Lucy's morning at the hospital had gone from bad to worse. She had attempted to go to the gym before work but had forgotten to bring her scrubs with her. She was forced to run home and change causing her to be a good half hour late for the day. The Chief of Medicine, Makarov, had then forced her to assist the lab in testing urine samples as part of some kind of sick punishment game. The only upside was this meant she would get to spend part of her day with her best friend, Levy.
Levy's specialty was testing. She could read bodily humors as if they were a language. She was a very petite woman with shoulder length blue hair secured with a headband and orange scrubs hidden beneath a lab coat. Her crew in testing was a pair of very competitive young men named Jet and Droy. They often fought fruitlessly for Levy's affections, but always left the girls alone when there was something Levy and Lucy needed to discuss.
"So Natsu is taking you out tonight, right?" Levy asked her friend with a wink as she inspected the coloring of a test strip.
"Shhhh. Levy! I told you I don't want to talk about it at work! You know how crazy people around here are!" Lucy shushed her friend, but to no avail.
"Oh, come on Lu-Chan. It's just us in the lab. Jet and Droy don't care about your romantic life, right boys?"
"Not unless she's trying to steal you away!" Jet replied with a wink. This caused Droy to punch Jet's shoulder, uttering something about how Levy would never choose the orange haired male over himself. Levy just giggled at their antics.
"So where is he taking you, Lu?" Levy asked, returning her attention to her best female friend.
"We have a reservation at 8 Island at 7 pm." Lucy answered Levy's question while dipping a test strip into a small vial of urine. "I think this is a UTI." Levy inspected the test strip Lucy handed her and nodded, jotting the result down on a sheet of paper. "Honestly, who knew Natsu even knew how to make reservations."
"From what you described about how he asked you out, he does sound much more romantic than I would have pegged him to be." Levy replied.
"Honestly, Levy-chan, it kind of scares me." Lucy let out an exasperated sigh as she continued working with more samples. "I mean, I just feel like he'll get bored. Romance doesn't seem like him, but here he is making it happen just for me. As flattering as that is, what will happen when he gets sick of doing these gestures or we settle into a routine... things get more calm and simple... What will happen when we lose our excitement?"
"Lu-chan, listen to you. You haven't even officially gone on a first date and your already overthinking about what will happen when you get out of the honeymoon phase. I don't think you need to be worried. That boy cares about you so much. He would do anything to see you smile."
Lucy tried to believe what Levy said, but she couldn't help the doubts that swam through her mind. She knew Natsu. She knew he loved thrill-seeking and adventure. He had once told her that is why he became a surgeon. Each patient was a new problem to be fixed in a finite matter of time. The thrill of having someone's life in his hands made him feel like a hero. Like he was searching out the wrongs of the world and extracting them in a way that only he could, working off instinct to cut out the evil. Man could he dramatize situations. She couldn't deny that was what she loved about him. His adventure-seeking imagination. However, it wasn't something she could relate to.
As an oncologist, Lucy's job was less like an adventure. At the most she would say it was a journey. Someone would come to her as if they were lost in a dark forest with danger looming at every corner. All she could do was try to guide them out of the forest and hopefully back to a peaceful meadow. It was a long and tiring journey, and it was hard for her to watch her patients endure so much hardship and pain. The path she tracked out for each patient was well thought out and meticulous. Nothing was ever done on a whim. No matter what happened, she always made sure her smile was warm and her disposition was cheerful, even if her heart was breaking. She knew those who came to her had enough gloom.
Lucy knew she wasn't spontaneous. Everything in her life had always been planned out. She couldn't cope with uncertainty very well. She didn't do too much outside of work. Her adventures were sought after through black ink on a white page. Her fear was that Natsu would grow tired of her routined life. Grow tired of her. She wanted to be enough for him. She truly admired his spontaneous spirit. She just hoped some of it would rub off on her.
Today was a particularly hard day to be in Lucy's shoes because one of her patients was not doing so well. Karen Lilica was only a few years older than Lucy, and despite the horrible sibling rivalry she had with her brother and sister, Lucy really had a heart for her. Karen was an astrologist, one who happened to believe the stars were gateways to special power, even to one's past or future. Karen had been staying at Fairy Tail Advanced Medical Center for a few weeks now, suffering from a terrible cancer that was slowly draining her life force. Lucy prided herself on having great relationships with her patients and would often spend her lunch breaks at their sides. Today she ate with Karen and listened as the older woman told her all about astrology. Karen explained to Lucy her theories on astrology, and what she believes happens to human souls when their bodies die.
