"I need you tonight, 'cause I'm not sleeping..."

[literaryella]

Who? Ella Wilson and Dave Tynan
What? "So slide over here and and give me a moment..."
When? After work
Where? Ella's apartment

School was winding down, busy though it still was, and there was nothing in the word that Ella was looking more forward to. It would mean more time with her brothers (hopefully, and of course, provided Trey passed the bar and was able to actually have some time that he wasn't studying), and with Dave. Their relationship was still in its early days, but it was something that Ella was very quickly coming to grow used to and enjoy. It was nice... not complicated or confusing at all. They were dating. They spent a lot of time together, and Dave just seemed to get her, which was something she really couldn't say about any of the other guys she'd dated. Not that she'd dated awful people in the past, but there had never been a situation as easy as the one she had here with Dave.

She thought about that quite a lot... the fact that she didn't have to think about everything. With Dave, it just came naturally... it was simple and fun, and she loved that. After having lost her mom, it was nice for her to have something that was fun and light and comfortable... a guy who made her laugh, met her for quickies sometimes in the morning before work, spent nights and the mornings that followed them curled up in bed with her, naked and enjoying every single inch of each other's bodies. It just seemed to fall into place, and while neither of them had really put too much time and effort into explaining it, instead just taking it as it came, there was a part of Ella that knew she was falling fast for this guy, and really hoped that it would continue the way it was ging.

She'd sent him a text to meet her at her place once school was out if he wasn't busy, grateful to find that he wasn't. They arrived with nearly perfect timing, and she smiled at him playfully when he arrived, pulling him close with a deep kiss. "Hi, gorgeous," she said with a teasing smirk. "Miss me?"

Comments

[literaryella]

"I'm not much of one, either," Ella replied. "Which still makes me laugh, considering we met at a bar. Then again, the food at Luke's bar is fantastic with or without booze. As I recall, I was drinking lemonade that night. Trust me... I'm really happy that you take care of yourself. Not only because you're in fantastic shape, though that certainly doesn't hurt matters. But also because, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that if you have your health, you should damn well take care of it." There was no doubt that Dave was amazing at what he did for a living -- a brilliant physician and a fine human being at that. Everyone Ella knew in the medical field said that bedside manner was inborn and couldn't be faked. She knew what a wonderful guy Dave was, and she was sure that it translated well in bedside manner, both in helping his patients, and their families. "I'm glad there are people who are good at it. I think of the people I love, and if something awful were ever to happen to one of them, I'd want to know the doctors in charge of their care were giving them the best care possible."

Ella was hardly a class A interior decorator, but her apartment was cozy and comfortable, the furniture relatively new, but the functionality of it far more important to her than looking designer. "I guess the last time I went to the beach was when I went with my college roommate to Cape Cod. Her family owned a house down there. We went right after graduation as a celebration. But I think it would be really nice to take a vacation together. I mean, I love spending time with you, and it would be nice to have some uninterrupted time together without work to worry about. As much time as you spend working you have to have plenty of PTO saved up by now. Why not? And once the kids are out of school and the library is all ready to be shut down for the summer, I'm good to go, too." She paused, threading her fingers through his before she looked at him. This was one of the happiest, easiest parts of her life. That wasn't to say that there weren't struggles in any good relationship, but a good relationship it was, and she was incredibly grateful for it. "What beach were you thinking of going to, anyway?"

[surgeonshands]

"At least Luke new that in our present day, he needed to rock an impressive range of non-alcoholic drinks from around the world and a cool mocktail menu," Dave pointed out. Because Luke's bar was kind of the epicentre for their bunch of friends. The bar and the hospital. Without a doubt. It was those two things that had this cool way of interconnecting people and Dave loved it. He knew so freaking many people, but he had a great memory and never forgot a name or a face. He even remembered patients he had years ago, and that helped him along with his bedside manner. "Yeah, I've been too sick to not take my life or my health for granted. It was a horrible time in my life. One I don't want to repeat. Chemo's horrible stuff. Oh... shit. I'm sorry. I didn't meant to stir anything up for you," he added quickly, feeling like a dickhead. He hadn't talked much at all to Ella about his fight with cancer because her mom had recently passed from it. For that reason, he had just brushed over it with her, letting her know he was a survivor, but hadn't elaborated very much. He hadn't meant to here now either.

