Chapter 26

"Anna, dear.. I'm so sorry you had to wait.." Gerda greets her daughter that is going inside the car, she puts the seatbelt on and smile at her mother.

"Don't worry, I managed to keep me busy! Later I'll go to Kristoff's, would you mind to ride me there?"

"Not a problem, so how was your session?" the older woman keeps her eyes focused on the road and checks every now and then if there are some other vehicles who comes in the street from secondary streets.

"The doctor says I'm doing well and that I could finish soon, as long as I keep doing my home exercises."

"Have you stayed with your cousin?"

"Yeah, during lunch, oh you know he's having his first case alone! Dad let him working on this patience alone without the supervision of Elsa." Her mother fights back her grin on hearing the familiar name, Anna seems to haven't realised that she hasn't addressed the blonde as Dr. Winters, but well, it's not like the first time she calls her by her name.

"That's great, that means he's improving and that Elsa is doing a good job with him. I'm happy for him."

They're reaching their driveway and as soon as Gerda stops the car she sees with the corner of her eyes how Anna is ready to run out the vehicle and go inside. It's not like it's raining so she doesn't understand why her daughter is so eager to be at home, maybe she's tired and wants to relax and take a long bath?

"So, when you need to be to your cousin's?" Gerda asks once she places her purse and car keys on the table.

"Mh.. about 6pm." Anna says while she's taking off her sweatshirt. "I'll go to take a bath, I think I smell.." and with that she disappears leaving her mother alone in the hallway.

Kristoff is called in the lab for the blood test results. He reads them quickly just to be sure they're from his patient.

"Are you sure it's from P005?" the woman on the other side of the bar nods at her and sends him a glare that seems to say 'what do you think? I know what I'm doing.' Kristoff reads closely at the results and shakes his head in disbelief.

"The exams can't be wrong.." he murmurs while walking to his uncle's office and once he's inside of the room he hands the papers to him and watches his reaction.

"Are they sure?"

"Yep.."

"Okay, I'll call the chief of the prison and talk with him. You.. just treat him, and keep it by yourself." The blonde nods and exits. His patient's exams say that he's a victim of poisoning, someone in jail managed to lay their hands on some kind of poison and put it on food or water. That kind of essence is particularly dangerous and toxic for humans, it's weird to find it in a monitored place like a prison. Now everything is a bit more clear and Hans' heart failures aren't a mystery anymore. They have to wait for the lab to create the antidote and for now they'll put him on dialysis in order to clear a bit his blood and prevent another episode. Kristoff is confused, why did someone want to poison him? What has he had done to be so hated? It must have been something really horrible and Elsa must know something about it, they clearly know each other, Hans keeps asking for her and keeps calling her in such bad ways.

"That bitch. She'll pay for this! It's all her fault, if she just kept her mouth shut!" Kristoff is outside his patient's room and shakes his head 'He keeps saying this! I'm tired of it.' The doctor comes inside and looks at the two officers who are sick tired just like he is.

"Mr. Southerisland, I'd like you to keep your voice down. You're disturbing the other patients." It's not entirely true, since the room is placed in a certain distance from the others.

"I don't care about other people, they can all die for all that matters. I want that fucking whore called Elsa Winters. I want her here. I know she works here and I want her to pay for what she has done." One of the officers comes closer to Hans is ready to take out his taser.

"Keep quiet Southerisland. You're nobody here and you can't want anything. Shut the hell up and let the doctor do his job. Or do you want a little taste of this?" The officer points at the electric gun. "I'm sure you remember the feeling. So, be quiet." Kristoff observes how Hans' face changes at those words and the doctor tries to fight back the surprise: what all it would have taken was just showing him that weapon to shut him up. Incredible.

He explains how the dialysis works and then leaves the three alone.

"Kristoff? Is everything okay? You seem tired." Elsa notices the young man in one of the chair in the waiting room.

"Ehy, yeah.. well my patient is a piece of work. He keeps shouting, cursing.. Thank god the officers know how to shut him up. Honestly I can't believe how you managed to work with him." he says without thinking and he looks apologetically at her, he hasn't any idea of what happened to them, Hans keeps saying that she has done something horrible to him and she has to pay, but it doesn't feel right, after all he's the one in jail and she doesn't seem a person who's capable of doing horrible things. Well, he knows that she's difficult to handle, at least at first, but now that he knows her better he doesn't believe in what others say about her. She's a good and nice person who doesn't deserve those words.

"I've survived for a year then I.. I was transferred here." She just wants to avoid the topic. "So, have you talked with Anna?"