Lucy listened intently, but she could tell Karen was not holding up well and urged her to save her strength. This only caused Karen to prod Lucy with questions, asking for stories about the blonde's life. Lucy told her about her mother, a beautiful woman who died of a rare cancer, and Lucy's inspiration for choosing the medical field instead of join her father's company. She told her a silly story about the doll she had as a child, which she had named Gonzales for reasons she could not remember. Lucy also told her about Natsu, how they met at medical school and became instant friends and now they were about to go on a date after all this time. She kept talking until Karen fell asleep and Lucy's lunch break was over.
Strange enough, Karen's younger brother, Loke, actually worked with Lucy on the oncology floor of FTAMC. He was just stopping by to check in with his sister when, much to Lucy's chagrin, Loke had overheard Lucy admit to dating Natsu and now wouldn't leave her alone about it. Loke was the playboy doctor type, and would constantly try his efforts at flirting with Lucy. He occasionally called her his work wife, his goddess, or his princess. As irritating as she found his behavior, she knew he was just messing around. He followed her through the halls of the oncology floor, teasing her all the way.
"My princess!" Loke pinned dramatically, "How could you do this to me!"
"Shut up, Loke..." Lucy was not in the mood for his antics today.
"But how could you ever reject me for that... that..."
"What, Loke?"
"I don't know... toddler?" He shrugged, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.
"Natsu is not a toddler." She pouted.
"Lucy, the other day he got all excited because the gift shop started selling stuffed dragons. He wouldn't shut up about it." He looked at her with a flat expression.
"So? He's not a toddler. He just... likes... dragons..." Lucy tried to say that as if it wasn't a weak defense.
"Lucy..." Loke stopped walking and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to turn to him. His tone had suddenly gone serious. "I just don't want him to hurt you. He just doesn't seem smart enough for a girl like you, or serious enough for a real relationship." Lucy froze in response to his words but tried not to show any signs that she might share the same concerns. She felt Loke wrap his arms around her in a tight hug. "Besides, only a brave knight deserves a princess." Lucy could feel the smirk planted on Loke's face. That is about the point that she gave the flirty male a nice Lucy Kick to the groin. He fell over onto the floor with tears in his eyes, laughing at his own fake attempt to sway her affections.
The rest of Lucy's appointments for the day had gone smoothly. She had attempted to visit Karen again before she left for the day but she was sleeping. The blonde was hopeful that the next day would bring better things for her patient. Taking the elevator to the first floor, she excitedly turned her thoughts to her plans for the evening. Her big date with Natsu. The energetic surgeon met her by the front doors at five when their shifts ended and walked with her to her apartment, refusing to take the bus. Natsu had jogged to work that morning and could not be in a vehicle he did not drive without getting sick. After dropping her off, he made his way home to shower and prepare for their reservations.
Lucy showered and rummaged through her closet for the little black dress she had been dying to wear since she bought it months earlier. It had a simple design, black with white lace lining the inside of the scoop neckline leading to a white bow between her breasts, with more lace following along her ribcage and the bottom of the hem. A white belt was added to accent her hips, causing the fabric to hug tighter to her curves. Her hair was fixed up into a bun, ends fanning out to crown her head, a few soft tendrils left in the front framed her face. She was all ready to impress that hunky best friend of hers... though she figured they were more than best friends now.
Natsu picked her up in his vintage red convertible. His father had left it to him when he died, along with the white and black scaly scarf that was tied around his neck every second of every day- as long as he wasn't in the operating room, of course. Tonight it was wrapped around the collar of a blood red button down shirt, which trailed down to a pair of black dress pants. They arrived at 8 Island around 6:45, thanks to Lucy's- usual- habit of being extremely punctual. They were forced to wait in line until their reservation was ready. Despite the romantic atmosphere, Natsu was his same happy-go-lucky self. On the way there he had told Lucy about the fight he and Gray had gotten into during surgery earlier that day. Lucy laughed so hard she snorted as Natsu described Erza's menacing expression in great detail. In the end he still maintains he won the fight even though it had been broken up.
