Part 7

"Liv, you have to admit, the new SHO is a bit of a looker…" Quinn whispers to her, with a mischievous gleam in her eye. The cogs were turning in her head, because she had a plan. She was going to play cupid and help her friend get out of this terrible slump she'd been in ever since returning from Vermont. It had been 4 weeks and therefore high time she moved on.

"I guess." Liv responds nonchalant, not really looking; distracted by her patient files and not really wanting to engage with Quinn's obvious meddling.

Was Liv blind?

"You guess? Liv he's an Adonis!"

Liv can't help but laugh then, and decides to take a more detailed inspection of Franklin, who is indeed handsome… "Okay, yes, he's good looking- so what?"

Quinn roles her eyes in exasperation. "Soooooo Liv… I think you should ask him out for a drink and get to know him better."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"Well, for one I've seen Franklin checking you out, so you're clearly his type, but more importantly, you need to move on from Fitz…" She adds, although far more discretely. "It's been weeks Liv, you've been miserable and you're far too young for frown lines… believe me… he's not worth it."

Liv sighs… "I just wish things had worked out differently, I loved him… and he…"

"He slept with you, then discarded you, like you were nothing Liv…" She cuts in ruefully, "So the least he deserves is your loyalty… Fitz told you that the two of you have no future, so why should you delay in finding yourself another one… And I'm not saying you should jump from one relationship to another, but at least be open to the prospect of a little fun- besides, they do say… the best way to get over a man, is to get under a new one…"

"Quinn!" She astounds at her friend's crassness, although somewhat amused by it too… Maybe she's right?

xXx

Fitz swivelled his wrist to check the time and realised that he had been walking for over an hour.

A wry smile appears on his face as he carefully makes his way through the woodland trail. His legs were aching. In the last few weeks, he had taken to walking long distances, whether it be before or after his long shifts at work... "The exercise will do you good..." he had reasoned to himself, although the walks were really a much-needed distraction from the solitude he felt back at the cabin.

When he gets in- he heads straight up to his bathroom, adjusts the water temperature in the shower and starts pulling off his tie. In taking off his trousers, he notices that they seem to be quite loose around his waist, mentally equating the presumed weight loss and his lack of appetite to the stress of work, and of course his messy break up with Liv. It had been a difficult couple of weeks. Standing under the pulsating hot water, he washes his face, body, legs and his toes, wriggling them to relieve some of the numbness. The water was finally starting to do its magic by easing his muscle tension and his mental fatigue. He reaches for his shower gel and sponge…

The warm aromatic fragrance gives him a sense of harmony, which he relishes in, enjoying this brief moment of ease- because it seemed, everything else around him had conspired to throw him out of balance of late.

He grapples with the memories that keep on crowding in, and pushes them away, reflecting on his first week working as a locum instead. It had not gone well in his opinion. He had been tetchy, aloof and quite inflexible in the way that he had treated several issues this week, and it did not bode well for the future… Truth be told, he really missed his old team at DC memorial; he missed his friends.

And where he had hoped that a reconnection with his daughter would be imminent, now that he lived closer to her, and could free up more time to see her... Sadly, he was mistaken, because their brief and awkward conversations over the phone, and her failure to commit to a date to meet up, only served to remind him of how alone he really was out here.

Momentarily enjoying the suds as they fall down his body, his memories however return to mock him. Unfortunately, under the spray of the shower he did not have work, his daughter there, or his recent walking habit to act as a barricade against his conflicted thoughts of Liv. A frown creases his forehead as he scrambles his mind furiously to find another hook for his focus, anything other than her. Although, that being said, it was equally pointless trying to escape the impasse, because the only thing that really made this feeling of emptiness go away were his thoughts of her. Either way he couldn't win.

He ponders the possibility of him getting any sleep tonight and concludes that it is far-fetched, and then finds himself wishing that his new locum position meant he had to work on the weekends as well, because the cabin had become unbearably tainted for him. It was as if and Liv had left their trail throughout the place, and everywhere he looked were constant reminders of her.

