Neil didn't know if he had a good day today or not. It's early in the morning; he's just drinking his coffee. Throughout the first week of Shaun's residency, the young omega proved to be a challenge for him to handle. Yes, he admits that his capacity to conceptualize was truly remarkable. However, it still was a problem when Shaun wants every little detail to be tested or checked in the Hospital. Although he proved that there was truly an anomaly, it still didn't help that Shaun did the test without his consent. The issue was already addressed and he promised not to just consult without Neil's approval or knowledge in the matter of the patient's health.
"You seem to be in a sour mood, Dr. Melendez." Neil raised his head and saw Aaron approaching him with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Dr. Glassman." He greeted the older man as he sat down with Neil.
Aaron sips his coffee, enjoying his morning refresher. Yet his eyes still dart at the younger alpha, "I heard of what happened with Shaun. He kept on making tests when he diagnoses a patient."
Neil sighs as he sips from his cup as well, "Well, the matter is solved. If you're here to ask my opinion about, Dr. Murphy, then I'll indulge you for a while."
Aaron chuckles as he ignores the frown of the younger male, "Well, when you let him join his first surgery as a surgical resident, you did gave him suction work."
"If he's going to work under me, then he has to experience every work and obligation that I gave to him." Neil replied, "Although, I have to say, I was impressed with his call when he saved the little girl. He also did well when he and Claire got that donated organ. Even if it was a waste, I heard from Claire that Shaun managed to keep the organ preserved and in good quality."
Now that intrigued Aaron very much, Neil complemented the young omega and admitted it right in front of his superior. He sips his coffee and looks away, smiling at himself, "I've heard from Shaun and Jessica that you had a problem with him, Neil… and I know that she gave you the talk to give him a chance."
"Well…" He became silent, trying to find the proper answer that wouldn't make him sound prejudice, "I don't have a problem with him working for m-"
"Regardless if the said doctor is an omega, let alone someone who has autism?" Aaron arched an eyebrow, "You were curious with Shaun when you heard of him applying here. Is there something you're not telling me?"
Oh, Aaron knew that Neil met Shaun back when they were a bit young. The young omega one time told him that he met someone back in the library. It was a small issue for Shaun since he didn't have the chance to say good bye nor contact information.
"Nothing." Neil shook his head, "Forget about it. I'm going to work now."
Aaron didn't say anything and it was a sign that Neil needed for him to stand up and leave. The older male then checks the time and quickly finishes his coffee.
-/-/-
"So, it's almost two months now since your residency here, Shaun." Claire smiled, as she leans in the nurse's desk, with Jared also hanging out with them, "How are things so far here?"
"It's good. I get to learn a lot, especially from Dr. Melendez." Shaun nods as he finishes writing some prescriptions.
"Well I wouldn't be surprised." Jared shrugs, "I mean, have you seen the way Melendez would treat him?"
Claire gently shoves Jared and laughs, "He's tough on us, and it's our first year as surgical residence. Plus, he's one of the best surgeons in the country."
"That's true." Shaun didn't look at his two colleagues as his focus was somewhere else, "He is very arrogant. That means that he is very good in is job."
"Not all arrogant people are good with their job, Murphy." Jared said, "It's just his luck that he can back it up."
"Well, he's an alpha like you, Jared." Claire stated, "I can still handle your ego very much since it's not that big compared to Melendez."
"Ha, ha, Claire, you wound me."
"That's true…" Jared and Claire then stare at Shaun, the omega seemed to want to say something, "Alphas have always been classified as high classes before. But by 1884, the first secondary gender activists came and fought rights for Betas and Omegas. Then it continued up until in 1990, Japanese Doctor, Dr. Yuki Shizukawa invented a drug controlling the ruts and heat of all secondary genders."
Jared and Claire still couldn't fathom Shaun's remarkable memory recall, enabling him to sprout any medical or trivial facts that he had read or encountered from before.
"It just strengthens the case to why everyone deserves the chance to work or pursue any career they want." Claire replied.
"For others though…" Jared then whispers, "But in Shaun's case…"
The two of them gazed at the said male who now had his attention elsewhere. As much as they both want to deny it, autism is still a misunderstood subject and highly underestimated by other people.
"I think Shaun's gonna do something to fix that, Jared."
The three of them then noticed Neil walking towards them. Neil greeted his residence with Claire and Jared acknowledging it through nods.
"You seem to be early today, Shaun." Neil noticed since he is already chatting with his colleagues, "That's a pretty fresh start."
"The bus moved fine today. There were no delays and complications when I got here." Shaun replies.
"Good. There's a patient that we will check today and I want you three to observe, especially you Shaun. Your communication skills need work."
