Sorry for the delay! I'm on finals Dx Here's the next one, hope you enjoy!

There had been no news of Joey ever since he got driven out of the hospital, but Sarah wasn't going to let her defenses down. She knew how "passionate" Joey could be when he wanted something, and all these months that he had been quiet made her suspicious of when he might surprise her again.

The news about Dr. Rhodes's confrontation with a lab technician had circulated quickly, making every corner a good place to hear gossip about it. Sarah had heard at least three different versions of what had happened by midday, none of them even close to what had actually happened. But what bothered her the most is that now she and Connor seemed to be everyone's center of attention.

As she made her way to the lab, she couldn't ignore the fact that almost every member of the medical staff stared at her, whispering behind her back and often signaling her way. She started to get increasingly nervous, feeling every look, and every comment directed at her. She hurried her step and headed to one of the examination rooms. Dr. Choi had paged her earlier about a new patient, ending her glee of only spending time at the lab. But on the other hand, Dr. Choi had been the only one who thought she was more than capable to get back to treating patients.

As she opened the door to room 301, she came face to face with a blonde boy who was hooked into a variety of machines and resting on a bed. He was alone; no sight of Dr. Choi or his parents anywhere around. He looked curious and annoyed by her presence.

"Who are you?"

"Sarah Reese." She replied, tripping slightly over her own words.

"Are you my doctor?"

"Um, no. I'm here to assist Dr. Choi."

The boy looked around the room in an exaggerated matter. "Well I don't see any Dr. Choi here, do you?"

"Um, well, you see-"

The boy didn't let her finish. "What are you, five? Stop with the mumbling already." He rolled his eyes.

Sarah furrowed her brow, slightly taken aback. She took a good look at the boy for the first time: He looked annoyed, but she gathered he would've gotten angry at anyone who walked through his door anyways. He looked tired, but overall, healthy, making her question why he was hooked up to so many machines and curious about his diagnosis.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen." He said quickly.

Sarah looked at him disbelievingly.

"Fine. Twelve." He added, rolling his eyes.

"And why are you here?" she said shutting the door and looking around the room, as if trying to find the answer herself.

"Gee, I don't know. I figured staying here for a week would be much better than playing soccer or hanging with my friends."

Sarah didn't reply and crossed the room to his medical file which hanged from the end of his bed. She took hold of the binder and went through the chart sheets. She paused for a second as she read his diagnosis.

The boy seemed to notice her pause. "Yeah, I have cancer, so what? It's not terminal."

"I-" she started, seeing in the charts just the opposite.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but if you came here to pity me then get the hell out. I have enough with my mom and stepdad. They're so overprotective it's stupid." He said annoyed, looking out the window.

Sarah smiled briefly, understanding him. "What's your name?"

"Nick."

"Well, Nick. I'm sure Dr. Choi won't be long. He'll be the one treating you."

The boy didn't answer, but instead started to look at her intensely, making her feel slightly self-conscious.

"What kind of doctor are you?"

"I'm a medical student. Fourth year."

"So you're like that hot girl? You know, from House? Except you're not dying."

Sarah smiled and scratched her neck, amused by the correlation. "Um no, Thirteen is an internist. I'm more inclined towards pathology."

The boy simply stared at her.

"I mean I want to diagnose diseases from examining organs, fluids, tissues… not actual people."

Nick nodded understandingly, suddenly seeming interested. "Huh. Maybe one day I'll become a doctor." He said more to himself than to her. "Maybe I'll discover the cure to this stupid disease. I don't know what you people think you're doing, but you're doing it wrong. Besides, I'd save people from spending lots of money and parents from crying all the time."

Sarah stood quiet, finding it hard to swallow her own saliva. When he looked at her again, she nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, maybe you will be a great doctor and discover a cure." She mentioned optimistically.

The door to the room opened abruptly, Dr. Choi making his way, a smile on his face.

