Seasons (Ari AU)

Chapter 35

  Holland kept to herself over the course of the next few weeks as she welcomed the third trimester with open arms and the realization that she desperately needed new scrubs that fit. There was only so many times a day she could continue adjusting the shirt underneath her scrub top to keep her belly from being on display. 

  Ari hadn't stopped his visits to the hospital, still bringing by a treat for both women, but Holland would make sure to dodge any interaction with him that she could. She would even randomly pop back into a patient's room she had just left if she came out and heard his loud howl of laughter or the back of his locks. The mother would look at her a little strangely, leading Holland to come up with something on the spot that she 'forgot' to take care of.

  Unfortunately, that would only last so many times before Ari was the one passing the door as she opened it. "Hey! I've been looking for you."

  "Here I am," she answered, her feet moving her along quickly away from him. She still managed to hear his steps, falling in sink with hers with ease considering the length of his legs. "Is there a specific reason why you're following me?"

  "Kind of touchy today," he chuckles. "Having a hormonal moment?"

  Holland cuts her eyes over to him, ready to toss him out on his tail. "Speak now before you land back in the emergency room again," she warns. 

  "Noted." I reaches into the back pocket of his uniform pants. "I was sent with strict orders to place this directly in your hand." As he says the words and reveals an envelope he takes Holland's hand in his own, ignoring the warmth the simple touch sends to his stomach. 

  She stares down at it, ignoring the urge to curl her fingers around his, instead just accepting what looks like a fancy invitation of sorts. "Already?" she mutters, absentmindedly surprised that they'd be moving ahead with a wedding so quickly.

  "What?" And a lightbulb goes off in his mind, sending Ari to shake his head rather emphatically. "No, no. It's not that. We haven't exactly set a date although I think Lissy is looking at December."

  "Oh," Holland's immediately going to her stomach as the baby gives a sharp nudge, reminding her mother that December is the month of her due date. "Then what is it, exactly?"

  "It's an invitation to the firemen's ball."

  Holland's brow furrows, her eyes narrowing at the beige envelope inscribed with her name in calligraphy.  "Why would I be receiving this? My husband's dead, Ari," she reminds him, the words becoming too easily to speak out into the world. 

  If she had to put any amount of money down, she'd bet that all the love she had for Jeremy is gone, right along with him.

  Ari is shocked to hear Holland speak so flippantly about his friend, although he can't blame her, he himself has been bottling up his own anger as well.  He side steps her comment to tell her the reason. "They want to do something in honor of him, and they want you there to receive it."

  Holland continues to stare at the invite, her head moving side to side slowly in disbelief. "No," she answers, passing the envelope back to him. 

  "What do you mean, no?"

  "No is a complete sentence, Ari. And I mean what I said. I'm not going. I can't accept something that's honoring a man who was full of lies." Stepping over to the nurse's station she pulls a patient's file, looking over her medication dosing notes. "And even if I thought it was sweet and would be a nice memento for our daughter, I don't have the extra money for a dress. If you haven't noticed, I'm bursting out of my scrubs right now." She points down to where she needs to readjust her tank once more. "Affording the attire for my job is much more important than smiling and fake crying for a man who has left me in a state of turmoil."  With file in hand she leaves Ari standing there, his shoulder's slumped and one hand scrubbing down his face. 

  He watches her walk away, not pulling out his phone until Holland's gone into a patient's room. "Hey," he says into the speaker, "I need you to do me a couple of favors. I'll pay for them, but I need you to deliver them."

  Shauna sighs on the other side of the land. "What now?"

  "You know Holland's sizes, right? Well, I need you to pick her up some new scrubs, maybe four of five pairs, enough to last a week in case she doesn't feel like doing laundry. And then I need you to pick out a formal maternity dress."

  "I'm sorry, what?" she asks her brother, her own hand rubbing her temples wondering what Ari has up his sleeve.

  "And then I need you to watch Mason for Lissy and I on Saturday night."

  Shauna has no desire to help him out where Lissy is concerned. For whatever reason, her heart has not been able to come to terms with the idea of the woman becoming her sister-in-law. "Can't. I'm working."

  "No, actually you're not. In fact, I'm standing right here in front of the shift list for the rest of the week. You're not on nights, so try again."

  Shauna huffs, "Fine. But why are you buying this stuff for Holland? You know she's not going to accept them for you."

  "You're not going to let her know they're from me. You're going to do me a solid, especially since you just lied so you wouldn't have to watch your nephew. You're gonna tell her they're from you, and insist she go to the ball on Saturday night. Understood?"

  His sister grits her teeth. "Okay," she says reluctantly. "What's my budget?"

  "Whatever you need."

*Unedited and short. I needed a semi-filler and I think you all needed a little less drama...