Longing

Two

She was late.

She was never late. Ever.

This was the problem with a shift starting at seven. There were people on the road and traffic was starting to build up. At five the roads were mostly empty. It was quiet then, you were alone in the darkness or watching the first tendrils of light cross the sky. She cherished that time of the morning.

Kate quickly pulled her car into the parking lot just as the clock switched over to seven. She was running on her way to the locker room where she tossed her bag and grabbed her white coat. The white coat made the conflicts of the night before flood back as it symbolized everything she had worked for. From her first year undergrad labs to clinical in med school the white coat made her feel like she belonged, like it was where she was meant to be. Now, it symbolized the vow she had made to help people and to make those lives just that much better. She just hoped she could live up to that oath.

She slipped into the lecture hall and found her best friend Lisa and a cup of coffee waiting for her.

"What have I missed?"

"Nothing too important yet. He's just lecturing us on shift lengths and optimizing them for patient well being. It's nothing we haven't heard a thousand times and yet..."

"It doesn't seem to make any difference. " She sighed and took a big gulp of the warm liquid. "Thanks so much for this; I'm going to need it."

"Shhhhh." The 'Question Boy' glared back at them.

No matter what lecture, what class, what year, there is always the one person who asks the most inane questions all the time.

Kate shrugged her apology while Lisa gave him a flirtations wink.

"Just to give him something to chew on eh?" But she behaved as best as she could, for Lisa, and got out a piece of paper to scribble a note, How was last night?

Good.

Lisa rolled her eyes, C'mon I need more than that.

We went to dinner and he kissed me goodnight. It was good to feel such an attraction for once, you know?

I guess so.

Kate wasn't so sure. Her tall, blonde friend always had a date or two hanging around.

Are you going to see him again?

Coffee today if we get out of here early enough.

Lisa grinned but put the pen down. Nosocomial infections. It was time to pay attention.

Even though it was one, Kate raced down the street to the coffee shop. The bell rang when she opened the door in a comforting way. She kept her eyes focused on the menu board as she ordered, not that she needed too but because she didn't want to be too obvious in looking for Gabe. Once the steaming latte was clutched in her hands, she dared to look around. He was still there, tucked in at a table in the corner.

He must have felt her staring because he looked up, a grin spreading across the handsome features.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

It was them. Their greeting.

Kate frantically tried to remember what she was wearing and what state her hair was in. Too late. She was still standing there staring and the pause was too long.

She walked up to the table and paused, again a little too long, before she sat down. "You're still here."

"I was marking." He moved the papers around, putting them away, but she could see the doodles that covered the lined paper.

"Oh good, anything interesting?"

"Essays."

"Oh, torture."

He laughed easily. "No not at all, I enjoy it."

"What is it that you teach again?"

"History."

"Interesting."

"I think so."

They conversation was short, punctuated. They wanted to see the other's reactions more than the words.

"So..."

"Look I know you're busy..."

He was getting rid of her. Think. Think.

"...but I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me tomorrow?"

You need to stop acting like a teenager. You needed to stop like yesterday. As she thought those last two words, she mentally rolled her eyes. Way to be a cliché. Actually, way to be totally nuts, talking to yourself. "I'm working tomorrow. On- call all night. The next morning..."

"Breakfast then?"

"Uhhh...sure."

"There's a place across the street."

"Ok..."

He looked disappointed, "If you don't want to..."

"No, no, I do... I am just surprised."

He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Good."

"I guess I will see you in a couple days then."

"Seven thirty, eight o'clock?"

"Early is good since I'm done at six."

"Seven then?"

"I'd like that. See you then."

"Not tomorrow?"

Kate grinned, "Oh yeah. See you then too." She pushed up from the chair and kissed his cheek as she left, surprising even herself.

Her coffee was lukewarm now but decent still. It had been worth it though, worth every tepid gulp.

A/N: I am totally making this up as I go along : ) Again, any comments, questions and criticisms would be most welcome.