The Long Day Is Over

Harper leaned against the door frame of her bedroom, coffee mug in her hands, and her eyes drifted from the bag sitting on the chair at her desk to Roman, still asleep in her bed. The covers were pooled at his lower back as he slept on his stomach with his arms under his pillow and his head turned toward the window. Harper smiled to herself as she brought her mug to her lips to take a drink of her coffee before she turned away and headed back to the kitchen.

She grabbed her phone from the counter before she headed to the little window seat by the TV, where she sat down and stretched her legs out in front of her and placed her mug between them. She stared at her phone for a moment, she thought about texting Bristol, in any other situation she would have, but Harper thought maybe asking John for advice about Roman was for the best. So she opted to text him.

I have a problem.

He answered back rather quickly, and Harper wondered if he was laying around staring at his phone.

What else is new?

Ha Ha. I'm serious. It's about Roman.

Did something happen? Did he hurt you? Because I'll kill him. Straight up.

Harper smiled to herself as she read that. How did she get so lucky to have the people that she did in her life?

No, calm down Rocky. He surprised me by coming to visit for a few days since my trip there got canceled.

So... what's wrong with that?

Nothing is wrong with that. I love that. I just realized we've been doing whatever we've been doing for months and we've never...

Harper wasn't sure she would ever be comfortable talking about sex with anyone, even Bristol.

She rolled her eyes at his response.

Gone past first base?

If you want to be a teenager, yes.

So what are you worried about Harper?

She thought about it for a few moments, what was she so worried about? She was worried that it would change things between them, she was worried that it wouldn't be any good between them, she was worried that he would get tired of waiting and she was really afraid that maybe she was ready for that step because that meant she had to follow through with it.

She told John.

Everything.

Harp if you're not ready then you're not ready and if he has an issue with that then he's not the guy for you.

She let out a breath of air.

That's not what I'm worried about. I'm scared that I am ready for that, but what if it changes things?

It is gonna change things but that's okay. Sex is different when you love someone Harper, it really is.

She heard feet on the floor in the hallway so she was quick to give John a response.

Thanks, I needed that.

She put her phone in her lap and turned her head to glance over her shoulder at Roman as he walked into the kitchen in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He smiled at her and asked, "How long have you been up?"

"An hour." Harper told him with a smile, and she gathered her things and leaned up to kiss him quickly as she stepped by him to get to the kitchen. She placed her mug down on the counter, as well as her phone, before she told him, "I was gonna make breakfast but... I got no food in my fridge."

Roman let out a laugh and asked her, "Breakfast and then grocery shopping?"

"Do I have to?" Harper asked with a dramatic groan and he laughed again at her. She sighed loudly and headed down the hall to her bedroom to change into clothes that were somewhat presentable.

"Nice sweater." Roman commented with a smile when she walked back into the kitchen.

Harper glanced at her sweater and then over at him with a smile and she told him, "Why thank you, it's my favorite one."

It only took Roman a total of six minutes to get completely ready to go, and before Harper knew it they were arriving at the diner across the street from the hospital. She was in the mood for blueberry pancakes, something that Roman couldn't help but chuckle at. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her eat anything else for breakfast unless someone else was cooking.

"That's where I work, by the way." Harper told him, pointing out of the window and to the hospital across the street from them.

Roman glanced over and asked, "So this is your usual breakfast spot?"

"Breakfast, dinner, sometimes random meal and any hour of the day during a break." Harper told him with a smile, and Roman let out a chuckle.

"I was beginning to get worried that I didn't see you for almost two full days." Harper smiled over at Coleen as she approached them with her tray and a milkshake. She placed the milkshake down in front of Harper and then she turned to Roman and her cheeks flushed, "I didn't realize she had company, I didn't bring a menu, give me a minute to grab one."

Harper answered for him, "That's okay. The usual for me and.... two eggs sunny side up, bacon and cubed hashbrowns for him."

Coleen smiled and nodded but she did turn to Roman and ask him, "And what can I get you to drink?"

"Coffee and a water please." Roman told her with a smile. When she left them alone he turned to Harper and asked her, "Do you know everyone in this city?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm a creature of habit. I find a place or thing I like and I tend to stick with it."

"I've noticed that." Roman noted out loud, and he eyed her milkshake.

She rolled her eyes at him and told him, "It's never too early for a milkshake."

"Whatever you say."

"A milkshake is like one scoop of ice cream away from being a smoothie, okay. Relax. I'm practically being healthy here." Harper told him, and Roman couldn't help but smile. She then went on to say, "Beside's, you're gonna make me buy healthy shit at the grocery store so I need to get my fill in now."

He let out a laugh and mused out loud, "You are one of a kind."

- - -

After their grocery shopping had been done Harper had decided out loud on the way back to the car with her cart full of food, "I love food but man I hate food shopping."

Roman let out a chuckle and her and he told her, "I would actually agree with you on that."

"Also, those food prices are exactly why this country has such a problem with obesity." Harper stated as she unlocked the car and popped the hatchback to load her groceries. She then went on to say, "Honestly, there's this little boy that comes to the ER every morning I work because I take him to the cafeteria and buy him milk and cereal because his mom can't afford it. It's really quite sad."

Once they were back in the car Roman told her, "That's nice of you, though."

She shrugged, "Kid's should be able to have access to the food they need."

He nodded his head in agreement and then after a second of silence Roman asked Harper, "So, have you always been a charitable person or is that something that happened when you became a doctor?"

"I'm not a doctor technically." She reminded him with a pointed look and he held his hands up in a surrender fashion. She smiled, because, yes, technically she was but Harper wouldn't consider herself a real doctor until she started her official residency that June. She explained to him, "I guess always. I used to always be starving at home and my mom thought there was something seriously wrong with me until I told her that I was giving my lunches away to the kids who didn't have any."

