CHAPTER 99:

Doug found the shoes he was looking for and was trying them on. He stood up and jumped around a little in them. 'Well at least they're on sale' he thought. He walked over and looked into the mirror to see if they looked good or not when he caught a glimpse of Anna trying on that hat. He just grinned when he saw her. Boy was she going to be a knock out when she wore that. He went back over to the shoe section to make sure he didn't see anything better. He jumped up again. "These might work" he said aloud

"Hey find your new basketball shoes there Spuds." She said laughing as she watched him jumping around as she leaned against the wall. "You know the shoes don't make the player, the player makes the shoes."

Doug sat down when Anna was making fun of him. "Well i need all the help i can get." he said slipping off his shoes. "So are you looking for new nicknames for me or something...i mean what's Spuds?" he joked putting his shoes in the box and slipping his olds ones on.

"No I was just comparing you to one of the greatest basketball players off all time," she said as she walked over and ruffled his hair playfully. "I can just call you by your given name if you prefer. Oh stick to hey you."

Doug poked her in the stomach. "Watch the hair" he said standing up and walking to the check out counter. "You can call me whatever you want." he said pulling out some money for his shoes. "So what are you in the mood for, for lunch?"

"Food." She said casually. "God what I am dying for is a good ole Philly cheese steak." She said smiling, "that's what I miss most about home. But anything will be fine; I know you're not big on my weird Philadelphia food." She smiled thinking back, "Nate used to drive up to the campus to bring them to me when I got into med school because he worried that I wasn't eating right and knew I would be buried in a book. I think that's when I stopped going home every weekend, and the only way that anyone ever got to see me was dropping in on campus. I was so hell bent on graduating top of my class. If I had known that it didn't matter that much I probably would have slowed down a long time ago."

Doug nodded as he walked with her upstairs to the food court. "Well you know what they call the person who graduates last from med school? ...doctor. Ha-ha that was me. I never cared about graduating first." he said while looking around for a place that had what Anna was looking for. He stopped in front of a big place called 'cheese steaks' "well I'm guessing they might have that here huh?" he said as he stepped in line. "Why don't you grab a table and I'll get the food." he said as he pulled out his wallet. His eye casually caught the time. It wasn't too late, almost 2:30 but he hadn't decided on where he was going to take Lynn yet tonight. He didn't want to go anywhere fancy but he'd see what she wanted. If he didn't think Anna was seeing someone too he'd have a serious thought about asking her out again. 'We make good friends' he told himself.

She walked over and sat down at a table, she found her eyes locked on him. He was cute standing there in his hat and shorts. But as much as she liked what she saw, she knew that it would never go back to anything more than a friendship. She knew she could learn over time to be a friend and not look at him that way anymore. Besides, she knew he was seeing someone and that he had a new girlfriend. 'Oh god Anna, you're jealous.' she said to herself. As she drew her eyes away from him and laid her head in her hands on the table. Jack wasn't Doug, no matter how hard she tried to move on, he would always have large piece of her heart that no one else would ever be able to get to.

Doug bought the food and walked over to find her with her head down. He gently touched her arm and tilted his head so he could see her face. "Are you alright?" he asked sitting down. "I'm here if you got something on your mind"

She smiled up at him. She knew that he would always be there for her to lean on when she needed someone but how do you tell your best friend that you are jealous that they have moved on, that you are constantly thinking about them. That even though you've tried to move on that it was them you were thinking of while you slept with someone else. That with every beat of your heart you loved them even more. This was something that she wouldn't tell him, ever, let him go on thinking that she was happy only being his friend, that she was happy for him. "I'm okay. It's nothing I was just thinking that's all. Thanks for spending your day off with me. I've had a really good time today."

Doug gave her an honest grin. That was really sweet of her to say. "Well I could say the same thing to you. I know we've had kind of a hard time lately but I can tell you honestly...I wouldn't have a very good life if you weren't in It." he reached over and rubbed her hand for a second. He could tell something was on her mind but she'd talk to him if she wanted to. Maybe one day he could tell her it was her and not someone else he couldn't get his mind off, if there was ever a right time. But it wasn't now. He slid over her food. "Now I've never had one of these so if I hate it I'm blaming you."

"How can anyone not like a Philly cheese steak Doug?" She said as she looked at him, "my god that's like not liking pizza. Don't worry if something was bugging me you'd be the first person I'd tell okay?"