"Communication is really complicated."
Neil scoffs as he pats Shaun's shoulder, "Then working on that is one of your priorities as well."
Their boss then urges them to follow, which Shaun was the first to respond. Jared smirks and whispers to Claire, "Well that's interesting."
-/-/-
The scent of apples and vanilla, that was the first thing that Neil noticed when he found a place to sit and do some one his research. He knew that the teen was an omega, yet he was sitting alone in an isolated part of the library. It was a good strategy to avoid any unwanted eyes.
"That's a pretty complex book that you're reading." Neil pointed out yet the teen didn't answer.
The teen though slightly looked at him, but didn't utter a single word. Neil points at the vacant seat in the teen's opposite direction, "Is this seat taken?"
The teen shakes his head, "N-no…"
'At least he could speak.' "That's great. I'll just sit here and read some of my materials. I need it for a test tomorrow."
The young omega's eyes darted at the materials that the older male took out of his bag. Neil notices a pair of eyes staring at him. There wasn't a scent of discomfort, but Neil wanted to be sure.
"Are you okay?"
"You… seem to be okay… sitting here."
Neil could see that there was something about the teen due to his mannerisms. But he didn't want to pry nor scare the boy, "Well, I just find this place even more comforting to read and study my notes."
"You're… a med student?"
"Yup, planning to be a surgeon. But of course, there's some studying to before becoming one."
Neil then points at the book, "Plus you're also reading the same subject that I focus on."
The teen averted his gaze, "It's… interesting."
"So, how long have you been here?"
"About 3 hours. My brother took me here… so I could entertain myself while he's working."
"Oh? Well the library isn't always a place where you teenagers hang out."
"I like it here."
Neil nods, "Yeah, not all people get to appreciate libraries."
The teen nodded then became silent, returning to his book.
"Well… I also have some readings to do. I won't bother you." Neil smiles and assures him, seemingly enjoying the teen's presence in the library.
"Shaun…"
"Pardon?"
"My name… Shaun…"
"Neil? Neil?" Jessica snaps her fingers in front of Neil's face, snapping him out of his thoughts, "You seem to be distracted."
"Oh…" Neil rubs his temple and sighs, "Just a busy day at work, nothing serious."
"Okay…" Jessica stares at the man in front of her, not believing it, "Well, I just came in here to tell you about the dinner that we planned."
"Oh that, yeah I remember."
"Daddy says that he'll treat us, a congratulation gift of us being engaged."
"Your dad's coming?"
Jessica nods as she takes a seat in front of Neil, "Yeah. He wants to spend time with us since you'll be his son-in-law."
Neil nods, "Yeah… yeah…"
Jessica seemed to notice the sudden change of Neil's mood. She sighs as she remembers the slight disagreement that she shared with him.
"Is… this about what I said that I'm not yet prepared to have children? Did I offend you –"
"What? No!" Neil interjects, "That's not it, Jess. You know that."
"I know… I know…" Jessica sighs; she knew that Neil would want children. Yet she couldn't bring the courage to tell him that she doesn't want to have any, "I just thought that it might bother you about it."
"Hey…" Neil leans forward and caresses her hand that was placed in his glass table, "It could wait until you're ready."
She smiles, yet the worry was still within her, "Well that's refreshing. It's as refreshing as what I've observed with your residence."
Neil arched an eyebrow, "If it's about me being a hard ass to my residence…"
"Oh I know that you're a hard ass to every resident that came, plus a suck up for adoration and compliments." Jessica chuckled, "But I'm proud that you seem to be a bit lenient with Shaun."
"Well, he did show that he is qualified to work here. His skills are no doubt an asset, but his communication still needs work."
"You didn't deny it this time." Jessica smiles, "Though I hope that there is no favouritism."
"Just because he seemed to come up with different concepts doesn't mean favouritism. It's just that he gives good and valid points."
"Oh I know you very much, Neil." Jessica softly said in a whisper, directed to herself, "Well, you did knew him from before. I expected some hostility at first since… he suddenly left without a trace."
"That doesn't bother me, Jessica. As long as he's doing an excellent job, his private life doesn't matter to me." Neil interjects, wanting to drop the subject. He stands up and immediately left his office, leaving Jessica in her thoughts alone.
-/-/-
Neil walks towards the hallway with the results of their patient in his hand. His destination was towards two or his residents, since one of his was then assigned to another case. Neil passed a room but stopped when he saw Shaun with teenager that had a broken arm. They were talking, yet the alpha could see and sense the comfort that was emitting from Shaun. The young omega was enjoying his patient's company. However, the more that Neil stares at the teen that Shaun is tending to, the more it reminded him of someone.
