Sparks That Never Fade • •

[Sebastian Finley Whelan]

With school over for the summer, Sebastian had more free time on his hands than he knew what to do with. Matthew took up some of it and the brothers had trips out all the time when they could, but Seb didn’t want to fall behind on his work or get so caught up in the summer bliss that he returned to college feeling completely lost and baffled by everything he ought to already know and remember. Matt was spending the day with one of his school friends at a birthday party so Seb had taken the opportunity to spend a few hours volunteering up at the hospital. It was good practice for after he graduated college and gave him a chance to get to experience what his life might be like in just a few short years’ time.

Not many people would look at Seb and instantly believe that this man wanted to be a nurse, but that was the truth. He wanted to help people, but being a doctor had just never seemed right to him. He didn’t really know how to explain it, but he felt like he was choosing the right path for himself when he had walked into that first seminar of freshman year. All of the torment he had endured when he was younger hadn’t deterred him in the slightest and even now his friends would make jokes that Seb normally always had a comeback to. It wasn’t like he was the only guy on his course, but apparently it was still shocking to so many people to hear that he was studying to be a nurse; by now he was used to the raised eyebrows and looks of surprise on the faces of the people he knew.

He had dropped Matthew off at the quaint family home of one of his best friends and then drove back towards the hospital. Matt would be occupied until at least the evening with party antics and video games and more cake than a twelve year old should be able to handle, so Seb pretty much had the day to himself. He had the morning at the hospital visiting some of the patients and helping out where he could around the various wards that he usually ended up on. It helped him get an idea of what his future career would be like and he liked talking to the patients whose families weren’t around to visit or who had nerves about a procedure they were waiting to have done. Really, the close relationship with the patients was one of the major reasons why nursing had called to him; he wanted to be able to spend some time talking to them and getting to know them during their stay in the hospital.

The morning session passed by quickly enough and it was only when one of the nurses laughed about him still being around did he realise that he had lost track of the time while sharing stories with an older gentleman. Saying his goodbyes and checking in once more to confirm some more volunteer shifts at the nurse’s desk, Seb grabbed his things and strolled towards the elevator at the end of the long corridor. Checking his phone for messages on the ride down to the parking lot, Seb wasted little time in finding the small car he had called his own for quite a few years now. It was only as he pulled his keys out from his pocket that he spotted the brunette he recognised well enough from around the university campus. “Hey, Lilia! Don’t tell me you’ve got a summer’s day with nothing to do!”

[/color] He teased across the open space, contemplating the idea of grabbing some lunch with her if she wasn’t too busy for it.
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• • •

TAGGED! Lilia <3
WORDS! 671!
OUTFIT! New York Guy!
LYRICS! Never Fade - - Gabrielle Aplin
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Lilia Jayne Sterling]

School was out and although she had picked up extra shifts at work, she still had her days free and clear to do as she pleased. She had Issy two days through the week so she wasn’t completely free and clear. But this was one of those days when her adorable little niece was at daycare and she had time to do what she needed to. Today however, she had nothing more pressing to do than to stop at the hospital and fill out some paperwork for a class she was taking senior year that required time in the overly bleached halls of the hospital. But she could do that at any time through the summer. The sooner the better, of course so she planned on it while she didn’t have Issy to chase after.

Being a morning person, Lilia was up early and offered to drop Issy off at her daycare on the way to the yoga class she’d signed up for, trying to fill her time. Afterward, she hit the gym to get in a good work out before she rushed home, showered and changed into some proper clothes. Lilia picked up a couple of the toys left lying about from the night before that hadn’t been put away just yet. It didn’t take her long to have the main part of the house she share with her brother and niece looking spotless again. It wouldn’t last, as soon as Issy got home again she would tear into those toys and have the living room looking like a daycare again but that was alright. Lilia checked her phone for the time and her bag for everything she would need at the hospital before grabbing her keys off the counter and heading out again.

Ironically, Lilia had never really been a fan of hospitals. She always found them too sterile, too uninviting and yet medicine and helping people were where her head led. She was still young though, she didn’t know if she wanted to stay at the hospital after her residency or if she would go out and get an office, specialise in something more specific. Children always had a soft spot in Lilia’s heart; even more so after Issy was born, maybe she would end up helping kids. She still had plenty of time to figure out where she really wanted to be. The drive to the hospital went by fairly quickly and she wasn’t actually in the human resources department long. She filled out the proper forms, signed a couple documents and joked with the women in the office before saying goodbye and heading back out to her car parked in the lot.

