Title: What Goes Around Comes Around 6?Author: Emony
Fandom: ER
Pairing: Neela/Ray
Prompt: Parallel
Rating: FRT
Disclaimer: The names of characters contained herein are the property of the copyright holder of "ER." No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and said characters are used here without permission.
Spoilers: "The Honeymoon is Over"
Beta: Ash.
Word Count: 1,198.
Summary: Ray's first day back at County doesn't go quite the way he expects.
Abby sighed into her morning cup of coffee as she watched Neela hobble through the apartment on her crutch, rushing to get ready for her first day back at work. She knew that something had happened that night she'd left Ray in the kitchen. She just didn't know what, neither of them would tell her a thing. All she knew was that in the weeks since they were both happier, and lighter, and she would sometimes come home to find that 'Mr. Ray' had been over and helped with the very important task of colouring in Piglet.
"So, are you looking forward to it?" she asked as Neela finally stopped and took a seat at the kitchen table.
"I think so."
"You think so?" Abby asked, an eyebrow raised, "You've been itching to get back to work ever since you woke up!"
"I know," Neela started, a worried look on her face, "but now that the day is here, I- I'm just nervous. I'm being silly, it'll be fine. And anyway, Pratt has me on light stuff only to settle back in, no traumas. So it should be a light day."
Pratt had made sure that Neela's first shift back had coincided with one of his own, he couldn't jig the rota much more than that, but at least he could be around to deal with any problems that arose.
As he sauntered in through the ambulance bay he was glad of his forward thinking. The ER was packed out, the heat of the day bringing in more patients than usual, heat strokes and barbeque accidents were the order of the day. He found Neela leaning against the desk at Admin watching the hustle and bustle.
"Good day to be back, huh?" he asked, a grin on his face, happy to see her roll her eyes at him as she nodded. He turned to the staff gathered for the start of the shift,
"Alright people! Let's show our girl we've still got it. Get to it and stop your gawking."
As the staff moved to swap over with those just leaving he grabbed Neela's attention and pulled her into a calmer corridor,
"You tell me the second it gets too much for you, right?"
"If it does."
"Neela."
"Fine. The minute I start to feel anything I'll tell you," she ran her free hand through her hair, "anything else?"
"Nope. Get to it. Oh, and stay out of trauma. I mean it."
"Sure."
He watched as she moved off back into the fray. He saw as Ray sauntered by and as they smiled at each other. At least something seemed to have settled for them. He hoped. Because God knew no one had a clue of what had gone down between them.
Hope barreled into the break room, trying to hide from Archie. He had sworn to get her for that thing she'd said as she'd left the house this morning. As she entered she noticed Neela sitting drinking a coffee.
"Hey, Neela," she said as she reached for the coffee pot and poured her own drink.
"Hope, hi. How are you?"
"Oh, you know," she waved her hand as if that could answer.
"Hiding from Morris?" Neela grinned.
"How did you know?" she laughed and took a sip of coffee, "Anyway, how're things for you? You've been back a few weeks now... so...?"
"Oh, everything's great. Greg's even thinking of letting me do some trauma work," Neela answered, a large grin on her face.
"He is? That's great!"
She was about to say more when the door opened again, this time it was Ray,
"Hey Neela," he said and then noticed she was in the room, "and uh, Hope."
"Ray," they both said.
All was quiet as Ray got his own mug of tea and found the honey that had fallen down by the side of the fridge. Ray sat opposite Neela and Hope watched them both; they seemed to be waiting for something. Oh!
"Oh," she said as she stood up suddenly, "I, um, well Archie's bound to find me in here soon enough, so I'll be going. Now. Bye!"
Robert Chase left the trauma room a fresh faced Neela Rasgotra walking alongside him. He still wasn't used to her crutch, it felt too normal to him.
"So, I guess you're enjoying be able to be back inside the trauma room, then?" he asked her.
"Definitely. Working my way back up," she replied.
"Oh, of course. You were originally in surgery, right?"
"Not exactly, I transferred across to surgery about a year before my accident."
"Right," he was about to continue when Ray appeared ahead of them.
"Hey Neela, Chase."
"Hey, Ray," they said in unison.
"So, uh, Neela, that cup of coffee?" Ray asked hesitantly, taking a quick look in Chase's direction as he did so.
"Yeah, sure. Give me five minutes, I have to update a few charts then I'll be right with you."
"Sure, walk you to admin?"
"Sure."
Chase watched as the pair walked away, smiles on their faces.
Sam left the hospital and headed for the El, taking the quick route home to be back in time for Alex to get home from school, waving to Ray and Neela as they walked from the coffee cart back to the hospital and smiling as they grinned back at her.
As she climbed the stairs she thought back over the last two months. Having Neela back, with the crutch, was almost like having Weaver back - the warning sign but less of the snark.
The hospital was rife with gossip over what was going on with the pair. Everything from they really hated each other but were just keeping up the 'friendship' for the sake of others to they were having a wild passionate affair.
Sam had laughed off both extremes and preferred to think that what was really going on was more of a middle ground. A repeat of what had gone on years before, this time without the distractions provided by Gallant and Gates or ZoК and Katey. If their constant smiles in the face of others were anything to go by, this time things were going great.
She frowned as she took a seat on the barely full train. If her past relationships at County were anything to go by, no one could take those smiles as truth of a good relationship. She had long since lost count of how many times she had smiled when all she had wanted was to cry.
Gates watched from a distance as Neela and Ray walked in the doors of the ER. They were smiling, again. He sighed; he'd given her the time and space he thought she wanted. All those protestations of hers were just her asking for space. It looked like he would have to do something, step up his game, before he lost it, her, all together.
As they passed him on their way to admin he called out to Neela, maybe now was the time to make his case known again. Sarah was back on her feet. Neela was back on hers. Everything was right.
End part