Emergency Room Romance

Those Sleigh Bells Ringing

It was another one of the rare days when both myself and Robert had the day away from the ER. I was on call in the evening, but until then, we could relax, spend time with Emily and enjoy our lives when blood and death wasn’t on the cards. With Christmas fast approaching and the city embracing the spirit of the holiday with open arms, I suggested that we headed out to the shops and grab some lunch along the way. I did this every year around this time when I was a kid and I wanted to carry that tradition on with Emily now that she was old enough to understand the concept of Christmas.

Wrapping up warm, the three of us drove the short journey to the mall and parked up, Emily clapping her hands excitedly when I said that we would go to the toy store. It was the best way to figure out what she’d really want to find under the tree Christmas morning. However, before we hit the bustling, brightly coloured store, I had to pick up some new winter items for myself and Emily. Robert carried Emily in the crook of his arm when the crowds became too busy, his arm firmly around my waist the whole time. I enjoyed these simple moments in which there were no complications and life seemed so easy.

Emily was busy poking around the rails looking for the coat she liked whilst I picked up a new pair of boots for her and a few sets of mittens. I felt Rob’s soft lips against the top of my head, making me smile as I looked up at him, “You know, she’s looking more like you every day.” He said, tilting his head towards my daughter, who was mimicking an expression of mine that I pulled far too often as she examined a dusky pink coat.

“Shame, I don’t ever remember having golden hair.” I joked, turning to grab a colourful pink hat with a flower clipped on it.

“She’s got your strength. Your determined willpower.”

“She’s three. She’s only determined when she wants something.” I told him, starting to move closer to my daughter when she called out for me.

“I know someone else who’s exactly the same.” He smirked, feigning pain when I nudged him with my elbow.

“Want this one!” She held up a tan coat, a pink lily adorned on the left side of it, with a faux fur trimmed hood and cuffs.

I smiled, checking the price and then folding it over my arms.

“Are you ready to go then pumpkin?” I asked, holding my hand out for her to hold.

“Toys?”

“In a bit Emily. Your mommy needs to get her things now. We don’t want her catching the flu now and being poorly sick, do we?” Robert said, accepting Emily’s outstretched hand lovingly, swinging her in the air playfully.

Emily shook her head, the blonde pigtails almost whipping her in the face as she looked up at him. “You make mommy better though.” She stated simply, smiling innocently.

I chuckled, letting my brown eyes meet his as he smiled down at the small child and sighed contently. It was an image out of a book almost and I found myself wondering why I’d ever been worried about how Robert would react with Emily.

After a short stop in the women’s department store and after I’d purchased the things that I needed, Emily was glad to hear that the next stop was the toy store. She swung our arms as she skipped merrily between us and I couldn’t help but smile at her childhood happiness. It was something that I’d always wanted for Emily and one of the reasons why I had run away in the middle of the night with her when she was just a baby.

I felt Rob nudging me and I flicked my gaze to look up at him. There was a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes and a smirk dancing on his enticing lips. “Not going to get anything in there?” He asked, feigning innocence as he gestured to a lingerie store.

“Nope.” I said simply, returning his smirk. “Although, I’m sure you’ll be very impressed with what Santa brings you Christmas night.” I whispered seductively, making sure Emily couldn’t hear.

His eyebrows shot high under his floppy golden hair and his jaw fell slack. “Doctor Lyons!” He said, playfully shocked at my words before slipping his arm tighter around my waist and tilting his head to whisper hotly in my ear. “I hope you don’t expect me to wait that long for you. What you’ve got me imagining now is just…well, let’s just say that this shopping trip made need to hurry up a little.”

The laugh slipped from my mouth before I could control it and my little girl was startled, jumping as she turned her head to look up at me. When she saw that it was just something Robert had said, she laughed, unknowingly and began to skip alongside me. I looked up at my boyfriend with twinkling eyes and a huge grin on my face. “And what about my baby? Huh? She’s still getting excuses thrown at her for the nights when I do sleep in your bed.”

Robert swallowed and his flirty smile became a loving one, one that made my heart skip a beat even before he spoke. “Then how about we give her a permanent excuse?” He asked softly.

I tripped over my own two feet in surprise, honestly not expecting that to fall from his lips. True, I’d spent a few nights a week in his room, even if we were just cuddling and sleeping in each other’s arms, but it was always safe knowing that I could retreat to my own room at a moment’s notice if I needed to. “Are-are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Well, technically that happened a long time ago, but in a matter of speaking-yes.”

I was dumbfounded, unable to find the words that I needed. This – the shopping mall right before Christmas – was the last place I expected him to ask me this question. “I-uh, can we talk about this when we get home? I just need a little bit of time to process this.” I knew that it shouldn’t be such a big deal considering our unconventional situation, but after everything that I’d been through in recent years, I still wasn’t entirely recovered and even something this small needed some time for me to think.

In the meantime, Emily’s heart was set on the toy store.