Natsu's expression got real serious as he wrapped his arms tightly around Lucy, holding her close to his chest. At first she was flustered that were here so many people around but if he didn't care, neither would she. "I missed you during lunch today, Luce." He whispered the words into her ear. She couldn't help but notice the immense heat radiating off his body. She closed her eyes and snuggled into him. "It was so boring without you." Lucy's eyes flew open, betraying her inner panic at hearing him say that word. Boring. Even with it being followed by the sentiment without you, Lucy couldn't help but be reminded of how easily Natsu gets bored.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Lucy was left with no time to overthink before her beeper started going off frantically. Natsu stepped away from her and let out an a sigh as she removed the small device from her purse along with her phone. The small screen read, "911" followed by the number of the FTAMC oncology floor. She wasted no time in pulling the number up on her phone and hitting the call button.
"Lucy?" The voice of Lucy's assistant Virgo was frantic and out of breath. Hinting at a true emergency.
"What's going on Virgo? What's wrong?" Lucy was filled with a new kind of panic. Natsu was staring at her intensely, trying to the read the conversation through Lucy's facial expressions.
"It... It's Karen." Lucy's eyes widened with dread at Virgo's words. Natsu stiffened, immediately catching that the situation was serious. Virgo continued, "We need you to come down here. We're losing her Lucy... Loke is the only doctor in tonight but you know he can't deal with this alone. Do you think you could finish his shift?"
"Reservation for Dragneel, your table is ready." The maitre d' called for the pair near the entrance, but neither moved a muscle. Lucy was torn between so many emotions. Disappointment, fear, sorrow, compassion. She looked into Natsu's eyes apologetically.
"I'll be right there, Virgo." She hung up the phone. "Natsu, I'm really sorry but I can't do this tonight, I have to go. I need to get to the hospital. It's... It's..." Lucy trailed off, trying not to break into sobs.
"It's okay, Luce, there will be other nights. Lemme drive you over, okay?" Natsu wrapped an arm around her and led her back over to the car. She silently sobbed into his shoulder as he sat her in the passenger's seat. In the distance they could hear the maitre d' calling out "Dragneel, party of two, last call..."
Lucy was thankful Natsu had let her cry the entire drive to the hospital. Not that it was far, Mongolia wasn't that big of a city. But it gave her the time necessary to get her emotions in check. He stayed with her until they reached Karen's suite and remained just outside the door, trying to offer Lucy any form of silent support possible. Walking into Karen's room in the patient's wing of the oncology floor, Lucy couldn't help but feel embarrassed that she was still in her date attire, but she pushed it aside to go straight to business. Unfortunately by the time she got there, there wasn't much left to do. The oncology staff was well trained, and a case like Karen's left little to be done. All that was left now was for Karen to say her goodbyes to her family.
Even with all the drama going on, it was hard not to notice that Karen and Loke had an odd family. Their sister Aries was a pale, skittish girl with fluffy pink curls, strange considering the straight green hair Karen had before her chemo and Loke's spiky orange hair. Their parents were something else. Their father, Rex, lived up to his name. He was very regal looking, but his most grabbing feature was the long, white moustache that seemed to spill right out of his nostrils. Their mother, Bobbie, was hardly noticeable as a woman. Probably because she was bald and her voice was on the masculine side. She was a rather large woman, and the outfit she wore was the most horrid shade of bright pink. It made Lucy wonder if the woman was compensating for something.
Lucy listened as Karen and her family swapped heartfelt words in her last moments. She wished she could say this was the first or even second time she was forced to witness such a melancholy situation. In spite of her tragedic lot, Lucy couldn't help but think that Karen seemed to speak without any fear as she consoled her already grieving family. It was almost like she knew this was going to happen. As Karen took her last breath she smiled, eyes closing, welcoming her ascent into the great unknown. Into the stars.
Lucy had the unfortunate task of reporting the time of death, but she didn't rush the family out. She was going to let them have a few more hours to take in the reality of Karen's eternal slumber. Aries sat in a chair sobbing into her hands. Rex and Bobbie were hugging each other tightly. Loke seemed to be taking it hardest. He was on his knees at the foot of Karen's bed clutching her blanket and screaming her name over and over. Lucy walked over and knelt beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. His hands fell to his eyes, removing his glasses and wiping the steady stream of tears away as best he could. "It's all my fault," He repeated over and over. "I killed her. What's the point in being a damned doctor, anyway?"