"Hey, Nicholas. I'm Dr. Choi, and I'm going to be treating you. I see you met-"

"Yeah, yeah. Cut the crap, okay? We've met already."

Ethan paused, turning towards Sarah, a questioning glance on his face. She just shrugged her shoulders, smiling. She didn't know what it was about Nick that reminded her of someone… someone familiar that she couldn't pinpoint.

"Okay." Said Ethan joining both his hands together, a challenging expression adorning his features. "Let's get started on your examination."

Sarah left the room after a while, beaming. Nick's evaluation had been hilarious, with him making comments every minute and managing a dark humor that Sarah noticed Ethan hadn't caught. The entire evaluation had been a playful banter between him and Choi and silent laughs between him and Sarah. Her glee was slowly replaced by sadness as she recalled his diagnosis. This kid had his days counted and he had no idea, and that tugged at her heartstrings. This was why she preferred pathology: She didn't hurt when blood samples expired.

Her thoughts were diverted as she spotted some balloons awaiting one of the patients, reminding her of a more important issue right now: Connor's birthday was tomorrow.

Though he hadn't mentioned anything about it, Sarah wasn't one to let birthdays slip. Birthdays should never go uncelebrated on her agenda, and she was going to make damn sure that Connor's was the best one yet. She had a plan on how she was going to pull everything off tonight… but she was definitely going to need some help.

A buzz from her pocket made her draw out her phone. She smiled.

"Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful."

The sound of his voice calling her that melted her heart. "Hey." She replied almost dreamily.

"How are you? Do you have any plans for tonight?" said Connor.

Sarah chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Sorry, babe, but April, Maggie and I promised Nat we would help her decorate Owen's nursery." She lied easily. She felt a little guilty, but she knew the lie was for something good.

"Huh." He said, confused. Sarah bit her lip, feeling for him. Spending time with each other had been increasingly difficult considering that they both wanted to be under the radar since what had happened with Joey.

"I'm sorry, I know that's not the answer you were expecting." She replied gnawing at her lip.

"It's okay. You need time with the girls. It's been long since you guys hung out." He said understandingly.

"Rain check?" she said closing one eye, awaiting his answer.

"On one condition, though."

"What?"

"That you cancel any plans you have for tomorrow. I want us to spend time together… and there's something I need to say."

She furrowed her brow. What would he want to tell her? She felt herself get a bit lightheaded, but excited. "O-okay." She managed to say, chastising herself for the tremble in her voice, which Connor ignored.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Have fun with the girls, darling. Please call me when you get home, okay?"

"I will. Try to relax. You've had a busy week."

He chuckled. "Will do, princess."

The call ended way too soon for her liking, but she had to get some things done and fast. She walked to the ER where the girls were, and interrupted their chatting.

"Nat, if Connor asks, I'm at your house helping you paint the nursery, okay?"

Natalie looked at her, confused. "But we already did that last week."

"I know." She finished, earning a few confused looks from Maggie and April as well. Sarah shook her head. "Connor's birthday is tomorrow." She explained. "But I'm planning on surprising him tonight. I need you guys to cover for me in case he asks where I am until I see him."

Sarah watched as excitement slowly started filling their expressions.

"Aren't you going to tell us what you're planning?" said April batting her eyelashes.

"I can't right now." She said apologetic. "I'm running late and I still have to meet Ethan."

"Why?" she said confused.

"It's all part of the plan." She said dismissively.

"Well anything you need, let us know." Said Natalie. "Will and I can cover your shift and Connor's tomorrow if you want."

"Could you? He said he wanted to spend time together tomorrow. I'll repay you somehow I pro-"

"It's okay." She said grinning, a hand on her forearm. "Just… have fun. You deserve it." Maggie and April nodded, agreeing.

"Thanks guys." She said heartily. "I'll tell you how everything goes tomorrow." She said hastily running off to find Dr. Choi.

As she sprinted away, she heard April's voice through the busy crowd. "At least give us something, girl! The anticipation is going to kill me!"

