This was meant to be posted for Christmas but I quite simply ran out of time. Didn't want to wait until next year so here it is anyway...
X
The break up stuck for a while, a whole lot longer than anybody thought it would including the couple themselves. Months passed by and their bickering and sniping behaviour did not improve one bit to the point that Glassman had given them until the new year to sort themselves out or he would have to insist that one of them moved on.
The week coming up to Christmas was quiet in terms of scheduled surgeries and they were busy discharging the last few patients that were well enough in time for the holiday. There would obviously be a few patients remaining but the aim was to have a skeleton staff on the rota.
"You're looking very smart" Dr Browne commented as Dr Melendez walked up to the surgical nurses station and dropped off a couple of charts he had been working on in his office. He was dressed in a well cut charcoal suit, partnered with a black shirt, burgundy tie and matching pocket square.
"Thank you" he replied with a small smile.
"I agree, Dr Melendez. This suit is much nicer than your daily attire" Shaun added.
"Thanks Murphy" he smiled, knowing it was the closest thing to a compliment he would receive from the resident.
"Going anywhere nice?" Dr Lim asked as she joined them. She had been trying much harder to be more sociable with Neil since Glassman had given them their ultimatum. If one of them was made to leave the hospital, the separation would have been for nothing and she would have become estranged from the man she loved for no reason. The residents scurried away and busied themselves as their bosses stood aside by side. They could feel the tension in the air whenever those two were forced to interact and removed themselves from the situation whenever possible.
"I'm going to pick up Gabi and take her to church for the Christmas Eve service" he smiled. "My folks are out of town this year so I've got to be on time, especially after missing it last year. There is a party at her group home afterwards too, it's chaotic but it's good fun" he said with a shrug much to Audrey's amusement. To his surprise, she took a step towards him and absent mindedly reached out and straightened the knot in his tie.
"You should come with me" he blurted without a second thought.
"I don't think..." she started.
"Come on" he pressed, feeling a bit more brave. "You're just going to get takeout and go home otherwise."
She didn't reply. She looked at him trying to figure out what this invitation could mean and not finding any answers in those beautiful brown eyes, just more questions.
"We're both in here first thing tomorrow. It's not going to be a very wild party, I promise" he smiled. "The more the merrier?"
They were both on call for 36 hours from Christmas morning. The on-call surgery rota was one of great interest to all as everyone wanted the coveted 'big day' of to spend with their families and friends. Neil had opted to take his break on Christmas Eve, meaning he would be at St Bonaventure bright and early the next morning.
Audrey had approved the rota a few weeks ago before making one last minute change and publishing it. She swapped her name in for Dr Cooperberg who had drawn the short straw for the third year in a row but would now find himself spending Christmas day with his wife and children much to his delight.
"I don't have anything with me to wear and I don't want to make you late" she said, trying her best to excuse herself.
"You'd look great in a garbage bag. Just do it" he pushed. "It's been a year since the shittest Christmas ever. We should celebrate?"
"Church isn't really my thing" she said, trying to end the conversation while rapidly running out of excuses.
He shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "If you change your mind, I'll be heading out in about thirty minutes" he said with a certain finality, feeling equally parts hopeful and realistic. "I hope you do" he smiled before turning and heading back towards the elevators.
X
Twenty seven minutes later she found herself waiting by his car, leaning against the passenger door taking deep breaths telling herself over and over that this was the right decision. She heard footsteps approaching and resigned herself to the fact that it was too late to change her mind.
"Hi" he said as he came to a stop in front of her.
"Hi" she replied with a small smile. "I changed my mind" she said stating the obvious.
He just grinned as he took another step towards her.
"Neil...I..." she started before letting out a shaky breath as he reached around her and opened her car door, just as he had always done. "Thank you" she smiled, dropping down into the seat, not missing the smile on his face as he walked around to his side.
She hadn't quizzed him on the logistics of their jaunt this evening and she found herself quite at ease in his company as they drove to the group home to collect his sister.
Gabi was stood on the front steps with an attendant waiting for Neil to arrive. The smile on her face grew wide as she saw his car approach and the first seeds of doubt started to sew themselves in Audrey's head. What should she do? Should she get out with Neil? What was she thinking? The decision was taken out of her hands as Neil opened her door and held out his hand. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even notice him get out if the car.
"Come meet Gabi" he smiled, his eyes twinkling with such excitement she couldn't help but smile back.
After some brief introductions, they were all back in the car for the short trip to the nearby church that Gabi liked to attend. Audrey had situated herself in the backseat while Gabi sat in the passenger seat. She watched the exchanges between brother and sister with interest and a small smile on her face. She listened intently as Neil explained to Gabi where their parents were this evening and watched her clap her hands excitedly when he confirmed they would be staying for her party afterwards.
The journey was quick and as they pulled into the parking lot, Audrey gasped at the number of people already there.
