When he saw the ice he stopped walking, shaking his head slightly and smiling.
"Well, come on." Susan prompted.
"But last time…" he remembered falling on his face all too well.
"Practise makes perfect. Plus…" she walked backwards toward the skate-hire, "the whole de-ja-vu thing… so sexy." She turned around and asked for her size.
Mark caught up. "You…" he grabbed her waist,
She squealed and spun around in his hands.
"Here you go ma'am." The attendant put her skates on the carpet-topped counter.
"Thanks," she picked them up by the laces.
Mark said his size and took the skates over to a bench resigned to his fate.
Susan had hers on well before him and she pushed out into the middle of the rink.
"Come on baby, keep up." She taunted.
Mark grinned at her, trying to be annoyed at her choice of activity, but he couldn't keep it up. She was so… she took his breath away. She was spinning around and laughing. He pushed off a little cautiously, then he got some speed up, but by the time he reached her he hadn't figured out how he was going to stop. He grabbed onto her and they both spun around. She was outright laughing at him now. She slowly unwrapped him from her coat and got him standing upright.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, other than the near-death experience."
"You're used to them anyway, you work in an ER." She took his hands. The rink was almost deserted. Just a few people at the edges. Susan took his hands.
"Where are your gloves?"
"At home." He replied, "but I'm kind of hoping I don't need my hands on the ice so much."
Susan laughed and started skating backward, pulling him toward her so he was skating slowly. "See, it's not so bad."
"Yeah but you'd make anything bearable." He smiled wryly.
"This is too much." She looked up at him. "Why do you love me so much?"
He shrugged and shook his head half-heartedly, "Look at you. You're so alive, so… breathtaking. I didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter."
She stopped skating so he ran into her. She kissed him while they spun, but he was too busy trying to stay upright to respond. "Mark." She called his attention away from his balance, "I've got you."
He sighed, unable to tear his eyes from her face. He pulled her to him and kissed her again. And again. It could go on like this all night. And he wasn't getting any better at ice skating.
He pulled back breathless and cleared his throat, "anyway."
She laughed, "you're crazy." She took his hand and pulled him along beside her.
The skated silently at a comfortable pace. She kept looking over at him. She couldn't help it. She'd loved him for a long time. But this was something more. He amazed her. Every time he looked at her all she could see in his eyes was total adoration. It was humbling. How could she deserve that? She desperately wanted to but how could she? It wasn't as though he thought she was perfect – he knew everything about her – all the not-so-presentable bits too. That's what made this so amazing. She lifted his hand to her lips affectionately.
Unfortunately her tiny action threw off his tentative balance. She held onto his hand but this only meant she landed, slightly softer, beside him on the ice.
"Argh." He moaned, lying on his back, not even attempting to move.
Susan laughed and got onto her knees. "You okay?"
He rubbed the side of his head.
"Hey." She took his hand away and touched his head so softly. "Guess we will be going back to work tonight."
"Oh no, we'll just do the first-aid thing at home."
"No." she shook her head definitely. She helped him up.
"Oh man." He put his hand to his head and leant on her shoulder as they shuffled across the ice to the skate hire.
"You okay buddy?" the attendant asked
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Mark handed back his skates. Susan paid and asked the guy to call a cab.
"It'll be here in ten minutes."
"Okay, thanks." They walked to the road.
"Is this really necessary?" Mark asked.
"Better safe than sorry."
"Well, what's your diagnosis doctor?"
"I'll have to do a proper exam Mark – but probably a CT and…" she craned her neck to look at it, "eight stitches."
"Oh come on…" he moaned.
She didn't reply at first, then, "I'm sorry for knocking your balance."
"It's okay. I'm sorry I don't have any balance." He kissed her cheek.
The cab was coming up the road so they walked toward it.
**
"Can't we just go home?"
"You know the answer to that." Kerry sighed
Susan walked into the room, her arms full of coffee cups and chocolate bars.
"He can't have that – not till the results are back." Kerry sighed again.
"I had a feeling you'd say that." Susan handed Kerry the coffee. "And as you have NO other patients…" and the chocolate.
"Thanks." she sipped the coffee appreciatively.
"That's quite cruel." Mark lay back defeated. He was exhausted and sore from hitting the ice, and his head was throbbing. "How about some more Tylenol?"
"Not yet." Susan looked at her watch, then to his face. He shut his eyes so they wouldn't give him away.
