Happy Birthday, Rachel/Mom/Carol/Thing1/Beef-ef I love you so much! I hope this year is the best one yet! Love you!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Happy Birthday." He dropped a kiss to the hinge of her jaw and plopped an open package of animal crackers in front of her on the admit desk counter.
"Thank you." Carol Hathaway leaned back against him and quirked an eyebrow, "Doug? Why are these open? You're giving me used animal crackers?"
"No, see, I had to make sure there was exactly twenty-four crackers in the box." The young pediatrician explained, "It was less hazardous than trying to put twenty-four candles on a cake – I am fairly certain that would be against fire code."
Her elbow connected with his ribs, "It's sweet. Thank you."
"So," Doug spun the seat she was sitting in around, leaning on the armrests to effectively pin her in, "Can I take you to dinner tonight?"
"Oh?" Her head dropped sympathetically to the side, "I already have plans."
"You do?" His throat tightened and Carol almost thought she saw tears pool in his eyes.
Rolling her eyes, she tapped him on the arm, "I'm kidding. I can post-pone my date with Batman and Ben & Jerry for one more evening."
"Well, I hate to keep the boys waiting, but it is your birthday and I feel as though I owe you... seeing as I was indisposed last year." Doug explained and cringed, recalling last year when he had made a world class jerk of himself.
Carol shrugged, "I think you've made it up to me, however, I am not one to decline free food."
"Yeah, I know that much." He grinned, ducking as her hand swung towards the back of his head. His hand flew up and caught her wrist, bringing her hand to his lips, "Don't hurt yourself, Birthday Girl."
"Shut up." She giggled as Doug dropped a kiss to her lips.
The trauma doors swung open and the gurneys came racing in, Mark Greene performing CPR on a young child. Haleh called out to him, "Doug, we need you! Six year old MVA vic."
"Batman to the rescue." He mumbled against Carol's lips before sprinting off to join the group in the trauma room. Carol shook her head and turned back to the stack of charts as she popped an animal cracker into her mouth.
–
"Happy Birthday, Carol." Mark Greene called to his best friend's girl as Carol ducked into the locker room at the end of her shift.
Carol shot him a smile as she opened the door to the lounge, "Thanks Mar..." Her voice trailed off at the sight before her. Resting in front of locker was a vase full of twenty-four white daisies. She knelt and traced her hand over the Happy Birthday card; there was no poetic verse or romantic words, underneath it was simply scrawled in a doctor's handwriting 'Doug'.
"He remembered." Carol breathed and picked up the heavy glass vase. As she grabbed her coat and bag from her locker she recalled the conversation they had, had six months ago. Daisies had always been her favorite flower – far superior to any variety of roses – they reminded her of better times. The summers spent in the backyard with her sisters, weaving crowns out of the flowers in their mother's garden and running barefoot in their dresses like they were princesses.
"Like your flowers?" His voice was like honey in her ears as his arms snaked around her waist.
She smiled, "I love them. Are you ready to go?"
"Yep." He smiled and she turned in his arms.
"Doug!" She slapped his chest, "I thought I didn't have to dress up!"
He stood before her in dress shoes and slacks, with a tucked in white button down, "You don't. You look gorgeous in your peach scrubs. I, however, can't quite pull off the look as well."
"I'm changing." She shoved him into the chair, "Give me ten minutes," She glared at him as she grabbed her extra set of clothes from her locker, "I could kill you!"
"Yes, you could, but then who would provide the free food?"
Carol walked around the bay of lockers to change, "You're a jerk, Doug Ross."
"I'm a jerk?" Doug gasped playfully, "I am the one who kept your silly secret. Which, by the way, I do not understand. What is with this birthday hate?"
"It's a long story." Carol sighed, "Toss me the deodorant from my locker?"
"Incoming." Doug said and tossed it over the lockers, "I'm not going anywhere. Tell me."
"Look, it has to do with something I'm not very fond of talking about." Carol sighed, "Make you a deal?"
"Shoot."
"In twenty-four years I'll tell you." Carol decided, "If you can last that long then you're deserving of my secret."
"I have to wait til you're forty-eight to know your secret?" He pouted slightly, "But if you're forty-eight, I'll be...."
"An old geezer?" Carol giggled and came back around to his line of sight, "I know."
"I was going to say 'a silver fox'," He glared playfully, "Why do you always have to go and bruise my ego, Nurse Hathaway?"
"Because," She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned seductively into him to whisper against his ear, "If I don't, who will?"
–
With the flowers secured in Doug's car, the couple walked into the small diner just off Lake Shore Drive. Carol hugged his arm as her head rested in the crook of his neck, Doug led her to the booth in the back corner of the restaurant, "Sit, I'm going to go order."
"How do you know what I want?" Carol asked, obeying.
"Have I screwed something up yet today?" Doug asked, "Didn't think so. Now sit, woman."
"Jerk!" Carol called at his retreating form.
He was right though; the day had been going far better than Carol had ever dreamed to hope for. After the catastrophe that was twenty-three and all the bad birthdays beforehand, she had never expected that twenty-four could make up for all of them. She drummed her nails on the acrylic table top and thought of all the nice things Doug had done for her today – wondering what other tricks he had up his sleeve.
A plate slid in front of her and spooked her out of her revery, "What?"
"Food, Carol, it's generally meant to be consumed." He winked and slid in the booth across from her.
Her eye roll was almost audible, "Twenty-four fries?" She guessed and laughed when she went to put ketcup on her burger, but it was already there and was in the shape of two and four, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Birthday Girl." Doug smiled and bit into his dinner.
–
It was a day of unexpected perfection and as the sunset over Chicago, Doug and Carol walked hand in hand up the steps to her apartment. She turned and leaned against the door, keys in her free hand, "Thank you for the birthday of all birthdays."
"You're welcome." He grinned as his eyes darkened and he dipped his head to kiss her. On instinct her hands went up to cradle the back of his head as she stood on her tiptoes to return the kiss tenfold. When Doug pulled away breathless, he stared into her eyes, "I love you, Carol Hathaway."
"What?" She breathed.
"I love you." Doug smiled, "See, that's two, so I got twenty-two more to go before I'm done."
"You're insane, Doug Ross." She grinned, "And... I love you too." She unlocked her door and pulled him in behind her.
"I love you."
"Now you're at twenty-one."