Keys in hand, Lilia was checking a text from Theo, asking her to pick Issy up later when she heard a familiar voice calling out. She looked up and around, finding the source almost immediately. “What can I say? They’re rare but they happen,” she called out, grinning as she headed over in his direction, shoving her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. She did all she had to do that day so she had nothing waiting on her. She was thinking about grabbing some lunch and then who knew. She didn’t have to be at work until the late shift so there was all this time to fill with things to do. “What are you doing here?” she asked, reaching him.

Tag || Seb! <3
Words || 571
Clothes || Busy bee
Music || Something I Can Feel - - -Leann Rimes
Notes || <3

[Sebastian Finley Whelan]

Luckily, with Matt being twelve, the most common mess in Seb’s apartment was that of wires. Wires littered the floors and several surfaces from the various gaming consoles and devices that the young boy turned to for a source of entertainment. Seb rarely complained though; how could he when he was the first to pick up an Xbox controller and challenge his younger brother to a gaming marathon on the evenings when he didn’t have college assignments or work to distract him? It took barely any time at all to clean up that mess and once a week he convinced Matt into sorting through his laundry and cleaning out his room with the vacuum cleaner and some of the other cleaning products that the brothers kept under the sink. Seb took care of the rest of the apartment since the shared living space also doubled as his bedroom, but usually Sunday afternoon was reserved for cleaning and movies while both Whelans finished up any work for the Monday morning classes they respectively had.

He was used to having his little brother in New York now and it had stopped bothering Seb some time ago now that he couldn’t go out to a bar whenever a friend sent him a spontaneous text. On the nights he was out he was always back early to relieve the sitter of her duty, never drank too much and the days of bringing girls back with him were long gone. He took his responsibilities seriously and wanted to be a good role model for Matthew who was still moving on from the death of their parents. Seb had known when it happened that it would take some time for the little boy to adjust, but he was doing fine and they talked regularly about problems or memories or anything else that Matt might’ve needed to talk about. The messy haired nurse-in-training might’ve been busy with college work for most of the year and working to pay their bills, but he always had time for his baby brother, even if it meant spending half of the night working on a paper and finding himself fuelled on nothing but caffeine come the next morning.

Grinning as Lilia crossed over to him, he scrubbed his hand over the rough facial hair that decorated his jawline. “Aye, I know the feeling.”

[/color] The summer and winter break were really the only times Seb felt his life slowing down enough for him to really take notice of it. The rest of the year he seemed to move from the moment the alarm screeched at him until the moment he hit his comfy sofa bed and passed out almost instantaneously most nights of the week. It was ridiculous at times, but it was the life he had chosen; none of it had been forced upon him, so he rarely complained. “I had a short volunteer shift up on the wards. Now, I’m thinking about lunch and I just need someone to enjoy it with.”[/color] He said, his lips quirking upwards into a soft, but charming, smirk as he let his blue eyes meet Lilia’s.
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• • •

TAGGED! Lilia <3
WORDS! 561!
OUTFIT! New York Guy!
LYRICS! Never Fade - - Gabrielle Aplin
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Lilia Jayne Sterling]

Lilia often caught herself thinking how different things would have been if everything that had happened, hadn’t. She would probably still be in Scotland, finished school and in the middle of getting that hands on experience only a residency at a hospital could provide. She wouldn’t be cleaning up after a wee child, or rushing from place to place to make sure things were done. She probably would have been married, maybe with a child of her own on the way. Jenny would be alive and well. And then she remembered that if those things hadn’t happened, neither she nor her brother would have met Meg, she wouldn’t have met Seb or anyone else she knew. She wouldn’t have moved to New York to help with Issy and things around Theo’s house. As much as she missed Jenny, and the feeling hit her hard when it did, she couldn’t and wouldn’t give up being in that little girl’s life for anything at all. Maybe it was a little selfish but she would apologise to Jenny for it later.

