Disclaimer appears at the end. I don't want to spoil the surprise. Of
course, if you caught the hint earlier, it's not much of a surprise, is it?
Chapter 40. (February 11. William Penn Hotel. Pittsburgh, PA.)
"I know it's not exactly close to the airport," Dora Sloan nattered on, "but it's a fine old hotel. Wouldn't you agree?"
Olivia nodded and smiled and said sincerely, "Oh, yes, ma'am. It's just beautiful."
"Please, dear, Aunt Dora."
"Ok…Aunt Dora."
"It was no trouble arranging transportation from the airport, and when Steve said you wanted first class for everyone, I knew this was the way to go. I'm just so glad you like it."
"Oh, I do, I really do."
Steve was busy catching up with his old friend Jack Stewart. Before that, he'd been telling a rapt Jesse, CJ, and Dion all about his first encounter with a bear in the woods. Mark, too, had enjoyed visiting with Jack, as well as Norman Briggs, Dolores Hall, his brother Stacey, and his daughter Carol. At first, Olivia was furious with both Mark and Steve for abandoning her to deal with Aunt Dora alone, but then she realized how difficult it must have been for them among all of her friends. Still, when two gentlemen and a little girl entered the small banquet room Dora had booked, Liv was quick to excuse herself.
Steve's back was to the door, but even if he had seen the men enter, he would not have understood why their sudden appearance would cause Jack to stop in midsentence and Jesse to freeze with a forkful of cheesecake halfway to his mouth. As he looked around the table, he saw Norman Briggs go pale. Amanda's eyes opened wide, and his dad's head snapped around almost fast enough to cause whiplash. Obviously, these guys were well known in the medical community, but who the hell were they? Full of curiosity, he joined Liv as she went to greet her friends.
Without a word, she went to them and gave each of them a hug. First, she wrapped her arms around the man with the salt-and-pepper hair and very dark eyebrows. The guy had a kind face and a calm manner, and Steve could see Olivia relax the moment he put his arms around her. Of course, that could just be the result of having escaped Aunt Dora.
"It's good to see you. How have you been?"
"Apparently a lot better than you," the stranger said as he held the arm with the cast.
"It's nothing, really." She rolled here eyes and turned to the other man. Tall, with dark hair and puppy-dog eyes, he was a bundle of nervous energy, constantly fidgeting. Steve noticed right away the twitchy fellow didn't like to hold eye contact for long. The guy made him nervous.
As she stepped back from the hug, Liv told him, "You know I love you, and I know it's all in fun, but if you ever grab my butt again I will break you hand."
He held her at arms length and said, "Liv, you look like hell. God, it's good to see you. Now why don't you introduce us to some of these people? All this silent admiration from afar makes me feel like a sideshow."
With an exasperated sigh, Liv said, "You *are* a sideshow and you bring it on yourself by acting like a jackass. If you think I look bad now, you should have seen me three days ago."
The borderline profanity from Liv caused Steve to raise an eyebrow. She caught the gesture and shrugged. Steve thought this guy was an arrogant bastard already, but his friend was too reserved to hazard a guess at his character. Still, Steve could not deny the murmurs he heard behind him. Liv's friends had clearly made an impression on the other doctors in the room.
"Before we make the rounds," Liv suggested to Twitchy, "I think you should introduce me to someone."
With a glance, Olivia indicated the little girl. Twitchy knelt beside the child and said, "Alicia, this lady is a friend of Daddy's. You remember me telling you about Dr. Regis, don't you?"
The child nodded, wide-eyed. Then she reached out to shake Liv's hand and said, "It's very nice to meet you, Dr. Regis. Daddy says you're the best woman surgeon he's ever met."
"Alicia, did your daddy tell you to say that just to see how I would react?"
The child gave an impish smile, stuck her tongue out at her dad, and said, "Yes, ma'am."
"Do you know he and I used to argue about whether I was a surgeon or a woman surgeon all the time?"
"Uh-huh. I agree with you. I'd much rather be 'one of the best' than the 'best *woman*' anything any day. I hope hurting your arm doesn't affect your skill."
"I think my arm will be just fine. Thank you for the compliment and for your concern." Looking at Twitchy, Liv said, "Bright child, and someone is teaching her some sense." Turning to the one with the eyebrows, she said, "Must be you."
Both men laughed, and Twitchy said, "Believe it or not, having a daughter has shown me the error of my ways."
Liv dropped her jaw in mock surprise and asked Eyebrows, "Did I just hear him admit he was wrong?"
"I didn't say that!" Twitchy insisted.
Looking at him, Eyebrows deadpanned, "I think you did."
Alicia looked up and said brightly, "You did, Daddy."
Liv looked back to the child and said, "Well, it certainly is nice to meet you, Alicia. I'm glad to see you can keep your dad in line. I remember you when you were a tiny baby. You knew how to handle him before you could even talk."
"You there when Daddy Alan adopted me, weren't you?"
Liv looked to Twitchy and he told her, "She knows all about the Eel and how she got stuck with a wacko like me. I figured it was better to tell her myself than to let it slip from a thoughtless friend or, even worse, a stranger."
Liv nodded. "Good thinking." To Alicia, she said, "Yes, honey, I was there. I even got to baby sit you when he was in the hospital before he died. You were a beautiful baby, but you're an even prettier little girl."
Alicia smiled and said, "Thank you."
Liv called CJ and Dion over and asked them to entertain Alicia. They were delighted to oblige, having long ago gotten bored with one another's company.
Finally, Liv turned to Steve and put her good arm around his waist in what Steve thought was a delightfully proprietary gesture. Indicating first Twitchy and then Eyebrows, she said, "Jeffrey Geiger, Aaron Shutt, meet Steve Sloan…my fiancé."
The men shook hands, and Aaron, indicating Steve's arm which was still in it's sling from the bullet wound said, "It appears that the two of you have had quite a row already. I hope this is no indication of what's to come."
Steve laughed uneasily, hoping it was a joke, and said, "I hope not. It's a long story best forgotten, and the row wasn't between Liv and me."
Aaron smiled warmly then and said, "That's good to know."
Jeffrey took his hand and said in an almost friendly tone, "You're one lucky son of a…" Olivia cleared her throat and he quickly amended, "…gun, Steve. Remember, if you hurt her, I'll kill you."
"Jeffrey," Liv said in a warning tone.
Steve rolled his eyes and said with an impatient grin, "I've been told as much several times already, Jeffrey. I won't hurt her."
Jeffrey looked at Aaron and said, "He doesn't think I'm serious. Tell him I'm serious, Aaron."
"You're not serious, Jeffrey."
"Yes, I am."
"No, you're not. You're nuts, but you're not serious." Aaron gave Steve an embarrassed smile and said, "He's not serious."
As they walked over to meet the rest of the group, Olivia muttered to Jeffrey through a toothy smile, "These people are about to become my family, Jeffrey. I expect you to behave yourself. If you embarrass me, I will never forgive you, got it?"