"They do Midnight Mass later" Neil explained, catching her eye in the rear-view mirror. "Lots of families find this earlier service easier to get too, it's definitely better for us, right Gabi?" he smiled.
"Yes!" she agreed enthusiastically. "Let's go" she said unbuckling her belt and pulling her coat close around her ready to go.
They joined the crowds making their way into the church and Audrey followed a couple of steps behind smiling at them walking along, arms linked together. As they got closer to the door, it got busier again and Audrey was relieved when she felt a hand grasp hers.
"Don't want to lose you" he said over his shoulder with a smile.
"I'm not sure I won't catch on fire as I cross the threshold you know" she laughed nervously. "I'm a divorcee, remember?"
"You'll be fine" he said adjusting his grip and tangling their fingers together.
After stopping a few times to greet familiar faces, they got to their seats and settled down ready for the service to begin and with space at a premium, they found themselves sitting very close together. Their thighs were touching and she could feel a comforting heat radiating from him as the seats around them filled up quickly. A lady in the row in front turned to speak to the Melendez siblings briefly, asking after their parents before turning back to attend to her family.
"That's done it" Neil whispered in Audrey's ear, making her shiver. She looked at him and shrugged. "By the time we get out of here, my parents will have had a million messages telling them I've brought a girl to church" he grinned.
A look of panic must have crossed her face as she felt him give her thigh a reassuring squeeze and she found herself grabbing his hand and holding it there until the service started and he needed it to flick through the hymn book to the correct page for Gabi. After handing it to his sister, he did the same for Audrey and shrugged as he handed it to her.
"Just follow my lead" he smiled softly. "You won't get thrown out for not getting it right first time."
The service began and the congregation stood as the choir processed in and the first hymn began. After trying to follow the words on the page, she found herself distracted by Neil and Gabi both singing every word and loudly whether they were in tune or not. He glanced and caught her watching and grinned. During the next reprieve, he leaned over and whispered in her ear again.
"Don't judge, I can't sing" he laughed. "Not the same tune as everyone else anyway!"
'Finally something the amazing Neil Melendez can't do' she thought to herself as she continued to watch them.
The service went by quicker than she thought it would and in no time at all, she found herself stood to one side in a hall filled with people milling around before Neil reappeared from nowhere with a coffee.
"You didn't catch on fire" he said with a smirk as he held it out to her, smiling more widely as her fingers brushed his. "Have a little faith" he winked before leaning back against the wall next to her.
"Where's Gabi?" she asked after a short while.
"She likes to mingle" he replied. "We'll head out in about fifteen minutes and that when the party really gets started!"
"Can't wait" she said simply looking him straight in the eye. "Thanks for this. I didn't know I needed it."
"Any time" he said giving her hand a squeeze before pushing away from the wall and heading into the throng to find his sister.
"Hi! You must be Jessica" the lady said as she approached Audrey with a smile.
"Erm, sorry, no" she replied with grimace. "I'm Audrey."
"I thought Neil's fiancée was called Jessica?"
"She was" Audrey confirmed while wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole. "They separated over a year ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry" the lady replied, a blush rising in her cheeks. "Well, it's nice to meet you Audrey. Hopefully we'll see you again" she smiled before excusing herself and disappearing back into the crowd leaving Audrey wondering what had just happened.
X
Back at Gabi's a short while later, Neil hadn't been kidding when he said the party would be fun. There were decorations everywhere you looked and the biggest tree she'd ever seen in the foyer, stacked with gifts ready for the morning.
All the tables in the dining room were pushed to one end and groaned under the weight of the delicious smelling food. The space at the other end had been designated the dance floor and the Christmas music currently played quietly in the background.
The residents and their families gradually gathered in the communal areas and stood chatting, grazing along the buffet table and catching up with the staff members who were often treated as extended family.
She stood and watched as Neil and Gabi took a turn around the dance floor and smiled as she heard Gabi's laughter above the Michael Buble Christmas music that she was sure was on repeat.
"Hi Jessica, nice to finally meet you" she heard as one of the employees stepped up beside her.
"Ah, no" she replied. "I'm Audrey" she said for the second time that evening, offering her hand. "Neil and Jessica went their separate ways last year."
"Oh, I'm so sorry" the woman replied. "She never came by so we didn't know what she looked like. I'm so embarrassed" the woman blathered.
"It's fine" Audrey smiled.
She was saved from any further awkward conversation by the appearance of Gabi asking her if she wanted to dance. Hoping that she had masked her surprise, she gracefully accepted and allowed herself to be led into the middle of the floor. She thoroughly enjoyed spinning around to Jingle Bell Rock and on one of the circuits of the floor, she caught Neil's eye and held it until Gabi spun her around again.
The hours passed quickly and the party wound up for the residents to turn in for the night. The buzz of excitement could be felt throughout the entire building and as Neil escorted Gabi to her room, Audrey waited in the foyer. She took a while looking at the decorations that adorned the branches of the tree, smiling at the individual touches that each resident had been able to add to the scene.
