Gail listened intently. Holly always spoke so passionately about her work. She clearly loved the position in SF. and from all indications, she worked her arse off. Holly explained the different types of research programs that she worked with and how she still go to do the most interesting part of it all, perform the autopsies. It was pushing 1am by the time Gail had the guts to ask about her return. She had only been talking about SF, not the actual move back home.
"So Lunchbox, you obviously kicked arse in SF…but why are you home?" she asked point blank. "My contract finished Gail. I wanted to come home" she sighed. She shouldn't go there, put her heart out there. Not when Gail belonged to another woman. "I wanted to come home" she left it at that. Both understanding the limb that the doctor had gone out on. They just nodded in silence. The words didn't need to be spoken, they were conversed through a series of actions that had occurred in the past few hours. The doctor kept her declarations of love to herself. Dr. Stewart was too proud to take another woman's girlfriend. Gail knew however, the doctor could read her like a book. But that knowledge of the other went both ways.
A few minutes of silence were shared. Then the silence was broken by Gail's laughter. "I know you're dying to make the statement that Tee is your doppelgänger Hols." A smile lit up Holly's face, her glasses now resting on the lamp table beside the soft. Her fatigue clearly evident in the droopy eyes that connected with Gail's. After all, she was in a different time zone, had drank the night previous and had what could only be described as the most satisfying sex of the past 18 months all in the past 24 hours. "Nope, I'm better looking" was the smart reply she came out with. They both started laughing. They had somehow managed to reach a point where they had had sex, then become friends again whilst sitting on the black sofa. Weird. No, Gail was determined to sort it out. She softly backhanded the doctor on her right and came out with it, "Everyone kept calling her Holly when they first saw her" Holly snickered.
"How long has she been your girlfriend?" she wash't sure she wanted to know the answer. She needed to do the right thing though. That was what made Holly such an amazing person, she always did the right thing. "4 months now" Gail nodded while she answered.
So Holly listened, and asked all of the right questions. It managed to get them back to the point where they were best friends. Like before the time when Gail cut her hair, way back when Gail was 'straight'. Like when they went to the batting cages. Like when they watched friends reruns and ate pizza or thai food and laughed at all Gail's bad dates that her mother sent her on.
Gail started from the beginning. Tee owned the cafe on the corner of the block where 15 was. Gail had been getting her regular coffee there for almost a month before she realised that Tee had been writing her phone number on the side of her takeaway cup. That move earned her points in Gail's eyes. 4 weeks straight of putting it out there and not giving up. It was down to Gail's blonde hair and Dov's snooping before she realised that "Tee 123-432-768" was the barista with the goofy smile that made amazing coffee. So Dov gave her a kick in the right direction and personally dialled the number and forced the phone to Gail's ear. From that phone call, Gail had managed to find herself at one of the trendiest speak easy's in Toronto. She thought of Tee from that moment as being like Holly, but without the nerd factor. Or the style. Or the athletic ability. Tee was a hipster, granted. But she was fun. And fun was what Gail Peck needed.
Gail skimmed over the 'adoption fiasco' as it was now known. Holly realised that it was something that clearly still played on her mind. At this, Holly also realised that while they did speak weekly, they missed so much. Gail seemed genuinely happy when talking about Tee. She smiled. While that gave Holly a tinge of the green eyed monster, she also felt strangely at peace. Gail was able to allow herself to fall for someone else. That was amazing. She was able to open up.
—-
The sound of a barking dog frightened Holly from slumber. She opened her eyes and saw the blonde at the opposite end of the sofa turning the alarm off. They both stretched. Fatigue evident in both of them. "I've got shift today. I knock off at 3" Gail yawned. Holly awkwardly moved to get herself ready to go. "Sit down Lunchbox" Gail shoved her and she fell back to the sofa. "I'll make the bed up in the other room for you. You look like you need sleep and time to adjust." Holly just nodded. She was awoken again 30 minutes later by the blonde, freshly showered and ready to head to the station. "Lunchbox, lets get you to bed" she whispered as she helped the doctor to her feet and up the stairs. Once she kicked the door ajar, Holly fell to the bed. Sheer exhaustion taking over. Gail pulled the covers over her and left the room.
What was she going to tell Tee? She would be over tonight, as always. Now Gail had a housemate…A housemate whom she slept with last night. Guilt got the better of her and she knew it.
