Lucas watched as Elizabeth and a certain police officer strolled down the sidewalk, sipping coffee.
Friends. That's what Elizabeth claimed and Nathan seemed to be with Fiona, if their cuddling in the coffee shop was any indication.
But for some reason, it felt like there was a deeper attachment there. She looked up and noticed him, raising her hand in a wave.
Nathan nodded to Lucas, hugged her briefly and walked toward his cruiser. Lucas got out of his car and leaned against it as Elizabeth walked over.
"Hey," she said with a smile. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"I took a shot that you might be around. Wanna get some coffee before shift? Aria is with her sitter."
"I have some coffee but I'll join you." He felt a smidge of jealousy that Nathan had beaten him to the cup of coffee. That was crazy. They weren't even actually dating yet.
He nodded and walked next to her into the coffee shop, his fingers grazing the small of her back.
"Is something bothering you, Lucas?"
"No. Not really."
He ordered his cappuccino and was silent as they waited. Once they were sitting down, he looked her in the eye. "I really like you, Elizabeth. We are friends, right?"
"I think so, yes. I like you too, for the record." She saw his eyes drift to her hand as if he wanted to hold it so she turned her hand over and offered. He grabbed on and she could see him relax. "Is this about Nathan?"
"I feel like there's something deeper between you."
"Nathan was Jack's partner and best friend. So yeah, there's that bond but that's all it is. I love him but it was never more than love between friends. I promise."
"I know I don't have any right to be questioning you, just with Aria, I want to make sure that when I date someone, that the person I date is really ready to take on me and my daughter."
"Your daughter is so sweet and I've only met her once. You are doing a wonderful job with her."
"Thanks. Its not easy but she's…well, just like her mother."
"Are you ready, Lucas? To date?"
"I think so." He was being completely honest with her. Maybe neither of them were completely ready but could it still work?
"Maybe we can just eat lunch together once in a while, or have coffee and see where it takes us," she suggested.
"I'd like to take you to dinner, but with our schedules…"
A few minutes later, he walked her to her car and leaned in to hug her. "I feel like I'm losing you and we aren't even together. Is that crazy?"
"No. I feel it too."
Even though they both had felt the obvious attraction between them, they also felt that maybe they should wait to explore anything right then. So for the next few months, they texted and had lunch and coffee. That was it.
One morning at the end of August, Elizabeth headed to get some coffee. She had the day off and was going shopping for a dress to wear on a date that night. Not with Lucas. With a man she had met through her sister Julie. His name was Lee.
She had waited for her and Lucas to decide about seeing each other for nine long weeks and everything was still the same. So, she was looking for the spark with someone else.
"Hi, Miss Thornton!" a little voice said from the seating area. Aria.
She walked over to the booth where she sat with an older blonde woman. "Hi, sweetie. How are you?'
"I'm good. This is my Nana Helen. She came all the way from San Diego to buy me stuff for school!"
"Oh wow! That's wonderful."
"And you are?" Helen said, a pleasant but tight smile on her face.
"I'm Elizabeth."
"She's Daddy's friend," Aria told her Nana. "They were gonna go on a date."
Elizabeth blushed. "Lucas and I both work at Charlton Memorial. We are just friends."
"I see."
Elizabeth nodded. "Well, I am running errands. It was nice to meet you Mrs. Bouchard. Nice to see you, Aria."
"Bye!" Aria said, a grin on her face. What a sweetheart.
She pulled out her phone once she got back to her car and impulsively sent Lucas a text. "Met your mom and saw Aria. Have a great day!"
Then she headed to the mall. She was going to try her hardest to enjoy the date that night and not think about Lucas.
However, as she sat in a nice restaurant with a nice-looking man, her phone buzzed in her purse. Her mind immediately went to Lucas. Then she started comparing Lee to Lucas. Lee wasn't as tall. Lee had dimples but no beard. His eyes were blue not brown. He was a lawyer, not a doctor. He didn't have children….on and on it went. The last thing that she thought when Lee dropped her back at her car was there was no spark with him. Not like there was with Lucas.
"I'm mad at you!" Elizabeth texted Lucas as she sat at a red light.
"What did I do? I haven't even seen you in a week."
She called him using her Bluetooth. "I was on a date tonight."
"I maintain the same question."
"Everything that happened, everything about him, I compared to you!"
"Why is that my fault?" he laughed.
"Because you are so wonderful and I miss you and I want to date YOU. Not some sparkless, beardless, short lawyer with blue eyes and no kids. YOU."
"I want to date you too, Elizabeth."
"Why didn't you say anything? It's been like two months."
