♥

The conversation which they had outside was left forgotten for that one sweet moment, while both of them collected their food and drink. It was that sweet moment that allowed their minds to get lost in things that were right in front of them instead of the gory past and the unforeseen futures. The barista was still yawning as they took their things, and Andrea motioned to the seat towards the window. It was peaceful and the inside of the coffee place was warm, with soft music playing in the background. As she sat down, she finally took a sip of her black coffee which she was craving for so long. “Well, this is the stuff.” She said, sneaking in another sip before placing the cup back down on the table. “I didn’t ask but assumed you might want to sit down, by the way.” She grinned, shaking her head in return. She liked Layla, she had that warm and relaxing aura around her that she bet could calm anyone around her. Good thing she chose the profession she did because Andy couldn’t imagine anyone else doing her job. 

“So, what about you pers–…” She wanted to talk about something different/ To find out more about the girl because she could see that they could be friends. There were enough foundation and enough things that tied that to possibly share more than the dead and wounded bodies. But she was cut off, as her brown eyes looked through the window and a scene unfolded in slow motion. It was two cars driving into each other. One of them was in the right lane, possibly over a limit by a small bit but not enough that she would bother for a ticket, or anyone else would. But it was the other car, driving far too fast and far too unsteady for it to be a sober driver. She had seen enough to already detect what would happen next. Just as she closed her mouth, her last word left unfinished they heard a loud crash, followed by both of the drivers getting out. “ Fuck.” She said, already getting out of her seat, and shooting Leyla a knowing look. They were going to have to forget their things and get back on duty. 

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She never really had any intentions of staying once she had gotten her order, usually her routine never encountered speaking to anyone for longer than five minutes at this time in the morning, but she does, however, she chooses to join Andrea at her chosen table. It’s not that she doesn’t feel like she can say no, it’s because she thinks why not. She already knows she’s not one to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow--- what with how long she had been up, so what’s another hour? It’s daylight after all and she’s never really known to be a night owl. Unscrewing the cap of her bottle after she settles her sandwich and chips on the ledge she takes a small sip, looking out of the window her attention only pulls to Andrea once she starts speaking again, there’s a smile on her features and it’s also one that very quickly falters as her head whips back to the outside world, it’s almost as if she’s watching a movie in slow motion and it’s more shock that hits her as she witnesses the two cars collided right into each other. 

"Shit.” she mutters, drink in her hand slowly being placed on the table she finds herself standing up almost instantly at the same time as her company--- it’s a natural reaction, she usually ran towards danger with the thought of somebody needing help because nine times out of ten they were injured. Her purchases were forgotten about as she makes her way out of the cafe, knowing Andrea too was wanting to bolt to the scene and as she got close she could tell just by looking at one of the driver’s that he wasn’t sober, he was swaying and his speech was slurred as he was shouting. “Hey,” her voice is more soothing than anything, “Calm down.” Moving herself round so she could see them both clearly, he was the only one she noticed with a visible sign of blood. Just above his right brow there was discolouring around the cut--- she couldn’t tell how deep it was from where she was but it looked pretty bad. “Can I--” she’s gesturing to his face and he steps back with a no. 

His life wouldn’t be the same without them, it was a life that he didn’t want to live. He just wouldn’t be complete if he didn’t have them by his side. He wanted to have them there with him, in every good and bad experience that he had, because he got to share with them his happiness when something good happened, and got to have them there for him when something bad did. They could always make everything better, “I do, and I hope you do too,” he could not be the closest to her, but he still could see that she wasn’t a bad person and he wanted her to have good people surrounding her, “She’s good, but she seems to be as worried as everyone else, especially considering what I do,” he knew that with the job came the danger, so his wife and his kid would always worry when he went to work, “Yeah, like you said, people deal with it in different ways, but is always good to keep an eye out,” he pointed out, he wouldn’t go around pointing fingers, but he also wouldn’t cross it off from the list, “Honestly, same.”

