Gail finished off the last bit of wine and set her empty glass onto the table in front of the sofa. "Okay," she adjusted herself on the cushion so that she sat facing Holly, "let's play 21 questions…or I guess just question each other until I decide I want to take your pants off" she chuckled.
"Alright, but I'm going first since you're in a torturing mood" she smiled, placing her glass down and mirroring Gail. "If you could be anything other than a cop, what would you choose to be?"
She answered quickly. "Easy. I'd do something that would let me be around kids…even though they're all gross and germy" she wrinkled her nose.
It made sense to Holly. Even though Gail was hard around the edges, not once did she see her refuse an opportunity to watch over Leo. Sometimes she had even called Traci and told her about the plans she had made for just the two of them and Traci would agree because she noticed that he loved Aunt Gail as much as she loved him. She'd patiently help him with homework, take him out to see kid-friendly movies, buy him the best gifts, fatten him up with McDonalds, and even teach him a little bit of how to sign; it was cute. Whenever she and Holly would pass the park, she would catch Gail looking at all the little tykes running around having fun and slowly a small smile would creep onto her face.
She took both of her hands and let her fingers fall between her own. "What do you want me to cook for you tomorrow?"
"You can cook?" Holly's eyebrows rose.
Gail rolled her eyes, "Yes Holly, I can cook. Thanks for believing in me, nerd"
"If you can cook then why have we been eating takeout or why have I been the one to make dinners?" she asked, not believing that Gail, lover of anything greasy, had a chef's hand.
"One, I've wanted to cook on more than one occasion but you always insisted that you'd do it. Two, your cooking is amazing. And three, why would I ever resist having takeout?"
"I'm going to take your word and let you cook for me…so I guess I should send some texts out so that if I don't return on Monday everyone will know why" she joked.
Gail lightly shoved her shoulder. "Hardy har har, you're sooooo funny Holly".
"God, I know" she replied, pompously flipping her hair over her shoulder causing Gail to break her stern composure and giggle. She loved her laugh. The way the ends of her mouth would curl up and show a full-teethed grin. The way the pitch of her voice got higher; she'll never forget the first time she heard her genuinely laugh. It was when she took her to the batting cages. When she fearfully chucked the bat to the ground and refused to try again, yet let Holly guide her through it later on.
"Hol, you're in your own world again"
"Huh? Yea, sorry. Uh, just surprise me with the food. Anything is okay". She broke eye contact with Gail and stared at their hands, gently squeezing. "Does anyone other than Steve know…about us?"
Gail knew what she was asking; by anyone, she meant her mother or father. It's not that she didn't want to tell them about her; it was just that she felt her happiness with Holly was none of their business to possibly criticise. Her father had always been supportive of her choices and no matter what, their relationship was a good one, although sometimes Elaine's rigid character would cause him to take her side. It didn't matter who she brought home, there would always be something that made him non-deserving of Gail according to her mother. With Nick, he'd break her heart being shipped off whenever the military needed him plus, "he brags about himself as if I should be impressed by his time spent in Afghanistan". And with Chris well, "Craig" should sum that one up. She was afraid that like all the others, she'd be disapproving of Holly; not because she's a woman, but because of some other petty reasons she'd make up in that head of hers. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to run Holly out of her life, but over the past few weeks she's been slowly working up the courage to break the news to her family; it was what she wanted and what Holly deserved. Gail softly placed her hand under Holly's chin and lifted her face, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. "No, they don't know about us" she began, "But I have been thinking about it lately and I think I'm ready for it". She kissed Holly reassuringly and started on the next question. "What was your first impression of me?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood again.
Holly grinned, remembering how she sauntered down the hill and straight passed the cop with the platinum blond hair. "Well to be completely honest, I didn't even notice you until you spewed your insults at me. I thought you were a huge bitch after that happened"
"Gee thanks" Another eye roll.
