A/N: For Warning and Disclaimer, refer back to PROLOGUE.

Chapter 2: Closer

It had been three days since she bumped into Heat at the bar. She and Serph still weren't talking. Argilla laughed; she found it ironic really. Here she was, married to a man with whom she promised to share the rest of her life and yet, the air around them seemed so awkward and aloof that neither wanted to be in the presence of the other. It was ironic indeed.

Argilla, wanting to relieve herself of this tension, focused instead on her duty. Normally, she was in the morning shift, but lately, many accidents had been happening due changes in the weather conditions. Many people were getting hurt; the number of car accidents rose and many people fell sick due to the said weather conditions, hence, she was requested to report for the evening shift as well.

It was now 9:30 PM, and she had just been assisting a doctor for the resuscitation of a patient who had a heart attack. The moments were very hectic and crucial to the patient's survival. But it was too late for him; they had lost him. Argilla sighed at the memory. That was probably one of the moments that she hated from her job. They all knew that death was a part of life, all the medical students and staff knew that; but no matter how many times she'd seen it, she still couldn't get over the feeling of inadequacy in her part. She had always felt that she still could have done something, anything, to save the patient's life.

"Hey, stop being so glum, chum." a cheery voice said. Argilla, slightly startled, turned to the direction of the voice, "Hey Heat."

"Hey there yourself. What's up? It looks as if you've just lost a patient!" he laughed, not realizing the weight of his own joke. She looked sadly up at him and he frowned, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Heat took the empty space beside her and wrapped an arm around her, "Hey, remember med school? Look, you can't save everyone that walks in here Argi. You gotta stop feeling guilty. It was his or her time to go. Death is part of life, you know that."

She sighed; she knew he was right, but even knowing that did little to dispel her feeling.

"I know."

Heat smiled and then turned his attention to his watch, "Well, I gotta go. I still have work to do you know."

Argilla smiled at him, "Go ahead, my shift's almost over anyway. I got to get home. Take care Heat!"

Heat's voice stopped her in her tracks, "Hey wait! If you want we could have a get together tomorrow. You know, just like old times."

His eyes beamed with hope that she would say yes. Then, she remembered Serph. Her heart sank at the thought of him and so, she accepted Heat's proposal. He would keep her mind off of Serph for a while.

"Sure! I'd love to!"

"Great. Let's have a cup of coffee, for lunch, what do you say?"

"Sure thing. See you tomorrow!"

Argilla waved goodbye and made her way towards the women's locker rooms.

xxxxx

Argilla arrived at home when she received a message from Serph. He was coming home. Argilla quickly prepared dinner.

He arrived half an hour after she received his message. Argilla turned uneasy eyes on him, apprehension taking over her body, "Hey honey…"

"Hn…" he muttered.

xxxxx

The dinner table was silent, with only the sound of the fork and spoon clashing with the plate being heard. Argilla could practically choke under the tremendous amount of tension between them. So, she decided to try a conversation.

"So, how's work?"

Serph, who had been detached from that world from the beginning of dinner, was brought back to the present reality with her question. He found it irritating for some reason. To him, the question "how was your day" was stupid and pointless. Couldn't she see that he was upset? How brainless could she be?

He stared at her and rolled his eyes, "Do I look like I want to talk about my work? And with you of all people?"

She cast her head down, mortified and hurt from his harsh words. Everything she did was all wrong. Why? She didn't know and from the way he had been speaking to her, his tone of voice and his choice of words, she didn't want to know.

"Huh. There you go," he drawled, making it a point for her to know that he didn't consider her bright enough to even grasp the concept of what he did. She couldn't take it anymore. She stood up abruptly, with her dishes in each hand and left for the kitchen, not sparing him a second glance.

Serph knew he had hurt her. He felt guilty for what he had done. He knew that he had changed. Actually, the change had been so gradual that he didn't notice it at the beginning. But, after their anniversary, when Argilla had run out on him and didn't come back until after midnight, he knew that he had been acting like a bastard towards her. It disturbed him. But what disturbed him further was that he could have sworn that she was lying to him that night when she told him about where she had gone the previous hours. He also knew that he had gone too far when he insulted her intelligence, but he just couldn't help it, he justified. She knew he was upset and yet she still prodded in places that didn't concern her. She provoked him and his response, he mused, was natural.