"There you go spoiling all my fun again. I'll be good, Mom."
Steve swore he heard Liv growl.
Jeffrey and Aaron spoke for several minutes with Mark, Norman, and Olivia. During that time, Jesse, Amanda, and Jack came over to talk to Steve.
Tugging on his wounded arm to get his attention, Jesse said, "Steve, why didn't you tell us?"
"Jeeze, Jess, watch the arm, huh?"
"Oh, sorry. But why didn't you tell us?"
"Tell you what," Steve asked, genuinely confused.
"You're clueless, aren't you," Jack asked.
"I guess so, Jack. Why don't you fill me in?" Steve was already exasperated.
"That's Jeffrey Geiger and Aaron Shutt."
"I know," Steve told him. "I just met them."
Amanda sighed. "Steve, do you remember how excited Jesse was to have Liv coming to GC because of her reputation?"
Steve nodded.
"Well, Shutt and Geiger are light years beyond anyone in their fields. If they're not as famous as Liv, they're more famous, if only because they've been around longer."
"Oh. Well, excuse me for not knowing."
His friends gave him an odd look, and Amanda said, "Snippy, aren't we?"
"Sorry, I guess it's just pre-wedding jitters," it was a lame excuse, but Steve wasn't going to say that he didn't like his friends standing in awe of a couple strangers, one of them stranger than most, from Chicago.
Jack shook his head in pity. "You don't get it. Having the two of them here…it's like having Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig come to dinner at your house on the same night."
"Yeah, and when you count Liv…" Jesse couldn't finish the thought so Jack took over for him.
"Dimaggio, another great from a younger generation."
"Whatever. Look, guys, whatever they've accomplished, they're still just people. Shutt seems nice enough, if a little on the quiet side, and Geiger is just weird."
"Did I hear someone taking my name in vain?" Jeffrey had gotten restless and wandered away from Aaron and Mark several minutes ago. He and Liv had chatted up Steve's aunt, uncle, and sister and met his partner Cheryl. After checking to see that Alicia was having fun with her new friends, he had gone in search of someone else to entertain him. Somehow, he got the idea that it would be fun to annoy Liv's straight-laced cop. He wondered how long it would take him to get the guy to try to hit him.
Steve stifled a groan with a cough. This guy was getting annoying already, but he'd be damned if he'd let on. He was determined to make nice with all of Liv's friends. If he could get past Keith, the arrogant and annoying Dr. Jeffrey Geiger should be easy.
Noticing that Steve's companions were already standing a bit in awe of him, Jeffrey added, "Relax, guys, I don't bite…"
Liv called, "That's a lie."
"…any more." Looking to Liv, he said, "Will you let a guy finish a thought, woman?"
"Let me introduce you," Steve offered. "Dr….I'm sorry, I forgot your name." He feigned complete shock at his sudden absentmindedness.
As Geiger looked daggers at him, Steve heard a snort of laughter from Liv, and she called, "He'll give as good as he gets, Jeffrey. You've met your match."
Steve snapped his fingers as if Liv had suddenly jogged his memory and said, "Of course! Jeffrey! Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, meet Drs. Amanda Bentley, Jesse Travis, and Jack Stewart."
With dramatic flair, Jeffrey took Amanda's hand, and, ignoring the others, he kissed it and said, "If I could write the beauty of your eyes and in fresh numbers number all your graces, the age to come would say, 'This poet lies: such heavenly touches ne'er touched earthly faces.'"
Much to Steve's dismay, Amanda giggled and batted her eyes at the fool.
"Dr. Geiger," she said breathlessly, "I've seen you present at conferences in the past, but I never would have guessed you would be so elegant or so charming in person."
"Jeffrey, please, dear lady. Only your radiant beauty could make me recite Shakespeare."
Steve couldn't keep from rolling his eyes, and he caught a, 'Don't be so childish,' look from Amanda when she spotted him. Disgusted, he walked away to join Liv and his dad in conversation with Dr. Shutt.
When she spotted the satisfied smirk on Jeffrey's face, Amanda immediately felt sorry for the look she had given Steve. It would be awkward to call him back now, so she did the next best thing. She made up her mind to apologize later and forced the egomaniac to acknowledge Jack and Jesse.
"A few minutes ago, Jack, Jesse, and I were discussing your work, and I don't think any of us have seen anything new from you in the past several years. I know Jesse in particular was wondering what progress you have made in your research on gene therapy in generating a new coronary blood supply network after bypass surgery."
"Absolutely none in the past six years," Jeffrey shook his head and smiled, knowing that he'd been too smug. If he'd just acted confused when Steve had walked off, he'd still be flirting with the attractive young woman instead of talking shop with her and her friends. Oh, well.
The three younger doctors exchanged confused glances until finally Jesse said, "Surely you have made some advances."
"Actually, no, I haven't," Jeffrey insisted. "When I adopted Alicia six years ago, I retired to be a full-time dad."
"You quit? Just like that?" Jack was astounded.
"Do you have kids, what's your name? Jack?"
"Yes, Jack. No kids."
"Then you couldn't possibly understand."
"Well, Amanda has kids," Jesse said, "and she works at Community General and as an ME for LA County."
Jeffrey eyed the shorter man with a look that made him cower. He couldn't stand it when people acted like he was somehow slacking because he'd decided to devote himself entirely to raising his child.
"Good for her. As for me, I can only excel at one thing at a time. If I were to try to be a parent and a doctor, I would feel I was always neglecting either Alicia or my patients. My daughter is far more important to me than medicine. I'm sorry if you're disappointed."
"Look, Dr. Geiger, I'm sorry if I offended you," Jesse said, backing away as he tried to smooth things over. "I'm just surprised such a gifted surgeon could walk away from it so easily. I admire you for being able to follow your heart. It must be wonderful to be with your daughter every…"
"Wait, kid," Jeffrey interrupted. He sighed. In ten minutes, he'd already managed to alienate half of Liv's friends. He *was* a sideshow, *and* a jackass. "I should be apologizing to you. All of you," he included Jack and Amanda in his glance and gestured toward Steve. "It hasn't been easy to walk away. I have this competitive streak. I always have to be the smartest or the best or the wittiest. More often than not, I just piss people off." He shrugged. "Sorry about that."
Olivia joined the group and said, "It is the end of the world as we know it. First, he admits he was wrong, and now, he's apologizing. Will wonders never cease?"
Jeffrey looked at her and said, "Liv, you have no idea how much I've changed since you left Chicago Hope. Alicia has been good for me, really good."
"I can see that, Jeffrey, and I think it's wonderful."
Geiger grinned, "Believe it or not, I have even admitted to Kate that I needed her advice a time or two."
"Speaking of Kate, where are she and Phillip?"
"They're taking a later flight. Kate had a patient on the heart recipient waiting list and a good one came in at the last moment, and Phillip had a late meeting. They're due in here around nine tonight, local time."
