Author's note: I don't own Sailor Moon or its characters. This is slightly AU.

Sapphire

Ami sighed and sank onto the cot in the room designated for residents in her department. It had been a nearly twenty-four hour shift do to some emergencies, and she was still on call. All she wanted right now as a nap, but her back was hurting enough that she probably wouldn’t be able to get any rest. The aspirin she had taken earlier didn’t seem to be helping at all. Running her hands through her short hair, Ami sighed again. As much as she loved her work, weeks like this one could be brutal. She had known what she was getting in to when she had applied to medical school, but the reality was harder to cope with at times than she had expected.

A pair of warm hands settled on her shoulders and began to knead away some of her tension. Ami leaned into the touch.

“Bad shift?” A warm tenor voice asked.

“It was a long one, and I had a couple of kids who really didn’t like getting their ivs put in.”

A kiss was pressed to the nape of her neck, and Ami smiled. Zach was one of the best things to happen to her. They had actually met in medical school, and through persistence, bribery, and blackmail, he had managed to get her to agree to a date. And they had clicked. Zach was smart, witty, and kind. He understood her love of medicine in a way that very few people did. As medical school progress, Zach had developed the habit of popping in on her, bring coffee, some sort of snack, or just something that would brighten her day. He had a confidence in her that made it easy for Ami to believe in herself at times.

“How much longer until you’re off?”

“Another twelve hours. Why?”

“You have the next three days off, and so do I. I was thinking that we could borrow my aunt’s beach cabin for a couple of them. Have some time for just the two of us.”

Ami reached up touch the sapphire ring that hung on the chain around her neck. They had been engaged for only a week or so now, and they really hadn’t had any time to celebrate. Besides, she was not one to turn down a trip to the ocean.

“That sounds lovely.”

Zach turned her enough that he could kiss her. “Sounds like a plan. Get some rest, sweetheart.”

His pager buzzed, and Zach gave her an apologetic smile. “I’ll see you after work.”

Ami settled down on the cot with a smile and closed her eyes. Only twelve more hours.