—-
She closed her locker after changing into her uniform. She was running late for parade, that meant desk duty. Sure enough, 'Peck' was listed at the bottom of the list when the assignments were released. She sighed. One thing came to mind, she needed coffee. Traci was heading towards her and stifling a yawn. Gail smiled. She knew how to work this situation to her advantage. "Sister in-law-to-be, you need coffee. Just like me. Tee will make you one if you pop over and get it" she smirked at the detective. "You better not be joking Gail" she raised her eyebrows. "Nope, texting her now" Gail smiled at her. "Fine, give me 10" she spoke and she turned and walked off.
Gail leant against the desk reading from the print out of what happened in the division overnight. Nothing of interest shot out at her. She was almost finished when a coffee entered her line of sight and she grabbed for it. Traci quickly pulled back. Gail shot her a questioning look. "Holly?" the detective questioned her. "Oh, Tee mentioned that?" she looked at her friend. Traci grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her into a side room, "Why did Holly show up on your doorstep last night?" she questioned and followed on with another statement; "Tee thinks that your friend has just come back. Why would she think that Gail?" This time she used a tone of voice that had clearly been passed on from Gail's own brother. Gail was a little too confident for Traci. "Tee has jumped to that conclusion herself. Don't worry Traci. Holly is back and she came over to say hi."
She took a deep breath, "I've got to tell Tee though, I know. She doesn't know who Holly is and she needs to get to know her" she spoke quickly. Traci was confused, "Get to know her?" she looked at Gail questioningly. "Holly and I are going to be housemates, she's having the other room" Gail nodded at Traci. She again spoke, "Don't worry Trac, I will explain to Tee, I've got it under control" She got a nod from the detective."Ok Gail, don't hurt Tee" Traci shot Gail a knowing look. Traci and her brother knew that she and Holly were meant to be, but they also loved Tee dearly. Tee was good for Gail.
—-
Holly awoke to a text from Gail.
G: Lunchbox, Tee is coming over tonight. You need to meet her.
She read it agin, why was she panicking? Would Tee know that Holly was still in love with Gail. Would she know that the blonde was the love of Holly's life. Would she know that she came back to Toronto to surprise Gail? Would she know what they did last night?
She sent a reply to Gail.
H: Not sure if I'm going to live here Cu. It's too weird.
She hit send. Then started typing again.
H: Not to mention that you're in love with someone else…
Holly tossed her phone onto the bed and got up to take a shower. She dug some fresh clothes out of the suitcase she had retrieved from the car. She was conflicted.
—-
Gail's eyes opened wide at the message. 'in love' was a serious call coming from the doctor. But was she in love with Tee? Tee had certainly voiced her feelings to Gail about a month ago. Tee told her point blank, she loved her. But she never expected the blonde to say it back. Gail never did.
Did she love Tee? Did she? She was confused.
G: Slow down Hols, I'll be home at 3. We can talk then.
—-
Holly finally emerged from the shower. It was strangely familiar to see Gail's possessions in that bathroom. So much had happened in that very room. That was where Gail chopped off the long locks in a drunken state. That was where Holly 'fixed' said locks for her. That was where they had 'that shower'….It was that shower that led to them first sleeping together. It was in that very bathroom that when packing Holly's possessions for SF, Gail muttered under her breath "I love you Lunchbox". To this day, Gail has no idea that she heard her. Or heard when she replied; "I love you too Cu"
Holly shook herself out of the reminiscent state. She needed to get a hold of herself. After all, Gail never denied being in love with Tee. She decided to wait for the blonde to return home. She would again be the bigger person and step aside. Tee was the rightful person to be living in the house with Gail. Holly was not Gail's girlfriend, Tee was. Confusion again getting the better of her.
H: Ok Cu, I'll see you soon.
She sighed and decided to catch up on her emails. Her new job didn't start for another month, but that didn't mean she wasn't sought after. Opening her Mac, she saw something that made her stomach flutter. It was addressed to Dr. H. C. Stewart, Ontario Chief Forensic Medical Examiner. That was the title of a woman who got what she wanted. And what Ontario's new CFME wanted was slightly out of reach. But damned if she couldn't bridge that gap.
That gap was Mrs. Gail Stewart.