Participants:
| Scene Title | Hospital Christmas |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Liz drops by with an early Christmas dinner — homemade! — and some Christmas cheer for her best friend. |
| Date | December 25, 2008 |
Christmas morning has come and gone, but Christmas dinner is still looming ahead of her. Elisabeth promised she'd come today, and she arrives bearing gifts. Two huge bags of stuff. When she comes in the room, it's with a cheerful smile. "Merry Christmas, Norton!" she practically chirps. And then she proceeds to pull a small, table-sized Christmas tree out of the bag, already decorated, along with a couple of boxes. The second bag, as she begins to unload, appears to contain covered dishes. "I bribed your nurse," she tells him. "And I told my dad I couldn't make it until 2, so he's planned dinner for then. I couldn't just leave you sitting in this hospital room on Christmas, though, so I brought the holiday to you." Maybe she's babbling just a bit. "I figured it would cheer us both up — I'm so *not* looking forward to dinner with my dad this year," she tells him as she starts setting dishes on the beside table and the counter across the room.
Trask has done some bribing himself, but he keeps it quiet for now, instead just smiling big at Elisabeth, "You…didn't have to do this..I'm sure the Jello and Turkey Ala King was just wonderful." He smiles softly at her, she knows he doesn't actually have any family any more.
Elisabeth rolls her eyes. "That's disgusting. I hope you didn't eat that shit," she tells him with a look of utter disgust. "Seriously, that's just … wrong on too many levels." She shudders. "I'm shocked more people don't get food poisoning from that." She pulls plates out of the bag too, along with bottles of sparkling grape juice. Pouring some into two of the plastic cups that live in hospital rooms, she brings them to his bed table and holds one out to him. "Here's to … friendship, and more than friendship… and to us, Norton Trask." She touches her cup lightly to his, her smile on him affectionate and her gaze gentle.
Trask smiles and takes the glass, sitting up fully and using his right, undamged, hand, "To us, and to friendship" He smiles back, looking a little wistful for a moment, before drinking. "What do you think your father is going to go on about this year?"
The wistful look is not missed, and Liz leans down to kiss him softly. "Don't make that face… more than friends covers a *lot* of ground." Then she steps back to set her cup down and start dishing up a real dinner. Homemade. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, a bit of gravy, some veggies — broccoli and a carrots/peas mix — and cranberry sauce. "I brought you some bread and some turkey for later, too, so you can make some sandwiches while I suffer through dinner. It's not what he's going on about, it's that I have to meet his new girlfriend this year. And it's all KINDS of weird, really. I mean…. I *know* he's sleeping with her, and I just don't even want to know these things. He didn't tell me, mind you, but why else would he want us to meet and be friendly?"
Trask says, "So….is she younger then you?" He smiles softly, "And if she is, maybe you would like me to break them up, I'm single now after all." He drinks some more of the juice, "You know you didn't have to do all this, right?"
With two plates in her hands, and setting both of them on his bed table, Elisabeth looks at him. "No, she's not younger than me. She's his age, I guess. Give or take." And then she pauses, sliding onto the bed to sit across the small, wide table from him. "I know that," she says softly. "But in spite of the fact that you dumped me like a hot rock, Norton —" She holds up a hand, her smile soft. "No, I know you didn't do that, I'm KIDDING. Really. — You are… my best friend. You were that long before I thought about having you as a lover, and I hope you'll continue to be that even if the lover part fizzles out. And you're in the hospital on a holiday. So being here? This isn't a chore, or a 'have to do' for me. Call it a labor of love. Because I do love you, even if I can't figure out whether I'm *in* love with you."
Trask smiles and takes her hand in his, "I know…I know how you feel, even when it's confusing. I know you would be here no matter what, even if I had broken your heart. I appreciate it, I really do. and I would do the same for you. Still..this is going above and beyond, this stuff looks delicious, and thats not the hospital food I'm comparing it to talking either."
Elisabeth takes his hand and squeezes it tightly. "You did break my heart, you know," she says softly. "Or at least… you cracked it pretty hard. But I'm going to use the space you've given us both to figure out what I feel." She smiles at him. "I haven't been able to work in a week — I didn't have anything to do BUT cook. I've been feeding everyone I know this week." But she did take some special care with this one…. because she knows she's sort of his family, in a way, too. "It was the least I could do after shooting you … or whatever it was that actually happened." She winks.