“Yeah, I have a few.” whilst she could pretty much get on with anybody due to her nature--- as well as her ease when it came to small talk, she only really had a handful of people which she trusted. Which, as she grew older she came to realise having a massive circle of friends wasn’t all what it was cracked up to be. Not that she ever really did. “I bet,” she faintly smiles, she felt for his wife, the worry that she probably felt everyday in a town like this? More so as the crime rate was getting so high? It was natural but she’s known some cases where her patients worry too much and exhaustion played a detrimental part to their health. Not that she thought the same thing was applying, she was just one to think of the possible outcomes. “Sure she loves it when she knows you’re home.” she imagines that sigh of relief is unlike no other feeling. “No no yeah, true.” she nods, agreeing. “Now,” she finally says as they’re nearing the restaurant, “Hope you’re hungry.”

“yes, i am.” his brow raised, tone just a little firmer than the last, but still somehow solemn. he got her point, he wasn’t eating for three like he usually did and she wasn’t used to it, but it wasn’t uncommon. not when shit hit the fan and his head span sideways. he wouldn’t say it at all, but the fact he was eating anything at all was a step. food over whiskey, company over isolation, they were huge steps for him, even if she couldn’t understand that. “no, i know. but you–” he paused, just because he had to look just a little bit amused by the fact he quite nearly said what he was going to say without missing a beat. “you make me wanna be better.” playing it down with a gentle smile and a shrug as he tipped his eyes toward the swish of liquid inside the beer bottle. “i know you do, leyla. you are not the issue.” he’s still smiling, almost like one of those silent wise men that look much like they understand how the entire world works. he’d be fucked if someone ever put that to the test, however. “really? so i probably shouldn’t ask you officially if you wanna be my girlfriend then?” there’s a cheesy little smile on his features. everyone kept calling her his girlfriend, it seemed a little odd at this point he hadn’t actually asked. but he was curious, if not a little surprised… “why does being with me make you nervous?”  

the faintest of smiles tugged on the curve of her mouth, whilst she got his tone wasn’t forceful, she still picked up on him being firm and she wasn’t defeated because she was never setting out to attack, she just understood that right this second  (  even though she was seeing this change in him  )   it wasn’t the time to add pressure. that didn’t mean she wouldn’t continue to keep that closer eye on him, she wouldn’t be her if she just stopped. she also got that what he had shared already was probably more than he did to most and whilst some aspects were easy to figure out without him actually letting on, she was in some ways okay with being the distraction he needed--- was always better than drowning his sorrows alone, right? at his response, or more the pause he gave caused her to pay a little more attention, she’s trying to read his expressions simply because he seemed amused by something. it’s the you make me wanna be better that catches her by surprise and she offers him a warm smile, even though his main point of focus had constantly been the beer bottle within his grip. “no?” she knew she wasn’t the issue, but she’s prompting him a little before, “then what is?” after all, the way he was looking was making it seem like he knew all. his next question, however, caused her to chuckle at him mentioning more or less the big will you be my girlfriend, it’s amusing to her because it’s something she associates with being younger. the whole ‘g’ word at this point was something she was used to, more so after his mom and sister were constantly using it. she didn’t mind, if she did she would have shared already. her smile widens as she inwardly chuckled, “because..” it’s her time to pause now, the way she shifts a little in her chair would show that sweep of nerves, “it’s more of a me problem, i’m so used to spending my life one way,” she wasn’t going to say it but the only way she really knew how to live was whilst being alone, “that now insert you and i’m..” she sighed, briefly smiling as she nervously chuckles, “honestly, i know what i want but i’ve no idea what i’m doing.” it’s then she hopes she wasn’t oversharing to the point she was being off putting. 

“Okay, that’s fair, I guess I do dress a little like him,” he was also pretty similar to him in many of his personality traits. He was someone that was very romantic, the episoe where he put the christmas lights to cheer up Robin, was definitely something he could see himself doing, “I don’t think I have a Marshall, I do have a Lily though, Mariel is kind of similar to her in a way, I also have a Robin, my wife is sort of like her,” he could seea lot similarities on both cases, the difference is that he didn’t have to wait until he was old and grey, to actually be with his Robin, he was with her since he was a teenager, “If someone isn’t, we know who the killer is,” he pointed out, but they could be pretending to be, so they had to keep an eye on that, “I think rarely people read the paper nowadays though.”

