My Own Way
Chapter 2
Maybe it's too soon to be sure
But I really do believe that someday
We're gonna have it all
So I try to hard to keep the rhythm of a train
Rolling right along
When the ride gets rough you got to carry on
Jeremy Kay- Have It All
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: I changed the last names of some of the characters because I thought it would better fit the Tamora Pierce fandom. Sorry if this causes any inconvenience to anyone. Also, I have edited the first chapter to include the new last names of most of the doctors and made a few minor additions and subtractions.
Doctor Fisher= Doctor Nond
Doctor Grace White= Doctor Cooper
Doctor Teddy Bass= Doctor Jesslaw
Doctor Melvin Gomez= Doctor Tarside
Doctor Scott York= Doctor Nicoline
Doctor Petterson= Doctor Naxen
Doctor Aidan Finnegan= Doctor Hill (Marti's Hill)
Nurse Crowley= Nurse Salma
I parked my black Toyota Camry in my new space at the back of the lot. Today was my twenty second day, since I started at Mercy General, and I would like to say things have started to become routine for me.
I entered through the side door, the memories of the mob attacking me on my first day were still fresh on my mind, and made my way towards the nurse's station.
"Good morning Greeny," Nurse Salma called out to me with a short wave. I returned it and watched the stocky nurse hustle away, probably back to the ER. Nurse Salma has been extremely kind to me, ever since I've gotten here. She always has great advice for me, whether it was medical or just dealing with my attending. She even went so far to introduce me to the other two women doctor's here at Mercy General, Doctor Zoey Veldaine, a surgeon, and Doctor Henrietta Tourakom. Both women, I would have never had the guts to say hello to, if it hadn't been for Nurse Salma.
Doctor Nond was waiting for me, as he did for the last three weeks, at the Nurse's Station. He was sitting on top of the counter with his arms crossed. When he spotted me, he hopped off and greeted me in his now habitual matter,
"Did you get me my coffee, Greeny?"
"Of course," I replied and handed him a steaming hot Styrofoam cup that I had picked up from a deli on the way to work. It was one of his many requirements that came with me being his student and if I ever forgot to bring him his caffeine, he would probably start acting just like a PMSing girl.
He sipped it and I watched him closely, hoping that this cup had passed his inspection. I had learned over the last three weeks that Doctor Nond was very picky when it came to his coffee.
"Could need a little more cream…" He muttered, "But otherwise, it's an acceptable cup. Where'd you get this from?"
"Katz's," I replied, naming the deli two blocks away from my apartment.
"Hmm… I think you should get the coffee there tomorrow." He told me and then narrowed his brown eyes. "You got that?"
"Yes, Doctor Nond,"
"That's a good Greeny," He patted the top of my head mockingly, causing me to scowl. I hated it sometimes when he made me feel like a dog, more than a medical intern. "Now, fetch me my charts from Delia. My patients are awaiting me."
Delia Morrison was the head nurse. She was a stick like woman in her late forties with graying dark brown hair and noticeable crow's feet around her eyes. She was nice enough, but got a little snappy sometimes, so I made sure I approached her with caution.
"Hi," I greeted her tentatively. She was looking down at a pile of papers and scribbling furiously on them. "Could I have Doctor Nond's charts please?"
"Get them yourself." She snapped at me without even looking up.
Opps, I should have seen that one coming.
"Uh, sure," I scampered away from the head nurse as fast as I could and instead, went to another younger, timid nurse, I knew only as Rita. "I need Doctor Nond's charts."
The young Latina woman nodded and handed me a stack of manila folders, before returning to the file cabinet, she had been sorting through.
I thanked her and then walked back to my attending, who looked amused, while still sipping his coffee.
"Did Delia chew your head off?" He asked in an annoyingly hopeful tone of voice, as he leafed through the charts that I had presented him.
"Not really, but I know a ticking time bomb, when I see one." I informed him and watched Doctor Nond expectantly, eager to go on rounds. When he didn't move, I asked, "Why aren't we starting?"
"Oh, I've been waiting for another, less wise intern to approach Delia in her bad mood and ask her for charts." My attending said with a smirk. "I can't wait to see the explosion."
