Walking down the corridor to her office with her nose in her tablet, her attention was suddenly drawn to one of the first year residents about to knock on Dr Melendez office door. She glanced inside to see his sock clad feet hanging off the end of the couch and quickened her pace to reach out and grab the young doctors wrist as he was about to make contact with the glass.
"How long has he been like that?" she asked, nodding at his sleeping form spread out on the couch inside.
"Only about ten minutes" he replied. "But he said he wanted to know as soon as the results were back" he said, his eyes darting between her and Melendez quite he tried to decide his next move.
Neil had been in this surgery for almost 6 hours already when the complications arose. They had taken a break to run further tests and after placing the orders and updating the family, Neil headed to his office for a rest. He had been half expecting the current issue to arise, so he was already prepared for the next steps in the procedure, they just needed the test results to confirm the direction they were going. In the lull in the action, he kicked off his sneakers and stretched out on the couch, fully intending on only taking five minutes of shut eye but dropping off heavily.
"Leave them with me" she said holding out her hand for the paperwork, giving the nervous resident an encouraging nod.
"Yes Dr Lim, Sir" he stuttered. "I mean Ma'am."
She raised her eyebrows in response and chuckled to herself as he scurried away in the direction he'd come from.
Looking at the new file in her hand, and back to Neil she made the decision to deliver the news herself. In about twenty minutes time. She'd known him long enough that she knew ten minutes would probably do to recharge his batteries but thirty minutes would be a whole lot better and he would be fresh and raring to go.
Gently opening the door, she stepped inside quietly, careful not to allow her boots to echo on the hard flooring. Taking a seat in the chair opposite him, she settled in with her tablet to get a bit of work done while he snored quietly. Over the next fifteen minutes, she had successfully dismissed another two potential interruptions with a simple look and a wave of her hand. Checking her watch, she saw there just were five more minutes to go. The time had passed quickly.
She took these last few minutes to watch him. He was stretched out along the full length of the couch, looking relaxed and comfortable. He'd kicked off his sneakers to reveal his obnoxiously garish socks which made her smile. His suits and shirts were always so crisp and smooth but when he changed into scrubs for a procedure, he always changed his socks. The tradition had started during their residency during a particularly challenging case and had contined to this day. Every surgeon had their own rituals and traditions, and his was to wear the most horrendous socks available to every procedure and so far, it had served him well.
She loved knowing that little bit about him that not many others did, it made her feel special. She loved that quirk about him. She loved a whole lot about him come to think of it.
He had gathered together the small decorative throw cushions to use as a pillow for his nap and she gave a smile at the thought of the little patterns that would likely be imprinted into his cheek when he woke. He always slept heavily, and she took the next few minutes to just watch him knowing it was unlikely he would wake and catch her. Sometimes, in an evening, he would take a while to get to sleep. He'd toss and turn and go over the day's events in his head but once he finally dropped off, it would be like trying to wake the dead.
She sighed.
She had been missing him more than she would ever admit in these last few weeks. It had taken a while to start, but she'd actually begun to imagine them having a future together. Not necessarily moving to the suburbs and getting a dog but she knew he wanted children and she was okay with that. They hadn't talked about it directly, but she'd known that was the reason behind the breakup with Jessica. She had figured, that the fact she was willing to take their relationship public was silent confirmation that she was ready too. Maybe she should have actually said the words.
She sat a moment longer with a far away look her face as she thought quite what their children would have looked like. Her smile widened as she envisioned what a great father Neil would be. In the next split second, the smile fell from her face as a thought flashed through her busy mind. Pushing it from her thoughts just as quickly, she decided it was tine to wake him.
"Hey" she whispered, leaning forward and giving his shoulder a gentle shake. There was no response. "Hey" she repeated a little louder, smiling when he shifted slightly. She shook her head and decided to use a tactic she had employed many times before.
"Neil" she spoke directly into his ear, breathing a little heavier than was absolutely necessary. "Wake up."
His eyes snapped open as he felt her breath on his neck and he was surprised to see her so close.
"Test results are in" she confirmed waving the file in his face. "Got to go, got a meeting" she said before getting up and hurrying from the room.
She'd left the room before he'd even had the chance to sit up. He swung his feet around and pulled on his sneakers, hiding the brightly coloured sticks without a second thought.
'That was weird' he thought to himself, frowning as he opened the file and began to read. Before he could reach the end, his residents arrived for an update and stood eagerly waiting further instruction. Confirming the suspected diagnosis, he sent them all on their way and stood up to stretch out his back.
Thinking it was a bit unusual for the Chief of Surgery to hand deliver test results, he gave a little frown before shaking his head to clear his mind and head out to finish what he started.
X
"Good thing none of us have work to do?" Dr Lim announced as she approached the small crowd of staff at the edge of the nurses station a few hours later.
"We can't concentrate" one of them blurted before nodding over to a smaller station just across the way.
Following her gaze, she looked over and saw what had preoccupied her staff and felt her heart melt a little at the sight. Stood against the counter, scribbling away in his patient notes, was Neil and perched next to him on the high work surface, was a young child, less than a year old.
"Who is that?" Audrey asked curiously.
"The mother was in Dr Melendez surgery today. We thought her husband might want to sit with her quietly for a while but they have no childcare" one of them started.