Trask looks at her, there is a little bit of tears in his eyes when she makes the comment about her heart, he bites his lip, and takes a moment, to keep his voice from cracking. "I didn't mean to." He smiles a little weakly. "And you didn't shoot me…you know that." He shakes his head, "There isn't anyone else in the world I would rather spend Christmas with."
Elisabeth reaches out and strokes his cheek. "Don't," she murmurs softly. "You did what needed doing. And it's good. Because it's not fair to either of us if I'm only here because I have to be, right? That goes for friendship or for lovers." She smiles at him, a little regret in her expression but mostly her face merely shows how much she cares for him. "We took a step we weren't ready for, and we're taking a much smaller step backward just to give ourselves a little space. That's all this is." She strokes his face, and then sits back. "Now….eat, you. Santa Claus left your presents at my place with a note to deliver today." She grins.
Trask says, "That is too bad, I was hoping to find out if you were a screame." He smiles and winks, making an inside joke, before digging into the food, "This is very good."
Elisabeth wrinkles her nose at him and laughs softly. "Who said THAT part wasn't happening?" she asks easily. "The one doesn't have to have anything to do with the other, you know." He has to know by now that she's not celibate between exclusive relationships, though once a relationship is exclusive, she's mongamous. Hell, he's listened to her through one fiance and several far more casual relationships in the past couple of years. She, too, begins to eat. "Don't choke on what I'm about to say next. I'm taking Abby to register tomorrow," she comments softly as they eat.
Trask sighs softly, "She…didn't want to, because she was afraid people would make her heal people….she doesn't want to be looked at as a power…she wants to be a person.
Elisabeth nods a bit and says, "Yeah, I know." Her tone is bitter as she looks down at her plate. "And I feel like it's my fault. She stopped Will Harvard on the street while he was in uniform and asked her how I was doing after being shot, and he made some kind of leap in logic that just because she's my friend, she's got to be my informant. Well, what I didn't know was that he also chucked her into a cop car and tried to BLACKMAIL her into being his informant. So she's going to register so she can flip him the bird next time about the whole 'be my informant or I'll run you in' shit."
Trask closes his hand into a fist, which happens to fling a little potatoe at the wall when he does, "Damn….is he still causing you problems?"
Elisabeth shakes her head slightly. "Not for long," she tells him quietly. "I don't know what his problem is, but … I'm going to have to figure out what to tell him about how I got the information on Volken's group." She sighs, and then she looks at him. "I won't give him Helena. But I may talk to Conrad about being willing to step up — he's a petty criminal anyway, it wouldn't shock William to have him have the information, and he'll know exactly how to deal with the system to NOT get himself run in."
Elisabeth grins and adds, "Or if he DOES get run in, it won't be anything that will stick."
Trask says, "You could throw them me, at least thier Evolved interrogations won't work then."
Elisabeth tilts her head and says quietly, "I could. But it would completely out your involvement in Phoenix, don't you think?"
Trask says, "If thats what it takes to get you off the hook, I'm not that useful right now anyway. Besides I'm a hero, he can't do too much to me." He smiles.
Elisabeth snickers. "Oh geez," she says, "Let's hold that in reserve in case we need it." She shakes her head. "I'm not about to be the reason you get outed. Cuz that'd just be one more thing on my list of things with you that my conscience would eat me alive over. I've already changed a ton of things in your life in the past couple of months. It's not as simple as it used to be." She smiles at him. "But I'll keep you on the list. I think Conrad might work out better, if he's willing to do it, because he's already got a record, and he's believable as someone connected to the underworld of Evos."
Trask smiles a little, and shakes his head, he takes some more turkey, "So…Santa was at your apartment too?
"Santa goes to everyone's apartment, Norton. Even grown-ups," Elisabeth replies with a grin. She takes a bite and then tilts her head. "Too? You mean he already visited you here?"
Trask smiles, "Maaaayyybeeee…."
Elisabeth ohs, her chuckle easy. "Well, now… here I thought I was being original and all." She smirks. "Would you like to see what he left you at my place?"
Trask says, "Sure…." He smiles and moves the mostly finished food out of the way."
Elisabeth slides off the bed and goes to fetch several boxes from inside the canvas bag she brought in. One is a rectangular box that is bigger than a shirt box but usually holds clothing. Two are smaller and rectangular. She sets them on his bed, clearing off the plates after the fact.