"K-K-Kate as in Katherine Austin and Ph-Ph-Phillip Watters?" Jesse stammered, unable to believe that he was going to meet two more of his heroes in one evening.
Jeffrey looked at him and said, "Kid, you need to get a grip. You're a doctor, I'm a doctor, Kate, Phillip, Aaron, we're all just doctors, though when I was practicing, I was certainly the best and most charismatic." He winked and grinned, making a joke of his arrogant words. "Some of us may have had more experience, and a few lucky breaks here and there, but that's it."
"Yeah, but you're accomplishments…"
"Twenty years from now, they'll be a fart in the wind, Jesse." Suddenly, Jeffrey's eyes unfocused and his brain was off on another track all together. "Jesse…Jesse…Jesse Travis from Community General in LA?"
"Uh-huh."
"You're mom's that beautiful blonde Dr. Travis from that little private practice in Minnesota, right?"
"Yeah…" Jesse was confused now.
"Hey, Aaron," yelled Jeffrey, "You've gotta meet this kid, get over here."
As Aaron joined the group, Jesse asked, "How do you know my mom?"
Ignoring his question, Jeffrey told Aaron, "Aaron, this is Jesse Travis."
Aaron frowned in thought until recognition lit his eyes. "You did the amputation in the elevator when your hospital was bombed." Shaking his hand, he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I feel like I know you already. I can't talk to you mother without hearing what you've been doing."
"How do you know my mom?" Jesse repeated.
In answer, Aaron explained, "Whenever we publish a new procedure at Chicago Hope, her practice sends people to learn it for their patients. Your mom is such a nice lady."
Jesse gave a pained smile. "Yeah, that's my mom," he said quietly, "She's real good at nice."
"I just love her," Aaron rambled on. "Whenever she comes to the hospital, I always try to make time at least to have lunch with her. She's always full of stories about you."
"Really?" Jesse found it hard to believe his mom would talk that much about him to her friends.
"Yeah, kid. Whatever you're doing, keep it up," Jeffrey said. "You're really going places, and your mom is proud of you."
Beaming, blushing, and trying to be modest all at once, Jesse could only say, "Aw, shucks," and made everybody laugh.
Liv muttered to Jeffrey under her breath, "You better be telling the truth."
"Every word of it," he replied quietly, still smiling at the suddenly bashful young man.
As Jack, Jesse, and Amanda told the doctors from Chicago about their exploits both in the hospital and in helping Steve solve his cases, Steve quietly pulled Liv aside and asked, "Do you think we can leave these people to entertain each other for a while? I miss having you to myself. We could say we're tired from the drive or something and want to go lie down a little."
"Mmmm," Liv gave it some thought. "I'm half afraid to leave Jeffrey without a keeper."
"I know what you mean, Liv. At first I thought he was a jerk, and he really annoyed me, but I think your friend Aaron can manage him. Besides, after what he did for Jesse, I have to say, he can't be all bad."
Liv laughed softly, "Jeffrey's like that. One minute he's a jackass, and the next moment, he's a doll."
"Takes some getting used to, I'll bet."
"Oh, yes, and in answer to your other question, ohhh, yesss."
She giggled, he grinned, and they made their excuses and went to their room.
Liv rolled over and looked at the clock.
"Steve, it's eight fifteen."
"And?" Steve was still groggy.
"Kate and Phillip will be here in an hour."
"You sure?" He really didn't want to get out of bed, not that he particularly wanted to sleep any more.
"If their flight's on time."
"Why don't you call and find out?" Anything to postpone the inevitable.
He heard a murmured conversation. Then Liv hung up and dialed again. When she rolled over, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "Their flight's ten minutes behind schedule. The desk will call us when they check in."
Steve snuggled closer and started sucking her earlobe. "Good."
She giggled.
The phone rang at nine twenty-five, waking them both from a light doze.
"Hello?"
"Dr. Regis, you asked to be notified when your friends checked in."
"Oh, yes. They're here?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"What room?"
"Eight-oh-seven and eight-oh-nine, ma'am."
"Ok. Thank you. Could you ask if they want room service? Anything they want, charge it to my room, please, and also tell them I will come see them in just a few minutes."
"Yes, ma'am."
Steve groaned as Liv nudged him out of the bed.
"Come on, babe. It would be rude not to meet them tonight after they've come all this way."
"Tell them I've been shot and am still recovering, Liv. They'll understand."
"Steven Michael Sloan…"
He groaned again. His dad must have taught her that.
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
With a chuckle, she said, "There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now I want you to meet Kate and Phillip."
When the joke finally sunk in, Steve burst into laughter. "You are incorrigible."
"…so he bit the guy's finger."
They all howled with laughter.
"You're telling me Geiger actually *bit* another surgeon?" Steve asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Phillip insisted, "and when they came to my office, Jeffrey kept saying, 'I warned him, Phillip, I warned him.'"
"And I thought Jen and Chris were unusual." Still laughing, Steve turned to Liv and asked, "So that's what he meant when he said he doesn't bite anymore?"
"I guess so."
It was after eleven, and they were still talking. Steve had hit it off much better with Phillip and Kate than he had with Jeffrey and Aaron, and he was enjoying hearing stories about Olivia and her friends from Chicago.
"Ok," Steve said, "I've got a question."
"What's that," Liv asked.
"How did you and Geiger ever get to be friends?"
Before Liv could answer, Kate held up a finger and said, "Hold that thought."
She went to the mini-bar and fixed drinks for everyone. Putting Steve's scotch and soda in his hand, she said, "You're going to need it."
Raising an eyebrow, he turned to Liv.
She shrugged. "It's not that complicated really. We just have a lot in common."
"Olivia," Phillip said in a tone that suggested she'd better amend her story quickly.
Smiling blandly, she turned to him, "Can you deny it's true?"
After a moment's thought, he said, "No, but…"
"But if you don't tell the whole story, we will," Kate interrupted.
Liv hid her face in her hands and moaned, "You just live to embarrass me, don't you?"
"Always," Kate said.
Taking a sip of the vodka martini Kate had mixed for her, Liv settled back in her chair and began.
"It's like this, Steve. When I first moved to Chicago, I didn't know a soul there. The only friends I had were the ones I made at work. Phillip and Aaron took me in right away. Initially, I thought it was because I'd made no secret of my previous bouts with depression and they wanted to keep an eye on me, but eventually, I realized that their friendliness was sincere. They really liked me. They were absolute dolls."
"Dolls?" The older doctor echoed.
"Dolls," Liv repeated, leaning over to give Phillip a kiss on the cheek. First, he looked surprised; then he smiled happily.
"At first, Kate was a little threatened to have another woman surgeon on staff, but she loosened up soon enough."
"Threatened? I was not threatened," the tall strawberry blonde insisted.
"Kate, the first thing you said when Phillip mentioned finding me an office was, 'I'm not sharing mine.'"
