Fic: An unexpected gift of fate - 11/11 - Doctor Blake Mysteries
Title: An unexpected gift of fate 11/11
Fandom: The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Author: Ceindreadh
Type of Story: multi-part
Characters: Matthew Lawson, Lucien Blake, Charlie Davis, Jean Beazley, Mattie O’Brien
Pairings: Blake/Jean, Lawson/Mattie
Rating: 15
Summary: An apparently minor incident has major consequences for Lawson
Genre: Hurt/comfort, romance, friendship
Word count: ~ 2,500
Disclaimer. I don’t own the characters, I’m only borrowing them, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Thanks to Tina for all her help and input
Previously - Jean and Blake spoke to Mattie and Lawson about their relationship with the unintended effect of motivating the pair to take things further.
True to Jean’s word, the good parlour had been opened up for them the next day. But as Mattie realised when she met Lawson there that evening, Jean was still in her own way trying to ensure that the proprieties were being observed.
“Look at it,” said Mattie, as she put the tea tray down on the small table.
“Look at what?” said Lawson, a puzzled expression on his face as he closed the door behind Mattie.
“The chairs.” Mattie indicated the seating arrangements. She’d noticed it as soon as she’d walked in the room. The table had been placed in front of the fireplace with a chair on either side.
“What about the chairs?” said Lawson, genuinely confused by Mattie’s reaction.
“See how far apart they are,” said Mattie. “Jean’s moved them. You can see from the tracks in the carpet that they were closer together.” She looked at Lawson, “Or did you move them?”
Lawson shook his head, “More than my life’s worth to start messing with Jean’s housekeeping!” he said with a smile.
“Lucky for you, I’m made of sterner stuff than that!” said Mattie, moving towards one of the chairs. “But we’d better make sure they’re back in their original places before we leave.”
“I have a better idea,” said Lawson. He put his arm around Mattie and pulled her back to the chair he’d been sitting in earlier while waiting for her. “It’s strong enough for two,” he added as he sat down. Mattie didn’t resist as he pulled her onto his lap.
“Just don’t make me spill my tea,” said Mattie with a slight giggle as Lawson wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
There was little danger of that, as the tea grew cold before either of them remembered it was there.
---------------------------
Mattie was leaning against Lawson, her head resting on his shoulder when she felt him sigh heavily. “What’s wrong?” she asked him softly.
“We can’t keep doing this,” said Lawson.
Mattie twisted in his arms and looked up at him, a worried look on her face. “What do you mean?”
Lawson kissed her gently on the forehead. “You should be in your room studying, not spending all evening with me in the parlour. When I move out, when I go back to work, you know it’s not going to be as easy to spend as much time with each other, not like it is now.”
Mattie relaxed against him. “I know,” she said, half sighing. “And a part of me does wish you weren’t going to be leaving so soon.”
“Me too,” said Lawson. “I am really going to miss Jean’s cooking!” He smiled as Mattie slapped him gently on the arm but in truth, he too almost wished he didn’t have to go. It was somewhat ironic that barely a week ago; he’d been worried that he’d never get a clean bill of health from Blake. Now he was almost hoping that he *wouldn’t* be passed fit at his next check up.
------------------------------
“Well I must say, you’ve made an excellent recovery, Lawson,” said Blake a few days later. “And I see no reason why you can’t return home tomorrow as planned.”
“And work?” Lawson buttoned up his shirt as Blake sat down behind his typewriter.
“If you’ll just give me a minute,” said Blake, “I’ll type up my report clearing you for active duty.” He glanced up at Lawson and smiled, “You’ll be back in uniform and giving Charlie hell before you know it!”
Lawson still had mixed feelings about the prospect. On the one hand, a return to active duty, that was what he wanted. But on the other hand, it was going to be a wrench leaving Mattie behind, even if they had already made plans for future meetings.
With a flourish, Blake removed the sheet of paper from the typewriter and signed his name to it. “There you go,” he said, handing it to Lawson, “A clean bill of health as certified by your Police Surgeon. I’ll drop it in to the station this afternoon.”
Lawson looked up from the page, “What the hell is this?” he asked, a puzzled look on his face. “You’re recommending that I don’t be assigned to active duty until the 8th...but that’s over a week away!”
“As your physician,” said Blake, choosing his words carefully, “I feel that you need a holiday before you go back to work.”
“I don’t need a holiday,” snapped Lawson, “I’ve just spent the last three weeks doing nothing!”