Lilia was lucky though, that she was only the great aunt that could spoil her niece and then give her back to her da when the day was done. She could, if she chose to, go out for a couple drinks with friends and not have to worry about getting home at a decent hour. And when both Sterling siblings had plans at the same time, which very rarely happened, there was a girl a few doors down that was happy to take the babysitting hours. More often than not though, Lilia passed her plans along to Theo to make sure nothing conflicted and one of them would be with his daughter. Summer break was a little easier to manoeuvre. Lilia didn’t have anything going through like classes anymore, now that the couple she’d taken to reacquaint herself with the medical field were over now and she wouldn’t actually have to start reading over the next set of text books she owned until August.

Her days now were filled with running errands, getting herself acquainted with the hospital through volunteer hours and at least two days a week taking care of Issy to give Theo’s wallet a break from the undoubtedly high cost of a daycare centre in New York. Summer break for Lilia didn’t mean much of a break, but she was good with things to do. She liked keeping busy; it kept her moving forward. Lilia tilted her head to the side as a smirk played on her lips. “Is this your way of asking if I’m free for lunch, Seb?” she asked before, “Because I have ta say, as far as invitations go, you could do so much better than the oh-so-casual ‘if only’ route,” she continued, teasing. The Scottish girl already knew she was free until well into the afternoon for whatever plans may spontaneously arise, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t tease her friend about it first.

Tag || Seb! <3
Words || 500
Clothes || Busy bee
Music || Something I Can Feel - - -Leann Rimes
Notes || -.- <3

[Sebastian Finley Whelan]

There was a small part of Seb that wished things were different, but for Matthew and not for himself. He hated the thought of any child being without their parents and while he did miss his terribly, it was his little brother who he caught himself worrying about more. Seb had been blessed with two decades of parental love and nagging, but Matt was only just twelve and his life had been thrown into a state of chaos that Seb was doing his best to control, but he knew this bumpy ride was far from over. He didn’t know the first thing about really looking after someone who wasn’t sick and in the hospital. He knew that the teenage years were practically knocking on the door and offering all kinds of tempting treats and tricks, but how could he steer Matthew away from the same mistakes and bad experiences that he had once made? He was a brother, not a father and no matter what happened he couldn’t and wouldn’t change that. Seb just hoped Matthew would realise that sooner rather than later and actually listen to some of the nonsense the nursing student had to offer as advice.

Seb might not have lived in some fancy New York penthouse, but he had good neighbours who would pop their heads in from time to time, especially since Matthew had arrived in the city. They got cookies from a few doors down and other little treats and small trinkets from a man who travelled on business a lot and gave Seb his spare key to water his plants. If anything came up there was always someone on his floor who was willing to look after Matt for a few hours and if Seb did have a reason for a night out, like a birthday or finals party, then his little brother had made some good friends in the city and their parents rarely minded if the little Irish boy spent the night. Seb didn’t abuse their good nature often, but it was nice from time to time to kick back and remember that he was only twenty-four and in college. He wouldn’t ever say that his life was stressful, but it was certainly non-stop and usually by the time Seb crawled into bed he pretty much just passed out.

At least with the summer there was a little more time for his body to rest and recuperate. Without the added work of college, Seb could live at his own pace and the only place he really had to be was the Tribeca on the days he was shifted in for. The hospital work and the extra reading he took on were just for his own benefit, but it didn’t overrun his life like the rest of the year. Plus, he hoped that he’d have the chance to take Matt somewhere. He didn’t know where and it wouldn’t be someplace expensive and fancy, but a long weekend might even be good for the brothers. It was something he’d have to look into once he had the time to bend his hours and book in some holidays with his boss. “I could…”

[/color] Seb admitted easily enough before flicking his dark blue eyes back over to Lilia and flashing her a mischievous smirk. “But who’s ta say you’d be able to resist me charms?”[/color] He arched an eyebrow and then waited for a moment longer before approaching the subject again. “So, lunch?”[/color] He asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer; why play this game otherwise?
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• • •

TAGGED! Lilia <3
WORDS! 635!
OUTFIT! New York Guy!
LYRICS! Never Fade - - Gabrielle Aplin
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Lilia Jayne Sterling]

Lilia could wish and pray until there were no stars left in the sky for Issy’s mum to be back because no child should grow up without their parents, but Lilia was also realistic. It couldn’t happen, no matter how much she wished it would. And then Theo brought Meg around and she saw just how serious her brother was about the American girl and things seemed to be looking up for the pair. Meg seemed from that first meeting like a wonderful person, perfect or her brother and she was good with Issy. That had been Lilia’s concern. She didn’t want the small child to grow attached, even at such a young age just to have that person leave her life. And then school ended for the pair of them and things went exactly as Lilia had hoped they wouldn’t. Despite her leaving, Lilia still hoped she would return to the city and tell Theo he was an idiot for letting her go in the first place.

