Let me post this even though it is still early for Christmas XD

~0~

“Joy! Hold it properly!” Wendy screamed as she held onto the step ladder for dear life. Said flimsy ladder was swaying precariously with the nurse perched at the very top.

“Oops!” Joy grabbed the metal contraption hastily and steadied it as she tore her eyes away from a strapping young man who just walked past.

“Don’t ‘oops’ me!” Wendy snapped. “You were the one who suggested this so you better make sure you pay attention and not make me fall. And stop checking out guys!”

“But you got to admit he’s hot. Look at those rippling muscles under his tee! He came out from Ward 57 where Mr. Park is staying. Maybe he is his son. I should ask him to introduce us!” Joy retorted with as much zeal as a kid on sugar high.

Wendy rolled her eyes. “Oh please, he looks too young for you. Quit being a cougar.”

“Hey, cougar is the in thing now! Guys these days like to be taken care of while women get the chance to work their motherly instincts.”

“It sounds like you ladies are talking about Sana and Mina,” a familiar male voice interrupted.

“Dr. Tuan!” Both nurses all but squealed at the appearance of the hunky doctor.

“What are two pretty ladies like you doing with a dusty old ladder?” Mark asked, not forgetting to flash his irresistible pearly whites at them. “You should leave such unglamorous chores to the men.”

“You are so sweet as always,” Joy gushed, hands leaving the ladder again.

“Since you are here, can you help me hold the ladder while I hang this? Because if I count on Joy, I’m going to fall sooner or later,” Wendy complained, waving a small bunch of something that was green and red.

“Mistletoe?” Mark looked around briefly. “Here?”

“Yup, right in the middle of this hallway. I’ve done a survey over the past two weeks. This spot has the highest amount of human traffic and it is right smack in front of our Nurses’ Counter. This gives us a prime view of all the handsome men heading our way,” Joy explained, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

“Basically, she just wants to hook up with someone,” Wendy summed up Joy’s intentions in a single sentence.

“I’m doing this for you too!” Her man-crazy colleague shot back. “Do you want to stay single for the rest of your life?”

“Well, no but…”

“Then stop acting like a saint and hang it up now.”

“… Fine.”

With Mark and Joy providing support for the creaky ladder, Wendy finally hung up the mistletoe. No words could describe her relief when her feet touched the floor. We really need to get a new ladder.

Mark rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he admired their handiwork. “Why don’t we bless this mistletoe with its first kiss of the year?”

Joy gasped, hands flying to . “You don’t mean…”

“Yeah, you know it.” A smirk stretched across Mark’s tanned mug. Without a second’s delay, he pulled her close and tipped her body back with the confidence of a seasoned dancer. “Merry Christmas,” he whispered and planted a wet one on her lips. The nurse’s vision out and she went limp in his arms. “Oops, I think that was too much for her,” Mark said sheepishly and handed the unconscious woman to her friend, dropping her in Wendy’s hands like a hot potato. In a flash, he zipped away before Wendy could utter a word.

“How am I going to carry her and the ladder by myself?” she cried. “Now I know why Sana never fell for his advances. Irresponsible cad!”

---

“No way is that stick going to take these away from me.”

“Who?” Mina looked up from the patient file that he was poring over. It was midday and he was feeling a little drowsy after just a light lunch. He blamed the bad case of insomnia he suffered the previous night. His former mentor huffed as she settled a large pastel pink paper bag on her desk.

“Who else is a stick here?” she answered none too kindly. Mina’s mouth formed a small ‘O’ in realisation and he went back to scribbling something on his document. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Nayeon took out a dark brown paper box with exquisite gold ts from the bag. Her face lit up with gluttonous glee the moment she lifted the top flap. Sana, who was tidying up some stationery behind Nayeon, paused in her actions when she caught a peek of the box’s contents.

“Isn’t that a bit too much, Nayeon-unnie?”

“Too much? This is nothing compared to the amount that idiot has thrown away.” Nayeon’s face contorted with suppressed rage when she mentioned “that idiot”.

“But still, it’s a lot for one person.”

“Oh?” A smirk found its way onto Nayeon’s dimpled face. “Are you afraid that I won’t share these treats with you?”

“No!” retorted Sana without a moment’s hesitation.

“To be a good wife you first have to be able to make good food. After all, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” The doctor entirely ignored Sana’s exclamation and entered her preaching mode, bestowing pearls of wisdom upon the unamused younger woman. Glancing at Mina who was trying hard to focus on his paperwork, she pointed an accusing finger at Sana. “And it seems like you aren’t doing enough. Look at how skinny Mina is. You’ve got to fatten him up!”

“Wha-”

“But since its Christmas today and we should all partake in the spirit of giving, I did buy a heavenly dark chocolate log cake for everyone. Count yourself lucky that you don’t have to burn your kitchen to bake a cake for Mina this year.”

A loud clack sounded as Mina slammed his pen down. “Noona!”

“What?”

All Nayeon received was a death glare from Mina before she felt an oppressively gloomy aura spreading throughout the room. To her side, Sana’s head was bowed, her hair falling over her eyes.

‘Crap, I forgot this is a sensitive topic.’

“I almost poisoned Mina last year…”

“H-Hey, it wasn’t your fault. That stupid boy just has a weak stomach,” Nayeon quickly said, desperate to do some damage control before Sana’s dark vibes killed the jolliness of Christmas.