Steve laughed as Kate blushed and muttered, "Just because I'm jealous of my personal space doesn't mean I was threatened."
Smiling, Liv said, "Ok, Kate have, it your way." Turning to Steve, she continued, "Anyway, Kate, Aaron, and Phillip were good to me from the start. They took me to some of the better restaurants, showed me around town, made me feel welcome; but Jeffrey hated me instantly."
"I can't imagine anyone hating you, Liv."
"She's not exaggerating," Phillip said. "Jeffrey hated her with a purple passion."
Steve's eyebrows shot up, and he looked at Kate who confirmed what he'd been told with a nod.
"Why didn't he like you, Liv?"
Shaking her head, she told him, "For the longest time, I didn't know. I couldn't figure it out. He was so mean to me. I can't count the number of times he made me cry, but I never gave him the satisfaction of seeing it. He was…he was…"
"He was a real bastard," Kate supplied.
"Yeah," Liv said, "That's about right."
"What did he do to you?" Steve wanted to know.
"A million and one little things, really. He'd turn his back on me when I was talking or leave the table as soon as I sat down at lunch, but the thing that hurt the most, the *one* thing that made me cry was the way he'd question, correct, or one-up *everything* I said. For weeks, he did everything he could to disparage and belittle me.
"I was feeling lonely and a bit overwhelmed from being in yet another new city, and I was still reeling from my latest run-in with Ted. Jeffrey almost had me ready to leave, but I couldn't decide where I wanted to go."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing, until the night I figured out why he was doing it."
"What happened then?"
"Well, Phillip invited me to stop by his office for drinks. He has this nice little patio setup on the roof of the building. Incredible view, just beautiful, and he explained that it was a regular thing for him to get together with some of his friends out there at the end of a long week and he thought I might like to join them. When I got there, he, Aaron, Kate, and Jeffrey were drinking scotch and smoking cigars. I saw Jeffrey roll his eyes before he turned away from me."
Steve looked at Kate and said, "Cigars?"
"Only on rare occasions," she told him, "Nothing is bad in moderation."
"I could argue with that," Steve said, "but not right now."
"Phillip fixed me a drink, and I declined the cigar," Liv went on, "They were having some discussion, I really don't remember what about. I offered my opinion, and Jeffrey attacked.
"'Look, kid, you've been a doctor all of what? Two minutes? You haven't been around long enough to have an opinion that matters.' He waved me away saying, 'Run along, and play with your shiny new instruments and come back when you know what you're talking about.'"
"That's pretty harsh," Steve said. Looking at Kate, he said, "He *was* a complete bastard."
She nodded, grinned evilly, and said, "He got over it real fast."
Liv pressed her palms together and continued her story.
"If Aaron hadn't laughed, I never would have figured it out, but when I heard the laughter, I knew that's exactly what Jeffrey wanted. He *wanted* his friends to laugh at me. He wanted me to be the kid that everybody picked on."
"Oh, come on, Liv. That's quite a stretch," Steve said. "He can't have been that childish."
"Steve, he bit another surgeon. How mature is that?"
Steve frowned and said, "I see your point. So, what happened next?"
"I flipped *out* on him. I have *never* lost my temper like I did that night. I'm lucky I wasn't arrested for what I did."
"I find that hard to believe," Steve said.
"Son," Phillip said, "After the stunt she pulled, she's lucky she and Jeffrey are still alive."
"Really?"
Live nodded, and continued her tale.
"I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to his feet and screamed in his face, 'I have had *enough*! I am tired of being disparaged and dismissed by you. I am a highly trained, gifted surgeon, just like you. I am well educated and talented, just like you. I have *earned* respect and acknowledgement, just like you. The only reason you hate me, Jeffrey is because I am *just like you*.'
"He told me I was out of my mind, and I said, 'Genius and insanity walk a fine line together. You see in me the same brilliance and lunacy you have in yourself, and it frightens you.'
"'I'm not afraid of you,' he tried to laugh it off.
"'You are,' I insisted. 'You're afraid your friends can only handle one wacko at a time, and you're terrified they'll ditch you for me. You're terrified of losing them because they're the *only* friends you have in this *world*, and you hate me because when you look at me you see all of the reasons they should dump you.'"
"Jeeze, Liv, you were putting all your cards on the table, weren't you?"
"Oh, Steve, I wasn't playing poker. It was Russian roulette."
He started to ask a question, but Kate interrupted, "Let her finish."
Liv picked up where she left off.
"I dragged him over to the edge of the roof and stood up on the ledge at the top. Then I hauled him up there with me and yelled, 'Are you afraid of me now?' I've never seen a man so frightened in all my life. Pointing to Phillip, Aaron, and Kate, I told him, 'Those three people are the *only* friends I have right now, and I need them every bit as badly as you do. I am *not* going to give them up just because you are a jealous! Selfish! Insecure! Neurotic! Nutcase!'
"Looking at the street below, I said, 'The way I see it, we have two choices.'
"'And they are?' he asked.
"'You can learn to share, or one of us can jump, because neither of us will survive for long without them. What'll it be?'"
"Liv," Steve was appalled, "You didn't."
She nodded emphatically and said, "He actually had to think about it a minute. Then he said, 'I-I'll try to share, but if one of us has to commit suicide, I think it should be you. You've had more practice.'"
Steve gaped in horror. He couldn't imagine anyone voicing such a thought.
"He sounded so matter of fact," Olivia said. "Then he gave me this nervous little lopsided grin, and I just had to laugh. I let him down, and stood there for a minute. I'm sure he thought I was truly contemplating it, but I was really just admiring the view. When I stepped down, I told him, 'Personally, I think you should be the one to go. I have more productive years ahead of me. Besides, you're a big jerk.'"
Steve, Kate, and Phillip had to chuckle at that.
"He laughed then, and said, 'Frankly, I think it would be a damned shame to lose either of us. I guess if it comes to that we'll have to draw straws,' and he put an arm around my shoulders. We've been good friends ever since."
"God, Liv," Steve sounded truly shocked, "I can't believe you did that. You're right, you could have been arrested."
Phillip laughed, "She almost was. I had called security, and as she and Jeffrey came back to join us, two big, burly guys busted in on our little cocktail hour. As I opened my mouth to tell them to take her away, Jeffrey spoke up. 'It was just a little misunderstanding, guys. No big deal.' He looked at me and said, 'I thought by now you would have gotten used to these things, Phillip.'
"I sent the guards away and never had another problem between the two of them."
Disclaimer:
The characters of Aaron Shutt, Jeffrey Geiger, Philip Watters, and Kate Austin from Chicago Hope are not mine. They belong to David E. Kelley and are used with greatest respect for the way in which he and the actors who portrayed them imbued them with humanity and reality. Alicia is also a character from Chicago Hope, but she was an infant when I last saw the series. I have tried to write her as a precocious young lady, remarkable even among the extraordinary adults with whom she appears.
