Last Chapter: it's lots of little glimpses with different periods of time between them and lots of jumps but you'll figure it out.
Enjoy!
The sky was dark blue and paling at the horizon. Susan looked out over the seascape and her breath caught in her chest. Her plans not to wake Mark changed. "You've got to see this." She touched his face and his eyes opened slightly.
He smiled at her, remembering where he was. "Good morning." He pulled her down to kiss her.
"You've got to see this." She helped him sit up and looked out toward the horizon as the sun peaked over the edge.
Mark exhaled with a awed smile. "Wow." He breathed.
"This is why I brought you here." She watched his reaction and nestled closer to him to watch the sunrise in silence.
"Hawaii."
"Of course." Carol grinned. "That explains the tan." She put her arm beside Susan's then pulled it away. Susan didn't notice. She was smiling at Mark across the ER. "And that explains the grin." Carol followed her eyes.
"What?" Susan hadn't heard her.
Carol just laughed and ducked down the hall into the supply cabinet.
Susan turned looked back to Mark but he'd been sucked into actually working… so she got all conscientious and got back to work as well.
Susan hadn't stopped grinning all day. Carol had thought the glow would fade. And it had. A bit. But she was singing to herself waiting for the electric jug to boil in the lounge only an hour after a mass trauma and Mark wasn't even working tonight. Carol's expectations for love (and all that) were on the rise.
"What are you smiling at?" Doug sat down behind her, exhausted.
She turned around and shook her head still smiling. "Susan's singing. It's nice to see people so happy."
"If not just a little bit sickly."
"I know, you're a sucker for punishment." Carol pretended she had work to do but the place had been quiet for half an hour.
"Na. It's all talk. I want that." He admitted, too tired to play games. Carol didn't want to read into it. She couldn't make the same mistake again, but her chances weren't looking good. Well, more to the point, they were looking too good. For anyone on the wrong end of a double shift he looked too damn good.
Susan poured her tea down the sink. Why would anyone drink that? It smelt like raspberries and lemon but it tasted like vegetable water. She took a drink of water and returned to the ER.
"Do we both have to be here?" She leant against the counter and looked at Doug.
He held his eyes open dramatically then yawned right on cue.
"Go home Doug. I was about to beg to leave but that's just downright manipulative."
Carol laughed at them.
Doug wasn't about to put up a fight though.
"Sleep well." Susan plonked down in his seat. "Right, what did I miss?"
"Honey, that was the shortest ten minute break not interrupted by a trauma ever. You didn't miss anything."
Susan smiled. "How are things going with Doug?"
Carol shrugged. "But I did notice that you can't stop grinning. Marriage not as bad as the rumours?"
Susan shook her head, her smile turning into a yawn. "It's catching." She covered her mouth. "What time was Doug on till cause I think I accidentally signed up to cover him?"
"Six."
"Oh man."
"Go have a nap, I'll wake you." Carol patted her shoulder and made for the lounge. Coffee would keep her company where her sleepy colleagues failed.
"Good morning handsome." Susan knelt down beside their bed and ran her fingers down the side of his face.
"Hey." He smiled, "Did you just get home?" he squinted in the light.
She nodded. "Doug was tired so I covered for him."
"You must be exhausted Saint Susan." He reached over for a kiss.
"Yeah. But I'll be fine. Are you on today?"
"Later. At four."
She nodded. "I have to tell you something."
He was awake now and rolled onto his side, facing her, resting his head on one hand. "Yeah?"
She smiled at him, still a little awed by him. "We're pregnant."
His smile broke into a grin and then an overjoyed laugh. "Oh my gosh." He sat up and pulled her up off the floor into a hug.
She was laughing at his reaction. She knew he'd be happy about it but that knowledge didn't take anything away from this joy. She squeezed him tightly to her.
They parted and looked at each other, still smiling.
"Have you talked to anyone in OB/GYN?" Mark's concern showed through his eyes.
She shook her head. "I only found out today. Then we had this mass trauma and I slept through most of this morning in room two and they weren't open yet when I left. I was so anxious to get home and tell you."
He nodded. "Do you think…?" he wasn't sure how to finish that sentence.
"I'll go up today or tomorrow but I'm sure it will be fine. Just cause it wasn't last time doesn't mean…"
He knew that one miscarriage didn't mean that other pregnancies wouldn't reach full term. But he hardly dare hope… who was he kidding? Of course he hoped. "God, I love you." He took her face in his hands protectively. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."
She laughed and shook her head but he cut her off with a kiss.
"Well?" Doug ambushed Mark as soon as he saw him exit the elevator.
"I'm a Dad!" Mark wrapped his friend in a victory hug. "Again." He laughed and stepped back only to be ambushed by a whole array of 'congratulations' and a few more hugs.
"Where are they?"
"42-B. But Susan's sleeping, or trying to."
"Oh, come on! Details." Haleh interrupted the chatter.
"Oh, right." Mark laughed at his own excitement, "It's a boy. He's 8 pound 7. He was born at 11 am. What else?"
"A name?" Doug laughed.
"Oh, um, we're working on it."
And then another whole round of congratulations… and hugs…
"So what exactly are you doing down here?" Haleh asked pointedly as the crowd dispersed.
"I'm meant to be working." Mark duhed.
"Ah ah. We'll call you if there's an emergency but otherwise you have far more important things to do."
