A Friendly Hand
By Didi
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters. John Wells and his friends do. Let's not get into the debate as to who owns the ideas and all that; cause let's face it, you'll lose. Enjoy the story anyways.
Summary: Familial understandings don't always come easy.
Rating: PG-13
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Chapter 19
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George rubbed his jaw slowly and tried to knock the spinning birds from his head. Glancing up warily at the rage clearly seen in the man's eyes, "Since you're not Alice's brother, I assume you're Kelly's."
Eyes going wide, for a moment, the stranger stared slack jawed at him. "Alice? Kelly? You two-timing son of a bitch, I'm going to kill you."
"SECURITY!!!" someone over his shoulder was still screaming. There were lots of scrambling of feet and scrapping of rubber shoes against polished floors as the man reached down to grab George by the shirtfront. It was definitely going to hurt like hell.
"I cannot believe she trusted you!" the man spat in George's face then hauled back and deliver a blow.
Matt Slingerland managed to catch the swinging arm and fist before it collided with his brother's nose. The last thing they needed was a bloody lawsuit from his own brother; rhinoplasty was not a cheap procedure. "What the bloody hell is going on?" then had to restrain the man as he came struggled out of Matt's hold once more. "Hey, hey, hey... none of that pub brawling now, and certainly not at a hospital." He grunted when an elbow knocked the wind out of him before a couple of the male nurses jumped into the fray.
"Oh my bloody jaw," George groaned as he rolled to his side and watched three male nurses wrestle with the man. "Was that really necessary? For heaven sakes, we're both grown consenting adults."
"Shut up George, you're making the situation worse," Matt said as he pulled his brother to his feet.
The man suddenly stopped struggling, startling the three nurses that were amazed at how strong such a thin lanky man was. "Wait. Did you just call him George?"
The two brothers turned to look at the man. Matt frowned, taking in the mahogany color hair, the green golden eyes and the lopsided smile that looked almost familiar. "Yes, considering that is his name."
The man turned his head, the three nurses around him unsure what to do now that the man was no longer trying to break, and stared a little harder before asking George, "You're not Slingerland?"
George frowned, unsure of what the hell was going on now. "Well yes, I am Slingerland. I believe we established that earlier, before you decided that you didn't particularly liked the color of my coat and took it out on my jaw."
"But he just called you George."
Matt got it first, his eyes widening then wincing with regret. "Were you by any chance looking for Dr. Matthew Slingerland?"
The man frowned. "I thought that's who I found."
George turned to look at Matt, staring hard. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"
Matt ignored his brother for the more pressing issue at hand. "And you sir? You would be..."
"Josh Keating," eyes narrowing at the British accent and the similarities between the two men. "You're Dr. Slingerland, aren't you?"
He braced himself for what he knew was coming. "That would be an affirmative."
"Joshua James Keating, don't even think about it!" Dr. Jules Keating came down the hallway at something of a dead run, her eyes more than revealed her mood. If Rae hadn't spotted Josh when he came in and alerted her, she won't even have known her brother was in the same building, much less the same city, as she was. And the scene she came upon... it was like a bad nightmare. Only her brother could be that stupid.
"For god sakes woman," Matt exploded, forgetting about the fact that she may have just saved him from a broken nose. "Stop running."
"Shut up," she snapped back at him and came to a skidding halt, Dr. Slingerland's arms catching her before she slipped and fell. They must have just finished cleaning the floors again. She made a mental note to herself to get shoes with more traction. Nodding her thanks to him for his timely save, she turned her death ray eyes at her brothers. "What the hell are you doing here? And why in the world are you even here?"
Josh shook his head at her, "Don't even turn this one around at me. What did you expect me to do after being on the phone with you for three hours? Just sit there and wait for another phone call? Hell no." He wiggled a finger at her. "For god sakes Jules, you didn't actually expect me to sit there while you went through something like this alone, did you?"
"I'm not alone and for heaven sakes, Matt isn't the bad guy here. There is no bad guy in this little scenario." She made a point to ask Matt later what happened to his brother's jaw; it look like someone used it for a punching bag.
"Yeah, right. You said that same thing about the little incident at Prom," Josh glared at Matt Slingerland, still a little tempted to throw a punch. The first one at the brother didn't really count now.