The Shakespeare quote is from Sonnet 17.
Chapter 40. (February 11. William Penn Hotel. Pittsburgh, PA.)
"I know it's not exactly close to the airport," Dora Sloan nattered on, "but it's a fine old hotel. Wouldn't you agree?"
Olivia nodded and smiled and said sincerely, "Oh, yes, ma'am. It's just beautiful."
"Please, dear, Aunt Dora."
"Ok…Aunt Dora."
"It was no trouble arranging transportation from the airport, and when Steve said you wanted first class for everyone, I knew this was the way to go. I'm just so glad you like it."
"Oh, I do, I really do."
Steve was busy catching up with his old friend Jack Stewart. Before that, he'd been telling a rapt Jesse, CJ, and Dion all about his first encounter with a bear in the woods. Mark, too, had enjoyed visiting with Jack, as well as Norman Briggs, Dolores Hall, his brother Stacey, and his daughter Carol. At first, Olivia was furious with both Mark and Steve for abandoning her to deal with Aunt Dora alone, but then she realized how difficult it must have been for them among all of her friends. Still, when two gentlemen and a little girl entered the small banquet room Dora had booked, Liv was quick to excuse herself.
Steve's back was to the door, but even if he had seen the men enter, he would not have understood why their sudden appearance would cause Jack to stop in midsentence and Jesse to freeze with a forkful of cheesecake halfway to his mouth. As he looked around the table, he saw Norman Briggs go pale. Amanda's eyes opened wide, and his dad's head snapped around almost fast enough to cause whiplash. Obviously, these guys were well known in the medical community, but who the hell were they? Full of curiosity, he joined Liv as she went to greet her friends.
Without a word, she went to them and gave each of them a hug. First, she wrapped her arms around the man with the salt-and-pepper hair and very dark eyebrows. The guy had a kind face and a calm manner, and Steve could see Olivia relax the moment he put his arms around her. Of course, that could just be the result of having escaped Aunt Dora.
"It's good to see you. How have you been?"
"Apparently a lot better than you," the stranger said as he held the arm with the cast.
"It's nothing, really." She rolled here eyes and turned to the other man. Tall, with dark hair and puppy-dog eyes, he was a bundle of nervous energy, constantly fidgeting. Steve noticed right away the twitchy fellow didn't like to hold eye contact for long. The guy made him nervous.
As she stepped back from the hug, Liv told him, "You know I love you, and I know it's all in fun, but if you ever grab my butt again I will break you hand."
He held her at arms length and said, "Liv, you look like hell. God, it's good to see you. Now why don't you introduce us to some of these people? All this silent admiration from afar makes me feel like a sideshow."
With an exasperated sigh, Liv said, "You *are* a sideshow and you bring it on yourself by acting like a jackass. If you think I look bad now, you should have seen me three days ago."
The borderline profanity from Liv caused Steve to raise an eyebrow. She caught the gesture and shrugged. Steve thought this guy was an arrogant bastard already, but his friend was too reserved to hazard a guess at his character. Still, Steve could not deny the murmurs he heard behind him. Liv's friends had clearly made an impression on the other doctors in the room.
"Before we make the rounds," Liv suggested to Twitchy, "I think you should introduce me to someone."
With a glance, Olivia indicated the little girl. Twitchy knelt beside the child and said, "Alicia, this lady is a friend of Daddy's. You remember me telling you about Dr. Regis, don't you?"
The child nodded, wide-eyed. Then she reached out to shake Liv's hand and said, "It's very nice to meet you, Dr. Regis. Daddy says you're the best woman surgeon he's ever met."
"Alicia, did your daddy tell you to say that just to see how I would react?"
The child gave an impish smile, stuck her tongue out at her dad, and said, "Yes, ma'am."
"Do you know he and I used to argue about whether I was a surgeon or a woman surgeon all the time?"
"Uh-huh. I agree with you. I'd much rather be 'one of the best' than the 'best *woman*' anything any day. I hope hurting your arm doesn't affect your skill."
"I think my arm will be just fine. Thank you for the compliment and for your concern." Looking at Twitchy, Liv said, "Bright child, and someone is teaching her some sense." Turning to the one with the eyebrows, she said, "Must be you."
Both men laughed, and Twitchy said, "Believe it or not, having a daughter has shown me the error of my ways."
Liv dropped her jaw in mock surprise and asked Eyebrows, "Did I just hear him admit he was wrong?"
"I didn't say that!" Twitchy insisted.
Looking at him, Eyebrows deadpanned, "I think you did."
Alicia looked up and said brightly, "You did, Daddy."
Liv looked back to the child and said, "Well, it certainly is nice to meet you, Alicia. I'm glad to see you can keep your dad in line. I remember you when you were a tiny baby. You knew how to handle him before you could even talk."
"You there when Daddy Alan adopted me, weren't you?"
Liv looked to Twitchy and he told her, "She knows all about the Eel and how she got stuck with a wacko like me. I figured it was better to tell her myself than to let it slip from a thoughtless friend or, even worse, a stranger."
Liv nodded. "Good thinking." To Alicia, she said, "Yes, honey, I was there. I even got to baby sit you when he was in the hospital before he died. You were a beautiful baby, but you're an even prettier little girl."
Alicia smiled and said, "Thank you."
Liv called CJ and Dion over and asked them to entertain Alicia. They were delighted to oblige, having long ago gotten bored with one another's company.
Finally, Liv turned to Steve and put her good arm around his waist in what Steve thought was a delightfully proprietary gesture. Indicating first Twitchy and then Eyebrows, she said, "Jeffrey Geiger, Aaron Shutt, meet Steve Sloan…my fiancé."
The men shook hands, and Aaron, indicating Steve's arm which was still in it's sling from the bullet wound said, "It appears that the two of you have had quite a row already. I hope this is no indication of what's to come."
Steve laughed uneasily, hoping it was a joke, and said, "I hope not. It's a long story best forgotten, and the row wasn't between Liv and me."
Aaron smiled warmly then and said, "That's good to know."
Jeffrey took his hand and said in an almost friendly tone, "You're one lucky son of a…" Olivia cleared her throat and he quickly amended, "…gun, Steve. Remember, if you hurt her, I'll kill you."
"Jeffrey," Liv said in a warning tone.
Steve rolled his eyes and said with an impatient grin, "I've been told as much several times already, Jeffrey. I won't hurt her."
Jeffrey looked at Aaron and said, "He doesn't think I'm serious. Tell him I'm serious, Aaron."
"You're not serious, Jeffrey."
"Yes, I am."
"No, you're not. You're nuts, but you're not serious." Aaron gave Steve an embarrassed smile and said, "He's not serious."
As they walked over to meet the rest of the group, Olivia muttered to Jeffrey through a toothy smile, "These people are about to become my family, Jeffrey. I expect you to behave yourself. If you embarrass me, I will never forgive you, got it?"
