*Here we have some Leanne/Noa bonding.
**They also talk about Leanne and Ethan's future :)

Chapter 17 - Girl Talk

Leanne felt like life had finally started to settle down and become somewhat normal again. She had returned to a pretty normal schedule after Ethan's midnight trip to the ER, and she had slowly started lessening her visits to his room throughout the day. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with him. She wanted to be with him every second of the day. And that was the problem. She needed to get back to normal. She needed to start working longer shifts and showering for longer than two minutes at a time. She needed to eat regular meals again and sleep in her own bed every night. She needed a lot of things, and while Ethan was still one of them, normal was more important right now.

She knew that when Ethan was finally able to come home she would have to lose some of her normal again. And she didn't mind one bit. Being able to actually spend time with him without the constant bugging of the nurses, the constant chatter of the staff who just wanted to be nosy, that would be nice. She had talked with Will and managed to get a whole week of uninterrupted time off. And while she knew that she would probably go stir-crazy sitting in Ethan's apartment and staring at him for seven straight days, she was thankful that she still had Ethan to stare at.

There was also the problem of the constant looming prospect of a marriage proposal in her future. Though she was fairly certain that Ethan had been 100 percent joking when he had made that comment, there had been a shared look around the room that had sent butterflies straight to her stomach.

Did she love Ethan? More than anything.

Did she want to spend the rest of her life with him? Most definitely.

Did she want to be his wife? Frighteningly, the answer to that question was also, yes.

She wanted a chance to start over. A second chance at a happy ending. And she knew that if there was anyone that she wanted that with, it was Ethan. He made her happier than she had ever been. And while they had obviously had some bumps in their relationship, she had never loved someone so much before. Not even her husband. And while that idea used to scare her, it no longer did. Because she understood that people changed and they grew up and they moved on. And while she would never stop mourning the loss of her husband and children, she was finally okay with moving on from it.

"Everything okay Dr. Rorish?" Leanne snapped her head up, her mind returning to the present, at the sound of the young resident's voice from her office doorway.

"Yeah Noa, everything's fine." She let out a chuckle at the look on the red head's face and she knew she had been caught. "What's up?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to go get some coffee." The younger woman offered a soft smile, a peace offering of sorts, for interrupting his thoughts. "Angus said you've been cooped up in here for a while."

Leanne set her pen down on top of her file and glanced at the time on her phone. Letting out a sigh when she realized that she'd been sitting there for four straight hours, she removed her glasses and returned Noa's smile. "I would love that."

The two had walked in silence towards the coffee shop next door, both trying to get their thoughts in order before speaking up. Leanne had paid for the coffee, to which Noa had huffed, it had been her invitation and all, and they had made their way to a small table on the patio. Leanne was the first to break the silence and her statement almost knocked Noa over. In fact, if Noa had been standing, she surely would've lost her balance.

"I think I want to marry Ethan." She had whispered softly, her eyes slightly damp at the thought of bringing up such a touchy topic with the other woman.

Noa opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Sure she knew they loved each other, that much was evident. And she was painfully aware of the ring that Ethan had been toting around with him for the past month. But she never actually heard Leanne say anything remotely close to indicating that she was ready for such a big step. She was thrilled to say the least, but she was shocked, and it showed.

"It would be weird wouldn't it?" Leanne's voice was shaky and she took a sip of her coffee to try and calm her nerves. "It's too soon right? I mean, after everything. We should give it some more time…"

"Wait!" Noa could tell the woman was about to ramble, and she didn't want her to get the wrong impression. She didn't want her to think that something was wrong with her desire to marry the Army doctor. "Stop Leanne. Slow down."

Leanne took a deep breath and looked up, her eyes meeting Noa's across the table and she sighed before speaking again. "What are your thoughts?"

"My thoughts?" Noa wanted to scream at her that it was about damn time. She wanted to swoon over the idea with her. She wanted to start shopping for wedding dresses for the older woman, yesterday. But she knew she had to be delicate. She knew Leanne needed a confidant, just as much as she needed a girl friend. "I think it's a good idea."

"Really?" The surprise in Leanne's question almost hurt Noa's feelings, almost. But she was a bigger person than that.

"Yes, Leanne, really." She let out a light chuckle before taking a few sips of her own coffee, taking a minute to gather her thoughts as well. "Ethan loves you more than anything in this world. You know that right?"

Nodding her head, Leanne's face lit up in a giant smile as she thought of the man. "Yes, of that I am certain."

Noa laughed softly before continuing. "It's the next logical move is it not?"

Leanne sighed, shaking her head back and forth as she spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "There's nothing logical about any of this."

Noa felt horrible for her choice of words. She felt like an ass. She was officially the worst friend ever. Reaching over, she took Leanne's hands gently in hers and squeezed. "Leanne, I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that marrying you, would make Ethan the happiest man alive."

The smile that came over Leanne's face brought tears to both of their eyes and they shared a laugh. "You think so?"

"I know so." Noa said confidently, praying that she wasn't giving away the fact that she had had this conversation with the man in question over a month ago. He had approached Noa right before Christmas and asked her if she thought that buying a ring would be too impulsive. She had told Ethan 'no', that she thought it was crazy that he hadn't pondered the idea more, and when he had pulled the velvet box out of his sock drawer later that night she had jumped up and down and squeed like a small child. She had hugged Ethan tightly before taking the ring and giving a closer look. It was beautiful. Simple, yet beautiful, and she knew that Leanne would love the softness the piece of jewelry presented. She had been waiting on eggshells every minute since then. And every time Ethan or Leanne would text or call her while they were away from the hospital, she would hold her breath in anticipation of the news. Of course, that news had yet to come, but she knew that it was just a matter of time.

"Okay." Leanne's soft reply brought Noa out of her thoughts and she offered the older woman another big smile.

"Besides Leanne," Noa figured she should go big or go home on this one, "I think it's kind of crazy that you two aren't already sharing a last name."

Leanne let out a laugh, a real laugh, one that shook her whole body, and she eyed the young red head curiously. "It does seem like it should already be a thing right?" She looked down at her left hand, imagining what it would look like with a ring on it after 6 years of being bare. She liked the idea, especially if it was put there by a certain ruggedly handsome Army Colonel.

Noa nodded her head back, agreeing with the doctor's sentiment, and offered her another smile. "I'll be waiting with bated breath." She whispered, gripping Leanne's left hand from across the table.

"That makes two of us dear." Leanne smiled softly, her heart racing at the thought that this moment could be happening any day now. While it terrified her, the love and joy she felt in her heart toward the man, overwrote all of that fear. "That makes two of us."

***Don't forget to comment! There's only 3 more chapters after this and I'm trying to decide if I should write out my sequel or not!