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Frank Woods wasn't your patient. But you'd see him down the hall from time-to-time, saying brief hello's as you head to your next patient. He was actually under the care of another co-worker of yours until one day she called out sick and you decide to pick up the extra shift for her. She warned you about one patient; how sometimes he's a pain in the ass to deal with especially when he didn't get his cigarettes. He was stubborn enough to ignore the doctor's orders to quit smoking considering how old he was.
You didn't pay much attention to him afterwards until you only saw him spending most of his leisure time outside and enjoying the weather or watching TV. Never talking much with the other patients. That's when you began making small talk with him and from there the bond grew. The two of you exchange conversations during your lunch breaks and sometimes after shift hours when he strolls around the halls or outside when the sun starts to set. Despite his young mentality at an old age, it was a nice change to your dull shifts.
He must have been a hit with the women in his younger years.
After hours of visiting were nice. Not a lot of chattering or people coming in and out of rooms. You liked having extra time to chat with Woods before leaving for the night.
Your eyes were glued to your phone while you sat in a chair across from where Woods laid in bed watching TV. You try to avoid social media during the holidays as it attracted envy into your life, but you couldn't help seeing people enjoying their Christmas vacations in warmer parts of the states or in another country. Picking up some extra shifts will benefit your savings and you'd finally get that break you deserved.
"You hear that? They're calling for snow next week."
You glance up at the TV screen seeing a high chance of snow hitting. You hum in amusement. It was supposed to start a couple of days before Christmas.
"So, have you got any plans for the holiday?"
You shook your head. Family lived too far away and honestly you didn't have the energy to put up with the family gathering of pestering once again. "Just the usual every year." From your peripheral vision, you were certain you saw a smirk on his face.
"Well, if you're not busy, I'd like to invite you to my nephew's house for Christmas Eve."
His nephew, David was his name. Of course, Woods has been trying to get the two of you to meet for a year now. Another attempt at doing so. The personality the two of you have in common, he considers it to be a match made in heaven.
"Thank you for offering, but I don't want to feel I'm intruding on a holiday that's meant for family."
"Nonsense. You're not going to burden anyone with your presence. Besides, David always has a close friend of his over whenever we have a gathering."
You finally look at him, already giving him the answer he knows.
"Look if it turns out you're not into him, fine. I just don't want you to spend Christmas alone. I mean it."
You think about his offer for a moment. Going to it will at least distract you from the seasonal depression that thrives on misery around the colder times.
"There will also be free food." He mentions.
"I'll perhaps consider it."
"Great! And don't worry, you already have my blessing." He jokes.
Decorating homemade gingerbread cookies was a nightmare. You kept the badly smudged and overly frosted ones, or as you called them failed experiments in your microwave. However, you made sure a majority looked decent enough to leave your home.
And now, you find yourself standing outside of the front door holding the most vintage Christmas plate you could find to have your cookies temporarily on display. You checked the address Woods gave you three or four times. The anxiety was biting at you and the chilling weather wasn't helping either. After putting all the effort into baking and dressing up just to think about backing down. "It's just one time." You encourage yourself. You quickly knock on the door a couple of times to prevent second thoughts from making a comeback.
And now you brace yourself. No backing away either.
Heavy footsteps quickly approach you and the door opens. A man with his red flannel sleeves rolled up exposing tattoos on his right forearm introduces himself. His expression holds as if he was trying to remember something. His tattooed arm finds itself resting on the doorframe supporting the rest of his body as he tries to get a word out.
"You must be... Wait! Let me guess!"
As a few more seconds past, his grin slowly fades as his mind stops at a dead end.
"Y/N." You help.
His eyes widen and his finger wags at you. "Oh, that's right! You're that nurse Frank keeps mentioning."
You give an awkward grin. "I guess I must be the talk when I'm not around. And you must me Mike Harper. David's friend."
How much has Woods been talking about you?
"That's me. I see you brought something."
"Are you gonna stand there like a fuckin' vegetable or let them in?" Woods' loud rough voice startles the two of you.
"Shit I'm sorry come in. You must be freezing." Harper opens the door wider to allow you to enter.
Woods smiled upon seeing you. He too was dressed up for the occasion. "I was getting worried that you might not find David's house."
"I was just being careful on the road is all."
"That's understandable. You brought some food for the party, huh?"
"They're gingerbread cookies I made from scratch. It was my first time baking them."
"I bet they'll taste just fine. Come. I'll show you the kitchen."
