Fandom: Phantom of the Opera
Disclaimer: Please don't sue. I don't own *insert fandom name from above*... All I own is an overactive imagination.
Summary: AU. I shoved the POTO characters into a hospital setting. Slash btw, as though I write anything but.
Warning(s): slash, AU
Pairing(s): Erik/Raoul
Word Count: 1,736

A/N: Okay, I'm sort of back on schedule now (weekends are horrible, but the ten days of apology are almost over and I won't have to worry about posting every day; weekly is alright. Everyday is simply too much for me).
Story note: Plot? I don't know what exactly I'm going for in this fic, but I just wanted to try this challenge.

o.o.o.o

Garnier Hospital - Nurses
By: Lucifer Rosemaunt

o.o.o.o

Raoul woke up with a start. He fumbled with his pager on the nightstand beside him. Eyes barely open, he noted that it hadn't gone off. Rolling back over to the center of his bed, he released the pager on the empty space beside him before pulling the blanket up to his shoulder and hugging a pillow to himself. He struggled to keep his mind clear, grasping at the last tendrils of sleep.

The only things audible were the ticking of the clock, the hum of the refrigerator, and the intermittent car driving by his building. However, it was enough to keep him awake. Mind already beginning to list the things he would have to do today, he tried to pinpoint what had woken him in the first place, but nothing stood out.

No matter how much he wanted to go back to sleep, he knew himself well enough to know that it simply wasn't going to happen by just lying down. Sighing and running a hand through his hair, Raoul tossed the blanket off of himself and stood up. He flexed his bare feet, digging his toes into the plush rug as he reached his hands to the air, stretching his back. He groaned when he heard several pops.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them and the clouds in his mind. He stumbled across the loft to the kitchen area not bothering with the lights. There was the moon and the city; nothing else was really necessary. There wasn't much to run into. He had the bare necessities decorating his home.

The door of his loft opened directly to an old couch and television set. His bed was against the far right wall. He'd created a kind of partition for some semblance of privacy with the two bookcases he'd brought with him. They'd been a pain to move all by himself, but at least now the bed couldn't be seen from the doorway. He'd also needed his books. Interspersed between the medical journals, reference books, and fiction novels, he had several picture frames of him and his family.

The bathroom was near his bed and beyond that was the kitchen, which was set off by a counter with two stools tucked beneath the edge. Raoul had once had an actual table, but being forced to sit there with the three other empty seats was ultimately depressing. No one ever visited him and it had somehow not only made the loft seem smaller than it actually was but emptier at the same time.

Opening the refrigerator, he stared at the meager contents inside. He'd been too tired to go grocery shopping again. Shivering as the frigid air rushed out at him, he smirked a bit. At home, he would never have been able to get away with going to the kitchen in only his boxers. It was small and insignificant and after just a moment, that triumph vanished when he was reminded that at home, the refrigerator wouldn't have been this empty, it would've taken considerably more steps to get from his bedroom to the kitchen, and he definitely wouldn't have felt this alone.

He grabbed a water bottle roughly before downing half its contents in one gulp, ignoring the trail of liquid that ran down his chin, knowing that it was poor etiquette to do so. He shut the door with a slam and looked around the room, completely lost for a moment.

He'd planned to watch television, using the sounds to hopefully lull him back to sleep, but looking at the empty couch, he could picture himself there and realized how pathetic and unproductive it was. He needed a hobby. He needed to do something else to preoccupy his mind. More importantly, he needed to get out of this loft.

Getting an idea suddenly, he tore through his drawers. It wasn't until he'd ruined the perfectly organized, stacked clothing of all his drawers did he finally find an old pair of sweatpants. Donning them quickly, he pulled on a white shirt before grabbing his keys and wallet.

A nice run would be perfect.

o.o.o

"I'm ready for this night to be over," Meg commented, placing a chart down on the counter. She glanced over her shoulder to Christine.

Her best friend only smiled in distracted amusement. "That's only because someone wanted to go out yesterday," she chastised while making a note in a patient's chart.

Meg shrugged. "Then why is it that I'm the only one really tired?"

Christine looked at her incredulously. "Maybe…" she giggled, "it's because you drank more than I did."

Grinning, Meg scoffed, "It doesn't take much to do so." Muttering under her breath, she added, "It doesn't help that we're one nurse short and I never seem to know where those NAs go off to whenever I need them the most."

"I'm sure they have their hands full as well," Christine tried to reason. It was a familiar complaint, so she didn't take it seriously. As to the other comment, she remarked, "It's been a rather slow night, rather manageable actually."