"Loke, shhh." Lucy wrapped her arms around her friend in an effort to console him. Her heart broke for him. His body shook as he sobbed against her shoulder. "You did not kill her. You did all you could do. Karen knows this. She also knew it was her time. She had to be taken back up into the stars. She was too bright for this world." Loke backed away from Lucy's embrace and nodded. "You shouldn't let Aries be alone over there," Lucy said, pointing with her eyes to the chair she had eaten her lunch in earlier that day. Aries now sat there, trying her best not to fall apart. Loke nodded once more before he rose and walked over to sit with his remaining sister.
Lucy doesn't know when Natsu had left. Lucy's heart stuttered in pain for a second, thinking he got bored, but she quickly shoved the issue aside. After Loke went to join Aries, she left the room to allow the family to be alone. She found Virgo in her office, where she had pulled out Lucy's spare white coat and name badge. "I hope you don't mind taking over the rest of Loke's shift tonight. I know you were supposed to have a big date with Natsu." Lucy glared over at the woman sitting at her desk. "Big Brother told me." Virgo replied with a small smirk, using her special nickname for Loke. "At least you only have to stay til 11 and not over night."
"Yeah," Lucy replied, "I don't mind. There is no way I would force Loke to work after losing his sister."
"Are you going to be okay, though?" Virgo asked, voice laced with concern, "I know you were close with Karen. And this doesn't exactly bring up good memories for you."
"I'm fine, Virgo. After all these years I've developed a new perspective on death that helps me cope. My heart just aches for those who are left grieving. I liked Karen because she understood." Lucy paused for a moment with a look in her eye that made Virgo think perhaps Lucy's mind wasn't in the room with them, "She understood that in the end, every star has to return to the sky."
A knock on the office door brought Lucy back into the moment. Lucy turned around and found herself smiling. Natsu peaked his head in, hands full with a travel cup of coffee and a box of donuts. Virgo hopped up from the seat and grabbed the door, officially letting the pink haired male in. He placed the cup and box of donuts on the desk before pulling Lucy in for a big hug, kissing her forehead. "I already dropped a few cups of coffee and a box of donuts off with Loke and his family. This cup here is for you. I also got you a dozen vanilla iced donuts with sprinkles. Your favorite." Always on cue, Lucy's stomach grumbled at his words and broke free from his embrace to reach for the donuts.
"Thank you so much! You're the be-" Lucy stopped and and turned to look accusingly at Natsu, "There are only three donuts in here, Natsu." Her boyfriend bowed his head sheepishly.
"Yeah... Well... We didn't have dinner..." Natsu conceded his guilt. Lucy picked up a donut and giggled before giving Natsu a quick peck on the lips that instantly turned his expression into a triumphant smile.
"Thank you. This was very thoughtful. I'm sorry that we didn't get our date tonight, and now they need me to stay to finish Loke's shift." She took a large bite of her donut and relished in the sweet taste before gulping down a mouthful of piping hot coffee.
"It's okay Luce! Your job is important. It's only a few more hours. I'll pick you up, alright? Besides, I think that metalhead bastard is down in the OR tonight and I was thinking about going down there and messing with him."
Lucy laughed before scaring him out the door with her best Erza impression.
Natsu picked Lucy up at 11 like promised. Or rather, he met her back at her office after spending the last few hours playing pranks on a not-too-happy Gajeel. Of course this only led Gajeel to harass Natsu about his date with Lucy. How Gajeel knew, Natsu had no clue. Lucy was simply relieved to be going home, and happy to report that the rest of her night had been rather calm. She removed her coat and badge before walking out the door, slipping her hand into Natsu's as they walked down the hall to the elevator. Not being a big fan of elevators, Natsu stood behind Lucy, holding her close and resting his head on her shoulder. "Did I get a chance to tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" The words were muffled by his lips on her shoulder, but they made her blush nonetheless.
