Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time.
AN: I had a guest ask for an AU where David and Mary Margaret are doctors. I hope I did this one justice. I don't watch a lot of doctor shows, but I tried. Hope you like it. For the purpose of this story, let's pretend Storybrooke is more like a mid-sized city rather than a small town.
Once Upon a Snowing
Toll Bridge
Dr. Mary Margaret Blanchard nearly collapsed on her office chair. Most days, she loved being a doctor, but days like today were the toughest. There had been a very bad accident in early morning traffic. A car full of teenagers ran a red light and were T-boned by a semi. The teen driving had been texting and it was a horrific scene. The two in the front seat were pronounced dead on the scene and the two in back had been rushed to the Emergency Room at Storybrooke General.
She had taken one of them and Dr. Nolan had taken the other. She had been best friends with David Nolan since the time they were very small. She'd grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth, but her friendship with him had always kept her humble. David's family was very poor and their farm failed when his father died when he was just six. After that, her parents had hired Ruth as her nanny, which led to the two of them being nearly inseparable, so much so that they had even followed each other to medical school in Boston.
After graduating, she had come home to Storybrooke General for her residency, shortly after her parents died when their private jet crashed. Working at home in Storybrooke had allowed her to tie up their estate while fulfilling her dream of a career in medicine.
David had stayed in Boston to complete his residency since at the time he was engaged to Kathryn, whom he had met during college. Mary had never liked the cold, simpering Kathryn Midas much and didn't shed a tear when the engagement ended.
At that point, David had come home when a spot opened up at Storybrooke General.
Truth be told, she was thrilled to have him back home. Two years had been the longest she'd ever gone without seeing him and when he moved home, it was like no time had passed at all between them.
They were still partners in crime, best friends forever, and nearly inseparable once again.
So when she saw him standing in her doorway, looking about as broken as she did, she knew that they would do this together too.
"Bad?" she asked. He nodded.
"She's alive...but her brain was without oxygen too long. There was nothing I could do," he replied. She took a staggering breath.
"I feel like I didn't do enough," she croaked and she welcomed it, as he folded her in his arms.
"Hey...there was too much damage. There was no repairing that head wound. It is not your fault," he insisted. She nodded. She knew it wasn't. This was the nature of their practice. They would never be able to save every patient. That was just the reality of life.
"Have you told the family yet?" she asked softly.
"No...both families are in the waiting room. I thought maybe we could tell both families together," he suggested. She nodded.
"Together," she echoed. Like they did everything. He offered his hand and she took it, as they made their way out to the waiting room.
After tears and words that would never console those families, they had walked to the cafeteria in silence, still in their bloodied scrubs. He ordered their favorite drink, two hot chocolates with cinnamon, and they sat in silence, sipping at the warm, sweet liquid with her head on his shoulder.
"Let's go home," he suggested. They lived in the same building, her on the 3rd floor loft and him down on the first floor walk out, mostly so his mother didn't have to climb any stairs. So it was only logical that they carpooled to work.
"Okay," she agreed, as they walked out to the car after gathering their coats.
Once they arrived at their building, he walked her up to her door and she found herself not wanting to leave him.
"Do you want to come in?" she asked.
"Yes...but I'm not sure I should," he admitted. She looked at him in confusion.
"Why? You come in all the time," she replied.
"I know...it's just today's events made me realize how little time we might have and I need to stop wasting it," he said.
"I'm not sure I understand," she replied.
"I ended my engagement with Kathryn, not the other way around," he confessed.
"I know...you told me you two weren't getting along and it wasn't working anymore," she recalled. He took a deep, staggering breath.
"Not really...I ended it because I didn't love her. I couldn't, because I'm in love with you," he revealed, watching her emerald eyes widen in surprise.
"You...you love me?" she stammered.
"I'm pretty sure I always have," he muttered, waiting for her to drop the hammer on him. But instead, he watched her face eclipse with a smile.
"I love you too...I think I always have too," she admitted, as they stared at each other for several seconds, before they crashed together, lips meeting with feverish kisses.
Mary broke the kiss long enough to fumble with her keys, but she found it very hard to focus on the keyhole with him behind her, practically devouring her neck. They hurried inside and slammed the door closed, as they resumed kissing. She fumbled with the buttons on his shirt and finally managed to rid him of it. He pulled his lips away from hers long enough to pull her top over her head, before hands resumed touch and lips kissing.
"Are...are you sure?" he asked, between passion filled kisses.
"Oh yeah…" she replied breathlessly, as the rest of their clothing was pulled away in desperation until there was only skin between them and they hit the bed.
Sometime later...
They collapsed together, sweat glistening from their skin, chests heaving, and bodies sated. She rested stop his chest, as they bathed in the afterglow of their incredible lovemaking. They lay together, just drinking each other in, and gazing into one another's eyes most of the night, making love several more times, before slumber finally took them.
When they awoke late the next morning, their bliss remained, as they each felt complete at last.
"I love you…" he whispered, as he pressed kisses along her neck.
"And I love you...I never want to be apart again," she answered.
"Good...because you're never getting rid of me again," he teased and she giggled.
"Do you promise?" she asked and he pressed his lips to hers again.
"You're stuck with me," he replied, as he pinched her rear. She gasped in mock outrage, as he tackled her and started tickling her. They finally settled down and he enjoyed just holding in his arms.
"We should probably get ready for our shifts," she suggested, as they kissed lazily.
"Mmm...we could save time by showering together," she suggested, wriggling his eyebrows playfully. She giggled.
"That's not going to save time," she said.
"But it will be fun anyway," he replied. She smirked and dashed into the bathroom, as he chased her in.
Later, while she was getting ready, he ran down to check on his mother.
"Sorry I wasn't home last night, mother," he said. But Ruth only smiled.
"I don't mind, especially since you were with Mary," she gushed. He smirked.
"You know?" he asked.
"It's written all over your face," she replied and he ducked his head shyly.
"I love her," he told her. She nodded.
"I know...I'm so glad you've finally gotten around to admitting it," she said and he chuckled.
"There's no getting anything past you, is there?" he asked rhetorically.
"A mother knows her son. And now that you've finally wised up, I have something for you," she said, as she removed her ring from her finger and placed it in his palm.
"Mom...this is the ring that Dad gave you," he protested.
"True love always follows this ring and I think we both know it belongs on Mary's finger," Ruth stated.
"You didn't give this to me when I proposed to Kathryn," he commented.
"Kathryn was a nice young woman, but I knew she'd never make you happy the way Mary does. I had my hopes that you'd realize it sooner rather than later. You had me a little worried there for a while," she replied. He smiled and kissed his mother's forehead.
"I love you," he said.
"And I love you, my son. Now go, you'll be late for work. Bring Mary by with you soon?" Ruth asked. He nodded with a smile.
"I will," he agreed, as he left for the day. He met Mary outside by his truck.
"Is everything okay with Ruth?" she asked. He nodded and kissed her tenderly.
"She's great...happy for us," he mentioned.
"She knew all along, didn't she?" she asked knowingly. He nodded and opened her door for her.
"I told her we'd come by tonight. But I thought maybe before that...you and I could take a walk after our shift, you know out by the old Toll bridge," he suggested. She grinned.
"We haven't been there in years. We used to play out there all the time," she mentioned.
"And you pushed me in the stream when we were eight," he reminded. She gasped.
"You pulled my hair!" she defended herself and he chuckled.
"Details," he joked, as she got in the truck, giving him a playful look. He grinned, as he hurried over to the driver's side. Yes, the Toll bridge would be the perfect place to bring them full circle. From childhood best friends, to colleagues, to lovers, and finally to future husband and wife...