A/N: This one came out faster than I thought. It's going to take a turn after this part, and I'm so excited about it. Enjoy!

The surgical floor was white. Too white and bright. It was almost blinding to see. Jordan blinked a few times to adjust to the lighting as she entered the floor, her hands clutched tightly on the white doctor-in-training coat she wore, as if holding on for dear life. She adjusted her medical badge a few times, her nerves slightly elevated, her hands a little clammy. There was minimal movement around the area, a few nurses moving about with PADDs. The closer she stepped to the medical station, the more she dreaded her first shift in general surgery.

There was a petite nurse sitting at one of the stations, her hand gripping her PADD tightly as the other typed frantically on its surface. She momentarily paused and looked up at Jordan, and smiled.

"Good afternoon, Doctor Kirk," she greeted her and stood from her seat. Jordan cleared her throat.

"Good afternoon nurse. It looks like I may have come in early?"

"No, you're just in time," she responded as she gestured behind Jordan. "Here he comes."

She felt his presence way before she could actually see him. Her breath stuttered as she inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of his scent, something between coffee, a hint of musky cologne, and something she couldn't quite put her finger on but was familiar.

Jordan turned her head, her heart beating relatively faster at the sight of Leonard standing next to her, a PADD tucked under his arm and another in his hand as he reviewed what seemed like patient documents. He was in his hospital uniform, crisp and white, shining brighter than the walls around them. His brown hair was neatly brushed back, his hazel eyes fixed only on his device, but Jordan could see the muscles of his cheek clench multiple times, as if he were grinding his teeth.

If it weren't for the deep scowl on his face, she would say that he was roguishly handsome, which he was, and suddenly, she felt the need to see that man smile, even if it was just a small one. She took another deep breath, inhaling his scent again, trying to decipher the mysterious smell.

Hints of vanilla and caramel, and oak. Kentucky oak to be exact.

Bourbon. He seemed more like a whiskey guy.

Interesting.

Jordan opened her mouth to speak, but before she could even draw a syllable out, Leonard grabbed the PADD from under his arm and held it out to her without looking. She grabbed the device from him, arching an eyebrow to see that he had already loaded information for her to review, mainly current patient charts and her scheduled shifts for the next ten days. She was mildly surprised, given that the last resident she was assigned to did not do this at all for her.

A small blush creeped up her neck as she scrolled through the information. She brought her eyes back to him, his own eyes still viewing his PADD. Should she say something?

Leonard was the first to speak. "I need you to check on all the post-op patients that are currently on this floor."

She furrowed her eyebrows and turned back to her PADD. She clicked a few icons, bringing up the list of the patients he was speaking of, and her eyes went wide.

What the…

"All seventeen of them?"

"Is there a problem with that?" he asked, the tone in his voice challenging, almost demanding. He looked up and stared at her intently. His eyes were darker than she'd ever seen before, the hazel color molten and deep. Jordan swallowed and cleared her throat.

"No sir. There isn't a problem with that." She tried heavily to keep it professional, but damn, her insides melted when she called him 'sir'.

"After you're done with that, you need to prep all the surgical trays."

Jordan blinked a few times in confusion, tucking her PADD under her arm and took a deep breath. "All due respect sir, but that's the nurse's job."

"It's your job today, intern." He was definitely challenging her, the corners of his lips curving slightly into an obvious smirk. She regretted the previous thought of seeing him smile, the anger bubbling through her veins.

Leonard began to turn to walk away before Jordan spoke up. "Doctor Kirk."

"Excuse me?" He paused and turned back to her, frowning deeply in irritation.

"My name sir," she stated as she lifted her chin a little higher in assertiveness. "It's Doctor Kirk. I may be an intern, but I obtained my masters in medicine around the same time as you did."

She pursed her lips, the fire in her blue eyes burning brightly. She really didn't want to be confrontational with him on her first day, but he was clearly pushing her to be in that position, and the way he stared back at her didn't help her sanity.

Leonard pursed his lips and curtly nodded. "Prep the surgical trays, Doctor Kirk."

With that, he turned without a second glance and walked away, disappearing when he turned the corner.

So much for keeping it professional.

Jordan let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in, the butterflies in her stomach in full bloom. She closed her eyes for a moment to get herself together when she heard a whistle in front of her. She opened her eyes to see the same nurse from before, gawking at her in amazement.