"Okay, thanks." He dashed off without another thought.
Haleh just laughed at him and dug a baby card out of her desk to pass around the staff.
"Hey you." He grinned, running his fingers across her forehead to brush her hair out of her eyes.
"Hey." She smiled sleepily.
"Did you sleep well?"
She nodded. "Did you come up with a name yet?"
"No, but I went downstairs and spread the word."
"Maybe they can come up with something."
He just laughed, "I think that borders on child abuse."
"Hey, come here." She reached out to him with one exhausted arm.
He kissed her hand and she brushed his cheek with the back of her hand, pulling him in for a kiss.
"Maybe you could go get him and we could try to come up with a name?" she lay back down.
Mark nodded, trying to ignore the ache at the back of his throat and the prickles behind his eyes. "I'll be right back."
"I'll get him." Susan pulled herself from Mark's arms, throwing the covers over his face. Samuel probably needed feeding. Again. She pulled him out of his cot and smiled through her exhaustion as he calmed breastfeeding.
Mark found her asleep in the chair by Sam's cot, with Samuel in her arms and her shirt open down to the waist. He took Samuel carefully and put him lightly back down. Susan woke a bit. "I got it." She mumbled as he picked her up and carried her back to bed. She didn't protest, she just leant into him, her arms around his shoulders.
He put her down and pulled the covers up, lying down beside her and watching her. She sensed his eyes and rolled her head toward him.
"You are watching me." She whispered in her best horror movie voice.
He laughed, "Yep." And kissed her.
"Did Samuel go down okay?"
"You both fell asleep." He touched her cheek, "You're exhausted Susan, get some rest."
"Okay." She whispered letting her eyes shut. "I love you." She mumbled into his chest as he pulled her closer protectively.
Mark's breath caught in his throat… again.
Susan took an armful of charts and pawned half of them off on med students before strapping a broken collar bone. "Only take it off at night and you won't want to carry anything more than a pencil in that hand for at least two weeks." She signed a prescription for painkillers and headed back to admittance to deposit the chart.
"There's mom."
She recognized Mark's voice and put the charts down, turning to meet them.
"Hey." She smiled and took Samuel from his arms as he kissed her. "What you two been up to?"
"Not much." Mark ruffled the blonde wisps of hair on Samuel's head. "Just eating and cleaning after eating."
Susan laughed and lifted Samuel to look at his face. "No evidence left."
"I try. Well, we should let you get back to work."
"Yeah, there's a stack of work here." She pointed at the files behind her and passed Samuel back to Mark. "Bye baby." She kissed his forehead.
"Where's mine?" Mark pouted.
She laughed at him as a trauma rolled up. "Duty calls."
Mark smiled. "See you tonight." He backed away from the path the gurney would take to trauma one.
Susan followed and gave him a quick kiss. "Thanks for coming." She said sincerely then ran to catch up with the patients.
Samuel was crying from the noise and rush. Mark jigged him up and down and made for the exit.
They had both cut back on shifts but it was exhausting to try and juggle Samuel, see each other for more than ten minutes and not spend that time sleeping.
"Thanks Carter." Susan waved to Samuel and tried to stop gaping at the enormity of that house. Mark was waiting in the taxi out front. "Damn that place is huge." Susan got back in the cab.
Mark laughed, "You sure about this?"
"Oh, yeah Carter's fine. Unless he loses him. So where are we going?"
"You'll see." Mark took her hand.
"Thank you for this. In case I forget to tell you later." She kissed his shoulder.
"It's the big three, don't thank me."
"Big three?"
"Yeah, well it's not our official anniversary or anything but yesterday was the day I showed up in Pheonix – except three years ago and…" she stopped him with a kiss, surprised she hadn't remembered.
The taxi stopped at tiny café on an almost deserted road overlooking the lake. Mark took her hand, "I was going to open your door."
She smiled and looked up the path at the dark windows, "I think it's shut."
He shook his head. "You'll see."
He opened the door. The place was dark except for one candle-lit table and a roaring fireplace. Susan turned to him and shook her head grinning.
They were dancing in their kitchen to the light of the microwave reheating Mark's dinner. He'd got home at ten. Not a late shift by definition cause it was this side of midnight. Susan had put Samuel to bed hours ago and was tidying up with her Natalie Cole CD humming away in the kitchen.
The jazzy voice sung out 'Like a song of love that clings to me… How the thought of you does things to me. Never before has someone been more… unforgettable.'
"You amaze me." She pulled back to see his face. "Still. After all these years. And for so many more." She leant in to kiss him.
"I'm not hungry." He picked her up but she pulled away.
"I'm close enough to feel your stomach growling." She laughed and the microwave finished right on cue. "And don't gulp cause you'll get indigestion then you'll be no use to me." She raised her eyebrows suggestively.
"Yes sir." He got himself a knife and fork and put his plate on the table.
"I'm just going to get ready for bed." She disappeared out the door.
He immediately forgot her instructions not to gulp his dinner.
"Good book?" he asked, stopping at the doorway.
"Yes actually. You ate fast." She put it down on the bedside table.
"Yeah, well I was a little distracted by this woman I keep seeing." He crawled across the mattress, sporadically kissing her body until he reached her face and sunk into her kiss.
"Wait." She touched his face adoringly and exhaled. "I love you."
That's all folks!
And thank you for all the reviews. They're good motivators… not to mention good for the ego. Cheers!