Neil then remembered that Shaun had a brother. The patient slightly looked like Shaun's brother.
The young omega then got out of the room, which seemed to be in a hurry for something. Shaun paused when he noticed Neil near the room that he stayed.
"Hello, Dr. Melendez." Shaun greeted, "I have to get Evan for radiology."
Neil gently blocked before Shaun could leave, "Hold on, scan? Shaun, he only had an injured arm. It might just be clumsiness."
"N-no…" Shaun replies, trying to get away from Neil, "I noticed that he has nystagmus. He may have a neurological issue, it's best to check."
Before Neil could even reply, the omega quickly left heading towards the nurse's station for a form. He rubs his temple and decided to tell the others about the patient's pancreas before getting back to Shaun.
-/-/-
Shaun didn't know why Aaron was pushy about Evan being a look alike of his long dead brother. He knows that Steve is dead and that Steve won't ever come back. It was highly impossible for the dead to come back. Shaun pushed for a form to scan Evan's head. Regardless if the patient looks like his brother, he knows that there was something wrong. So it's a matter of finding out what the anomaly was.
As Evan was in the machine, Shaun kept his gaze at the teen while waiting for the results. The teen made a joke which made the nurse beside him laugh. The omega just gave a nonchalant answer about it.
"I could guess that you were being sarcastic." Evan chuckled.
"I have autism. It's hard to read and understand social cues."
Evan hummed, his eyes still at the machine in front of him, "Yeah, I used to know a kid with autism before. His name was Peter, weird but really nice."
"Oh…" Shaun replied as he stands up looking at the monitor, "Used to?"
"Well…" Evan suddenly became silent before replying back, "You know that at the age of 13, you get to know your second gender right?"
"Yes."
"Well… Peter found out he was an omega as well. Some of the kids bullied him… it just made things worse when they found his gender." Evan's mood became sour at the mention of it, "Well… then he got hit by a car, he was running away from bullies that time."
Shaun stares at the monitor with Evan's face. He didn't know what to reply so he just kept silent, "So, you got someone that died?"
"My brother…"
"Well that sucks…" Evan sighs, "Whatever the results are I'm not sure if my parents would accept that. They have this fear of getting sick…"
"Hypochondriasis?"
"Uh no, much worse." Evan paused, "Oh! It's nosophobia. I remember that word because it's my favourite and I read it in a dictionary."
It intrigued Shaun even more. He remembered that his brother would always read the dictionary, memorizing words that Steve would find intriguing.
"You're amazing though." The teen smiles through the machine, grinning in admiration, "You must be another inspiration if you're able to achieve this type of career. Then there's me, an alpha male teenager being this clumsy."
"No. It might not be clumsiness, Evan." Shaun replies.
"I bet some alphas or betas are already fawning over you."
"No one is fawning over me, and I am not interested."
"Sheesh, learn to take a compliment." Evan chuckles, "Seems like you need some of it."
Shaun nods as he sees the result of the scan. He checks the results when he heard the door opening and saw Neil entering.
"Murphy, you're still here? I thought by now that you would likely go to Claire or Jared for that pancreas case." Neil said as he walks towards Shaun, but the omega seemed to ignore him, "Shaun –"
"He's not clumsy." Shaun suddenly interjects as he points at the lump in the teen's brain scans, "He has a brain tumor behind the inner ear."
Neil also saw the scan and noticed the lump, "Shaun… forget the pancreas…"
-/-/-
Aaron invited Shaun to spend time with him on their lunch break. Which the older alpha took the liberty to buy their lunch as the younger male waited. When Aaron returned, Shaun told him about the patient that he suddenly grow to be fond of. Along with the parents' reaction when Shaun broke the news about Evan's illness.
"Shaun… I think it's best if you don't tell Evan about your diagnostics."
"Why?" Shaun asks as he sips from his glass, "Evan is a smart boy, I'm sure that he'll understand."
Aaron sighs and leans forward at the table, "Maybe there's a reason why his parents didn't tell him yet. Evan may not be ready, Shaun."
"They should be the first to break the news to Evan, Dr. Glassman –"
"Shaun." He looked at the omega, a silent gesture asking Shaun to listen to him, "It could be a possibility that they wanted Evan to enjoy his life without any worries."
"Evan wants to know the truth." Shaun replies batting an eye towards his mentor.
Aaron sighs as he leans back, "Shaun… is it because that Evan reminds you of Steve that you are acting this way? You think that he deserves that because that's what Steve wanted, and not Evan?"