Wanting to put his mental conflicts concerning Argilla aside, he left the table, having suddenly lost his appetite and decided to retire for the night.

xxxxx

Argilla stood by the kitchen sink, staring absentmindedly on the metal in front of her. Serph was harsh; very harsh. She wasn't crying but she felt hurt all the same. She felt her face droop as she pitied herself. How did she end up in this situation?

The sudden buzz of her cell-phone in her pocket jerked her back to reality. She fumbled for it in her pocket and looked at the number. It was Heat.

"Heat!" she half-squealed with delight and half with relief upon hearing his voice.

"Hey Argi! What's up? I just wanted to remind you of our plans for tomorrow. Don't forget okay?"

Unbeknownst to Argilla, Serph had gotten up for a glass of water when he saw her facing the wall, having a conversation with someone on her phone. He was surprised though when he heard her say the word "heat".

'Heat? Who was in heat? What was in heat?' he thought curiously.

Argilla smiled, unaware of the presence gazing steadily at her, "Don't worry. I won't forget. I'm not an old woman you know. Besides, I'll see you tomorrow anyway…okay…Goodnight and thanks for the call. I really appreciate it…"

'Really appreciate it?' Serph asked, his eyebrow elevated, 'Who the hell is she talking to? And at this late hour?'

"Bye…" she was still smiling, pushing the cancel button and turning around. Her smile faded quickly as she came face to face with her husband, who had an irritated expression on his face, "Who was that?" he asked calmly, but his silver piercing eyes warned her that if she lied, he'd know.

She stared at him like a deer in headlights, "…No one…"

His face hardened and she stammered, "Just one of the girls from the hospital…They wanted to…t-to go out t-tomorrow for a cup of coffee…"

Serph continued to stare at her, his eyes seemed to look into her soul and she felt disturbed and scared. She forced her legs to move and to pass by him, "Excuse me, I think I'll go to bed…"

She gasped as he gripped her by the arm and spun her around to meet his eyes, "Are you hiding something from me?"

Her lips trembled and she felt frozen with fear. His grip on her tightened and she gasped again, "Serph, you're hurting me!"

He pulled her closer to him until their faces were only inches apart, and whispered darkly, "You better not be lying to me Argilla."

And with that, he shoved her away and walked out of the kitchen with his glass of water, leaving Argilla petrified on the spot. She glanced at her arm where he had gripped and saw that it was beginning to bruise. She bit her lip and followed suit into the bedroom.

xxxxx

Her shift came to an end at such a fast rate that Argilla didn't even notice. It was 11:45 AM and her shift would end at midday. She headed for the locker rooms and changed into her casual outfit. It was a warm sunny day at Karma City and so she decided to wear a casual pink dress with thin straps, a form that clung to her figure nicely; not too tight and not too loose. The dress was just above her knees and had designs of sakura flowers on it. She loved this dress; it made her feel warm and comfortable. She also loved the color pink.

As she was coming out from her locker, her cell phone rang and she discovered that it was Heat.

"Hey Argi! All set?" he asked enthusiastically.

Argilla chuckled, "Yup! I'm ready. Where are you?"

"I'm at the parking lot. I'll be at the main entrance in two minutes."

"Okay. I'll be there in a minute. See ya!"

Heat arrived as soon as he said he would. Argilla smiled at him and hopped into the car, unaware of the stares that the pair had been getting. People at the hospital had noticed that nurse Argilla and Dr. Heat O'Brien had been getting quite close. They could be easily seen talking and walking together every chance they got. Of course, they were probably just friends, some people would think, but others would create stories and rumors to satisfy their own fantasy and come to the conclusion that the two were having an affair.

Heat and Argilla had arrived at the Maribel Café and took their seats. The table that they had chosen was by the window. Heat fixed his eyes on the woman in front of him. He couldn't help it; it was as if she had hypnotized him into gazing at her. She had become more beautiful each time he saw her. He could have stared at her some more if she didn't flick her fingers in front of his face, "Heat? Hello? Anyone home?"

Heat blinked several times, "I'm sorry…what?" he asked, his mind blank.