He shook his head. "I really don't know. I could probably get some great recommendations from my friends. I honestly didn't get further in the thought process of it beyond just needing a holiday that's anywhere not in a big city. This place gets claustrophobic a little when you're stressed and need a timeout from it. Which I do, without a doubt. All just another part of needing to take care of myself. As busy as doctors are, we need to timeout or we stress out and run into all sorts of issues that we don't want lingering. My immune system isn't at all what it used to be, so I need to just keep smart about life in general."

[literaryella]

"Luke has that laid back, easygoing Aussie attitude about him, but he's a shrewd businessman, no doubt. He knows exactly what his customers want, and always manages to give it to them, in bucketloads. He and Haley are sweethearts, too. I honestly love that bar. Even more now that it ended up scoring me a date with a super hot doctor." She gave him a grin, playful, but tired, as she listened to him, though she sobered as he talked about his experience with cancer and going through chemo. He was very quick with an apology, and Ella shook her head, turning to look him right in the eye. "Listen," she said softly, her fingers still gently holding onto his. "You survived cancer, Dave. That's a huge thing for anyone to go through, and it's a part of your life that you'll never be able to just ignore. When I started dating you, I knew you were a survivor. I knew that you had gone through that. I know it was hard, because I know my mom went through hell. I didn't get to see her while she was dying, but Kyan told me maybe it was for the best that my memories of her were of good times. He doesn't have that luxury, because he was her caregiver til the bitter end. But listen to me. I care about you... about your present and your past, and your future, too, for that matter. I don't want you to feel like you can't talk about being a survivor with me. I want us to be able to talk about anything, and that includes that part of your past, because it's huge."

She smiled, leaning into his side again once she'd settled back into the sofa. "We could always go out to Long Island... Granted, it would be easier if we knew someone with a house out there on a private beachfront, because I've never actually had sex on the beach... I mean, not aside from the cocktail once in college. But we can figure all of that out. You can definitely use a break, sweetheart. I can see it in your face." This made her happy. The fact that she and Dave could meet up after work... both tired and not at all in the mood to hop into bed for marathon sex... and they could just sit together and chat about pretty much anything. It was comforting in a lot of ways. "I want to talk to Kyan and Trey about us," she said softly. "I think it's high time we made this fully official."

[surgeonshands]

Dave nodded. "He does. Hell, I've been a regular there since it opened and I was a lowly college kid. Nate was DJ'ing there at the time and it used to be our second home. This was the time when Tyler was perfectly fine too. Damn, did he used to be such a self-assured and confident bitch. They were so in love, and I always wondered if I'd have a shot at that one day. The first time I felt it was with Aimee, but once you start test-driving everything, it takes guts to admit it's not working how you know it should be. I prefer to keep people who mean something to me in my life rather than losing them for no reason. Poisonous people, however? You need to cut loose. Which is what really killed Nate with Tyler." But then she was continuing about the cancer thing and he bit his lip briefly before continuing. "I've tried to censor the whole thing a lot, so it doesn't stir up painful memories for you. I know I'm one of the lucky ones, but I was pretty sick. I didn't really expect to make it. Then all of a sudden, the cancer markers were dropping. I was actually bedridden through chemo treatments. I had to be hospitalised every time. I couldn't stop being sick and they had to hook me up to constant hydration therapy and electrolytes."

He laughed. "Long Island? I was thinking more along the lines of Hawaii or the Caribbean. What about a cruise? Although, if you're anything like Mikey, that might be a bad, baaaaad idea. I do actually know some with a beach house in the Hamptons, though. Angel has property up there, and he just bought a new place in Tampa Bay. Are you sure you're ready to tell them? What made you change your mind? Something had to give you a sway in that direction," he asked, because he didn't want her at all to feel like she was being pressured or that he needed her to announce to the world they were dating.

