Open Heart One Shots (Choices)

Black

Summary: Planning a perfect Valentine's Day dinner for your girlfriend should be commended, unless you're dating Cassie Valentine.

Rating: Mature with light NSFW.

Dr. Ethan Ramsey had never seen the point of Valentine's Day. It was a made-up holiday (not even a holiday truth be told), designed by retailers to sell more greeting cards, chocolates and flowers.

Not that he begrudged anyone their ability to make money, the economy being what it was. He just didn't participate in perpetuating the fallacy of expressing one's devotion through mass-produced platitudes.

And yet, here he was on the phone trying to reserve a table last minute at Cassie's favorite Italian restaurant and failing miserably.

Ever since he'd declared his love for her in front of the entire hospital two weeks ago, he'd felt he ought to make an effort for Valentine's Day. It was what one did when they were in a committed relationship, he supposed. Cassie loved romantic gestures and would be expecting something, even if she hadn't said anything all week.

At least he'd been able to order the flowers online much faster. And he'd managed to grab the last box of passion fruit-raspberry artisan chocolates from the store she liked in Back Bay.

"I see," he said tuning back into the conversation on the phone. "I understand. I'll figure something out, Armand. Thanks for trying."

Disappointed, he ended the call with the restaurant manager. Looks like going out tonight was a non-starter unless they wanted to spend half the night waiting in line with no guarantee of a table at the end of it. Time for Plan B.

He checked his calendar to see if he could leave early to go grocery shopping. He could pick up the ingredients for a traditional lasagna and just make it at home. If he doctored the jar tomato sauce with the right herbs and spices, it should be good enough. He had an excellent cabernet at home that would suit the occasion and would add body to the sauce.

Candles, some music to set the mood, dancing with the living room lights turned down low against the view of the Bay outside. All that followed by a slow seduction in the bedroom was guaranteed to make their first Valentine's Day memorable.

It could work, he thought, inwardly pleased with the revised plan.

He blocked out his calendar and was about to text Cassie to invite her to his place after shift when the glass doors slid open and she and Baz Mirani walked in.

"I'm telling you, Baz, it was a very near thing," Cassie was saying, her arms gesticulating as she narrated her story, throwing Ethan a quick smile. "If my friends and I hadn't figured out the meds were amplifying each other, the team would not have made it to the World Series let alone win it."

"Why haven't I heard this before?" he asked excitedly, sending a nod to Ethan by way of greeting as they both took their seats at the conference table.

June Hirata arrived shortly after as Cassie finished her tale with how Jake Sandburg, who had also testified at her ethics hearing last year, had invited her and her friends to the team's spring training in Florida later this month.

"If we're done reminiscing, let's get to work," said Ethan, keeping his tone neutral as he walked over to stand at the head of the table.

Straightening his coat, he switched on the LCD screen and pulled up their patient's latest scans. As they discussed the results and brainstormed ideas, he didn't like the way June watched him or Cassie out of the corner of her eyes, as if wanting to call them out for any signs of impropriety.

She was going to be disappointed. Dr. Cassie Valentine wasn't one to let anything or anyone get in the way of work, especially not her boyfriend.

And wasn't that a strange word to apply to himself, he thought, after all these years of non-commitment. And yet, he who hated grand gestures had stood in the middle of a busy atrium making the grandest gesture of all for the woman he loved as if they were starring in a damn Hallmark movie.