Love and Hate
Chapter 1: Arrival
Carrying her rucksack on her back and a bag in her right hand, she stood there among passengers and relatives waiting for their planes to come. Every airport was like this one, with its coming and going, its voices and patter. Here she was, looking for the exit, she who had flown from Boston just to settle down miles away from her family and few friends. As she spotted the large doors not far from her, the cab cars behind, she sighed. The last time she had been in LA, the sun had shone, the birds had been trying to drown out the brumming of the cars, she had spent two wonderful weeks in spring at the Western coast, not at the beach but at an interview at Community General Hospital and then looking for an apartment. The former had been as successful as the latter had not. Now it was November, not as warm and especially not as sunny a day as then. Looking for an apartment wouldn't be quite funny now.
"Doctor Wells?" she heard someone say somewhere behind her. She turned around to where she believed to find someone she knew, as Wells was her name. Not succeeding, she got on her tiptoes, balancing still with her bag, when she finally spotted an elderly white-haired man with an equally white moustache whom she recognised from the interview as Doctor Mark Sloan and who had offered her, after her telling him about her failure in finding a lodging, to stay with him and his son – a fire-worker, wasn't he? someone working for the state – just for the time she needed to find an accommodation. The man waved, and he and a taller man next to him walked over to her.
"Hello, Doctor Wells! I hope you had a good flight."
"Yes, thank you, Doctor Sloan! And it's Emily." she added with a smile, trying her best not to look too exhausted.
The taller man had to be the doctor's son, according to the shape of his face, especially the same broad chin. Though his smile wasn't accompanied by those twinkling eyes which gave his father a more sympathetic look and Sloan junior a friendly but hiding look.
"And this is my son Steve", the elder man informed her. "Steve , may I introduce you to Doctor Emily Wells?"
"Pleased to meet you, Doctor Wells!"
"It's Emily. Pleased to meet you, too. Your father told me much about you. Correct me if I'm wrong that you work for the fire-department?"
"Well, Emily, that's not completely wrong, he does help the fire-department, but most of all he works for the LAPD as a Lieutenant Detective."
"Sorry, Mr. Sloan, that I misunderstood your father then."
"Doesn't matter. And you're that young doctor my father told me about."
Doctor Sloan interrupted them. "Emily, let Steve take your bag and let's go home. You must be very tired from your voyage."
"Actually, you're right. Thanks, Mister Sloan!"
"Steve" replied the younger man. She nodded smiling, and together they went through the crowd outside.
In the car, she watched the raindrops splatter on the ground and listened to their sound on the car. The sound of the radio mixed with the raindrops and nobody said a word.
The house was amazing. Outside it was hidden behind a wall and high plant between which you walked towards the brown door. When entering you stood in a small hall that led directly – attention to the stairs – into the living room.
Steve put the bag down on the floor, an Mark followed Emily's glance to the broad windows that showed the rather rough Pacific Ocean. She immediately thought of her home, the windows through which she watched the Atlantic Ocean that soon would have ice floes shimmering on a cold December morning… she swallowed, then sighed and strengthened herself.
"I'll show you your room now, so you can refresh yourself. And then we should have something to eat. You like barbecue?"
She looked at him in surprise. "Yes. Barbecue? I thought the Californian cuisine… "
"…were kind of light? Well, as Steve is the co-owner of this barbecue restaurant, it's a lot harder to keep up a diet," Mark said giggling.
Later in the night, Emily laid on her bed, not tired enough to sleep because of the happenings during the day, but tired enough not to recall everything Steve and Mark – he had offered her to call him that way – had told her about the best places in LA and the Community General. Sometimes she couldn't understand the two men, the restaurant being full of customers who Steve had to serve because some doctor of CG hadn't had time. A doctor? No, was impossible. Doctors had 48-hour-shifts three times a week, when should this doctor find the time to rum a restaurant! As hard as she tried, she couldn't remember that name. She yawned. She had to find this doctor the day she would be in hospital the first time, she thought. And with that thought and the taste of barbecued ribs she drifted into sleep.
Chapter 2: The first day at CGH
The weather hadn't gone better. On the contrary, it rained cats and dogs, and so she stalked through the streets, having just had a look at two apartments at moderate rent that were far away from being moderate. Only they had been just a few blocks away from the hospital. Just three apartments left on her list. Her umbrella couldn't prevent her feet from becoming soaked wet though she was currently dodging bigger puddles. She looked at her watch. She could as well go to the hospital now where she was to meet Mark for lunch.
And suddenly it happened: a swoosh, a scream, and she lay on the ground.