"Better get out of the shower before I turn into a prune", he says aloud as he turns the water off. Reaching for a towel; but seeing a towelling robe instead, he hesitates for a second. And then quickly belts the towelling robe around him, as if to ignore it- yet another inescapable memory. Almost solemnly, he pads over to the balcony- and recalls how they stood here together in their towelling robes watching the sun set on, what would be, their last night together. They had enjoyed the wonderful sight in silence, not needing to fill it in with unnecessary words, before they both stripped out of their towelling robes- him opting to sleep in his briefs, whereas she had slipped into his t-shirt, getting ready for bed.

Reminiscent, he looks over at that said t-shirt now, it had been hanging over his bed frame since the day she left; he had loathed to put it in the wash, because her perfume still lingered on it. Often, on the loneliest of nights, where all resemblance of sleep had evaded him, he has found himself laying the t-shirt beside his pillow, in a overwhelming need to feel connected to her... Seriously, how sad and pathetic is that, he thinks bleakly? God, he misses her... and before he even registers that he's crying, tears awash his face.

"Oh Liv…" he whispers hoarsely. "What have I done?"

xXx

Following Quinn's advice and further encouragement, Liv approached Franklin; initiating conversation with him, in a bid to feel him out. She was quick to realise that there was no confusion about his attentions towards her, because he made it very clear that he liked her. However, the more she spoke to him, the more arrogant he came across, and to be frank, it wasn't a trait that she found attractive in a guy. And to make matters worse, every time he opened his mouth she couldn't help but find herself comparing him to Fitz. Fitz, who is so much more reserved in nature and refined, unfortunately, he left Franklin looking pale in comparison. In fact, she was ready to forego the whole idea of asking him out for a drink, until she later caught him alone in the locker room, looking rather despondent; a far stretch from his normal cock sure persona.

"Hey Franklin, you alright?" She calls over to him gently, moving closer to him, only to realise he was more upset than she initially thought... "Have you been crying?"

"No", he counters, but for some reason she won't let it drop either, his vulnerability seemingly drawing her in... "You're lying... What's happened?"

He lost a patient. "I don't even know why I'm so upset," he admits, pushing his male ego aside. "It's not the first time I've lost a patient, but..."

Instinctively, she reaches out to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder... "It's never easy Franklin, despite how long you've been doing this job- and it's not wrong to feel emotional, you know- we're human after all... even you..." she teases softly. Her words serve to bring forth a smile... "I'm surprised you're even being nice to me... I was getting the vibe that you did not like me at all..."

"Maybe I'm just a sucker for tears..." she replies playfully.

He stares deeply into her eyes, triggering a deep rooted response from within her; something akin to what Fitz makes her feel, whenever he looked at her like that. And it knocks her slightly off guard; as she finds she is quite taken back by it. Quinn could be on to something here- although Franklin was no Fitz, by all means, this stripped back version of him could serve as a pleasant distraction to all the shit she had recently gone through with Fitz. He was kind on the eye, and clearly had no qualms about letting her know that he was interested- where in contrast to Fitz, it's definitely an improvement...

"Liv, you fancy coming for a drink after work with me?" He asks, belying any of his earlier bravado.

"No," she tells him. His disappointment is palpable, however it is only short lived as she decides to throw caution to the wind and adds suggestively... "But, how about I come round to yours instead?" She leaves no question behind her intent, giving him the green light he'd been vying for all day, and therefore, not wanting to give her the chance to back out, he takes her lead and leans in for a kiss.

At the end of the day, she was tired of waiting for Fitz- exhausted from trying and holding out for more- and right now Franklin was offering her more than what Fitz was willing to give. So she kisses him back fervently, allowing herself to get fully lost in the moment. Yes, it was time to move on.

Besides, what's the harm in having a little bit of fun?