“Well yes,” said Blake, “Except that most of that time you’ve spent being worried about getting fit enough to get back to work.”
“You said I was fine.”
“Physically, you’re fine,” said Blake, “But Matthew, you need a break, a proper break where you’re not worrying yourself sick about work. When was the last time you had a holiday?” There was no reply from Lawson, so Blake continued, “Consider it Doctor’s orders. I won’t reinstate you for another week and that’s final.”
Lawson sighed heavily, “I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I am. And you’re forgetting the most important thing about this.” He took the page back from Lawson. “You’re going to have a bit more time to spend with Mattie. I have it on very good authority that she’s hoping to go dancing next weekend.”
“Don’t suppose you could write me a sick note to get out of *that*?” said Lawson, with a half smile.
“Not a chance!” said Blake. “Having two left feet is not a recognized medical condition. But don’t worry; I’ll advise Mattie to wear sturdy shoes!” He put his arm around Lawson and guided him towards the study. “And now I think we should drink to your recovery.”
“You mean drink to getting rid of an annoying house guest.”
“Yes, there is that as well,” said Blake, a smile on his face. “But seriously Matthew, it’s been no annoyance at all.”
----------------------------
Lawson stood at the door to Blake’s house a few days later and hesitated momentarily. He quickly checked that his tie was straight and his hair smoothed down before reaching for the door, but hesitating again. “This is ridiculous,” he told himself. “You’ve knocked on this door hundreds of times before. This shouldn’t be any different.” Steeling himself, he forced a smile on his face and knocked loudly on the door. The smile faded somewhat as the door opened to reveal Blake behind it.
---------------------------------
“Ah, that must be Lawson,” said Blake to himself. “Punctual as ever.” Heading towards the front door, he called back down the hallway, “I’ll get it Mattie.”
“Lawson!” said Blake, smiling as he opened the door to his friend. Catching sight of the bunch of flowers held tightly in Lawson’s hand, Blake added “Matthew, you shouldn’t have!” as he held out his hand.
“I didn’t,” said Lawson, “They’re for Mattie,” he added, somewhat unnecessarily.
Blake tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile. The last time he’d seen Matthew Lawson that nervous had been forty years earlier, just after their Latin teacher at Ballarat West had announced a surprise test. Blake took pity on him, “She’s just putting the finishing touches to her outfit...or at least that’s what Jean said about an hour ago! But I’m sure she won’t be long. Come in to the kitchen and I’ll get you a cup of tea while you’re waiting....” Blake realized he might as well be speaking to himself. A smile had appeared on Lawson’s face as he looked over Blake’s shoulder and down the corridor.
“Mattie!” said Lawson, his voice gentle, “You look...beautiful...”
Blake turned to see Mattie approaching, a slight blush colouring her cheeks as she neared the two men. Blake had to admit that Lawson wasn’t wrong in his assessment. He was accustomed to seeing Mattie in her nurse’s uniform and casual clothes and more than once, he’d seen her dressed up for a special occasion. But tonight, it wasn’t the dress that had transformed her. “No,” thought Blake, “it was the look on her face when she looks at Lawson.” He briefly wondered just how he could have been so oblivious, especially given the look on Lawson’s face as he stepped forward to greet Mattie.
“These are for you,” said Lawson, gruffly, as if embarrassed by his earlier reaction. He almost thrust the flowers at Mattie.
“Oh Matthew, they’re lovely. Thank you,” said Mattie, as she took them from him.
Lawson leaned forward as if to kiss her, then hesitated slightly, realising that it might not be altogether appropriate in front of Jean, who had followed Mattie down the hallway, and was now watching with an amused expression on her face. Finally, Lawson gave Mattie a quick clumsy peck on the cheek.
“I’ll put these in water for you, Mattie,” said Jean. “You two should get going if you don’t want to miss the movie. Lucien, get Mattie’s coat for her.”
Blake took the coat down from its hook and was about to hand it to Mattie, when Lawson plucked it out of his hands. Blake watched with some amusement as Lawson carefully helped Mattie into the coat. “I do hope you’ll have her home at a respectable hour,” said Blake, as Lawson opened the front door. Jean smacked him on the hand as he added, “And no dilly dallying on the way home either!” He was pretty sure that neither Lawson nor Mattie were paying a blind bit of attention to anybody but each other. Even as Blake closed the door behind them, he could see Lawson take Mattie’s hand as they walked to the car.