Sarah turned and started walking backwards. "A truck and a comet!" she said, leaving them even more confused than they were before, and making her laugh.

Sarah hurried her pace, her white coat and bag in hand. She was late and needed to find Ethan as soon as possible. She walked through the lines of cars after getting a text to meet him at the parking lot. Suddenly the high beams of a car blinked twice almost blinding her. She shielded her eyes by raising her hand, the lights shutting down. It was then she realized the lights came from the pickup truck she was expecting to arrive: It was a blue and had a spacious open trunk. It was perfect. Just exactly what she had been looking for. The engine started, Ethan exiting from the driver's seat.

"It's all yours." He said happily. "I checked her this morning and saw no problems, but call me if she gives you any trouble." He said, his hands in his pockets.

"I will. Thanks so much for this. I owe you big time."

"It's okay." He said shrugging his shoulders. "Just try to have fun. You deserve it."

Sarah frowned. "Natalie said the same thing just now."

"Well, it's because it's true. You're one of the hardest working students in this hospital. And besides, you need to go easy on things right now. You're still on recovery."

Sarah smiled sincerely. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He said, his lips curving up. "I hope you have a nice time with Rhodes."

Sarah halted her step and looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. She hadn't mentioned that she was going out with Connor at all, but Ethan didn't seem to care about it. Sarah finally nodded, getting inside the driver's seat and checking the gear in front of her. Ethan had explained how everything worked a few days ago, so she had no problem on leaving the parking lot and heading to her place. Once she arrived, she hurried inside her bedroom and gathered a packed duffel bag and quickly changed her outfit to jeans and converse. She then grabbed some food and supplies from the kitchen and exited her apartment and drove to Connor's house, praying that everything turned out according to plan.

She parked in front as quietly as possible, dimmed the lights as to not raise any suspicion and hurried and climbed the steps quietly. As she stood in front of the door, she took a moment to calm herself down. Her adrenaline levels were still high, her ears ringing slightly. She took a deep breath and rang the bell.

If Sarah ever felt strongly about something, it was with certainty the wait between ringing a doorbell and waiting for the person inside to open the door. She felt a weird feeling set in her stomach. A mixture between anxiety and excitement. Whatever the feeling was, she didn't actually know if she liked it or not. All that she knew is that she'd remember it forever.

The door finally opened, revealing a slightly tired-looking Connor Rhodes. His hand, scratching behind his neck, suddenly dropped to his side as he saw her. She grinned at his expression: he looked stunned, but definitely pleased to see her.

"Sarah? Wh-? Aren't you supposed to be at Nat's?"

"Slight change of plans." She said. "I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drive."

He furrowed his brow, his confusion turning into a slight laugh. "A drive?"

She witnessed his eyes travel past her and set in the neatly parked truck. He tried to speak, but closed his mouth immediately. He then laughed. "What's this about?"

"Well, in about a few hours it's going to be your birthday." she climbed up the remaining steps and stood face to face with the doctor. "I wanted to do something to celebrate. Something special." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"And where exactly are we going?" he asked getting closer to her.

Sarah pursed her lips. "I could tell you right now…" she said giving the idea some feigned thought. "Or we could make things a little more interesting."

Connor arched an eyebrow as he saw the girl retrieve a blindfold from behind her. He smiled. "So basically I'm supposed to go with you to someplace I don't know, blindfolded, and in the middle of the night. How do I know you're not abducting me?" He asked, cheekily.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders. "You don't."

Connor laughed once again. "Come here." He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. Sarah returned the kiss softly, exhaling as she felt his arms circle around her, holding her in place. She was the happiest she had ever been, and it was all because of him.

They broke apart after a few seconds. "I don't know what you're planning in that twisted, beautiful mind of yours, Sarah Reese, but I can already say this is going to be the best birthday I've had yet."

Sarah grinned, and pecked his lips. "Then let's go." She said excitedly and walking behind him to bind his blindfold. "We have to get there by midnight."

