My friends, let me apologize first and foremost for the medical mumbo jumbo that I made up around 2 AM. A lot of the things you will read here are either wrong or ridiculous. This story is created for one purpose, which is Kabby

Furthermore, excuse the grammar mistakes since neither this story nor me as a person is beta-d. I appreciate your future tolerance. Enjoy.

Hospitals did not need lawyers.

It was fairly simple. The two professions contradicted each other. One was about saving lives, the other one was about ruining. Doctors -doctors such as herself- were selfless, in this profession purely to help people. Since when had she seen a lawyer that was in it for public service? No, never. They were all after money. That's precisely why she scowled when Jaha walked in her office. Because, she knew what he wanted.

"Abby, it's time."

She lifted her eyes from her computer. Her glasses fell onto the bridge of her nose. "Can I get you anything? Coffee?"

"You can get me a lawyer." Jaha sighed as he plopped down onto one of the chairs in front of her desk with an exasperated look on his face. A look Abby had grown tired of witnessing.

"With or without sugar?"

"This is not a joke; we're way behind on our deadline." Jaha rolled his eyes. "We need to pick someone and hire them, and that's ASAP for you."

Her eyes fell back onto her bright screen. She gazed at the letters, not really paying attention but giving the illusion that nothing was more important than what was on her screen at the moment… patient charts from last month. "So? Pick one."

"You don't want me giving this speech to you again, Abby. We both know you are as tired of hearing it as I am as tired of giving. The new hire has to be approved by both the Chief of Surgery (he spoke knowingly, pointing at himself), and the Chief of Medicine." With that, his gaze landed on her.

"Talk to Callie again, she can handle the load for a little while."

"Like she hasn't been doing that for months already." Jaha crossed his arms and put his feet up on the chair opposite of him. Upon receiving a frown from Abby, he put his feet down. This was her office after all. "Callie might be well in her thirties, but she is just a paralegal. She shouldn't even be advising us." He leaned over and whispered. "It's illegal."

"Go ahead and whisper," She leaned in close and whispered, mimicking him, "FBI might be listening."

Abby seemed nonchalant. What was it with her and lawyers? "Abby!"

She jumped in her seat.

"Malpractice suits are piling up!" He put a hand on his forehead. "Mr. Newport is suing me for wrongful amputation."

"For what?!"

"It was supposed to be the other… no, this is irrelevant!" Jaha frowned. How did the conversation get there? "What's relevant is that we'll be in serious trouble if we don't hire a new lawyer soon. We are lucky that we managed to last this long without one since the last one quit."

That was true. Mrs. Humphrey had been a wonderful lady Abby liked having coffee with. However, she had already been working in the hospital even before the damn thing was built, and it was time for her to retire.

"Fine… I'll take care of it, sometime…" She still avoided looking into Thelonious' eyes. What was the point? She was only going to see harsh judgment in them anyway.

"Now." With that, he leaned over and picked up the files from the coffee table in front of him and tossed it over to her desk. She was startled. "I already narrowed it down to five for you. Call them, interview them, I don't care. Hell, I'll interview them with you! Give us a lawyer by the end of the week."

Before Abby could blink, Jaha was leaving. "Wait, Thelonious!"

Nope, too late. He slammed the door behind him. She was on her own.

He could have at least been… politer. She shook her head. Jaha was nice, but he could be a real asshole when he wanted to. But, truth to be told, deep down, she knew she had it coming. Abby Griffin was a woman who was on top of her shit; never late to work, never made her patients unhappy, and always remembered to pack lunch for her daughter (Not that she needed now that she was in college, her eyes drifted over to the little framed photo of her and Clarke on her high school graduation… how was she? Had she been eating well? She would remember to call her once she was off work.)

She didn't know why she harbored this inherent hate for lawyers. Was it the overly rude lawyer that insisted upon suing the truck driver that caused the death of her husband as she grieved him? Was it the greedy one that tried to scam her as she was closing on the Escrow for her house? Or was it Jack's pervert lawyer friend that touched her ass that one time? It was all of them, she finally decided. Not one lawyer she had met turned out to be nice. Except for Mrs. Humphrey… Well, she had once accused her of a misdiagnosis.

As thoughts raced through her head, she lifted the cover of the file that was resting on the top of the stack. They were all resumes. With a sigh, she picked up the paper and leaned back on her chair.

Audrey Miller. John Brown School of Law. Ehh… Was that good? The only law school she knew was Harvard. She wished the resumes would come with pictures.

Theodore J. Collins. Sounded pretentious. He had never even worked at a hospital before.

Marcus Kane. Whatever, she didn't care.

She tossed the files on the desk and picked up her phone.

#

"Thank you Ms. Miller, I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow."

Click.