The house was small and organized. A few candles lit, various decorations laid out and about, and garland hung around the doorframes the two of you walked through.
"David's not much of a festive person, but I told him to go out with the decorations this year. No half-assing it, especially when we have a guest over."
"Well, I think he's done a great job with it."
"David, I'd like for you to meet a special someone." He raises his voice to call out for his nephew.
The kitchen was well lit around the corner displaying few alcoholic bottles and a couple of opened appetizers resting on the counter. A tall man turns away from what he was doing at the stove. He wore dark green unbuttoned long sleeve with a basic black tee underneath. The color resting on his shoulders showed how broad he was. Both of his sleeves were rolled up to prevent a mess from the amount of labor he was putting in to cooking. His hair was neatly groomed and style back as if he had just gotten a haircut. His 5 o'clock shadow greatly complimented his jawline.
"This is Y/N. The one I've been wanting you to meet."
He quickly wipes his hands with a towel before approaching. "It's nice to meet the nurse who's been keeping him in line." He greets with a smile. "Let me get that for you." His hands extend to the plate, taking it from you.
"While the turkey is cooking, why don't you get to know one another." Woods already starts wheeling himself out before you had the chance to say something.
You hear your heart pounding louder every thump it makes and the warm air made it difficult to breath from the tension of it being the only two of you now. Thankfully, he fills in conversation over the dead silence.
"You didn't have to bring anything, but it was very thoughtful of you to do that."
"Thought I'd make something to bring as a thank you for the invite."
"Of course. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Whatever is the best drink you have." You sit yourself at the small kitchen island. A few dishes of already prepared food laid amongst the island counter leaving you enough space to yourself.
He sets a small glass of alcohol in front you before he returns to what he was doing before.
"It's nice to finally meet you. I've actually been wanting to meet you ever since Frank talked about you for the first time."
You took a hard gulp of the drink right as he finished that last sentence. "Oh. I'm so sorry you waited that long. There's a lot of demand at the home as always." You half-lie. To be honest, you were terrified to meet David when Frank brought it up for the first time.
"No if anything, it's my fault." He apologizes. "I've been busy with important stuff lately and haven't been able to visit Frank as much. But at least I know someone is looking out for him." He glances at you with a smile.
After a short moment, he returns to where you are sitting and examines the item you brought.
"You sounded to be a generous person from the way he spoke about you. He also said you don't nag like his other nurse. I thought it was strange for him to befriend a nurse, so I had to find out who was softening his heart."
You watch him lift the foil from your cookie plate to reveal slightly smudged frosted gingerbread cookies. Designing each one truly showed how difficult it was just by how the frosting was wanting to follow to the next design. The frosting was jagged and lacked the curvy consistency around the outer edge.
"It's not my best work." You jest.
He seals the foil back. "They're not bad compared to when I tried to bake a cake for Frank's birthday last year."
You remembered Woods showing you a picture from his phone of the poorly sprinkled chocolate cake. It was of the first times you heard him laugh so hard. Some of the nurses took pity at the attempt, but at least it was edible he mentioned.
"Surely you didn't burn it."
His elbows support his body when he leans on the counter across from you. "The cake turned out to be very slanted by the time I finished putting frosting on it." He quietly laughs at the embarrassing memory. "By the time I got to the veteran's home, the top half started to slide. But he always told me that the ugly-looking ones are the best."
It was just how Woods describe him: Easygoing and kindhearted. Polar opposite of Woods' personality. His natural charisma felt welcoming which helped match the vibe of his home. It was very contrast to how you had imagined a high-ranked Navy Seal would act: Authoritative, tough, and loud. His voice was shy but gentle making it not so difficult to ease past intimidation.
Perhaps he's not used to having strangers over.
Strangers that made his heart skip a beat.
"If you're not working after New Years, I would like to take you out." He leans closer to your ear. "Without my uncle being in the way." He whispers to prevent Woods from hearing the last part. "I haven't heard the end of it since he met you and I'm sure you haven't either."
"I may have a day off around then." You whisper back. Your arms interlink around his body, pulling him in for a hug. "It was really nice meeting you."
He took your contentment by surprise when he felt your arms pulling his body close to yours. His arms slowly return the favor to avoid the hug from getting awkward. He was already feeling his face getting hot from the sudden physical touch. He didn't bother trying to choke out a 'You too'.
David senses another person standing right outside of the living room near the front door where the two of you stood was Woods with a shit-eating grin on his face. David glances at him with a side-eye.
He'll definitely never hear the end of Woods teasing him about it until the next date.