Come Closer

Emma and I walked together to the rooms, our laughter ringing out as we went over the details of our victory. I was so happy to help Emma get over on that woman, and I would do it all over again if she wanted me to.

"I had so much fun," Emma said as I walked her to her door.

"Yeah, me too," I replied.

"You know, I think that was the first time you and I have ever... gone out just us," Emma remarked.

"I know, and I do feel bad for Mulan now... I mean, now that you have been out with a real woman."

Emma laughed, patting my shoulder. "Stop it. I think it's so adorable how obsessed you are with that woman."

I shrugged. "I just can't picture you guys on a date, you know what I mean?" I said, becoming serious.

"Who said it was a date ever?" Emma asked with a shake of her head.

"You," I stated.

Emma shook her head. "You."

"You get very excited when you talk about this woman," I said.

Emma sighed and took my hands. "Listen, Dr. Gervitz is moving his practice to New York City. Mulan is not gonna go with him, and she's just been asking me if I would replace her."

My heart plummeted. "You going?"

She smiled. "No..."

My spirit rose into the heavens because I suddenly became light-headed with happiness. "You can't do that to me."

Emma giggled. "I just wanted to see how you'd react. Look at you, you can't live without me."

What could I say? She was right, and I tried to laugh it off as she teased me a little.

"You played me a little bit. You could have told me that earlier." I moved closer to her as we stood in the hallway between our doors. "You're just messing with me? Trying to get me a little jealous, weren't you?"

Emma laughed. "No, I was just having fun teasing you. That was fun... why? Were you jealous?"

I looked at her. "No, get out of here." I scoffed. "Was I jealous? No."

Emma giggled again, and I had never seen her so coquettish. "You are so cute," she said. "I love your smile too."

"SO there's nothing?" I clarified. She tilted her head, looking at me. "Between you and Mulan, there's no love connection."

She shook her head. "Uh-uh."

"Well then, that's a shame," I said just above a whisper and moving closer to her.

"What?" she said in the same tone.

"The coconut getting in our way tonight, that's a real shame."

"Do you think you can handle me?" Emma flirted right back, stepping closer to me as well.

"You might be right…" I said. "You got more tricks that I don't know about?"

"I don't know," Emma whispered as we got even closer, our lips about to touch. "I don't know anything."

Then, just as we forgot ourselves and were about to kiss, the door to Emma's room flew open.

A chorus of "Mommy?" rang out of it. Emma jumped away from me and opened her arms out to her children, as it should be. We said a quick good night, and scurried back to our rooms.

As I got to my door, I realized that I didn't want to leave her. So, I turned to go back to her room. With every step, I increased speed until I was running. As I came past the elevator, it opened to reveal Dorothy and Ruby.

I finally sobered up. This whole charade of a trip was to impress this young woman. I was going to ask her to marry me. But now, I know who the real one for me is. How do I get out of it? "Hey!" Dorothy said.

"Oh, hi!" I replied.

"Where are you going?" Dorothy asked.

"I was coming to you. How did dinner go?"

Dorothy laughed. "Ruby gave mouth to mouth to a sheep, and then we had drinks."

Ruby began to giggle. "Well, he was choking, so I gave him Sheep-pee-Are." Then she burst into full laughter.

I would have smiled, except I was kind of wanting to go to Emma's room.

"We also talked about the fact that I kept you so busy that you have not been able to do something you have been wanting to do," Dorothy continued. I turned my glare to Ruby. She looked guilty.

"You told her about that, huh?"

"Regina, I don't need a ring… We can just get married right here!" Dorothy stated.

"What?" I said.

"Why not?" Dorothy said. "We're in Hawaii, let's do it tomorrow."

This was not where my thoughts on this relationship were going. I was ready to move on to my true love, but now I am engaged?

"I mean, this has felt special from the moment we met. And I've seen the way you are with the kids, and it's exactly the way I imagine my partner to be."

"Oh!" I breathed out. She kissed my lips happily.

"I don't want to wait! I just want to spend my life with you," Dorothy stated. Then Emma came around the corner. Dorothy smiled at her. "Hi!"