She wasn't. She hated her life. Audrey sounded way more cheerful than she could handle. Her migraine was already acting up. She threw a glimpse at the bottle of aspirin sitting quietly on the corner of her desk. That Theodore person, his existence was enough to put her into a coma. She had never met anyone that dull in her entire life. She hadn't even invited him for an interview. Yes, phone interview was standard, that's what she'd told him. The poor fool had believed it… Sure, like a giant hospital would hire over the phone… As if.

She tossed Audrey's resume aside, and skipped a couple because she didn't like how their name sounded when she said them out loud. Finally, her eyes landed on another one. With a deep sigh, she picked up her phone.

Ring.

Was it only eleven? She was starving.

Ring.

Maybe she could take early lunch.

Ring.

Had she packed a sandwich for today? With a frown, her eyes went to her purse hanging behind the door.

Ring.

Ugh, she hated lawyers. They didn't even pick up their phone. Cocky bastards… What if I was an important client, she thought.

A grumpy, and very very tired sounding voice finally picked up the phone. "…H-hello..?"

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Hello, is this..." She glanced at the resume to make sure. "...Marcus Kane?"

She heard a sigh. "Yea, one sec," the deep voice said. She heard a groan.

Then giggles. What.

"Sshh, just give me a minute…" She heard the voice said. Her surprise grew stronger. Was he with someone?

Then she heard footsteps, a cat meow, and something... break? Followed by a curse.

"Hi? Hello? Miss? Hello?" The voice was back.

Three seconds into this conversation and she was already beyond irritated. "I'm sorry, is this not a good time?"

"No, this? This is a great time." He coughed. Something about his tone told her it wasn't a great time at all. Speaking of his tone… He indeed had a deep voice. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, I heard…"

"Oh, that's Missy, the building cat." He explained like the most natural thing in the world.

"Does Missy giggle too?" She leaned back against her chair and crossed her legs.

"No, that was… Sally, I think? I didn't catch her name. Is that important? Anyway, how can I help you?"

The nerve on this man. She was seconds away from hanging up the phone and moving onto the next resume. However, after a pause, she found herself speak. "My name is Abby Griffin, I am calling about work actually."

"Yeah, right…" She heard him say, then she heard paper shuffling. He sounded exasperated. Well damn, it wasn't her fault if he didn't like his job. "Is this a personal injury case? How can I help, Abby?"

"It is Dr. Griffin." She corrected him, highly annoyed. She had no idea why this man got her all worked up over the course of thirteen seconds. But, she did not like him one bit. "And, no I'm not suing anyone."

"Being sued? Defense? Always tough." He spoke knowingly.

"Well, no…"

"Expert witness?"

"No… This is-"

"Juror?" Suddenly his voice grew cold (as though it could get any colder), "Look, if this is about the criminal case from last week, I specifically told that judge that I would never tamper with-"

"This is not a guessing game, Mr. Kane." She interrupted him. "My hospital needs you."

"Sounds romantic." He chuckled. He had a nice laugh. Not that it mattered. "Tried Batman yet?"

"This is not a joke. Medical malpractice sounds romantic to you?" She found herself cracking a smile. Then she got mad at herself and stopped.

"Well, something's gotta." He replied. "How can I help you?"

"I… " Wait, what were they talking about again? She faltered… Quick, Oh my God. "I need a lawyer."

"Well, you have me."

I.. what? This conversation was a train wreck. She cleared her throat. "Mr. Kane, my hospital is looking to hire legal staff. We would like it if you were to come in for an interview."

"Me? How did you even find me?"

"You sound like you don't want a job." Her hand subconsciously went to the telephone set. She was dangerously close to hanging up the phone on his face. It would be satisfying, she thought.

"Depends on the job." He replied nonchalantly. Who was he to be nonchalant? She was the only nonchalant person in this conversation… and the planet.

It was best to delve right into the point. She wasn't getting anything done with this man. "I got your resume from my colleague. Our last lawyer retired, so we're on the market for another one; a standard hospital lawyer that would handle our cases."

"A lot of malpractice going on over there?" Then he let out a deep chuckle. "Wrongful amputation?"

"How did you even-"

"It's more common in surgery than you might think." He spoke in a sly tone.

Only then Abby remembered to gaze down at the 'EXPERIENCE' part in his resume. Three hospitals? He had worked in three hospitals before?

"Could you tell me why you got fired from three hospitals?" Yes, she was great at changing the subject. She mentally congratulated herself.

He groaned. She heard paper shuffling, what sounded like a chair squeaking… and a cat meow again. Then she heard him speak. "A lot of doctors don't… Well, let's just say they are not fond of me."

"What makes you think we'd be fond of you then?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I never said that. You're the one calling me, ma'am."

Damn, he was right.

"Do you want this interview or not?" She quickly gathered herself.

"How can I refuse?"