"Prom?" Matt asked with much interest as he took a quick step away from the brother.
"Wait," George rubbed his jaw. He glanced at each of the doctors then at the tall man. "You saying were looking for him and hit me instead?"
"You hit him?" Jules asked at a screeched.
"Barely a scratch," Josh waved it away. He and Jules use to get worse playing in the backyard. Rope burns from Cowboys and Indians came to mind right about now. "Besides, I thought he's the guy that got you knocked up."
Jules groaned and buried her face in her hand. Matt tried valiantly to hide his smile as he reached out, pulling Jules into his arm. She came willing for a second before pulling away roughly and glared at her brother from between her fingers. "Thanks for announcing it to the rest of my co-workers."
But Josh was not paying any attention to her. "Get your hands off my sister."
"Shut up, Joshua," Jules shot back purposefully leaned back against Slingerland just to annoy her brother. She really hate it when her brothers get all protective on her, like she hasn't done a nice job of protecting herself so far.
"Are you trying to get me killed, luv?" Matt leaned down and asked quietly to her alone. She smelled like baby powder and Vaseline, sweetly endearing. "Cause it would appear to me that were this a bad comedy show, your brother would currently be throwing steam out of his ears."
"He's not going to touch you." She said confidently.
"Don't bet on it, kiddo." Josh replied, eyes cutting into Matt like hot death rays. He didn't like the man on the spot, and not just out of principle. The British doctor looked just a little too smooth; especially with the standard white lab coat over what Josh would guess to be a fifty-dollar silk tie over a sixty-dollar dress shirt from Italy.
Ignoring the audience that had gathered at an alarmingly fast rate, Jules glared at her brother and up herself in front of Slingerland. "You touch him and I swear I'll break your nose... again."
"Jules!" Josh was fighting to keep his temper under a tight rein.
"Did you just raise your voice at a pregnant woman?" Jules hissed as she took a step closer so as not to be over heard... by too many people.
Startled by the sudden emergence of guilt among the red-hot fury that clouded his mind, Josh blinked for a moment. Glancing about, he resisted the urge to yell at the surrounding medical personnel that were more than attentive toward the little discussion... in the middle of the nurses' station. "Can we do this somewhere else?" he asked his little sister, keeping his voice as calm as possible.
"Sure," no more eager for the audience than he was. "Matt, can I use your office?"
Dr. Slingerland was eying Joshua Keating with critical eyes. Though the man appeared in control of his temper once more, Matt was not to keen on the idea of letting Jules deal with him alone. "Of course you may. Let us just step this way and..."
"No, no," taking the lead down the hall; careful to stay between Matt and Josh. She wouldn't put it pass her brother to blind side Slingerland if even half the chance. "I think I should handle this one on my own."
"But," he glanced at the heated glare from Josh and nearly winced. Pulling her slightly told him, he belt from his superior height toward her ear. "I don't like the idea of leaving you alone with him. He has, from all evidence, a rather volatile temperament."
"He's my brother," she whispered back, half amused and half exasperated by the two's attitude. If she hadn't had three emergency cases that morning, which forced her to push back appointments, which meant she'll be here later than expected, she would find this display by the two men rather endearing. But at the moment, she was just annoyed by the fact that she was taking time off her day to deal with this. "He's not going to do anything but pace your office and try to remember that you don't upset pregnant women."
"What is he saying to you?" Josh wanted to know as he leaned in to hear.
"None of your business," pushing his face way with the palm of her hand on his cheek. Then with a grin, "Nosy."
"I say, Matthew," George called as he trotted along with them. "Does this mean you and I aren't going to the lawyer's office together?"
Eyes wide with disbelief, Matt was about to blast his brother when Jules took hold of his hand. "Go with him. Handle your familial problems while I handle mine. We'll reconvene tonight at your place. I'll order pizza."
"Pasta," he corrected. "No more greasy foods for you, luv." He sighed and looked first at his brother's curious face, then at Josh's thunderous look before turning to Dr. Keating once more. "Why is it that I never seem to win arguments with you?"
"Because I'm very vulnerable right now and that last thing you want to do is upset me," she answer sweetly, not even attempting to hide her amusement.
