The Way You Look Tonight

"What did he say?" Miranda asked walking into the guest room. It was late it the afternoon and the weather was getting warmer. The sun eased its way into the room and landed on Elena reading in bed.

"Good morning, daughter."

Miranda flopped down on the bed. "Hey, mama." Elena removed her glasses and put them on the nightstand. "How did you sleep?"

"Very good. You?"

Miranda ignored the question. "Did you talk to dad?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?" She repeated. The suspense was making her jittery. Miranda moved next to her mother in the bed.

"He said he misses me and he wishes he had come with me."

"Did you tell him about…"

"Miranda Bailey, I got this.

"You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Leave me alone, child!" Elena laughed. "I'm going to tell him when I get back home."

"So, tomorrow?"

"Yes, fine, if you want to kick me out of your house."

"Or because that's what your ticket says," Miranda shot back.

"It also says to do this," Elena said pinching her daughter.

"Ouch!" The two of them giggled.

"Where's Ben?"

"Work." She pulled the covers up to her neck.

"No work for you?"

"Later, overnight shift."

"Aren't you too old to do that?"

"No," Miranda laughed. She closed her eyes and felt herself drift off.

"Wake up, child, your phone is ringing."

Miranda's eyes popped open. "Thanks," she mumbled and headed to her room and fell into bed, grabbing her phone. "Hello?"

"Please don't tell me you're still asleep," Ben said. She could hear a smile in his voice.

"Then I won't tell you that," she said scratching her head.

Ben laughed. "I left something for you in the bathroom."

"Oooo, intriguing."

"It's a note, you weirdo."

"A note!?" Miranda squealed. She rolled off of the bed and ran into the bathroom.

"Look on the mirror." Miranda squealed again and pulled the paper from the side of the glass. "What do you—"

"Shhh!"

"It's only four words," he grumbled.

"Ben, shhh!" Miranda chuckled and stared at the small sheet. I LOVE YOU. –Ben was scrawled on it. Her heart fluttered like it did when she did heavy cardio. She read the simple note over five times, flattered by the subtle curve in Ben's "L" in "LOVE". And noticing the dots at the top of the paper where it seemed like Ben had tapped with the pen as he thought about what to write.

"It just says—"

"I know what it says. I'm admiring it."

"I say it all of the time," he countered.

"It's just different…when it's written," she said softly. She fingered the note. "I love you, too."

"I know. Aaaand I have to go. Sorry, baby. I'll talk to you later." Miranda ended the call and hopped into the shower. When she got dressed, she joined her mother who was cooking omelets in the kitchen.

"How long do you have until you go in?" Elena asked pushing a plate in front of Miranda.

"Thanks. A few hours." Miranda cut into the cheese and bacon omelet.

"Good, so we have time to go out on the town, right?"

"Yep," she said popping the "p" at the end of the word. Miranda and Elena talked while they polished off their omelets. "I'll wait for you to go and get dressed." After going up the stairs to get her purse, Miranda sat at the table focused on answering emails and text messages. She marked one from Scotty's office—they sent her one nearly every week.

Elena stood in the threshold of the kitchen. "Gonna make me wait all day or what?"

Miranda stood up and followed her mother to the front door, she grabbed her jacket and they left. "Where to?"

"I don't know. Do you want to go to the mall?"

"Since when are you a mall person?"

"Since I came to Seattle to visit my aggravating daughter."

Miranda laughed. "Okay, I'll take that. To the mall we'll go."

While they browsed, Miranda kept her eye on the time. In the midst of hundreds of people, Miranda and Elena were able to talk freely. Elena voiced her concerns about being pregnant. She wondered if she would be able to keep up with a newborn or a toddler. Miranda had to laugh. Those same thoughts had crossed her own mind and she was a lot younger than the woman in her sixties. They continued to walk in and out of a several stores, leaving with a few items each. "Pretzel."

"Pretzel?" Elena asked raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, just that I can't leave without getting a pretzel. Tuck and I love them."

Elena made a noise. "I'm going to sit down, get me one, too." She pulled out some money and Miranda rolled her eyes before walking away.

Moving to the front of the counter, Miranda said: "I'll have three pretzels and two large lemonades."

"That seems like a lot for one person," someone said, their voice cutting through the mall sounds.

"Well, these aren't all for me. Although if they were, that wouldn't be any of concern," she answered turning around and coming face to face with a familiar hazel-eyed doctor. "Dr. Moore. Figures."

"Dr. Bailey."

