Author's Note: Well here it is folks, the final installment of my 'If Only' series. I hope you have enjoyed reading all these alternate scenes of mine and for the final time I would like to thank each and everyone of you who reviewed the story. :) IMO this was my most favourite chapter to write. So without further ado I give you 'Alternate Scene 4'.
4. If Only…
…The fight had of ended the opposite way around.
Gates excused himself again and again as he tried to make his way through the swarm of either drunk, high, overly energetic, or possibly all of the above people in an attempt to get to the bar. He finally freed himself from the crowd and made his way to the bartender.
He nodded at him.
"Hi, I'd like a dry and dirty martini and a tequila sunrise, please," as the bartender went off he turned to his side and spotted Ray, "Hey, Ray, what's shaking?" he asked.
Ray ignored looking at him as he spoke,
"Dry and dirty? I should have figured that out by now." he noted sarcastically.
"Actually, I prefer the tequila sunrise because of all the pretty colours." he said with a smirk.
"Asshole." Ray put in nonchalantly.
Gates regarded him with a pissed look, as Pratt joined them.
"Gates, what are you doing? Save some liquor for everybody else." he said casually as he ordered his drink. Tony ignored his presence.
"Hey, Ray. I don't know if you've noticed but there's a party going on here, everybody's having a good time, dancing, so anytime you feel like, you know jumping in, just get off your little stool and you know – Bartender, hot coffee for him, fast and black, won't you?" he said turning to walk away.
"You're a real prick, you know that?" Ray called.
Gates stopped mid step and turned around, walking back up to him.
"What's, uh…What's your damage, Ray?" he questioned.
"My damage is that you walked into our ER and you own the place. I don't appreciate that," he looked around, "nobody else does…"
"Okay, I realize that you don't like me, but sooner or later you're going to have to used to living with me, cause I ain't going nowhere." Gates put in breezily.
Ray shook his head angrily.
You want to leave a mess wherever you go, that's up to you. But there are two things I won't let you screw around with. That's patients lives and -" he broke off.
"And what, Ray?" Gates urged snottily.
Ray turned to face him.
"And her." he put in determinedly.
"Hey, I care about her you sulky, little pissant." Gates told him defensively, his voice raising.
"Wow, wow, wow."
"Wrong place, wrong time."
Pratt and Morris said intervening.
Ray ignored them.
"I bet you have yourself almost convinced of that," Ray retorted, "but, see, the problem is, you're the only one that buys it."
"Hey, Ray. C'mon let's go for a walk, man." Pratt said trying to urge him to walk away but Gates interrupted.
"Hey, hey, no, no, let me just say, Ray, here, here, you know that thing you had? It's over. Done. Finished."
"Tony -" a new voice joined the argument.
They both turned around to notice Neela standing there.
"You don't know how to take care of her." Ray said quietly, turning back to face Gates.
"Ray, please." Neela pleaded.
"Well, Ray, at least I'm trying." Gates told him smugly again turning to walk away.
"That's right, that's right. Like you took care of Meg, huh?" Ray retorted.
Gates turned slowly back around with a furious look on his face.
"Oh, hey, let it go, let it go, he's drunk, that's it. C'mon." Morris interrupted.
Gates shrugged his shoulders in a carefree manner.
"That's fine…" he said slowly, before throwing his drink over Morris and leaping at Ray. Ray returned the gesture by throwing him onto a table.
"Stop it! Cut it out!" Neela yelled, but it wasn't much use.
The debacle continued until Morris and Pratt managed to pull them off each other.
"Go!" Morris told Ray, leading him off into another direction of the room.
-0-0-0-0-0-
"What the hell was that about?" Pratt yelled at Gates as he pushed him out the door.
"What? Why are you blaming me? He started it!" he said defensively.
"Oh! That's just dandy! He started it! He was also clearly smashed. You should have just left it!" Pratt told him annoyedly.
"I don't care if he was smashed! He was asking for it!" Gates retorted.
"You should have known better! You know what, Gates? Just when I start to get worried that maybe I'm being a little tough on you, you go and do something to prove what an ass you are!" Pratt snapped.
"Just -" Gates began but was interrupted when the door slammed open and Neela emerged looking fiercely enraged.
"Why the bloody hell did you have to go and do that for?" she yelled.
"What are you talking about, Neela? I was being perfectly civilised until that alcoholic OC reject went -"
SLAP!