He frowned at her, "Minx," before pushing opened the door to his office. Before she could enter, he stopped her. "I'll be back in an hour, I'll come see you then," then kissed her on the forehead. Turing to her brother, he returned the glare. "Don't yell at her again. You want to pick on someone, wait until I return." Then grabbed his brother's arm. "Let's go George. I want you on the next plane back across the ocean."
"She's pretty," George commented as he lopped to keep up with his long legged younger brother. "Even in this awful light she looks good."
"Shut up George," rolling his eyes when he realized that his suit jacket was still in his office. Glancing back just in time to see Josh slam the door to his office shut, he sighed. "Oh hell," he'll simply have to make do with his long coat. "Let's go before I change my mind."
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"Well, that was real mature," Jules commented as she took a seat on the comfy little coach in Matt's office. Despite the fact that the room had been decorated with all the standard hospital furniture, it still had a taste of Slingerland in it. The earth tone pots with their over grown ferns were very... British. The oak book case held collection of literature that ranged from modern surgical techniques to the biography of Marilyn Monroe to Charles Dickens reflected Slingerland precisely. Heck, the woodsy smell that whiffed through the room reminded her of him.
"How that pompous jackass thinks of me right now is not high on my priority list."
"Why do you insist on making him the bad guy here?"
"Cause between you, me and him, someone has to be. And I choose him."
Rolling her eyes, "Well, as long as there's a reason."
"Don't start Jules," getting to pace since the comfortable chair that Matt kept at his desk for his patients didn't feel so comfortable when Josh felt as if someone was pelting him with little needles. "Does he know about.... Never mind, he obviously knows."
"Kind of hard to miss when you just yelled in the hallway." She glanced at her watch. She had about another five minutes to go before her entire schedule was shot to hell. "Look Josh..."
"Have you talked?"
"What?"
"Have you guys talked? Have you discussed anything yet? Has he hinted at whether or not he's going to be here for the kid? Or is he looking to turn the whole shebang on you?"
Blinking, Jules frowned. "Well, he's made noises about moving in together."
That had Josh raising a brow. "From the guy that don't want marriage?"
"Yes, from the guy that said he didn't want marriage." Jules made a face. "He said move in. He didn't get on his knees and begged for my hand in marriage because of the baby. By the way, if he did for that particular reason, I'd have to turn him down flat and smash that brilliant mind of his with a really big baseball bat."
"Well I should hope so. That's a terrible reason to get married." Josh stopped pacing and stopped directly in front of his little sister. He remembered her as a skinny kid; all elbows and knees, awkward and gangly with a sweet freckled face and a smile that made you think of family picnics at the lake on hot summer's days. "Jules, what are you going to do?"
Because he looked troubled, torn between his love for her and his discomfort of having to hate Slingerland, she softened. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to move to Seattle. There are plenty of hospitals there that would no doubt love a pediatric specialist like you on their staff. I want you to let me beat the shit out of that bad foreign import of yours and make him sign away his rights to this niece or nephew of mine you're carrying. But most importantly, I want to see you happy."
She smiled, feeling the storm that had brought him down here pass. "I'm happy here. And Matt's not a bad import. He's one of the good ones, like the Beatles and German Forest Cakes." She sighed and held out her hands to him, which he readily took into his. "I want you to stop worrying about me and the baby. Matt's made it perfectly clear that he is *not* going to be left out of the loop where his child is concerned. He isn't going to repeat his dad's prime example of what not to do when parenting." She squeezed his hand. "Contrary to popular belief about men, not all of them run when confronted with the expected in a relationship. Plus..." she sighed. "He's a good guy, Josh, I really like him. I really enjoy being with him, listening to him, spending nights in his arms."
"Okay, too much details there, kiddo." He winced with a shake of his head. He knew defeat when it came barreling toward him with a pair of soft doe eyes. "You love him?"
She paused, searching herself. "Never having been in love, I don't know. I know that... I know that I'm happy when I'm with him. He makes me feel safe, comfortable, no pretenses necessary." She smiled, remembering the occasional free days they get. "He likes old movies and hot coffee in bed on Sunday mornings. He has your appreciation for the finer things in life, like massive entertainment systems and real ice cream with thick cream. It genuinely matters to him what he does here, the difference he makes in the lives of those that come to him. And most importantly, he cares about me; he wants to be part of my life."
The glow in her eyes, the blush on her cheeks, Josh knew it was a lost cause. "I'm still going to hate his guts cause he got you pregnant and still didn't propose."