"Really? That's kind of scary." he said picking up the sandwich. He bit into it and laughed. "Well it's not exactly pizza quality but what can i say...your food judgment's pretty good." Doug took his hat off and set it on the corner of the table. "Oh i wanted to tell you. My friend asked me if i wanted to play on a kind of rec/tournament basketball team. Our first game is on Saturday and, you're under no obligation either, but i wanted to know if you'd go. It'd be nice to have someone in the stands cheering for me." he asked almost shyly. He didn't know why he had asked her, but he wanted more days like this for them.

"Well I don't know. My schedule is so packed." She said laughing as she took a bit of her cheese steak not caring that she probably now had cheese stuck to the side of her face. "Yeah I'll be there. Oh man how I have missed these. Not as good as the ones back home but yet still the same."

Doug's heart sank when she said she was busy and he dropped his head. Once he realized she was joking he felt really dumb. "Well I've never been to Philly. Next time there is a convention I'll sign us up as peds reps and we can tear up the town." he joked raising his eyebrows. "Bonnie and Clyde again." he said with a laugh as he finished his sandwich. He sat there and watched her eat. She looked so funny when she was having a good time. She had one of those smiles that could light up a room.

She sighed, "I would love to tear up Philly again. We'd definitely have a good time. The night life there is something else. But if I never get to go back that's okay too. I'm growing to love Chicago."

"Yeah...the crappy weather, bitter cold, packed streets, and grey skies really do it for me too." he said sarcastically as they both finished. "What exactly about Chicago is it that you love?"

Oh god did he have to ask her that one. "What is it I love about Chicago...?" She had to think of something quick. Nothing was coming to her mind other than you. She had to say something other than that. Anna think, think Anna. "Well it's hard to say exactly, you know, maybe it's the crappy weather, the great golf courses here. It's nice to jog along the river." She sat back against the chair, ever so softly so that he wouldn't hear her above the crowd in the mall, "you."

"Well at least we have one thing in common..." he said standing up. Although the answer she gave wasn't the one he was hoping for, what did he expect? "We both love bad weather." he joked grabbing their bags. "We better go before you stuff me with more strange food."

She stood up so that they could make their way out of the mall back to his jeep, "yeah I hear it rains all the time in Seattle. That must really suck to never see the sun."

"Ah it's not too bad. At least my grass was always green." he said as they walked out of the mall and into the parking deck. "So can I drop you off at home or do you need to be somewhere else?" he asked starting the car. He really didn't want to have to go and focus on something else but he needed to. He was glad they had spent the day together and gotten over their issues. He couldn't stand not having her close to him like they were now...again. "So I was thinking I could have to start the day after tomorrow. Give you one more day to chill out and get stuff sorted. I only have a half shift tomorrow anyway since i have to be at some meeting Romano is holding in the afternoon. And i don't think you want to be there for that one."

"Yeah day after tomorrow sure that would be fine." She said, "Actually could ya drop me off back at my car please. There's something that I need to go and do. But I have something in my car that I need to give you before it slips my mind again." She smiled, "and thanks' I really don't need to be around Romano right now."

Doug laughed. "Yeah he can be a little hard to take. I almost forgot that you drove...in your new car. How's that working out for you anyway? Do you like it?" he asked as he pulled onto the street beside her car.

"It's a bloody tank Doug." She said as she hopped out, "I miss my little fast sports car honestly, but I'm learning to love it." She pulled her keys out. Unlocking the doors and opening up the back of her car. She reached in to pull out the box. She had ordered this for him when she was out shopping after her accident. She just wanted him to know that she was proud of him. She walked back and reached inside the passengers' side of his jeep setting the box where she had been sitting. "I got this for you, it came while I was gone. I hope that you like it." She said reaching for her stuff that was in the backseat of his jeep, "let me know okay."

He tilted his head and gave her a funny look as he took the box from her. "Thanks Anna, you didn't have to get me anything though." he had no idea what it could be. He opened the box and a huge smile spread onto his face as he pulled out and bright white lab coat. "Doug Ross Peds attending." he said as he saw the blue cursive letter below the pocket. "Anna..." he said as he looked up at her. He couldn't even tell her how much that meant to him, that she did something this special. "Thank you so much." he said as he took a step forward and pulled her into a hug. "I can't believe you did that. That was really sweet of you...really." he said and he let her go and smiled at her again. "What'd i do to deserve this?"

She smiled looking away from him, "I just wanted you to know how proud of you I was. I mean it's a big deal, at least it was to me." She said, "You deserved something special for your accomplishment." She said jumping into her SUV and starting it. As she got ready to pull out into traffic she leaned a little further out the window "you're the thing that I love most about Chicago Doug."