"There you go spoiling all my fun again. I'll be good, Mom."
Steve swore he heard Liv growl.
Jeffrey and Aaron spoke for several minutes with Mark, Norman, and Olivia. During that time, Jesse, Amanda, and Jack came over to talk to Steve.
Tugging on his wounded arm to get his attention, Jesse said, "Steve, why didn't you tell us?"
"Jeeze, Jess, watch the arm, huh?"
"Oh, sorry. But why didn't you tell us?"
"Tell you what," Steve asked, genuinely confused.
"You're clueless, aren't you," Jack asked.
"I guess so, Jack. Why don't you fill me in?" Steve was already exasperated.
"That's Jeffrey Geiger and Aaron Shutt."
"I know," Steve told him. "I just met them."
Amanda sighed. "Steve, do you remember how excited Jesse was to have Liv coming to GC because of her reputation?"
Steve nodded.
"Well, Shutt and Geiger are light years beyond anyone in their fields. If they're not as famous as Liv, they're more famous, if only because they've been around longer."
"Oh. Well, excuse me for not knowing."
His friends gave him an odd look, and Amanda said, "Snippy, aren't we?"
"Sorry, I guess it's just pre-wedding jitters," it was a lame excuse, but Steve wasn't going to say that he didn't like his friends standing in awe of a couple strangers, one of them stranger than most, from Chicago.
Jack shook his head in pity. "You don't get it. Having the two of them here…it's like having Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig come to dinner at your house on the same night."
"Yeah, and when you count Liv…" Jesse couldn't finish the thought so Jack took over for him.
"Dimaggio, another great from a younger generation."
"Whatever. Look, guys, whatever they've accomplished, they're still just people. Shutt seems nice enough, if a little on the quiet side, and Geiger is just weird."
"Did I hear someone taking my name in vain?" Jeffrey had gotten restless and wandered away from Aaron and Mark several minutes ago. He and Liv had chatted up Steve's aunt, uncle, and sister and met his partner Cheryl. After checking to see that Alicia was having fun with her new friends, he had gone in search of someone else to entertain him. Somehow, he got the idea that it would be fun to annoy Liv's straight-laced cop. He wondered how long it would take him to get the guy to try to hit him.
Steve stifled a groan with a cough. This guy was getting annoying already, but he'd be damned if he'd let on. He was determined to make nice with all of Liv's friends. If he could get past Keith, the arrogant and annoying Dr. Jeffrey Geiger should be easy.
Noticing that Steve's companions were already standing a bit in awe of him, Jeffrey added, "Relax, guys, I don't bite…"
Liv called, "That's a lie."
"…any more." Looking to Liv, he said, "Will you let a guy finish a thought, woman?"
"Let me introduce you," Steve offered. "Dr….I'm sorry, I forgot your name." He feigned complete shock at his sudden absentmindedness.
As Geiger looked daggers at him, Steve heard a snort of laughter from Liv, and she called, "He'll give as good as he gets, Jeffrey. You've met your match."
Steve snapped his fingers as if Liv had suddenly jogged his memory and said, "Of course! Jeffrey! Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, meet Drs. Amanda Bentley, Jesse Travis, and Jack Stewart."
With dramatic flair, Jeffrey took Amanda's hand, and, ignoring the others, he kissed it and said, "If I could write the beauty of your eyes and in fresh numbers number all your graces, the age to come would say, 'This poet lies: such heavenly touches ne'er touched earthly faces.'"
Much to Steve's dismay, Amanda giggled and batted her eyes at the fool.
"Dr. Geiger," she said breathlessly, "I've seen you present at conferences in the past, but I never would have guessed you would be so elegant or so charming in person."
"Jeffrey, please, dear lady. Only your radiant beauty could make me recite Shakespeare."
Steve couldn't keep from rolling his eyes, and he caught a, 'Don't be so childish,' look from Amanda when she spotted him. Disgusted, he walked away to join Liv and his dad in conversation with Dr. Shutt.
When she spotted the satisfied smirk on Jeffrey's face, Amanda immediately felt sorry for the look she had given Steve. It would be awkward to call him back now, so she did the next best thing. She made up her mind to apologize later and forced the egomaniac to acknowledge Jack and Jesse.
"A few minutes ago, Jack, Jesse, and I were discussing your work, and I don't think any of us have seen anything new from you in the past several years. I know Jesse in particular was wondering what progress you have made in your research on gene therapy in generating a new coronary blood supply network after bypass surgery."
"Absolutely none in the past six years," Jeffrey shook his head and smiled, knowing that he'd been too smug. If he'd just acted confused when Steve had walked off, he'd still be flirting with the attractive young woman instead of talking shop with her and her friends. Oh, well.
The three younger doctors exchanged confused glances until finally Jesse said, "Surely you have made some advances."
"Actually, no, I haven't," Jeffrey insisted. "When I adopted Alicia six years ago, I retired to be a full-time dad."
"You quit? Just like that?" Jack was astounded.
"Do you have kids, what's your name? Jack?"
"Yes, Jack. No kids."
"Then you couldn't possibly understand."
"Well, Amanda has kids," Jesse said, "and she works at Community General and as an ME for LA County."
Jeffrey eyed the shorter man with a look that made him cower. He couldn't stand it when people acted like he was somehow slacking because he'd decided to devote himself entirely to raising his child.
"Good for her. As for me, I can only excel at one thing at a time. If I were to try to be a parent and a doctor, I would feel I was always neglecting either Alicia or my patients. My daughter is far more important to me than medicine. I'm sorry if you're disappointed."
"Look, Dr. Geiger, I'm sorry if I offended you," Jesse said, backing away as he tried to smooth things over. "I'm just surprised such a gifted surgeon could walk away from it so easily. I admire you for being able to follow your heart. It must be wonderful to be with your daughter every…"
"Wait, kid," Jeffrey interrupted. He sighed. In ten minutes, he'd already managed to alienate half of Liv's friends. He *was* a sideshow, *and* a jackass. "I should be apologizing to you. All of you," he included Jack and Amanda in his glance and gestured toward Steve. "It hasn't been easy to walk away. I have this competitive streak. I always have to be the smartest or the best or the wittiest. More often than not, I just piss people off." He shrugged. "Sorry about that."
Olivia joined the group and said, "It is the end of the world as we know it. First, he admits he was wrong, and now, he's apologizing. Will wonders never cease?"
Jeffrey looked at her and said, "Liv, you have no idea how much I've changed since you left Chicago Hope. Alicia has been good for me, really good."
"I can see that, Jeffrey, and I think it's wonderful."
Geiger grinned, "Believe it or not, I have even admitted to Kate that I needed her advice a time or two."
"Speaking of Kate, where are she and Phillip?"
"They're taking a later flight. Kate had a patient on the heart recipient waiting list and a good one came in at the last moment, and Phillip had a late meeting. They're due in here around nine tonight, local time."