Summer for Lilia meant day trips to the beach or the park with her niece with a packed picnic to enjoy the sun and fun a couple days a week. Her nights were her own but they were usually filled with reading for school starting up in September and work at the restaurant. Aside from those things, she actually had a lot of free time she filled with movies, popcorn or textbooks. She had taken time off and felt like she’d lost too much in that time that she wanted to be caught up for when classes started up again. She had a single year left before she was donning a white coat and getting the first had experience she needed to be a doctor in a busy hospital. She was still unsure of where she wanted to go with her specialty, but she figured that was what this last year was for, and the first in her residency if she still hadn’t chosen by then.

“You’ve charm? I’ve not seen it yet,” she said sounding shocked, unable to pass up the opportunity he’d presented her. She liked Seb, though anyone passing them by would probably have to pick up their jaws if they told them that. They were constantly teasing each other and taking sarcastic jabs at the other. But they got along well, and understood the passion and drive to help people better than most. For Lilia, she had always wanted to help people, but after Jenny’s death, she wanted to help them more because she couldn’t help her sister-in-law. And before that when Issy was born, the proud aunt had thought maybe helping to bring new life into the world would be her interest. She was still up in the air about it all that it would be a miracle if she actually decided on a specialty. “I’ve the time,” she said easily enough. “Where were you thinking?” she asked, adjusting the fallen strap of her bag back onto her shoulder.

Tag || Seb! <3
Words || 502
Clothes || Busy bee
Music || Something I Can Feel - - -Leann Rimes
Notes || -.- <3

[Sebastian Finley Whelan]

So far his brother was doing well in the aftermath of his parent’s deaths, but Seb was worried that one day it might all change. He would do anything to keep Matthew safe and happy, but he feared that it wouldn’t be enough and that as the little boy began to grow into an independent man the harsh words and cruel truths might start to fly in the tiny apartment that they shared. He knew that Matthew would push the loose boundaries already put into place and fight back when Seb told him ‘no’, but the nursing student just hoped that by the time that day came around he would be more experienced and able to handle it. After all, he was still getting used to having the little boy in his New York world. Seb just never wanted to be responsible for screwing his kid brother up after everything he had already been put through.

The dust was still settling, but Seb hoped this summer might five the brothers the time they both needed to regain the balance in their lives. Matthew could spend time with friends and form what – hopefully – would be lasting bonds, Seb would take him out and help take his mind off the approaching anniversary and the young man hoped that the summer would also be a chance for him, too. There was no denying that he had been overworked in the last few months while he took care of everything, kept up with the extra classes, his volunteer shifts and his job. Hopefully now with the free time on his plate he would have the chance to catch up on his own life and remember that he was only twenty-four; there was time for the mundane routine in the years to come.

Placing his hand over his heart, Seb pretended to look hurt and offended by Lilia’s words. “You wound me, Lil.”

[/color] He knew that it was all a game and just a joke between friends, but, all the same, he wore the pout well. They both did their fair share of teasing and tormenting the other and some days it was just what he needed to keep himself from pulling his hair out as he read over the medical journals and nursing textbooks that came with his chosen vocation. He shrugged lightly, spinning his keys around his finger as the numerous restaurants, diners and cafés flooded his mind. “I’ll let the lady choose. Know where I might find one of those?”[/color] He couldn’t help it and the joke slipped out without Seb needing to give it a second thought. The lopsided smirk danced on his lips and he leaned back against the trunk of his car.
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• • •

TAGGED! Lilia <3
WORDS! 492!
OUTFIT! New York Guy!
LYRICS! Never Fade - - Gabrielle Aplin
NOTES! >.<

[Lilia Jayne Sterling]

Lilia had plans for the summer, but she knew half of them wouldn’t be followed through. She had too many text books to read over for September, not to mention work and her shifts were always late and had the Scottish girl crawling through the front door well after midnight most nights she had a shift. Her parents would understand if she missed the chance to go home for a couple weeks, they knew how busy both their children were. Life in New York certainly wasn’t slow paced, though Lilia enjoyed the fact that there was always something to be done; even if that something was silly like visiting a tourist attraction.