Jordan was embarrassed. She completely forgot that she wasn't alone.

"Wow," the nurse exclaimed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry?"

"That was the first time anyone has ever tried putting him in his place."

Jordan laughed as she set her PADD on the counter. The nurse smiled back at her with the same enthusiasm.

"May I commission your help in showing me how to do this, nurse?"

"Of course. I'll be here when you finish checking on your patients," she responded, and as Jordan nodded her head and turned to walk away, the nurse called out to her. "Just a word of advise."

"What's that?"

"Be careful with him, doctor. He's a feisty one."

——

It was close to 23:00, Jordan surmised, when she sat down in one of the chairs at the nurse's station. The night nurses were tending to the overnight patients still under the hospital's care, leaving her to sit on her own for a short while. She sighed deeply, leaning her head back as she closed her eyes. She was tired, beyond tired, but overall, she wouldn't change this for anything.

Another day of doing what I love.

The surgical trays that she prepped with the afternoon nurse sat neatly next to her on the counter, wrapped and ready to be dispersed in the surgical theaters. Jordan hummed in satisfaction as she thought of the events of her day, a smile forming on her lips. She continued like this for a few short moments, unaware of heavy footfalls nearing her area.

"God damn it."

Jordan took a sharp intake of breath, opening her eyes as she fumbled off her chair to stand up straight. There stood Leonard, staring down at the surgical trays, his ears bright red as he pursed his lips. Gone was his white uniform, and instead, he wore navy blue scrubs that were designed for surgeons.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she straightened her coat.

"What the hell is this?"

Jordan watched as he took each tray apart haphazardly, and she widened her eyes. "The sterilized trays for the surgical theaters."

"Why the hell is it set up like this?" He was beyond mad, the tone of his voice raising a octave as he spoke to her. Jordan was perplexed but stood her ground.

"Doctor, with all due respect-"

"If you can't set up a surgical tray correctly," he growled as he slammed one tray down, the instruments scattering over the counter and on the floor. "Then you shouldn't be here at all."

What in the fuck?

"Now wait just a damn minute!" Jordan stepped around the counter to stand in front of the infuriating man, her nostrils flaring and her hands in fists.

"I asked you to set these up," he yelled, "this is not how you set up a tray."

"No, you told me to set these up. You never had the inkling to ask me. It's two very different things," she refuted loudly, her arms shaking with the anger that boiled in her. "I had to ask for help from a nurse and she kindly showed me. Wouldn't it be the responsibility of my resident to teach me?"

"Come down from your high horse, little girl."

"Don't you dare speak to me that way, Doctor McCoy!" Jordan stepped closer to him, bringing a finger to his chest and poking him harshly against his chest.

"I will speak to you whichever way I want," he responded heartlessly as he swatted her hand away from him and crossed his arms. "While we're in this hospital and on rotation, I am your assigned resident and you're my intern, Doctor Kirk."

"With respect, Doctor McCoy," she growled, droning out his name like a slithering snake, "just because you're my assigned resident doesn't mean you can yell at me for something so insanely stupid, like the positioning of the sterilized equipment on the surgical tray."

"Now wait just a damn-"

"I am not finished speaking sir!" She was screaming now, earning a few glances of passing staff and others peeking out of patient rooms, but it didn't matter to Jordan. She was beyond gone with her temper. "This isn't the Dark Ages. Instead of consistently yelling at me, maybe you could show me what's wrong and I can fix all of the trays. I think you're the one that needs to come down from your high horse and learn some manners sir. I'll be back when you do."

She turned on her heel and ran down the hall until she reached the row of elevators. She pressed the button several times as she heaved quick breaths, her chest hurting from the sudden sprint. When she finally entered the elevator and the doors swished closed, she slid down to the floor, slamming her fists against the wall behind her. She was blinded in anger, something that never ever happened to her before in her life.

And she felt horrible after feeling it.

——

The library was quiet as Jordan strolled through the aisle, grabbing a few books she needed to study for her class. Her arms heavy with journals and thick textbooks, she ventured to the center of the library, searching for an empty table.

Jordan sighed as she adjusted the strap of her shoulder bag, and groaned when she saw that all the tables were in use. She cringed internally as she walked down the row of tables, knowing that it would be hours before she could sit down to actually finish her studying.

