#and of course Gil is going to ask the florist for the prettiest biggest brightest bouquet of them

[softquietsteadylove]

How about soft Thenamesh and the language of flowers? I think there is a potential for a great little story with them and flowers and their own special meaning :)

You can choose the AU!

Rose colours all have different meanings in the world of flower symbolism. Many of them overlap, such as yellow roses, which can express both friendship, but also the beginnings of developing feelings. White roses express a purity of feelings and honest intentions. Pink roses express friendship, while red roses express the most classic form of romantic love.

The hospital is often full of them, for various people and purposes. But today especially, there are roses positively everywhere.

Gil has been giving them out all day.

It essentially all started with his first call of the day. He picked up a woman who had called her own ambulance, having gone into early labour while she was out alone.

The poor woman was rightfully distressed, for her child, herself, the fact that her partner wasn't anywhere near enough to be there if she suddenly gave birth. Gil was still the best one to comfort her, but he couldn't help but feel for the woman alone in OB waiting to be moved to a room.

So, he had gone out and gotten her flowers on his break. Lovely yellow roses with baby's breath in them, for the new beginning about to take place in her life. The woman was moved to tears (and her partner, who did in fact make it in time, was also touched).

He had just gotten the one bouquet, but then he heard another woman giving birth admiring them. Then another--a young lady not even out of her teens. And of course, who was Gil to leave a poor girl wanting?

Now, it seems he has bought out an entire florist's supply of roses and is giving them away by the handful. First was every woman in OB who could stand the pollen. Then there were a few patients in the NICU who had also heard of the handsome paramedic giving out roses to anyone who asked.

Then the nurses asked about it, and Gil believes very strongly in the unsung heroes of medicine--the nurses, the medical assistants, scrub techs, peri-op assistants, even paramedics like himself. So any time someone asked what the flowers were for, he would hand one over with a grin and say they were just to improve people's day.

It's very Gilgamesh--it's very sweet and amazingly thoughtful.

"How does he still have flowers to give out?"

Ajak looks up from her charts. She eyes the vase of a few pink and white roses left by one Mister Gilgamesh himself, and then at the attending head of ER. "I guess so."

"Hm," Thena murmurs to herself as she flips through her own charts. She's leaning against the counter with her back to Ajak.

Ajak puts down her work, leaning back in her chair. Thena might be facing away from her, but she can read all of her kids from a mile away. "It's sweet, isn't it?"

"Of course it is," Thena murmurs with her eyes on her work. "It's Gilgamesh."

"Well, not just that," Ajak probes further, but not without caution. She's pretty sure she's got an idea of how Thena is feeling, but that doesn't mean she's out to provoke the doctor. "You heard how it started out, right?"

"Yes, a woman in early labour, wasn't it?" Thena turns, leaning on her elbows on the counter and toying with her stethoscope. "I heard she and her partner were very thankful for the kind gesture."

"Hm," Ajak replies in Thena's usual way. "I haven't seen him since earlier today."

"He and Kingo got called on a few more runs." Thena sets down her tablet and runs her finger along the edge of the case. "I haven't seen him since this morning, though."

Ajak raises her brows. It's a plain enough statement, but she can hear the slight edge to that tone--the frustration in it. Obviously he's been in and around the hospital, with the amount of floral evidence there is. Ajak tilts her head, "no?"

Thena purses her lips and shakes her head, the way one would when they think nothing of something. Or maybe when they think quite a lot about something but don't want anyone to know.

Ajak gives Thena one more chance to simply come out and say what she's thinking. But unsurprisingly, she has to drag it out of her. "If you want one, I'm sure-"

"They're for patients, Ajak," Thena responds a little too quickly. "Patients and nurses like you, who keep things running. And I'm not sure it's even a good idea for him to be handing out flowers to everyone who asks."

Ajak just nods. Thena does not wear jealousy well.

"Man, that last run took forever!"

Thena and Ajak both look over as Kingo - very loudly - announces their arrival back in the hospital. He has their equipment bags over his shoulder for inventory check. "Not bad, though?"

"No, just long," he sighs. "It was mostly making sure everyone was good on the scene. Things cleaned up well, but someone drove at a snail's pace all day."

"Sorry, sorry!" Ajak leans out of her seat to see Gilgamesh walking up the hall behind his partner.

She smiles, "precious cargo?"

"Very!" he beams.

"What was-" Thena blinks, in the middle of standing from helping Kingo unpack the supplies. She finds herself presented with a bursting full bouquet of red roses. Her hands come up reflexively, her fingers flirting with his in the transfer.

Kingo rolls his eyes and whispers to Ajak, "he's been driving around with them in water until he could give them to her."

"It's sweet," Ajak coos.

"Th-Thank you," Thena mutters out, still stunned. They're even wrapped nicely in sparkly white paper. She looks up at Gil, who's still grinning from ear to ear. "What are these for?"

Gil is the one surprised now. He looks at Ajak, who's smirking at him.

"She was starting to think you forgot her," the nurse supplies, much to Thena's horror.

"Ajak!" Thena hisses at her, although focuses on Gil again when he leans closer to her. Her breath gets caught high up in her chest.

"Forget my Thena?" Gil actually laughs at the thought, leaning over the bulk of the bouquet between them so he can get closer to her. "Never."

Thena can only hear the rustling of the bouquet and the pounding of her heart. Gil leans in to give her a light kiss, right on the line between her lips and her cheek. "Hm."

"I'll get the bus cleaned out for the next guys and meet you in the break room with lunch?" he asks over his shoulder. She nods at him and he winks back at her.

Ajak keeps her smugness to herself, letting Thena bury her nose - and her pink cheeks - in the bountiful bouquet.