The sky started turning to a darker shade of blue by the minute, with stars boldly crowding it, almost begging to be noticeable. The drive was filled with simple chatter that made Sarah feel at ease. She felt comfortable talking to him about the hospital and mundane things, but also about life's many trials and enigmas. There was something about Connor that made her open up easily, revealing things she hadn't even told April or the girls... Not even Joey. She felt she could be free to speak her mind and not be judged, no matter how crazy, intrepid or silly her thoughts were.

The drive to their destination made Sarah discover that Connor was not a patient man. The highway was clear, so he kept wondering why there was no sound of cars or the city's nightly uproar. She could've sworn that he had asked for hints about their location at least ten times in the last twenty minutes.

"For the last time, no, I won't say anything. And stop asking because you're going to make me go insane." She said gripping the steering wheel, searching for the trial marker in the road.

"That's the point, I want to make you go insane." He said, emphasizing on the "want".

Sarah rolled her eyes, smiling. He was just talking nonsense now, and she knew it wouldn't be long before he asked her again to give him a clue.

"Are we there yet?" he asked after less than two minutes.

"You are seriously the most impatient man I've ever met." She groaned before laughing heartily.

"Well, can you blame me? A beautiful woman walked to my doorstep and told me she wanted to take me for a drive, but didn't say where. How can I not be curious?"

Sarah shook her head, but focused on the road as she saw the road marker, getting excited. She drove off road into a grass field, slowing down. They were far away from the city now, the place illuminated by the stars and moonlight.

Sarah came to a stop, Making Connor go suddenly quiet.

"We're here." She almost whispered after a while.

Connor reached tentatively behind the blindfold and undid the knot when he heard no reprimands from the medical student. He blinked a few times once the piece of fabric was off, his eyes adjusting to the view. His gaze centered on the girl, who looked at him interestingly. He then took a good look at his surroundings, his forehead creasing.

"Where are we?"

Sarah didn't reply and exited the vehicle, Connor following suit. He was immediately hit by the chilliness of the night and dumbfounded by the amount of twinkling stars gathered in the sky, making it look endless.

Sarah watched him stare in wonder and felt warm inside. He looked like a boy, marveled by nature's miracles.

"Help me with this?" she said to him, grabbing some blankets inside the duffel bag that sat in the trunk. Connor nodded, confused. They managed to set the blankets on the trunk, softening its base. Sarah pulled out some cushions and pillows and organized them around the sheets of fabric, giving Connor an idea of what they were doing that night.

After she had reached for a bag that was next to the driver's seat, Sarah put her hands on her hips, breathing slowly. She then noticed Connor looking at her and climbed to the back of the truck, tapping at her side while looking at him. Connor shook his head smiling and climbed after her.

"Tell me, Doctor Rhodes. What do you know about astronomy?" she said, retrieving a coffee mug from the bag and taking a sip from it before resting her weight on a pillow looking up, her arms resting on her stomach.

"Not much, Sarah Reese." He said sardonically, lying down with a hand on the back of his head, taking a sip of the coffee as well.

She swallowed. "There was this comet that soared across the sky a few years ago before I was born, in 1986. The Halley Comet. My mom and dad got to experience it when they were dating, and my dad kept telling me stories about it as I grew up. It was on that night that he asked my mom to marry him." She sighed, smiling, Connor mirroring her expression. "I made myself a promise that when I saw that comet again, I'd be surrounded by people I love. People I cherish." She said nodding to herself. "The next time the comet soars again, I'll be 72." She said laughing, Connor following suit.

"So why are we here then?" he asked, resting his head on his hand, looking at her, interested.

Sarah sighed happily. "72 is a long way to go. I wanted to take a drive and watch the stars tonight because there's a meteor shower happening because of Halley's Comet. In about a few hours, the Eta Aquarid meteors will be visible. It's going to be one of the finest showers of the year, but you can only appreciate the meteors well if you're far from the city lights." She said, growing quiet suddenly. Connor waited for her to continue, looking back up to the stars, both getting lost in the lit firmament.