"Don't you dare speak about Ray like that!" she shouted. "You knew he was drunk, yet you had to go and push him till he reached his limits! You are such an egotistical, self - centred wanker, Tony Gates and I don't know what I saw in you in the first place!"
Gates gathered her with an incredulous look.
"What are you trying to say, Mayday?"
"First of all, never, ever call me that again! And what I am trying to say is that we are done!" she told him angrily before turning around and marching back inside.
Pratt watched her leave with an amused look on his face.
"What goes around comes around…" he murmured.
"Excuse me!?" Gates asked turning around to face him, looking furious.
Pratt guarded him with an innocent expression.
"I didn't stutter."
-0-0-0-0-0-
"What was that all about, man?" Morris asked as he handed Ray a damp towel.
"I don't think you get it, Morris," Ray said as he placed it against his lip, flinching as the cool liquid touched the injured spot. "You know, every time I think I'm turning the corner, I feel like I know what I'm doing. I end up falling backwards again."
Morris sighed.
"I feel for you, man, I really do, but it's a wedding, you're drunk and you're hooked on a girl, maybe you should just go home, get some rest, you'll feel better about it in the morning..."
Ray shook his head.
"I'm never going to feel better about it, Morris. Because tomorrow morning I'll wake up and she still won't be there right next to me." Ray muttered softly, his voice dripping with sadness.
"Maybe I can prove you wrong…" a voice interrupted quietly.
They both looked up surprised, to see Neela standing there by the door watching them, her eyes were showing as much sadness as Ray's.
"Uh, I'll just, uh, be leaving…" Morris said, slowly beginning to retreat out the door.
"Ray…" Neela said softly, approaching him.
"Just leave it, Neela." he told her bitterly.
"No, I'm not going to leave it, Ray," she told him firmly. "Not until you tell me what possessed you do that out there."
"You know what possessed me, Neela, you've known it all along yet you still continue to play this game when you know what it's damn doing to me!" Ray snapped.
"What are you talking about? I told you on the roof -"
"Yeah, you told me and then you also seemed to be having a deep moment on the terrace with Gates." he spat out angrily.
Neela stopped, as it suddenly dawned on her.
"Oh…"
"Yeah, oh!"
"Ray, you're getting it all wrong, things have been really rough between Gates and me since Meg's death. We've really been drifting apart. He was trying to rekindle things again but I pushed him away, which must have been a part you missed."
Ray stopped.
"You really pushed him away?" he asked softly.
Neela nodded.
"Hang on a second…" he said, with a smile creeping on his face. "You just called him Gates; you haven't called him Gates since you first started going out…which would mean…"
Neela smiled.
"Which would mean, something rather drastic happened in the last half and hour that pushed my urge of breaking up with him out of the shadows."
Ray's grin broadened.
"So?"
"So?"
They both put in nervously.
"God, I feel like a little school girl, C'mon let me help you with that lip." Neela told him.
Ray laughed as he offered her the towel.
Well, I'm glad I make you feel young again." he told her.
"Young!?" Neela asked sarcastically. "Pfft, since I met you I've aged about 10 years!"
"Well, you've never looked more beautiful." Ray told her, with a wink.
"Aww, such the charmer." Neela said sweetly, pushing a little harder on his bruise.
"OW!" he yelped.
"Sorry." she said innocently.
"Very funny, maybe I shouldn't be so lenient to forgive you…" Ray began.
"Aww, I'm sorry, would you like me to kiss it better?" she joked, only then realizing the seriousness of the offer.
Ray stared at her stunned.
"…Yes." he whispered hoarsely.
Silently as if in a trance, she began lowering her head until her lips meet his gently. As they both started to deepen it, he let out another painful yelp, instantly regretting it.
"OW! My lip!"
"Sorry!" Neela said instantly stopping. "Maybe I should stop?"
What? No! I've waited to damn long for this to let a split lip get in the way." Ray told her firmly.
"Well, then…" Neela said bending her head back down to kiss him.
"Ray?" she murmured against his lips.
"Huh?"
"Are you still looking for a roommate?" she asked softly.
She felt him smiling against her lips as his eyes opened.
"Why, I thought you'd never ask. Welcome back, roomie."
End 'If Only' Fic 4
Well, that's it everybody, the series is now over. I hope you enjoyed it and for the final time:
Reviews would be love!