Part 36 PG-13
Kelly's was being closed up as Sean came home. He saw Skye come out of the Underground, the bar and music club that now existed in the basement.
"Do you need a cup of coffee?" he asked her.
"I haven't been drinking," she retorted.
"Come in anyway."
She acquiesced, not sure why.
He made her a cup of coffee as if he owned the place. She rather liked his way of owning a place. Especially when it was her parent's living room. That cracked her up. This place belonged to the Spencers. But he lived upstairs, so that made it his.
"How're things?" he asked her, leaning across the counter.
"I got a lecture from my parents again. On getting along with Emily."
"Why, don't you?"
"They always think I should be more of a guide to her."
"Well, why not? Wouldn't you like to be looked up to?"
"She doesn't need my advice."
"She doesn't think she needs it. But it must be valuable," he said, teasingly.
"I can see you don't think so. Well, here's some news for you. One of her revelations. She was telling me the other day about how she's always had a crush on Nikolas. When she was in high school, she did. He only considered her a friend. It made her sad. She met her first boyfriend after that. She dumped that guy for Zander, then Zander for Vinnie in Kentucky, then dumped Vinnie. Now she tells me she's always had a crush on Nikolas, so none of them lasted, because of that. She could never truly love them. So you may as well known now."
"Now I know for sure she's avoiding any relationship. See how she's picked out an unavailable guy? He's married now."
"Maybe you're right. I didn't look at it like that. Yeah, what's her problem with you anyway?"
"I'm just not what she wants. Again, why does she waste time with me, then? She could get out and meet people, so she'd run into her type. She doesn't want to."
"OK, Dr. Shrink, say you're right. How can I help her out with advice? I've got no experience with that!"
"Maybe she even needs a real shrink. To help her out. I could see where her condition keeps her out of trouble, but it can't be a very happy way to feel."
"Yeah, if you're right, my parents might be delighted to learn she has this condition, especially after they lived through my teen-aged years."
"Oh, I bet that was hell on them!"
She smiled, absently.
She looked up at him. He leaned over the counter and kissed her.
"You have so much nerve!" she declared. But she admired it.
"It was hell on them, for sure!" he said. He kissed her again.
He took her arm and walked her to the end of the counter until it was not between them and then pulled her to him and kissed her some more.
"Mmmm," she relaxed, feeling the heat of his tongue, moving in, and all kinds of heat shooting through her body. She kissed him back and got more reaction. She thought Emily surely did have a problem of some kind. How did she manage resistance, after this?
As long as he kept his mouth shut, he wasn't bad at all.
He took her hand and they went upstairs.
"Wait for me in that room," Quinn told Zander. "You can lie down on the bed if you want."
He smiled. "What kind of break is this going to be?"
"You wish. I'll be there in a minute."
When she got to the room, he was sitting on the bed, looking around. He was not conscious yet that she was there. When he looked at her, she saw his eyes light up.
"Don't you recognize this room?" she asked.
"It's my room."
"Yes," she said. She took her lunch container and put in on the bed, pulling down the patient's tray. Then she set up lunch. "This is a picnic," she said.
"What a place for one, Nurse Question. Where are the ants?"
"Don't demand perfection," she said, smiling.
"What's this?"
"Be careful with that. It's the most important thing."
"Cornbread?"
"Well, sort of."
"That's what it looks like."
"It's called qomi. It's a Hopi tradition."
"I didn't know you were interested in Hopi traditions."
"Well, it's the only one that I could find that applies."
"Applies to what?"
"You'll see. I got a promotion."
"Really? That's great. You're happy about it?"
"Yeah, and I got a big raise. But I won't get to see this room all the time, so I need some more memories."
"But the patient was so awful!"
Quinn smiled. "With time, the awfulness fades. And the patient became less difficult."
"Finally you got the family medical history."
"And the rest of the history."
"What's the new assignment?"
"In the regular wards. But I'll be a floor manager, with nurses to supervise. And I'll learn a lot more, with the different types of cases. Since they don't have to be as serious as the ones that end up here, there is greater variety in that."
"That's really cool. I'm proud of you!"
"I have one last question for you in this room."
He put his arms around her. "More of the family history, Nurse Question?"
"Sort of. The family history to be. I love being with you. Anywhere. Even in foreign countries without a passport."
"I wouldn't mind being stuck with you either. In Russia or in Africa."
She laughed, and moved the tray aside to give him a kiss, and then said, "I like being in business with you. So I know the dating service is going to prosper. I know it, because we have natural talent. But we can never top the first match we made."
He smiled and stroked her hair. "You and me."
"See this qomi?"
"Yes," he said, laughing. "What are you up to now?"
"This is for you."
"OK. Thank you very much," he said, eyes dancing.
"I could only find one tradition for this type of thing. The Hopi tradition. The girl and the brave go on a picnic and the girl gives him a qomi. If you were a Hopi brave, you would be careful which girls you go on picnics with, because the girl might give you one of these. And if you were a Hopi man, you would know what that means."
"And being a first generation Russian-American, who does not know what that means, you will tell me, won't you, Indian Maiden?"
"Of course. This - - this cornbread, means, will you marry me?"
He smiled, and pulled her close and kissed her and kissed her.
"Where are you taking me on my honeymoon?" he asked.
"Wherever you want," she said. "You get to decide that one. It's only fair. There is one thing left to be done before we can be sure of this, though."
"Your diamond ring?"
"No, that doesn't follow the tradition."
"Oh! What is the Hopi tradition?"
"The young man's parents have to consent."
He laughed and hugged her. "They'll consent. They'll consent or I'll lock them up in the gulag. Escort them to Siberia myself. Lock them up together. Forever. And confiscate their American passports."
"Do you know already where you want to go on our honeymoon?"
"Ireland, of course."
Later, Zander asked, "Did you make this cornbread yourself?"
"Naturally! From a mix of a box."
"Is that valid? I don't want there to be any technical flaws to this marriage. Maybe you should do it again and grind the corn on a stone."
She giggled and kissed him, and then again and then again. "The Catholic Church should be OK with it," she said. "No prior marriages in the Catholic Church, right?"
"No! None for you either, right?"
"No. But if you're unsure maybe one of those Soviet wedding palaces. They must not have been really picky with the traditional technicalities."
"No. Maybe we will go to one of those for good measure."
He smiled, and stroked her cheek. "No, I know where it will be and I wouldn't have it anywhere else. Right at St. Michael's Parish, where you always thought it would be before you ever met any difficult patients or had to turn down any shrinks or shysters. Danny taking you down the aisle and Kathleen beaming like crazy. Joe standing there, and Tim and Brad among the ushers."
"I always knew there was part I couldn't imagine until I found the right shrink or shyster or whatever."
"Thanks, I love being a whatever."
"I love you whatever you end up being."
"I love you, nurse." He kissed her again.