—The Goodbye—

''You're Anna, aren't you?''

Andy looked up from the file in front of her. Sandra was standing in the doorway, looking slightly dishevelled which wasn't at all like her. Andy waved her in as she got up, motioning for Sandra to sit down. ''What are you talking about?''

''Milo's ex-girlfriend, Anna. It's you, isn't it?'' Sandra said. She sat down in one of the chairs, looking up at Andy who was leaning against her desk. She had prepared all these questions, had intended to tell Andy off for not telling her, but now her mind was drawing a blank. Tears had welled up in her eyes and all she wanted to do was leave.

Andy hesitated for a moment; she knew that Milo didn't want Sandra to know. ''I am,'' she said. If Sandra had already figured it out there was no point in hiding it anymore.

''How come you didn't tell me?'' Sandra asked. ''When we were alone at Dr. Jackson's cabin, you could have told me.''
''It wasn't on me to tell you,'' Andy said. ''Milo and I broke up a long time ago; I didn't want to interfere in your relationship.'' She sat down next to Sandra, ''is it really that big a deal?''

''It wouldn't be if he had just told me, I just don't understand why he felt the need to lie,'' Sandra said. She took a deep breath, ''you don't know all the things he has told me about you guys' relationship. It sounded like he still had feelings, but since I thought he never saw her—you, anymore, it wasn't a problem.''

Andy wasn't sure what to say. On the one hand Milo still sometimes displayed feelings for her, but she had heard him talk about Sandra. It sounded like he really did love her, and the last thing she wanted to do was make him unhappy- even if that did mean ruining any possibility of them ever getting back together. Besides, that ship had sailed when he had gotten married.

''He has also told me about your relationship,'' Andy said. Sandra looked at her intently, wanting to know what he could have possibly said. ''He loves you, I can tell. He told me about how great he thinks you are, and when he talks about you he's constantly smiling.'' She didn't know if this kind of damage control was enough, but at the very least it was leaving out the times they had made out and the situation in her office three weeks prior.

And she wasn't even lying. As much as it hurt to admit, he really was constantly smiling when talking about Sandra and Andy knew he didn't take marriage lightly. Sandra seemed a bit calmer now. ''How did you find out?'' Andy asked.

Sandra shrugged. ''He has always talked about you a lot, during our whole relationship. And then he spent half our honeymoon talking about how he saw you and some other doctor together at our wedding... Not to mention he's been talking about you in his sleep,'' Sandra said, letting it all spill out.

Andy nodded, trying to encourage Sandra to go on. Milo had never been anything else than discrete but apparently he was slipping now.

''The similarity between your name and 'Anna'... it wasn't a difficult puzzle to solve.'' Sandra looked at Andy, unsure of what to say. ''Why didn't he just tell me?'' She asked. ''We didn't even talk to each other until we met at Dr. Jackson's cabin... it's not like we were going to gossip about him, or because it would be awkward for us to be together because you and I were friends or anything... I just don't understand.''

Andy shrugged, ''only he knows his reasoning.'' She said, ''Why didn't you ask him?''
''If he goes through all these lengths—he even changed your name, why would I believe what he might say about your relationship?'' She looked away, ''so tell me.''

''What do you want to know?'' Andy asked, figuring it was too late to hide any of the mess anyway.
''How long were you two together?'' Sandra asked. Andy opened her mouth to speak but Sandra didn't notice. ''Why did you break up? Do you guys still talk to each other? Is there still something there?... Is that why he hid it?''

Andy took a deep breath. ''We were together for 2 and a half years, and he broke up with me after I slept with someone else. We barely talk, except he told me that you two are moving to Seattle pretty soon?''

''Yes, we're leaving tomorrow actually,'' Sandra said. Andy nodded. ''So... the fourth question?''
Andy frowned at her. ''Hmm?''

''Is there still something between you two?''

Andy ultimately decided not to go see Milo. It was his last day of work and despite knowing that there was a good chance they'd never see each other again once he got on that plane, she figured it was best to let it go. Milo hadn't reached out to her since their talk three weeks ago.

She knew that he had work until 6 and in her mind she was counting down the hours. At 7 pm all she could do was sit and try to ignore the hollow feeling in her chest. He was gone. She didn't know how long she sat there, just that it was getting late and she felt like she couldn't move. She never thought it would come to this. She didn't think he'd get married and she didn't think he'd actually move away.