People turned around to look down at her. How incredulously she looked, she thought. Her skirt dirty and wet as well as her nylons. Awful! She tried to get up but winced once she moved her left foot. Shit! Next try. Avoiding to move the left leg an inch, Emily managed to get up and to grab her umbrella which was now unnecessary because now she was already soaked wet, her hair clung to her face. Her hands were as dirty as her skirt. She hadn't taken a handkerchief with her. Great! What would happen next? Limping she made her way to the nearby CGH, grumbling at low voice along her way and biting her lip every time she moved her foot one inch too far, holding the umbrella in her cold hands.
Thus she arrived half an hour later at the hospital where she was greeted by a nurse and a wheelchair in which she sat down. Taking a deep breath she looked around.
The come and go didn't surprise her, that had been the same at Boston Central. It belonged to hospitals as a pony to a tail. Wheeled to an examination room she was asked her name and the necessary data and was told to wait, a doctor would come to examine her as soon as possible.
So here she was. This was where she was about to work the next years.
Not half an hour later the door opened and a young doctor caught her attention. Looking on his clipboard he didn't notice the young woman's paling face. "Hello, Misses" he searched on the clipboard, then threw a look at the person in front of him, then smiled broadly. "Hi, Emily."
"Doctor Wells!" she replied coldly.
Irritatedly, he went with his fingers through his hair. Then "Nice to meet you, too", reaching out his hand. He had his friendly smile back. But that didn't reach Emily declining his offer and wincing even more when he examined her foot.
"How did you do this?" he asked, trying to put up a conversation.
"I slipped."
He looked up at her. "Oh." Pause. "Has been a long time since med school."
"Yes." She longed to quit the hospital right now and forever, back to Boston. She couldn't work nearly next to this person who had hurt her that much.
Having finished the examination he looked into her hard eyes that'd shot icicles if they could. He laid his head on one side and spoke to her in a sternly tone. "Is it just me or have you become short-sentenced, Emily?"
Taking a deep breath she wanted very much to argue about making jokes about the past, but at that moment it was Mark's turn to enter the examination room.
"A nurse told me you were here." He spotted Jesse. "Oh good, you've already made acquaintance with Doctor Jesse Travis. He's the one I told you about yesterday." And at her questioning look added, "Who owns and runs BBQBob's together with Steve."
"Oh" she smiled dumbfounded.
This day had gone worse!
Chapter 1: Arrival
Carrying her rucksack on her back and a bag in her right hand, she stood there among passengers and relatives waiting for their planes to come. Every airport was like this one, with its coming and going, its voices and patter. Here she was, looking for the exit, she who had flown from Boston just to settle down miles away from her family and few friends. As she spotted the large doors not far from her, the cab cars behind, she sighed. The last time she had been in LA, the sun had shone, the birds had been trying to drown out the brumming of the cars, she had spent two wonderful weeks in spring at the Western coast, not at the beach but at an interview at Community General Hospital and then looking for an apartment. The former had been as successful as the latter had not. Now it was November, not as warm and especially not as sunny a day as then. Looking for an apartment wouldn't be quite funny now.
"Doctor Wells?" she heard someone say somewhere behind her. She turned around to where she believed to find someone she knew, as Wells was her name. Not succeeding, she got on her tiptoes, balancing still with her bag, when she finally spotted an elderly white-haired man with an equally white moustache whom she recognised from the interview as Doctor Mark Sloan and who had offered her, after her telling him about her failure in finding a lodging, to stay with him and his son – a fire-worker, wasn't he? someone working for the state – just for the time she needed to find an accommodation. The man waved, and he and a taller man next to him walked over to her.
"Hello, Doctor Wells! I hope you had a good flight."
"Yes, thank you, Doctor Sloan! And it's Emily." she added with a smile, trying her best not to look too exhausted.
The taller man had to be the doctor's son, according to the shape of his face, especially the same broad chin. Though his smile wasn't accompanied by those twinkling eyes which gave his father a more sympathetic look and Sloan junior a friendly but hiding look.
"And this is my son Steve", the elder man informed her. "Steve , may I introduce you to Doctor Emily Wells?"
"Pleased to meet you, Doctor Wells!"
"It's Emily. Pleased to meet you, too. Your father told me much about you. Correct me if I'm wrong that you work for the fire-department?"
"Well, Emily, that's not completely wrong, he does help the fire-department, but most of all he works for the LAPD as a Lieutenant Detective."
"Sorry, Mr. Sloan, that I misunderstood your father then."
"Doesn't matter. And you're that young doctor my father told me about."
Doctor Sloan interrupted them. "Emily, let Steve take your bag and let's go home. You must be very tired from your voyage."