Shaun was silent, remembering what his brother told him before. Steve always wanted Shaun to be honest, never hiding the truth.
"Steve would want to know the truth."
"But it's not the same case to Evan. He has parents who will decide when they will tell their child about that."
Shaun looks away, lost in thought in what to do. He didn't wait for Aaron's reply as he took his coat, leaving the older alpha to process what happened.
The omega decided that if he were to lie, he needed someone who is more suitable to do so.
-/-/-
Neil didn't know why he was back at the room where Shaun was tending the teen with a broken arm. His eyes kept on darting between the interactions of his resident surgeon and the patient. Unlike others, Shaun was comfortable talking to the teen. Neil could see that Shaun was enjoying the company as well as the teen himself.
"You know…"
Neil turned and saw Claire beside him, also joining him in observing Shaun, "He asked me to lie about the diagnostics towards Evan."
"I've heard. The parents don't want their child to know." Neil replied, "Should you be with Kalu right now?"
"I was, but I noticed you staring at Shaun again. I thought that you might want to know that I lied for Shaun and about the parents' reaction." Claire shrugs.
"Well thank you for that input, Claire. Best to check on the patient now." He said, immediately leaving Claire and walking towards his office. He needed to think.
Claire smirked as she heads towards where she was needed, "If I may think about it, it's like you're slightly interested in Shaun."
-/-/-
Again, Neil didn't know how he would always walk at a certain direction and suddenly find Shaun doing something; either tending a patient, eating, doing research, or all of them. He noticed within the glass that there are stacks of books surrounding the table with Shaun at the center.
Neil saw that Shaun was deep in his thoughts. His hands were clenched tightly as he noticed the omega's lips suddenly mumbling words that the older alpha couldn't comprehend. He checked his watch and noticed that it was getting late. Neil then knocked on the glass, calling Shaun's attention, before entering.
"Shaun, it's getting late. Why are you still here?"
"I did some research about Evan's case." Shaun replied, his eyes wide, "It might not be cancer."
Neil became curious at the findings, yet when he realized the time, he noticed something, "Shaun, have you eaten dinner yet?"
"No…"
"Plus, did you take your meds? Suppressants?"
"My heat won't come up until the next month."
"Yet you know that we drink suppressants two times, right?" Neil looks at Shaun who seemed to not answer his question. He sighs, "Follow me."
"Where are we going?"
Neil opens the door and looks back at Shaun, "You need to eat something and drink your meds. We can discuss this at the cafeteria. After that, go home and I'll tell you what I think about tomorrow."
"But I'm still not –"
"Murphy." Neil's gaze seemed to keep Shaun quiet. He softens his gaze as to not scare the omega in front of him, "I'll let Mrs. Gomez arrange these when she comes back. You need to eat and rest. I don't want my resident doing a half ass job just because you're tired. So follow me now, let's get a sandwich from the cafeteria and I'll escort you home."
"But my findings about Evan's condition…"
"Oh yeah." Neil sighs, "Fine, we discuss it first. After this, we go to the cafeteria and I escort you home."
"It's fine, I could take the bus –"
"Shaun. It's fine, plus with you suddenly working this late, it's a bit trouble for you to go home alone."
"Okay…" Shaun finally accepts which made Neil sigh in relief.
Putting some of his stuff down, he picks some of the books that Shaun took, "Since plans have changed. Why don't you discuss your theory while we clean up?"
-/-/-
"Thank you for driving me home, Dr. Melendez." Shaun said as he removes the seatbelt and prepares to leave.
"Shaun." He called, earning the attention of the omega. Neil didn't know if he should bring this up or not. But it has been bugging him when…
"You know that we usually meet at the library back then right?"
Shaun nods, "It's our usual meeting spot back then."
"Well…" Neil sighs, not knowing if he should bring this up or not, "Shaun… you were suddenly gone that time. I returned one day, but you never did."
"Oh…" Shaun's gaze averted from Neil's, he was aware of the events that transpired when he didn't have the chance to say goodbye. The events which made Shaun always remember.
Neil waited for Shaun to reply, yet he also questioned himself. He didn't have any clue to why he suddenly asked this. Their relationship before… it was something that Neil wanted to avoid for a long time. But still, they became somewhat friends, reading buddies when they have the time, or coincidentally meet at the library.
"I… I got into foster care before Dr. Glassman found me."
"You? I know you had a brother Shaun, I met him during that incident." Neil replied, yet he didn't elaborate the incident that may seem sensitive to Shaun.
"He died."
Now Neil felt like he was thrown with rocks throughout his body. Guilt plagued his entire being when he sensed the discomfort of the omega, "S-Shaun… I'm sorry if I suddenly –"
"It's okay." Shaun said, nonchalantly, but Neil could still sense the discomfort, "It happened a long time ago, and it will not happen again."