She waited for a certain tingle to flow through her body at his mention of her name. Nothing. It fell flat against her ears. "So, why aren't you in an OR somewhere?" She said eyeing the much taller doctor.

"Well," he said helping her with her drinks. "Sometimes they do let me out of the hospital and into the sunlight."

She laughed. "That's good to know."

"It's my day off."

"Oh okay."

"You?"

"I'm hanging out."

"With Warren?" She saw him glance over her shoulders.

"With my mom," she said.

"That's nice. Then I'll let you get back to your mom."

Miranda put the bag of pretzels on her wrist and took the drinks from him. "Thanks for the help."

"See you around, hopefully," he said turning in the other direction, his long hair swinging behind him.

Miranda watched him for a second. "Who was that?" Elena asked popping into Miranda's view.

"No one."

"Mmmhmm."

"Don't you start."

"I said nothing."

"And everyone here thanks you." They walked toward the entrance, each preoccupied by their own thoughts. Back at home, they saw Ben's car in the driveway again. Miranda's heart raced a little. When she'd gotten up this morning, he was already gone and she'd missed him, truly missed him as if she hadn't woken up without him thousands of times before; had held her arm over the spot where his body was for a few minutes before going to her mother's room. She'd really fallen for the guy. His car was still running and he was on the phone when Miranda walked up. She waved and he'd held up one finger, asking her to hang on. She nodded and gestured that she was going inside. "I'm going upstairs to change," she told her mother.

"I'm following you. I need to sleep. I am exhausted." Miranda chuckled as she opened her bedroom door. Elena's voice stopped her: "If someone gets to the store, I'll cook or we can just order."

"Take a break. Let's do that." Elena gave her a thumbs-up. "Chinese?"

"Yeah, I haven't had that in a while. Not since your father's heart attack."

Miranda swallowed hard. It still got to her whenever she thought about her mountain of a man father lying helpless in a hospital bed. "I'll get the number for you." In her room, she kicked off her shoes and took off her shirt. She walked to her dresser and pulled out another pair of jeans, peeling the ones on her body off. She sighed.

"What was that loud sigh for?" The bass in Ben's voice made her jump. He apologized. "Sorry."

"There was no purpose behind it," she said gesturing with the pants in her hand.

"You look so good right now." Miranda looked down to see so much naked skin. She hurried to put on her jeans. He walked to her, curling his strong arms around her waist. "Slow down, baby," he begged with a slight laugh. He put his face into the nape of her neck, warming her. He kissed her softly, his lips massaging her skin. "I'm only stating facts."

"Maybe I should just go to work like this then," she said sharply, cocking her head to the side.

He raised his left eyebrow. "Over my dead body." She watched his face and laughed at the seriousness of his comment.

"I'm kidding. But I really do have to get going." Miranda threw on her shirt and picked up her shoes, walking out of the room with Ben on her heels, his fingertips touching her subtly.

"Miranda, I meant to ask earlier. It just came to me. Who was the guy who helped you with the drinks at the mall? Was he an old friend or a colleague?" Miranda tried to use telepathy to get her mother to stop talking. Elena ignored the signals and mistook her hesitation for confusion. "You know, the good-looking fellow with the dreadlocks and the choc—" she said walking out of the guestroom. She looked up at them. Miranda stared at her mother and made a face. "Sorry, never mind."

"No, no 'never mind'. Unh-uh," Ben said smirking and moving to face Miranda. Elena quickly excused herself and went into the bathroom and shut the door. "Was it Moore? Did you see him at the mall?" Ben smirked, reading her face.

"Nooo."

"Miranda."

"Yeah, I did."

She walked down the stairs. She felt a fight coming on and didn't want to do it in front of her mother who was no doubt listening to their conversation behind the closed door. "Drive me to work."

"What?" He asked. He screwed up his face and stared at her, his hands on his waist.

"Drive me to work," she said speaking slowly. "Please."

"Why?"

"Because you're pissed and you have no reason to be." She smirked, breaking him. "And you have the time."

"I'm not pissed."

"I know you. It's written all over your face, believe it or not."

"You know me?" He asked.

Miranda nodded and kissed his chin. She turned away from him. "Maybe." Miranda gave him a smile over her shoulders.

In the car, the music moved around them. "Thank you for the ride," Miranda said opening the door.

"Hold on," he said touching her forearm. He got out of the car and walked around it, widening the already open door. He took her hand and helped her out. "Have a good night." Ben leaned in and kissed her softly. "I'll come and get you when you're finished, sweetheart." She nodded again, impatient for another kiss. His touch was so intoxicating. "Okay. Go. Work." He winked at her and watched her move in the direction of the hospital.