Meg scowled at the truth of her statement. "Why are you always so perky?"

"I'm optimistic," Christine defended.

"Bubbly," she retorted. "Ooh," Meg's eyes lit up as she remembered something, and Christine was wary for a moment, "have you seen the new doctor?"

"We have a new doctor here?" She honestly replied.

Meg rolled her eyes. "Get your head out of the clouds. How do you not know this news?"

"I'm too worried about my patients?" she suggested.

Sidetracked for a moment, Meg commented, "You mean one patient in particular."

Christine turned her focus back to her patient's chart, unable to meet Meg's eyes. She mumbled, "He has a small crush on me. He's harmless"

"Harmless?"

At Meg's sharp bark of laughter, Christine looked up sheepishly. It had been a poor choice of words on her part.

"Okay, maybe not harmless," she amended, "but he'd never hurt me."

"That's because he's obsessed with you. He won't even let anyone near him, but…" it was an old argument that Meg knew there was no point in going into. "Wait, you distracted me. This new doctor. He's young. Cute, and I hear single as well."

Christine nodded her head appreciatively. "Well, that sounds promising, but you know doctors. They're always busy. I don't know how well a relationship would work with one."

"You'd be able to see him during work." Meg smiled, eyes a little distant.

"What's his name?" Christine asked. "I haven't seen any new doctors on these patient's charts."

"He's having problems finding patients apparently," Meg replied, "I don't know. His name's…"

"Excuse me, ladies?" A voice cut in.

Both girls turned around. Meg couldn't help but grin while Christine simply stared, mouth ajar.

"Christine?" Raoul looked at her in disbelief.

"Christine?" Meg echoed, head whipping from the doctor to her friend in confusion.

"Raoul?"

Meg gasped. At the sharp glance from Christine, she slipped a few steps away to watch from a distance as she met up another nightshift nurse.

Raoul laughed and picked Christine up in a hug.

He'd been jogging aimlessly. Unfortunately, the only path he was really familiar with in his new surroundings was the way to the hospital. He'd planned on only running a short distance before returning home but it'd felt so good in the crisp morning air. It had felt so good to rid himself of that excess frustration that before he even realized it, he'd arrived at the hospital, and once there, he knew there was no way his legs would carry him back home.

He'd entered the building with every intention of simply using their phone but realized that he would only have to return in a few hours. So, instead, he had asked the front desk what he could do. They'd insisted that everything was under control since it was apparently a slow night. He'd left to go check with the ER, but found that there were indeed only a few people waiting. He'd only get in the way, but Raoul had already decided and he refused to go back home.

They'd sent him to the transitional care unit because apparently, they might need some assistance. Honestly, Raoul had known the woman had sent him to this floor simply to get rid of him and so that the charge nurse here would be the one to tell him the same thing. He'd known it but found himself going into the elevator anyway, his legs nearly buckling when the elevator started.

But then, there she was. Christine. He laughed joyfully before asking, "How long has it been?"

"Forever," she replied, breathless and giggling herself. "It's been much too long."

"Oh, sorry." He pulled away, remembering that he'd spent the past hour running nonstop. His shirt was damp with the cold and his sweat. A familiar face was like a gift though. He could barely believe his luck.

"What are you doing here?" She asked before gasping at the realization, "You're the new doctor?"

Raoul grinned and nodded eagerly. He knew that Christine would understand his situation. She knew what it meant that he was working anywhere that wasn't the Chagny Hospital.

She clapped in glee, sincerely glad for him. "But what are you doing here right now?"

"I," Raoul looked around, "I wanted to help."

She deadpanned, "But you're a doctor."

"So what?" Raoul defended. "I've worked in so many clinics and offices that I know how to do everything. You didn't forget that did you?"

"No," she smiled gently at him. The Raoul she knew had been eager to do everything himself when they'd been younger; it wasn't surprising that he was still the same. "I didn't forget."

"So, I can help, right?" He asked, almost desperate in his desire to be doing something. He knew he was keeping Christine from her patients and as much as he wanted to speak with her and catch up, he didn't want to be a hindrance. He knew nurses were always busy with their patients and paperwork.

Christine was quiet for a bit. She would have had to ask the charge nurse if Raoul wanted to do anything, but she however did get an idea.

"Why don't you go change into some scrubs and take a shower before coming back here?"

Raoul looked at her in confusion before agreeing.

o.o.o.o

End chapter 02

A/N: Don't forget to R/R (Read and Review)!
Story Note: btw, the mere thought of Raoul in boxers and nothing else just made my day. At least, we can all assume who that difficult patient who's obsessed with Christine is.