Lee got the bus home from the hospital and packed a bag quicker than he'd ever done before. By the time a taxi had taken him to the airport and he'd caught two flights to get to Burlington, seven hours had passed. It had felt like seven decades.

He finally caught a cab outside of Burlington airport and gave the driver Carly's address. He'd looked it up on her file in the hospital before he left and was now trying to think of something that he could say to her. He probably should have planned this better.

The journey took longer than expected because despite the fact that it was nearly the end of April, there were still piles of snow everywhere from the harsh winter. Lee hadn't prepared for this and was still wearing just his shirt (red) and trousers from work. He was absolutely freezing and prayed to god that Carly would let him in at least. On the bright side if he began to freeze to death then she'd be required to treat him and maybe she'd need to give him CPR. He'd take any excuse to feel her lips on his just once more.

They arrived at the house and Lee couldn't believe the size of it. Obviously it was nothing on Phil's but this place was still huge. It occurred to him that despite all he had learned about Carly, he didn't know anything about her family. Maybe her parents were totally loaded. Maybe they'd inherited it from a rich uncle who'd passed away recently.

"You getting out or what?" The taxi driver cut off his thought process. Lee paid the man and ran up to the door. He composed himself before ringing the bell. It was now or never.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard the sound of keys rattling and the door being unlocked. Lee dropped his bag onto the ground and waited. He took one last deep breath before the door swung open and a man stared back at him.

Lee had never seen this man in his life. He looked like a really friendly guy but he was quite big and could probably take care of himself if required. He had a mostly bald head with just the faintest hint of dark hair. Large glasses covered his brown eyes and his nose was almost as big as the rest of his body.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Umm is Carly home?" Lee asked, now starting to wonder if he'd gotten the wrong house. Imagine that!

"Who's asking?" The man asked curiously. At least that probably meant it was the right house.

"This must be her dad" Lee thought to himself.

"I'm Doctor Lee Dawson" He said, hoping his title would make him seem more respectable. "I'm a friend of Carly's from Pittsburgh" He hoped she hadn't told her dad about what had happened.

"I should kick your ass!" The man snarled before stomping his way towards Lee. Apparently she had told her dad about him.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Please!" Lee begged, halting the man's progress. "I just need to see her, just for a second. Please. Judging by the fact you want to beat the shit out of me, it probably means that she told you what happened and I need to explain. I need to talk to her and tell her how bad I messed up. This was never supposed to happen. I need her to know that I'm sorry. Please" Lee almost crumpled to the ground once he'd finished.

Carly's father seemed to study the freezing doctor before coming to a conclusion.

"Well you can't. She's not here at the moment"

"She's not?" Lee hadn't thought of this, highlighting how underprepared he really was. "Well where is she? Where can I find her?"

"She's working tonight"

"At a hospital?" He asked.

"No, on a farm. Of course at a hospital you idiot!" Lee could barely see the man now for the clouds that had gathered from their breathing in the cold temperatures.

"Which hospital?"

The man studied him again before answering. "University of Vermont medical centre. It's on Colchester Avenue"

"Thank you sir! Thank you so much! I'll make sure that you don't regret this!" Lee said, sounding the happiest he'd been in days.

"Whatever. Just get off my property, boy" Mr Oliver cried.

"Right. Sorry" Lee mumbled before picking up the bag he'd dumped and then running back to the road. He called yet another taxi and asked to be taken to the hospital. It was another slow drive but he knew that it was going to be worth it. It had to be.

He couldn't stop thinking that he really could have used that lottery win because he was spending a fortune today.

*

Carly Oliver was having an incredibly slow evening. Thankfully, not many people had come into the hospital but it meant that her shift was dragging to the point that she'd been willing something to happen. Little did she know, it was about to.

She finished treating an elderly woman who had been rushed in. Carly bandaged her head and put her arm in a sling for her and began walking her out of the hospital.

"Now remember what I said Mrs. Borden, plenty of rest and no more going on trampolines! It's not good for you, especially in this weather" Carly warned.

"Fuck off!" The woman shouted before shrugging the nurse off her and walking out of her own accord. Carly looked at the woman in shock. She looked like such a nice lady.

"Who's next?" She called once she'd recovered from her surprise.

"She sounds like Robert's type" Lee's voice called, forcing Carly's surprise to return again. She spun round and almost rubbed her eyes to see if it was a mirage but Lee was definitely there standing in front of her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She hissed.

