An Unwavering Heart

Out of the Shadow

He slinked up to the wide desk, trying to remain well hidden with his hat and casual clothes. The cool blues of his outfit kept his identity a secret as he cleared his throat to get the absentminded woman's attention. "Can I help you?" the older, short woman with grey hair asked. He spoke barely above a whisper, "Uh, yes, I wanted to talk to Doctor Natatok's supervisor, I'm planning a surprise for her. I'm her boyfriend." The older woman's face lit up, immediately shouting, "Oh, Avatar Aang?!" The tall airbender ducked his head, a blush forming on his cheeks, "Yes, but, could we talk a little quieter? I'm trying to avoid people recognizing me." Although Aang had been known to the world as the Avatar for four years, he still got attention from everywhere. Normally he could manage it but today he wanted no trace of his presence in the hospital.

The older woman began to understand his need for discretion, apologizing profusely, "I'm sorry! I think I was just excited and she talks about you all the time." Aang's cheeks became even more red before he remembered why he was here. "Thank you for your excitement. Dr. Okpak, is it?" The older woman smiled warmly at him, "Yes, but you can just call me Hama. So, you said you wanted to surprise Katara?" He gave a crooked smile and answered, "Yes! See, I want to propose to her, but in the South Pole where we met. She always says it's difficult to take off from work for more than a day or two. I asked her to go away with me a few months ago and she said there wasn't coverage, so I hope this is enough notice to find coverage. I'm thinking of taking her in two months."

Hama playfully shook her head, "Of course she would say that," she chuckled, "I always tell her to use her vacation days but she never does. She thinks the hospital will fall apart if she's gone." Aang laughed as well, "That definitely sounds like her," he provided the dates of the vacation and then asked, "So, would that work?" The older woman smiled, "Absolutely. I'll make a note of it now. So, what are you planning?" Aang beamed, thinking of his plan, "I'm going to fly her parents, brother, and his fiancé down to the Southern Water Tribe for their Winter Solstice Festival. I'm sure you're familiar with it, being from the South Pole," Hama nodded and Aang continued, "Hoping it all goes to plan, I will propose to her at the festival with her family there. What do you think?" Hama walked from behind the desk and gave him a tearful look. "I think Katara's a very lucky woman. Your secret's safe with me."

Aang walked out of the hospital barely feeling the ground beneath his feet. He felt like happiness was bursting inside of him as he got in his car. A shred of doubt inched its way into his mind about whether she would say "yes" but he successfully pushed it away. On his drive home, he told himself that her family confirmed that Katara would say "yes". Aang searched his mind for confirmation of this belief and was met with unmeasurable evidence. He knew, deep down, that she would marry him. But, his nerves were still present and wouldn't go away until she had the ring on her finger.

Aang entered their home, sniffing happily at the smells of cooking from the kitchen. He shook his head at Katara never resting, not even on her day off. While she was cooking, she had music going and probably didn't hear him come in. He snuck up behind her and snaked his arms around his waist. "Mmmm, who could this be?" she hummed while stirring dumpling soup. He gently pressed his weight into the small of her back, whispering between kisses on her neck, "I'm the man who loves you." Her body shaking from giggling made him grin and embrace her tighter. "How do you always know what to say?" she asked. He held on to her waist and turned her around to face him. He leaned in to kiss her passionately on the lips. After a few moments, he pulled away to look into her blue eyes. "It's because of you. You're amazing." Katara became flustered for a few moments before giving Aang a peck on the cheek and returning to cooking.

After feeling stuffed from dinner, Aang washed the dishes and met Katara on the couch in the living room. She put her favorite tv show on and sipped fully from her wine glass. Aang looked over to her, finding the courage to broach the topic, "So, I was thinking of taking a trip to the Southern Pole for the Winter Solstice Festival. It would be a week long. The council thinks it's good for me to make an appearance at cultural events once in a while. Want to come with me?" Katara frowned, "Oh, Aang, I'd love to but you know how my job is. I don't want you to get your hopes up, vacation requests fill up fast." He was prepared to push the topic, "It's two months away. Should be enough time. Could you call your boss and ask?"