Doctor Remy Hadley sat down on the couch with her glass of water, blinking profusely to make everything come into focus. Leaning her head back she started drifting back off to sleep, until the cell phone on her coffee table started vibrating. Smiling to herself, she turned off the cell phone alarm she had to set every morning, just in case, and took a sip of her water. She'd never been a morning person. With a great sigh she pushed herself up, running a hand through her chocolate brown hair, and stumbled to the bathroom. Stretching in front of the mirror, she frowned, noticing how tired she looked. Making a mental note to make sure she spent her next day off sleeping in her bed instead of in the clinic, Remy started the shower and almost forgot to undress before stepping in. Laughing at herself for the second time that morning, she undressed and got ready to start her day.
Doctor Allison Cameron stretched out underneath the soft cotton sheets of her bed, looking out her window as the real world came into focus and the dream world dissolved. Shutting off her alarm clock, she swung her legs out and over the side of the bed, sitting up and yawning. Taking a better look out her window, she smiled, the sun not quite up but sending some beautiful orange beams her way as if to greet her. She loved the morning time. She didn't like waking up alone, but she loved the way she was able to sprawl out over a bed she had all to herself. She enjoyed saying hello to the orange sun, and as the spray from the shower hit her face she belted out her favourite Queen song, however off key it was.
Pulling into the parking lot of the hospital, Remy, or Thirteen as she'd so often been called in these parts, found her spot and sat there for a moment to finish out the song on the radio. Checking herself in the mirror once more and running a hand through her hair, she flicked off the ignition. With a huge yawn she opened the door and closed it lazily. She pointed her keys at the car; the beep letting her know it was locked, and turned around slowly. Thirteen liked being early so that there was no pressure to move fast. Tossing her keys into her jacket pocket, the young doctor started making her way towards the entrance, only to look up and have her heart be stuck in her throat.
"Dr. Hadley, hi," the voice was full of energy, though Thirteen didn't understand how at the ungodly hour of 7:30 a.m.
"Hey," Thirteen nodded her hello at the older doctor, taking in the smile that was meant for her. "Here, let me help you." The younger woman moved to grab a box of files off the roof of Cameron's car, giving her the biggest, sleepiest smile she could muster.
"Thanks. Lots of paperwork and the E.R. isn't slowing down to let me get much work done at work," Cameron shrugged and took her purse in one hand and her coffee in the other. She felt her smile grow bigger when they started walking back towards the entrance together. The younger doctors chivalry and all of her help in the clinic wasn't going unnoticed and Cameron found it to be hilarious, endearing and adorable all at the same time. There was something both purposefully aggressive and completely innocent in Thirteens actions. Though the ulterior motives of her previous suitors were probably still there, Dr. Hadley had a certain charm that made Cameron feel no pressure. She liked that.
"I know what you mean. The other day, House had me...well, either way, it wasn't actually medically relevant." Thirteen rolled her eyes and smiled slightly, remembering how House had tricked her. Telling her he was going to a patients home to check for toxins, he had actually taken her to a strip club for drinks. His way of celebrating his birthday without making a big deal of it and getting his fill of girl on girl fantasy. Not to mention, Wilson was out of town on business, so to House a bisexual and hot doctor was the best thing he could hope for in a pretend friend at a strip club.
"I can imagine," Cameron looked sideways at her, amused. She wanted to hear this. Or did she? When it came to House's antics, you never knew.
Comfortable silence between the two female doctors passed as they were briefly greeted by other staff and long term patients on their way to the E.R.
"Well, young lady, this is your stop!" Thirteen smirked, placing the box of files on the nurses' station. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans and nodded awkwardly at Cameron.
"Guess so," Cameron looked around, admiring her kingdom; however erratic and chaotic it could be, she was proud of her work here. A quick look into Dr. Hadley's eyes shook her from her thoughts. The smirk was still there and there was something playful in her eyes. It wasn't expectant or demanding, but daring her to do something. Cameron blushed a little and snapped Thirteens suspender with the best look of a tease she could put on her face. "Thanks for your help, Dr. Hadley."
Thirteen turned quickly on her heel, not letting the other female past her so quickly, and took a step forward to close most of the distance that was created. "You're welcome, Allison." She took a few steps backwards, locking eyes with the woman who was now blushing with the use of her first name, and laughed slightly in spite of herself.
"Shortness of breath, coughing up blood, severe weight loss, chronic pneumonia, hypocalcaemia...Thirteen, thanks for joining us." Gregory House mocked Thirteen with his excitement as she sat down, rolling her eyes. "I hope we aren't keeping you from anything, what with our boring differentials that save lives and everything. No big deal."
"I'm five minutes late. It's not a big deal. Doctor Cameron needed help with something."
In reality, it shouldn't have made her late, but Thirteen always found herself walking slower and making gazes especially poignant around the blonde doctor.
"The next words out of your mouth better be scratching an itch on or in her-"
"It's lung cancer. Why are we even discussing this? It's been diagnosed. They've already started treatment." Foreman, down to business as usual, threw his copy of the file onto the table and tried to suppress is frustration.