"I wouldn't have excepted under the circumstances."
"I know but he still should have at least tried."
"That logic only works cause you're my brother."
"Which is why I'm using it," he kissed her forehead and sighed. "You taking care of yourself?"
"Yes."
"Prenatal vitamins and all that junk?"
"I'm a doctor, remember?"
"Yes but..."
"Yes, yes, I'm taking all the necessary precautions to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy. Sheesh, you're as bad as Matt."
"Only cause we care." He shook his head. "I cannot believe I just said I had something in common with the guy."
Jules laughed softly and glanced at her watch again. "Get use to it, Josh. I've got to get back to work. You going to be around?"
"I think I'll stay a little longer."
"You're not going to stay to harass Matt, right? Cause he's a really busy guy and I don't want to have to..."
"Relax, I'm not going to go anywhere near Romeo." He rolled his eyes and glanced at his watch. "I'm going to stay to fend off the rest of the brood if they decide to descend upon you like I did."
"Excuse me?" her eyes narrowing shiftly. "Just whom did you talk to after we got off the phone?"
"Not Mom or Dad, if that's what you're worried about."
"But who did you...."
"Just the guys."
"Guys?"
"Yeah, the guys."
"As in our brothers?"
"Yeah, our brothers."
"Both of them?"
"Yes, there were just as concerned."
Jules groaned. "I knew you were a big mouth."
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"Why don't I stay a little longer and have dinner with your gal," George suggested as they left Phillip Morrison's office. The meeting had gone well and George was feeling buoyant over the prospects of leaving Alice with as little as possible. In his mind, she broke the spoken contract between them at marriage when she requested children. "We're practically family now, what with her having your kid and all, we should get to know each other."
"I don't want you within ten miles of Jules," Matt muttered darkly as he hurried along the crowded streets. "I want you on a plane and out of my business by evening."
"Is that any way to talk to your brother?" George replied cheerfully, stopping Matt to buy a hotdog from a street vender. "You know, there is something very addictive about these American snack foods."
"That stuff will kills you," purchasing a hot pretzel instead. He really wasn't hungry, especially after the full meal with Jules earlier, but it made him feel better to be doing something other than listening to his brother talk. "You have any idea what they put in those stuff?"
"If I listen to everything you doctors tell me, I'd be leading an incredibly dull life." George bit into the juicy hotdog and gave a groan of appreciation. "You just don't get stuff like this in London."
"Which is why we have less heart conditions than Americans do," Matt pointed out with a sigh. He wondered for a moment if Jules had already ordered dinner for the evening. Perhaps he could talk her into going to a restaurant instead; it's been a while since they went out to a sit down dinner.
"I always thought it was our wonderful after dinner drinks."
"That too," Matt replied absentmindedly as he watched a couple of teenagers cross the street at a dead run. He almost winced as one dripped on a crack in the middle of the street and crashed to the ground, chin first. "Oh bother," he muttered because walking forward.
"What are you doing?" George asked, frowning as his eyes followed Matt's gaze. "Oh no, please tell me you're not going to...."
"He could be seriously injured," Matt replied, swallowing the last of the pretzel and wiping his fingers on his coat with some regret. "Just a quick look."
"Your last quick looked turned into a disaster," George reminded him in a hurry as they got closer to the crowd that gathered around the fallen boy. "We spent six hours in the emergency room with that woman. And she turned out to be married."
"What is your point? Cause it quite escapes me how it relates," Matt's superior height allowed him to see that blood was already made an appearance. "Oh god," the blood was pouring down the panicking teen's mouth, one of his friends was already screaming frantically into a cell phone. "I think he bit his tongue."
"That's not so bad," George replied, looking over the heads of the crowd.
"It is if he bit it off," Matt replied, his brows knitted. "Excuse me," tapping the guy in front of him. "May I get through? I'm a doctor."
The word was quick to spread among the crowd that there was a medical personnel at hand. George groaned as the sea of people parted. Gentle murmurs of sympathy and useless suggestions filtered through as well as Matt bent to take a look.