"That could take ages." I told him, rolling my eyes. I found that my attending loved to make other people's pain, especially his coworkers, his pleasure. Though, I couldn't help, but be secretly pleased, as I deciphered the hidden compliment in Doctor Nond's words. He had inadvertently called me wiser than my fellow interns.
"Nope, I never lose faith in you intern's bad timing." Doctor Nond said and then, I saw my fellow intern, Aidan Hill approach the head nurse. "Ah… here it comes. He's a goner."
"I TOLD YOU INTERNS TO GET THE CHARTS YOURSELVES!" Delia screamed at Aidan, who nearly fell backwards in surprise.
Despite, my strong dislike of Aidan Hill, I couldn't help, but wince at the sound of the head nurse's voice. That could have been me, if I hadn't asked her for charts a few minutes ago.
"Timing is everything, greeny. Remember that." Doctor Nond informed me, as if he had just read my mind, and then snapped his fingers. "Come, we have work to do."
Just like my first day of work, I trailed my attending down the hallway like an obedient puppy dog. It didn't bother me, as much as it did the first time. I had gotten used to it actually.
"Hold these, Greeny." Doctor Nond shoved the pile of charts into my outstretched arms and led the way into a patient's room. "Mrs. Regan, how are you feeling today?"
"Just peachy," An older woman in her late sixties with curly salt and pepper colored hair replied. I had been treating Mrs. Regan for a week now with pulmonary embolism. Luckily for her, she was on her way to a full recovery.
"That's good to hear," Doctor Nond said and flashed the patient a fake smile, "you should be scheduled for release in the next two days, so don't try to strain yourself."
"Of course, doctor," She beamed at both of us. "How are you doing Doctor Queenscove?"
I have been working closely with Mrs. Regan the last week. I had actually been the one to diagnose and treat her. I liked her a lot and we even had a few friendly conversations about our personal lives. She had been my first patient, I had ever covered by myself without Doctor Nond's direct assistance and I was extremely pleased that she was doing well.
"I'm doing great, Mrs. Regan." I told her with a small smile.
"Please, I told you to call me Donna." She reminded me, though her tone of voice was still kind.
"Sorry, M- Donna,"
"We'll check in with you later Mrs. Regan." Doctor Nond said and gripped my shoulder tightly. "Come Greeny."
"Have a nice day Doctor Queenscove." I heard Mrs. Regan call, as I was being steered back into the hallway.
"Um, ow?" I said, while rubbing my shoulder.
"Jot this down in your diary Greeny. Don't try to get too close to patients. It usually comes back to bite you on the ass." Doctor Nond told me, already beginning his march down the hallway. "Come." He barked and snapped his fingers at me.
I ran to keep up with him.
"I don't know what the big deal is." I argued, barely able to stay at his heels. "I was just being friendly. Mrs. Regan is a really nice lady."
"This isn't daddy's little nursing home that is filled with bitter old war veterans that want to end their lives in comfort and Alzheimer crazies. We have patients that can die at any time." He informed me and I scowled at the jab towards my family's hospital, Queenscove Medical Center.
"Mrs. Regan isn't going to die." I shot back. "She's as stable as she's ever been."
"Sure, she might not kick the bucket, just yet, but someone else you try to get close with will. I guarantee it." Doctor Nond said, as he threw open the door to the ICU. "As much as I really, really hate to say it greeny, I am just trying to protect you from a career filled with pain."
I looked up at my attending and saw the truth in his words, by the rare sight of his softened expression.
"Thanks," I muttered.
"Don't mention it." He said and turned to face me, his brown eyes flashing dangerously. "Ever. Not even under pain of death Greeny because if you mention it to anyone at this hospital, my reputation as a hard ass slash social hermit will be thrown out the window here at Mercy General. I can guarantee it and it will be all your fault. And trust me when I say this, it won't end up pretty for you. You can bet your pink convertible on that princess."
Despite all the screams of warning in my head, I could feel my tongue getting ready for an answer that I knew would royally piss of my attending.
"Pink isn't really my color, Doctor Nond." I retorted, irritated about the recurring 'pink convertible' jokes, but immediately regretted it.
