The Long Day Is Over

“You’re nuts.” Harper told Roman as she followed him into Home Goods, it was nearly eight-thirty at night and he had, after they had gone for dinner, taken her directly here. She slipped her arm underneath his to link them together as she caught up to him, reminding him, “They close in like an hour.”

“Live on the edge Harper.” Roman told her with a grin. When she rolled her eyes he told her, “Come on, we’ve done plenty of touristy things while you were here… you’ve seen most of the important things Nashville has to offer… now it’s time to do one last fun thing.”

“You call shopping at Home Goods at eight at night fun?” Harper asked him, and when he shrugged his shoulders she said, “Yup, you’re nuts.”

“We’ve never done this.” Roman pointed out, and when her eyebrow raised he explained to her, “We’ve never gone to a store just because and killed some time. It can be fun you know.”

Harper told him, “If you say so.”

He stopped, off to the side, as they walked into the store, looked around and asked her, “Where do we start?”

“I don’t even know what we’re here for.” Harper reminded him, and Roman leaned over and kissed her quickly before he pulled her off in some direction. Clearly he knew what he wanted to get while they were here and just didn’t feel the need to let her in on the secret.

He told her, “You’re a girl.”

“Thanks for noticing?” She asked him in confusion.

He rolled his eyes and explained, “So you’re good at… like picking decorations out.”

“I mean… I guess.” She said, more or less agreeing with him.

Roman went on, “I realized while you were visiting that my place is bare… like really bare. I thought our one last adventure could be finding some things to… you know, spruce the place up a bit or whatever it’s called these days.”

“So you thought you should let me loose in Home Goods? Bad idea my friend… the only type of shopping I like is for knickknacks.” Harper informed him as she glanced around the section that they were in with a small smile.

“That’s why I brought the special credit card along.” Roman informed her, and when her eyebrow raised he said, “The one with the very high limit that is reserved only for big ticket items like housewares.”

Harper rolled her eyes and muttered in a joking tone, “Rich people.”

Roman reached out and pinched her hip through her light jacket and he told her, “So… hop to it.”

“I don’t even know what you need or what you like.” Harper pointed out to him.

“Picture frames, fancy pillows for the couches, maybe a throw blanket or whatever they’re called, some candles… that kind of stuff.” Roman told her, adding in, “Whatever will fit with my apartment.”

“So… anything?” Harper asked him with a grin, he rolled his eyes but he did laugh at her. He followed behind her as she approached some silver painted metal candle holders, all tall but varying in height. With Roman’s nod of approval Harper grabbed two and headed for the candle section while he went to get them a cart.

When he came back she had two of the candle holders, four candles, and four pillows for the couch waiting. He couldn’t help but let out a laugh and tell her, “And you think you don’t know what I like.”

“You’re a very neutral person. I’ve noticed that.” She told him as they moved onto the next section in the store. They didn’t talk much about anything other than their task at hand, Roman even went out on a limb and picked a few items out on his own, though he always asked for Harper’s opinion first.

They were back at his apartment with their bags in hand forty minutes later, and while Roman took everything out of the bags and their packaging Harper made popcorn. He got them set up on the last episode of The Good Wife that they had watched earlier that day, he was determined to get Harper as caught up as he could before she left.

When Harper dropped onto the couch with their bowl of popcorn and a Ho Ho for each of them Roman looked over at the things spread out on the coffee table and floor and he asked her, “Where do we start?”

“By finishing this episode and then we’ll get everything put away… because popcorn is always better warm.” Harper told him with a smile and he couldn’t help but laugh.

As he dropped onto the couch next to her, and carefully put his feet up on the coffee table between items he told her, “I’m gonna miss you.”

Harper settled into his side, she leaned up to press a quick kiss to his neck and then she told him, “I’m gonna miss you too.”

“But it’s practically March already and then I get you back here for an entire week.” Roman reminded her. Harper nodded her head, a smile on her face, as she leaned up to kiss his lips this time. Admittedly, they were both a little disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to see each other again between now and her weeklong visit in March but they both knew that a week could make up for it.

“Plus there’s always FaceTime.” Harper added in and Roman nodded his head in agreement this time.

He mimicked her, his voice soft, “There’s always FaceTime.”

- - -

“You’ll call when you get in, right?” Roman asked Harper as they stood across from each other just outside the entrance for the security check at the airport. Harper was due to go through at any minute if she planned on actually catching her flight on time.

She smiled and nodded as she looked up at him and she said, “I get in at six, so around eight here. I’ll send you a text, call me when your game is over.”

“I’ll call.” Roman assured her, leaning down, hands on either sides of her cheeks, to kiss her quickly. When they parted he smiled and told her, “You’re gonna be late.”

“I was born late, it’s in my nature.” Harper told him with a grin, leaning up to kiss him once more, this time lingering just a little longer than before. When she fell back onto the heels of her feet this time Harper told him, “I’ll see you in a month and a half.”

“Five weeks.” Roman told her with a smile, and she let out a laugh before she gave his hands a squeeze and then she headed to the back of the line in the security area.

He waited until she was all the way through, to the point where he couldn’t see her at least, before he left the airport and headed to the arena for their morning skate before the game that night. When he arrived there was a handful of guys already there, James was one of them and he asked him the minute Roman walked into the locker room, “Harp got out of here okay?”