"My name is Dr. Slingerland, I'm going to take quick look at the damage, all right?" the boy, with his hand clamped over his mouth, looking frightened and near hysterical, nodded his head. "There's a lad. Just open up for me," firmly pulling the boy's hand away from the bleeding mess that was his mouth. It was almost as bad as he had dreaded. "Has an ambulance been called?" he asked the boy with the cell phone.
The ashen faced teen nodded his head. "They said that..."
"It's okay," keeping his tone soothing and relaxed. There was enough panic, not need to add to any more. "What's your friend's name?" nodding toward the injured teen. The boy started to talk but Matt shook his head, "Don't talk, keep your mouth shut and spit out the blood, don't swallow if you can help it." He did not want the boy choking on his own blood. "Now," looking up at the boy with the cell phone. "What's your friend's name?"
"Jeremy," came the trembling reply.
"And you?"
"David."
"Okay," Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. "Jeremy, I need you to open your mouth and hold this against your tongue. I need you to put pressure on it but not to squeeze." He reached over and took David's cell phone. "Punching in the number, he place the receiver on his ear. "This is Slingerland. I need an emergency team on standby with a suture kit. Prepare 2 units of O negs just in case. Page the attending surgeon; we're going to use him for the sutures. I've got a teen, fourteen or fifteen at most, with a lacerated tongue. We're looking at a major artery damage with..." He looked up, the ambulance was flashing in the distance. "I've got transportation on the way, I'll have them bring us to Presidio. ETA: twenty minutes." He snapped the phone closed when he got the confirmation that his instructions were understood.
"Jeremy, I need you stay calm while I talk to the EMT, can you do that?" Matt's eyes were steady as he helped the boy to his feet, careful to scan and check for any damages that may have been overlook before.
The boy nodded his head; trusting eyes stared back at Slingerland.
"David," snagging the young teen as he fumbled to put his phone away trembling hands tangled with latches and buckles. "Your friend isn't going to be able to provide much in the way of information. Can you stick around and help answer any questions that you maybe able to answer?"
"Yeah," his head bobbed hard.
"Good," he motion for George and leaned over. "Do me a favor?"
"What?" he asked warily. Matt's favor's usually meant having to hold bloody limbs that would cost him a whopping bill at the dry cleaners. Blood was decisively difficult to get out on suits. "Come back to the hospital with me and while I take care of this, go tell Jules that I'm going to be late for dinner."
George frowned, a little taken aback. "You're asking me to play messenger boy?"
Reaching out Matt grabbed his brother by the shirtfront and hissed dangerously. "I'm in the middle of something important right now, you really ought not piss me off. So unless you want a matching bruise to the one that Jules's brother gave you, you'll do as you're told." He let go with a jerk just as the EMT's rushed forward.
"Fine, fine," George muttered irritably then cheered considerably at the prospects of a little time with his brother's new friend.
TBC...
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Like I said, life of it's own.
By Didi
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters. John Wells and his friends do. Let's not get into the debate as to who owns the ideas and all that; cause let's face it, you'll lose. Enjoy the story anyways.
Summary: Familial understandings don't always come easy.
Rating: PG-13
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Chapter 19
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George rubbed his jaw slowly and tried to knock the spinning birds from his head. Glancing up warily at the rage clearly seen in the man's eyes, "Since you're not Alice's brother, I assume you're Kelly's."
Eyes going wide, for a moment, the stranger stared slack jawed at him. "Alice? Kelly? You two-timing son of a bitch, I'm going to kill you."
"SECURITY!!!" someone over his shoulder was still screaming. There were lots of scrambling of feet and scrapping of rubber shoes against polished floors as the man reached down to grab George by the shirtfront. It was definitely going to hurt like hell.
"I cannot believe she trusted you!" the man spat in George's face then hauled back and deliver a blow.
Matt Slingerland managed to catch the swinging arm and fist before it collided with his brother's nose. The last thing they needed was a bloody lawsuit from his own brother; rhinoplasty was not a cheap procedure. "What the bloody hell is going on?" then had to restrain the man as he came struggled out of Matt's hold once more. "Hey, hey, hey... none of that pub brawling now, and certainly not at a hospital." He grunted when an elbow knocked the wind out of him before a couple of the male nurses jumped into the fray.
"Oh my bloody jaw," George groaned as he rolled to his side and watched three male nurses wrestle with the man. "Was that really necessary? For heaven sakes, we're both grown consenting adults."