Damn genetics and their desire to always make me be insubordinate. I thought and remembered all the stories my Aunt Kel used to tell me about my father and her in the military. Neal, my dad, used to always give lip to his drill sergeant, Wyldon Cavall, that he had not so affectionately nicknamed, the Stump.
"Is that you being a wise ass, Greeny?" My attending asked, after he ran his weathered hands through his blonde hair. "What did I tell you about the whole back talking thing?"
"Do it and die?" I suggested mildly.
"Hit that one on the nail, Greeny. I'm glad to hear that you actually listen to a word I say." Doctor Nond said. "Though, then again, you're probably recording every word I ever utter in your presence with your secret spy equipment. Isn't that right?"
"Bingo," I muttered sarcastically and rolled my eyes. In the last three weeks, I had learned to ignore my attending's jibes that I was spying on him for my father. It was no use getting angry about them. He would never stop. No matter how much I insisted that my reasons working at Mercy General were not deceitful.
"Now that we've got that settled. Let's get back to rounds." Doctor Nond announced and we approached the bedside of Carl Grover, who got hit by a car last night
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of rounds. There were no crashing patients, no gunshot wounds. It was actually a quiet day at the hospital. I went to lunch with my attending feeling quite at ease and wondered how long it would last.
"Can't you sit with the two immature jocks and carrot top?" Doctor Nond asked me sulkily, his head lolling lazily in the two surgical interns, Scott Nicoline and Melvin Tarside, direction. They were presently flinging peas at each other. While Aidan Hill, who was sitting at the end of the table, glared at both of them. My other poor fellow intern, Teddy Jesslaw, got stuck at Doctor Grace's table again. His attending required him to sit with her, her boyfriend (a surgeon) and best friend, Doctor Zoey Veldaine at meals. "You're giving people the impression that I'm actually nice." He spat the last word out like poison. "Can you believe the guys in radiology had the balls yesterday to ask me out for a beer?"
"That's a bad thing?" I snorted in disbelief into my salad.
"Absolutely," He confirmed with a firm nod.
I shook my head.
"Have you ever had a friend in your entire life?" I asked him. "Or were you a hermit from birth?"
"Believe it or not Greeny, I was actually married at one point in my life." He told me in a weary tone of voice, running his right hand through his hair, and I couldn't help, but feel my eyebrows rise to my hairline. I couldn't picture Doctor Nond being married to anyone. He was just too mean to keep a steady relationship with another human being, let alone keep a relationship that required love.
"What happened to her?" I asked, trying to hide the curiosity in my voice.
Doctor Nond did a total one hundred-eighty and snapped back,
"None of your business,"
Great, just when I was getting him to open up. I thought with an inward sigh and tried my best to keep my frustration off my face, so that I wouldn't anger my attending even more. It was the first time Doctor Nond had ever mentioned his personal life in a conversation. He usually kept his conversations strictly work related.
"Sorry," I apologized.
I should have known that apologies don't work on my attending. He would still be angry, no matter what I said.
"Scram Greeny," Doctor Nond ordered in a cold tone of voice and pointed me away from the table.
I sighed and obediently picked up my tray. There was no use in arguing with him.
"Fine,"
I walked over to Scott, Melvin, and Aidan's table and let my tray fall down in a clatter.
"What's wrong?" Scott asked, as I poked, with an annoyed expression on my face, at my salad with a plastic fork.
"Doctor Nond just had one of his random angry spurts." I explained and groaned in aggravation. "I swear he's one of the most frustrating men on the planet!"
"What did you say to him?" Aidan asked with his usual smirk plastered on his face. He was probably happy that I had pissed off my attending. It seems that, his philosophy at the hospital was my irritation, his pleasure.
"I just asked him about his ex-wife," I told him, "and then he snapped at me."
Aidan rolled his eyes.
"Everyone knows what happened between Doctor Nond's ex-wife and him." He announced in a cocky tone. "You're just an idiot for bringing it up."
"I don't know about Doctor Nond and his ex-wife." Melvin interjected and I smiled appreciatively at my fellow intern. I was happy that he had my back, when it came to dealing with Aidan Hill.
