simon_doctor | (no subject)

(no subject)

Simon's been trying to encourage the other doctors at work to come to him with suggestions. Most of them he brings to Dr. Keren; some he recommends refining a little further, first.

Dr. Deleon's suggestion today was made more generally, though, and somewhat to his consternation everyone else seems to approve. He spends most of the commute home alternating between trying to figure out how to bring up the subject to Kaylee and trying to figure out if there's any way to get out of it.

When he gets home it's still fairly early in the evening, but he feels more exhausted than he did the night he staggered in at quarter after ten.

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Fairly early in the evening, but still later than she'd anticipated. But Kaylee is starting to get the idea: make things that will stay warm easily, that won't dry out if it cooks too long.

Tonight: soup -- thick, rich tomato and cheese, with homemade bread, and a salad to go with.

"Hey." She's leaning against the counter when he comes in the back door. "How'd it go?"

(She asks this every day.)

"Hey." He sets down his briefcase by the door, and moves to hug her before he's even taken off his coat.

(Usually he answers.)

Kaylee smooths a hand over his back. "That bad, huh?" Wry, and gentle.

"Mm? No," and there's a little half-laugh on the word, "not really. It was ... actually a pretty good day, work-wise."

He drops a kiss on her cheek as he draws back, and starts to take his coat off.

She points by the door. "Installed a rack, today -- thought it'd be a good notion for coats and whatnot."

He looks over, and breaks into a smile.

"Cōng míng de. I like the shelf."

"And now you don't got to carry it all the way to the front closet." Kaylee seems pleased with herself. "You ready for dinner? And then you can tell me why it is you're so happy to see me all of a sudden."

"Yes, please," he says -- heartfelt, if not quite fervent. "And ... yes. It's nothing bad."

But first he's going to hang up his coat.

"Okay." Quiet, as she moves to pull bowls and plates down from the cabinet. "We got soup. And a salad. That work for you?"

"Absolutely," he says over his shoulder, as he lifts his coat onto the hook, and then turns to come into the kitchen proper.

"It smells wonderful."

And it's not much longer before the soup, salad, and bread are steaming on the table. Kaylee opens a bottle of wine before she has a seat.

"So." Expectantly.

"So," he agrees, and pulls a piece off the thick slice of bread by his plate.

And reaches for the butter.

"...There was, ah, an interesting conversation at the office this afternoon," he says finally.

Kaylee looks up from putting salad on her plate. "Yeah?"

"Dr. Deleon had this idea that the six of us should ... take some time outside of work to get to know each other better. Along with our spouses."

He's meticulously buttering a fragment of bread, and doesn't look up.

She blinks.

"Well." Thoughtful. "It makes sense, I reckon. I mean, it's not like anybody's actually from here, is it?"

"Exactly," he agrees. "And the only two of us who knew each other before we came here are Dr. Deleon and Dr. Mills -- they're the ones I told you about, the married couple."

Kaylee nods, and picks up her wine glass.

She doesn't seem bothered.

Simon is rebuttering the piece of bread.

"So her idea," he says, "was that we should meet for dinner parties. Once every month or so. And take turns hosting."

"Seems pretty logical." She glances up.

"I suppose it is, really."

He looks up, and manages a small smile, and takes a bite of bread.

"...what am I missin' here?"

"...I'm just." His smile's quicker this time, but also more crooked. "A little nervous about the prospect."

Kaylee doesn't pause to reflect that she isn't nervous. "How come?"

He gives a small apologetic shrug, and stirs his soup.

"I don't ... really like dinner parties. I never have."

She tilts her head. "How come?"