**I actually loved that lady from HR. I'd be happy to see her back again, for almost any reason. My fingers are crossed for the S3 finale.**
"Drs. Lim and Melendez," Ms. Waring said, greeting the two surgeons in her usual expressionless manner, "I see you're back here. Together. Again."
Neil pursed his lips together to keep from grinning, knowing that it would probably upset Ms. Waring and make it seem he was making light of the situation. He opted instead to smile politely at her and nod while Audrey answered with a brief and slightly intimidated, "Yes."
As Audrey visibly tensed under the searching gaze of the HR director, Neil had to stop himself again from smiling in amusement at how anxious Audrey was. The great Audrey Lim could assert her authority over all manner of patients, whether they be loud drunks or arrogant businessmen; she could pop back shoulder joints, reset broken bones and remove all sorts of foreign objects from any part of the human anatomy without flinching; and yet here she was, looking trapped under the glare of a harmless lady from HR.
"You're seeing each other, again," Ms. Waring said, more as a statement than a question.
"Yes," Neil replied, drawing Ms. Waring's attention to him and saving Audrey from having to endure her glare any longer.
Ms. Waring sighed quietly to herself before continuing, "As Dr. Lim is now your supervisor, there will be some additional procedures. We will start with your individual interviews. You will have to sign some paperwork." She paused before adding, "And I will have to be seeing you both much more regularly."
Audrey nodded slowly, having expected that there would be many more hoops to jump through.
"You were already seeing each other secretly," Ms. Waring said while beginning to scribble down a record of their meeting, "You could just go back to doing that."
"We wanted to make sure that everything was official and out in the open," Audrey said, unsure whether to take that as a comment or a question.
"I hope you don't plan on ending your relationship within the week, again," Ms. Waring replied, looking up at the two doctors, "Dealing with this requires a significant amount of paperwork. And time."
After individually confirming their consent, bringing them back together to sign some documents waiving hospital responsibility in the event of a breakdown in their relationship, and setting up a regular monthly meeting to keep Ms. Warren up to date on the effect of everything on their professional, working relationship, Audrey and Neil were finally released back into the corridors of the hospital.
They were both glad that they'd managed to arrange their HR appointment for the end of the day. After all the effort they had put into controlling their anxieties and emotions in front of Ms. Warren, it was a relief to not have to do any more thinking or go back to looking after patients.
As they walked along the corridor back to their offices and more familiar territory, Audrey let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "That wasn't so bad," she said with a bright smile to Neil, who just grinned back.
"You didn't look so confident in there," he laughed, jabbing his thumb in the direction of HR, "At one point, you looked as if you were about to cry like a schoolgirl being reprimanded."
Audrey knew the moment to which he was referring. Ms. Warren had all but told them they were making a mistake. They had just signed the last of the necessary paperwork and Ms. Warren had looked at them and said, "The fact that you're here a second time to declare your relationship tells me you think this is going to last. But surgeons have the biggest egos of everyone in this hospital, possibly in the world. One large ego doesn't bode well for a relationship, and you've got two."
Recalling Ms. Warren's words, Audrey sighed and stopped just before they were about to re-enter the busier parts of the hospital. Neil followed suit, turning to look at her with a puzzled expression.
"What if she was right? What if we really are destined to fail?" Audrey asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper. Had the corridor not been still and deserted, Neil may not have caught it. But there was no mistaking the fear and uncertainty in her eyes, which sent a pang across his heart. He took both her hands in his, drawing a small smile from her.
"Our egos have always clashed, but your confidence is one of the things I love about you. I love that you refuse to give in when you believe you're right," Neil said. At Audrey's raised eyebrows, he added with a laugh, "Well maybe not all the time. Sometimes, I can't stand you." He stepped up to hold her in his arms before he continued, "We'll work out a way. I love you, and I promise I'll do everything I can to work through anything that comes up."