Argilla chuckled, "That's exactly the problem, you don't know. It's like you were in a trance. For a while there, I was getting worried; I was worried that I had something on my face, or had something stuck to my teeth that you couldn't stop staring at me!"

Heat's smile widened; he always loved that about her. She was a woman who accepted her faults; down to earth and wasn't at all peculiar about sharing her delicate moments with her friends. If it were some other woman; she would have been beside herself with self-consciousness. He hated clingy women; they were just too weird for his tastes, but Argilla was different; she had a fiery spirit, she was beautiful, sharp-witted and had a sense of humor. She was perfect. Yeah, perfect for Serph Sheffield…

Heat immediately gritted his teeth in frustration as he again heard that annoying voice inside his head. He hated that voice; it always brought to the surface whatever it was that he fought so hard to repress or suppress. And one of those things was his unwanted feelings for his friend.

"Heat, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Heat asked, again, dumbfounded.

"Okay, you're now officially freaking me out! You just zoned out! Are you alright?"

Heat smiled, her voice had shut up that annoying little voice inside his head, "I'm fine Argi! So, what'll you have?"

Argilla looked into her menu and Heat into his. Argilla bit her bottom lip as she contemplated about what to order. Unbeknownst to her, Heat had caught a glimpse of her from his menu and ended up staring again. 'She looks so cute when she does that…so cute and so…inviting. Her lips are so…Oh my God. I shouldn't be thinking like this! I'm such a pervert!' he mentally scolded himself and looked back into his menu. Just then, the waitress came, "Good afternoon ma'am," she nodded at Argilla and then to Heat, "and to you too sir. So, are you ready to order?"

Argilla smiled warmly at her, "I'll just have a latte and a croissant. What about you Heat?"

"I'll have the same."

Argilla quirked an eyebrow at him, and he smirked, "I'm on a diet."

"Whatever." she said, rolling her eyes at him playfully.

The waitress smiled and left them to themselves.

"So, Argi. How's married life?" he asked offhandedly.

"Didn't you already ask me that?" she replied, slightly turning pale at the mention of her marriage.

"Yeah well, you really didn't give me a good answer." he said honestly and without hesitation.

"How good do you want it to be?" she asked curiously.

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "As good as you can get it to be…"

"Pig…!" she muttered to him, suppressing a playful laugh from her lips.

"I jest, I jest!" he laughed; his voice ringing with pure humor.

"Well, married life is good. It has it ups and downs, and sometimes," she cast her face down and stared at the table cloth, and continued at a low tone, "sometimes, you just wonder if it's worth it. If the relationship with your husband is worth the hurt you're suffering…"

Heat's face hardened. He knew there was something going on with Argilla and her husband; something very wrong. In fact, he suspected this ever since that night at the bar. Argilla wasn't the type of girl who would drink alone at a bar, close to midnight. And now that he recalled it; he suspected that she had been crying. He could have sworn that he saw the dried tear trails on her cheeks. He also remembered noticing how puffy her eyes were; but at the time, he just dismissed them, thinking that she just didn't have any sleep. But, from the way she was talking now, low, sullen and obviously sad, he had confirmed his suspicion.

"Argi? What's wrong? Did…did you have a fight with Serph?" he asked, concerned.

Argilla balled her hands into fists, determined not to involve Heat in her situation. Her situation with Serph, she deemed, was something that she could handle. She didn't want her friends caught up with them; especially Heat. She didn't want him to pity her; pity was the last thing she needed right now.

"What…? No…we…we're fine."

Heat said nothing and noted how she stiffened when he mentioned her husband's name. He wanted to help her in any way that he could; but he knew that no one could help anyone else if that someone else didn't wish to be helped. So, as much as he wanted to pursue that matter, he knew that he shouldn't. He didn't have the right to ask that of her and so, he let it slide.

"Okay Argi. I believe you!" he said cheerfully.

Argilla smiled and looked into his fiery ruby eyes, "Good!"

Heat reached for her hand, which was on the table and grasped it in his, tightly, "I understand if you don't want to talk about it Argilla," he said in a serious tone, "But…should you ever need to, I'll be here…"

Argilla cast her face down again and whispered, "Thank you for understanding Heat…"

The tense and melancholy aura around them dissipated when the waitress returned with their orders. The two resumed their cheery conversation, putting aside all that concerned Serph Sheffield.

xxxxx

The two walked together through the hallways of the hospital, having just returned from their short break. Argilla stopped in her tracks, "Well, this is where we part ways captain! I'll see you later."

