Elsa and Kristoff are spending a lot of time together in the past few weeks, since they come back to their daily routine and when they're alone he tells her how Anna is doing. She's happy to know that the redhead is getting better and that her parents are taking a good care of her, well since her father is the chief of an hospital it's obvious that she is treated well.
In a few days she'll be back here at the hospital to free her leg from the 'white damn trap' , as Anna likes to call it. She doesn't enjoy staying still all day, the only thing she does is to study, watch movies and play videogames. She needs to go around, to start jogging again. She needs her time for sport. Elsa knows those things because they keep sending messages once the blonde is home after work.
"Friday Anna removes the plaster cast, I was thinking that maybe we could do something special." Kristoff says while he's seated in the little couch in Elsa's office. She's working at her laptop, today is a quiet day and it isn't always a good thing. Since they started to working together again, they ended up to get along better. Elsa knows she isn't great in making friends, but things changed some days ago.
It's the end of the shift for the two young doctors, the woman wanted to go directly at home but Kristoff managed to persuade her to go out for a drink.
"So, I know you're not great with people, but today wasn't a good day and I just want to help you to distract a bit yourself." That morning in the ER came patients from a car accident. They were a family with two children, a boy and a girl. Elsa had to operate on the younger child, the boy, but he didn't make it. Like his sister and his mother, only the father survived. Even if he's not in the best conditions.
"Yeah, well, things like this happens." She accepted her intern's invitation for an unknown reason. Maybe she doesn't want to stay alone, that case reminded her about the time when her parents died.
"Elsa, what's going on? It's not like the first time you lose some patients." He's truly concerned. It's odd to see her becoming like a shell again. He doesn't want her to do so.
She sighs and thinks about telling him or not about her parents. She orders something to drink, nothing alcoholic, because she has to drive back home.
"They reminded me about my parents." He looks at her confused, he doesn't know anything about her family. Hell, he doesn't know almost nothing in general about his boss, but he understands that this is a delicate issue and decides to wait for her to talk about it.
"They died in a plane crash when I was 15 years old. My parents were going to a convention, I don't know if you know about it, but they were great surgeons. My father, Joseph, was a neurosurgeon and my mother Katherine was just like me a cardiac surgeon. They should have been gone for few days but instead.." she tries to fight back some tears, she doesn't want to let him see her weakness, but then she feels an hand in her back.
"I'm so sorry.." Kristoff rubs her back in order to comfort her a little, it's the first time they're this 'close' and he's a bit afraid she'll shout at him, so he acts like he would do if it was a wild animal. She lets some tears to fall and cover her face with her hand.
"It's been a long time.. but it's like it was yesterday." He nods to her remembering the day at the lake where Anna almost died in front of him and his little brother.
"I think I can understand a little.. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night afraid that Anna's dead. She told you the story of the lake, right?" She nods to him.
"Well, whenever I see her pills, or it's snowing I think about that day." They share a moment of total silence and then Elsa speaks again.
"I've never told anyone about my parents.. the only person who knows about them is Marshall, I think he's the closest friend I have." She mumbles. Kristoff looks surprise to hear that his boss has a friend.
"I don' know if it's my place to say it or not, but I think that you need more friends in your life, and I'd be honored to be one of them.." he says quietly, she's listening to him and thinks about what he's just said.
'I need more friends..' she looks at him and sighs. Her mind goes to the redhead they both know.
"I think you're right. But as you said earlier, I'm not great with people." He smiles at her and takes away his hand from her back.
"But you just let me in, partially. You told me something you've never told anyone. This is a start, don't you think?" He extends his hand to her.
"So, would you like to try to be friend with me?" Her eyes go down to his hand in front of her. She stays quiet for a moment and then she grabs his hand.
"I'd like to."
"What did you have in mind?" She replies at him without leaving her eyes from the screen.
"Once our shift ends, we could go to my place and eat a pizza all three together." Elsa won't admit him that she was thinking about something like that, even if she wanted to eat alone a pizza with Anna.
"It's a nice idea, you live near the hospital and I keep thinking that your car isn't that safe, so I could pick you up in the morning or you come here with your uncle or I don't know, and I'll drive us at your place." She sends him a glare which he understands immediately. He sighs ad smiles at himself.
"You know I won't change that car, right?"
"Unfortunately, yes." She sighs and closes her laptop. She looks at her intern and sees a book in his hands. "What's that?"
He shows it to her and tries to hide a blush in his cheeks.
"It's a gift from Mandy.." she looks the title and hums. The pediatric nurse and him are dating and their relationship is developing well, sometimes he tells Elsa how things are going and she listens to him without saying anything, mostly because she doesn't know what to say. She's not that experienced in that field.
The rest of the working day ends without surgeries or emergencies and the two doctors return to their home.
Elsa is watching a tv-show when her doorbell rings. She stands up and walks to her front door and she recognizes the person looking through the peephole.
"Come in, how are you?" She smiles at Marshall who's walking in.
"Everything's alright, and you?" They reaches the living room and she shows him to sit down while she goes to bring some glasses. Etta is resting on the carpet placed in the middle of the living room, when she sniffs a familiar smell she stands up and walks to the man and starts to rub against his legs. She can feel the smell of her mother. He smiles at the kitten and he's pleased to see how well she's growing up.
Elsa returns from the kitchen and handles him the glass.
"I'm fine, it's nice to see you here."
"I wanted to see how you were doing. I'm glad that everything is fine. So, the last time we talked you told me you got a new friend." She sits next to him and takes Etta in her arms.
"Yes, he's my intern, Kristoff." He thinks he knows that name. Then the realization hits him.