Kerry started walking out, "I'll check on those results."
"No sign of concussion – that's a good sign." Susan tried to offer some comfort.
"Yeah, but it doesn't mean we're leaving any sooner. How long can it take?"
Susan sat down beside him and took his hand. "If you needed me," she sang, "I would come to you. I would swim the seas, for to ease your pain." He opened his eyes, half smiling. She continued, "In the night forlorn, or the morning's… something," she half laughed at herself, "... and the morning shines with the lights of the dawn… you will miss the sunrise if you close your eyes and that would break my heart in two… he is with me now, since I showed him how, to lay his little hand in mine, and you will agree he's a sight to see," she smiled, "a treasure for the poor to find. And if I needed you would you come to me," he nodded, "would you come to me and ease my pain. If you needed me I would come to you. I would swim the seas, for to ease your pain."
She looked into his eyes, once again amazed at what she found there.
Kerry knocked lightly outside. They both turned to her expectantly.
"Sorry to interrupt." She fumbled. Susan and Mark were both confused by her nervousness. "Um, the reason it took so long… is because they found something."
"You must have whacked it pretty hard." Susan looked at him concerned, then back to Kerry.
Kerry was clearly not wanting to tell them this. "Look, it's not really clear what it is, but there's a growth…" she mumbled off the medical jargon [which I'm sure Susan and Mark understood but this poor aspiring author is an arts student without a clue].
They asked a few questions but Kerry had no answers. "Look, you might as well go home and we'll book you in for an MRI as soon as possible." She looked at Mark. He nodded so slightly.
Mark and Susan walked out solemnly, silently, hand-in-hand.
"You okay?" Susan whispered when the silence became unbearable.
"Yeah." He looked straight ahead. "Just… surprised."
"Yeah." She agreed. "You know what, don't worry. You'll be fine. Whatever this is, we'll beat it. We'll do whatever we have to do. So don't worry. It'll be fine." She was trying to convince herself as much as him.
"Yeah," he turned to her nodding, "Nothing to worry about. We just have to stay positive."
"Exactly."
Neither were convinced.
"Plus, I guess it's a good thing we found it now."
"Yeah – you swept me off my feet and saved my life." He joked but he was too serious.
Still not convinced.
"Well, come on." Susan prompted.
"But last time…" he remembered falling on his face all too well.
"Practise makes perfect. Plus…" she walked backwards toward the skate-hire, "the whole de-ja-vu thing… so sexy." She turned around and asked for her size.
Mark caught up. "You…" he grabbed her waist,
She squealed and spun around in his hands.
"Here you go ma'am." The attendant put her skates on the carpet-topped counter.
"Thanks," she picked them up by the laces.
Mark said his size and took the skates over to a bench resigned to his fate.
Susan had hers on well before him and she pushed out into the middle of the rink.
"Come on baby, keep up." She taunted.
Mark grinned at her, trying to be annoyed at her choice of activity, but he couldn't keep it up. She was so… she took his breath away. She was spinning around and laughing. He pushed off a little cautiously, then he got some speed up, but by the time he reached her he hadn't figured out how he was going to stop. He grabbed onto her and they both spun around. She was outright laughing at him now. She slowly unwrapped him from her coat and got him standing upright.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, other than the near-death experience."
"You're used to them anyway, you work in an ER." She took his hands. The rink was almost deserted. Just a few people at the edges. Susan took his hands.
"Where are your gloves?"
"At home." He replied, "but I'm kind of hoping I don't need my hands on the ice so much."
Susan laughed and started skating backward, pulling him toward her so he was skating slowly. "See, it's not so bad."
"Yeah but you'd make anything bearable." He smiled wryly.
"This is too much." She looked up at him. "Why do you love me so much?"
He shrugged and shook his head half-heartedly, "Look at you. You're so alive, so… breathtaking. I didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter."
She stopped skating so he ran into her. She kissed him while they spun, but he was too busy trying to stay upright to respond. "Mark." She called his attention away from his balance, "I've got you."
He sighed, unable to tear his eyes from her face. He pulled her to him and kissed her again. And again. It could go on like this all night. And he wasn't getting any better at ice skating.
He pulled back breathless and cleared his throat, "anyway."
She laughed, "you're crazy." She took his hand and pulled him along beside her.
