Looking around the tiny living room of his apartment, Bryce had to congratulate himself. It looked fantastic.

He knew Casey Valentine, his girlfriend, wanted to go out on vacation, preferably somewhere sunny to soak up on the sorely-missed heat in Boston, and get her head clear of hospital thoughts, but with the way they were working right now, he was not too sure that it could happen. Money was very tight and their schedules were packed to the brim with patients, with the budget cuts at Edenbrook and the increased demands.

Now, Bryce had his flaws, like everybody did, but there were three things he took pride in: his jokes always landed, his hair was always on point, and he was a very loving boyfriend.

So, being the dedicated and attentive boyfriend he was, as he was back home for his day off, he set a plan in motion for the coming weekend, while Casey was out, working hard at the Diagnostics Team.

First, he looked around the apartment, and then he had taken some time out to brainstorm what he could make it happen in the following few days.

Breakfast in bed would be cool, for one, as it would serve to emulate the pampering of those large continental buffets they put out on hotels, but he could not cook very well, and that seemed a bit too common, like a Mother's Day obligatory celebration. Perhaps he could take Casey to a pool? No, those were crowded in weekends, and he wanted to be alone with her. How about lunch? Or dinner, for that matter?

Eventually, Keiki took pity on his poor soul and came up with the concept. Hawaiian Staycation. He had to admit, it sounded cool. She drew up the decorations, while he provided funds and put his experience as a tourist-trap bartender from high school to good use.

With his sister in toll, he got on to work. Going out and buying a small plastic pool, putting it on the living room floor, cleaning it out thoroughly and filling it with water and bathtub toys, getting the lawn chairs set out around it, putting up some lights and posters depicting coconut groves and wearing a painfully stereotypical flowery shirt and shorts, with a handmade, plastic bag lei around his neck. He had even rented out a machine and meticulously polished all the hardwood floors first, to avoid the water stains from the pool and to leave a nice, tropical smell through the hallway.

With everything perfectly set up, he sent Keiki off to the mall with 150 dollars and instructions to crash at Casey's penthouse.

The girl laughed at his frazzled appearance and waved off with a, "Don't do anything I wouldn't!"

To which he responded, "We'll do plenty of stuff you shouldn't even think about!"

The entire weekend was finally planned to absolute perfection and he just needed Casey to arrive and to be free. Fortunately, he had the forethought of checking her schedule at the nurses' station and, if it was anything to go by, she would be coming over shortly.

Soon enough, the doorbell rung through his apartment. While Casey climbed up the stairs, Bryce turned up the music, put on his flamingo sunglasses and picked the drinks up.

"Bryce Lahela!" She gasped when she opened up the door and looked around to see how the place was set up. Dinner, ham and pineapples, was served on the table concealed by banana leaves, the fairy lights giving a strange aura to the room, fake coconut trees all around and the soft sound of a Beach Boys music coming from the TV set.

"Aloha!" He greets, all smiles. He placed a lei around her neck, put on a straw hat and offered her a pineapple drink. "Welcome to your Hawaiian luau!"

She smiled and laughed at his display. "What are you doing, honey? You look like a Disney's Polynesian Village Resort cast member."

"I worked in the service industry, I can make fun of it every once in a while, can't I?" The man smirked. "Do you like your drink? It is my specialty!"

She took the hint and sipped the liquid served inside a coconut and with an obnoxious paper umbrella and a crazy straw. "This is really good! What is it?"

"Pirate Coco-Loco Virgin Coconut Grove." He responded, with a lopsided grin. "I worked at a kids' area bar, at a resort in Honolulu."

"Not that I don't appreciate being greeted home with a Pirate Coco-Loco Virgin Coconut Grove and a Beach Boys song playing on the radio, but Bry, what came up to you to do this tonight?"

"Er, you see, you've been so overworked lately, and with the whole thing of Diagnostics Team and no raises, I thought you wouldn't be able to take a vacation this year. So, Keiki and I came up with this." He responds shyly, hands behind his head as he scratched his neck. "Did you like it?"

Casey drops her coconut drink, pulls him down by the lapels of his stupid flower shirt and kisses him hard on the lips until she is breathless.

"Thank you." She whispered against his lips, choking up on the words, and Bryce knew he did something good, pulling her close against his chest.

"Now, come on!" He grabbed his girlfriend by the shoulders. "Change out of your sensible doctor clothes and put on a bikini! We're having a pool party!"

She shook her head, smiling at his antics. "I don't have a bikini here."

"Keiki bought you one at the mall this morning, and she wouldn't let me see." The man pouted.

The young doctor twirled her hair and smirked at her boyfriend. "I'm sure you must be very curious about it."

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes I am."

"Well, perhaps then I should let you help take it off tonight, shouldn't I?" She tapped her index finger on his slack jaw and laughed on her way to change.