When he opens them, the largest one contains a fleecy bathrobe for his forays out of the hospital bed. She didn't see one in his apartment when she went to check up on his place. One of the smaller ones contains two DVDs of movies that we'd talked about seeing together (Dark Knight, and How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days), and the last one contains three XBox games. "The XBox is sitting at your place for when you get home," she tells him with a smile.
Trask blinks, "You got me an X Box? I …you…." He sighs softly and shakes his head, "You shouldn't have…"
Elisabeth snickers. "No… I got ME an XBox. I got YOU some games to play on my XBox," she laughs. Cuz she doesn't want him to think it's far too much.
Trask says, "And then why is it at my place?" He smiles and winks.
Elisabeth pffts. "Because you're gonna be laid up for weeks, crazy one."
Trask chuckles softly, and shakes his head.
"What?" Liz asks with a grin. "Seriously. I can't have you sitting at home with nothing to do and no company while I"m out shooting bad guys and stuff!" She smiles at him and works on clearing away the remains of dinner, putting the rest of the turkey and some other things back into the small cooler, which is packed with dry ice, for him to use later on for sandwiches and such. "It's not much food, just enough for a couple of sandwiches to save you from hospital food," she tells him as she puts it within his reach on the night table.
Trask grins, "And who is going to protect me from the monster under the bed?"
"I'll see if I can get back tonight. Depends on how dinner goes with my dad, though, okay?" Liz leans over and kisses his cheek lightly. "If nothing else, I'll come back by tomorrow."
Trask says, "Can….can you make sure….it's not down there waiting for you to walk out?" He asks like a scared little boy."
Elisabeth looks at him in confusion now. "Are you okay?" she asks with a faint frown of concern. Maybe he's got a fever. But she humors him, squatting to glance under the bed. "Nope," she starts to say.
Under the bed is a large boxed wrapped in Christmas paper, with her name on it.
She should have known. Elisabeth glances up at Norton and just smiles. She pulls the box out from under the bed and asks, "How in the world did you do that? You've been in here for almost a week!"
Trask says, "Well I called up the company that was delivering it, and had them change the delivery address, I had actually ordered it before….and then I bribed a nurse to wrap it for me."
Elisabeth chuckles quietly. "You're a slick one, that's for sure." She moves to sit on the bed once more to open the box.
Trask smiles, and watches her expression, as she opens the box, there is a black corset, he was very careful to find out her exact size in placing the order, it's the type that goes under clothes, or could be worn on the outside, in a very risque fashion. Though if she touches it, she will realize, it has well positioned flak plated in it, to act as fashoinable body armor under a dress.
Initially, Elisabeth looks both startled and … a little embarrassed! When she reaches down to touch the lovely thing, she realizes that there's kevlar inside it, though, and she starts laughing. "Oh my…! Gotta love a man who thinks in practicalities." She looks up at Norton, her expression both amused and well… a little intrigued, actually, that he would purchase such a thing. "I love it, Norton."
Trask says, "I….thought it was…your style….and …well…I figured you could wear it under…just about anything…and look good….and…be safe at the same time…not that you don't always…I mean….of course you always look good…that not what I am saying."
Getting up off the bed, Elisabeth leans down and kisses him lightly on the cheek. "I have no idea what made you think of it, but … it's wonderful. I absolutely love it. I can even go dancing in it," she teases easily. She really does like it, he can read her well enough to know when she's sincere.
Trask smiles, "I….just wanted you safe." He hugs her back in his one armed way, "So how long do I get to keep the X Box?
Holding him tightly, Elisabeth laughs softly in his ear. "As long as you're stuck at home. We'll see after that." She kisses his cheek and pulls away, a regretful expression on her face. "I need to head for my father's, Norton. But I'll try to get back tonight. If not, definitely tomorrow, okay?"
Trask says, "Ok….Thank you for coming by….and for…everything Liz….I don't think i could make it through these days without you."
Elisabeth smiles at him as she pulls on her jacket. "Back at you, Norton." She picks up her box and takes it with her. "See you soon," she says as she slips out for the most uncomfortable Christmas dinner EVER.
 December 25th: Coffee Corner |
 December 25th: Sticking it to 'The Man' and Other Topics |