I yawned and stretched out my arms. I glanced over at the clock and groaned loudly. Tonight was yet another late shift at the clinic and I always dreaded those. Nobody liked working until 2 in the morning and leaving Sherlock alone for extended periods of time didn't sit well with me. Had he been more of a normal person I would be at ease with it, but many times I came home to find new experiments being performed in various locations throughout the flat. I always felt like one day I would come home from work and the entire flat would be engulfed in flames. I walked over to the closet and quickly got dressed making my way out to the kitchen where Sherlock was sitting. He was in his usual position hovering over a telescope examining a specimen I wanted nothing to do with. I tried to ignore him, but found myself incapable of doing so.
"O.K. what the hell is that?"
Sherlock didn't meet my eyes as he stared down intently through the lens of the microscope. "It's part of the small intestines. Want to have a look?" I declined. "Where are you off to?"
I rolled my eyes. He asked me the same question every time almost as if he had forgotten that I had a job at all. "To work. I'm going to work."
"No need to get upset."
Truth was I was still upset with him. It had only been a few weeks since he had returned to Baker Street and while I wanted wholeheartedly to forgive him for all the pain he had caused me I simply couldn't. It would take time for me to heal from my emotional wounds and for us to get back in the swing of things. I grabbed my keys and said not another word. Tonight was going to be particularly stressful considering Sarah had since left the clinic to take care of her ailing grandmother. Tonight I would find out who my new superior was and while I was hoping it was a woman, I'd be ok with either.
I stepped inside and wiped my feet off on the mat that laid by the door. Already patients had begun lining up with various ailments and I knew it was going to be a long night. I walked towards the back and grabbed my white lab coat from its hook before heading down to Sarah's old office. I had no idea what I would find behind that office door, but what I found was not at all what I expected. There sat a young woman probably 10 years my junior tapping away at the keys on her keyboard. I couldn't hold back the smile that crossed my face. This didn't amuse her in the slightest.
"What's so funny?" She asked shifting her brown eyes to glance at me which was my cue to quickly wipe the smirk from my face.
"Nothing I just…" She had caught me off guard and I turned into a bumbling idiot. "Um…I'm John." She was a very attractive woman and I felt slightly perverted for even thinking so. She ran her fingers through her long brown hair before pulling it back into a ponytail. I was ok with her being my boss. That was until she started to talk.
"John? Oh John Watson the doctor Sarah was sleeping with. I'm Claire."
I stared at her a confused look crossing my face. "Excuse me?"
"Nothing just stating a fact. Well Dr. Watson it appears most of your shifts are late at night. Is there a reason for that?"
For someone so beautiful I found her attitude completely unprofessional and appalling. "I have another job."
"Do you have proof of this other job? I didn't see anything on your record except that you've served in the war."
"Well…it…it isn't a paying job."
"So it's a hobby than?"
"No no it's definitely a job. I help my flat mate solve crimes."
"If it doesn't pay I can't consider it a job therefore I'm going to need you to start coming in for more day shifts starting tomorrow."
I felt my head begin to throb thinking about all the plans I had for tomorrow that were now completely ruined. "I can't start tomorrow. I'm supposed to be accompanying my flat mate to a musical in the afternoon he's had these tickets for weeks."
"A musical in the middle of the day?"
"It's the Bargain Matinée my flat mate is a little on the cheap side."
"Can you go later?"
"I'm afraid not they're all sold out."
"Well you'll have to cancel then."
"There are other doctor's here."
"They've all taken the necessary steps to ensure they have the day off tomorrow. You haven't. From now on if you want a day off you have to fill out a time off request otherwise you come in when you're scheduled. Now there's a patient in the next room who's chopped his finger off with a carving knife. Get to it Dr. Watson."
I turned and left, but not before mumbling the word 'Bitch' under my breath. This was to be the worst night shift of my life for I couldn't help but remain angry by the way she had talked to me. I was older than her I deserved some ounce of respect. It baffled me how someone her age could even obtain such a position, but I was stuck with her. Every so often she'd come creeping by the door to check up on me almost as if she was unsure of my capabilities. This annoyed me greatly for I didn't need anyone to watch over me especially her.
I glanced up at the clock which read 1:51. I would be out of here within the next 9 minutes and they were the slowest 9 minutes to ever pass. I finished up my last patient and sent him on his way. I stood up and stretched out my legs.
"Why did you give Mrs. Hamilton's forehead wound 10 stitches when it only required 9?"
I jumped at the sound of her voice hitting my ears so suddenly. "Because I like to be safe. Nothing wrong with giving her one extra."
"But that's one extra she didn't need."
I wanted nothing more than to just scream at her as loud as I could. Too bad my mother taught me to be courteous to women though I was starting to doubt just how far my courtesy should go with this one. I held my temper and smiled softly at her. "I'll try not to do it again." She simply turned around and walked away almost as if she had completely ignored what I said. I didn't want to be there another second and I quickly left not glancing back for a second.
When I arrived home I found Sherlock still sitting in the same position he had been when I left him only this time he was examining something even more grotesque.
"Let me guess…it's a body organ."
"Just stop." Sherlock said clearly not amused by my attempt at small talk. "How was your night?"
"Fucking awful." He whipped his head around and looked at me like he always did when I cursed. "Sorry there is no other way of saying it. I met my new boss."
"Oh? Is she pretty?"
I rolled my eyes. "Oh please. Since when do you care if someone is attractive or not?"
"I'm just asking."
"Well to answer your question she is extremely attractive, far too young for either of us, and a vapid bitch."
"Nice usage of words. Though I wish you wouldn't curse so much sometimes. It makes you sound less intelligent."
"Less intelligent than I already am right?"
"I didn't say that." He retorted as he furrowed his eyebrows.
"Don't do that." I said knowing exactly what he was doing.
"You like her."
"Negative. You're a little rusty Sherlock you should work on that. I'm off to bed." I scratched the back of my head and began to make my way towards my bedroom.
"Don't forget the show is tomorrow at 3."
I stopped and back tracked. "Yeah about that…I can't go."
"What do you mean you can't go?"
"I mean I can't go."
"Why on earth not? We've had this planned out for weeks!"
"I have to work."
Sherlock looked at me confused. "You rarely ever work during the day."
"Vapid bitch."
"Indeed. Oh well. I guess I will just go by myself."
"You could ask Lestrade or Mycroft."
"Both of them equally dull."
"Anderson?"
"Ha ha ha." He said sarcastically before going back to what he was doing.
I bid him goodnight a second time and finally made my way to my room. I didn't even bother undressing for I was far too exhausted both mentally and physically. I simply flopped down on the bed and fell straight to sleep. If I thought tonight had been tiresome I was in for a rude awakening the next afternoon when Claire and I would face off yet again.
