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Spirits were high in the living room of the Terry ranch, every kid perched on various seats, some relegated to the floor. Michael and Vic stood in their usual places, Vic beside the fireplace, Michael just off to the right, close enough that they could keep an eye on the kids, not so far away that they couldn't throw a quick glare in the direction of anyone who tried to make a smart comment. Which wasn't something that often happened but it did happen occasionally, not unexpected when you had a group of troubled teenagers listening to the monthly Safe Sex talk that a program like the Terry Ranch - one that had both girls and boys living and working together for weeks, if not months at a time. Michael had decided, even before it was mandated as such, that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure.
Of course, the last few months had taken on a different tone, and as far as Vic for concerned, much for the better in more ways that one. A good doctor Doc Thomas might be, skilled at getting through to teens he was not. The first time that Vera Littleton had arrived as his replacement, everyone had noticed the difference immediately. The kids actually listened to her, respected her delivery and what she had to say.
It probably helped, Pin had said once, with a twinkle in his eye and a sly look in Vic's direction, that Vera looked like she'd actually had sex in the last decade.
There had been no good way for Vic to answer that so he'd just kept what he hoped was a dignified silence. Except he'd felt the heat on his cheeks and Pin had chuckled but hadn't said anything else so Vic was going to take that as a win.
Tonight's talk was one of the better ones behaviour wise, laughter and heckling yes, but none with a mean edge. Vic waited until the kids were all standing up and stretching before he moved to stand beside Vera, reaching for the stuff on the table and starting to organise it into neat little piles. "You don't have to..." Vera began and he stilled, gave her a look.
"The sooner you're finished here, the sooner we can get dinner," he pointed out. "I made your favourite."
Vera's cheeks darkened but her smile could have lit up the room. And for Vic, it did. "Then carry on."
They only had a couple of seconds to grin at each other like idiots before a couple of the girls came over to them. One of them, Lisa, a quiet kid with long blonde hair and freckles across the bridge of her nose, had her arms crossed over her chest, looking vaguely mutinous. The other, Anna, did all the talking. "Doctor Vee?" she said. "Can Lisa talk to you for a minute?"
Only because Vic knew her so well could he see the slight widening of Vera's eyes. The girls would only see complete calm. "Sure," she replied. "The kitchen okay?" She asked Vic that question and he nodded.
"I'll make sure no-one goes in." Vera flashed him a quick grin, squeezed his arm as she walked past him and headed towards the kitchen with Lisa. Vic watched them go, didn't turn his eyes back towards the coffee table and the paraphernalia scattered across it until the kitchen door closed behind them. It was only then that he realised that Anna's eyes were flitting between his face and the kitchen door and that another kid, Benji, had arrived to stand beside her.
"Don't tell me," Benji's tone was amused, directed at Anna. "You didn't know that Vic and the doc are a thing?"
Benji was on his third month at the ranch, Anna on her third week. Their respective levels of knowledge wasn't a surprise. Anna's eyes were wide, moving over Vic from head to toe like she was sizing him up. "But she's awesome!"
Vic nodded once. "I am aware."
Even as he spoke, Benji burst out laughing. "You're making it sound like she's way out of Vic's league," he guffawed and while Anna started sputtering denials, Vic was completely calm, didn't turn a hair.
"It's okay," he said simply and Anna stopped sputtering and Benji stopped laughing. "She is."
He told Vera about the conversation much later that night when they were sitting on his front porch, watching the stars. Dinner had been cleared away, a bottle of wine and two glasses were half full on the table in front of them. Soft music drifted from inside and Vera was pressed against his side, her head on his shoulder, the blanket she'd brought and left here a few months ago thrown over their laps. Night birds called in the darkness and trees rustled in the breeze and if Vic could freeze time, make this moment last forever, that was exactly what he'd do.
"You did not say that," Vera said, her voice soft with amazement, eyes wide as she tilted her head up to meet his gaze.
Vic didn't blink. He lifted his hand, brushing her dark hair back behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on her cheek. "Of course I did," he told her. "It's the truth." Vera sighed softly, shaking her head as the tiniest of little smiles played across her lips. "You know how I feel about you," he reminded her. "I'm not afraid to let everyone else know too." He was a man of few words, yes, but he was also a man who'd lost his entire family in one day, in one car crash, one moment that had cleaved his world neatly into before and after. He'd spent so many hours in the days, weeks, months afterwards, replying conversations he should have had. He never wanted to do that again. Few words, maybe, but never the ones that mattered.
"About that..." Vera's voice trailed off as her hand moved up, fingers playing with the buttons of Vic's shirt. "I was talking to Doctor Thomas today..."
There was something in her voice, a note that Vic had never heard before. It made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck, made his heart beat a little faster. This did not sound like a good thing. "Don't tell me," he tried, "he's going on holidays again."
Vera pressed her lips together. "Kind of." She shifted, straightening up a little. Her hand didn't leave Vic's chest. He wondered if she could feel how his heart was pounding. "But in a more... permanent capacity."
The words didn't quite make sense in Vic's head. "Permanent?"
"Turns out, a cruise to Mexico has left both him and Mrs Thomas a little dissatisfied with BC winters. He's retiring... and he wants me to take over the clinic."
It was Vic's turn to straighten up, to sit upright and turn to her, mulling the words over in his head. He knew Vera wasn't from Vancouver, had moved to BC for med school, stayed for work. She'd never mentioned going back east permanently but he'd always figured it was a possibility. Just like he'd always known that his life, his place, was here on this ranch. They hadn't been together long enough to have The Talk but it looked like Doc Thomas had forced their hands a little bit.
Vic resolved to send the man a thank you basket.
At least, he hoped he'd get a chance to.
"And what do you think about that?"
Vera let out a long, slow breath. "It's a big step," she said. She was trying to keep her voice light but Vic could hear the effort beneath it. "A big commitment."
He nodded. "You'd be putting down roots."
"I would." Vera swallowed. "And I'd like to. I mean, the clinic, my patients... it's good work I'm doing there. I'm even getting used to the rain out here."
"Wow." Vic couldn't stop the quip. "You're practically a native."
Vera smiled too. Then she reached out, taking his hand in hers. "I want you to know... me doing this... it doesn't have to change anything between us. I mean, I'm not asking for a commitment from you or anything-"
"You could." Vic cut across the last two words she speaks, the words out of his mouth and hanging between them before he had time to think about it. But he meant it, in fact it had been a long time since he meant anything more. Vera's eyes went wide and her lips parted as her jaw dropped just a little. "You could," he said again, quieter this time. More serious. Because he felt like this was one of those nexus moments that could change everything and he really, really didn't want to screw this up.
Vera stared at him for a long moment, then her lips curled in a slow smile. "You're sure?"
He didn't have to think about his answer. "I'm sure."
Her smile was brighter than the stars above them and when he kissed her, Vic swore that fireworks went off in the sky. Or maybe that was just in his chest.
Either way, he knew he was exactly where he wanted to be.
And so was she.