"Neither do I." Scott added.
"Apparently, not everyone knows Hill." I told him with my green eyes narrowed. "So, why don't you enlighten us?"
Just as Aidan opened his mouth to speak, my new beeper that I had received on my second shift, went off with a loud sharp noise. I immediately checked it and couldn't stop myself from cursing out loud. Mrs. Regan was coding.
What the hell? I thought, completely bewildered. She was perfectly stable this morning.
However, there was no time to think. I leapt out of my chair, leaving my salad behind, and literally sprinted out of the cafeteria. I didn't even check to see if Doctor Nond was behind me. I needed to save my patient.
Luckily, the crash cart was already in Mrs. Regan's room, when I got there, and my patient was surrounded by bustling nurses.
"Doctor, she went into cardiac arrest and started flat lining fifteen seconds ago." One nurse cried and handed me the defibrillator. The nurse had already placed the electrode pads to Mrs. Regan's chest and I yelled before, I pressed down with the AED,
"Clear!"
Mrs. Regan's body thumped on the bed, but there was no change in her heartbeat. I bit my lip in frustration, turned up the voltage, and yelled again,
"Clear!"
The AED sent another electric shock through Mrs. Regan's body. I looked at the monitor, praying for a change. There was none. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my scrub sleeve, increased the voltage once more, and repeated,
"Clear!"
Again, the line that represented her heart beat remained flat.
"She's not coming back Greeny." Doctor Nond's words hit me like a slap in the face. I had not realized he was in the room, but there he was, observing me in the corner with his arms folded over his chest, the expression on his face unreadable.
"No, she was doing fine only a few hours ago. I'll bring her back." I insisted, trying to hide the pain in my voice, and shouted, "Clear!"
The heart stayed silent, not a single beat.
"It's over Doctor. I'm sorry." A nurse told me, her voice kind and sympathetic. She tugged the AED out of my numb hands and then asked me, "Could you call the time of death, please?"
Time of death? I shook my head in disbelief. There wasn't supposed to be a time of death for Mrs. Regan, at least not today. She was supposed to go home in two days and now her body was unnaturally still, her usually pink flushed cheeks now ghostly pale.
Somehow, I managed to read the time on my wristwatch.
"T-time of death… twelve forty six P.M.," I stuttered and with those words finally admitted defeat.
"Thank you, Doctor," The nurse said and patted my shoulder, before exiting the room.
I massaged my temples, as my brain rushed to process all of what had happened in the last few minutes and that is when it hit me. Mrs. Regan was my first patient to die under my care. A woman in almost perfect health had died under my care.
I snatched Mrs. Regan's chart off the end of her bed and stalked out of the room with it, not caring if I was making a scene. I didn't know where I was going, but I needed to be alone.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Doctor Nond yelled at me from down the hallway. He was still standing in the doorway of Mrs. Regan's room.
"I need sometime to think." I shouted right back, trying to push away the suffocating sensation of failure that was threatening to consume me.
I set off in a brisk pace towards the side door. I needed a breath of fresh air. Anything to clear my head at the moment would be welcomed.
Warm, stale air greeted me on the outside of Mercy General, but I found myself not caring and instead, sat down on the curb of the sidewalk. I buried my head in my hands, a million thoughts racing through my head.
Had I treated Mrs. Regan wrong? Did I not run fast enough from the cafeteria? Was I now going to be considered the worst intern in Mercy General history? Would Doctor Nond hate me for killing Mrs. Regan?
I flipped through Mrs. Regan's chart, trying to look for any inaccuracy, any mistake to explain what had just happened, except, everything was perfect. Every dosage, every procedure was correct. It just didn't make any sense. I must have made a mistake somewhere.
I moaned and put my head back into my hands, feeling totally defeated.
"Greeny," A soft voice jolted me back to the world around me. I had not even noticed that Doctor Nond was now sitting beside me.
"Yeah?" I asked, not even daring to meet my attending's eyes. I did not want to see the disappointment that probably shone through them. It would be unbearable at the moment.