She loved her hometown, and missed it a lot but she couldn’t go back there for anything more than a visit, or retirement after long years of doing what she loved in New York. Though before she did all that, she had to actually finish her final year of school and go through the long process of residency. And, of course, choose a specialty. Lilia hoped this final year would give her some ideas about what she wanted to do. When she’d been little there had only been “doctor” and when she got older there were only surgeons and general practitioners. Now there were those and subcategories to go with subcategories. It made her head spin a little bit just thinking about it all. But she’d chosen it all by herself so she had no one to lay the blame on.

A bland look made itself home on Lilia’s features as she looked across at the Irish man. “You’ll get over it,” she said with a shrug as though it were a serious issue. The teasing and the jokes were something Lilia thought sometimes that she couldn’t live without. When textbooks and lectures seemed to take over everything, a little light teasing remark or a joke between friends seemed to bring everything back into perspective. Lilia made a face, biting her lip. “Ah,” she said looking around as if searching. “No. I would suggest inside but I’ve spent time with those nurses,” she joked, knowing given the chance any one of the ladies Lilia had the pleasure of spending any time with would say the same about her. The antics that got on while Lilia was there had the potential to be shocking but there had to be some sort of levity to balance out the sadness and the horror they saw daily. “There’s a new Deli opened up down the street,” she suggested, backhanding Seb’s stomach just hard enough to have it be a punishment for the teasing remark. "I'll even pretend you're a gentleman and let you pay."

Tag || Seb! <3
Words || 452
Clothes || Busy bee
Music || Something I Can Feel - - -Leann Rimes
Notes || -.- <3

[Sebastian Finley Whelan]

Most of the plans that Seb had for the summer revolved around Matthew or the necessary work and planning for his own future. He knew he was losing friends because of the amount of time he was devoting to the two causes, but they were where he needed to be. Frequenting the bars every weekend was something he wouldn’t be doing for a few more years, at least, if he ever did it again. Who knew where he would be by the time that Matthew was old enough for college? Seb knew where he would like to be, but dreaming and striving to achieve that could be very easily thrown asunder by fate or destiny or whatever else anyone wanted to believe in.

He was glad, in a way, that his passion lay in nursing and not down the medicine route. He could only just keep on top of his studies and research now and he hadn’t started rotations on the wards yet. If Seb had opted to become a doctor then he would have found himself completely out of his depth once Matthew had become his responsibility. Even now it was common to fall asleep clutching a book or journal and wake up feeling disorientated and confused while the young Irish boy sat at the table eating a bowl of cereal and reminding his brother about something that had to be done that day or that week. He was getting better at remembering without the prompts from the younger Whelan, but Seb was still light years away from the life he once lived.

“You’re breaking my heart here, Lil.”

[/color] He told her, keeping up his wounded act for a little bit longer. “Who knew that you could be so cold?”[/color] He shook his head, feigning disappointment this time. Chuckling, his fingers scrubbed over the scruff that was a semi-permanent feature on his face. He didn’t have the dedication to a morning routine to stay clean shaven and baby-faced all the time. “You don’t need to tell me! Sometimes I wonder what I’m doing studying to join them.”[/color] He shook his head, but knew that he would never regret chasing that nursing profession as far as he could take it. His volunteer shifts alone were enough to show him that and to give him some insight into what he could expect once rotations started and he found himself on the nasty side of those double shifts. His hand instinctively moved to the spot that she hit, though the sting was gone a second later. The smirk still played on Seb’s face, even afterwards though. “I am always the perfect gentleman. You just haven’t given me the chance to show it.”[/color] He informed her, keeping his head held high as he let her lead the way to the deli she had mentioned just moments before.
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• • •

TAGGED! Lilia <3
WORDS! 515!
OUTFIT! New York Guy!
LYRICS! Never Fade - - Gabrielle Aplin
NOTES! <3 <3 <3