Word Prompt: Labor
Un-betad
Epov
I was following one of the other ER doctors around as he gave me a tour, and introduced me to some of the staff.
"Oh, and a word of advice Edward, nurses Jessica and Lauren kind of run the gossip ring here in the ER. Jessica is dating Dr Mike Newton, but that wont stop her from hitting on you. Lauren is engaged to Dr Tyler Crowley, he's one of the ortho guys, but she's just as bad as Jessica." Dr Ben Cheney warned me.
I laughed shaking my head as he lead me into the break room. "There's gossip mongers in every hospital."
"You are right about that." he said with a chuckle. "Okay, here's your locker. You might want to bring in a lock if your putting anything of value in there during shift, the break room isn't real secure. We've occasionally had patients wander in here."
"Thanks Ben. I've actually got one here in my bag." I said pulling it out.
"Great, well take a few minutes put your stuff away, and I'll meet you out at the nurse's station. We'll get you set up with your first patient and I'll show ya the ropes."
"Okay sounds good. Thanks."
I quickly check my phone for any messages. I replied to a text from Jasper before putting it back into my pocket. He was excited to have his first baby to check out today in the Labor & Delivery unit.
I pulled my wallet and car keys out of the pocket of my lab coat and put them on the top shelf of my locker. I reached into my back pack and pulled out a picture. It was a picture of me and Bella at my senior prom. She had looked so beautiful in her blue dress. She hated getting all dressed up, and she really hated the dancing but she did it all for me. I had carried the picture with me all through my years of school, and my residency. I pulled out the roll of tape and carefully hung the picture up on the inside of my locker door. I smiled at it sadly.
After hanging up my back pack I shut the locker and put the lock on it. I took a minute to admire all the different pictures on my coworkers lockers. It helped get a sense of some of their personalities seeing pictures of them with their families, and friends. I thought it was a little odd however that one locker in between some colorfully decorated lockers was completely bare except for the lock on it.
Figuring I'd killed enough time I decided to head on out to the nurse's station. However as I stepped out the door I ran into a very small, very feminine, and soft body. I chuckled as I gently grabbed her by the shoulders, and glanced down at the top of a head full of long beautiful brown hair.
"Whoa, careful there sweetheart." I said smiling.
She seemed to tense and take a deep breath before lifting her head, and I felt my breath catch as I was suddenly staring into a very familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes. Only there was something different about them. They weren't the same warm, loving eyes I remembered. They were cold, flat, and narrowed at me.
"Excuse me Dr. Cullen, my apologies." she spat before stepping around me and heading into the break room.
"Bella." I breathed as I stood there in shock.
I heard movement behind me, and quickly whipped around to see her grabbing something out of the bare locker that I had noticed before. I stood there and watched her for a moment as she moved over to the counter and began fixing herself a mug of tea. I slowly moved over closer to her, almost afraid she would disappear if I moved to quickly.
"Bella, please." I murmured as I stepped in behind her.
"Please what Dr Cullen? Fix you a cup of tea?" she snapped without turning to look at me. I winced at being called Dr. Cullen again. But what did I expect really?
"Come on Bells, what's with the Dr. Cullen crap?" I asked with a weak chuckle as I tried to break the ice, and lighten the mood.
She seemed to growl under her breath as she squeezed honey into her mug, before turning to glare at me.
"Oh I'm sorry Dr. Cullen. What should I call you? Would you prefer jackass?"
"Bella, please."
"Please what? What the hell do you want from me?"
I took a deep breath, what the hell, it's worth a shot.
"Well, were going to be working together. I was hoping that maybe we could be friends at least."
She barked out a short sarcastic laugh and turned to brace herself on the counter. She muttered under her breath for a few seconds before picking up her mug and turning to glare at me again.
"Look let's get something straight here and now. We work together, that's it. We are coworkers, and we will never be anything more. I'm a nurse, your a doctor. That's it. I will work with you, and I'll try my damnedest to show you the respect you deserve as a doctor, because you sure as hell don't deserve it as a man."
Ouch. Okay I deserve that.
"But you can ask anyone here and they will tell you. I don't associate with coworkers. I come in here, I do my job, and that's it. I don't have friends. I haven't in a long time. Now if you'll excuse me doctor, I need to get back to work."
She stepped around me careful not to touch me as she headed towards the door. I took a deep breath and silently followed her out of the break room and to the nurses station. I could feel some of the other nurses and doctors watching us as Bella set her mug down and headed into one of the patient rooms.
Ben laughed as he slapped me on the back, "Well, I see you've already met the Ice Princess of the ER."
What?
