[This is an alternate, non-canon ending, picking up right after Lotus and Redheart finish with their steam session and leave the sauna.]
Lotus and Redheart entered the circular massage room after a short walk down a hallway, and Lotus directed a hoof toward an empty table. Redheart climbed atop the table wordlessly, settling into a prone position.
Lotus began the massage quickly, gently pressing her hooves into Redheart's back with practiced precision. She quickly increased the pressure as she moved her hooves around her back, eliciting a quiet moan from the prone pony that brought a smile to Lotus. The tension that had filled Lotus's nerves was almost entirely gone, as though she herself were getting a posh spa treatment.
It wasn't long, however, before Redheart broke the silence in the room. "You know, I didn't think that this spa ever sent out coupons."
Lotus paused the massage for half a second, but quickly recovered. "Business has been a little slow, so we thought we'd send out some incentives to remind Ponyville that we're still here and that we cater to all types of ponies."
"Ponies like Big Macintosh?"
Lotus stopped entirely, her blood turning to ice and her heart seeming to cease its beating.
Redheart curled around a little, looking up at Lotus with a sly grin. "Such an odd coincidence that you just happened to get into a fight the day after you were released from the hospital, causing you to be right there when my break hits so you can talk to me. And then, by an even stranger coincidence, I get a coupon in the mail for a spa service run by two ponies, one of whom happened to be that same pony I'd already met twice in one week. Curious, isn't it?"
Lotus shut her rapidly-moistening eyes, willing herself to calm down, but it wasn't working very well. Everything she'd been hoping for was crashing down around her. The plan had failed. She looked at the nurse as she tried to speak, to come up with some explanation, but her nerves were now devastated. "I-I... I couldn't..." she squeaked. Should she really do it? Should she really just pour her heart out right here in the spa?
Redheart's voice was soft, barely above a whisper. "It's okay, honey. You can tell me."
That opened the floodgates for Lotus. "My gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't want to lead you on like this, really. It was Aloe and Big Mac's idea, but... but I just didn't know how to approach you."
The white pony nodded and opened her mouth, but Lotus didn't give her a chance to speak.
"When I first saw you, I... well, I got loopy. More loopy than I was from the drugs, I mean." Lotus was already on the verge of tears. There was no going back, now. "Oh, by Celestia, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I had Aloe give me a bloody nose so I could see you again, but then that didn't work and so I asked about you and... and...." She took in a deep, shuddering breath. "And I didn't know what else to do. So I asked Big Macintosh if he could set us up, and, well...."
Nurse Redheart sat up on the little table and wrapped her forelegs around Lotus's neck, and the shuddering, blue-coated pony held her right back. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Lotus quietly letting her emotions run out of her, until Redheart whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry, Lotus, I didn't mean to upset you."
Lotus pulled back, avoiding Redheart's own gaze. "A-are we... is it...."
"Is it okay?" Redheart asked quietly, prompting Lotus to give a little nod. "Well, honestly, it's a little complicated. You see, I'm not allowed to date my patients."
Lotus could practically feel her heart sinking like a scuttled schooner. "Oh," she simply said, unable to think of anything else.
Redheart put a hoof under the blue mare's chin, lifting her head up to look her in the eyes. "But you're not my patient anymore, are you?"
Lotus could practically hear the click in her own brain as she realized what Redheart meant. "So, it's okay, then?"
"It's complicated, since you used to be my patient, but I feel that it'll be fine."
Lotus sighed as she sat down on the floor, her frayed nerves demanding that she take a rest, and Redheart sat down next to her. "I'm sorry for the ruse," Lotus said.
"It's alright," the nurse responded, putting a hoof across the other mare's back. "I would've been nervous about such a situation, too."
The room was quiet for a few minutes as the worn-out spa pony rested and tried to figured out what to say next. "So, um, what happens now?" Lotus brushed a hoof against the carpet a little. "Should... should I finish the massage?"
Redheart chuckled a bit, hopping back onto the table. "If you like, sure."
Lotus smiled, standing back up and putting her hooves against the nurse's back again. Her rattled nerves were calmed a bit by the familiar action of massaging the white mare. The only sounds in the room came from the gentle moans and occasional squeak from Redheart, each noise making Lotus smile a little bit. Once the session was over, both mares headed for the front lobby.
"I, uh," started Lotus, pausing for a moment as Aloe gave her a wink from behind the counter, "suppose that I should ask if you'd like to go to dinner or something."
"That sounds lovely." Redheart stopped once they reached the door. "Are you free tonight?"
Lotus nodded, replying with a simple, "Mmhmm. We close up at eight. Does that sound okay?"
Redheart nodded. "I'll come by here at closing time."
"Great. I'll see you then, Redheart."
"See you then, Lotus." The snow-white nurse disappeared through the door.
Lotus pulled in a long, steady breath of relief that was followed by an ear-shattering squeal of elation.