“What?” said Blake as he turned around to see Jean standing there with pursed lips.
“I do hope you’re not going to give either of them a hard time about their friendship,” said Jean.
“Me?” said Blake, an air of injured innocence. “I’m not the one who was worried about possible goings on under this roof. And besides, the way those two lovebirds were looking at each other, I think that ‘friendship’ is hardly an adequate description of their relationship!”
“And how would you describe *our* relationship?” asked Jean, quietly.
Blake was about to make a flippant remark when he saw the expression on Jean’s face. He reached out and gently caressed Jean’s cheek. “Forgive me, Jean. I...have this terrible habit...one of many...of taking people for granted. After my wife went missing, I swore that if I was fortunate enough to find her again, that I wouldn’t let a day pass without telling her how much she meant to me.
Jean’s face froze and she started to turn away, but Blake pulled her back and put his arms around her, “And then, when I found out she was dead...I swore that I would never make that same mistake again. That I would tell the people that matter to me, just how much they mean to me.”
“Oh Lucien,” said Jean, softly as she let her head rest against his shoulder.
“I love you, Jean Beazley,” said Blake as he stroked her back, “So much so that I wake up some mornings afraid that I’ll lose you too.”
“You won’t,” said Jean, “Not if I have any say in the matter...” She gasped and then tried to push away from him. “Mattie’s flowers. You’re squashing them!”
“Ah my Jean,” said Blake, “Always the practical one. What would I do without you?” He loosened his embrace enough for Jean to take a step back and then he took her free hand in both of his and kissed it gently. “Please don’t ever let me have to find out...”
-------------------------------------
It was a cold crisp evening as Lawson and Mattie walked out of the movie theatre. Lawson’s arm was around Mattie, ostensibly protecting her from the crush of the crowd, but in reality he was glad of the excuse to keep her close. Mattie was conscious of the fact that there’d been a few curious looks as she and Lawson had taken their seats earlier, and she knew that there would be a few tongues wagging that night in Ballarat. But she held her head high, knowing that neither she nor Lawson were doing anything to be ashamed of. Well, maybe one thing... “I just hope that nobody asks me too much about the movie,” said Mattie with a slight laugh. “I don’t think I was paying close enough attention.”
“Me neither,” said Lawson, a smile on his face as he squeezed her gently. “You are a very very distracting young woman! I can see I’ll have to keep my eye on you in future.”
“I won’t mind that in the least,” said Mattie.
The crowd from the movie theatre dispersed as they walked along, and in the relative silence of the street, it almost felt like they were only two people in the world. Neither of them were in any hurry for the evening to end so they took their time strolling back to the car hand in hand.
It wasn’t until Lawson had pulled into Blake’s driveway and was opening Mattie’s door, that either of them realised just how late it was. “Oh no,” said Mattie, looking at her watch in the moonlight. “The movie must have run over. It’s terribly late.” She took Lawson’s hand as she stepped out of the car. “Lucien and Jean will be wondering where I am.”
“You think Blake will be waiting by the door with a shotgun?” asked Lawson, not letting go of her hand as they walked towards the front door.
“I hardly think so!” said Mattie, “He knows I’ll be safe with you.”
“You’re probably right. Besides, if he was, I’d have to charge him for holding an unlicensed firearm!”
“Matthew!” Mattie slapped him playfully on the arm. “Do you ever stop being a copper?”
“No, I don’t,” said Lawson, his voice suddenly serious as he stopped walking. “I may take off the uniform, but I never put down the badge. And you’re the same, Mattie O’Brien. You may not wear a uniform every day, but you never stop being a nurse, you never stop trying to help people.”
“We’re two of a kind then,” said Mattie, squeezing his hand.
“Being a policeman is in my blood and it always will be, like nursing is in yours.” Lawson cleared his throat, “But being with you...for the first time in years, I’m starting to realize that it doesn’t have to be the only thing in my life. Getting to know you like this,” he added softly as he took both her hands in his, “It’s like a gift I never expected...or deserved. And whatever happens between us, I’m grateful for it.”
“Who’d have thought something good could come from a life threatening illness,” said Mattie.
“I don’t know where this relationship of ours is going, Mattie. I just know that I want to find out...with you...” Lawson leaned in and kissed her gently, his lips pressing against hers so smoothly that for a few seconds it felt like they were a single entity. .
Mattie had a smile on her face when they finally broke the kiss, “Then let’s see where it takes us.”