"Isn't the cousin of that girl? The one who was your patient?" She stays still and stops caressing Etta's head.
"Yes.."
"Tell me, how is it doing with her?" He doesn't even try to hide his curiosity. She stays quiet for a moment and then starts to speak.
"I give her my telephone number, and we're sending messages to each others. So I guess, it's doing fine.. This Friday she'll be at the hospital to remove the plaster cast and Kristoff, her and I will eat something together." She tries to fight back a smile at the thought of seeing Anna again.
"That's great! I hope one day I'll meet this girl. I don't even know her name." He smiles at his friend.
"It's Anna." She likes how her name sounds. "I can't wait to see her again.." Marshall manages to hear those words but decides to pretend he doesn't.
He stays for a little longer there and then goes away telling Elsa that he hopes to hear more about this girl.
It's the night for Friday and Elsa is in her bed unable to fall asleep. She takes her phone and looks at the time. 3:05am
"Damn.." She sighs. She wants to sleep, but the sleep seems doesn't want her. She decides to look at the messages from Anna. Every time she reads them she finds herself smiling like an idiot. She opens the last message from the redhead.
"Ah, one last thing. I can't wait to see you again tomorrow. I miss you. Good night and sweet dreams, Heart's Doc." She smiles at the nickname and she is surprised to notice how her heart starts beating faster. She didn't answer at that message, because she would have written that she misses her too. More than once she thought to go to her place, but every time decides to not do that because it's her Chief house and daughter. Before taking away her phone she looks at the photo of the redhead, where she's smiling and seems so happy. Elsa can't help to think how cute she is and how much she'd like to see that happiness everyday of her life. At that thought she blinks her eyes and takes away her phone and plunges her head into the pillow.
"Elsa, go to sleep, come on." She says to herself and then closes her eyes letting the darkness surrounding her.
She's in her car outside Kristoff's house, who is locking his front door. As the younger man enters in her car he looks around himself and seems fascinated.
"Wow Elsa, you have a nice car!"
"Thanks, she's my baby." She caress the steering wheel, she loves her car which is a Golf GTI. Her family used to have only German cars, like BMW or Volkswagen, so it's like a tradition having a car of one of those brands. Kristoff seems a bit surprised by the reaction of his boss. 'Did I hear correctly? Has she called her car 'baby'..?'
Once they arrived at the hospital Elsa locks her car and sees Dr. Summers.
"Good morning doctors." He smiles at them and walks away.
Kristoff and her starts their working day as usual. After the rounds they check one more time the surgeries board and Elsa plans who does which operations in charge.
"So, Anna will be here at 4pm, we end our shift at 6pm, we need Anna to stay here for those two hours, what do you think if she watches the last operation? It lasts an hour and an half." Elsa thinks about it for a moment.
"It's the one I'll do. It's okay for me."
The surgery Kristoff has to do goes fine without any kind of complications, he's improving very well and Elsa is proud of him. They're walking when Elsa hear her phone buzzes. She takes it out from her pocket and there's a message from her favorite redhead.
"Knock knock!" Elsa is a bit confused but decides to play along.
"Who's there?"
"A redhead who wants to surprise you two!" Elsa turns around to face the familiar voice and sees Anna in front of them. Kristoff hugs her cousin, but Elsa doesn't do anything, she can't hug her, even if she wants so badly to do so.
"Hi Anna, how are you? Ready to remove that thing?" He smiles at her.
"Yep, can't wait! So, Doc. How about we take it off, like..now?" Elsa nods at her and fight back a smile.
"Sure, let's go. Kristoff, please go and prepare the patient of B-38 for her operation."
The two girls goes to a room where they can have more privacy and do what they're there to do. Anna is seated in a bed and Elsa is taking of the plaster cast. Once she finishes she takes a look at the leg and checks how it healed.
"Good, it looks fine." She gently pats her leg and then let her fix her pants. Once she's done the redhead stays still there in the bed.
"So, how are you, Elsa?" She smiles.
"I'm fine, I'm glad to see you again." She tries to fight the urge to say her how much she missed her.
"I missed you, but I didn't miss the hospital!" at that Elsa can't help to chuckle.
"Yeah, I can imagine it. I missed you too." She blinks at her confession, she doesn't want to say that but well, what's done, it's done. She tries to not blush but fails. Anna takes her hand and rubs the back of it.
"I'd like to stay longer.." Elsa can hear the unspoken 'but' and she stops her.
"Would you like to watch me operate?" Anna stays with her mouth open and can't say a word.
"Then.. Kristoff and I were thinking about eating something all together. Our shift ends at 6pm, the surgery lasts an hour and an half." The blonde looks at her hopefully in a positive answer.
"I'd love to see you do what you love the most." The redhead smiles at her and points at her crutches, the doctor stands up to reach them and handle to the younger woman.
Kristoff is waiting his boss in front of the door of the operation room and he sees his cousin with Elsa, he smiles at them.
"Go and do your best, Heart's Doc." She whispers at her, waves at Kristoff and then goes to the room where she can watch the surgery.
She's scrubbing up and notices the other doctor at her side who grins at her.
"What?"
"You look happier when Anna is with you." She stops her movements and feel warm at her cheeks.
"Yeah, well.. she is special." She's glad that she's wearing the mask so that it can hide her little smile and blush. She enters the room and looks up at the glass where she can see Anna smiling at her, then she focuses her attention on the patient and her team.
"Okay people, let's do this."
Author's Note: Ehy guys! I hope you'll enjoy the new chapter.
Wow 100 follows, thanks everyone! It's really nice to see that this story is appreciated. And thanks you all for your reviews.
Be well and have a nice day everyone!