"I need to see a nurse right away"

"What?"

"I need to talk to you. I called, and text, and left messages"

"Yeah I got them. All 400 of them"

"Sorry. But it's important"

Carly sighed but dragged him away to a consulting room, not even bothering to shut the door.

"Why are you here Lee?" She asked, trying to force back the tears that were forming at the mere sight of him.

"I want to say I'm sorry"

"Is that it?" She asked, pointing to the open door.

"Of course not. I'm sorry about the review thing. That was never supposed to get sent off"

"But you still wrote those things! Do you have any idea how hurtful that is?"

"I know, I know. I messed up. Really, really badly. But I wrote that before. Before I knew you, before I knew anyone!" Lee was almost crying too now. "I was a mess when you showed up. But I had no idea just how bad I was. Everybody saw me as this super angry demon, all the time and nobody made an effort, because neither did I. But you were different. Instead of seeing what I was, you saw what I could be. You knew I wasn't in a good place somehow. And you didn't give up, even when I wanted you to"

"Because I cared about you" She reminded him.

"And that means more to me than anything. I told you that all people do is let each other down. But you didn't. You're the first person that I've ever met that didn't give up on me. No matter how stupid I was being or how many times I yelled at you, you stood by me. I let you down so many times but you kept giving me another chance, and I love you for that. I don't deserve to know someone like you"

"You love me?" Carly asked, trying to hide the fact that she'd smiled. Lee stared at her. Did he really just say that?

"Yeah . . ." He stuttered as he tried to grasp what he knew along but was only now was finally admitting. "Yeah I do. I love you. I just wanted you to know that."

"You can't change the past though. We can't change what happened" Carly shrugged.

"I know that. That's why I'm begging you for just one more chance, even though I don't deserve it. Please. I won't let you down, ever again" Begged Lee.

"You've said that before. Why should I believe you this time?"

"Because I came to Vermont" He laughed. Carly half smiled. "And I listened to Heart" He added. Her smile grew wider. "And I loved it. It inspired me"

"What?" She giggled.

"You see, till now I've always got by on my own. I never really cared until I met you. But now . . . it chills me to the bone! How do I get you alone?" Lee spoke the words of the song to her instead of singing them. He knew that his singing voice would ruin any chance he had.

At that moment, an old man with dark skin whizzed past the open door in a wheelchair.

"I want whatever pills he's getting!" He called. Both Carly and Lee ignored him.

Carly laughed but a look of sadness then crossed her face, worrying Lee.

"I'm not going back to Pittsburgh" She sighed.

"I'm not asking you to" Replied Lee. "I just wanted you to know everything. I was worthless when I met you. You changed that. So thank you"

"You're welcome" Carly didn't know what else to say.

Lee was almost ready to leave, thinking that there was nothing left for any of them to say. But suddenly he changed his mind.

"Carly, all I want is you. You're everything to me, the only thing that matters. I just want to be with you again, and work with you again. We were a perfect team"

The wheelchair bound man, still watching called "Fuck that, I'm happy with what I've got!". Again the doctor and nurse ignored him.

"I told you I'm not going back. It's too painful" She sighed again.

"So what if I moved here?" He spluttered.

"What?" Carly was caught off guard.

"Everyone keeps telling me that I could get a job anywhere I want. And I want to work here"

"In Burlington?" Carly was starting to wonder if Lee had a brain injury.

"Yes. Anywhere, as long as you are there with me. I love you more than anything" Lee knew that this was his last shot. He stared into Carly's eyes, willing her to accept.

Carly stared back. "You're serious?" She smiled in disbelief.

"Deadly. Sorry, wrong word to use in a hospital" Lee laughed.

"Can I have a condition? Just one?" Carly asked.

"Name it"

"No more black shirts?"

Lee almost choked when he heard her.

"No way. We can burn it"

"We can burn it?" Carly was now laughing too.

"Absolutely" And this time Lee definitely would burn it!

Carly smiled at him and he knew then that he had to kiss her. He took two huge steps and grabbed her cheeks and pulled her close to him. He kissed her like it was the last time he ever would, and she was more than happy to return the favour.

Somehow, Carly was now extremely thankful for her quiet night at work.

As for Lee, he felt like he was finally at peace. Because for the first time ever, Doctor Happy wasn't just a nickname. It wasn't an expectation he had to live up to, nor was it a media headline. Doctor Happy was just simply him.