There was a knock at the door. ''I thought I'd find you here,'' Lu said, stepping in and closing the door behind her. She knew what today was, it had been a few hours since she had said goodbye to Milo. She had seen him, watched him try to hide the fact that he was hurt that Andy hadn't come to say goodbye to him.

''He's really leaving isn't he?'' Andy asked, her arms folded across her chest.
''Looks like it,'' Lu said, slipping into one of the chairs, watching Andy. ''He said you didn't come by.''
''Why would I?''

Lu wasn't sure what to answer. ''He was packing his stuff when I came by, did you know he still had a picture of you and the girls in his office?''
Andy looked at her, not sure if she believed it. It seemed to go against everything Milo had told her over the past year. ''He does?'' Lu nodded. ''This isn't helping.''

Lu smiled at her. She got up from her chair, getting Andy's coat off the hanger and taking her by the hand—pulling her out of the chair. ''I think I can find a way to take your mind off of this.''
Andy looked down at their hands, now entwined. She thought she had noticed something different, and feeling the cold metal against her own finger confirmed it. Looking down at the ring she swallowed hard. ''What is that?''

Lu looked down as well; it wasn't what she wanted to talk about. ''It's nothing.'' Andy raised an eyebrow at her. ''Jonas slipped it on my finger while I was sleeping.''

''Which finger?'' Andy asked, trying to hide her feelings. Lu held up her left hand, showing her ring finger. ''What'd you say?'' She was happy for her, truly, but considering what Lu had just said it seemed like strange timing.

''He said to give my answer when he comes back from his business trip to Rio.'' She said. ''He's not coming back until Sunday.''
Andy's mind raced, thinking back to the things that had happened between them previously when Jonas was away on business trips. ''You are going to say yes, aren't you?'' She asked, slipping her arms into her coat. She was glad to have her mind off Milo for a bit, even if she did still have somewhat conflicting feelings towards Lu.

''Ehh, I don't know,'' Lu said, walking ahead out of Andy's office. Andy threw her a look. ''We're from different worlds. I'm me… I prefer the little diner in the neighborhood, he goes to 1,000 dollar plate fundraisers…''

''You love him…'' Andy said.
''I do,'' Lu said, clearly unsure of what she was going to say. ''I'll figure it out; let's not talk about this anymore.''

Andy put her hands up, ''okay.''
''Why don't we get our minds off all this and have a girls' night?'' Lu suggested. She was following Andy out of the clinic, locking up behind them before leading them to the parking lot.

Andy could feel Lu's hand on the small of her back; it reminded her of the past. ''Lu…''
''Andy?''
''Are you sure you want to do that?'' She asked, leaning against her car. Lu was standing awfully close and Andy couldn't help but wonder what had happened to all the progress they had made over the past few months. Their friendship was back to normal, neither awkward silences nor stares.

''What Jonas doesn't know won't hurt him,'' Lu argued.

''He proposed to you, Lu. He knows what we did and he still proposed, I don't want you to put your marriage in jeopardy before it has even begun,'' Andy said.
Lu stepped closer, putting her hand on Andy's cheek. ''Nobody will know.'' She leaned in, her lips brushing against Andy's.

Andy pushed Lu away ever so slightly. She didn't want to reject her but now wasn't the time. ''I need to clear my mind,'' she said. ''I'll call you later.''

Her car was winding up the road. She wasn't sure this was the right road at all, but it looked close enough. Her mind was racing, about Milo leaving, what had happened between her and Lu not twenty minutes before, and finally about what she and Milo had done a year and a half ago at the top of the mountain she was driving up on.

She pulled into the parking lot, and even though she was surprised to see Milo's car there she couldn't say it was an unwelcome surprise. She pulled up right next to him, but hesitated a moment before getting out of the car. ''Fancy seeing you here,'' she said, walking up to Milo who was sitting on the hood of his Benz.

He got up, surprised to see her there. ''What are you doing here?''
She shrugged. ''Was thinking about you, and… I don't know. Being here makes me feel close to you,'' she said. There was a faint smile on his face. ''What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be home packing?''