[literaryella]

"It's probably one of the hardest things in the world to realize that the love of your life has become toxic to you. I can't imagine the heartbreak of having to let go of that person because not letting go is hurting you more than letting go ever would." She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "I'm glad you take that approach to ending relationships, though. Because if you can be an adult when the relationship is ending, it says a hell of a lot about how you are when you're actually in a relationship. You've had nothing but nice things to say about Aimee, and most guys I know talk a lot of shit about their exes. Which tells me you're a good guy who treasures the people in your life too much to be an asshole because things didn't work out the way you thought or hoped they might." Ella snuggled closer in at Dave's side, enjoying the warmth of being close to him. "I don't want you to censor yourself, though. Our relationship has been really nice so far, and part of that is that I feel really comfortable talking with you about pretty much anything." She listened as he explained a little more about his cancer battle, and she shook her head, tilting her chin up so she could kiss him softly. "That sounds like absolute hell. But I'm so fucking glad that you're still here. I miss my mom, Dave. I do. I miss her every day, and it kills me knowing what she went through. But you're here, and this is still early days, but I adore having you as a part of my life. I want that to continue, and I want to know those things... The parts that are hard to talk about, but a huge part of you and your life. Does that makes sense?"

"A Caribbean cruise sounds like heaven on earth to me," Ella mused with a small smile. "Sunshine and water and overnight stops at beaches? Day spas, comfy beds? And days away just the two of us? I literally think you just described what heaven would be like if I created it myself." She gave him a playful grin, but became more serious at his question. "I'm sure. The truth is, they're my baby brothers, and I love them both dearly. I wanted to be sure before I told them that I felt like it was a relationship that was going somewhere, and I do feel that way. Besides that, Trey's seeing someone now... There's no reason to hide us. I'm ready."

[surgeonshands]

Dave nodded slowly, frowning a little because he had been there for Nate through the really, really, really painful days. Tyler constantly being smashed on drugs, the suicide attempts, the psychotic episodes, the time Nate caught him cheating. It was one very horrific period of time and Dave was relieved he had been single at the time because he had been able to support Nate wholeheartedly. At least, until he was diagnosed with cancer, and Nate was there to return all the support. "I think sometimes it has to be harder to hold onto them. I don't know, I've not really been in too serious a relationship to date. Not to that level anyway. I mean, Tyler was raped the night of their bachelor party. They were mere days away from getting married. It was all arranged and paid for, and it was going to be a huge wedding too. Once you see people you care about going through that level of pain, and you face a big huge question mark over your own health and life, life just feels different... it's just hard to explain how. I think you have to live in the moment. Not necessarily for the moment, but know you're never guaranteed a tomorrow. Then you learn to cherish what you have and not take it for granted. Aimee's friendship was important to me before we started dating, and I wanted to keep that. We have a lot of mutual friends too, so it would've just been stupid to turn it nasty. And yeah, that makes sense. Sometimes it just might come up, I didn't want you feeling bad about it, is all. I mean, I still have monthly health checks, and my immune system is wrecked, so some days, I don't feel all that well and I can be a miserable bitch. It's why I only work part-time for now. Tara, my Oncologist, likes to err on the side of caution. Which is never a bad thing."

"Okay, well, let's look into it and see how we go. We don't have to make any specific decisions, but we can aim to take a vacation together. I need to take some leave for a rest anyway. Another thing Tara insists on. She's a typical mommy figure to her patients that she considered family." He nodded. "Trey's seeing Brendan, right? I work with Justin's uncle, who is dating Caden's sister... who is Brendan's mom. Try wrapping your head around that and coming out without a headache. I was also paged into a surgery that went badly. It was Brendan's best friend, Bryce. He's got a brain tumour, so we've sort of gotten to know Brendan around the hospital. There's not a day he doesn't visit."

[literaryella]

"It breaks my hear to even imagine. Any of it, really. I can't imagine the violation of being raped. One of my best friends was. His relationship crashed and burned in the wake of it, too, but there were other things involved. It was a horrible thing. He's actually just reconnected with the guy he was dating at the time, though. It's been incredibly hard, but I think it's been good for him, too. I don't know what will come next for them, but I hope that they can find some kind of peace... though I'm not really sure how much peace you can find when you've been through what they've been through." She gave him an understanding smile. Fighting cancer changed a person, too, something she'd only somewhat seen from the other side. Her mom obviously hadn't made it to remission, and the only people she knew who had were Dave, and Will, who was one of her students at the school. "I think a lot of people in relationships don't want their other half to have anything to do with his or her exes. I've never been that type of girl. If there's a good friendship left after a dating relationship, why not? Trust me, though, I will worry about you, but I'm with you because I want to be with you. The good and the bad. So it probably won't be the easiest thing in the world, but you know something? Cancer isn't really known for how easy it is. If you're going through a rough time, worrying or waiting on test results, I'm here. I'm beside you. That's what being in a relationship is about to me."