#

"Hahahahahaha, Oh my God, thanks!" Fiona Jenkins giggled. No, more like laughed… No, hollered.

Abby had to cringe so hard that her eyes fell back onto the resume in front of her. Why was this happening to her? She got into medical school to save lives, not deal with bureaucratic bullshit that came in the form of howling women. What had become of this generation? Fiona was what? 25? When had she even finished law school? Did she want some Benzoyl Peroxide for her acne?

From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Jaha. He had a giant, fake smile plastered on his face as he nodded at everything the woman said.

"I know I don't have a lot of experience, but-"

"You don't have any experience." Abby muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

"But… I did watch a lot of Grey's Anatomy." Fiona explained, cheerfully. Was this a joke? Where were the cameras?

"That's.. amazing…" Jaha replied. Abby had a feeling Jaha didn't think this was amazing at all. "We'll be in touch."

The woman picked up her bright blue purse, flashed a smile at both of them, and left the room with her pumps clacking on the marble floor.

The minute the door was closed, Abby turned to Jaha, utterly incredulous. Did he really think he would approve of someone like her?

After a pause, Jaha spoke cautiously. "I'll admit, she's a bit… colorful."

"She sounds like a rainbow puked on her… and, that's not a good thing. Vomit is never a good thing." She tossed her resume aside. It had been 24 hours since she was on board with this process, and she was already considering handing in her resignation. Maybe she could move to Norway, buy a little house, grow tomatoes…

"Are you thinking of growing tomatoes again?" Jaha scratched something on his chart.

"Leave me alone."

"Once you approve someone, sure. How about Ted Collins?" Jaha shuffled through the papers until he found his resume.

"Oh, puh-lease, he makes me wanna inject myself with 3.2 mg of Epinephrine and dearly depart from this world." She promised herself she would take lunch after this last interview.

"But… you would die."

She just groaned at Jaha's stupidity before getting up. She was definitely taking early lunch, right after this interview. Angelic thoughts of food raced in her head as her fingers reached for the doorknob. One last interview. Maybe she could even get coffee after. It was still early enough to drown herself in caffeine and not be judged for it.

The second she opened the door, however, she was hit in the face with a loud laughter of a woman. A familiar woman.

She squinted, took a step and looked to her left, and there she saw Fiona (still there), next to a man. A man… a very attractive looking-

She cleared her throat. His brown eyes met hers. Then immediately after, he looked away. What a shame. He turned to the peacock next to her… Sorry, he turned to Fiona J something? What even was her last name? Not that it mattered, Abby was not going to see her again.

"We can pick this up later." He spoke, and Abby froze.

She knew that voice.

"Oh, of course darlin'! Can't wait!" With that she slipped a piece of paper on his jacket pocket, blew a very inappropriate kiss to him, and left… never once forgetting to sway her hips. Not that, he was looking. His interest seemed to disperse the second she was out of his view. Instead, his eyes landed on Abby. She felt chills running down her spine, her hand still gripping the door knob.

"Marcus Kane." He introduced himself with half a smile.

"What did she give you?" She found herself asking, without giving it a second thought. Her curiosity got the best of her.

"Hm?" He seemed lost for a second, before coming to a halt. Then he remembered, and reached for his pocket. "I'm not sure… Her number, I think."

"And that's appropriate how?" She frowned.

"It's not." He shrugged, put the paper back in his pocket, and walked in.

He was already seated by the time she gathered herself and walked back into the room, closing the door after her with an insecure click. She could see Jaha throw him a pleasant smile. What was up with him? Who did he think he was? This stranger acted like he could charm anyone.

"Thank you for coming in." Jaha nodded.

"It's my pleasure." He replied.

Abby did a little mock imitation of his last words, relying on the fact that she was still standing behind him by the door. It didn't go unnoticed by Jaha who threw her a warning glance. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to him and took a seat next to her colleague.

Did the word "sharp" have an opposite? Messy? No, this man was not quite messy, and the only thing sharp about him was his gaze on the both of them. The rest of him was… slightly unkempt. A little bit more and she would characterize him as borderline chaotic. His rich red tie (not an expensive one from the looks of it) rested right under his two-week old stubble. His hair looked like he had postponed his last week's hairdresser appointment. His clothes looked nice, but worn out. Overall, he seemed like he was off by two weeks. That was it… Two weeks ago, this man would have looked a-okay.

"A friend of mine recommended you." Jaha spoke (Really, why hadn't he tell her that? She was always kept in the dark in this hospital.) "Said you were a pain in the ass to work with, but could win cases."

A smirk appeared on Marcus' lips and his gaze momentarily fell onto the ground before finding Jaha again. "Is that a compliment, then?"

"Certainly. We tolerate difficult people well here." With that Jaha's eyes fell on Abby.

