Bryce Winters [Winters - Mistletoe Mistake

Justins shoes squeaked against the waxed linoleum as he power walked down the wide hallway, intent on making it to his meeting on time. He hated being late. If he had had any say in the last twenty minutes, he would have already been seated in the conference room, pen poised over his notepad. As it was, he couldnt have predicted the last case he saw while on clinic duty. He hoped the lab would be getting those test results back to him quickly.

As a first year resident at Seattle Childrens Hospital, Justin knew he had his fair share of grunt work to complete. Hell, even staff physicians, like his mother, an Immunologist, still had to put in their hours at the clinic. Still, he enjoyed the work, as grueling as it could be some days. In the end, he knew he was making a difference.

Even if he was late to his meeting regarding the hospitals holiday toy drive.

Vicky, the volunteer coordinator for the hospital, wouldnt mind. He knew that. He had been volunteering at the hospital for years before he made it into the pediatric residency program. Every holiday season while he was a teenager, Justin made it a point to spend whatever free time he had volunteering for the hospitals toy drive as an inspector, wrapper, and delivery assistant for the children staying there over the holidays. Having been a patient there himself when his appendix ruptured during the holidays, Justin knew how meaningful those moments could be, to not only the children but also to their parents. And Justin wanted to do everything he could to pay that forward.

A few people waved at him as he whisked on by, and he gave several apologetic smiles to those who looked like they wanted to stop and talk to him.

Meeting, he said, giving a small shrug as he raced past.

It was amazing how busy he was, even as a resident. He loved every moment of it though.

He supposed he should feel lucky he could make it to the meeting at all. So often, doctors had to miss meetings like this simply because human lives were their first priority.

Holiday decorations adorned the hallways, the season in full swing. Justin had worked during Thanksgiving last week, much to his parents' dismay. But he was young and, besides his parents, didnt have a family or boyfriend he wanted to spend the holiday with. Many doctors still thanked him for taking the shift as they ran into him. And spending the time with the children, as much as he could, had been a reward in and of itself.

He already loved working at Seattle Childrens.

But as much as he loved working there, and doing his part as a volunteer, there had always been one driving force moving him to this point. A persistent flame of yearning, desire, and hope nestled in the deepest, most secret parts of him. That flame belonged to one very important man, a man Justin had met for the first time at fifteen years old, the first year his parents allowed him to volunteer for the annual holiday toy drive.

Doctor Maxwell Shore. Or Max, to his friends. Justin had been proud to be considered one after only his second season volunteering at the hospital.

Tall and lanky with a shock of auburn hair and hazel eyes that looked green more days than not, Max had captured Justins heart with his slow, crooked smile and a friendly hello.

Justin wasnt ashamed to admit that many a fantasy had played out in his mind over that smile.

If everything continued as normal, Max should be in this meeting.

After graduating for Oregon Health and Science University, Justin had started his residency in August, but because Max worked in Oncology and Justin in Gastroenterology, Justin hadnt seen hide nor hair of him. He had tried. He had wondered if Max had left the hospital, but his careful questioning had been met with reassurances that Max was still on staff.

This would be the first time Justin would see Max in nine years.

It was safe to say he was freaking out a little bit.

Reaching the conference room, Justin allowed himself a moment to pause and steady his breathing. He didnt want to appear harried and unprofessional in front of the man of his dreams.

After all, he only had one shot to make a damn good impression of his grown-up self.

Pushing open the door, Justin barely glanced around, not wanting to appear too eager. Instead, he made his way to an open chair, casting an apologetic look to Vicky, who sat at the opposite end of the table, laptop opened before her. Vicky shot him a reassuring smile and continued on discussing the logistics of the toy drive and areas needing support.

Justin made himself wait a full two minutes, listening raptly to Vickys explanation even though all of it sounded familiar, before allowing himself to look about the rest of the rooms occupants.

There were a few doctors he didnt recognize and a few he did. His gaze settled on a familiar head of dark red hair, bent over a pad of paper as the owner scribbled notes. His abdomen tightened, palms growing clammy in the space of a few seconds. Justin noticed the new dusting of gray concentrated at Maxs temples and wanted more than anything to run his fingers through the strands.

He turned away before Max caught him ogling. There was a twinge on the outer edges of Justins heart, the beginnings of an ache he knew could consume him if he let it. Max hadnt acknowledged him, hadnt tried to catch Justins attention to say hi.

Tightening his jaw, Justin shoved the thoughts out of his mind, ignoring the pang in his chest. Max was a busy man. Every person in this room was busy. Max probably didnt even remember him. It had been nine years, after all. The last time Justin had seen Max, he had been a spotty seventeen-year-old mess, starry-eyed with the dream of becoming a doctor one day, like his mom. Like Max. Now, at twenty-six years old, Justin had achieved his dream of becoming a doctor, with only his residency to complete. Justin had done a lot of growing up over the years, had tried to put Max behind him, to forget about him in so many ways.

He had failed every single time.

And now, here he was, in a brightly lit conference room, trying to pay attention and not start staring and drooling across the table like the love-sick puppy he still was.

Doctor Coffey? Vicky asked, interrupting Justins train of thought.

Justin focused on the conversation, trying to remember what had been said. He looked at the slide projected on the wall, nobody having bothered to lower the screen.

Seeing as how youve been a volunteer for us when you were younger as an inspector and wrapper, I thought it would be a fun project for you to work with that team again, Vicky explained, mistaking his hesitation for lack of enthusiasm.

Embarrassment burning up the back of his neck, Justin beamed wide at her and nodded. Id love to.