New story from me!
Chapter One
The new doctor was perfect.
In fact, she was the person that Lily dreamed of being. She was pretty for one thing with a delicate, pale face, and she wore a smile as big as Jupiter. A pink stethoscope was draped around her neck, and a cake tin was tucked under one arm. Lily stepped away from her locker and watched as she opened up the locker directly next to Lily's.
"Ah, good morning!" She greeted chirpily, shoving her bag into her locker before setting the cake tin onto the counter. "I brought lemon cake. Just help yourself, yeah?"
"Yes," Lily whispered, gripping her own stethoscope in her hands. "Thank you. May I ask who you are exactly?"
"Oh, I do apologise, how rude of me not to introduce myself." She held her hand out at once. "Alicia Munroe, I'm the new F2."
Lily looked at her hand nervously, hesitating to shake it. Eventually, she smiled and reluctantly agreed to it. Alicia didn't even notice the forced smile or the fact that Lily clearly hadn't introduced herself yet. She was too happy, too excited about her first day.
"I um...I didn't even know that Mrs Beauchamp was looking for a new F2," Lily sighed, as Alicia tied her hair up into a neat ponytail.
Lily noticed that the tips were a bright pink colour, just like her bag and her stethoscope.
"No?" Alicia asked, slamming the door of her locker shut. "I thought she would have mentioned it."
"She hasn't." Lily shook her head. "It's lovely to meet you anyway."
"You too." Alicia smiled. "What do you do here anyway?"
"I'm a registrar," Lily told her. "Like yourself, I used to be an F2. After passing my exams, I was promoted."
"No surprise that she's hiring then really, is it?" Alicia laughed. "If you've had a promotion, of course she'd be looking. I'm sorry, I don't think I ever got your name."
"You didn't." Lily shook her head. "My name is Lily Chao."
"Well, it is really good to meet you Lily," Alicia said. "I'm sure that the two of us will get along well. I'll be shadowing you after all."
"Did Mrs Beauchamp ask you to?" Lily questioned.
"Of course!" Alicia squealed. "She said that I needed to learn from the best. Don't tell her I said that, eh?"
Lily gave her a puzzled look and asked, "why?"
"Well, she probably doesn't want you bragging now," Alicia said, giving her a jokey wink. "She also said something about a tour. So Doctor Lily Chao, what's first?" She gave a dramatic shrug of her shoulders, and her smile grew bigger.
Lily didn't know what to say. She was extremely talkative and a bit too happy as well. Maybe she didn't know how the ED could turn in just a couple of seconds. Lily looked forward to a busy shift, just so Alicia could experience it for herself.
"Well, this is the staffroom," Lily said, gesturing to the room that they were standing in. "Feel free to help yourself to tea and coffee, and we also have water and there's juice and biscuits under the sink."
"Well, knowing where the biscuits are is always handy," Alicia joked, but Lily didn't seem too pleased at the use of humour.
"Anyway," Lily sighed, folding her arms across her chest. She had no time for jokes. "What are your plans for the future?"
"Um..." Alicia nervously shrugged her shoulders and folded her own arms. "I don't know to be honest. Working in a hospital? What about yourself?"
"Well, I used to want to specialise in dermatology," Lily said. "But the ED is where I belong now. I was the first one in my family to go to university and I don't know, I guess I just like the feel of working in an Emergency Department."
"I have to admit that it sounds rather scary to me," Alicia giggled, blushing at how ridiculous she was being.
"Of course it does," Lily let out another sigh, subtly raising her eyebrows at the new doctor. "Have you introduced yourself to everyone else?"
"Oh yeah, yeah, don't worry about that," Alicia said, waving a hand at her. Lily narrowed her eyebrows, confused. "Honestly, you were the last person who I needed to say hello to. Everyone seems so nice. Robyn and I are going to organise a karaoke night, and Cal and Ethan have asked me to go to the pub with them tonight. Are you coming?"
"No, thank you," Lily answered. "I try not to set foot in the pub, if I can help it."
"Fair enough," Alicia said in a quiet voice. "Well, I'm going to make myself a coffee before my shift starts. Could you do me a favour though?"
"That really depends on what the favour is," Lily said.
She stood by her locker with her arms folded. Alicia rubbed anxiously at the back of her neck and chewed her lip, slowly making her way across the room towards the coffee machine. In silence, she made herself a coffee, and it was just after her first sip when she eventually spoke.
"Don't tell anyone about what we speak about, alright?" Alicia said. "I know it might seem weird, but I've heard things about you. I'd like to be friends with you, but I'd also like to be friends with everyone else as well."
"We have a job to do," Lily snapped. "Friends aren't important."
"They are to me," Alicia said. "Please, Lily. I'd really appreciate it."
"What things have you heard about me exactly?" Lily asked.
"They call you the Ice Princess," Alicia stated.
Lily had had enough already.
"I'm well aware of that fact," she sighed, and folded her arms across her chest. "Fine. If popularity means that much to you, then I won't breathe a word to anyone."
"Thank you," Alicia whispered. "That means a lot."
"I...I guess..." Lily stuttered, trying to hide her hurt and disappointment in front of the new doctor. "I'll meet you in resus."
It had been an exhausting day in the ED. There had been a group of kids admitted after a riot had broken out at a local school, an elderly couple who'd made some kind of death pact, and a variety of casualties after a six vehicle crash on the motorway. It had probably been one of their busiest days yet.
She hated to admit the fact that Alicia was a brilliant doctor, and she'd worked really hard. She kept talking about the praise that Connie had given her, and Lily wondered if it was true. Could Alicia really be a better F2 than she ever was? She also seemed to get along with everyone, something that Lily had never found easy.
Lily stifled a yawn, as she made her way into the staffroom to collect her belongings. Then she noticed that the cake tin had disappeared from the counter. Grabbing her bag and her coat from her locker, she heard the door creak open and Ethan walked in with a tired expression on his face.
"Has the cake gone already?" Lily asked him.
"What cake?" Ethan looked puzzled. "If I'd known about cake, I would have taken my break earlier."
"Hmm, the boys must have scoffed it," Lily laughed, leaning back against the counter. "Busy day, huh?"
"Extremely," Ethan chuckled, and opened his locker to grab his own things. "Are you on an early tomorrow?" Lily gave a meek nod and smiled at her friend. "I guess I'll see you then," he said, before exiting the staffroom.
She tried not to show that she was actually feeling quite left out. It wasn't as if she wanted to join her colleagues at the pub, but an invite would have been nice. Slipping her coat on and holding her bag on one shoulder, she shut her locker and left as well.
As she signed out at reception, she noticed Alicia leaving with Cal and Ethan. The three of them were talking and laughing as if they'd been friends forever.
So I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. It's weird writing for Alicia but I'm giving it a go. Let me know what you think and I'll try to update soon x
