Chapter 56

Anna hit the showers and dressed again. She looked at her watch...damn lunch with Doug! She left her hair down, not feeling like putting it back up and she slipped her shoes back on. She headed back into the ER and walked up to the admit desk, "hey, how's the baby?"

Doug snapped out of his daze to answer her. "Huh? Oh she's better. people should really put away their medication though." Doug rubbed his eyes. he hated doing research. he knew it was almost time to write another paper to present to the hospital and he had no new ideas. "How was therapy?" he asked without looking at her.

"It was okay. They kicked me out for the day, said I was an overachiever." She noticed that he hadn't looked at her while she was talking to him. He had rubbed his eyes and look tired. She didn't want to get in his way or bug him. "Sorry about getting into the middle of that, I won't let it happen again. I'm off to do some shopping so I guess that I will meet you back here when you are off at 7." She started to walk away from the admit desk.

"Here, why don't you take my car." he said tossing her the keys. "I have faith in you. I'll take the EL home." Doug sat back down and stared at the computer. "Don't wait up for me ok? I doubt I'll be back at seven." Doug started to type again and then realized that they were supposed to have lunch. "Anna?" he said looking back up at her. "Sorry about lunch. I know I promised you."

"Don't worry about it, no big deal." She said catching his keys in her hand. She headed outside and walked towards the jeep. After climbing inside she had every intention of going shopping but found herself parking in front of her lawyer office instead. She spent a couple of hours there, walked out with a restraining order and her apartment back. She drove the jeep back to the apartment and went inside. She sat down and called the airlines. It would take a few days but she would eventually be able to get her bags back. She pulled boxes out of the closet and started throwing his stuff into them. Which she moved down to the storage unit. The apartment looked a lot barer. She pulled down a bag of popcorn and sat down at her PC. She pulled up the directory for CCG and found Doug's hospital email address. She wasn't even sure if he'd know to check there, but oh well, she fired one off anyway, telling him where she was hiding out for now.

Doug was online when a friendly computer voice popped up. "You've got mail." Doug cocked his head and clicked his mailbox. "Who would email me?" He thought as he read the message he smiled and he was glad that Anna was getting things under control. He sent her a simple message back but thought it would speak volumes. "Glad about your apartment...hope you don't plan on spending tonight there. Love Always, Doug."

Anna smiled when she read his message. She walked over and turned on the gas fireplace, poured herself a glass of wine, she pulled a book from the shelves. Nothing like a good steamy romance novel to pass the time, she thought to herself as she pulled her legs up under her and the blanket off the back of the couch. 400 pages should have kept her occupied after getting thru the first 100 she found herself drifting off to sleep.

Doug looked at his watch. He had spent a whole day working and had only seen a few patients. "At least I got some research done," he thought. It was nearly eight and he wanted to go home. He couldn't find weaver but punched out anyway. he brought his left over paperwork and walked outside to find his jeep. "Ahh damnit" he said when he realized he had given the car to Anna. Doug sighed as he walked up the icy steps to the EL. The train was packed and with his arms full with files he hoped he wouldn't fall.

Anna stretched and looked up at the clock. "Oh crapola." She said standing up. She turned off the fireplace, the lights and grabbed both her keys and Doug's. She had the manager change the locks on the doors. She put on her coat and walked down to the jeep. She started to negotiate her way down the icy Chicago streets and pulled up in front of the house. She didn't see any lights on as she headed up the front steps, unlocked the door and headed inside. She turned the heat up and sat down on his couch with her book.

"Hey watch it!" Doug yelled as some jerk shoulder checked him one the street. Doug slammed the folders down as he best over to pick up the papers he had dropped. "only a little further" he told himself. finally he made it to his door, nearly a half an hour after he had left the hospital. Doug scraped the ice off his shoes and messed with his keys. he leaned against the door and it opened up. "Huh" he said once he walked in he saw why the door was unlocked. He saw Anna stretched out on the couch reading a sappy romance novel. "those things can kill brain cells you know." he said shuffling in.

"That they might, but hey it kept me out of trouble, thought that might be something you like." She said shifting her weight to look at him, "rough day?"

"You could say that." Doug said setting the folders on the counter and walking over to sit next to her on the couch. he lifted her legs up and set them on his lap once he sat down. "What about you?"

"Nope not rough at all, I'm the one with the life of leisure right now." She said, "what are you in the mood for, dinners on me."

"I think I'm in the mood for staying home." Doug sighed and rubbed his eyes. he couldn't shake his headache. "I don't know, maybe just a sandwich. Doug patted her legs and stood up. "you make what you want. I'm going to change...I swear I don't think I can stand to get thrown up on again." he walked into his bedroom and put on a tee-shirt and some workout pants. Doug walked back into the living room to find Anna. "You get to pick the activity tonight...I don't care what it is as long as it doesn't involve paperwork."

Anna settled back on the couch, "I don't know." She said fidgeting with her hair, "how about just some TV, surely there has to be a ball game on or some kind of extreme sports thing going on. I know that you don't want anymore paperwork," she said reaching down for a manila envelope that was near her book, "but give this a look over later, it's a treatment option that we were looking into for infants in acute respiratory distress. All the research and grants that I secured are in there, so I won't bore you with all the details right now. If you don't like it that's fine too, just say the word and I will find another pediatrician to pass if off on." Anna said as she picked up the remote and flicked on the TV. "Ah, snowboarding." She moved so that she was sitting behind him and started to rub his neck and temples.

Doug closed his eyes. That was exactly what he needed. "Thanks for looking that up Anna...I...Ahh" Doug jumped a little as Anna hit a knot in his neck. He dropped his head and tried to relax again. "Thanks for this too. You're really great for putting up with me."

Anna smiled, "I want to put up with you. Besides this gives me an excuse to have my hands on you." She said rubbing a little harder trying to melt the tension in his neck with her hands. "I should send you to bed, you feel a little warm."

"I feel a little sick." he said reaching around and pulling her into his lap. "But I like being here with you."

"Mmm, I like it too." She said smiling, "I'm so sorry that I gave you some terrible disease." She joked as she poked him.

"Yeah but I'm tempted to give it right back to you." he said leaning over to give her a kiss. Doug leaned back against the couch and rested his hand on her stomach. "so...what are you in the mood for, for dinner? I don't care what it is as long as I'm not cooking."

She smiled, "why don't I run down to the deli and grab us some fried chicken." She said to him. "Should only take me a couple of minutes if you can live with out me that long."

"HA! I'm sure I can manage." Doug joked releasing his grip on her so she could stand. "do me a favor and pick up some kind of cold or flu medicine for me." Doug said before laying down on the couch and grabbing the TV controller. he rested his head on the arm rest and pulled his knees up. there had to be something good on to watch. "just be careful and hurry back...unless you want me to go with you."

"Na you rest, I'm sure that the boogie man isn't going to get me." She said pulling her coat on, "I'll get ya some Theraflu." As she headed out the door, "don't miss me too much." She called pulling the door shut behind her as she hurried down the street.

Doug rolled his eyes as he watched her leave. he got up and grabbed a beer to bring back with him to the couch. he didn't see anything on TV so he grabbed the DVD box that he hadn't unpacked yet and looked through it. after much debate he finally pulled out one of his favorite movies, Hoosiers. Doug put in on and propped his feet up to wait for Anna to get back.