It's A Date
"The hell is your problem, you asshole?"
Dr. Cunningham sighed loudly and melodramatically, quite used to the blatant display of anger and bitchiness that Maria always seemed to exude. He never let it get to him. Dr. Torres was always particularly fiesty, he knew, and it was usually a source of amusement. After all, he enjoyed prodding her once in a while to see how she'd lash out.
He fought to keep an amused grin off his features as he pressed the gauze saturated with alcohol down against her leg more roughly than she had anticipated for a second time. He couldn't help but chuckle softly the second time as he was met with a screech.
"F-Fine! I'll shut up, just do your job, Gabe. Hurry it up, I have a shift to get to," Maria said snippily, curling her fingers against the edge of the exam table, teeth clenched as the alcohol stung against the small laceration. Her tan cheeks were unnaturally red as the older doctor hovered by her hip. She wanted nothing more than to slap that grin off his face, but he did offer to help, after all. ...And she wouldn't be so rash and ungrateful... even though he really was an asshole.
Gabriel rolled his eyes in reply, offering up a crooked grin and a snarky retort as he dabbed at the blood on the wound, "Oh, so you actually do work around here, do you?"
She didn't give him a chance to breathe before jumping on his case.
"Excuse me! You're one to talk, you lazy ass! You use a goddamn machine because God forbid you actually take notes on your own."
He was far too amused to even deny it. She had a point, but the use of RONI wasn't exactly his choice to begin with. Diagnosis isn't easy and he rarely, if ever, got proper credit for his work. And when he joined forces with the animatronic and monotone-voiced computer assistant, whatever noteriety he had flew out the window. Not that it mattered to him anymore, he had much else to ponder about. More important things. Such as wondering if Maria was single. Or if she was always snarky and how charming she might just be had she worn something more feminine and dropped the swearing.
Gabe quickly cleaned the wound with precision and applied a bandage before straightening up and smirking and patting Maria's head as if she were a child. She growled and he chuckled once more, picking up the tray near her leg.
"Now, off to work with you, Dr. Torres. I can't have Esha on my ass for keeping you back from... whatever it is you do," he said a bit teasingly, moving over to the sink as Maria slid off the table.
She rolled her eyes in reply.
"Emergency medicine, remember? Much more than you can handle yourself," she grinned faintly, tone sharp as usual.
He knew well what she did, and he had to admit that she did it well indeed. Well, he'd never admit it to her face, that is. His pride of her was kept quiet. And, in reverse, Maria would never admit a thing either. The simultaneous smartass remarks and sarcastic tones kept them butting heads with each other. Not that one or the other quite minded- in fact, if nothing else, it had made them better friends. In a large medical complex like Resurgam First Care, good company was oddly hard to come by. And Dr. Cunningham and Dr. Torres always appreciated the presence of the other, though the bickering didn't imply it.
Gabe surprisingly found himself smiling as he washed his hands in the steel sink in the exam room.
"That's right. Now get out of my office, you," he said, voice amused as he glanced over at her.
She paused, rolling her eyes again. She had been doing quite a lot of that lately. Especially around Gabe nonetheless. Maria looked hesitant, then spoke gently.
"You still on for lunch later?"
He raised a brow, drying his hands and turning to face her from across the small room.
"Oh, I almost forgot about that," he paused, thinking to himself for a second before meeting her gaze. "What time?"
"Four o'clock."
"Nope. I have a post-op to see to."
"What about five, then? ...And who?"
"The new blonde kid in the ICU. ...And five won't work either. Refferral ascultation."
"Dammit, Gabe. The one day I'm free, you decide to actually see patients. ...How does seven o'clock sound? And make it dinner instead?"
"How's about you fill out some charts to help me out, promise not to tell Esha I made you do it, and I'll even take you out and buy you dinner at seven?"
She folded her arms, considering it as he stared with his amber eyes, hands moving to the pockets of his lab coat.
"Hm," she groaned softly. It wasn't a bad deal at all, to be honest. There was nothing to lose, really, and she did have the entire evening off for once. Maybe... maybe she'd just enjoy herself for a change, she thought.
"...You are so lazy, Gabe, I swear. But... that sounds like a plan."
"Perfect," he smirked, tone amused. "Seven o'clock in the lounge."
"Make it the Nurses' station."
"How about you just come back here to my office and we can have some fun-"
"Hell no!," he turned bright red under his gaze, grumbling under her breath before turning and heading for the door, flustered. "I'll see you at seven. The lounge."
He saluted like he had done many times back in his Army days.
"Yes ma'am."
With that she cleared hear throat, willed away her blush and slipped out of his office and back into the empty hospital hallway. Inside the exam room, Gabe grinned from ear to ear, genuinely happy for the first time in what seemed like ages to him. It was a date.