𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐇 // 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐰𝐨

IT WASN'T UNTIL THE following day that Connor could wrap his head around the previous night's nightmare. Eila had, surprisingly not, kicked him out, even though the surgeon was convinced he deserved. Not only did he ramble like a drunk, or a maniac ( or worse — a drunk maniac ), but he had not been able to come up with a good answer as to why he was nervous, until managing to stutter out some incoherent story about a possible illness with a friend, and how they would potentially be spending a Christmas at their lowest, depending on a test result.

             Even worse — he had managed to say the friend was Will Halstead.

Rushing into the emergency department of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, Connor frantically looked around for the red-headed doctor. "Maggie, please tell me you have seen Will today." He panted, shooting her a grateful smile as she nodded towards the treatment room commonly known as Baghdad. The doctor was just about to leave the room as Connor approached, blue rubber gloves being pulled off his hands. "Will, I need your help."

"Did you kill someone? Rob a bank? I'm sure I could have Jay pull some strings, but it wouldn't be fair, you know." Will sighed, following the cardiothoracic surgeon into the ED-doctors' break room.

"I fucked up with Eila."

"I know." Will shrugged, a slight chuckle escaping his mouth. "She texted Natalie after you left her place yesterday. I didn't know I was waiting to hear back from, what was it? An oncologist about a possible cancer?"

Connor groaned, sinking down on the couch, his head in his hands. "Man, I'm so sorry — she said something, and I got nervous. My intention was, believe it or not, to admit my feelings for her, but then I couldn't settle on which way to tell her—,"

"I love you or I like you should do the trick."

"Don't you think I know that already?"

Will shrugged, leaning against the table in the middle of the room, a sigh escaping his lips. "Look, Con — if you really have these kind of feelings for her, shouldn't it be easy?"

"It is easy, but I want it to be perfect, which makes me overcomplicate things, and now you have cancer, apparently." Connor rubbed his eyes, leaning back against the leather couch. "What do I do now?"

              "Hold on, let me get Natalie," Will nodded, motioning for Connor to wait as he rushed out of the room. Shortly after, he returned with Natalie, who also brought Maggie with her; both girls getting up to speed on the Shakesperian tragedy that was Connor Rhodes' love-life. "Now, these two have a much better knowledge of what you you should do now. I suggest you listen to them instead of me."

             As if on cue, Will's pager went off, and the red-head left the room, leaving Connor with the two ladies, who simply smiled at him ( though he could see the hint of disbelief in Maggie's eyes ).

              "Not being able to express your thoughts and feelings?" Maggie shook her head, though kept her gaze on the surgeon. "Seems unlike you, Rhodes."

              "What was I supposed to do?"

              "You could have kissed her." Natalie suggested, shooting a brief glance at Maggie. "I mean, sure — girls love a big, romantic gesture where the guy admits his feelings, but something we love even more is the small things, such as the way a guy could incorporate his feelings into everyday things, not just to grand gestures, and physical showing of affection will always get us going."

             Connor looked thoughtful as he listened to Natalie, his gaze flickering between her and Maggie. "So, what you're telling me, is that instead of lying about a cancer Will does certainly not have, I should have kissed Eila?"

                "Wait, you lied and said Will had cancer?" Maggie raised an eyebrow, before letting out a chuckle. "Oh boy, this story just took an even more interesting turn."

               "Maggie, do we still have that mistletoe somewhere? I'm sure we could let Connor borrow it for a couple of days." Natalie turned, a sincere look in her eyes as she faced Maggie, who nodded, immediately getting up to find it. "Don't worry, Connor, we'll get you sorted out, and we'll definitely make sure you'll be spending Christmas Eve with Eila."

              Though Connor was happy about her words, he wasn't sure. In fact, he wouldn't be sure until he had made an honest attempt at sorting things out with Eila.

               He could only hope she still felt the same.