Paths
This story will eventually be Jilliam, but for the moment it is Liziam (William/Liza). Or Wilza. I haven't decided on the name yet...
It's slightly AU, but will basically keep to the season 1 and the rest of the series.
William walked into the Constabulary, full of energy. He was getting married in a month to the woman he loved and the crime in Toronto was at an all-time low. Of course that meant that William had a mountain of paper work to finish that he'd been avoiding for the last week but William was in such a good mood that he didn't care. The only thing William had to do today that didn't particularly please him was go to meet the new pathologist. The last one had been a crotchety old man who butted heads with Murdoch on every occasion, claiming that William's new detecting ideas were preposterous. Needless to say, William was not looking to forward to working with someone like that again.
After catching up with George and spending half an hour working on paperwork, William decided it was time to meet the new pathologist. He stood from his desk and walked the short distance to the Inspector's office.
"Sir, if you don't need anything, I was planning to take this moment to meet the new pathologist, Doctor Ogden." Brackenreid looked up from his own paperwork with a smirk.
"You go right on over Murdoch." Thomas said with a smile. William could tell there was something that the Inspector was not telling him; he looked like a child with a secret. But William said nothing; he simply nodded and left the constabulary.
William had been in the morgue many times and was used to the sights of the morgue but never before had William seen so many boxes. He peeked into one of the boxes closest to him and the contents of the box took William by surprise. The box was filled top to bottom with medical journals. Intrigued, William searched another box. It too was filled with medical journals. And not just any medical journals but medical journals that William kept on hand in his office. Medical journals that explored new techniques and new medicines. Suddenly William was very excited to meet the new doctor. He was obviously a man with a very open mind.
Quickly William rounded the corner and made his way into the office where he was greet to the site of more boxes. They littered the floor and covered the desk. Some of the books had been placed on the shelves. A human skeleton stood by the desk and William walked over to inspect it. It was a real skeleton and William was amazed; fake skeletons were hard to come by, let alone a human one. William heard some rustling coming from down the hall and his excitement grew. He waited eagerly as someone walked into the room, expecting to see the new doctor. However a pile of boxes were blocking William's view.
"Would you like some help?" William asked as the figure swayed under the boxes' weight. There was a mumbled answer and William rushed to help. He took several boxes from the doctor and placed them on the desk. When he turned around the doctor had moved over to the shelves and William was finally able to see his new college. A woman. William cocked his head in confusion and walked over to the woman.
"Thank you for the help with the boxes." She said without looking at him as she placed several books on the shelf. William gave a tiny nod in response.
"I have come to meet the new pathologist, Doctor Ogden? I am Detective William Murdoch. Are you an assistant of the doctor's?" William asked politely. The woman turned around gracefully and smiled, confidently offering her hand to the detective.
"I am Julia Ogden. Doctor Julia Ogden. It's a pleasure to meet you Detective." William's eyes widened and he sputtered for a moment.
"You are Doctor Ogden?" He asked. Julia smiled again and nodded. William quickly caught himself from saying anything rude and shook the doctor's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He quickly released her hand and pointed to the books awkwardly.
"You have some excellent reading material." Julia turned to gaze at the books.
"Some of them are quite controversial but I do think they make for an excellent read, yes." William reached for one of the books he recognized.
"This one may be controversial but I think it is the future of transplantation of organs, blood transfusion, and possibly a cure for Haemophilia." Julia smiled.
"Blood transfusions? I couldn't agree more!" She exclaimed. William felt a smile growing across his face. As Julia began explain how she believed blood transfusions could help haemophiliacs and do so much more, William knew he would get along fine with this new doctor.
"But she's a woman!" William exclaimed later that night to Liza at dinner. Liza raised an eyebrow.
"And that is an issue?" She challenged. William shook his head as he cut up his steak.
"It is not an issue that she is a woman. She seems very smart and her credentials are very impressive. It's not a matter of qualification…"
"Then what?" Liza asked. William sighed and put down his utensils.
"What if we have a case involving a child? I am worried that she will-"
"Become too emotional at the sight of a dead child? You fear she will be too emotional on the job because this Doctor Ogden is a woman?" Liza's tone was rising and William could tell he had backed himself into a corner.
"I just-" William tried, but Liza cut him off.
"I should think that anyone would become slightly emotional at the sight of a dead child! I'm sure this Doctor Ogden knows exactly what she is doing. She must have worked very hard to get where she is. Perhaps pathology is not even the field she desires to pursue as a doctor but it is the only one she could attain because no one else would hire her as a doctor for fear that she would be too emotional!" Liza cried standing up from the table. "Really, William. I expected you to be more open minded than this." She sighed before leaving the room. William pushed his plate away and sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He really needed to learn how to properly explain his words, especially when he was interacting with females.