"Because I was waiting for you to be ready."
"I'm ready."
"Okay then lets do this." He wouldn't turn her down.
"What are you doing right now?"
"Eating dinner in the on-call room before I take a nap. I'm on my 24-hour shift."
"Ugh!"
"Well, to be fair, it's 10 pm. I couldn't go out now anyway, even if I wasn't working."
"Yeah."
"So the date wasn't good?"
"No. It wasn't."
"Where did you go?"
"Why does that matter?"
"I don't want to take you to the same place. I want our date to be good."
She laughed. "I miss you, Lucas."
"I miss you too."
…..
Their schedules still didn't mesh as the days stretched on, so when they were both working, they took breaks together. It wasn't romantic but it served the purpose of bringing them closer.
However, he texted her on an evening in mid-October, a full month after they decided to date, to meet him in the on-call room. So she went, not expecting anything but some time with him.
When she walked in, she smiled. He was sitting on the gurney where he napped, a lit candle on a cabinet.
"I'm pretty sure that candle is a fire hazard, doc."
"I'll take the risk. It casts a certain ambiance to the on-call room, don't you think?"
"As much ambiance as a room full of beds and scrubs can be, I suppose."
He opened a plastic container and handed her a fork. "Chocolate cake? It was someone's birthday so I grabbed a piece."
"Mm. Chocolate is my favorite."
She sat next to him on the bed and took a bite.
"You know that research position I told you about?"
"The one in Rhode Island?"
"Yeah. Its at Rose Memorial Hospital just across state line so only about a half hour away. Anyway, I was offered the position."
"Lucas! That's great."
"Yeah. I think I'm going to take it. I know I haven't been here long, but research is what I want to do. Plus, the hours are more conducive to being more present in Aria's days and yours."
"If it's what you want, then I'm happy for you."
"I'm glad."
"And I'm going to enjoy seeing you more often. Maybe we can actually go on a date outside of the hospital."
"What? This isn't your dream date?" he teased.
"Um no," she laughed. "And before you get any ideas, I don't want our first kiss to be in this room."
"Oh, it won't be," he assured her, a twinkle in his eye and plenty of flirty tone in his deep voice.
"You have that planned, do you?"
"Well, not to the detail but its definitely not something that I take lightly."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that a first kiss or first anything…is important to me. I've only kissed one woman in my life."
"Clara."
"Yeah."
"Do you miss her? I know that's a stupid question…but I mean, with me, I miss my life with Jack but its all good memories. It doesn't make me sad anymore."
"I know what you mean. I took Aria to visit her grave before we moved here and I'm going to take her again in November. It will be four years. I feel like its important to share that with her."
"Of course it is."
"So, for me, Clara was my first love, my first kiss, my first everything and that will always be the case. That being said, I care about you a lot and our first kiss is going to be just as special to me."
She nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder. "You're a sweet man, Lucas Bouchard."
He kissed her forehead and took another bite of cake. Then his pager went off. "So much for a nap."
He stood up and stretched, kissing her cheek. "Text you later, alright?"
"Yep."
She stayed and finished the cake herself and then headed back to her own job, feeling a bit happier and curious when that lovely moment would happen.
……
A week later, early in the morning
"Lucas?" Elizabeth mumbled as she answered her phone.
"Elizabeth, I'm sorry to wake you but I need a favor."
"What's up?" she sat up and yawned.
"I need to be at my interview at 8 am and I need someone to drop Aria off at school by 8:15. My sitter can't do it."
"I can."
"Thank you so much. I'll drop her off in 30, is that okay?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
"Thank you, Elizabeth. This interview is just a formality and I'll pick her up after school…"
"I really don't mind, Lucas. Maybe I'll take her for hot cocoa before school."
"She'd love that."
"Have a good day," she told him, climbing out of her comfy bed and putting on her slippers.
"You too."
Lucas showed up right on time and walked Aria up to the door. Elizabeth had been watching for them so she opened the door as soon as he knocked.
"Good morning," she greeted.
"Hi, Miss Thornton!" Aria said. "Thank you for taking me to school."
"You are very welcome, Aria."
Aria ran inside past them, dropping her jacket and backpack inside the door.
"I really appreciate this."
"I'm happy to help." She reached out and smoothed his collar and tie. "You look very nice, Lucas."
"Yeah?"
She got up on her toes and kissed his cheek, right by his ear. "Mm and you smell good."
"Are you flirting with me, Nurse Thornton?"
"I guess maybe I am."
"Well, I need to go, otherwise I might flirt right back. However, I will say that very soon, we are going to go out on that first date. That's a promise."
"I can't wait."