Maybe

Coming off of the elevator, Emily was so engrossed in the chart she was reading that she failed to see where she was going. She soon collided with another human being.

"I'm so sorry," she explained as she knelt down to pick up the files that now littered the floor. "I wasn't watching where I was-"

Nikolas smiled at her. "It's okay. I sort of saw you and let it happen."

Emily politely smiled back, unsure of what to do next. "Uh, okay. Well, I'll see you around."

Nikolas nodded. "Okay. Take care."

She nodded and headed to the nurses' station. Epiphany shook her head and chuckled. "You know, you could just kiss and make up already. You both want to be each other."

Emily filed the chart and leaned against the counter, staring at the elevator door that closed behind Nikolas. "It's not that easy."

Emily left to see her patient as Epiphany shook her head again. "It's not so easy to watch two people still in love live without each other either."

"No."

"Please," she pleaded, "pretty please?"

Patrick shook his head. "Absolutely not."

Emily stared at him, willing him to change his mind. A couple seconds later she thought he wasn't going to change his answer.

"Fine. I'll go by myself."

Patrick smirked as Emily pouted on his couch, feet up on the table. He knew she really wanted to go. He would take her; he just wanted to see her squirm a little first.

"Drake?"

He took a seat next to her. "Yes?"

"You know I love you, right?"

He chuckled. "You're pathetic, really. Fine, I'll go."

Emily clapped and gave him a hug. "I knew it!"

Once she calmed down Patrick began again. "So, why do you want to go so bad?"

Emily faced him. "Have you witnessed my social life?"

"What social life?"

"Exactly. Hence is why I want to go to the reunion."

"Emily, it's only been a couple of years. Don't you want to wait for the big one, like the tenth or something?"

Emily nodded. "Oh, I'm going to that one too. I just want to get out a little, you know, live."

Patrick got up to go to the kitchen. He shortly returned with two beers. He handed one to Emily.

"Thanks."

Patrick nodded. "So, um, I know you don't really want to talk about it, but, the anniversary is today, and it doesn't really affect you, but it does, and I was just wondering, you know, that if you need to talk, we can…maybe you should, I don't know. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Emily couldn't help but laugh. "I think I do." She calmed down a bit. "You want to know if I want to talk about Courtney." She took a swig of her beer and shrugged. "Maybe."

Sonny stared out and surveyed his property, hands in his pockets as he stood on the terrace. Today was the anniversary of a day he wished never had happened. It was times like this when he was a little more reflective and forced himself to go ponder 'what-ifs.' They generally weren't wise in his profession, but he allowed himself to indulge once a year or so. It kept him grounded. Any more thoughts on the situation than a few a year would drive a man insane.

He didn't turn around when he heard footsteps. He already knew who it was.

"She would have been almost thirty now."

Jason nodded and stood beside Sonny.

Sonny continued, "It's been one year. It seems like she's been gone longer, doesn't it?"

Jason shifted. He would always love Courtney, but they weren't in love anymore by the time she died. "No," he shook his head. "It doesn't."

Sonny nodded. The two stood in silence for a few moments.

"For what it's worth," Jason said, "she loved you and knew you loved her. You guys had a few problems," he said, causing Sonny to smile at the memories, "but you guys were good at the end."

Sonny tilted his head and leaned on the stone wall. "I'd like to think so."

Six beers later, Emily had her head in Patrick's lap. For some reason, the faint designs in the ceiling were appealing.

"…so yeah, that's what I feel about that. You can't really hold anything against a dead person, right?" She sat up and covered her mouth. "Oh, sorry; I don't think that's polite to say; or right for that matter." She looked pensive for a few more moments. "The truth is I didn't hate her. She was there for him when I wasn't."

Patrick tried to assuage the little anger he always felt about the way Nikolas treated Emily. A few beers didn't leave her drunk; they simply allowed her to be a little more approachable and talkative about sensitive subjects. Patrick knew this and used the strategy wisely. He didn't push, he simply provided.

"Emily, you make it sound as if you just up and left him."

She leaned back into his lap. "I did."

"No, you didn't."

"I did."

"Emily."

"Fine, I didn't…but I did. He asked me to marry him. I basically said 'maybe.'"

Patrick shook his head. "No, you said that you needed a little time; perfectly understandable."

"Well, I didn't want to rush into things. I mean, we've been together for years, he was a little older and more ready, I hadn't been out of school for so long…"

"I know Em, but don't you think he could've given you a little time? He starting seeing Courtney, what? Like a week after you guys took a break?"

Emily chuckled. "It was at least a month later Drake. He was lonely."

"Bull crap."

"Drake!"

"Sorry."

Emily laughed. "It's okay. If you didn't think he was a jerk I would be mad at you and seriously reconsider our friendship."

Patrick cracked his neck. "Why do you always defend him?"

Emily thought for a moment. "Because I know him. He hurt me, but to him I left him first. Technically he didn't cheat on me because we weren't together." She met Patrick's questioning gaze. "But of course he was still wrong. You know, about the knocking someone else up part."

"You still love him." He felt her nod.

"Yes."

Nikolas took Spencer out of his stroller. "So, this is where your mother is kid."

He shifted his weight on the grass as he knelt down next to the gravestone. "She was something else." He grinned at his son. "You would've loved her."

He ran his hand over the stone and smiled. "I'd like to think I did. She really wanted you, she couldn't wait for you to get here."

He placed Spencer back in his stroller. "I promise I'll always tell you about her and take you to visit."

Nikolas looked back before walking away. "Goodbye Courtney." He looked down at Spencer before glancing back. "Thank you."

"…and yes, you better call me back. I know, it's gonna be like midnight your time, but call me anyway!"

Emily smiled as she erased the message that Brenda left. It was the next afternoon and she had gotten off of work early. She took her coat off and plopped down on the couch, tired from the night shift. She began to doze off but remembered that Brenda would kill her if she didn't return her call.

She picked up the phone and dialed.

"Emily!"

Emily chuckled. "Brenda!" she exclaimed with matched excitement.

"Don't mock me child! Listen, I need your advice on something. Should I wear red or purple for my premiere?"

Emily sighed. "Seriously? You called me sounding urgent about a dress?"

"Yes! The color I choose says a lot. Look at your phone. Which one?"

Emily laughed as she received a text on her cell phone of the two dresses. She shifted her house phone to her other shoulder. "The purple one."

"Good. I thought so too. So, what are you up to?"

"I'm about to take a nap, you?"

She could hear Brenda smiling over the phone. "I'm going out with a friend."

"Okay, so how hot is he, how much money does he make, and what kind of car does he drive?"

Brenda feigned offense as she playfully scoffed. "I'm not that shallow!" A few seconds went by. "Okay, so he's like an eight, he's another actor…"