"Yeah, she sent me a message saying she'll be at my place around 6pm. Do you have something in mind for your evening?" he asks clearly aware of the fact that she doesn't want to talk about his patient anymore.

"I could have some ideas, what about you?" she looks somewhere specific and Kristoff understands immediately.

"I'll let you know how it will go, if you do the same." He smirks and offers her his hand to make the deal.

"Okay." She takes it without thinking twice.

It's 5pm and Anna finally decides to come out her room, she checks her parents' room to see if her mother is there napping but she's not. Once she reaches the kitchen she finds her preparing some hot water.

"Anna! Here you are, I'm making some tea, do you want some?" the redhead just nods her head and sits next the kitchen table.

Her mother seems at peace whenever she's in this room, she remembers when she was little that Gerda used to sings while cooking or cleaning, but know she doesn't do that anymore and if Anna has to be honest with herself she misses it. When she was old enough to be able to sing in an acceptable way she used to sing along her mother and her father would just stay there listening to his two women of his life.

"Mom, I miss you singing.." Anna admits at Gerda.

"My voice isn't the one I used to have, dear. Yours is way better than mine, you could sing for both of us." She smiles at her daughter and pours the hot water in two mugs on the table, she handles a box where there are the bags of tea to choose. Anna picks the black lemon tea bag and puts it in the mug and waits for a few minutes.

"Yeah, but I still miss those times.." Anna murmurs sniffing the nice hot lemon smell coming from the water under her nose.

"At Christmas we'll sing, it will be our present for your father, speaking of which.. you need to go and find one, you always end to buy one some days before Christmas." Anna flushes a bit and lets out a sheepish smile.

"Right.. Maybe the next week I could go with Kristoff to do some shopping, I'll try to be in time this year!"

"Speaking of being in time.. shouldn't you go and finish to prepare yourself? I don't think you'll go to your cousin house like that." Her daughter is wearing an old pyjama, since she was tired after the bath she decided to take a little nap. Anna looks down at herself and becomes aware of her situation and the hour, she doesn't have that much of time.

Kristoff is at home and keeps checking his watch, it's 6:05pm and his cousin should arrive any time by now. He wonders how her evening will go, knowing Anna, she'll be happy for the entire time, just being near Elsa makes her all smiley.

'Speaking of the devil..' the doorbell rings and he leaves the living room to go and greet his cousin, when he opens the front door his aunt is waving at him.

"Hi Kristoff! Have fun you too." After the redhead is next him her mother leaves the driveway and drives back her home.

"So, are you ready?" Kristoff smiles at his cousin and shows her to come inside.

"Yes!" she says taking out her phone from the pocket of her coat and opens a new message.

"Elsa! I'm at my cousin's, take your time if you need to. Kisses."

"Tell me, what are you going to do this evening here all alone?" Anna asks looking at his house, it's clearer than the usual and that's suspicious.

"Mh, I won't be that alone, you know? I might have some plans." He says trying to drop the topic, he would like to talk about it with her but he's a bit nervous about his evening and he prefers to not show it.

"Aaall right..!" She knows he's hiding something but chooses to not meddle in too much. She feels her phone buzzes and take it out and a smile comes immediately.

"I'll be there in 10."

"She's on her way, isn't she?" Kristoff looks at her phone and stays in his feet near the door.

"Yep, I can't wait to see her."

"Well, you'll be together for some hours so.. have fun and enjoy each other's company. I'm happy for you two." He's thinking about when his cousin was a little girl and the two of them were talking about the future and how they would have liked their life to be, they made a deal which consisted in never leaving and staying together in a way or in another. When his little brother was born, Anna was happy to have another cousin, even if to her they are more like brothers and the three of them would do anything for each other.

"Thanks, it means a lot to me.." she goes to hug him and after his arms are around her, she gives a quick peck on his check and giggles. "I always trick you."

"Yeah, keep believing it." He shakes his head and pats her back of the shoulder.

Just like a Swiss watch, Elsa arrives at Kristoff's place after 10minutes after her text.

"Good evening sir, I'm here to pick up someone special." She says smirking at the younger man.

"Good evening to you, she'll be here in a moment. Enjoy yourselves." He replies. Soon enough Anna appears at the threshold and smiles at the other woman.

"Hi."

"Hi, ready?" Elsa offers her arm to her, which is quickly grabbed, and walks her to the car after saying bye to Kristoff.