"Shut up George, you're making the situation worse," Matt said as he pulled his brother to his feet.
The man suddenly stopped struggling, startling the three nurses that were amazed at how strong such a thin lanky man was. "Wait. Did you just call him George?"
The two brothers turned to look at the man. Matt frowned, taking in the mahogany color hair, the green golden eyes and the lopsided smile that looked almost familiar. "Yes, considering that is his name."
The man turned his head, the three nurses around him unsure what to do now that the man was no longer trying to break, and stared a little harder before asking George, "You're not Slingerland?"
George frowned, unsure of what the hell was going on now. "Well yes, I am Slingerland. I believe we established that earlier, before you decided that you didn't particularly liked the color of my coat and took it out on my jaw."
"But he just called you George."
Matt got it first, his eyes widening then wincing with regret. "Were you by any chance looking for Dr. Matthew Slingerland?"
The man frowned. "I thought that's who I found."
George turned to look at Matt, staring hard. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"
Matt ignored his brother for the more pressing issue at hand. "And you sir? You would be..."
"Josh Keating," eyes narrowing at the British accent and the similarities between the two men. "You're Dr. Slingerland, aren't you?"
He braced himself for what he knew was coming. "That would be an affirmative."
"Joshua James Keating, don't even think about it!" Dr. Jules Keating came down the hallway at something of a dead run, her eyes more than revealed her mood. If Rae hadn't spotted Josh when he came in and alerted her, she won't even have known her brother was in the same building, much less the same city, as she was. And the scene she came upon... it was like a bad nightmare. Only her brother could be that stupid.
"For god sakes woman," Matt exploded, forgetting about the fact that she may have just saved him from a broken nose. "Stop running."
"Shut up," she snapped back at him and came to a skidding halt, Dr. Slingerland's arms catching her before she slipped and fell. They must have just finished cleaning the floors again. She made a mental note to herself to get shoes with more traction. Nodding her thanks to him for his timely save, she turned her death ray eyes at her brothers. "What the hell are you doing here? And why in the world are you even here?"
Josh shook his head at her, "Don't even turn this one around at me. What did you expect me to do after being on the phone with you for three hours? Just sit there and wait for another phone call? Hell no." He wiggled a finger at her. "For god sakes Jules, you didn't actually expect me to sit there while you went through something like this alone, did you?"
"I'm not alone and for heaven sakes, Matt isn't the bad guy here. There is no bad guy in this little scenario." She made a point to ask Matt later what happened to his brother's jaw; it look like someone used it for a punching bag.
"Yeah, right. You said that same thing about the little incident at Prom," Josh glared at Matt Slingerland, still a little tempted to throw a punch. The first one at the brother didn't really count now.
"Prom?" Matt asked with much interest as he took a quick step away from the brother.
"Wait," George rubbed his jaw. He glanced at each of the doctors then at the tall man. "You saying were looking for him and hit me instead?"
"You hit him?" Jules asked at a screeched.
"Barely a scratch," Josh waved it away. He and Jules use to get worse playing in the backyard. Rope burns from Cowboys and Indians came to mind right about now. "Besides, I thought he's the guy that got you knocked up."
Jules groaned and buried her face in her hand. Matt tried valiantly to hide his smile as he reached out, pulling Jules into his arm. She came willing for a second before pulling away roughly and glared at her brother from between her fingers. "Thanks for announcing it to the rest of my co-workers."
But Josh was not paying any attention to her. "Get your hands off my sister."
"Shut up, Joshua," Jules shot back purposefully leaned back against Slingerland just to annoy her brother. She really hate it when her brothers get all protective on her, like she hasn't done a nice job of protecting herself so far.
"Are you trying to get me killed, luv?" Matt leaned down and asked quietly to her alone. She smelled like baby powder and Vaseline, sweetly endearing. "Cause it would appear to me that were this a bad comedy show, your brother would currently be throwing steam out of his ears."
"He's not going to touch you." She said confidently.
"Don't bet on it, kiddo." Josh replied, eyes cutting into Matt like hot death rays. He didn't like the man on the spot, and not just out of principle. The British doctor looked just a little too smooth; especially with the standard white lab coat over what Josh would guess to be a fifty-dollar silk tie over a sixty-dollar dress shirt from Italy.