"Mrs. Regan's death wasn't your fault." He said. His voice was still surprisingly soft. "I kept you in check every step of the way and that is exactly how I would have treated her. Any decision you made was always approved by me first, before being enacted."
"Really?" I hoped he wasn't just saying that to make me feel better, but then again, this was Doctor Nond I was talking to. He never tried to make anyone feel better, but his patients.
"Yes, you can ask the nurses." He insisted. "It's a shame that Mrs. Regan died, but there was truly nothing you could have done about it. Her death came too fast and too unexpectedly for anyone to save her. The autopsy will tell us what happened, but from what I can tell, you did a fine job with her."
I sighed and massaged my temples again.
"Look at me Greeny." He said with a firm tone and I found myself afraid to, as if a melting beam would come out of his eyeballs. "I said… look at me." He yanked my chin hard in his direction and I was forced to look into the face of my teacher. He didn't look angry, but in fact, genuinely concerned. "You better not beat yourself up over this. Promise me that because if you take it too far…" He shuddered. "Let's just say I've seen it ruin a couple of decent doctors and since you're my student, I can't have you fail. You need to be the best intern in this dump, so I can keep up my stellar reputation." I resisted rolling my eyes at this comment. Doctor Nond was so conceited sometimes. "So, man up or woman up in your case and get your ass back to work."
I nodded.
"Yes, Doctor Nond," I got up off the curb, though I still felt the sorrow weighing me down. Mrs. Regan and I had been close, closer than I had ever been with a patient. She would be hard to get over.
Luckily, for the rest of the day Doctor Nond didn't press me too hard. He didn't go on his usual winded speeches about me being a screw up, whenever I answered a question wrong or did a procedure incorrectly. Instead, he calmly explained whatever I said wrong or tweaked my faulty procedures
"Thanks for everything today Doctor Nond," I told him at the end of the day. We were both in the locker room, gathering up our things, before returning home.
"Don't mention it e-"
"Ever," I finished for him with a small smile.
Doctor Nond actually grinned back for the first time since I began my internship here at Mercy General.
"Glad to see you're finally catching on, Greeny." He said and clapped me on the back. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye Doctor Nond," I watched my attending leave, before returning to my own locker. I still needed to grab my wallet from it.
"Ah… so you're Doctor Queenscove." A voice made me jump and I spun around to see a surgeon leaning casually in the doorway. He was undeniably handsome. He had a tall, muscular frame with straight, white blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. "I've heard so much about you."
I flashed him a smile.
"You can call me Emma." I told him, ignoring my rapidly beating heart. Damn him for being handsome, I thought, dismayed. "But, I am afraid I don't know your name."
"I'm Ian Stone." He said. A brilliant white smile followed his words. "I'm a surgical resident here."
"Nice to meet you." I stuck out my hand and he shook it with a firm grip.
"Same," He replied and then asked, "Are you off now?"
"Yeah, I just finished a twelve hour shift." I told him. "You?"
"Yep, I was ready to go out for the bar for a drink. Care to join me?" He asked.
I shrugged. I did not want to appear too eager that this handsome man was asking me out for a drink.
Just keep it smooth. I thought as encouragement to myself and then realized how ridiculous I sounded.
"Sure,"
"Cool, the bar is actually only a block away from here. It's called the California Tavern." Ian told me. "Would you like a ride there?"
I resisted the urge to role my eyes. What was with men thinking that we women were too weak to handle the simplest physical task without needing their help?
"I can walk. I need the exercise after all, being boarded up in here all day." I said.
He smiled.
"Let's get going then."
Ian and I left the hospital grounds together, initiating small talk on the way to the California Tavern. He was talking about one of his orthopedic surgeries he had to perform today, when he started to slow down.
"We're here." Ian informed me and pointed to a dingy sign that read, 'The California Tavern', in neon green letters. He held the door open for me, very gentlemanly and said, "It's not the best place in the world, but it is a decent price and it's always loaded with people."
Ian was right. It was only eight o'clock and the place was already filling up with people. We grabbed a table right next to the pool table. Where, to my surprise, Scott and Melvin were absorbed in a game.
"What are you two doing here?" I asked, after Ian left to go grab us drinks.