"We offered to take him but he was soooo cranky. He fussed and wriggled until Dr Melendez offered to take him" another continued. "The baby just calmed right down, so he took him over there while he did his notes and it's just the cutest thing we've ever seen!"
Audrey looked on for a few more seconds before directing her staff to get back to work. "The patients won't look after themselves, you know" she said scolding them slightly but certainly understanding the way their focus has been drawn to the scene in front of them.
"Offering babysitting services now too?" she said quietly as she walked up to Neil and his young charge.
"This is George" Neil smiled, standing up a little straighter but keeping one hand on the small of the youngsters back. "Say hi to Dr Lim" he smiled to the boy, grimacing slightly as his response was to reach up and grab a handful of Neils thick black hair.
"Whatever it takes, right?" he shrugged, smiling at her.
"I think childcare is a little above your paygrade" she replied, admonishing him a little before looking back at Neils new little friend. "But I totally get it. He's cute" she smiled.
"Yes I am cute" Neil said animatedly to George, making Audrey laugh and shake her head.
"Asshat" she replied shaking her head in turn at his objections to her teaching little George his first curse word.
Standing for a couple more seconds making small talk, she almost succumbed to the urge to reach out and smooth Neils hair where the little baby hands had made it stick up on end. She stopped herself by stuffing her hands in her pockets and thinking that the dishevelled look suited him well.
'I'm getting soft' she thought to herself before making her excuses to depart. "Try not to be Dr Day-care for too long" she said with a knowing smile. The instruction would fall on deaf ears and she was totally aware that Neil would take charge of the boy for as long as was needed. That was the softer side she loved in direct contrast to his usual arrogance.
"Yes Chief" he mocked, making the boy smile again before turning his attention back to his notes. She watched just a few seconds longer before turning and heading to her office at a good pace. She was feeling distracted and uneasy about something she couldn't quite put get finger on and she needed to think.
X
He had just woken with his alarm when his cell phone vibrated again across his nightstand. Stretching out to check the screen he frowned a little to see 'Can you come over this morning before you go in?' from Audrey scroll across the top of his screen.
'Sure. What's wrong?' he tapped back.
'Nothing, I need to talk to you' came the flat response.
'Okay. I'll bring breakfast' he replied wondering what on earth she could need from him right now. She had ended their relationship almost six weeks ago and despite that little moment of indecision, she hadn't shown any signs of changing her mind.
He had been missing her terribly and having to see her almost daily was testing his resolve. Maybe whatever this was about would give him some closure one way or another. Rolling out of bed to shower and dress, he left his house much earlier than usual to stop for coffee on the way.
After stopping for breakfast, he found himself stood outside her building, balancing a bag on a cup holder as he ungracefully pulled the door open and stepped inside. Climbing the stairs, he shook his head as he walked towards the door she had left ajar. He'd mentioned it more than once before about her leaving her door open for him but he guessed now, he didn't have a say so he nudged it open with his foot and peered inside.
"Audrey!?" he called into the dark apartment. "Where are you?"
"Be right out" she called. "Make yourself at home."
A few moments later, he heard her padding barefoot into the living space. She stepped up next to him and smiled as she picked up the coffee that he had brought. Holding it close to her chin, she took a deep breath in and then she spoke.
"We need to talk."
"We do?" he replied, curious as to what might be coming and trying not to feel to hopeful.
"We do" she confirmed. "I'm just not sure where to start."
"I do, can I start?" he said seriously, looking over at her. He hadn't looked at her properly yet this morning and she looked tired. "We made a mistake" he started. "We shouldn't have broken up. We have so much more than just love. We have respect, friendship and a whole of history. You probably know me better than I know myself."
She nodded in agreement and let out a little chuckle.
"I was wrong" he continued. "I shouldn't have spoken to you the way I did as my Chief and I should have spoken to you more as my partner. I'm sorry I couldn't figure that out. I took my grief out on you instead of letting you help me. I left that baby without a mother, it broke my heart and I lashed out at the wrong person."
"Do you think we would do any better a second time around?" she asked him, sipping at her cup and savouring the flavour.
"I do" he nodded. "We'll still disagree, there is no doubt about that. But we'll handle it better."
"And do you think we should keep it under wraps this time?" she asked.
"No" he replied without even taking a moment to think. "I think that was part of the problem last time" he said, pausing before taking her hand. "We can do this" he said, smiling at her.
She smiled right back and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.
"How do you manage to actually say what I'm thinking?" she asked him softly. "I wish I could say those words."
"A skill I've picked up over the years" he smirked, reaching over for the bag of breakfast he'd brought along with him.
"Would be a little harder to hide this time around anyway" she said, feeling a wave of nerves and doing her best not to show it.
"How's that?" he asked casually, unwrapping her breakfast burrito and sliding it towards her.
Her counter-action was to slide the small white stick across the counter towards him and watch as the realisation of what he was looking at dawned on his face.
"Really?" he asked, looking back and forth between her and the blue lines in the little display window.
"Really" she replied, smiling at his reaction. His mouth was agape and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine" she smiled.
"Not freaking out, just a little bit?"
"Maybe a little bit" she said with a nervous laugh. "But if you're in, there is nobody else I'd want to do this with" she said softly.
"I'm all in" he replied with a grin. "There is nowhere I'd rather be."
To the guest review that made this suggestion... thank you!