I present for your consideration the final installment of The Virtue of Catnaps. I seek forgiveness for the lengthy wait. But I am hopeful this wrap up satisfies all manner of shippiness.

The Virtue of Catnaps (Part 7)

Clarity arrived at approximately 1:27pm on Saturday. By the third load of laundry, an initial awareness of her state had tingled in a corner of her brain. But when she'd flopped on the couch with only a college football game for company, she was convinced.

She was approaching pathetic.

On this sunny work-free day, Natalie had caught up on neglected chores, cooked a queen-sized and ultimately wasted lunch and was now watching a sport she didn't understand. Upon reaching the bottom of the BBQ Pringles can, Natalie reevaluated her problem.

Quite simply, it was the fault of the phone. It didn't ring, despite silent pleading and numerous huffs in its direction. Not a single ring. But it surely would if she dared to leave her apartment. So she stayed. And waited.

Yesterday had brought to a close the most brutal and fruitless three weeks she could recall. Long as a cover to cover reading of War and Peace. All 1456 pages. And she was hardly alone in that assessment. Powell described their leaderless days as a daily root canal. Painful and useless. Each member had been loaned out to work other cases within the confines of the NIH building. No field trips, no patient contact, no job satisfaction.

No Connor. And there was a chance that might not change.

It was Stephen's intention, Powell explained yesterday, to notify Director Ewing of his decision Saturday morning. Which meant that while Nat tried to comprehend a two-point conversion, Kate already knew what the future held. The team would likely be forced to wait until Monday to learn their fate. A personal 'head's up' from Connor was hardly expected. It wasn't his style. Which didn't keep her from waiting by the phone anyway.

Because he still owed her a conversation.

So much unfulfilled waiting made her tired. Sliding her legs out from under her to fill the lonely sofa, Natalie tried to nap. The cushions were soft, but the space was too constricted for comfort. The bed served her no better, the large mattress emphasizing the emptiness. Goldilocks she wasn't, but the fairytale held truth. Unfortunately, 'Just Right' was last seen on a plane out of Colima.

Sleep hadn't been easy since they'd returned to the U.S. and a lack of it was gladly blamed for her hand reaching for the receiver. Curiosity would be faulted for the number she dialed. And her current journey toward pathetic-ness nearly caused a hang up. Until the call was answered.

"Hi Natalie." Damn that caller ID. "I was wondering how long it would take."

His relaxed voice was so welcoming to her ears. As was the apparent expectedness of her call. Natalie returned to her spot on the couch, prepared to make this conversation a turning point.

"I was trying to give you space. But I got tired of waiting."

"Not like you to lose patience. I'm disappointed." His scold was tempered by the teasing tone.

"Testing patience is one of your best skills, Dr. Connor. So…"

He hesitated, knowing what she was asking. "What are you doing right now?"

The change of direction wasn't unusual, but Natalie's nerves were on the verge of exploding within her body. Was a simple answer so hard for this man?

"I'm, uh, watching a football game."

"Who's playing?" Stephen sounded mildly surprised at her chosen activity. How could she explain that she'd run out of chores to do instead?

"Playing?" Natalie squinted to view her small television. "Um, there are guys in blue and white and guys in red and white." Congratulating herself on her descriptiveness, Natalie added, "I think they're all college students."

"You have no idea what's happening on the screen, do you?" Damn him for knowing her so well.

"Not a clue. What's the point of punting? Why voluntarily give the ball to the other team without scoring? What's a tailback?"

"Dr. Durant rambles on Saturdays. Duly noted." The laughter remained in his voice and Natalie relaxed further. Turning point indeed. "Come over."

She almost missed that. And then nearly dropped the phone. Come over? Was he serious? Realizing she hadn't accepted or declined the invitation, Nat scrambled for speech.

"Um, really? Okay." Oh so slick. No wonder she was single.

"I'll provide the beer and football explanation. You provide the company. Seems fair."

"And the answer?" The original purpose of this call, she reminded herself. Although an invite to Casa Connor made not knowing a bit easier to bear.

"And the answer." He confirmed, a familiar seriousness returning to his voice.

………

Regaling Connor with the cases she'd assisted with during the last few weeks, Natalie left out what was missing. The demands, the arguments and the tension. They'd all suffered with the lack of Connor's unique brand of leadership. Natalie tried several times since arriving to steer him toward the promised answer. But he was far more interested in the cases they'd all been farmed out to.

"Sounds…busy."

Stephen handed her a cold, non-alcoholic beer while she flipped to the game she'd tried to follow before. He'd said it was in the fourth quarter and Natalie nodded as though that gave her a timeframe of any sort.

His overstuffed leather couch, surprisingly cream-colored, enveloped her in comfort and she surmised he probably slept here more often then his bed. The living room, sparsely furnished, was modern and tasteful. And held little black. Even Connor himself wore a navy blue shirt today. The flat screen plasma television she now watched with envy spoke loudly to the 'guy-ness' of her boss. An Xbox, stored neatly under the TV, reminded her that he had a son.

"Where's Jack?"

Settling beside her, Connor smiled. "He went back to Lisa yesterday. I think we're back on track."

Which was the important thing, after all. Natalie felt a bit selfish in wanting Connor to return so fiercely that she'd forgotten why he left in the first place. But that failed to lessen her need for his answer.

"Are you coming back?" She asked firmly, holding his gaze to ensure he didn't evade the subject.

"You're as persistent as Kate." He shook his head, then caught her bristle at the comparison. To soften the insult he took her hand, the resulting contact almost stealing her focus. "Yes."

Her first breath in three weeks filled her lungs with such pleasure. Armed with this knowledge, Natalie opted to resurrect her boldness, which had worked well in Colima.

"I said we needed to talk when you came back from the North. And you conveniently got shot. Nice avoidance tactic, by the way." He dropped his gaze along with her hand but she pressed on. "You've decided on the NIH issue. Now you need to decide on us."

A moment was given to gathering his thoughts and Natalie could only look for a port in the storm of his eyes. After biting his bottom lip, a deep breath announced he would speak.

"My track record should tell you why we shouldn't."

"So your divorce is a relationship killer while mine is perfectly okay? What's the difference?"

Apparently stunned that she didn't see it clearly, Stephen's posture stiffened. "You know how I am, Nat. My priorities don't make a relationship easy. I know I've got to change for my son. But for us to…" Whatever was propelling his words seemed to run out of steam. "I'm not the one for you."

It was naïve to think he would have been ready to transition into something personal so soon, but she wasn't leaving this conversation, much less this couch without some signal of hope.

"I won't ask you for time you don't have. I already have the advantage of working with you. And I'm not asking for a commitment of any kind. I just," gingerly, Natalie chose her words. "I want what we had in Colima. Comfort with each other. A little non-professional contact. It doesn't have to be difficult."

Shifting her body to lean into him, Natalie called upon her reserve of daring to kiss him; gentle, soft, barely there. Let him seek more. And she wasn't disappointed.

"Not too difficult?" Natalie teased and was rewarded with a grin. "We can have this." What was meant as assurance sounded almost like permission. And maybe that was all he needed.

"We can." He echoed in a whisper that declared his newest decision. In their favor. "Did I mention you were persistent?"

Glaring in mock affront, Natalie poked a finger to his chest. "If you compare me to Kate again…"

"I promise you, I never kissed Kate." The appropriate disgust tinted his tone, making it all too believable.

"Good. Because the nightmares would have kept me up for weeks."

Not that she'd slept lately. Without him. As if to punctuate the point she yawned, which he didn't miss. Pulling her down against him, she immediately snuggled in for a long overdue catnap.