(Untitled)
Dave has been hardly in his apartment these last three days, busy buying presents for his father and brother (inevitably it ends up being ties, but he still spends hours staring hopelessly at different items trying to decide) and wrapping up business in his legal office for the holidays
( Read more... )
Kim's fairly certain that she'd have been welcomed by several of those in town -- certainly Glastonbury's people have made its newest doctor feel as much at home as possible -- but she'd chosen not to make her absence of plans known.
She spends the morning walking some of the paths near her cottage, then calls her parents as soon as the time difference will allow, wishing them happy holidays and much love.
Evening finds her curled up on her small sofa, her feet tucked under her and her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee. Kim stares off into space, her thoughts far, far away from the quiet room.
Reply
Which is, for the Martyniuk clan, something to be proud of in and of itself.
Still - building family relations back where they have shattered is a slow process, and should not be strained or moved to quickly. So Dave is more than a little relieved, when all is said and done, to have an excuse to say goodbye to his father on the evening of Christmas Day, and get into the peaceful silence of his car, and drive to the airport.
. . . which is, predictably, a zoo, but when you're a man Dave's size, that's not as frustrating as it might be to the smaller and more easily crowded.
He sleeps surprisingly well on the flight over the Atlantic.
Reply
There are no scheduled patients, of course, but there's no harm in occupying herself with the minutiae of little administrative tasks that need attention while she waits, just in case.
Reply
. . . it's slightly anticlimactic to arrive at their house, knock on the door, and find that they aren't there.
Feeling somewhat disgruntled, rather stupid, and all of a sudden significantly unsure of himself, Dave goes to find a pub or something to pass the hours until the evening.
(If she's not there then . . . he doesn't know. Leave a message and fly back, he guesses. How much does it even cost to use payphones in England?)
Reply
She'd spent the day undisturbed after all, without a single patient, and the evening bids fair to be just as quiet.
Kim allows herself one moment of regret, and then briskly reminds herself that there have been any number of times when she would have given almost anything for just such an evening's peace.
Reply
Dave knows how to take a hint. (If anything, he's over-sensitive to them.) He glares back, but swings his backpack on his shoulder and heads out. He's a little surprised to find it dark already - but he supposes that makes now as good a time as any to see if Kim's back.
He starts heading down the street towards her house.
Reply
Eventually, though, she rounds the corner onto her street-- and in the next instant finds herself dodging to one side to avoid running into someone--
-- a very tall, achingly familiar someone.
But that's impossible--
Kim freezes, clear gray eyes wide.
Reply
Uh.
"Uh," he says, aware of a slightly idiotic grin. "Hi."
Reply
She can't believe it, can't, and yet even as she shakes her head a bright smile is beginning to appear.
"Is it really you?"
Reply
"I got your message," Dave says. "Guess you sounded a little bit down. Uh - my timing was a little off." He scratches the faint stubble on his chin (neither overnight flights nor British pubs provide convenient venues for shaving) rather sheepishly. "I think you were still at work when I got here."
Reply
That's all she can manage to get out, so instead of trying to find more words, Kim dashes forward and throws her arms around him, laughing in delight.
"--I'm so glad to see you!"
Reply
"I guess I've gotten used to skipping countries at the drop of a hat by this point," he jokes quietly, words aimed at the top of her head. "Didn't have to bring any study notes this time, at least."
And then: "Good to see you, too."
Reply
Reply
"Right, because the good with words one, I've always been that guy."
Though it'd be nice to be. Times like this (say, with Kim) maybe especially.
If Dave's a good lawyer, it's not because he's a persuasive or eloquent speaker, but because he puts in the hours to make sure he knows what he's talking about. (And also because he's scary when he's shouting.)
Reply
A movement spotted from the corner of her eye gets her attention, though, enough to notice that the two of them are the focus of two elderly ladies down at the corner shop, both of whom seem to be much more interested in the scene unfolding before them than in their marketing.
Flushing a little, Kim eases back, but leaves one arm around Dave's waist. With her free hand, she waves to the ladies. Mrs. Williams waves back, and Mrs. Jamieson calls out, "And a good evening to you, Dr. Ford -- and to your friend, too."
Reply
"Good evening," he shouts back, and then says, to Kim, in an undertone: "Uh, so, maybe indoors would be a good plan?"
Reply
Leave a comment