My Christmas Doctor

Seeing her love of the space, I had been thinking a lot about asking her to move in with me. We'd been seeing each other for four months now and I could honestly see me spending my life with her, and I didn't really want to wait.

After I finished my rounds at the hospital, I headed over to her place to pick her up. She was going to spend the weekend with me in Brooklyn and I was planning to ask her to move in tonight at dinner. I was actually really nervous about it. With my heart in my throat, I knocked on her door.

"Hi," Jane said brightly, "come in. I'm almost ready. Just finishing up my packing."

I stepped over the threshold and pulled her into my arms. "Hi," I murmured and kissed her softly.

Her cheeks turned a little pink and she smiled. "Hi."

"You said that already." I chuckled, enjoying the fact that I'd flustered her a little. "Anything I can help with?"

"Um, no, I just have my toiletries and stuff to grab. Give me three minutes?"

"I'll give you forever," I commented, smiling down at her and then kissed her nose. "Go finish up. We'll pick up dinner on the way if that sounds good to you?"

"That sounds perfect."

I sat down on the sofa and watched as she filled her bag with the things that she'd laid out to take. She went into the bathroom, grabbed another smaller bag, and then added it to the larger one. Then she turned to her laptop, and her notebook, put them in another bag and closed it up. She set both bags on the floor and then looked around her apartment.

"Got everything?" I asked.

"I think so." She gave it one more cursory look and then nodded. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I've got everything I'll need."

I stood up and moved to her, picking up the two bags. I slung the laptop bag on my shoulder and hefted the other in my right hand. "What do you say to Caribbean food for dinner?" I asked as we moved through her kitchen.

She picked up her purse, phone and keys and we headed out the door. "Sounds delicious."

"Great, there's an Island Express on the way to my place."

We made the drive to Brooklyn, stopped for our food, and then continued on to my house. When we got there, I carried her bags, and she carried the food.

"I'll take your bags up to the bedroom," I said after we made it inside.

"I'll get us some plates and silverware. Do you want to eat in the kitchen?"

"We can, or in the living room and I'll set up the fireplace, it's cool enough that a fire might be cozy."

"That sounds lovely," she agreed.

By the time I returned, she already had two place settings out on the coffee table and was setting up our take-out orders around the plates so we could help ourselves to what we wanted of each. I laid some logs on the grate and lit the kindling. After a moment, a small cozy fire was snapping and crackling.

I joined her on the couch and before we started making our plates, I kissed her. "I'm so glad you are part of my life."

She smiled, her eyes sparkling in the firelight. "I'm glad too."

As we made our plates, I said, "I've been thinking…"

"About?" she asked as she added some of the shrimp curry and rice to her plate.

"Us. I know it's only been four months or so, but… I wondered if you might like to move in with me."

Jane looked at me with surprise and leaned back into the couch. "Oh, wow… um… I—"

"You don't have to answer right now," I cut in. "I just want you to think about it."

"Well, it's just, I have a lease…" She frowned.

"I know, I've been thinking about that too. And I have a plan."

She arched her brow and took a bite of the jerk chicken. She chewed and looked as if she was considering my words. "Okay, what's your plan?"

"Well, your place is convenient, close to the hospital, so I thought maybe, we keep it. And then nights I have to work at the hospital, or I'm on call, we could stay there. Or if you wanted to spend days there writing, using it like an office, that would work too. And we make this our home."

She nodded as she ate, but she didn't say anything for a little bit. I wasn't concerned about that. Jane always took her time as she considered every possible outcome of things. It was part of her intellect that she had to look at all sides. See every plot hole or pitfall. It's what made her such an amazing writer.

"I like your plan," she said slowly, "and if, for some reason things between us don't work out, I still have my own place. Not that I'm borrowing trouble and saying that will be the outcome," she hurried to assure me.