Ch. 16 Ready To Love

"Next patient Lana?" Andy walked over to the front desk.

"In a half an hour." She replied.

"Thanks." As Andy was walking down the hall, she was reading her clipboard, so she didn't notice when she almost collided head on with Peter.

"Whoa!" Peter moved out of Andy's way.

"Sorry." Andy kept her head down and kept walking.

"Want some lunch?" He held up a bag of salads from his favorite health food restaurant.

"No thanks." She kept walking.

"Anything to drink?" Peter trotted behind Andy to keep up with her.

"No thank you." Andy slipped into her office and closed the door behind her, right in Peter's face.

"Okay." He tried to put on a smile as he walked away feeling very rejected.

"What's up with you?" Lana noticed Peter looked upset.

"Andy. I think she hates me." He put his hands in his head.

"Baby she doesn't hate you. You know what today is. She probably just needs some space."

Peter looked at Lana confused. "What's today?"

Andy sighed as she walked into her office. Today was not going too well. "What's this?" She noticed a gift bag on her desk. Inside was a card.

Dear Andy,

I'm so sorry for acting like such an idiot lately. I don't know how I could have forgotten what today was.

I know you're hurting right now and you apparently just want to be alone, but I want to give you some advice my mother gave me when my grandfather passed away. She said, "Remember the good times you had with him. And don't worry honey, he'll always be in your heart, if not in your sight."

Andy, if you want to wait for us, I understand. Things don't have to change between us if you don't want them to.

Love always,

Peter

P.S. I asked around and picked this up. I thought it might help you remember the good times.

Andy looked in the bag. It was a DVD of "The Best of the Three Stooges." She walked over to her TV and played it. The sketch playing was the same one that she and Les had watched with the girls the night of Milo's death. She grabbed the big Panda bear she kept in the corner of her office and laid down on her couch. As she clutched the bear, tears fell from her eyes.

"Dr. Campbell?" Lana stepped into her office.

"Yeah..." Andy's voice came out as a whisper.

"What are you watching?" Lana's voice was filled with sensitivity.

"A DVD Peter left. The Three Stooges. Milo's favorite." Andy's eyes never left the screen.

"Oh." Lana sat down next to Andy's head. She put her head on Andy's shoulder. Andy in return, did the same thing.

"Lu? You're needed down in the ER," Peter informed her.

"Okay, thanks." Lu took off down the hall.

As Peter headed towards exam room 2, someone wrapped their arms around him. He turned around. "Andy."

Andy hugged Peter and buried her face into his chest. "Ima da idit."

"What?" Peter pulled Andy off of him and looked into her eyes.

"I'm the idiot." She gave him that warm, bright smile that attracted him to her in the first place.

"Hey. Don't talk about Andy that way." He smiled back. Andy stood up on her toes and leaned towards Peter. She kissed him as she had only kissed Milo and Les before. She finally put her guard down. She was ready to love again.