After changing and getting briefed by her residents, Miranda headed to her office. She sat at her desk and didn't even get a chance to pull out a pen before an intern knocked on her door. "Dr. Bailey, they need you in the ER."

"They couldn't page me like normal people?" She asked with a chuckle. The intern chuckled, too, and walked away. She smiled. Sometimes, she really liked being on call. It was hectic and messy and sometimes things happened so quickly. And it was all a blur until she looked at her notes, but it was amazing. She loved the variety of patients. Sometimes she never knew what she was going to get when she pulled back a curtain or opened a door, even if the patient was her own. There were so many things that could go wrong when someone was cut open, the possibilities were almost uncountable. And it all added up to the hospital being one of her happy places. "What do we got?" She walked confidently into the room and took in the information given to her.

"Shoot!" Miranda said as the patient below her flat-lined. Lucas Lee, 25, was lying on the table. He'd tried to outdrive a train and ended up colliding with it. "Damn."

"Dr. Bailey, did we—?" Stephanie Edwards asked.

Miranda shook her head. "He was a mangled mess when he got here. Time of death: 20:48." She scrubbed out and headed out to talk to Lucas' girlfriend and his best friend before going back into her office. She wanted to wallow alone, but she wasn't even able to get comfortable before she was pulled into another patient's room, starting her adrenaline pumping again.

Miranda lay on a sofa in the Attending lounge and called Ben.

"Hey, you're ready?"

"Yes. So ready," she exhaled.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything is okay."

"I'll be there soon."

"Thank you, Ben."

"Of course." Miranda hung up the phone and closed her eyes for a second.

"Dr. Bailey?" A hand on her shoulder woke her up. She squinted and looked up at the speaker.

"Yes?" She looked into Dr. Moore's hazel eyes. She caught both a smile and a groan before they escaped.

"You don't have a bed at your house?"

"You again?" She asked sitting up.

"No, my twin actually. I just came in here to get some coffee," he answered.

"Well, the coffee is over there," she pointed.

"Aren't you particularly cheery today?" He walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Miranda snapped.

"Ahh, a patient?" He asked. She made a face and he nodded knowingly. "Been there. Each one, a 'W' or an 'L' makes us stronger and better."

"Yeah, well…"

Joshua moved to the door. "So tell me, did you eat all of those pretzels?" He asked with the door open, a smile on his face.

"Still not any of your business," she laughed, glad to have her mind on something besides Lucas' death.

"Did you save me one?" Joshua asked.

"Miranda?" Ben said coming inside of the room.

"Hi, Dr. Warren," Dr. Moore said. Ben looked from her to Joshua in the doorway room and his face went from joy to anger in two seconds.

Miranda shook her head and said: "Hey, baby." She stood up hugged him, feeling his tense body. He kissed the side of her neck.

"How are you on this fine night, Ben?" Joshua asked smugly while taking a sip of his coffee. "Your lady and I were just talking about hers."

Ben's grip on her body tightened and she could practically see steam coming from his ears. "Yes, thank you, Dr. Moore. Have a good night." She tried to wave him out of the door.

He ignored her. "I'd asked if she'd saved me a pretzel from the mall earlier. But there was an interruption and I never quite got an answer." Joshua stared at her, his hazel eyes piercing her. She gasped.

Ben ripped himself from Miranda's arms before she had a chance to stop him. He walked over to Joshua who straightened his spine. "You are really begging for me to punch you?" Ben spoke slowly and lowly. Miranda watched; her emotions sprinkled with annoyance and fascination and anticipation.

"Is there a problem, Dr. Warren?" A strong voice said cutting through the tension. Miranda looked just outside of the door and saw Richard standing there with Callie behind him.

Ben unclenched his fists and stared at Joshua. "No, sir."

"Uh, Dr. Moore?" Richard said putting his hands on his hips, pushing back his lab coat.

Joshua looked at Richard to Ben. "No, sir," he echoed. "Not at all." The room silenced. And he took a sip before saying: "Well, this was nice. I will see you guys around." He moved around the cluster of doctors.

Richard and Callie looked at Miranda and stood sthere for a second before they walked off. She sat back down on the sofa. "I thought you were ready," Ben said flopping down next to her.

"What the hell was that, Ben?" He didn't answer. "Just take me home please."

"What's the rush?" Ben said touching her legs and pulling them on his lap.

"My question hasn't changed."

"I don't know."

"Neither do I," she said and she stood up, leaving him behind.