"
"Oh, nothing unusual." He said. He thought he'd covered the sorrow in his voice but she could hear it.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing. You know, hard shift."
"Oh," she almost believed him.
He knew she wasn't convinced, "Really, I'm fine."
But then he made the mistake of wiping a tear off his cheek.
"Mark…" she put one hand on his knee
"Yeah?" he tried the 'I have no idea what you're talking about' card.
"Mark…" she replied with the 'Just be honest' card.
"You better get back to work. And I should go home and get some sleep." He made for the door. Susan beat him there and turned on the light, barring the doorway with her body.
The Mark that the light revealed looked very different from the one she'd sleepily kissed goodbye to that morning. His red and white tear-stained face, his exhausted, despair-filled eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Really it's nothing."
"No it's not." she waited for his explanation
"It's just…"he sighed and turned back into the room to sit down, realising this conversation wasn't over.
Susan followed him and sat down on the next chair.
"I don't know. I'm just sad." He admitted frustratedly.
"About the baby?" she asked barely audibly.
After a moment Mark nodded. "I just didn't want you to worry about me." He explained.
"I'd be more concerned if you weren't sad." Susan pulled him close to her.
"I know; I just wanted to be able to look after you and make sure…"
"It's okay. I'm fine – at least, I will be. You've been amazing – looking after me and everything."
"I thought I was okay. You know, I thought I'd dealt with it." He interrupted then looked up and met her eyes. "I was playing the 'big strong macho macho man' or something" he grinned.
She stroked his cheek.
"Lewis, I need you in exam two." Kerry poked her head in the door and the both turned to glare at her. "Mark, you're still here?"
"No, your eyes deceive you." Susan stood up, her hand on Mark's shoulder, holding him in his place. "Can you give us a moment?"
Kerry disappeared without a word – as uncharacteristic as that was.
Susan turned back to Mark. "Look, I have to go. But I'm home at some ungodly hour and I'll try not to wake you up and…"
Mark stood up and put a finger over her lips.
She took his hand and kissed it. "I want to look after you for a change." She kissed his hand again.
"That's not very good for my ego."
"You are more important than your ego. And if you need to cry, don't bloody do it at the staff lounge. I have two dry shoulders."
He leaned forward into her embrace, kissing one shoulder then the other. "Finest shoulders in all the developed world."
"Damn right." she mumbled into his chest, hugging him.
"Oh, good, Susan. I need you in here." Benton poked his head out of Exam 2.
"Yah, I'll be there in a moment." She half-ran to the lounge and threw her bag in her locker and slammed the door.
"Susan?" Mark's familiar voice asked of the darkness.
She spun around to see his silhouette in the moonlight that seeped in through the tiny windows.
"Oh, hey. I'm late. You're still here?"
Mark didn't reply but Benton stuck his head in the door. "No hurry Lewis. Too late for that guy. You can put your coat on the right way." He laughed and let the door swing shut.
Susan took off her coat and breathed a sigh of relief putting it back on properly. Then she sat down beside Mark, braving the wrath of less friendly co-workers. "So, how's your day been?"
"Oh, nothing unusual." He said. He thought he'd covered the sorrow in his voice but she could hear it.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing. You know, hard shift."
"Oh," she almost believed him.
He knew she wasn't convinced, "Really, I'm fine."
But then he made the mistake of wiping a tear off his cheek.
"Mark…" she put one hand on his knee
"Yeah?" he tried the 'I have no idea what you're talking about' card.
"Mark…" she replied with the 'Just be honest' card.
"You better get back to work. And I should go home and get some sleep." He made for the door. Susan beat him there and turned on the light, barring the doorway with her body.
The Mark that the light revealed looked very different from the one she'd sleepily kissed goodbye to that morning. His red and white tear-stained face, his exhausted, despair-filled eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Really it's nothing."
"No it's not." she waited for his explanation
"It's just…"he sighed and turned back into the room to sit down, realising this conversation wasn't over.
Susan followed him and sat down on the next chair.
"I don't know. I'm just sad." He admitted frustratedly.
"About the baby?" she asked barely audibly.
After a moment Mark nodded. "I just didn't want you to worry about me." He explained.
"I'd be more concerned if you weren't sad." Susan pulled him close to her.
"I know; I just wanted to be able to look after you and make sure…"
"It's okay. I'm fine – at least, I will be. You've been amazing – looking after me and everything."
"I thought I was okay. You know, I thought I'd dealt with it." He interrupted then looked up and met her eyes. "I was playing the 'big strong macho macho man' or something" he grinned.
She stroked his cheek.
"Lewis, I need you in exam two." Kerry poked her head in the door and the both turned to glare at her. "Mark, you're still here?"
"No, your eyes deceive you." Susan stood up, her hand on Mark's shoulder, holding him in his place. "Can you give us a moment?"
Kerry disappeared without a word – as uncharacteristic as that was.
Susan turned back to Mark. "Look, I have to go. But I'm home at some ungodly hour and I'll try not to wake you up and…"
Mark stood up and put a finger over her lips.
She took his hand and kissed it. "I want to look after you for a change." She kissed his hand again.
"That's not very good for my ego."
"You are more important than your ego. And if you need to cry, don't bloody do it at the staff lounge. I have two dry shoulders."
He leaned forward into her embrace, kissing one shoulder then the other. "Finest shoulders in all the developed world."
"Damn right." she mumbled into his chest, hugging him.