"Annika's right," Ana said on the drive to the hospital.
Scott glanced at her. "Annika is smart girl. She's right about lots of things."
"She has too much responsibility with Lia. That's not her child. She shouldn't have to constantly watch over her."
Scott sighed. "We can't leave the kids with strangers. It's asking for trouble. I know she's got more responsibility than maybe she should. But-"
"No. She shouldn't have to raise out child. She's our child."
"Annika doesn't raise Lia. She watches out for her little sister when we're not there. All she has to do, is stay in the same room with the sitter."
Ana sighed, looking out the window. "I feel bad. I don't want to steal her childhood."
Scott smiled, taking her hand. "I know. But the same way we protect Lia we protected her. Remember? We never left her with a sitter. She went with us everywhere."
Ana smiled. "Remember when we took her to that fancy restaurant?"
"Ah. That date night she threw spaghetti at the waiter?"
Ana giggled. "She just goes, this isn't buttered noodles! Of course, I wanted to die at the time, but looking back-"
"It is still absolutely mortifying," Scott grinned.
Scott felt himself relax.
• • •
Scott's hand stayed firmly in Ana's as he guided her to his locker. He paused.
"When I open this, I want you to say nothing,"He instructed her.
She made a motion of zipping her lips. He sighed, unlocking his locker and opening it.
She purses her lips, finding pictures of her, of the kids, and a bottle of her perfume. And...
"Is that one of my locs?"
He slammed the door. "Didn't I say I wanted you to say nothing?"
She chuckled. "It's kinda cute if not slightly deranged. Annika would kill you if she saw that photo though, that was a bad hair year remember?"
Scott shrugged. "Her hair was fine to me. Anyway, don't take this the wrong way. It's just sometimes I feel better if I feel like you're close to me."
He walked away from the locker, dragging her with him.
"Come on, I'll take you to the gallery."
He bought her to the gallery, setting her down.
"It's a complicated surgery," he explained. "So it will be a long one."
She nodded, and he smiled, before leaving to scrub in.
"Are you...oh my god, you're the woman from Dr. Collin's locker!"
Ana looked to the young man who stared at her.
"I thought he was just some weird stalker. You actually know him?"
Ana smiled. "I'm his wife. Who...?"
"Oh I'm Dr. Collins' intern. He tells me I'm the least hopeless out of all the sheep drawn to slaughter of surgery," the man quoted.
Ana snorted. "Yep. That sounds like him."
"It's just...your name is Ana right? Morgana?"
"It is," Ana shifted, as Scott entered the room in scrubs.
"Wow...you're a legend around here. Dr. Collins always start a surgery like this by saying for Ana. We always thought it was like some weird ritual, because once he started saying it he got on his streak."
Ana smiled. "That is so...."
Scott sighed, looking up at the gallery. "For Ana," he whispered. "Okay, don't fuck this up. You, I've seen the way you butcher people. I need you to take several steps back."
He sighed. "Ten blade," he ordered.
• • •
It had been ten hours. Scott stared at the body cavity. He was stuck. He didn't know what to do.
"Why is he standing there?" Ana whispered to George, the least hopeless intern.
He shook his head. "Right now there's no way to remove the mass without cutting into something that will kill him or paralyze him. But if he does nothing, patient will die by the time he finishes closing."
Scott stared, shifting.
"Dr. Collins?"
Scott frowned. "Don't...just call me Scott. Matter of fact, don't call me anything. I'm trying to think."
Scott knew he couldn't leave the patient open for long.
"The walls," he murmured, staring at the cavity. "Are white. I forgot the walls are white in an OR."
"Dr-I mean, Scott. What are we doing. We can't leave a patient exposed for this long-"
"Just shut up," Scott yelled. "Someone...someone," he paused, looking up at the gallery.
Ana looked back at him, waving.
He scoffed with a smile. "Right. Right. Okay. Give me the forceps."
• • •
"You did great out there," Ana complimented him, as he took off his scrubs.
He sighed. "Took longer than it should've. I was rusty."
"You did well. And your streak is alive," she smiled. "So is your patient."
He sighed, leaning his head in her shoulder. She patted his head gently. He inhaled her scent, a mix of cocoa butter, her Shea butter body wash, and a hint her perfume.
It was soothing.
"There, there," Ana said softly.
Scott lifted his head up, meeting her eyes. She really was...
He leaned, kissing her, pushing her toward the gallery wall.
His hands reached under her shift, settling on her waist.
Ana smiled, "You could at least be patient," she murmured.
He kissed her neck, his hand drifting to the curve of her hips.
"I don't think I can."
"Scott...Scott we have to get home."
"Fine, fine." He kissed her head, but didn't move.
"Yes?" She prompted him.
"For being here today...I mean, I-I guess I'm saying...I needed you today. And you were here. So thank you."
