"What about you?" Krystal asked, looking from husband to wife or rather... ex-husband to ex-wife. "You also won’t listen?"
"I shouldn’t," Shikera replied. "I don’t want to entertain the slightest desire to uh...see him or her."
"Then I will take it that you don’t want to hear the latest bit of news either. I will write it in the report though and sent it alongside the recording so if you suddenly get curious one day, you can check both out."
Shikera smiled, genuine appreciation brimming in her eyes.
"Thanks, Krystal."
"Don’t thank . That wasn’t for free," Krystal replied impassively. "Uncle Anderson asked to perfect care of you in return for a favor."
"Still." Shikera rolled her eyes. "I’m telling you thanks not as a patient but as a friend."
"I guess I will take that then."
Shikera changed into her forr clothes and prepared to leave with Ethan right behind her. She bade Krystal goodbye and left the ultrasound room, their journey to the elevator much quieter than it had been when they just arrived.
However, the lobby was much busier than it was when they first arrived, prompting Ethan to hesitate before stepping out of the elevator.
"Trust ; no one here could guess who you are," Shikera whispered, speaking to him for the first ti since the left the ultrasound room. She slipped her hand into his and pulled him out.
"I think there was an accident," she guessed, pointing at the entrance to the lobby where multiple stretchers were being pushed in by the paradics and the nurses, and looked back at Ethan. "We could take another exit, the most private one."
During those years when she had spent months at the hospital, she had discovered countless exits and entrances into the hospital whose existence most of the longest working doctors and nurses in the hospital had no idea of. It was through one of those that she led Ethan until they appeared at the underground garage. She stopped only when they got to his car.
"I am sorry I could not bring myself to listen," he spoke up, pulling open the door on the passenger’s side for her to get in.
However, Shikera didn’t budge from where she was standing.
"It would have hurt more if you listened without getting emotional," she debunked his apology. "I’m eting Cyprian at Preston TV so I can’t ride with you."
"I will drop you off," Ethan insisted.
She shook her head. "Please don’t. I have the chance to take public transport today and I do not want to forfeit it."
"Want to co with you?" Ethan’s eyes bore a calculative gaze as he continued to stare at her. It was hard to know if she was really angry or not. "I know I’m not with my mask but then..."
"Is this all just to apologize, Ethan? If yes, then you must be dreaming to even think that would make forgive you. You want to expose your face in public when I have to uncover your mask tomorrow?!" she joked. "And you in public transport will be mmhhh... Nah, I don’t wanna see that."
She continued, "If you want to apologize so much though, why don’t you give a lift to the bus station?"
"Is that even a requested?" Ethan countered. "Get in."
Shikera complied and when the door shut after her, she made sure Ethan’s eyes were off her before opening the dashboard compartnt and throwing in the report she got from the OB-GYN earlier.
"Will you be returning to the headquarters or ho?" she asked, when he was settled in the seat beside her.
"Ho. You gave my assistants the rest of the day off, didn’t you?"
"Great! Can you pick Esther up then? I want her to co with us to Preston TV tomorrow."
"It’s a school day."
Shikera shrugged nonchalantly, "So? Look at , I probably missed more lessons than a truant yet I could still graduate. Now that I think of it, maybe that’s the reason I’m not all that..."
"Smart," Ethan concluded. He leaned over to fasten her seatbelt and did the sa with his, all while avoiding her eyes.
"Of course not! I am smart. Our baby will have the best combination of genes, only if he or she takes after my looks of course."
"You think taking after mine wouldn’t be better?"
Shikera was so absorbed in their banter that she did not realize they were now out of the garage and almost at the bus stop she asked him to drive her to.
"Taking after yours as in...?" she probed.
"Exactly what I was saying, Kera. Your wits need working on and your beauty well...I love you as you are so—"
"Do not change the topic!" Shikera interrupted. "What did you an by taking after yours..."
A puff of hair escaping his lips, Ethan took his ti before replying, "I ant to say would it not be better for our baby to take after my looks?"
Silence accompanied his words for the next few seconds so he spared a quick glance sideways to see that Shikera was staring intently at him.
"What’s wrong?"
"I love you, Ethan."
His brows raised in surprise, "Why?"
"You said ’our baby’ just now! You finally—oh my god!"
Hurriedly unfastening her seatbelt, she leaped into his arms, just in ti for Ethan to swerve off the road as fast as he could. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him and he was not resisting... wishing she could actually stay there forever.
"I love you, Ethan."
"I love you too, Princess."
"What? If I’m only the princess then who’s the queen?"
"You. No one else but you. I love you, Queen."
"I love you too, Honey."
"Honey? How do you know I haven’t lost my flavor yet?"
Grinning, Shikera replied, "You are right. What if I check right here and now?"
With that, she lowered her head and pressed her lips on his.
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