August 10 2020
BORA BORA, NIGHT THREE
The day had been everything AJ never let herself hope for: no calls, no emergencies, no one needing her but him.
They'd snorkeled with sea turtles that morning, laughed too hard while trying to paddle-board, and had fallen asleep tangled in the hammock, a book half-open between them and the scent of plumeria in the air.
Now, night had blanketed the island in velvet and stars.
They were barefoot again. Dave grilled fish on the small patio as AJ poured wine. Her skin glowed from the sun, her curls wild and undone. She wore one of his linen shirts and nothing else.
AJ- We could just stay here
she said softly, leaning on the railing.
AJ - Not go back.
Dave smirked, flipping the fish with practiced ease.
Dave - You mean abandon the hospital? Mateo's daycare? Your *entire career*?
AJ - I meant just for a little longer
she said, smiling.
AJ - You know... while no one's bleeding.
Dave - We've had three days without someone crashing a car, confessing to murder, or needing ten cc's of adrenaline. That's a record for us.
AJ laughed — really laughed — and it made Dave pause. He looked at her like he still couldn't believe she was real.
Dave - You look lighter
he said.
AJ - I feel it
she admitted.
AJ - It's like... all the weight I didn't know I was carrying finally let go.
---
— LATER THAT NIGHT
Dinner was simple. The sky turned indigo, the wine ran low, and a warm silence wrapped around them like a second skin.
AJ sat curled on the outdoor lounge chair, her feet in Dave's lap.
AJ - When we get back
she said carefully
AJ - I want to set boundaries. Real ones.
Dave tilted his head.
Dave - Talk to me.
AJ - I'm always doing something. Fixing someone. Saving someone. But I forget myself. You. Mateo. I don't want to burn out trying to be everything.
He nodded.
Dave - You don't have to carry it all. That's the point of being a team.
AJ - I know. I just... I want to *live*, Dave. I want Mateo to remember a version of me that laughs more than she shouts. I want us to be more than just survival.
Dave leaned over and kissed her ankle.
Dave - Then we build it — a life that's not just reacting, but choosing. And I'll keep choosing you. Even when you're tired. Even when you yell at interns.
She chuckled and tugged him toward her.
AJ - Even when Im tired?
Dave-Especially then.
---
BEDROOM
Dave - You ever think about having more?