"We've been coming here for the last week. Doctor Carter in pediatrics told us about it and we decided to give it a try." Melvin told me, while Scott lined up his shot.
"So, who is the lucky guy?" Scott asked, after taking a sip of his Corona. "I've seen him around before in the OR, but I never got his name
"His name is Ian Stone." I informed them. "He just randomly approached me in the locker room after my shift and asked me out for drinks. So, I decided to go for it."
"Well, best of luck Queenscove," Melvin told me, as I spotted Ian returning with two beers in his hands, and then winked.
"Here are our drinks." Ian said with a grin and handed me a beer. I eagerly sipped the cold liquid, hoping to drown out my thoughts of Mrs. Regan, out in it. Her death was still eating away at my conscious.
"Thanks," I pulled out my wallet. "How much was mine? I'll pay for it."
He shook his head.
"This one is on me." Ian insisted with a smooth grin and then ran a hand through his white blonde hair.
"Thank you," I smiled back.
"So, you're a Queenscove…" He began. "That is quite a family name you carry."
"Yeah," I admitted, "it's tough sometimes, though, with everyone's expectations of you."
"I can only imagine." Ian agreed and took a sip of his beer. He looked back up and his beautiful blue eyes pierced my own. "So, why are you working at Mercy General? You could have anything you want at your family's hospital, interesting cases, more money, quicker promotions, and plus, you can't forget, all of the respect you would get for just being Doctor Neal Queenscove's daughter."
"Eh… I wanted more then just treating old people and the rich." I told him frankly.
"You're a funny girl," Ian told me with a heart stopping grin, "and not in a bad way, of course." He assured me, before my panic could set in. "You're just very noble and unselfish. You don't see that in people often. I know I would personally take old and rich people, over having Doctor Nond as my attending."
I couldn't help, but blush at the compliment.
"Thanks, I think." I said and laughed. "But, my attending isn't really that bad. He means well."
Ian frowned.
"Didn't he lock you in a supply closet on your first day of work?" He asked me with an incredulous expression on his face.
"Well, yes, but Doctor Nond and I have gotten over our differences." I told him firmly. "We are a perfectly functioning team now."
"Oh, that's bull, Emma," Ian said angrily to my surprise. "Everyone knows he treats you like crap. People talk. He berates you and makes you into his personal puppy dog. A Queenscove- I-I mean a nice, pretty girl like you shouldn't have to stand for that."
I smiled.
"Trust me. I am not weak. I can handle a tough doctor like Doctor Nond on my own. Despite, what everyone else at Mercy Generals believes." I told him. "Plus, you shouldn't believe everything people say. Doctor Nond's helped me out a bunch of times and he's a pretty decent guy under his hard shell."
Luckily, our conversation moved away from the touchy topic of Doctor Nond and we turned to our personal lives. Ian Stone had two other brothers, both in the military, and a younger sister that was at boarding school in Denver, Colorado. The most tragic part about his family was the he had no cousins on his father's side of the family because his Uncle Joren, who had also been in the military, had died at a young age.
My family luckily was not as tragic to talk about, though I did not mention to Ian that my father, grandfather, and I had not talked in almost a month. I spoke mainly about my mother, older sister, and twin brother who kept in touch and I had seen a couple times in the last two weeks. Ian was very fascinated in my family and he asked a lot of questions. I found myself shamed that I couldn't bring myself up to being as interested in his family.
"Do you know that guy?" Ian asked me, after I went off in a long description about my Great Grandfather, my grandmother's father, Emry Harse, who was a famous general in the United States army. He had unfortunately died five years ago, but I still remembered him clearly. The old stories he used to tell my siblings and I never ceased to captivate us.
I glanced over at the direction he was pointing at. A man with a L.A. Dodger's baseball cap and a plain blue t-shirt was staring right at us from a corner table. He sat alone and looked like he was brooding over something.
"Uh, I can't tell. It's too dark to see in here." I replied, feeling uneasiness rush over me. I wished that creeper would stop looking at us. He was making me extremely uncomfortable.
"I'll take care of him." Ian said, getting up abruptly from the table.