"Sure thing Argi. Take care of yourself."

And with that, the two parted-Argilla going towards the women's lockers while Heat towards the men's. As Argilla opened her locker and took out her uniform, she couldn't help but overhear a conversation between her fellow nurses. They were in front of the lockers behind hers, hence they couldn't see her. And judging about how adamant they were about their conversation, they didn't even notice that she had entered the room.

"Really? But he's just too cute!" one said

"I know! Can you believe it? I guess she just isn't satisfied with one man huh?"

"Where did you hear this anyway…?"

"Can't say…Everyone knows it you know! They're so obvious…"

"What about the policy in intra-office dating?"

"Well, obviously, they don't care about it…"

Argilla raised her eyebrow; their conversation had piqued her interest. From what she could deduce, it seemed that they were speaking of a man and a woman who both worked for the hospital and who were having an affair. But, what made it all the more interesting was that, the woman seemed to be already involved with someone else. Argilla bit her bottom lip; come to think of it, the profile sort of fit her.

"Poor Dr. O'Brien…"

'Heat…?' Argilla thought worriedly.

"Nurse Sheffield sure has it easy…I mean, having Dr. Serph Sheffield for a husband and then Dr. O'Brien as a lover…wow! It's my dream come true."

"Dream? Are you crazy!? If I was married to Dr. Sheffield, I'd never cheat on him!" the nurse scowled and continued, "That woman is just a slut!"

Argilla put her hands to her mouth and muffled a gasp; the entire hospital staff thought that Argilla and Heat were having an affair. She stumbled backwards and headed for the door.

"What was that?"

"Probably nothing."

xxxxx

'Slut…So the entire staff thinks of me as a slut…? Oh my God….' Argilla shut herself up in one of the empty hospital rooms in order to gather her thoughts and regain her breath. It just wasn't fair. She hasn't done anything and the whole world had already judged and labeled her as a slut. She just wanted to spend some time with her close friend, but they automatically made it into something it wasn't.

Argilla felt her eyes water and her face burn with anger and sadness, 'What would Serph think if he finds out…?' she thought worriedly. Oh, she almost forgot. Serph. She wasn't just some man's wife; she was Serph Sheffield's wife. Her eyes went wide with the realization of the magnitude of this issue's sensitivity. Serph would be ruined if word got out. She would bring shame to him and she could never again regain the trust that he had placed in her. It was then that she finally broke down; quietly sobbing.

She had to stop seeing Heat. She knew that it would hurt; it would be like killing a part of herself. She also knew that it couldn't be helped; it was a simple yet difficult choice to make. She had to choose between Heat and her husband as well as his reputation and hers. She decided that she would stay away from Heat for a while.

xxxxx

Argilla had hoped that she wouldn't see Heat again for the rest of the day, but she had accidentally bumped into him in her way to the main gates. She, having finished her shift, had decided to go home. It was already five in the afternoon and Serph had left a message in her office that he was coming home at seven that evening.

"Hey Argi! Going home?" Heat asked, smiling.

Argilla, now feeling quite conscious, looked around momentarily and noticed that quite a few of her fellow nurses were staring in their general direction. But, when she had met their eyes, they abruptly turned away and resumed their business.

'At least, they had the decency to do that.' Argilla thought with a frown.

"Earth to Argi! Come in Argi!" Heat joked, waving a hand in front of her eyes. Argilla blinked, "Oh! I'm sorry. What?"

"I asked if you were going home."

"Oh. Well, yes, I am. I need to go home."

"Do you need a lift?"

"No!" Her sudden reply had thrown Heat off guard; it was as if she had been afraid of something, "I mean, no. Thanks. I can manage. Besides, I wouldn't want to keep you."

Heat didn't like the sudden change in Argilla's behavior. Earlier she had been so at ease with him, but now, she seemed so awkward just to be with him. 'Was it something I said? Did I come on too strong?' Heat asked himself, slightly hurt.

"Well, I'll see you around Heat…" and not giving Heat a chance to reply, Argilla had already turned her back on him and left.

xxxxx