Audrey smiled and replied with a kiss, the love she saw in his eyes replacing the knots of anxiety in her body with warmth. "I love you too," she said, holding his gaze for a few moments longer as they let their words sink in.
"Well, now that's settled, what do you say we have some fun tonight?" Neil said, stepping away but keeping a hold onto her hand, "We could grab some burgers, go see a movie or something?"
Audrey smiled at him mischievously as they walked through the hospital, hand in hand. "It's been a long time since I had the chance to beat you bowling," she said suggestively.
"You mean it's been a long time since I had the chance to let you win at bowling," Neil retorted with a grin. "I'd be happy to let you win again tonight," Neil added, pulling her closer as they passed a cleaning cart.
Audrey rolled her eyes and said, "You know I'd win even if you didn't let me."
When they finally arrived at Audrey's office, she let go of his hand, instantly missing its warmth. Turning to him, she asked, "So we're going to the bowling alley?"
Neil nodded before recalling a previous commitment he'd made. "Actually, I'd promised Claire that we'd hang out tonight," he said cautiously. He was very clear that he didn't see Claire as anything more than a friend, but he hadn't had the time to discuss their friendship with Audrey. He could the cogs turning in her head as the smile fell from her face.
"Neil, she's a resident," Audrey warned, "Is it really appropriate –"
"You're my boss. And my girlfriend" Neil interrupted, looking at her pointedly, "Claire and I, we're just friends." Audrey frowned, opening her mouth to reply but Neil quickly added, "Look, how about I ask her to invite someone else? Maybe Reznick?"
Audrey sighed softly, not entirely convinced, but nodded in agreement anyway.
By the time they arrived at the bowling alley and sat down to wait for their residents, Audrey had promised herself she'd try her best to enjoy herself and not think too much about Neil and Claire's friendship. She wasn't going to lie to herself and pretend that she was completely fine with their friendship, and she knew her issues with it weren't purely professional.
There was a part of her that was thinking from the perspective of their Chief, pre-empting the problems that would arise with Neil's need to balance his role as both Claire's friend and her supervising attending. But she also knew that part of her reacted with jealousy when she thought about them spending time together. She didn't doubt that Neil viewed their relationship as a purely platonic one, but she wasn't so sure that Claire felt the same way (definitely not, judging the looks she'd seen Claire give Neil).
She smiled in thanks as Neil handed her a pair of bowling shoes in her size and watched him in contemplation as he went to get them some drinks. She wanted to tell him about her misgivings about Claire, but she was also afraid it would cause tension in their already complicated relationship. As he walked back towards her, taking care not to spill their drinks, she decided she'd give Claire the opportunity to prove her wrong, and their relationship to become more stable before she introduced any trouble.
When Claire and Morgan joined them, Audrey had become distracted by the amusing photos Neil was showing her of his cousin's children and had enough alcohol in her system to push any thoughts not about winning at bowling to the back of her mind.
Audrey walked up to the bowling lane and picked up a ball, testing its weight in her hands, as Neil chatted with Morgan and Claire walked over to join her.
"Do you bowl much?" Claire asked her, trying to make polite conversation.
Sensing the awkwardness, Audrey realized for the first time since Neil had raised the idea of asking Claire to join them that this whole experience would have terrified her, had she been the resident hanging out with her Chief of Surgery. The thought softened her to the idea of forming a closer, more personal relationship with her residents.
"When we were residents, we used to come here every time we needed to blow off some steam," Audrey answered with a smile.
"You must be pretty good then, with all that practice," Claire replied, picking up a ball herself.
"Neil can't beat me in the hospital," Audrey started jokingly, walking away to take her second bowl and narrowly missing the one remaining pin, "So I don't see the need to let him beat me here either."
Claire rewarded her efforts with a small laugh before launching into a discussion about bowling technique. As Claire was detailing her own experience with bowling and lining up her bowl with the pins, Audrey caught Neil's eye and saw the concern in his eyes as he watched them. She gave him a reassuring smile before calling him over to take his bowl.