The doctor opens the door to her date, once they're both inside the vehicle Anna faces the blonde with that smile of her and leans forward, Elsa catches the hint and moves forward too to let their lips meet. They share a quick yet pleasant kiss and after putting the seatbelts on the blonde starts the engine and drives away heading to her home.

Once they reach the front door and Elsa opens the door, Anna walks in and looks around with her mouth open.

"I believe I own you a pizza evening, am I wrong?" she points at the table where just the day before they spent an evening together with the others. There are some candles lighted up and then Anna notices the brochures on the table.

"I wanted to make a homemade pizza, but I didn't have enough time and I honestly couldn't wait to see you.. so.." she hands her some of the papers.

"Don't worry, maybe another time." She smiles and reads the brochures. "So.. you'll make me taste your favourite one, right?" she asks hopeful.

"Of course! Choose which pizza you want and then I'll make the order."

The pizzas arrives in time and they decides to shares half of each with the other, so Elsa gives half of her vegetarian to Anna and she does the same with her, shrimp and arugula. At first the redhead is a bit skeptic that she'll like that kind of pizza but when she takes the first bite of that slice she quickly changes her mind. She remains faithful to her Four Seasons, but even this one isn't that bad.

"I'm glad you like it, I have to say I was a bit afraid you wouldn't have.." she says once they're on the couch, they both have a glass of wine with them and they watch at Etta as she plays with an old stuffed animal of Elsa.

"I start to think I like everything you like.." Anna says under her breath, she puts her glass on the table in front of them and leans closer to the blonde, she wants to feel her nearer, she needs to feel her warmth. Her head is on Elsa's chest and she's able to hear the other woman's heartbeat which is starting to beat faster. The blonde takes away her glass too and places her right hand on her head and she begins caressing the locks of red hair.

"The first time I've seen you in the cafeteria I thought you were nuisance and then I started to be with you every day for a while and I gradually changed my mind. A part of me kept thinking you were a bit of a pain in the ass, but another part, a large part of me began to get used to you. I decided to listen to the latter and I started to want to get to know you better and I'm happy to have made that decision." Elsa confesses while her hand keeps playing in the hair of the younger woman. Anna listens carefully to each words and can't help but smile, it's something she's used to do now in the blonde's presence. One of her hand is placed on Elsa's abdomen and starts to caress it gently unconsciously.

"For me, it was a bit different, as I said to your cousin, I've thought you were special and different from everyone else since the beginning.. I wanted to be able to know you, to see this side of you, everyone says you're an Ice Queen, but everything I see? It's a wonderful kind woman, who isn't that cold. I enjoy feeling your warmth on my skin and if I have to choose, I'd stay next to you and keep you as my personal radiator." 'Really Anna? This is an important conversation and you finish your sentence with a horrible joke..? You're lucky if she doesn't leave you now.' The redhead's thoughts are interrupted by a giggle coming from the blonde and Anna's heart almost melts. Then she feels Elsa's left hand on her chin, she understands immediately what the other woman isn't saying out loud and she raises her head. She moves closer to Elsa's lips and gently brushes them with her own. "If I'm able to see you like this, then I'm more than happy to be the one to have this privilege." They connect their lips and shares a meaningful kiss. It's incredible how much a kiss can say without the two parts involved speak. The kiss escalates quickly and when their tongues starts playing with each other, Anna's hand begins tracing some patterns on Elsa's abdomen, still covered by the clothes, but then the redhead's hand goes under the shirt by its own accord and as soon as it moves a little down on the blonde's skin Anna notices something. She ends the kiss when she feels Elsa reaches her hand on her abdomen stopping her movements.

"Anna.." the blonde says with a trembling in her voice.

"What's this?" Anna asks confused.

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm happy to have received kind messages after what I said last week about those kind of readers and I'm glad to know your opinion on the matter.

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, at first I wanted to write about some other stuff but then I changed my mind and then again and well.. here it is what I came up with!

With this past week my second semester in the Uni officially begins. I came back home from my morning shift as rescuer (in some states you say 'paramedic' but in Italy doesn't really exist this kind of 'institution') and I checked the chapter (there could still be some mistakes, if you find them let me know). In the middle of the reading I stopped because I began to remember what happened this morning and now I want to tell you this: be careful, keep an eye always open and never take anything for granted, you'll never know when you won't be able to see again someone you love and care for, so take a few moment to tell them you love them.

Have a nice day and take care everyone,

Christy

A.N. II : Ehy guys, thanks for your feedback.. I'm sorry if I'm late with the update, it's in progress but I had a few personal issues and I don't know when the chapter will be finished, hopefully soon. Thanks for waiting :)