With a bright smile, he told her, "That's cute."

"Shut up." Harper laughed with an eye roll.

As they gathered the few grocery bags in their hands and headed back up to Harper's apartment Roman asked her, "So what's the plan for the rest of the day?"

"I don't know." Harper told him as they headed down the hall toward her apartment door.

Curiously he asked her, "Well what would you be doing on a day off if I wasn't here?"

Harper unlocked the door and they stepped inside and she let the door fall closed behind them. It wasn't until the grocery bags were put down on the counter that she answered him, "I would probably still be in pyjama's, ordering in and catching up on my recordings with snacks."

"Alright." Roman stated as he put the last of the refrigerated products away and then he went and dropped onto the couch. He held the remote out over the back of the couch for Harper and smiled as she raised her eyebrow, so he told her, "Pick a show."

She smiled as she headed over to him and the couch and as she grabbed the remote from his hand she warned him, "One day you should talk to Bristol about giving me remote control.... control."

Roman chuckled and asked, "What, do you still watch the Disney channel?"

She rolled her eyes, "No, but Bristol and I get along in pretty much everything but movies and TV shows. John and I, however, watch all of the same shows and movies. So we drive her crazy over the summer."

As she scrolled through the PVR, and what little she had in there, Roman asked her, "What's your favorite show anyway?"

"The Good Wife." Harper told him, locating it with ease and scrolling through the massive amounts of episode's she had waiting.

Roman watched the Tv screen curiously as she clicked on an episode and when he saw what one it was he exclaimed, "You're only on season five?!"

Harper turned to look at him in surprise as she clicked play and then pause when it started and she asked him, "Hold on, you watch this?"

"If it's on when I have down time and I'm sitting down to watch TV, yeah. Seriously, they're in like season seven and you're only on season five?" Roman asked her in surprise.

"I never have time to watch it!" Harper told him, defending herself and her PVR. She glanced at the watch on her wrist and then asked Roman, "It's after twelve. Am I allowed to make popcorn?"

"You would make it no matter what." Roman pointed out as she got up from the couch and headed into the kitchen.

She turned her head over her shoulder and smiled as she said, "But this way I can make it without judgment."

So he waited patiently while she cooked the stove-top popcorn and then when she returned with the bowl for both of them Roman took it and set it on the coffee table before he grabbed her and pulled her onto the couch between his outstretched legs and back into his chest. He covered them both with the heavy blanket that had previously been folded up on the puff ottoman next to him and then he grabbed the bowl of popcorn and placed it in Harper's lap as she hit play on the remote and turned it up just a little bit.

After a few minutes, Harper asked him curiously, "How close am I to when Will dies? I need to mentally prepare myself."

"You know he dies?" Roman asked her with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded and said, "John totally ruined it for me. He watches the episodes mostly on time, and got heated and sent me a text. For a second I wasn't sure what he was talking about and honestly thought we knew someone named Will who was dead."

Roman let out a laugh at that, and Harper pinched his forearm as he did so. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through Wikipedia for a few seconds before he told her, "Like... three episodes."

"Note to self, don't watch any more than three episodes." Harper stated with a nod of her head that again made Roman laugh.

After a few seconds of silence, Roman asked Harper, "Do you ever wish... that things were different?"

"What do you mean?" She asked him softly, glancing over at him for a second.

She paused the TV when he explained what he had meant with his question, "Like that things were different with us and our situation?"

"Our situation?" She asked him, both curious and a little afraid.

He nodded and told her, "You know, like if we lived closer to each other, or had the option to. That kind of stuff."

Harper shifted in the way that she was sitting and she looked at him as she told him, "Sometimes. Obviously, us being able to live closer to each other would make things easier but I don't know... I don't so much mind this. At least when it comes to having to choose between having you in my life like this or not at all it's not a hard decision for me."

"I just... Long distance sucks, you know?" When he asked this Harper nodded her head to agree with him and then he went on to tell her, "I don't want you to think that I'm not enjoying myself or anything, because really, I am, it's just that I wish it was easier for us to see each other. I guess I'm just missing you more than I expected to."

Lightening the mood between them Harper smiled over at him and asked, "More than you expected, huh?"

Roman smiled and nodded, "Oh yeah. Like all the time. My teammates are getting sick of hearing about it."

In that moment Harper wanted so desperately to tell him about her plans for the very next weekend. She had made all of the arrangements at work, and for flights, to get down to Nashville for the All-Star weekend. She had done so the moment that the official rosters had been announced and she had seen that Roman had been on it.

Instead of ruining her surprise for him Harper leaned over and kissed him square on the mouth. It took him a moment to respond, more out of being taken by surprise than anything else, but soon enough Roman's hands cupped the sides of her face as he kissed her back.

She leaned into the kiss slightly, just enough to knock herself off balance and for her to go tumbling against his chest, which caused them to pull apart and laugh. Eventually, however, Harper looked up at him with her light brown eyes and then she leaned forward again to kiss him.

His arms wrapped around her waist to hold her in place tightly against him as they kissed, and after a moment or two Harper pulled away from him and sat up, she tucked her hair behind her ears and then got up from the couch and held her hands out for him. He placed his own large hands in hers and let her guide him out of the living room, down the hall and into her bedroom.

When she turned to face him she looked a little nervous and so Roman wrapped his arms around her again and pulled her into him and he tucked her hair behind her ear on one side again before he leaned down slowly and kissed her sweetly.

Pulling back he asked her, "Are you sure about this?"

She thought about it for a moment but the only thing that came into her mind were John's words from earlier.

Sex is different when you love someone.

"I'm sure."