"What if it's breast cancer?" House raised his eyebrows, clearly up to something. "We should probably do a mammogram at the very least; make sure there are no lumps. Taub, call her and book an appointment."
"We're having a differential for a patient that's not even here?" Thirteen looked around the room at the three coworkers around the table.
"The patient is a Sports Illustrated model," Chase offered. "Swimsuit edition." Like that should explain it all. He looked at House, both offended and impressed by his gall.
"Implants?" Thirteen asked, smirking at Chase.
"Double E's." He confirmed.
"Taub, make sure the appointment is with me. If you have to, tell her I'm gay."
With that, House turned on his heel and limped back into his office, leaving the fellows alone in the differential room.
"So, do we actually have a case, or...?" Thirteen broke the silence.
"No. It's been slow lately. I think we should catch up on our charts and paperwork. If you're caught up, help out in the E.R. or the clinic; keep an eye out for a case." Foreman grabbed his briefcase from the floor and pulled out some papers, ignoring them all and getting to work. Thirteen took her lab coat from a hook in the corner of the room, as did Chase.
"I'll head to the E.R." Thirteen said a little too quickly, not wanting to miss the opportunity. She knew Cameron wasn't on clinic duty this early in the morning.
"You're spending a lot of time on that side of the hospital these days. Clinic, too. Almost think you were trying to get someone to pay attention to you." Chase smiled smugly at her.
"Just helps distract me, I guess." The collar of her white coat grew hot on her neck.
"Whoever it is, I'm sure Allison could set you up." He offered it so genuinely that Thirteens heart almost broke for him. Smiling at him half heartedly, she wandered to the elevator, not having the guts to tell him she had it bad for his ex wife.
"Dr. Hadley, I'm glad you're here," Cameron was all business as Thirteen walked into the E.R. department, eyes on fire with authority and purpose. "Car crash. Seven victims. Three male, four female. Three of the victims minors. Could you get beds four and five?"
Thirteen nodded, taking the charts Cameron thrusted into her hands, and made her way over to the beds. The E.R. must be short staffed, she thought, striding over the curtains. It was usually busy, but everyone seemed to be run off their feet on this day. She vaguely remembered hearing about a pile of nurses quitting as she opened the first curtain.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Hadley. I'm going to be treating you today." She looked at the fourteen year old boy, according to his chart, and offered him a smile. The nice gesture was lost, however, as his eyes were closed, his teeth clenched and his leg being gripped by both of his hands. Said leg was bloody and Thirteen grimaced as she snapped on her gloves. "What happened?"
"Car crash." The boy choked out, clearly in pain.
"What got your leg?" Thirteen gently pried his hands from his leg so she could get a good look, making a mental note to tend to the gash above his eyebrow as well. It would probably need stitches.
"My moms car seat slammed back. Crushed it. It really hurts," he spat, suppressing a wail. Shards of the windshield were stuck in it, she saw upon closer inspection. Someone must have gone through it. She quickly glanced down at his chart.
"Okay, David. I'm going to be right back. I need to remove the glass from your leg, get you some stitches and then we'll need to do an x-ray. Do you understand?" She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. When he nodded, she smiled at him again and stepped outside of the room. She ripped open the curtain at the bed to the right to check in on her next patient.
"Ken? I'm Dr. Hadley. Are you Davids father?" The man on the bed did not respond. "Ken? Mr. Harrison?" Looking at the monitor above the mans head, Thirteen checked his vitals. He was barely breathing but his heart was still beating. "Damn it." She forced open the mans eyelids and shone a light into them. Taking a deep breath she poked her out of the curtain. "I need oxygen in here, right now! I've got a patient in a coma."
What had started out as helping out in the E.R. had turned into a twelve hour shift for Thirteen. Changing out of her scrubs, she sighed out in relief. It had been a long day. After the car accident patients she'd dealt with a variety of issues including a man who had accidentally shot himself in the leg with a crossbow and a woman who fell off a ladder but was so obsessive, she insisted on being monitored for hours.
"Doctor Hadley. Hi. Thanks for all your help in there," Cameron wandered into the locker room, looking twice as exhausted as Thirteen. She'd been working no less than twelve hours for the last three weeks, sometimes up to eighteen hours a day, often coming in for a few hours even on her days off.
"No problem," Thirteen nodded.
The female doctors finished changing into their real life clothes in silence, reflecting on how tired they both were. Camerons stomach growled loudly and she placed a hand over it, exhaling a small laugh of embarrassment.
"Sorry. I haven't eaten since noon." She grabbed a granola bar from her locker and looked at it indifferently before closing the lock. "Goodnight, Doctor Hadley."
"Night," Thirteen smiled at the other woman, still laughing slightly at the blush the blonde produced. She only gave her next thought a split second before running out the door of the locker room and calling after the other doctor. "Cameron. I know this great burger place open late. You wanna grab a bite?"
Cameron seemed to think about it for a moment before smiling down at the floor. "Okay. I'll drive."