She frowned and did a double take. Excuse me? "Well, I-"

"What bring you to this town?" Jaha spoke quickly, interrupting her approaching denial.

"My kids." He replied, confident, as though he knew this question was coming and had answered it automatically many times in the past. "The older one started college in a city nearby, and I heard the high schools here were good for the younger one."

Two kids? Dear, lord, how did he manage? Abby could barely take care of one. Speaking of kids… Was he married? Who was Sally then?

"Abby!"

"Hmm?"

"I said, doesn't Clarke go that college as well?" Jaha nudged her on the shoulder, then flashed a grand smile at Marcus like a housewife who wanted her husband to impress the guests.

"Oh…" She cleared her throat. "Yes, she is a sophomore. They grow up so fast." Who had the automated responses now? Hah, I beat you Marcus Kane.

"My name is Thelonious Jaha, I am the Chief of Surgery here. Abby here is the Chief of Medicine. We're pleased to have you. Have you worked in a hospital before?"

"Three times. Each one of them was a different experience, neither good nor bad."

God, she hated his grammar. "Why do you think we should hire you?" She found herself asking. Good, cut right to the chase. Be confident.

When their eyes locked, he squinted a little as if he was attempting to look deep into her soul. The act itself was eerie. "What is your last case?"

"It's not a case yet-"Jaha started until he was interrupted.

"That wrongful amputation right? Mrs. Griffin mentioned on the phone."

Shit. Jaha turned to her with an incredulous look. No, she hadn't! He had guessed! This wasn't Salem, why was she being burned alive?

"What was it? Hand? Finger? Leg?... Balls?"

"It was the patient's thumb." Jaha replied, sulking a little. Abby knew this was going to have an impact on his precious surgical career.

"Was he conscious when he was brought in? Drugged?"

"Well, we had to sedate him for the pain, of course."

"Nurse administered it, I suppose. What was it? Lorazepem?"

How did he know that? Abby saw Jaha nod.

"And I assume you wanted conscious sedation. Who took his history? The same nurse?"

Jaha nodded again, frantically this time. Abby could see the mental pain he was in trying to keep up with the lawyer in front of him.

Marcus smiled like he had found gold in an abandoned beach. He leaned forward. "Then the only question left is; how much do you value this nurse?"

"You're hired!"

"Thelonious!" Abby found herself crying out. Why had he even put her through the process of incredible boredom to approve lawyers if he was just gonna hire one before even consulting her? She hated lawyers, but as of that moment, she hated surgeons more. Did they even have brains?"

Marcus chuckled. "Your colleague might not be so sure."

"Well, hold on a minute…" The hell with Thelonious, she was gonna handle this herself. He was still too dazed to come up with a response. "Are you really that willing to point the finger at a poor nurse and destroy her life?"

"Litigation is all about pointing fingers. Also, who says we'll win?" He shrugged, leaning back into his chair.

"You just did." She frowned.

"No, I just told you your defense. You need a plan, not a psychic who has the answers on a possible impleader action."

"Well, shouldn't a good lawyer tell us if we'll win or not?" She leaned forward on the desk. His eyes glimmered with deceit and trickery; two things Abby had never possessed in her entire life. The closest she had been to a man like Marcus was when she watched her TV shows Saturday nights with a glass of wine abandoned on her half dusty nightstand.

"A bad lawyer will tell you that you will win. I don't work with false hope. I give you your strategy and my prediction."

"And what is your prediction?"

He finally turned to look at Jaha. Brutal honesty clouded his features. "He's liable. You're fucked." He shrugged, "and… don't worry about the nurse, the hospital will end up paying her attorney's fees. Isn't that what giant corporations are for?"

The nerve on this man! "This hospital is here to save lives!"

He did not believe her; she could see it in his eyes. He was one of those people that Abby knew so well… One of those cynics who thought hospitals were just means to an end in the hopes of capitalism and abusing the poor. How many times those clickbait articles had showed up in her Facebook newsfeed? "The cure for cancer has been found, the government doesn't want you to know it because they want you to keep paying money. What happens next will shock you."

However, he let it go. She didn't know whether to be furious with him for being… the way he was, or for the fact that he refused to argue with her about the issue. Her eyes found Jaha's again. Maybe, just maybe, if she believed hard enough, she could telepathically communicate to Jaha how much she hated this man, and how much she didn't want him in her hospital.

Just try… Be your own Jean Grey.

"When can you start?" Jaha asked enthusiastically, ignoring her.

Well, shit.

I don't have any plans for this story nor I had any when I first started. This is something I coughed up when I was feeling a little alone last night, and had my laptop to keep me company. Let me warn you... because I am a law student, there will come a time where I will probably abandon this story and you will hate me for it. Until then, feel free to encourage me to continue since I am running low on inspiration and caffeine. Merci.