Ignoring the audience that had gathered at an alarmingly fast rate, Jules glared at her brother and up herself in front of Slingerland. "You touch him and I swear I'll break your nose... again."
"Jules!" Josh was fighting to keep his temper under a tight rein.
"Did you just raise your voice at a pregnant woman?" Jules hissed as she took a step closer so as not to be over heard... by too many people.
Startled by the sudden emergence of guilt among the red-hot fury that clouded his mind, Josh blinked for a moment. Glancing about, he resisted the urge to yell at the surrounding medical personnel that were more than attentive toward the little discussion... in the middle of the nurses' station. "Can we do this somewhere else?" he asked his little sister, keeping his voice as calm as possible.
"Sure," no more eager for the audience than he was. "Matt, can I use your office?"
Dr. Slingerland was eying Joshua Keating with critical eyes. Though the man appeared in control of his temper once more, Matt was not to keen on the idea of letting Jules deal with him alone. "Of course you may. Let us just step this way and..."
"No, no," taking the lead down the hall; careful to stay between Matt and Josh. She wouldn't put it pass her brother to blind side Slingerland if even half the chance. "I think I should handle this one on my own."
"But," he glanced at the heated glare from Josh and nearly winced. Pulling her slightly told him, he belt from his superior height toward her ear. "I don't like the idea of leaving you alone with him. He has, from all evidence, a rather volatile temperament."
"He's my brother," she whispered back, half amused and half exasperated by the two's attitude. If she hadn't had three emergency cases that morning, which forced her to push back appointments, which meant she'll be here later than expected, she would find this display by the two men rather endearing. But at the moment, she was just annoyed by the fact that she was taking time off her day to deal with this. "He's not going to do anything but pace your office and try to remember that you don't upset pregnant women."
"What is he saying to you?" Josh wanted to know as he leaned in to hear.
"None of your business," pushing his face way with the palm of her hand on his cheek. Then with a grin, "Nosy."
"I say, Matthew," George called as he trotted along with them. "Does this mean you and I aren't going to the lawyer's office together?"
Eyes wide with disbelief, Matt was about to blast his brother when Jules took hold of his hand. "Go with him. Handle your familial problems while I handle mine. We'll reconvene tonight at your place. I'll order pizza."
"Pasta," he corrected. "No more greasy foods for you, luv." He sighed and looked first at his brother's curious face, then at Josh's thunderous look before turning to Dr. Keating once more. "Why is it that I never seem to win arguments with you?"
"Because I'm very vulnerable right now and that last thing you want to do is upset me," she answer sweetly, not even attempting to hide her amusement.
He frowned at her, "Minx," before pushing opened the door to his office. Before she could enter, he stopped her. "I'll be back in an hour, I'll come see you then," then kissed her on the forehead. Turing to her brother, he returned the glare. "Don't yell at her again. You want to pick on someone, wait until I return." Then grabbed his brother's arm. "Let's go George. I want you on the next plane back across the ocean."
"She's pretty," George commented as he lopped to keep up with his long legged younger brother. "Even in this awful light she looks good."
"Shut up George," rolling his eyes when he realized that his suit jacket was still in his office. Glancing back just in time to see Josh slam the door to his office shut, he sighed. "Oh hell," he'll simply have to make do with his long coat. "Let's go before I change my mind."
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
"Well, that was real mature," Jules commented as she took a seat on the comfy little coach in Matt's office. Despite the fact that the room had been decorated with all the standard hospital furniture, it still had a taste of Slingerland in it. The earth tone pots with their over grown ferns were very... British. The oak book case held collection of literature that ranged from modern surgical techniques to the biography of Marilyn Monroe to Charles Dickens reflected Slingerland precisely. Heck, the woodsy smell that whiffed through the room reminded her of him.
"How that pompous jackass thinks of me right now is not high on my priority list."
"Why do you insist on making him the bad guy here?"
"Cause between you, me and him, someone has to be. And I choose him."
Rolling her eyes, "Well, as long as there's a reason."
"Don't start Jules," getting to pace since the comfortable chair that Matt kept at his desk for his patients didn't feel so comfortable when Josh felt as if someone was pelting him with little needles. "Does he know about.... Never mind, he obviously knows."
"Kind of hard to miss when you just yelled in the hallway." She glanced at her watch. She had about another five minutes to go before her entire schedule was shot to hell. "Look Josh..."