The skated silently at a comfortable pace. She kept looking over at him. She couldn't help it. She'd loved him for a long time. But this was something more. He amazed her. Every time he looked at her all she could see in his eyes was total adoration. It was humbling. How could she deserve that? She desperately wanted to but how could she? It wasn't as though he thought she was perfect – he knew everything about her – all the not-so-presentable bits too. That's what made this so amazing. She lifted his hand to her lips affectionately.
Unfortunately her tiny action threw off his tentative balance. She held onto his hand but this only meant she landed, slightly softer, beside him on the ice.
"Argh." He moaned, lying on his back, not even attempting to move.
Susan laughed and got onto her knees. "You okay?"
He rubbed the side of his head.
"Hey." She took his hand away and touched his head so softly. "Guess we will be going back to work tonight."
"Oh no, we'll just do the first-aid thing at home."
"No." she shook her head definitely. She helped him up.
"Oh man." He put his hand to his head and leant on her shoulder as they shuffled across the ice to the skate hire.
"You okay buddy?" the attendant asked
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Mark handed back his skates. Susan paid and asked the guy to call a cab.
"It'll be here in ten minutes."
"Okay, thanks." They walked to the road.
"Is this really necessary?" Mark asked.
"Better safe than sorry."
"Well, what's your diagnosis doctor?"
"I'll have to do a proper exam Mark – but probably a CT and…" she craned her neck to look at it, "eight stitches."
"Oh come on…" he moaned.
She didn't reply at first, then, "I'm sorry for knocking your balance."
"It's okay. I'm sorry I don't have any balance." He kissed her cheek.
The cab was coming up the road so they walked toward it.
**
"Can't we just go home?"
"You know the answer to that." Kerry sighed
Susan walked into the room, her arms full of coffee cups and chocolate bars.
"He can't have that – not till the results are back." Kerry sighed again.
"I had a feeling you'd say that." Susan handed Kerry the coffee. "And as you have NO other patients…" and the chocolate.
"Thanks." she sipped the coffee appreciatively.
"That's quite cruel." Mark lay back defeated. He was exhausted and sore from hitting the ice, and his head was throbbing. "How about some more Tylenol?"
"Not yet." Susan looked at her watch, then to his face. He shut his eyes so they wouldn't give him away.
Kerry started walking out, "I'll check on those results."
"No sign of concussion – that's a good sign." Susan tried to offer some comfort.
"Yeah, but it doesn't mean we're leaving any sooner. How long can it take?"
Susan sat down beside him and took his hand. "If you needed me," she sang, "I would come to you. I would swim the seas, for to ease your pain." He opened his eyes, half smiling. She continued, "In the night forlorn, or the morning's… something," she half laughed at herself, "... and the morning shines with the lights of the dawn… you will miss the sunrise if you close your eyes and that would break my heart in two… he is with me now, since I showed him how, to lay his little hand in mine, and you will agree he's a sight to see," she smiled, "a treasure for the poor to find. And if I needed you would you come to me," he nodded, "would you come to me and ease my pain. If you needed me I would come to you. I would swim the seas, for to ease your pain."
She looked into his eyes, once again amazed at what she found there.
Kerry knocked lightly outside. They both turned to her expectantly.
"Sorry to interrupt." She fumbled. Susan and Mark were both confused by her nervousness. "Um, the reason it took so long… is because they found something."
"You must have whacked it pretty hard." Susan looked at him concerned, then back to Kerry.
Kerry was clearly not wanting to tell them this. "Look, it's not really clear what it is, but there's a growth…" she mumbled off the medical jargon [which I'm sure Susan and Mark understood but this poor aspiring author is an arts student without a clue].
They asked a few questions but Kerry had no answers. "Look, you might as well go home and we'll book you in for an MRI as soon as possible." She looked at Mark. He nodded so slightly.
Mark and Susan walked out solemnly, silently, hand-in-hand.
"You okay?" Susan whispered when the silence became unbearable.
"Yeah." He looked straight ahead. "Just… surprised."
"Yeah." She agreed. "You know what, don't worry. You'll be fine. Whatever this is, we'll beat it. We'll do whatever we have to do. So don't worry. It'll be fine." She was trying to convince herself as much as him.
"Yeah," he turned to her nodding, "Nothing to worry about. We just have to stay positive."
"Exactly."
Neither were convinced.
"Plus, I guess it's a good thing we found it now."
"Yeah – you swept me off my feet and saved my life." He joked but he was too serious.
Still not convinced.