I felt the panic hit me and I leaned forward to grab his sleeve to tug him back down. I guess I overestimated my strength because I didn't move Ian an inch.
"Don't say anything." I begged him. "You don't know if he's some psychopath."
Ian shook his head.
"Trust me Emma," He yanked out of my grip, "I can handle this. Don't worry about anything."
I watched nervously, as Ian approached the man with the baseball cap's table. Ian paused in front of the table and I saw the two men engage in conversation. First, Ian looked surprised, then angry, and finally, he stormed off back in my direction.
"What's wrong?" I asked him, as he sat back down in his seat with a furious expression on his face.
"That 'weirdo' is your attending, Doctor Nond!" Ian snapped. "I asked him why the hell he was staring at us and then, instead of answering my question he starts to attack me verbally."
My head whipped around in Doctor Nond's direction and found that he was still staring at us. Immediately, I began to glare at him fiercely in an attempt to make him understand how much I was despising him at the moment. Didn't he see I was attempting to have a social life outside the hospital? Why was he being such an asshole and trying to ruin my chances with Ian?
"Let me talk to him." I reasoned, trying to calm Ian down. I got up from my chair, but Ian latched right onto my wrist and tugged me back down, hard, into my chair.
"No, just ignore him." Ian told me in a cold voice. His blue eyes were flashing in fury. "He isn't worth our time."
I rubbed my sore wrist and felt my own anger rise up in me. Ian wasn't in charge of me. I could go over to talk to my own attending if I wanted to.
"But-" I began.
"Just drop it Emma." Ian snapped and sipped his beer with a hardened expression on his face.
I stubbornly crossed my arms over my chest.
"I am not a little girl. I can handle my own attending." I told him icily and got up out of my seat again.
Ian leapt out of his own chair and gripped me by my shoulders, before I could take a step in Doctor Nond's direction.
"I told you not to, Emma." He snarled.
"You're not the boss of me." I retorted and attempted to wrench myself out of his grasp. Unfortunately, I couldn't budge. "Let go of me!"
"No," Ian replied simply.
My own temper was starting to reach its snapping point. This guy might me be handsome, but he was a giant douche too. He hardly knew me and yet, he insisted on manhandling me like this.
"Let go of me now." I repeated.
"Just sit down." Ian insisted mulishly, his blue eyes flashing dangerously.
"I think she told you to let her go, Stone." A familiar weathered hand rested on Ian's shoulder. He released me instantly and spun around to face Doctor Nond, who looked as livid as I had ever seen him.
"This is none of your business, Nond." Ian snapped back. The hatred on his face was obvious and to me, hatred made him look hideous. "Why don't you go back to your corner and sulk about your pathetic life? Some of us are actually trying to have a good time."
Doctor Nond jerked his head in my direction.
"She doesn't look like she's having a good time." My attending informed Ian, ignoring his other comments. "In fact, I think she's had enough of you treating her so roughly. Haven't you Queenscove?"
I gaped at both men numbly. I didn't know what to say. If I said yes, I would ruin all chances I had with the unbelievably handsome Ian Stone, but if I said no I would be making my attending look like a fool. It was unfortunately a lose-lose situation.
"Uh…" I hesitated.
Luckily, Ian cut me off.
"Me treating her roughly?" He laughed a scornfully. "You're the one who locked her in a supply closet for five hours, Nond. Or do you drink so much that your memory becomes selective?"
Doctor Nond remained silent, but if the glare he gave Ian could melt his face off, it would have.
"Come on Emma. I've had enough of this joke that calls himself a doctor. Let's go." Ian grabbed my arm again and yanked me towards the door. I stumbled after him, off balance by the force he was pulling me along at.
We were soon back into the dry, hot air of Los Angles. Ian still had an iron grip on my arm, as he led me away from the California Tavern. We were a hundred feet away from the bar, when he stopped abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Why didn't you just fucking listen to me in there, when I told you to 'let it go'?" He snapped at me. "You could have just been obedient and sat down, but nooo, you had to make a fuss about it."
I rolled my eyes. He might be handsome, but he was so not worth the trouble.
