The Solider and the Doctor

chapter one

It wasn't until years later that they saw each other. He knew exactly where to find her, he knew she couldn't stray away from helping anyone who needed it. That and her best friend had told him where she would be. She was standing at the desk looking at charts, her blonde hair that had gotten so long and was turning dark was tied back in a loose ponytail, her blue eyes shined as she laughed at something the nurse across from her had said, and he knew that somehow she had gotten more beautiful than the night all those years ago that he left her. Then her name spilled from his mouth like it was the first time he'd ever said it, "meg."

She slowly turned her head as she still held a gentle smile and when her eyes landed on him she stopped breathing and her smile slowly disappeared.  She looked at the man standing before her in his army uniform that held so many ribbons that it looked as if it  wanted to fall off. His dark hair was buzzed on the sides and long on top as he always liked it, his dark eyes bore into hers as he waited for her to say something. In a single breath she said his name "james."

 His eyes slowly dropped from the sorrow laced in her voice. She quietly excused herself and walked towards him before being called away, "Dr. Owens we need you!" He watched as if a switch had been flipped in her and she quickly ran the other way to help a patient. He let the words echo in his mind "Dr. Owens" she hadn't married, he smiled to himself at that, but then the second option, she just didn't change her name she had always said she wouldn't if she had her doctorate. He was brought from his thoughts when he heard her yell "Take him to the OR now! Call down to prep, we have to open him up" he watched at she ran on the side of the patient but he also saw her quickly look at him before disappearing behind the wall.

 She had never been so happy to go into the OR, she didn't know what to say to him or how to face him. As she scrubbed her best friend, Elizabeth, came in to tell her that they were ready whenever she was. So on they went to save a life.

 A nurse came over to him as he just stood there staring, "sir can i help you?" He looked at her and said "can you tell Dr. Owens that skyscraper will be waiting in the lobby after she is finished with her surgery?" She smiled and said "hopefully it goes better for you than the last guy." He was confused but left it alone and turned to leave.

 He sat in the lobby and called SJ, her best friend. He said "I'm here." SJ quickly responded with "have you spoken to her?" He let a breathy laugh out, "i managed to get out "meg" and she got "james" out before she was called to a patient and rushed off to surgery." SJ began laughing. "The nurse i spoke to said something about "hopefully I'm luckier than the last guy" what last guy?" SJ really began to laugh "calm down there tiger, you can't get jealous she isn't yours. However there was a guy that picked her up aftet her shift and she returned to the hospital 30 minites later on an emergency call but so releaved because he was a dick." This made Gabe feel better, "i don't know what im even going to say to her. "Hey I'm stationed here and still madly inlove with you after all these years?" Oh let's not forget "by the way, I'm an asshole and dick that left you crying in a hotel room and haven't be able to stop thinking about you since that night."" SJ was quiet for a second "G, you realize that was years ago and she isn't that same person and neither are you, but  you did break her heart that night and she hasn't been incredibly serious with anyone since. She blamed it on how crazy school was and now her residency but i know that it's because she still compares them to you."  Gabe breathed and said "I didn't know it was possible for her to get even more beautiful. I saw her on those magazines and i couldn't believe it." SJ sighed "she always wanted to model but she did it to pay for medical school and it caused her a lot of grief. Many don't take her seriously because they've seen her on tv or in the magazine's." Gabe slightly laughed "Everyone knew she was beautiful and going far in life, i just didn't know how far." Silence was held between them for a moment, "Do you think she will ever give me another chance?" He asked quietly. SJ responded "If she does, you better take her seriously.  I don't think she will ever give you another one. You weren't there to see how she broke or how she put herself back together. She is a stronger and smarter woman than the girl you broke. You will be damn lucky to have her if you ever get the chance to." Gabe sighed, "i know you were in love with her, i thought me walking away would give you the chance and her the chance to be with a man that deserves her." SJ laughed "She wouldn't allow herself to love again Gabe. Men lined up and tried to knock down her door but no one got through, not even me. She has always had that soft spot for you. She always thought you were the one she'd marry." Gabe couldn't speak for a minute "Even after everything? I've hurt her more times then i can count, why on earth would she still love me? Maybe i should just leave now and save her some heart ache." SJ said "don't you dare leave. If you were going to bail then you shouldn't have even let her see you. She always said that something in her just said that it was you, she'd never felt so at home with someone. She stopped talking about you years ago but i know why she never let anyone back in." They talked for a while longer the ended the conversation as gabe sat there waiting.

Elizabeth started to speak as Meghan was closings the heart, "so romor is a tall, dark, and handsome army man came to see you today. Is SJ back in town already?" Meghan visibly swallowed, "SJ and i are just friends and everyone knows it. It was the other James army man." Elizabeth inhaled sharply, "you don't mean..?" Meg nodded "oh i do. He just showed up and called out my name. Then mr. Johnson here needed some attention." Elizabeth stared wide eyed at her "so you haven't spoken? I mean did he say anything else?" Just as the a nurse came in and asked how much longer. Meghan turned and said "maybe 30 more minites closing up here." The nurse spoke again "there is a gentleman waiting for you in the lobby said to tell you "skyscraper would be there when you got done here"". Meghan's head shot up and met Elizabeth's eyes and they agreeingly said "shit".