"K-K-Kate as in Katherine Austin and Ph-Ph-Phillip Watters?" Jesse stammered, unable to believe that he was going to meet two more of his heroes in one evening.
Jeffrey looked at him and said, "Kid, you need to get a grip. You're a doctor, I'm a doctor, Kate, Phillip, Aaron, we're all just doctors, though when I was practicing, I was certainly the best and most charismatic." He winked and grinned, making a joke of his arrogant words. "Some of us may have had more experience, and a few lucky breaks here and there, but that's it."
"Yeah, but you're accomplishments…"
"Twenty years from now, they'll be a fart in the wind, Jesse." Suddenly, Jeffrey's eyes unfocused and his brain was off on another track all together. "Jesse…Jesse…Jesse Travis from Community General in LA?"
"Uh-huh."
"You're mom's that beautiful blonde Dr. Travis from that little private practice in Minnesota, right?"
"Yeah…" Jesse was confused now.
"Hey, Aaron," yelled Jeffrey, "You've gotta meet this kid, get over here."
As Aaron joined the group, Jesse asked, "How do you know my mom?"
Ignoring his question, Jeffrey told Aaron, "Aaron, this is Jesse Travis."
Aaron frowned in thought until recognition lit his eyes. "You did the amputation in the elevator when your hospital was bombed." Shaking his hand, he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I feel like I know you already. I can't talk to you mother without hearing what you've been doing."
"How do you know my mom?" Jesse repeated.
In answer, Aaron explained, "Whenever we publish a new procedure at Chicago Hope, her practice sends people to learn it for their patients. Your mom is such a nice lady."
Jesse gave a pained smile. "Yeah, that's my mom," he said quietly, "She's real good at nice."
"I just love her," Aaron rambled on. "Whenever she comes to the hospital, I always try to make time at least to have lunch with her. She's always full of stories about you."
"Really?" Jesse found it hard to believe his mom would talk that much about him to her friends.
"Yeah, kid. Whatever you're doing, keep it up," Jeffrey said. "You're really going places, and your mom is proud of you."
Beaming, blushing, and trying to be modest all at once, Jesse could only say, "Aw, shucks," and made everybody laugh.
Liv muttered to Jeffrey under her breath, "You better be telling the truth."
"Every word of it," he replied quietly, still smiling at the suddenly bashful young man.
As Jack, Jesse, and Amanda told the doctors from Chicago about their exploits both in the hospital and in helping Steve solve his cases, Steve quietly pulled Liv aside and asked, "Do you think we can leave these people to entertain each other for a while? I miss having you to myself. We could say we're tired from the drive or something and want to go lie down a little."
"Mmmm," Liv gave it some thought. "I'm half afraid to leave Jeffrey without a keeper."
"I know what you mean, Liv. At first I thought he was a jerk, and he really annoyed me, but I think your friend Aaron can manage him. Besides, after what he did for Jesse, I have to say, he can't be all bad."
Liv laughed softly, "Jeffrey's like that. One minute he's a jackass, and the next moment, he's a doll."
"Takes some getting used to, I'll bet."
"Oh, yes, and in answer to your other question, ohhh, yesss."
She giggled, he grinned, and they made their excuses and went to their room.
Liv rolled over and looked at the clock.
"Steve, it's eight fifteen."
"And?" Steve was still groggy.
"Kate and Phillip will be here in an hour."
"You sure?" He really didn't want to get out of bed, not that he particularly wanted to sleep any more.
"If their flight's on time."
"Why don't you call and find out?" Anything to postpone the inevitable.
He heard a murmured conversation. Then Liv hung up and dialed again. When she rolled over, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "Their flight's ten minutes behind schedule. The desk will call us when they check in."
Steve snuggled closer and started sucking her earlobe. "Good."
She giggled.
The phone rang at nine twenty-five, waking them both from a light doze.
"Hello?"
"Dr. Regis, you asked to be notified when your friends checked in."
"Oh, yes. They're here?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"What room?"
"Eight-oh-seven and eight-oh-nine, ma'am."
"Ok. Thank you. Could you ask if they want room service? Anything they want, charge it to my room, please, and also tell them I will come see them in just a few minutes."
"Yes, ma'am."
Steve groaned as Liv nudged him out of the bed.
"Come on, babe. It would be rude not to meet them tonight after they've come all this way."
"Tell them I've been shot and am still recovering, Liv. They'll understand."
"Steven Michael Sloan…"
He groaned again. His dad must have taught her that.
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
With a chuckle, she said, "There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now I want you to meet Kate and Phillip."
When the joke finally sunk in, Steve burst into laughter. "You are incorrigible."
"…so he bit the guy's finger."
They all howled with laughter.
"You're telling me Geiger actually *bit* another surgeon?" Steve asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Phillip insisted, "and when they came to my office, Jeffrey kept saying, 'I warned him, Phillip, I warned him.'"
"And I thought Jen and Chris were unusual." Still laughing, Steve turned to Liv and asked, "So that's what he meant when he said he doesn't bite anymore?"
"I guess so."
It was after eleven, and they were still talking. Steve had hit it off much better with Phillip and Kate than he had with Jeffrey and Aaron, and he was enjoying hearing stories about Olivia and her friends from Chicago.
"Ok," Steve said, "I've got a question."
"What's that," Liv asked.
"How did you and Geiger ever get to be friends?"
Before Liv could answer, Kate held up a finger and said, "Hold that thought."
She went to the mini-bar and fixed drinks for everyone. Putting Steve's scotch and soda in his hand, she said, "You're going to need it."
Raising an eyebrow, he turned to Liv.
She shrugged. "It's not that complicated really. We just have a lot in common."
"Olivia," Phillip said in a tone that suggested she'd better amend her story quickly.
Smiling blandly, she turned to him, "Can you deny it's true?"
After a moment's thought, he said, "No, but…"
"But if you don't tell the whole story, we will," Kate interrupted.
Liv hid her face in her hands and moaned, "You just live to embarrass me, don't you?"
"Always," Kate said.
Taking a sip of the vodka martini Kate had mixed for her, Liv settled back in her chair and began.
"It's like this, Steve. When I first moved to Chicago, I didn't know a soul there. The only friends I had were the ones I made at work. Phillip and Aaron took me in right away. Initially, I thought it was because I'd made no secret of my previous bouts with depression and they wanted to keep an eye on me, but eventually, I realized that their friendliness was sincere. They really liked me. They were absolute dolls."
"Dolls?" The older doctor echoed.
"Dolls," Liv repeated, leaning over to give Phillip a kiss on the cheek. First, he looked surprised; then he smiled happily.
"At first, Kate was a little threatened to have another woman surgeon on staff, but she loosened up soon enough."
"Threatened? I was not threatened," the tall strawberry blonde insisted.
"Kate, the first thing you said when Phillip mentioned finding me an office was, 'I'm not sharing mine.'"