"Actually, you're right. Thanks, Mister Sloan!"
"Steve" replied the younger man. She nodded smiling, and together they went through the crowd outside.
In the car, she watched the raindrops splatter on the ground and listened to their sound on the car. The sound of the radio mixed with the raindrops and nobody said a word.
The house was amazing. Outside it was hidden behind a wall and high plant between which you walked towards the brown door. When entering you stood in a small hall that led directly – attention to the stairs – into the living room.
Steve put the bag down on the floor, an Mark followed Emily's glance to the broad windows that showed the rather rough Pacific Ocean. She immediately thought of her home, the windows through which she watched the Atlantic Ocean that soon would have ice floes shimmering on a cold December morning… she swallowed, then sighed and strengthened herself.
"I'll show you your room now, so you can refresh yourself. And then we should have something to eat. You like barbecue?"
She looked at him in surprise. "Yes. Barbecue? I thought the Californian cuisine… "
"…were kind of light? Well, as Steve is the co-owner of this barbecue restaurant, it's a lot harder to keep up a diet," Mark said giggling.
Later in the night, Emily laid on her bed, not tired enough to sleep because of the happenings during the day, but tired enough not to recall everything Steve and Mark – he had offered her to call him that way – had told her about the best places in LA and the Community General. Sometimes she couldn't understand the two men, the restaurant being full of customers who Steve had to serve because some doctor of CG hadn't had time. A doctor? No, was impossible. Doctors had 48-hour-shifts three times a week, when should this doctor find the time to rum a restaurant! As hard as she tried, she couldn't remember that name. She yawned. She had to find this doctor the day she would be in hospital the first time, she thought. And with that thought and the taste of barbecued ribs she drifted into sleep.
Chapter 2: The first day at CGH
The weather hadn't gone better. On the contrary, it rained cats and dogs, and so she stalked through the streets, having just had a look at two apartments at moderate rent that were far away from being moderate. Only they had been just a few blocks away from the hospital. Just three apartments left on her list. Her umbrella couldn't prevent her feet from becoming soaked wet though she was currently dodging bigger puddles. She looked at her watch. She could as well go to the hospital now where she was to meet Mark for lunch.
And suddenly it happened: a swoosh, a scream, and she lay on the ground.
People turned around to look down at her. How incredulously she looked, she thought. Her skirt dirty and wet as well as her nylons. Awful! She tried to get up but winced once she moved her left foot. Shit! Next try. Avoiding to move the left leg an inch, Emily managed to get up and to grab her umbrella which was now unnecessary because now she was already soaked wet, her hair clung to her face. Her hands were as dirty as her skirt. She hadn't taken a handkerchief with her. Great! What would happen next? Limping she made her way to the nearby CGH, grumbling at low voice along her way and biting her lip every time she moved her foot one inch too far, holding the umbrella in her cold hands.
Thus she arrived half an hour later at the hospital where she was greeted by a nurse and a wheelchair in which she sat down. Taking a deep breath she looked around.
The come and go didn't surprise her, that had been the same at Boston Central. It belonged to hospitals as a pony to a tail. Wheeled to an examination room she was asked her name and the necessary data and was told to wait, a doctor would come to examine her as soon as possible.
So here she was. This was where she was about to work the next years.
Not half an hour later the door opened and a young doctor caught her attention. Looking on his clipboard he didn't notice the young woman's paling face. "Hello, Misses" he searched on the clipboard, then threw a look at the person in front of him, then smiled broadly. "Hi, Emily."
"Doctor Wells!" she replied coldly.
Irritatedly, he went with his fingers through his hair. Then "Nice to meet you, too", reaching out his hand. He had his friendly smile back. But that didn't reach Emily declining his offer and wincing even more when he examined her foot.
"How did you do this?" he asked, trying to put up a conversation.
"I slipped."
He looked up at her. "Oh." Pause. "Has been a long time since med school."
"Yes." She longed to quit the hospital right now and forever, back to Boston. She couldn't work nearly next to this person who had hurt her that much.
Having finished the examination he looked into her hard eyes that'd shot icicles if they could. He laid his head on one side and spoke to her in a sternly tone. "Is it just me or have you become short-sentenced, Emily?"
Taking a deep breath she wanted very much to argue about making jokes about the past, but at that moment it was Mark's turn to enter the examination room.
"A nurse told me you were here." He spotted Jesse. "Oh good, you've already made acquaintance with Doctor Jesse Travis. He's the one I told you about yesterday." And at her questioning look added, "Who owns and runs BBQBob's together with Steve."
"Oh" she smiled dumbfounded.
This day had gone worse!