''Probably.'' He said. He looked at her, surprised by her showing up at his favorite spot in Philly. ''I got to thinking about you,'' he said. ''Wishing I could go back to that night I took you here, I would've changed everything.''
Andy took a deep breath. She had often wished for the same thing, especially since he had married Sandra. Speaking of Sandra… ''Sandra came to see me today,'' she said, Milo looked surprised. ''She knows we used to be together.''

''You told her?'' Milo asked, sounding not the least bit surprised.
She shook her head. ''She figured it out herself. Something about the similarity between the name Anna and my name, plus some stuff you said apparently.''

''That does explain why she was mad at me when I got home…'' Milo said, leaning against the car. Sandra hadn't wanted to talk to him about what had made her so upset, but he hadn't cared. They were going to leave for Seattle in less than 24 hours, and he couldn't believe he was leaving his home behind.
''She isn't particularly thrilled about the fact that you lied to her,'' Andy concurred. ''She just wanted to know if there was still something between us,'' Milo looked like he was going to say something but ultimately remained quiet. ''Probably glad that you guys are moving, that way we won't be around each other anymore.''

Milo let out a sigh, ''yeah, probably. What'd you tell her?''

''Nothing. Just reminded her that you're in love with her and that what happened between us is in the past,'' she said, ''that we have both moved on.''
''Are you still…'' he hesitated, not knowing how to phrase his question, ''moving on—with Nick? And Peter.''
Andy chuckled, surprised by the fact that she was surprised Milo would want to know. ''It's not as if I'm actually dating him, and what happened with Peter was a onetime thing, I didn't plan that. And I certainly never meant for you to find out.''

''Then why did you tell me?'' Milo asked.
''I wanted to see how you would react after what you said, about me being yours,'' Andy said, recalling his actual response. ''I didn't think you'd push me against my desk or-'' Milo coughed, clearly uncomfortably. ''And I know you only did that because of how things were between you and Sandra then.''

''Right.''

They both remained quiet for a while. Andy walked over to him, leaning against the car next to him. ''I'm going to miss you,'' she said quietly. ''It's going to be weird not seeing you at the hospital.''
''It's going to be weird not going there every day,'' Milo said, ''and not seeing you, and everybody else.''

They looked at each other, both wondering how much they should actually reveal—toeing the line.
''I do hope that you find someone,'' Milo said, ''and I don't mean Biancavilla, he's not the guy for you.''
''He's a good guy,'' Andy said, and she meant it. He wasn't actually marriage potential, at least not for her, but he was reliable. If she ever actually needed him there was no doubt in her mind he'd come through for her.

''He is. But Lu would be the right person for you before Biancavilla will ever be,'' Milo said.
''Lu?''
''Yes. I wasn't happy that you were together but I've seen worse matches.''

Andy nodded. She thought back to earlier that evening but decided it was best not to tell Milo. She crossed her arms. ''I hope that no matter what happens with Sandra you're happy,'' she said.

He looked surprised but tried to hide it, ''you do?''
''Yeah. I've seen the way you look at her,'' Andy said. ''And it sounds like you really love her.'' With every word her voice got quieter.
Milo smiled at her, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. She looked away from him and he hesitated a moment before reaching out to her.

She could feel him wrap his arms around her and in return did the same. She could feel his hot breath on her neck, breathing her in. Her heart was racing. It had been too long since they had been this close to each other.

It was different from what it was with Lu, as always. It wasn't the urge to kiss him, jump his bones. Not that she didn't want to do that. It was more wanting to stay in his arms forever. Have him tell her that he wasn't leaving, that this wasn't the last time she would feel him this close to her. She could feel him pull her closer and she wanted to always remain right there.

She didn't know how long they stood there. It wasn't until the sound of his cell phone ringing brought her out of her trance that she realized she maybe shouldn't be doing this.

He kissed her softly on the neck, and a small kiss on the cheek before pulling away. ''Morton,'' he picked up the phone. He had pulled away somewhat but still had an arm around her. Her head was leaning against his chest; his quick paced heartbeat matched her own. ''Yeah, I'll be home in a bit,'' he said before putting his phone away again. ''That was Sandra.''