Steve laughed as Kate blushed and muttered, "Just because I'm jealous of my personal space doesn't mean I was threatened."
Smiling, Liv said, "Ok, Kate have, it your way." Turning to Steve, she continued, "Anyway, Kate, Aaron, and Phillip were good to me from the start. They took me to some of the better restaurants, showed me around town, made me feel welcome; but Jeffrey hated me instantly."
"I can't imagine anyone hating you, Liv."
"She's not exaggerating," Phillip said. "Jeffrey hated her with a purple passion."
Steve's eyebrows shot up, and he looked at Kate who confirmed what he'd been told with a nod.
"Why didn't he like you, Liv?"
Shaking her head, she told him, "For the longest time, I didn't know. I couldn't figure it out. He was so mean to me. I can't count the number of times he made me cry, but I never gave him the satisfaction of seeing it. He was…he was…"
"He was a real bastard," Kate supplied.
"Yeah," Liv said, "That's about right."
"What did he do to you?" Steve wanted to know.
"A million and one little things, really. He'd turn his back on me when I was talking or leave the table as soon as I sat down at lunch, but the thing that hurt the most, the *one* thing that made me cry was the way he'd question, correct, or one-up *everything* I said. For weeks, he did everything he could to disparage and belittle me.
"I was feeling lonely and a bit overwhelmed from being in yet another new city, and I was still reeling from my latest run-in with Ted. Jeffrey almost had me ready to leave, but I couldn't decide where I wanted to go."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing, until the night I figured out why he was doing it."
"What happened then?"
"Well, Phillip invited me to stop by his office for drinks. He has this nice little patio setup on the roof of the building. Incredible view, just beautiful, and he explained that it was a regular thing for him to get together with some of his friends out there at the end of a long week and he thought I might like to join them. When I got there, he, Aaron, Kate, and Jeffrey were drinking scotch and smoking cigars. I saw Jeffrey roll his eyes before he turned away from me."
Steve looked at Kate and said, "Cigars?"
"Only on rare occasions," she told him, "Nothing is bad in moderation."
"I could argue with that," Steve said, "but not right now."
"Phillip fixed me a drink, and I declined the cigar," Liv went on, "They were having some discussion, I really don't remember what about. I offered my opinion, and Jeffrey attacked.
"'Look, kid, you've been a doctor all of what? Two minutes? You haven't been around long enough to have an opinion that matters.' He waved me away saying, 'Run along, and play with your shiny new instruments and come back when you know what you're talking about.'"
"That's pretty harsh," Steve said. Looking at Kate, he said, "He *was* a complete bastard."
She nodded, grinned evilly, and said, "He got over it real fast."
Liv pressed her palms together and continued her story.
"If Aaron hadn't laughed, I never would have figured it out, but when I heard the laughter, I knew that's exactly what Jeffrey wanted. He *wanted* his friends to laugh at me. He wanted me to be the kid that everybody picked on."
"Oh, come on, Liv. That's quite a stretch," Steve said. "He can't have been that childish."
"Steve, he bit another surgeon. How mature is that?"
Steve frowned and said, "I see your point. So, what happened next?"
"I flipped *out* on him. I have *never* lost my temper like I did that night. I'm lucky I wasn't arrested for what I did."
"I find that hard to believe," Steve said.
"Son," Phillip said, "After the stunt she pulled, she's lucky she and Jeffrey are still alive."
"Really?"
Live nodded, and continued her tale.
"I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to his feet and screamed in his face, 'I have had *enough*! I am tired of being disparaged and dismissed by you. I am a highly trained, gifted surgeon, just like you. I am well educated and talented, just like you. I have *earned* respect and acknowledgement, just like you. The only reason you hate me, Jeffrey is because I am *just like you*.'
"He told me I was out of my mind, and I said, 'Genius and insanity walk a fine line together. You see in me the same brilliance and lunacy you have in yourself, and it frightens you.'
"'I'm not afraid of you,' he tried to laugh it off.
"'You are,' I insisted. 'You're afraid your friends can only handle one wacko at a time, and you're terrified they'll ditch you for me. You're terrified of losing them because they're the *only* friends you have in this *world*, and you hate me because when you look at me you see all of the reasons they should dump you.'"
"Jeeze, Liv, you were putting all your cards on the table, weren't you?"
"Oh, Steve, I wasn't playing poker. It was Russian roulette."
He started to ask a question, but Kate interrupted, "Let her finish."
Liv picked up where she left off.
"I dragged him over to the edge of the roof and stood up on the ledge at the top. Then I hauled him up there with me and yelled, 'Are you afraid of me now?' I've never seen a man so frightened in all my life. Pointing to Phillip, Aaron, and Kate, I told him, 'Those three people are the *only* friends I have right now, and I need them every bit as badly as you do. I am *not* going to give them up just because you are a jealous! Selfish! Insecure! Neurotic! Nutcase!'
"Looking at the street below, I said, 'The way I see it, we have two choices.'
"'And they are?' he asked.
"'You can learn to share, or one of us can jump, because neither of us will survive for long without them. What'll it be?'"
"Liv," Steve was appalled, "You didn't."
She nodded emphatically and said, "He actually had to think about it a minute. Then he said, 'I-I'll try to share, but if one of us has to commit suicide, I think it should be you. You've had more practice.'"
Steve gaped in horror. He couldn't imagine anyone voicing such a thought.
"He sounded so matter of fact," Olivia said. "Then he gave me this nervous little lopsided grin, and I just had to laugh. I let him down, and stood there for a minute. I'm sure he thought I was truly contemplating it, but I was really just admiring the view. When I stepped down, I told him, 'Personally, I think you should be the one to go. I have more productive years ahead of me. Besides, you're a big jerk.'"
Steve, Kate, and Phillip had to chuckle at that.
"He laughed then, and said, 'Frankly, I think it would be a damned shame to lose either of us. I guess if it comes to that we'll have to draw straws,' and he put an arm around my shoulders. We've been good friends ever since."
"God, Liv," Steve sounded truly shocked, "I can't believe you did that. You're right, you could have been arrested."
Phillip laughed, "She almost was. I had called security, and as she and Jeffrey came back to join us, two big, burly guys busted in on our little cocktail hour. As I opened my mouth to tell them to take her away, Jeffrey spoke up. 'It was just a little misunderstanding, guys. No big deal.' He looked at me and said, 'I thought by now you would have gotten used to these things, Phillip.'
"I sent the guards away and never had another problem between the two of them."
Disclaimer:
The characters of Aaron Shutt, Jeffrey Geiger, Philip Watters, and Kate Austin from Chicago Hope are not mine. They belong to David E. Kelley and are used with greatest respect for the way in which he and the actors who portrayed them imbued them with humanity and reality. Alicia is also a character from Chicago Hope, but she was an infant when I last saw the series. I have tried to write her as a precocious young lady, remarkable even among the extraordinary adults with whom she appears.
The Shakespeare quote is from Sonnet 17.