--------------------------
The end
Fandom: The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Author: Ceindreadh
Type of Story: multi-part
Characters: Matthew Lawson, Lucien Blake, Charlie Davis, Jean Beazley, Mattie O’Brien
Pairings: Blake/Jean, Lawson/Mattie
Rating: 15
Summary: An apparently minor incident has major consequences for Lawson
Genre: Hurt/comfort, romance, friendship
Word count: ~ 2,500
Disclaimer. I don’t own the characters, I’m only borrowing them, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Thanks to Tina for all her help and input
Previously - Jean and Blake spoke to Mattie and Lawson about their relationship with the unintended effect of motivating the pair to take things further.
True to Jean’s word, the good parlour had been opened up for them the next day. But as Mattie realised when she met Lawson there that evening, Jean was still in her own way trying to ensure that the proprieties were being observed.
“Look at it,” said Mattie, as she put the tea tray down on the small table.
“Look at what?” said Lawson, a puzzled expression on his face as he closed the door behind Mattie.
“The chairs.” Mattie indicated the seating arrangements. She’d noticed it as soon as she’d walked in the room. The table had been placed in front of the fireplace with a chair on either side.
“What about the chairs?” said Lawson, genuinely confused by Mattie’s reaction.
“See how far apart they are,” said Mattie. “Jean’s moved them. You can see from the tracks in the carpet that they were closer together.” She looked at Lawson, “Or did you move them?”
Lawson shook his head, “More than my life’s worth to start messing with Jean’s housekeeping!” he said with a smile.
“Lucky for you, I’m made of sterner stuff than that!” said Mattie, moving towards one of the chairs. “But we’d better make sure they’re back in their original places before we leave.”
“I have a better idea,” said Lawson. He put his arm around Mattie and pulled her back to the chair he’d been sitting in earlier while waiting for her. “It’s strong enough for two,” he added as he sat down. Mattie didn’t resist as he pulled her onto his lap.
“Just don’t make me spill my tea,” said Mattie with a slight giggle as Lawson wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
There was little danger of that, as the tea grew cold before either of them remembered it was there.
---------------------------
Mattie was leaning against Lawson, her head resting on his shoulder when she felt him sigh heavily. “What’s wrong?” she asked him softly.
“We can’t keep doing this,” said Lawson.
Mattie twisted in his arms and looked up at him, a worried look on her face. “What do you mean?”
Lawson kissed her gently on the forehead. “You should be in your room studying, not spending all evening with me in the parlour. When I move out, when I go back to work, you know it’s not going to be as easy to spend as much time with each other, not like it is now.”
Mattie relaxed against him. “I know,” she said, half sighing. “And a part of me does wish you weren’t going to be leaving so soon.”
“Me too,” said Lawson. “I am really going to miss Jean’s cooking!” He smiled as Mattie slapped him gently on the arm but in truth, he too almost wished he didn’t have to go. It was somewhat ironic that barely a week ago; he’d been worried that he’d never get a clean bill of health from Blake. Now he was almost hoping that he *wouldn’t* be passed fit at his next check up.
------------------------------
“Well I must say, you’ve made an excellent recovery, Lawson,” said Blake a few days later. “And I see no reason why you can’t return home tomorrow as planned.”
“And work?” Lawson buttoned up his shirt as Blake sat down behind his typewriter.
“If you’ll just give me a minute,” said Blake, “I’ll type up my report clearing you for active duty.” He glanced up at Lawson and smiled, “You’ll be back in uniform and giving Charlie hell before you know it!”
Lawson still had mixed feelings about the prospect. On the one hand, a return to active duty, that was what he wanted. But on the other hand, it was going to be a wrench leaving Mattie behind, even if they had already made plans for future meetings.
With a flourish, Blake removed the sheet of paper from the typewriter and signed his name to it. “There you go,” he said, handing it to Lawson, “A clean bill of health as certified by your Police Surgeon. I’ll drop it in to the station this afternoon.”
Lawson looked up from the page, “What the hell is this?” he asked, a puzzled look on his face. “You’re recommending that I don’t be assigned to active duty until the 8th...but that’s over a week away!”
“As your physician,” said Blake, choosing his words carefully, “I feel that you need a holiday before you go back to work.”
“I don’t need a holiday,” snapped Lawson, “I’ve just spent the last three weeks doing nothing!”
