Playing for Rya

3. The Morning After

Song: Gravity by Sara Bareilles

Rya trudged into her apartment close to midnight and barely managed to peel the clothes off her body before dragging herself into bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Things had finally slowed down at the hospital after what originally should have been an eight hour shift, turned into fourteen hours of mindless work, after which their SMOs had eventually proved to be human enough to close for the day.

Rya and her friends Peter, Kris and Jason, had piled wordlessly into Peter's car and after a short dull debate between Rya and Jace about who would drive, once Peter declared that he was too tired to do so, Jace had taken the steering wheel.

Kris, with her cheek pressed against the window and her gentle snores filling the air, hadn't been an option.

Thankfully, their next shift wasn't until the following evening and so they were at liberty to sleep through the night, and all day long if they so desired.

But Rya's eyes blinked open at dawn, and, after checking the time, she released a tired groan. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep, her body felt heavy and she definitely still felt tired.

As she rolled over, the weight on her feet caught her attention and she realized that she'd fallen into bed with her shoes on.

She sat up and took them off, breathing a sigh of relief as they thudded to the floor and cool air touched her feet.

Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored it as she scooted back up into bed, making it under the covers this time and sighing as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to go back to sleep.

But the thoughts that her previously unconscious state had held at bay botched her attempt at returning to sleep as they came rushing back to the forefront of her mind.

First, was learning that the hot soldier from the bar was a doctor at La Cura and then, only moments later, that the hospital she worked in was owned by Derek, the one man in her life with whom she'd shared a hidden past.

Even now, after all these years, memories of him remained present and distinctively clear, triggered from time to time by a scent, a touch, or a similar baritone of voice she thought she recognized as his.

It seemed ironic that out of all the medical programs she'd been accepted into, she'd chosen the one that had led back to him.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the doorbell, and after laying there willing the ringing to stop, she finally got to her feet, put on a robe and reluctantly went to check on who her unwanted guest was.

She opened the door after peering through the peephole.

'You look awful,' Will said with a small smile as he looked her over.

He was standing with one hand in his pocket and the other holding brown paper bags containing what looked and smelled like breakfast and Rya's stomach rumbled again.

'Gee, thanks,' she responded also smiling as she beckoned him in.

Of course she looked awful, if she looked even half as bad as she felt, then she wasn't surprised he'd commented on it.

She'd had close to seven hours of sleep, yet her body still felt as stiff and sore as someone who'd been hit by a freight train.

'How do you look so good?' she complained as she led him into her small living room and settled stiffly onto a couch, 'and so...well rested?'

He remained standing and looking down at her and she found herself wishing she'd stopped to run a brush through her hair before opening the door.

He looked freshly showered and smelled great and he'd changed into tan colored khakis and a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.