It all made sense to Neil when one day, Shaun didn't come to the library. All those weeks of him waiting and then giving up. The omega lost his brother, and brought to foster care. Neil could only hypothesize that maybe his parents weren't that kind to him. It really was a miracle that Aaron found and took him under his wing.
Then it also made sense to why Shaun grew attached to the kid that had a fractured arm. Evan looked like Steve, and his instincts made him act like the patient was somewhat his brother. It reminded Shaun a lot of Steve, which made the omega want to save the boy. Neil knew that the test seemed ludicrous; it was full proof that it was cancer. Yet, the parents didn't take kindly when Shaun suddenly told the truth, when in fact, the teen was already aware.
Neil couldn't now blame Shaun for suddenly acting that way. Yet, it is still best to be professional as possible. But for someone like Shaun, he treads things differently than them, especially it involved a trauma that he experienced.
"Shaun… I'm sure that the kid truly has cancer." It's best not to point out that Shaun was having an imprint to Evan due to the teen having similarities with his dead brother, "But, let's see, okay? To confirm some suspicions and assure the parents." And it might either assure or destroy you… it was left unsaid, but it was probably for the best.
"Okay." Shaun nods, "If that's all, then I'll take my leave. Thank you for taking me home and listening to my suggestions."
Shaun didn't wait for Neil to reply as he left the car, heading towards his apartment. Neil watches the omega enter his apartment building, not even leaving just yet. He then stares at the wheels of his car deep in thought and with sudden realizations. The alpha rubs his temple in frustration with what happened right now. Yes it gave him some closure with what happened, but it made something return… which he thought that he was already pass that. Yet here he is, fighting the urge to get closer to Shaun.
For now, it's better to stay professional first.
-/-/-
'I'm here at it again.' Neil sighs as he secretly followed Shaun in the cafeteria.
They did the test one more to see if there was really a chance for Evan to live. Sadly, the results proved that the teen truly have cancer and it was incurable. Neil didn't miss the look Shaun gave. The omega still had that deadpan look, yet he noticed his posture stiffen, and his hands were fidgeting. Then when they broke the news to the parents and took their leave, Neil saw Shaun's eyes and knew that the younger male was saddened and heartbroken by the news.
So here he was without any thought or plan about it. In his hands are two cups, one is coffee and the other is vanilla milkshake. Neil could imagine Claire smirking at him right now for what he is doing. Yes, it's usually a good approach for their superior to comfort their employees if they suddenly feel down.
But buying a beverage without the knowledge if he would like it? That's a whole different level.
Neil just sucks it up and walks towards Shaun, careful to not scare the omega. He gently places the milkshake in front of Shaun, "Milkshake, and my treat."
"Oh, but I didn't ask for it."
"Well…" Neil exhales as he takes a seat, opposite from Shaun's seat, "Usually when things go haywire, I always would grab a drink to calm myself. Also relax, it's not always alcohol, usually it's coffee."
Shaun stares at the beverage, unsure of what to do, "Is this a social protocol that I don't know about?"
Neil chuckles, "Almost, but it's more of his boss comforting his colleague. Go ahead; it's yours… though I'm not sure if you like vanilla milkshakes."
"It's okay, I also have a fond for vanilla… and apples too." Shaun said as he takes a sip, "Thank you for the drink, Dr. Melendez."
"You're welcome, Shaun." Neil sighs as he sips his coffee, yet his eyes still linger at Shaun, "Listen, you made the wrong about telling the parents."
"I know. I gave them false hope because of my mistake. It won't happen again."
"There was nothing wrong with double checking, Shaun." Neil interjects, "Yes, you told him which was under my order and the parents' wishes. But you did the best you could, because you believed that the boy could live and not suffer from an incurable disease."
Neil made sure that Shaun was looking at him, and was paying attention, "Try improving more in your communication. Also don't forget that your body matters as well. Avoid overworking and forgetting your meds."
"I understand." Shaun then looks away, sipping his milkshake, "It's sad. Evan only has a limited time here."
"You did the best you could, Shaun." Neil assures the young omega, "Maybe, since all of them now know, it's the best route for them to patch things up, without any secrets hindering them."
"I guess."
Neil nods, satisfied that Shaun seemed to feel better after their chat and with a sweet beverage given to him, "You still have a lot to improve, Shaun. You have surprised me once, I'm sure you'll do it again."
He finishes his coffee and stands up, giving Shaun a soft pat on the shoulder before leaving the young omega in his thoughts.