"I love that plan," Ella replied, giving him a playful grin. "I've heard a rumor that vacation sex is some of the best sex ever. Don't quote me on that, but I think the rumor may be true," she teased. "But in all seriousness, I think I could definitely use a break, too, and I'd definitely like to share it with you. And that's another thing, too. If I'm going away with my other half, I want the boys to know who I'm with. They'll worry. I think we all worry about each other that much more since losing Mom, because we have to make up for her not being here to worry about us, too. Jesus, I'm going to need a map drawn out of all the ways everyone knows everybody else. I'm already getting a headache. Brendan seems like such a sweetheart. I like him with Trey. They seem to have a nice little groove going. Trey works himself into the ground, so it's been nice to see him find someone he can rest with."

[surgeonshands]

"Nate had to step away initially. It was killing him because Tyler was self-destructing and he would've dragged Nate down with him. It was literally to a dangerous level the things Tyler ended up involved in. And then Tyler was so trashed one night at a rave party, he pushed his twin brother in front of a speeding car. Jeremy was studying at Oxford University in England. He was a real smartypants, but such a sweetheart. They were one of those chalk and cheese twinsets. He had come over to try to help Ty, get through to him. Jeremy suffered a brain injury and was in a coma for over a year. Tyler doesn't remember any of it, and he even suffered a form of traumatic mentally-induced amnesia where he forgot he even had a twin brother. He was so damaged by what happened, he blocked Jeremy out. Tyler tried many times to take his own life because he has a severe type of psychosis. Then one time, it was only by pure chance his room mate came home when he did. Tyler had nearly bled to death. Nate realised he couldn't stay away. He still loved Ty, and it was his place to take care of him and try to help him. It's heartbreaking, but Nate just says when he's asked that when you find the One, no matter how hard it is, you really don't ever want to lose them. You come close to it, it feels like your world is breaking apart. And I've been lucky to see friends find their One, and it looks pretty fucking amazing. I think the concept of 'peace' is subjective. You can be in pain, but still have peace with someone you love. They're your peace in spite of the pain."

He just laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "With that, I would have to say I have no fucking idea. Vacations are few and far between for me, and I've never been on a vacation with a date. Mates, yes dates, no. Oh, that's easy. All the maps lead back to either Mount Sinai or Broadway. Just head there if you get lost, and someone will point you back in the right direction of where you need to be. Are you going to be trying to matchmake your other brother now?" he teased, smiling at her.

[literaryella]

Ella and her family had certainly been through hell together with losing their mom and growing up without a dad, because their father had decided three kids was just too much work. There had been times when she was little and overhearing fights between her parents that she wondered for a while if it was her fault that her dad left. She remembered him better than Trey or Kyan did, but she still didn't remember him well. It had taken a while for her to realize that her dad's issues were his own, not hers or her brothers'. But what she knew, growing up as big sister to Kyan and Trey, was that her brothers were incredibly close. It was a twin thing, and Ella believed in it wholeheartedly. Her brothers lived it every day. Imagining how Trey or Kyan would react if either of them found that they'd hurt the other twin was heartwrenching. She'd seen both of her brothers fall apart, especially in the wake of losing their mother, but she couldn't help feeling that it would be that much worse if one of them hurt the other. "God," she finally managed to say, the emotion of that thought overwhelming her. "He hurt his own twin? No wonder he blocked him out of his memory. Kyan and Trey would do the same thing. I can't even imagine if something that awful happened. I think ultimately, when you really love someone, there's always a part of you that will want to know they're safe and cared for... Or at least to care for them when they're not safe. I think the concept of finding the One was always something I wanted, but I never really knew how it would feel or if it happened to everyone. But you're right... Finding someone who gives you peace when everything else is pain? It sounds like heaven."

"I can't say I know either," she teased, shrugging her shoulders. "But because I'm such a sweet, helpful, and understanding girlfriend, I'm willing to make that sacrifice of helping you find out the answer to that question." She snickered and leaned into his side quietly. "Well, that does make it easier. But only one of my brothers fits into one of those groups... Kyan's on Broadway, but Trey's not." She turned her nose up with a mocking scoff of offense before grinning at him. "No... I mean, if I met someone I really thought he'd hit it off with, sure, but he's not a big fan of being set up."