Moving closer to the door to wait, she found herself reading the framed certificates that lined the walls - certifications and qualifications on display and currently draped in tinsel. She didn't hear him come up beside her and let out an exclamation as he just kissed her right on the cheek. Turning on a sixpence, she was about to remind him that they didn't do that anymore when she saw him grinning.
"What" she asked?
"Look" he said, nodding upward.
She looked up and shook her head with a laugh. Mistletoe. Now she got it. She looked him straight in eye, wondering if she should kiss him back and wondering if she'd be able to stop once she started. As she made her decision and took a deep breath, another family bustled into the space and the moment was gone.
The car ride back to Audrey's was comfortable and relaxed. Any doubts she'd had on the trip out had been thoroughly quashed in the last few hours.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure" he replied, without taking his eyes from the road.
"Why did two people call me Jessica tonight?"
"What?!" he exclaimed, glancing over at her quickly, back to the road again and repeating the move a couple more times much to Audrey's amusement.
"One of the ladies at church called me Jessica" she started. "She thought I was your fiancée?"
"I'm so sorry I didn't introduce you" he said putting his hand out to take hers. "Jessica didn't do church, she never came" he said using her own words from earlier that evening.
"And one of the attendants at Gabi's home assumed the same?" she asked.
He groaned audibly and if he hadn't been driving she was sure he would have put his head in his hands.
"They only ever met at my parents place" he said, sounding flat. "There was always an excuse when I visited. I think the group home thing made her uncomfortable" he said.
"It's a wonderful place" Audrey said with a smile, wanting to pick up the mood again. "Thank you for inviting me."
"Like I said earlier. Any time" he smiled. "A thousand times better than last Christmas right?'
"Right" she laughed before they settled into another period of comfortable silence.
As they got closer to home, Audrey decided to take the plunge. They hadn't really talked about their break up since that moment in his office a short while later. Not being the best at talking about feelings, she wasn't sure where to start.
"I still love you" she blurted out much to his surprise. He glanced over at her to see her looking straight ahead at the traffic.
"I still love you too" he said softly with a smile.
Silence.
"I'm happy when I'm with you" she said plainly. "I mean, I'm generally happy anyway. But with you, it's just better."
"How much eggnog did you drink?" he smiled. "It always gets spiked, I should have warned you!"
"Asshat" she laughed. "I'm not drunk. Maybe a little high on Christmas spirit, but certainly not drunk."
"Good to know" he smiled reaching over and taking her hand again.
They sat in contemplative silence until they arrived on Audrey's street.
"Where'd all these cars come from?" Neil grumbled as he slowed down to look for a space.
"Family visitors I suppose" she replied. "Just stop here, I'll jump out" she suggested as he passed by the door to her building.
"Nope" he replied driving almost to the end if the block. "I'll walk you."
"I'm a big girl" she said as he manoeuvred his car into a space it shouldn't have really fitted into.
"I know" he said with a smile. "But I want to."
He walked around and opened her door as he had so many times before and held out his hand for her to pull herself up onto the sidewalk. She smiled to herself as their fingers tangled for the second time that evening and she felt at ease with how comfortable it felt.
The walk to her building would take a matter of minutes but neither of them wanted it to end. The evening had been busy and they hadn't spent every minute together but the whole thing had reminded them about the bits of each other they had fallen in love with in the first place.
"Thank you for coming tonight" he said as they reached her door and they turned to face each other.
"You were right, it was so much better than my takeout plans. Thank you" she replied.
They stood and looked at each other in silence. The street was quiet and the only movement was from twinkling Christmas lights in some of the houses around.
"Shall we try this again?" he said eventually, plucking up the courage to ask.
"Yes" she sighed, feeling a wave of relief walk over her. "I can't believe we put ourselves through this. This last year has sucked."
"It mostly has" he said, taking a step closer. "You can stop talking now" he smiled as he closed the last of the gap and kissed her softly.
He felt her relax as she draped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer and she gasped as he used the movement to guide her until her back was pressed against the wall.
Lost in each other for goodness knows how long, they only parted when the sound of a car unlocking further down the street broke the moment. They stood, foreheads together, breathing heavily, smiling goofily at each other.
"Do you want to come in?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. Yes I really do" he replied. "But not tonight... we need to do it differently this time around or we'll make the same mistakes again" he said hating every word as it came out of his mouth.
"Yes Dr Sensible" she said kissing him again. "I'll wait" she smirked.
"See you in the morning? Coffee?"
"It's a date" she chuckled.
"One more thing" he said, stepping closer again. He gently took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "Its gone midnight" he smiled as he stepped away. "Merry Christmas Audrey."
"Merry Christmas Neil" she replied before turning to let herself in.
He waited until the front door was closed, raised his hand to say goodbye and set off back down the street to his car. 'Best Christmas so far' he thought to himself as he walked with a spring in his step and a grin on his face and thinking nothing but good things about the year ahead.