“I almost destroyed Mina’s house…”

“He was a cheapskate to buy such a lousy oven that spoilt easily,” blabbed Nayeon. Mina’s brow twitched.

“I can’t be a good wife…”

“Yah, Mina-ah, say something!” Nayeon hissed when she realised nothing she said was working. Lips curling in irritation, Mina fought back the urge to dump the cakes on a certain neurosurgeon’s behalf. He stood and made his way around the desk to where Sana was.

“Don’t listen to Nayeon-noona.” He took both of her hands in his. “She’s spouting nonsense. You don’t need to be a wonderful cook to have my heart. Your signature banana mayo sandwich is enough. It’s the best.”

“Really?” Sana peered up at him with glistening doe eyes.

He nodded with a smile – that appeared somewhat strained – and added, “I can eat that every day.”

Disbelief filled Nayeon’s eyes. The power of love!

“Really?” repeated Sana.

“Cross my heart.”

“Okay, then I’ll make it every morning for your breakfast!” The nurse’s face brightened like the star atop a Christmas tree. Nayeon nearly burst out laughing at the instant change in Mina’s expression.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to make it every day. I don’t want you to tire yourself out.” Beads of perspiration formed on Mina’s forehead and he prayed that they wouldn’t roll down his face. Sana broke into a jubilant beam and threw her arms around Mina who took the chance to wipe his damp forehead before she noticed his nervousness.

“You are the best, Mina. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Mina muttered rather absentmindedly, very distracted by the sight of Nayeon slapping her thigh repeatedly in an attempt to contain her laughter. “Sana, remind me to look for Jeongyeon-hyung later.”

Nayeon froze.

“Why?” asked Sana. If her memory didn’t fail her, the Emergency Department was not handling any cases that required neurosurgery at the moment.

“I just remembered that I have something to discuss with him,” Mina replied wryly.

“Mina, you traitor.”

Sana glanced between the two doctors in confusion, sensing a growing level of animosity. She frowned from the loss of warmth when Mina slipped out of her embrace.

“Mina?” she called softly, detecting something off in his gaze.

He simply shook his head. “I’m heading out for a bit. Call me if there’s anything.”

And he left the office without another word.

Nayeon raised a brow, bewildered by the sudden dip in mood. “What’s with him? He’s especially touchy today.”

Biting her inner cheek, Sana checked the hands on her wristwatch. “It’s almost time.”

“Time?” Nayeon frowned, having a bad feeling that there was something important which she had forgotten.

“His parents’ time of death nineteen years ago.”

~0~

A blast of freezing winter air slapped his face as Mina swung open the heavy door that led to the hospital’s rooftop. The noon sun was shining brightly – blazing even – but it did little to thaw the pangs of loneliness in his heart. Many of the patients had gone home to enjoy the Christmas and New Year holidays with their families; only those who were critically ill or had no families stayed, spending the festive season within the cold walls of the hospital.

Mina flinched when he laid a bare hand on the metal railing, having forgotten that he was not wearing gloves. In fact, he was underdressed for the near-zero temperature in only his blue cotton scrubs and grey thermal underwear. His doleful dark orbs gazed into the far distance. He spotted a blithe young child holding the hands of his parents as they crossed the road. A bitter smile tugged the corners of his lips.

Mum, Dad… I miss you.

Nayeon once questioned him why he didn’t take a leave on his parents’ death anniversary to pay his respects to them. His reply was simple yet so heart-wrenching.

“I don’t want my patients to spend Christmas alone like me when I was young.”

He breathed in deeply, allowing the frosty air to fill his lungs. The rush of biting chills was oddly comforting. He dared a look at his watch.

One more minute to go.

A single tear burnt a wet trail down his cool cheek. It dried almost immediately from the harsh winds. Something thick and warm fell upon his shoulders from behind.

“You’ll catch a cold like this.”

Mina spun around to find Sana draping his black woollen trench coat over his slightly shivering frame. He was half-expecting her to chide him for not taking care of himself but she kept quiet and just stood by his side instead. He closed his eyes, and counted down in his heart.

One minute passed.

Opening his eyes, he exhaled, watching his breath transform into a whitish puff.

“Thank you, Sana,” he turned and said to his patiently waiting fiancée.

She merely smiled back, shaking her head lightly. “I didn’t do much.”

“You are here. That’s more than enough.”

“Let’s go back,” she took his hand, wincing slightly from the icy touch. “If you fall sick, you can’t save any lives, right?”

He returned her smile, relishing the warmth radiating from her body. “You are right. Even one life can make all the difference in someone’s world.”

~0~

Nayeon mentally slapped herself for being an insensitive prick to Mina earlier as she made her rounds.

How could I have forgotten such an important date? I’d better make it up to him later.

“That’s a pretty ugly face you are making. Need me to call up the cosmetic surgery department for you?”

Nayeon stopped in her tracks. There it was – the voice that made her stomach coil in disgust. Shoulders hunching in a defensive stance, she stalked towards the proud figure round the corner.

“Is your brain malfunctioning due to old age? We don’t have a cosmetic department here.”

Jeongyeon folded his arms across his chest. “That obviously shows how lacking this place is… considering how much work your face needs.”

“How about you get some silicone muscle implants before you talk, you scrawny stick of a scarecrow?”

“At least that is all I need while Miss Shorty here still needs to go for a leg-lengthening procedure.” Jeongyeon stared down at her to emphasise his point.

Nayeon snorte