I decided to finally post this for a super-special ER going-away present, for the final season and all.
Set during season three's "Homeless for the Holidays." But I screwed around with the internal timeline, so in fact it makes no sense. So seriously, don't try to search for a timeline. It'll confuse the hell out of you.....and her name's pronounced "Kail." She's also an original character. This story will be femslash in future chapters. Don't like that. Don't read this.
The entrance door from the ER's ambulance bay slid open, releasing a burst of cold air as a brunette woman in her late twenties walked in. After brushing some snow off her stylish thigh-length coat she walked up to the front desk.
"Hello?" She asked, trying to interrupt the conversation between the two desk clerks, one a fairly large heavyset man and the other a brunette woman. The man broke away and came to her assistance.
"Can I help you?" He asked.
"I'm supposed to meet with Donald Anspaugh regarding my hiring." The woman told the desk clerk. "Can you just tell me where I can find him? He didn't tell me what floor he was on."
The desk clerk pointed towards a flight of stairs. "Up there and to the left. His name's on the door."
The woman looked off towards that direction, something instead catching her eye from within one of the ER's exam rooms. "Yeah, thanks." She responded somewhat absentmindedly as she headed towards the exam room.
"Maggie?" She asked as she opened the door, stepping in on a female doctor examining a man with a sprained ankle.
The doctor turned around upon hearing the woman's voice. "Kayle?" She replied rhetorically as she gave the woman a friendly hug.
A black man in nurse's scrubs looked at the scene. "Doctor Doyle?" He asked, trying to regain her attention and hopefully some information about what had just happened.
Dr. Maggie Doyle gestured towards the nurse, then back at the woman. "Malik this is Kayle. Kayle, Malik." She smiled. "Kayle and I went to medical school together."
Kayle laughed as if Maggie's introduction was an understatement. "I was actually a few years ahead of her. I was in my last year when she started, but we didn't meet until I became her mentor the year after." She corrected with a friendly look towards Maggie who had gone back to treating the patient.
Maggie looked up and smirked. Malik nodded, "So I'm guessing I'm right when I say you two are friends?" He handed Maggie a splint and Kayle then helped her wrap it.
Kayle nodded, "Except we haven't seen each other in what?"
"Three years? We sorta lost each other I guess." Maggie finished. "So what are you doing here?"
"Apparently Doctor Anspaugh believes you need another doctor down here in the ER. He called me at Jefferson and stole me from them."
Maggie smiled, "That's great!"
Malik smiled as well, but more on welcoming terms. "Well you won't get bored here at County General."
Maggie then handed the patient a pair of crutches. "You should be able to take it off in no more than two weeks. Just stop at the front desk before you leave."
The man nodded, "Thanks Doctor Doyle." He then got up and exited the room, Malik holding the door and following soon after, leaving the two reunited friends alone.
Kayle looked at her watch. "Crap. I have to be with Anspaugh in literally two minutes."
"Well, I could show you there." Maggie offered.
Kayle smiled. "That'd be great."
They then exited the exam room and headed towards the stairs until a voice called out, stopping Maggie in her tracks – subsequently causing Kayle to stop as well.
"Doctor Doyle, you're not on lunch break for another hour."
Maggie and Kayle spun around to see a shorter red-haired woman with a forearm crutch walking towards them.
"Well..." Maggie started before Kayle cut in.
"I'm Doctor Kayle Brennan." She extended her hand.
The red-head shook it, "Doctor Kerry Weaver, Acting ER Chief."
"I was just looking for Doctor Anspaugh's office, and I asked Doctor Doyle to show me how to get there."
Dr. Weaver nodded, "Well alright then, move along." She then turned around and headed back to where she came from.
Maggie and Kayle continued up the stairs, not noticing Dr. Weaver stop at the front desk.
"Jerry." Dr. Weaver half-commanded towards the male desk clerk.
"Doctor Weaver." Jerry replied, putting his full-attention towards her, not wanting to upset.
She gestured towards Kayle and Maggie. "That Doctor with Doyle, why's she seeing Anspaugh?"
Jerry watched Kayle and Maggie slip out of view, then answered the question after assuming it was safe. "She said something about hiring."
Dr. Weaver noticed a taller balding man with glasses walk by and she grabbed his arm, effectively stopping him and causing him to turn his attention to her.
"Kerry, what's up?" The man's scrub top was embroidered with M. Greene M.D.
"Mark. Do you know anything about a new doctor joining the ER?"
"I'm guessing you didn't hire them?"
"No, Anspaugh's going over our heads on this one." Dr. Weaver replied, obviously a bit agitated that she wasn't clued in on such a big decision.
"He is over our heads Kerry. Maybe he just wanted a certain person for the job?" Dr. Greene said, trying to explain it to the control-driven Dr. Weaver.
"I'll see you later then." Maggie said with a smile, walking backwards to face Kayle as she spoke and headed towards the stairs at the same time.
"Yeah." Kayle noticed a small Santa-shaped pin on Maggie's labcoat. "But you might have to lend me one of those." She gestured to the pin.
Maggie laughed, pausing at the top of the stairs. "I actually have one in my locker, brought an extra."
"Save it for me." Kayle replied before Maggie headed back down the stairs, she herself then turned towards the office door and entered into the waiting area. She walked up to the assistant. "I'm Doctor Brennan."
The assistant smiled and gestured to Anspaugh's door, "He's been waiting for you."
Kayle ignored the woman and entered the office, shutting the door behind herself.
"I was beginning to wonder when you'd arrive." Dr. Anspaugh greeted, gesturing to a seat in front of him.
"Sorry sir. I was helping one of your doctors in the ER with a splint." Kayle replied, taking her seat.
"Already into it Doctor Brennan?" Anspaugh chuckled then regained his composure. "Now let's get down to business. So when I called to hire you, I forgot something."
Kayle's organs felt like they were attacking her. Was he withdrawing his offer? Did she come all the way here for nothing? Am I here just to be rejected?
"I didn't tell you the exact position you'd hold. Now, I figure we could use another higher Attending in the main ER along with Doctors Weaver and Greene, and then Doctor Ross in Pedes."
Kayle looked on in shock.
"You've already been published in several medical journals, and according to my friend – the Chief of Staff at Jefferson you were one of the best there. Some of your abilities even surpassing tenures." Anspaugh looked back at Kayle. "So you ready to make the jump to County?"
Kayle nodded. "Of course."
Anspaugh's hand then reached to his top left desk drawer and pulled out a brand new stethoscope and then he got up and turned to a coat rack beside his desk, retrieving a labcoat. He handed both to his new hire, first the labcoat which Kayle put on after taking off her coat, she then placed the scope around her neck and draped her outerwear coat over her arm.
"The scope is brand-new, a gift from me." He then retrieved a small plastic engraved tag with her surname on it. She took it and placed it in the K. Brennan M.D. embroidered pocket of her labcoat. "You can put that on your locker."
"Thank you sir." Kayle responded, extending her free hand and receiving a firm and formal shake.
"Don't thank me Doctor Brennan. You're the one who earned this." Anspaugh replied as Kayle turned to leave, subsequently settling back into his chair after she left.
No. I didn't name her after Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan from the TV show Bones, although Kayle's last name was partially inspired by it in a small way. The name just fit better with her personality than anything else I came up with to be honest.