“Well yes,” said Blake, “Except that most of that time you’ve spent being worried about getting fit enough to get back to work.”
“You said I was fine.”
“Physically, you’re fine,” said Blake, “But Matthew, you need a break, a proper break where you’re not worrying yourself sick about work. When was the last time you had a holiday?” There was no reply from Lawson, so Blake continued, “Consider it Doctor’s orders. I won’t reinstate you for another week and that’s final.”
Lawson sighed heavily, “I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I am. And you’re forgetting the most important thing about this.” He took the page back from Lawson. “You’re going to have a bit more time to spend with Mattie. I have it on very good authority that she’s hoping to go dancing next weekend.”
“Don’t suppose you could write me a sick note to get out of *that*?” said Lawson, with a half smile.
“Not a chance!” said Blake. “Having two left feet is not a recognized medical condition. But don’t worry; I’ll advise Mattie to wear sturdy shoes!” He put his arm around Lawson and guided him towards the study. “And now I think we should drink to your recovery.”
“You mean drink to getting rid of an annoying house guest.”
“Yes, there is that as well,” said Blake, a smile on his face. “But seriously Matthew, it’s been no annoyance at all.”
----------------------------
Lawson stood at the door to Blake’s house a few days later and hesitated momentarily. He quickly checked that his tie was straight and his hair smoothed down before reaching for the door, but hesitating again. “This is ridiculous,” he told himself. “You’ve knocked on this door hundreds of times before. This shouldn’t be any different.” Steeling himself, he forced a smile on his face and knocked loudly on the door. The smile faded somewhat as the door opened to reveal Blake behind it.
---------------------------------
“Ah, that must be Lawson,” said Blake to himself. “Punctual as ever.” Heading towards the front door, he called back down the hallway, “I’ll get it Mattie.”
“Lawson!” said Blake, smiling as he opened the door to his friend. Catching sight of the bunch of flowers held tightly in Lawson’s hand, Blake added “Matthew, you shouldn’t have!” as he held out his hand.
“I didn’t,” said Lawson, “They’re for Mattie,” he added, somewhat unnecessarily.
Blake tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile. The last time he’d seen Matthew Lawson that nervous had been forty years earlier, just after their Latin teacher at Ballarat West had announced a surprise test. Blake took pity on him, “She’s just putting the finishing touches to her outfit...or at least that’s what Jean said about an hour ago! But I’m sure she won’t be long. Come in to the kitchen and I’ll get you a cup of tea while you’re waiting....” Blake realized he might as well be speaking to himself. A smile had appeared on Lawson’s face as he looked over Blake’s shoulder and down the corridor.
“Mattie!” said Lawson, his voice gentle, “You look...beautiful...”
Blake turned to see Mattie approaching, a slight blush colouring her cheeks as she neared the two men. Blake had to admit that Lawson wasn’t wrong in his assessment. He was accustomed to seeing Mattie in her nurse’s uniform and casual clothes and more than once, he’d seen her dressed up for a special occasion. But tonight, it wasn’t the dress that had transformed her. “No,” thought Blake, “it was the look on her face when she looks at Lawson.” He briefly wondered just how he could have been so oblivious, especially given the look on Lawson’s face as he stepped forward to greet Mattie.
“These are for you,” said Lawson, gruffly, as if embarrassed by his earlier reaction. He almost thrust the flowers at Mattie.
“Oh Matthew, they’re lovely. Thank you,” said Mattie, as she took them from him.
Lawson leaned forward as if to kiss her, then hesitated slightly, realising that it might not be altogether appropriate in front of Jean, who had followed Mattie down the hallway, and was now watching with an amused expression on her face. Finally, Lawson gave Mattie a quick clumsy peck on the cheek.
“I’ll put these in water for you, Mattie,” said Jean. “You two should get going if you don’t want to miss the movie. Lucien, get Mattie’s coat for her.”
Blake took the coat down from its hook and was about to hand it to Mattie, when Lawson plucked it out of his hands. Blake watched with some amusement as Lawson carefully helped Mattie into the coat. “I do hope you’ll have her home at a respectable hour,” said Blake, as Lawson opened the front door. Jean smacked him on the hand as he added, “And no dilly dallying on the way home either!” He was pretty sure that neither Lawson nor Mattie were paying a blind bit of attention to anybody but each other. Even as Blake closed the door behind them, he could see Lawson take Mattie’s hand as they walked to the car.