That was when she stopped in her tracks, her eyes on the table at the end of the room, occupied by none other than Leonard himself. He was engrossed in his own studying, three sets of books opened around him along with two spiral notebooks and his PADD in hand while he notated in his notebook and typed on the device.

Jordan hadn't seen him since her shift just three days before, the shouting match they shared fresh in her mind. She avoided him as much as she could, but it didn't help that she felt ashamed with the way she blew up at him, no matter who was at fault. Jordan was always the calm one in the midst of a tense situation, keeping her head leveled and cool, but the anger that boiled in her during that argument blinded her completely.

Working up the courage, she stepped up to the table and cleared her throat. Leonard paused his typing and looked up, immediately cursing under his breath.

"Oh fuck," he muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you want?"

"All the tables are taken and I really need to study."

"Well, this table is taken too, so find someplace else."

"I promise I'll stay quiet," she softly pleaded, her eyes wide as she juggled the books in her hands. "Please?"

Leonard stared at her a short moment and clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "Fine."

A smile sprung on her lips in gratitude as she set her belongings on the table, pushing the empty chair to sit down across from him. Immediately she went to work, opening the books and journals and pulling out her own PADD to start typing notes. Leonard watched her as she turned pages with one hand as the other moved over the device, and he sighed, returning to his own work.

They sat there for what seemed hours in companionable silence, which amazed Jordan. She was never able to hold this much quiet with Leonard without a snarky comment. She set down her PADD and stretched her arms over her head, groaning as she straightened her back. Leonard watched her through his lashes but continued with his hands skimming through a medical journal he had opened.

Jordan returned to her book and groaned loudly. "This is frustrating," she grumbled.

Leonard looked up and arched an eyebrow. "I thought you said you'd be quiet."

"Sorry," she squeaked as she held up her hands in sign of surrender. "It's just that I wish I could understand this."

Jordan folded her arms over her books and dropped her head in her arms, her wild tawny hair in her ponytail covering her like a thick blanket. Leonard's sharp gaze softened slightly as he watched her murmur a few words he couldn't hear, and unconsciously, a smile formed on his lips. He shook his head and cleared his throat, catching her attention and lifted her head.

"What are you studyin'?" he asked.

"It's my xenolinguistics course. I've got a practical exam on the Vulcan dialect in two days," she explained and Leonard's eyebrows shot up in astonishment. She leaned back in her chair and scratched the back of her neck. "I can't understand why I decided to take this extra course. I'm a doctor, not a translator. I was supposed to be going over this with another cadet that's majoring in communications but she had to cancel so I'm on my own."

She sighed deeply as she closed her eyes. When she continued hearing silence, she opened her eyes to see Leonard still staring at her, but it wasn't his usual irritated stare. He was just watching her in genuine fascination, his eyes twinkling as if she had gifted him a childhood dream. She felt a blush blooming on her cheeks, her heart beating fast against her chest.

"I'm sorry. This isn't your problem," she stuttered as she turned back to her books and fumbled through the pages, hoping that he wouldn't see her reddened face.

"Alright," he tutted and stood from his chair, grabbing the back of it and dragging it around the table, setting it down next to Jordan. Her eyes widened as she watched Leonard sit down next to her and eye the books around her side of the table. He glanced at her and nodded toward her work. "I don't know a lick of this, but maybe I can take a look."

What?! "Leonard, you don't have to-"

"Come on now. Show me what you're havin' trouble with."

Jordan swallowed dryly and pulled her materials closer to them, handing him her PADD as she started explaining and pointing at various words in one of the books. Leonard only nodded and noted a few things on her device.

They sat together for thirty minutes, Leonard reading out loud and Jordan repeating as she jotted down on her notebook.

A yawn slipped out of Jordan's mouth, and she looked up at the window. It was pitch black outside, signaling that the library was about to close. She glanced at Leonard as he stood from his seat and started packing his belongings.

"I'm sorry about what happened in our rotation," she said as she closed her books, and Leonard paused to stare back at her. Jordan sighed. "It didn't matter who was right or wrong, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I lost my temper."

"Hell," he blew out and dropped his bag on the table. "I'm sorry too Jordan. There's no excuse for me treatin' you like that. It won't be happenin' again, I promise you."

Jordan nodded and shoulder her bag. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping me with this, even if you don't know anything about it." She smiled and tilted her head to the side. "And for apologizing."

And Leonard did the one thing she never thought she would see him do.

He smiled back.