"But when I turned around, you literally made my heart stop" She could see Gail's pale cheeks turning pink. "You were a bitchy drop dead gorgeous woman who I was sure would crush my heart if I ever even tried to get close to you. And then you came to the lab with me and I realised that I was completely wrong about the bitch part; you're grouchy sometimes, but not a total bitch"
A look of concern crossed Gail's face. "You still thought I'd hurt you?"
"Falling for a stunning straight girl tends to not go so well"
"Yet you still insisted on putting your number in my phone and me putting mine in yours" she smirked, remembering Holly stumble her way through her words that entire day.
"And you can only imagine how much I was kicking myself on my way home"
"But I texted you that night"
"You did" Holly leaned forward and placed her lips on Gail's.
3 & A Half Months Ago: The Morgue…
"I mean I'm a lesbian" Holly was comfortable with who she was. There was never a time when she feared that someone wouldn't like her because of how she was labelled. If anyone had a problem with her liking women then they didn't need to be in her life.
"Oh," Didn't see that coming. "I mean I hate people" she shrugged it off as if it was nothing because that's what the confession was; it was nothing to harp on and nothing to make her hate the forensic pathologist.
Holly smiled as she watched Officer Peck put her coat on and head for the door. She nipped on her bottom lip nervously and her words gushed out before she could even think. "Uh, if you don't have to get back to 15 right now do you maybe want to grab a coffee from the Tim's across the street?"
"Sure. Just don't bring your lunchbox…and you might want to spray yourself with some perfume before we go out in public" she joked.
While they sat and enjoyed their coffees, they talked casually. Mostly about work and where they had gone to school, if they'd always lived in Toronto, and what good restaurants they'd been to. Of course, throughout the duration of their talk Gail had thrown plenty of snide remarks, but Holly was sure to throw some of her own back.
It couldn't have been more than 30 minutes before Holly finally checked the time on her phone. "Well Officer, as much as I'd like to hear about how much you hate my career choice, I need to get back to that dead person you so kindly assigned me to"
"Yea I should probably get back to all the people who are up and walking in 15. And it's Gail" she smiled.
Wow, she's even prettier when she smiles. Do it Holly, just do it. "Here, let me put my number in your phone so you can text me if something new comes up with the case and I'll put yours in mine if I find anything too" she suggested, handing her phone to Gail.
"If I didn't know any better I'd think this is totally not for work purposes Dr. Stewart" she grinned and pulled her cell out of her pocket.
"It's Holly" she smiled back before moving her thumbs across the blonde's phone.
Later that night as Holly was changing into her usual nightwear her phone lit up on the dresser. She finished pulling her t-shirt over her head and reached for it, reading the name that popped up on the screen.
Officer Hilarious Hotpants: As an officer of the law I'm obliged to ask if you got home okay or if the dead started walking and killed you
Holly laughed to herself and typed back, she would have been lying to herself if she was actually expecting Gail to text her.
Holly: 'Officer Hilarious Hotpants'? Really? And no, no one came back to life and killed me
Officer Hilarious Hotpants: Uh, it's better than what you put in mine Ms. 'Dr. Awesome'. I would've stuck with 'Dr. Smelly' or 'Dr. With The Gross Job'.
She rolled her eyes and continued to type.
Holly: It's not THAT bad. What's so great about being a cop anyway other than arresting people who give you sass?
Officer Hilarious Hotpants: Um, everything? Come to the Black Penny later and I'll show you all of my not so cool cop friends?
Was she really being asked to see her again?
Holly: So that's what you guys do on a Thursday night? Sure.
Officer Hilarious Hotpants: Hey, what do you do on a Thursday night? Read your essays? Review your medical jurisprudence? Watch re-runs of CSI?
Gail pulled herself out of the pile of blankets and held her arm out to Holly. "Come. I want to show you something" She led her to the large glass sliding door at the back of the cottage and began to take her clothes off.
Holly let her head fall back and threw her hands in the air. "Finally!"
She flicked on the switch to the light outside, revealing a hot tub on the deck. "Sex outside in a hot tub. Yes or no?"
"Hell yes" Holly responded, eagerly taking off her own clothes.