She smiles, chuckling lightly. “You really have the whole pack, huh?” it was nice to hear that he did have people surrounding him. That was always her worry for other people, more so in times like these, if they were alone and constantly left to their own thoughts, of what they could have done or what they should be doing, they’d never get to hit pause--- and no matter the situation, she thought everyone needed it sometimes. “How’s your wife doing?” she chooses to ask, hoping she was well. “You think that?” him saying that if someone wasn’t reacting a certain way to the murders then they had a suspect, “I think people deal in certain ways--- not that I’m saying you’re wrong,” she chuckle, she wasn’t and you bet she had seen plenty of murder mystery documentaries to know sometimes that was the case. “I know, it’s a dying thing, right?” newspapers, that was. Everything was so easy to access online nowadays. “If it wasn’t for the ones that get taken into work I’d never read them.”

“You think that I’m a love sick puppy, that would throw a bunch of parties, to get the attention of the girl I like? You’re not entirely wrong,” he thought it was better to be compared to Ted than to Barney, as he was a womanizer that would do anything to get laid, including lie to women, and Eddie just didn’t fit that profile. He wouldn’t ever lie to someone to get them into bed, “I’m good, just a little on edge because of what happened, but I doubt anyone doesn’t feel the same way,” he noticed the whole town seemed to be stressed, which no one could blame them for, “I honestly don’t know how new people still come live here, they don’t watch the news probably,” he would probably move there, but to help them with everything that happened.

She grinned, inwardly chuckling as she shook her head. “I mean... yes and no. Going more off the clothes.” or what she remembered anyway. “Why, fancy yourself a Marshall?” she quirks her brow. Don’t ask her the names of any other character, she wouldn’t be able to tell you. The main five was all she remembered. Which was lucky enough considering she hadn’t watched it for a while. Three cheers for a good memory. “Yeah I think that’s the general feel right now.” everybody being on edge, that was. “I’d be concerned if people weren’t.” it was a natural reaction so if you didn’t have that? You were questionable. “Or read the paper, apparently,” she joked, though she wouldn’t be surprised by how sheltered some people were. 

“You’re absolutely right.” One could think it was strange, that with the amount of crime, the mess and the uncertainty that the town offered, there were still people living here, making a life for themselves. Perhaps some people were more like her, hoping and wishing that there would come a day where it would all go back to normal. Of course, it would never be some perfect little town where the only bad thing that would happen is a little kid stealing a packet of gum from the shop. But at the very least they all perhaps hoped that the murder sprees would not be a commodity but rather an event that would shake them up once every hundred years. At this time, it seemed like a fool’s hope. “We’re lucky people are still coming in, we still see fresh faces on the street. I fear for the time that Charming is going to become a ghost town. You know, when we will look onto the streets and just see the broken faces of people who lived here for long, the ones that had lost too much but unable to escape the grasps that hold them here.” That was a little more than she usually tended to say out loud, but she felt like she was in a safe space with Leyla. The woman offered her space where she could at least share a glimpse of what was happening inside her mind. It wasn’t much, definitely would never share more than that, but it was what she could offer. “Ah, I’m alright, doc.” She grinned at the other, as she saw the concern in her face. Andrea knew she wasn’t okay, but she’d been living with that for over ten years, which meant she built up walls around herself to make sure she didn’t break – they had not let her down yet. 

Getting up from the bench, she made her way towards the coffee shop and opened the doors, letting Leyla go first. Immediately the smell of freshly baked goods and ground coffee filled up her inside and groaned. “I wish my house smelt like this every morning, maybe then I’d spend less money here.” Making her way towards the counter, Andy rubbed her hands together. “Can I-…” But she was cut off as the barista set her coffee right in front of her. “See, now I definitely know I come here too much.” She laughed and handed a bill, waiting on Leyla to take her order