"What… Hi!" She said, looking at the three of us. I stood still, stunned at what was happening. I realized that we both felt this thing. She came to find me, and I was very happy about it. But there Dorothy was, stuck in the middle. I don't think it is fair to make her suffer because my heart had moved on, but I also didn't want Emma suffering. "Inga, I have been looking everywhere for you."

"You have been looking for me?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"Yes, come on, let's go,"

"Daling, we can't go… because Regina and Dorothy are getting married tomorrow."

Emma's eyes widened, and she looked at me. I groaned inwardly and dropped my gaze. "What?"

"Yeah, but I mean, why, what do you think? I said I really wanted her to tell me this was a bad idea in front of Dottie.

"What does it matter what I think?" Emma said out loud. "I think that's great."

"Thank you, Lily." I really hope that you can be there tomorrow.

"Um, I can't. It's bad luck for the ex to come to the wedding?" She looked away from me. I didn't know what that meant. I just needed her to give me a sign that I wasn't hanging my hopes on a straight girl. That I wasn't wasting emotions. Especially now that I knew the Mulan thing wasn't real. Instead, she looked away, and she said. "Come on Inga, let's go."

"But we have so much to do," Ruby stated.

"I just think they have so much to do. And maybe we should get ready to go," Emma said, looking at her feet. "Congratulations to you, though!" Emma said, finally meeting my eyes before rounding the corner and heading to her suite.

I lay in bed awake. I had my one piece of white clothing on where Dorothy asked me to marry her. And that's what I would wear to this wedding. This wedding that was probably not going to happen. But Dorothy seemed so happy. I went to a lot of trouble to get her to fall in love with me. I was just not ready.

I lay in bed awake long after Dorothy had made her calls to her family and made her arrangements for a simple beach wedding. I couldn't keep my mind off of my best friend. When I knew Dorothy was asleep, I slid out of bed and walked out to the terrace. I wondered if her phone was silenced. So I grabbed the room phone. I needed it to ring. I needed it to wake her if she was asleep. I sat outside in the lounge chair and dialed the room number.

She answered after one ring, and I got the satisfaction that she had not been able to sleep just like me. "Hello?" Emma said. She didn't even sound sleepy.

"Hey, you up?" I said softly.

"Seriously?" Emma said, shifting in bed or getting out of it maybe? "Glad you called, actually. Were you going to invite your family tomorrow? I can set up flights for them."

"No, no, you don't have to do that," I said. "Her family can't come anyway, and she wants it to be kind of… like we eloped?"

Emma didn't speak for a second. Then an annoyed tone escaped her. "Eloped… got it." She paused again as if she were trying to find the words. "You all set for what you wanna wear tomorrow?"

"Em… do you actually think this is a good idea?" I asked her in earnest.

"What? The wedding?" She asked. And I hoped she wouldn't lie to me. She never lies to me.

"Yeah, the wedding… Just the whole… Dorothy thing." I said.

"Considering that this whole thing started with a lie… what do you think?" Emma said. "But this is why we came out here, right? So you could get the girl of your dreams."

"You don't think it's crazy?" I asked. I wanted her to tell me to just not do it. I wanted her to just say, "Don't marry her."

"Oh, Regina…" She said. "You don't need my permission. Okay? You're a big girl."

"I know, I just…" I said, my heart breaking. She was distancing herself from me. "I think if I do this. Things could get weird between you and me at the office, So…"

"Well, you're not gonna have to worry about that." She answered. My heart plummeted to my stomach.

"You're going to New York?" I asked.

"Yeah, just… you know, As much as I was looking forward to you um… reconstructing my face, I need to start fresh, you know?" I had no words. I couldn't speak because if I did, my heartbreak would be apparent. "Hello, are you there?" She asked after about a minute of silence. "You understand?"

"I guess…" I answered.

"There is an awful lot of guessing going through this phone," Emma said softly. "I've been divorced, I have two kids, I don't have time for guessing. You got a big day tomorrow, doc, alright? So why don't you just get yourself some sleep."

Then she hung up on me. She had made some very valid points. And if I were to open that door with her. I had to be sure.