Never Been Kissed
Book: Open Heart, Book 2 Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Sawyer Brooks) Rating: General Category: Fluff Word count: 1.8K Summary: Ethan helps Sawyer with one of her New Year’s resolutions. A/N: I woke up with this idea yesterday and hammered it out last night so I could post it in time for NYE. Please forgive any errors. Happy New Year!🎉🪩🍾
Events/Prompts: • Participating in CFWC Holidays 2023 • Participating in Choices Flashfics Week #66 Prompts 🫤3: “How much worse could it get?” • Participating in Choices Holidays Winter 2023
Sawyer had never kissed anyone on New Year's Eve.
Every year, for as long as she could remember, she rang in the new year with her family. The tradition was due in part to the fact that it was also her father's birthday. Twelve years away at school, but she always returned home for the holidays, never missing the annual event. Even last year, her first in Boston, she was able to make it home. A trip made possible by the plane ticket Ethan had given her for Christmas, a generous thank-you gift for helping him with Naveen.
In recent years their family party grew to include significant others and their babies. Everyone had a special someone to kiss at midnight. Everyone but Sawyer.
When she broke the news to her parents that she was staying in Boston for New Years, there was disappointment on both ends of the line. A couple weeks had passed since she returned to work, and the medical leave she took to recuperate from the attack had already eaten up more time than she could afford. She couldn’t spare any more time away. Her parents were understanding, and Sawyer found a silver lining in that she finally had a special someone to kiss at midnight this year.
At least that was the case until she looked at her schedule a week later. Zaid accommodated her request for extra shifts, allowing her to make up clinic hours. But given that she worked a double on Christmas, she didn’t expect another on New Year’s Eve. She should have known better. It was one of the busiest nights of the year in the emergency department.
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After a quick coffee break at Derry’s, Ethan helped Sawyer put her coat back on. He took the cream colored beanie that she pulled from her pocket and fitted it over her head. “Nice bunny tail,” he said, gently swatting the giant cotton ball sewn to the top of her knit hat.
“Watch it, Mister, or you won’t be getting any of this tail for a while,” she turned and shook her rear end at him.
Just before they headed back inside the hospital, Sawyer squeezed his hand. “Sure you don’t want to volunteer and stay for another shift?” she asked, looking up at him with a puppy dog pout.
The first time Sawyer returned to work after the attack, with her landlord in tow, it had been a complete disaster. Though things had gone better this time around, Ethan kept an eye out for any signs of distress. She had her ups and downs, and he couldn't help but worry about her. "Is everything all right?"
“Yeah, it’s fine. You don’t need to worry. I promise,” she tried to assure him, sensing his concern. “I’m just going to miss you tonight, that’s all.”
Ethan could still feel something was off, but dropped it.
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It took him twice as long to get home with New Year’s revelers heading to their festivities around town. After a light dinner, a satisfying workout, and a long, hot shower, Ethan settled on his couch. The apartment suddenly felt too quiet, too empty. He missed his girlfriend. Since Sawyer began picking up double-shifts, they had not had a lot of time alone. Sure he got to see her at work. But it wasn’t the same as curling up together on the couch and talking about their day, or kissing whenever they felt like it, or waking up in each other’s arms.
Hoping it would provide some distraction, he turned on the television and watched the local news. When the weather segment began, Ethan grew bored. He reached for a book on the coffee table, finding Sawyer’s notebook underneath. He recognized it from their DT meetings, where she took meticulous notes and sometimes doodled during their brainstorming sessions. She must have forgotten it the last time she stayed over.
The way her mind worked fascinated him. She could be discussing the differences between apples and oranges when… Click! An idea would pop into her head to check their patient for uneven skin texture, giving her the lead needed to reach a successful diagnosis.
Curious to know her thoughts about their current, undiagnosed patient, Ethan picked up the notebook and flipped through the pages. They were filled with detailed notes from each of their team meetings. Random side notes littered the margins. Tacos or burritos? He chuckled, wondering if the question was part of a diagnostic brainstorm, or if she was just hungry at the time. Turning the page to a more recent entry, he found Sawyer’s notes from a meeting he conducted last week. Ethan had attempted to inspire the team by conducting a goal-setting exercise. He asked everyone to jot down a few professional and personal goals for the new year.
Several emotions washed over Ethan as he read her goals. She was cute as hell, but his heart broke a little knowing how much weight she still carried on her shoulders.
On the TV, the New Year’s Eve countdown now aired. A correspondent stood in front of a large crowd of people gathered in Times Square. “…And according to folklore, a kiss at midnight brings luck and strength to that relationship for the rest of the year. So, who will you be kissing when the clock strikes twelve?” Ethan looked down at her list again. Is that why she wanted me to stay tonight? Was that the reason she seemed so… disappointed?