"First of all, I don't have to listen to anybody, but myself. You're not in charge of me. I am." I informed him icily. My green eyes were crackling in fury. "Secondly, Doctor Nond might be cold hearted, but he's a lot better man then you. And thirdly-"
But, before I could finish my rant, Ian had slapped me on the side of my head. I winced as the blow knocked me side ways. Luckily, Ian still had a tight grip on my arm, or I would have fallen to the ground.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up," He shouted irately. "God, I just can't believe you said Doctor Nond was a better person than me. Are you fucking stupid? How could you even say that?"
"I think you just proved my point." I growled back at Ian, my head screaming from soreness, and then kicked him, with all the force I could muster, in the shins. He yowled like a wounded animal, releasing me from his grasp.
"You little bitch," Ian snarled and raised his hand to hit me again. I felt myself begin to flinch, as the fear started to wash over me.
Before I could blink, Ian was sprawled out on the ground, clutching his nose. Blood was dripping everywhere, making him swear worse than a sailor.
I stared in pure amazement at my attending, who had obviously just broken Ian Stone's nose. He looked angry, but as soon as he saw me gaping at him, his expression softened. Doctor Nond gently put a hand on my shoulder.
"Come on Queenscove. I'll walk you back to your car."
"Okay," I whispered, not even bothering to look back at Ian, who still was lying on the ground.
We walked in silence to Mercy General's parking lot.
"Where's your car parked?" Doctor Nond asked in a rough voice. I could tell he was trying to control himself.
A shaky hand pointed to my black Toyota Camry that was near the back of the parking lot. I didn't know why I was still scared. Ian was far away on a sidewalk, bleeding profusely from his nose and I was safe and secure with Doctor Nond. It didn't make any sense.
"Give me your keys. I'll drive you home." Doctor Nond told me with his hand stretched out.
"But, how are you going to get home?" I asked.
"I can walk." He replied simply.
"But L.A.'s dangerous at nigh-"
"Just give me your keys Queenscove." My attending demanded. "I'm trying to do you a favor."
"What is with you men and trying to be the boss of me today? I can handle myself God damn it." I shouted, my temper finally snapping. "I am twenty six, not eight!"
My attending rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, you sure 'handled' yourself today Greeny." Doctor Nond shot back sarcastically. "You 'handled' yourself pretty damn well with Mrs. Regan's death this afternoon and you just sure did a great job 'handling' Stone. So yeah, wonderful work 'handling' yourself Greeny, five fucking gold stars goes to you now."
"Go to hell." I growled, jamming my key into the lock.
"Look, all I am doing is trying to help you out, Greeny. So, will you just let me drive you home?" He demanded.
I snorted.
"Help me out? You?" I laughed bitterly. "All you did was ruin things for me tonight. Ian would have never acted that way, if you didn't spur him on like that by acting like a fucking creeper in the first place and then, trying to defend me in your dismal attempt to pretend your some noble guy. You just got me hurt worse in the end Doctor Nond. I just got a bruise on the side of my head for sticking up for you." I jabbed my finger into his chest and continued my tirade, "I really don't know what the hell I was thinking, by sticking up for you. For some reason, I don't know why, but I was actually under the illusion that you were somewhat decent guy." I scoffed at the idea. "I was wrong, though. You're still the same bitter, asshole that I met on the first day. You didn't help me for me." I was on the brink of tears now. "Y-you- you just helped me to keep your pride intact. You didn't want to see your own student, your own product, messed around with. That's all that it boils down to. You only see me as your product, not a person."
Doctor Nond stared at me blankly. He was obviously taken aback.
"So, thank you for saving me from getting clobbered by Ian Stone, but for future references, just stay out of my personal life. It doesn't concern you." I informed him icily, while sliding into my car. "As you said at lunch, 'mind your own business'."
Without another word, I pushed my keys into the ignition, shifted my car into reverse, and then slammed my foot on the gas pedal. My Camry hit forty as it flew out of the parking lot. I wanted to get as far away from Doctor Nond as possible.
Thank you to my two wonderful reviewers: Uncertain Destiny and NikeIsis. Thanks!
I hope there wasn't too much confusion with the name changes. Thanks for reading!