Nodding Roman told him, “She should be boarding her flight right away.”

“Good, good. If you talk to her tonight can you let her know I said thanks for the tie, I’m afraid she’s gonna ignore my text?” James asked him, and Roman nodded his head.

Before Roman could respond Colin asked him, “Jos’ girlfriend bought you a new tie?”

“Harpoon was my friend first, he just swooped in with his European Chivalry and skinny jeans and somehow managed to sweep her off her feet before me or Steven could.” James informed him, grinning over at Roman as he barked out a laugh.

Roman told him, “She’s way out of your league.”

“I know.” James told him with a grin, adding in, “That’s what made the flirting so much fun while it lasted.”

Roman had to admit, “She’s pretty far out of my league too, actually.”

“I mean… I’m not gonna argue that.” James told him with a laugh.

Roman found a balled up wad of tape from his socks and tossed it at James’ head, nailing him pretty good. James rolled his eyes and tossed it back, hitting Roman’s shoulder, before Shea called out, “Alright children, how about we refrain from throwing garbage.”

“Yes dad.” Roman stated, making Shea roll his eyes.

- - -

Nearly a week after Harper had gotten back to San Francisco from her quick trip to Nashville she found herself laying on the couch on a rare day off with dinner on the coffee table and the TV paused on an episode of The Good Wife. She had paused it to get up to pee and when she had gotten back she had forgotten to grab the remote and now she was staring at it at the end of the coffee table wondering if she really had the energy to get up and grab it.

Her phone buzzed from where it was laying on her stomach so she picked it up to find a message from John waiting.

'They cancelled The Good Wife.'

Harper dropped her head back against the pillow on the couch and muttered, “God fucking damnit Tavares, why are you always the bearer of bad news?”

She took a second before she picked her phone back up and typed out a response.

'WHAT?! DO THEY AT LEAST SAVE CAREY FIRST?!'

'How are you that far behind still?!'

She couldn’t help but laugh at that, and send him a response back.

‘Some of us actually have a real job, you know, saving lives and shit.’

‘I save lives too, have you never gone on Tumblr? I’m basically a Disney Prince and according to the internet I’ve saved lives.’

Harper snorted in laughter.

‘Bristol finally showed you the ways of Tumblr, huh? Nerd alert.’

‘Real. Life. Disney. Prince.

All I’m gonna say Harp.’

‘Who’s the nerdiest Prince of them all? You apparently.’

‘Love you too Harper. Thanks for the ego boost.’

‘Any time.’

She reached out and grabbed a piece of her garlic toast, biting into it as she tried to grab the remote with her foot. Letting out a loud sigh as the remote fell to the floor Harper heaved herself up to a sitting position and she grabbed the remote before dropping back onto the couch again.

She managed to get through fifteen minutes of the current episode that she was on when her phone started buzzing again, this time with a FaceTime call from Roman so she paused the episode again and then she hit accept on the call.

When Roman saw her on her couch with a blanket wrapped around herself so that only her eyes were visible he laughed and asked her, “That bad, huh?”

She reached up and pulled the blanket slightly away from her mouth as she mumbled, “What am I gonna do with my days off now?”

“So you know it was cancelled?” Roman asked her with a quirked eyebrow.

“John told me… like fifteen minutes ago.” Harper muttered, sighing before she said, “I’m telling you, this is worse than when they killed Gallant on E.R.”

“I’m not sure what that means but I’m gonna go with its bad.” Roman told her and when she nodded her head he went on to ask her, “What are you doing anyway?”

“Trying to catch up on The Good Wife, the irony, and sort of eating dinner.” She told him.

His brow quirked, “You’re just eating dinner? Isn’t it like ten o’clock there?”

Nodding Harper reached onto the coffee table for the ice pack she had been refilling every hour or so since she woke up that morning, she put it on the top of her head and then informed him, “I’m like ninety-eight percent sure my lifestyle has caught up with me and working in a hospital has finally made me sick for the first time.”

“You’re sick?” He asked her, adding in, “How sick?”

Shrugging Harper said, “Bit of a headache, I’m freezing, my entire body hurts and I think I may have thrown up last night but I can’t remember if that was real or just a dream.”

“Did you take anything?” Roman asked her, watching as she nodded.

“Medication practically on the hour every hour. Plus my handy monkey ice bag.” She told him, tilting her head enough so that he could see the ice pack that was covered in monkey’s eating bananas.

He let out a chuckle and told her, “You should go to bed.”

“I can’t sleep, that’s my other problem.” Harper informed him, rolling onto her side and propping her phone up against her water bottle so that she didn’t have to hold it anymore. She put one arm under her pillow, used the other to pull her covers back up and adjust her ice pack on her head before she told him, “Insomnia is a real bitch when you’re sick.”

“Are you alone?” Roman asked her curiously, and when she nodded he asked, “You don’t have anyone who can stay with you, or check up on you?”

“My neighbor brought me soup this afternoon, and she keeps calling to check on me. I’m telling you, living next to little old ladies is great.” Harper told him, her eyes closed and a small smile on her face as she spoke.

He smiled gently and he told her, “Well, I have nothing to do, so how about we put on the same episode of The Good Wife and I’ll hang out with you all night, even if one of us falls asleep.”

“That sounds like you’re a little too good to be true.” Harper told him with a smile.

“That’s my goal.”