“What?” said Blake as he turned around to see Jean standing there with pursed lips.
“I do hope you’re not going to give either of them a hard time about their friendship,” said Jean.
“Me?” said Blake, an air of injured innocence. “I’m not the one who was worried about possible goings on under this roof. And besides, the way those two lovebirds were looking at each other, I think that ‘friendship’ is hardly an adequate description of their relationship!”
“And how would you describe *our* relationship?” asked Jean, quietly.
Blake was about to make a flippant remark when he saw the expression on Jean’s face. He reached out and gently caressed Jean’s cheek. “Forgive me, Jean. I...have this terrible habit...one of many...of taking people for granted. After my wife went missing, I swore that if I was fortunate enough to find her again, that I wouldn’t let a day pass without telling her how much she meant to me.
Jean’s face froze and she started to turn away, but Blake pulled her back and put his arms around her, “And then, when I found out she was dead...I swore that I would never make that same mistake again. That I would tell the people that matter to me, just how much they mean to me.”
“Oh Lucien,” said Jean, softly as she let her head rest against his shoulder.
“I love you, Jean Beazley,” said Blake as he stroked her back, “So much so that I wake up some mornings afraid that I’ll lose you too.”
“You won’t,” said Jean, “Not if I have any say in the matter...” She gasped and then tried to push away from him. “Mattie’s flowers. You’re squashing them!”
“Ah my Jean,” said Blake, “Always the practical one. What would I do without you?” He loosened his embrace enough for Jean to take a step back and then he took her free hand in both of his and kissed it gently. “Please don’t ever let me have to find out...”
-------------------------------------
It was a cold crisp evening as Lawson and Mattie walked out of the movie theatre. Lawson’s arm was around Mattie, ostensibly protecting her from the crush of the crowd, but in reality he was glad of the excuse to keep her close. Mattie was conscious of the fact that there’d been a few curious looks as she and Lawson had taken their seats earlier, and she knew that there would be a few tongues wagging that night in Ballarat. But she held her head high, knowing that neither she nor Lawson were doing anything to be ashamed of. Well, maybe one thing... “I just hope that nobody asks me too much about the movie,” said Mattie with a slight laugh. “I don’t think I was paying close enough attention.”
“Me neither,” said Lawson, a smile on his face as he squeezed her gently. “You are a very very distracting young woman! I can see I’ll have to keep my eye on you in future.”
“I won’t mind that in the least,” said Mattie.
The crowd from the movie theatre dispersed as they walked along, and in the relative silence of the street, it almost felt like they were only two people in the world. Neither of them were in any hurry for the evening to end so they took their time strolling back to the car hand in hand.
It wasn’t until Lawson had pulled into Blake’s driveway and was opening Mattie’s door, that either of them realised just how late it was. “Oh no,” said Mattie, looking at her watch in the moonlight. “The movie must have run over. It’s terribly late.” She took Lawson’s hand as she stepped out of the car. “Lucien and Jean will be wondering where I am.”
“You think Blake will be waiting by the door with a shotgun?” asked Lawson, not letting go of her hand as they walked towards the front door.
“I hardly think so!” said Mattie, “He knows I’ll be safe with you.”
“You’re probably right. Besides, if he was, I’d have to charge him for holding an unlicensed firearm!”
“Matthew!” Mattie slapped him playfully on the arm. “Do you ever stop being a copper?”
“No, I don’t,” said Lawson, his voice suddenly serious as he stopped walking. “I may take off the uniform, but I never put down the badge. And you’re the same, Mattie O’Brien. You may not wear a uniform every day, but you never stop being a nurse, you never stop trying to help people.”
“We’re two of a kind then,” said Mattie, squeezing his hand.
“Being a policeman is in my blood and it always will be, like nursing is in yours.” Lawson cleared his throat, “But being with you...for the first time in years, I’m starting to realize that it doesn’t have to be the only thing in my life. Getting to know you like this,” he added softly as he took both her hands in his, “It’s like a gift I never expected...or deserved. And whatever happens between us, I’m grateful for it.”
“Who’d have thought something good could come from a life threatening illness,” said Mattie.
“I don’t know where this relationship of ours is going, Mattie. I just know that I want to find out...with you...” Lawson leaned in and kissed her gently, his lips pressing against hers so smoothly that for a few seconds it felt like they were a single entity. .
Mattie had a smile on her face when they finally broke the kiss, “Then let’s see where it takes us.”
--------------------------
The end