A timer in the corner of the TV screen counted down the time to the famous ball drop. Forty minutes until midnight.
Ethan never paid any mind to superstitions. Thinking back to the events of the past two years, he thought to himself, “How much worse could it get?” He shuddered at the thought, bolting to his closet where he threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater, then slipped into his running shoes. He was not going to take any chances, and most importantly, he was intent on giving Sawyer whatever she desired. If she wanted a kiss at midnight, he would make it happen. Keys and jacket in hand, the door to his apartment slammed shut behind him.
Ethan stepped into the atrium and checked the clock behind the reception desk. Fifteen minutes until midnight.
He pushed through the doors of the emergency department a couple minutes later. It was eerily quiet. The calm before the storm. In about an hour, the waiting room would be packed with reckless and unfortunate party-goers. He didn’t see Sawyer anywhere, but wanting to confirm, Ethan inquired at the triage desk.
“Happy New Year, Dr. Ramsey,” the triage coordinator greeted.
“Happy New Year, Anabel. Have you seen Dr. Brooks?”
“About an hour ago? She mentioned trying to catch a quick nap before the midnight rush.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan made his way to the on-call room nearest the emergency room. When he opened the door, the beds were full of sleeping doctors, but Sawyer was not among them. After a quick peek in the cafeteria, he headed up to the Internal Medicine floor. The hallways were dim and quiet at this time of night. He checked all the obvious places. Staff lounge, empty. Resident locker room, empty. The on-call room was also empty, save for a pager that someone had left behind. Duh!
“Could you page Dr. Brooks, please?” he asked the nurse sitting behind the circular desk. Not a moment later, the pager in his hand started to vibrate.
Of course. He wondered if this was the universe mocking him for his skepticism.
Jan, the night supervisor, quietly exited the patient’s room behind him. “Hey kiddo, I thought you went home a few hours ago?” She noticed the pager in his hand. “Did someone page you?”
“Uh, no. Jan, I’m looking for Sawy- for Dr. Brooks? Have you seen her?” he asked.
“No, hon, but I’ve seen several folks making their way up to the helipad for the fireworks. Maybe she’s up there?”
Yes! She loves fireworks. Ethan looked at his wrist. Five minutes until midnight.
After thanking the nurses, he walked with purpose to the elevator bank and punched the up button. Come on, come on! Four minutes to midnight.
When he reached the seventh floor he jogged to the helipad entrance. The automatic glass doors slid open and a frigid gush of wind hit his face. With only the light of the helipad beacons, Ethan frantically scanned the gathered crowd. She’s not here. Dammit!
He checked the time again. Two minutes until midnight.
As he turned to head back inside, he noticed a large chunk of snow falling from above. It fell from a secluded section of the rooftop that few knew how to access. Naveen referred to it as “the bird’s nest.” He shared its location with Ethan, and in turn, Ethan shared it with Sawyer. It was a place they could go when they needed a minute of peace. To his surprise, he saw what appeared to be a snowball floating in midair. Wait… not a snowball. A bunny tail!
When he reached the stairwell, he glanced at his watch again. One minute until midnight.
Climbing the stairs three at a time, he quickly ascended two flights of stairs, bursting onto the ninth floor. Thankfully these hallways were lined mostly with administrative offices and were completely abandoned given the late hour. Sprinting to the end of the long hallway, Ethan pulled on a door marked “Authorized Personnel Only.” He launched himself through the dark doorway and blindly climbed another flight of stairs.
Just as his hand reached the door at the top of the staircase, he heard an explosion on the other side. Midnight.
Sawyer jumped when she heard the steel door crash against the stone exterior of the building. Turning around, she saw Ethan. Steam puffed from his mouth as he tried to catch his breath.
With the sky sparkling behind her, he grabbed the sides of her face, and crashed his lips onto hers. Once the urgency had subsided, he changed the angle and kissed her again. Deep and tender. When he pulled away to give his lungs a chance to expand, Sawyer could see the fireworks reflected in his eyes.
Tucked in his embrace, she smiled up at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Helping you keep your New Year’s resolutions.”
She looked at him confused. “Wait... how did you know about that?” She hadn’t remembered mentioning it to him, or anyone for that matter.
“You left your notebook at my apartment.” He reached into his pocket and handed her the pager. “You also left this in the on-call room.”
“Shit. Please don’t tell my boss.”
“You’ll have to silence me with another kiss,” he smirked.
“Well, if that's what it takes...” she laughed, standing on her tiptoes. She brushed her lips against his and whispered, “Happy New Year, Ethan.”
Before claiming her lips again, he whispered back, “Happy New Year, Rookie.”
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