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“You think it’ll get to that?” she was asking if she thought eventually one day they wouldn’t have new faces moving to town, that one day it’d be the same faces that had lived here since birth, holding onto their traumas. She hoped not. It didn’t sound a place worth living. She wasn’t thinking for her, she was thinking for everyone else. People couldn’t grow or deal with their loses if this town stood still. It was worrying thought and one she hoped it wouldn’t happen. She knew also that it was just Andrea’s thought process, but with how things were? It was something to think about--- as well as something that shouldn’t be ruled out. She already thought with the anger rising between the gangs  (  it’s an obvious assumption since the masquerade  )  that someone somewhere would act out, causing even more friction when it wasn’t needed--- shining even more of a negative light on Charming. Perhaps she foolishly thought someone wouldn’t be that stupid--- that she had faith in humanity, but maybe she was too kind? You could say she thought that sometimes, the most recent being when some random drunk attack her, gripped his hands around her throat and wouldn’t stop until he was literally dragged off and she still felt a need to help him after he was punched more than enough times. She didn’t though and not doing so played on her morals. She returns Andrea’s grin with a warm smile, these days it was hard to believe when somebody told her they were alright. She doesn’t push--- she doesn’t feel it’s her place to and with how early it was? It just wasn’t needed. She also wasn’t working, so she didn’t need to try and analyse everybody she spoke to.

“yeah, me too. i forgot lunch and to be honest, the food in the canteen has ended up as bad as the coffee since the old chef left, don’t you think? or am i just being a bitch?” she chuckled. “i mean, i wouldn’t say i’m a fussy eater but if i order a ham sandwich, i’d like at least one slice of ham inside it and not half a bottle of mayo.” she pulled a little face, shaking her head as she pushed the door open and headed towards her car. “yeah. yeah i– you’re right. i shouldn’t worry. unless of course he’s dating someone who’s going to break his heart.” the horror slowly returned to her face, only to twist into a scowl. “i’d beat their ass. nobody will be breaking his heart on my watch.” there’s a firm nod and a huff as she tips up her chin as if to say ‘yeah, that’s right.’ “court you?” she laughed. “wow, high compliments from the old guy. if i was a lesbian, i’d be trying to court you too. you’re a real dream.” grinning, she hopped into the car and popped her seat-belt on. “where’re we going?” 

“i’m eating.” he countered with a gesture to his now empty plate. though it was obvious to the both of them even without the knowing look on his face, he knew what she’d meant. there’s a quiet jiggle of his leg and tapping of his foot that he doesn’t realise he’s doing. tongue brushing over the front of his teeth as he shifts a little in his chair. he’s uncomfortable, not with her, but with the topic of conversation. “i don’t–” he paused, sucking in a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sits himself up straight and dares to actually look her in the eyes. “people ask me how i am all the time, and i say i’m fine. and maybe they’ll ask again and i say the same thing, even get a little snippy as if somehow… they’re annoying me by asking twice. it’s only because they don’t need to be hearin’ about my shit, or– i don’t want to even try and explain it. that’s just who i am, or how i’ve made myself, i dunno.” he paused, swished his beer around and breathed out through his nose. “you’re asking, and i’m sharing. it might not be what you wanna hear… honesty hardly ever is.” he shrugged. “i can’t work miracles. sometimes i’m not gonna meet you half way, sometimes it’s gonna be more like a quarter and other times maybe it won’t even be that. i can’t just erase years of living inside my own head because you ask nicely,” cain half smirks, swallowing the lump in his throat as he leans forward to grab a nacho. “i’m trying though.” he nodded, eyes cast down and seemingly focused on putting some salsa on his chip. “i’m, uh– yeah. i’m trying, for you.” he floated off into a light little scoff, more so at himself because he sounded so mushy. the point was that he wanted it to work out with her, so when she was trying to get him on a level, he too was trying to cooperate. baby steps. 