"I just wanted to feel that closeness again, and share it with you." She said finally. "This is, somehow, a way to connect to my family between all the daily ruckus and things I have to do. It's like a miracle." She said sighing, knowing that what she was about to say might ruin the whole night. "I know that you and your family have been apart for some time. I can tell from the way you react when the subject comes up. " She broke in lightly, noticing him tense up. Sarah readjusted her position and looked directly at him. "I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk about it, I'll always be here to listen. I'd never judge you, Connor. You're one of the most important people in my life now."

Connor clenched his jaw, still not looking at her. Sarah didn't mean for him to remember his birthday like this, thinking about his family issues, but she needed him to know. She needed him to know she was here.

"I'm always going to be here for you, Connor Rhodes." She said, mirroring what he had said to her that night at the hospital's roof after they had fought.

Connor turned and looked at her directly. He felt vulnerable, Sarah could tell, but that didn't stop them both from kissing lightly. It was a reassuring kiss. A kiss that egged him on to start talking.

"My mom." He paused. "When I was younger, she…" he paused again. Sarah got closer to him, running a hand though his hair lightly, relaxing him. "My mom killed herself when I was younger." He said finally, crossing his arms, Sarah tensing up at his confession. She blinked a few times before continuing caressing his hair, reassuring.

Connor sighed. "That's why I left. I left my family and headed to Mexico, where I could be away from everyone and everything. My sister and I hardly talk since then. My father… we've been apart as well." He ended, his jaw clenched again. "It was hard for us all."

Sarah kissed the side of his head, while he looked up at the stars, getting lost in them. She felt so guilty for bringing up the topic, but there was no turning back now. She had to do everything in her power to help him, just as he had helped her. He had been through so much, and not once had he ever played a victim, and that shook her.

"I know I'm not one to have a say in these things. But if my psychology sessions taught me anything, is that talking about things that upset you makes you feel better. It helps you move on, and I'll be here when you want to take that step. You're not alone."

Connor looked at her, the most serious Sarah had ever seen him. He breathed lightly, finally drawing a small smile, making Sarah feel at ease. He reached and held the back of her neck, bringing her to him, slowly kissing her. He looked at her adoringly and lied down with her against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, caressing her hair smoothly. They didn't speak, both enjoying the moment, resting in a sanctuary built between them.

The minutes passed, Sarah feeling herself start to fall asleep as Connor caressed her tresses, but she opened her eyes when she heard something flash. She looked at the sky, her eyes opening wide.

"Look."

They both stared as dozens of lights flew across from each other as if they were dancing. Sarah couldn't help but stand, trying to get closer to the spectacle above her. Connor did the same, but after a while of admiring the view set his eyes on the person in front of her. How had he gotten so lucky? He had everything he needed right in front of him. He smiled emotionally as he saw the girl he loved get lost in the flashing of lights. He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. They stayed like that for a moment before Connor whispered something to her.

"Remember that I told you earlier there was something I wanted to tell you?" he felt her go a little tense. "Is it okay if I just tell you now?"

Sarah gulped, but nodded, still looking up.

Connor pulled her a tad closer to her. "I wanted to tell you that you're beautiful. That you're lovely and smart. You're perfect. If I had a hundred lives, I would choose you every single time. You've changed me, Sarah Reese, and I don't know how. I just know that I'm a better man because of you, and I just know that I'm deeply and undeniably in love with you."

Sarah's eyes went wide, and turned around, looking at him. He was smiling warmly, melting her heart, the feeling she was feeling not in any way comparable to seeing a thousand stars fly. It was much better than that. A million times better.

"I love you, Sarah Reese. And I have to ask." He paused, Sarah looking expectant and nervous.

"Will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?

Sooo? Tell me what you thought? I'd love to know :)