Lucy relied on Natsu's natural warmth as they walked out to his car. She hadn't intended to be out this late in something that offered so little warmth. Lucy closed her eyes and let Natsu lead her. She couldn't wait to get home and crawl into bed. Little did she know, Natsu had different plans. Natsu stopped walking just a few feet away from his vehicle, causing Lucy to open her eyes. She couldn't believe what was in front of her. Not only had this incredibly caring man brought her coffee and donuts at work tonight, but he laid out a late night candlelit pizza picnic on the hood of his car.
"Natsu... wow." She was speechless. The pink haired surgeon smiled from ear to ear as he took her hand and led her over to the hood of the car, opening a box of pizza and handing her a slice.
"I really wanted to have that date, Luce." Lucy was stunned. Her best friend had been dishing out surprise after surprise ever since he had confessed his love for her a few weeks earlier. Not that he hadn't been thoughtful in the past. He was always saving her skin and cheering her up. She had noticed some of his actions bordered on romantic, but didn't think he had meant them that way until he confessed to her. During her first summer in Magnolia she had been too sick to attend the local flower festival. She had been looking forward to it for months. After sleeping in bed all day, she only woke up once in the evening. Almost as if fate had designed it, the moment she looked out the window that night she saw an unmanned hot air balloon with a basket made out of beautiful flowers float by her Strawberry Street window. No one had to tell her that Natsu had hijacked it in the hopes that she would get a glimpse of the festivities. She still doesn't know how he got away with it.
Natsu moved the blanket, candles, and pizza box off the hood of the car and down to a nearby patch of grass. From the back seat of his car he tossed out a few pillows and another blanket. Lucy quickly caught on and made herself comfortable at their new picnic spot, tossing the spare blanket over her shoulders. After finishing off all but the two slices Lucy ate, Natsu laid his head back against a pillow and closed his eyes. Lucy stared at him for a moment before making a decision. If he could be bold in his actions, she could be bold with her words. Instead of letting her mind boil over with worry, Lucy decided to put a voice to it.
"Natsu... are you bored?" She asked the still man lying next to her.
"Bored? No. I'm happy." He replied matter-of-factly, a satisfied smile perking up his lips. Lucy wasn't completely satisfied with his answer.
"I mean, isn't this date a little low key for you? Wouldn't you rather be out doing something exciting?"
"Hmm..." His brow furrowed thoughtfully, "Nope... I mean maybe I wish Happy were here."
"But... You know me. I'm a homebody. If we were to keep doing dates like this, or even just lounging around my apartment, don't you think you would get bored of me?"
Natsu sat up and opened his eyes to look at the woman he loved. He couldn't believe anyone would ever suggest he would get bored of her. She was too entertaining. Even now, watching the way she was all flustered at speaking her mind made him smile. All he could think about was his never-ending need to show her how much she means to him. Silly Luigi was always overthinking, just like the day they met. Maybe this once he should do something about it. Explain to her with words instead of his usual actions. He laughed at her gaping eyes as she waited for his response.
"You're such a weirdo, Luce. How could I ever get bored of someone as entertaining as you?" She looked at him like she didn't know how to feel. He chuckled again before looking off into the sky, his arms moving behind him to brace his slanted posture. "I know I can be energetic. I like to do things, have adventures. Fight, prank, and tease. But I don't need that stuff all of the time. And you certainly don't need it all of the time either." Lucy's eyes were stuck to his face. He reached a hand out to clasp her's, shifting his weight slightly before lowering his head to meet her gaze. "Look at the kinds of things you dealt with today. Each person you meet with, you know their journey will end one of two ways. You stick with them until the last time they leave that hospital, dead or alive. I can't imagine being that connected with each of my patients. It sounds exhausting." Natsu squeezed her hand when he noticed tears welling up in her eyes.
"Don't worry about that silly idea that I could ever get bored of you, Luce. I don't always need adventure. I just need you." The words hardly escaped his mouth before she attack-hugged him, causing both of them to fall back against the pillow. His lips softly found hers before they snuggled into each other on the blanket, staring up at the sky. Magnolia's sky was always filled with stars at night. But tonight was different. Tonight a comet decided to quickly dash across the dark canvas of the night like a winking eye. Lucy couldn't help but think of Karen.
"Natsu, what do you think happens to us when we die?"
"I don't know. My dad used to tell me that our souls would return to the starry night."