“are you?” sure, you could argue and say she didn’t know him well enough to directly state he wasn’t eating, but she felt the cain she did know, would have demolished everything he had just made. not just what he had put on his plate. in kinder words he was a foodie, he liked to eat. so this was a certain way for her to tell he was struggling. she could see he was growing uncomfortable, it’s the little shift she noticed, though was it with what they were talking about or her? she assumed the former. perhaps even a mixture of the two. she gets that panicky feelings of there being someone out there walking freely after killing somebody close to him, she gets it would impact him--- it’s normal, but she can’t help but wonder if there’s more to it. especially with the child portion  (  if even that  )  he had eaten. she knows through assumptions alone, the little snippets he’s told her, the way he bolts out of bed in the middle of the night--- his frantic murmurs when he actually does sleep, that he’s not dealing and it’s a thought that makes her think his trauma is somehow mixing with the events that had happened the other night. she could be wrong, but it’s what she’s thinking. she’s making an attempt not to frown, she knew he was damaged--- it’s something that had made her want to help him, but she can see especially now, that he either didn’t want people to care for him, or he was just so used to shrugging it off to the point he no longer knew how it felt to be cared for. it was like it was a burden for someone else to actually take the time and ask him how he was. as if it wasn’t needed. “i’m not asking you to change the way you are,” she thinks eventually he might let his guard down, but she’s not asking him to change overnight, “and i get you’re used to dealing on your own-- or in a way you think you are,” that’s a subtle nod to the fact that she didn’t think he was actually coping at all, “but whether you answer me or not, or just change the subject,” briefly she gave part a smile, it’s not a dig, it’s more an i know what you’ve been doing, “whichever it is, what i want is for you to realise that i care when i’m asking how you are--- i know you do,” she says before he jumps to his defence, “and whether you meet me a quarter of the way or not, i want you to feel that i do.” there was a difference between knowing and feeling it and her caring wasn’t just because she was naturally a worrier. that was different. watching she lightly chuckled at him, more at him being mushy. “i know,” she appreciated it, “and i know this isn’t something you usually do, so it means a lot.” that he was trying, it really did. “because as silly as it sounds, being with you,” as in dating, being a couple, “makes me nervous.”

“needed a sugar rush.” he shrugged. it wasn’t untrue, it was sugar or it was drugs so thinking about it like that, sugar was the healthier option. even if it had landed him here. “yeah, well i thought– i dunno. i dunno what i thought, avoid the hospital if you can, probably.” he chuckled, knowing she probably didn’t find that thought pattern very amusing but hey, at least he did actually come for help. “what’s the verdict then, am i gonna live another day or do you need to amputate a limb?” smirking, he sat himself back up and grabbed his shirt, not before he shot a little scowl her way. “you can trick the oldies into thinking you’re rushed off your feet all day but i know you all just sit in the staff room, drink coffee and laugh about mugs like me waiting 5 hours for the results of one piss test.” again, he was only messing with her. he knew how demanding her job was. “nah, he’ll be long gone now, or passed out in the carpark.” he shrugged. there’s a brief little frown that washes over his face, but he shrugs it off. “guess i could be a little stressed. psycho slasher still on the loose ‘n all.”

“try chocolate next time.” she countered, but she was teasing him. she knew she couldn’t stand here and force him not to knock back can after can of energy drinks, but she thought it was already clear she didn’t agree with it. indirectly said or not. “at least you came,” he wasn’t the only one who held that attitude of avoid the hospital at all times. it was normal. “if there’s a next time maybe you can come in a little earlier.” she chuckled, it’s a light-hearted suggestion and one she usually asked people to do. it’s was sad that some people actually thought a certain health issue they were having, was no important--- or even a burden on the system. it wasn’t. it was better to get checked than leaving it until it was truly too late. grinning briefly she shakes her head with a light chuckle, she knows he’s joking and she actually finds him funny. “got me there, i’ll have you know the kit-kat i had was well worth your wait.” she offers him a smirk, showing that she too, was joking. she likes to have a good relationship with her patients, more because she hopes it makes them ease around her. “got anyone else you can contact?” to take him home, that was, it’s more a concern because of there being a--- as he put it, psycho slasher on the loose. “that’s... normal.” him being stressed at the thought of there being a killer still out there. at this point she thinks everyone is. “how much are you smoking these days? drinking?” whilst right now the ECG she had done seemed to look normal-- or better than the first one he did, she was happy to say he could go home, but she had a few more questions and perhaps suggestions before she told him he could actually leave.