''Figures.''
''I have to go,'' he said, but made no effort to leave. He squeezed her tight one last time before letting go. He opened the car door but didn't get in just yet. He looked through the ground for a second, trying to gather his thoughts. ''I don't know what to say.''

She bit her lip, holding back her tears. She put one of her hands on his cheek, ''I love you,'' she said. If this was going to be her last chance then she needed to be honest with him. He opened his mouth but she cut him off. ''Don't say anything.''
He stared at her for a few seconds before looking away. His eyes were on the view off the mountain as her eyes were on him.

The not even dozen seconds in which he got in his car and drove off were a blur to her. She stumbled back and sat down on the hood of her own car, letting the tears fall. It was a while before she got in and left as well, not even thinking about where she was going until she pulled up into Lu's driveway.

Her mind was telling her not to do this as she walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. She didn't even know what time it was but she was sure it was late. The sun had set a long time ago and the street was quiet, just some crickets making their presence known.

The door opened, revealing Lu in sweatpants and a shirt that was probably Jonas'. ''Andy?'' She sounded half asleep and yawned before opening the door a little further without further questioning. No words were exchanged between the two as they made their way upstairs and into the guestroom, lying down together.

There was no hint that what had happened earlier had actually transpired. There was no kissing, no hands underneath clothes. Lu handed Andy some random shirt and she threw it on before laying down next to Lu. Andy was wide awake, Lu's arms around her holding her close, with her fast asleep, but Andy couldn't seem to force her mind to go blank and drift off like she did so many other nights.

There was a faint green light coming from the alarm clock, some light coming in through the curtains. She didn't know what time it was when she finally drifted off, only remembering the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs waking her up. Andy looked over at the alarm clock; it was almost 3:30 in the morning.

Her mind raced, realizing it was probably Jonas. Jonas who would find that Lu wasn't asleep in their bed and would undoubtedly come looking for her. She had her fingers crossed hoping that Jonas would assume Lu had been paged to the hospital and just go to bed. The footsteps didn't head to their bedroom though; they headed straight to the door to the guestroom.

The door cracked open, and Andy could just barely make out a silhouette as it slipped into the room, light from the hallway falling on her face.

''Dr. Campbell?''

Andy let out a sigh of relief before reality sunk in. She recognized Marc's voice. She was sure that in a way it was better than Jonas finding them, but she wasn't sure how. She lifted Lu's arm off of herself and got up from under the covers, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

''What're you doing in bed with my mom?'' He asked, whispering. Lu seemed undisturbed by the whole thing.
''I was just about to head out,'' Andy said, wanting nothing more than to change the topic. ''What brings you here?''

''I flew in from Arizona yesterday, went out with some of my boys. Figured I'd crash here,'' Marc said, ''ma gave me the key a while ago.''
Andy nodded. She gathered her clothes from the chair in the corner of the room, heading to the bathroom. ''I'm going to go change,'' she said, noticing the confused look on his face, ''and then I'm heading out. Tell Lu I'll see her at work tomorrow.''

Andy was struggling to stay awake. Yawning while with patients wasn't the most professional look she aspired to achieve, and so for lunch a nap seemed like a better idea than heading to the cafeteria for a quick bite.

She hadn't spoken to Lu yet about Marc, although she was sure that their exchange had led to plenty of awkwardness this morning.

Her arms were folded on her desk, her head leaning on them. It wasn't nearly as a comfortable as an actual pillow but she was too tired to care. There was a knock at the door. It could only be Lana, whom she had firmly instructed to keep everybody out of her office until the very last second of her lunch break, after which she would be flooded with patients once again.

''Go away,'' she said, immediately chastising herself for sounding so annoyed. It was always her goal to keep her professional life separated from her personal life, but lately this seemed harder and harder to do. Still, Lana didn't deserve this.

Andy lifted her head from her desk, looking over at the secretary standing in the doorway. She ran a hand through her hair, sure she looked a mess. ''What is it?''
''You said to keep everybody away from your office for another,'' Lana glanced at her watch, ''thirteen minutes.''

Andy nodded, ''if you could, please.''
Lana gave her a sympathetic look, ''he insisted.'' She opened the door a little wider, revealing who was standing next to her.

Andy was sure that she was still dreaming. She stood up. ''What are you doing here?''