"Have you talked?"
"What?"
"Have you guys talked? Have you discussed anything yet? Has he hinted at whether or not he's going to be here for the kid? Or is he looking to turn the whole shebang on you?"
Blinking, Jules frowned. "Well, he's made noises about moving in together."
That had Josh raising a brow. "From the guy that don't want marriage?"
"Yes, from the guy that said he didn't want marriage." Jules made a face. "He said move in. He didn't get on his knees and begged for my hand in marriage because of the baby. By the way, if he did for that particular reason, I'd have to turn him down flat and smash that brilliant mind of his with a really big baseball bat."
"Well I should hope so. That's a terrible reason to get married." Josh stopped pacing and stopped directly in front of his little sister. He remembered her as a skinny kid; all elbows and knees, awkward and gangly with a sweet freckled face and a smile that made you think of family picnics at the lake on hot summer's days. "Jules, what are you going to do?"
Because he looked troubled, torn between his love for her and his discomfort of having to hate Slingerland, she softened. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to move to Seattle. There are plenty of hospitals there that would no doubt love a pediatric specialist like you on their staff. I want you to let me beat the shit out of that bad foreign import of yours and make him sign away his rights to this niece or nephew of mine you're carrying. But most importantly, I want to see you happy."
She smiled, feeling the storm that had brought him down here pass. "I'm happy here. And Matt's not a bad import. He's one of the good ones, like the Beatles and German Forest Cakes." She sighed and held out her hands to him, which he readily took into his. "I want you to stop worrying about me and the baby. Matt's made it perfectly clear that he is *not* going to be left out of the loop where his child is concerned. He isn't going to repeat his dad's prime example of what not to do when parenting." She squeezed his hand. "Contrary to popular belief about men, not all of them run when confronted with the expected in a relationship. Plus..." she sighed. "He's a good guy, Josh, I really like him. I really enjoy being with him, listening to him, spending nights in his arms."
"Okay, too much details there, kiddo." He winced with a shake of his head. He knew defeat when it came barreling toward him with a pair of soft doe eyes. "You love him?"
She paused, searching herself. "Never having been in love, I don't know. I know that... I know that I'm happy when I'm with him. He makes me feel safe, comfortable, no pretenses necessary." She smiled, remembering the occasional free days they get. "He likes old movies and hot coffee in bed on Sunday mornings. He has your appreciation for the finer things in life, like massive entertainment systems and real ice cream with thick cream. It genuinely matters to him what he does here, the difference he makes in the lives of those that come to him. And most importantly, he cares about me; he wants to be part of my life."
The glow in her eyes, the blush on her cheeks, Josh knew it was a lost cause. "I'm still going to hate his guts cause he got you pregnant and still didn't propose."
"I wouldn't have excepted under the circumstances."
"I know but he still should have at least tried."
"That logic only works cause you're my brother."
"Which is why I'm using it," he kissed her forehead and sighed. "You taking care of yourself?"
"Yes."
"Prenatal vitamins and all that junk?"
"I'm a doctor, remember?"
"Yes but..."
"Yes, yes, I'm taking all the necessary precautions to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy. Sheesh, you're as bad as Matt."
"Only cause we care." He shook his head. "I cannot believe I just said I had something in common with the guy."
Jules laughed softly and glanced at her watch again. "Get use to it, Josh. I've got to get back to work. You going to be around?"
"I think I'll stay a little longer."
"You're not going to stay to harass Matt, right? Cause he's a really busy guy and I don't want to have to..."
"Relax, I'm not going to go anywhere near Romeo." He rolled his eyes and glanced at his watch. "I'm going to stay to fend off the rest of the brood if they decide to descend upon you like I did."
"Excuse me?" her eyes narrowing shiftly. "Just whom did you talk to after we got off the phone?"
"Not Mom or Dad, if that's what you're worried about."
"But who did you...."
"Just the guys."
"Guys?"
"Yeah, the guys."
"As in our brothers?"
"Yeah, our brothers."
"Both of them?"
"Yes, there were just as concerned."
Jules groaned. "I knew you were a big mouth."
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
"Why don't I stay a little longer and have dinner with your gal," George suggested as they left Phillip Morrison's office. The meeting had gone well and George was feeling buoyant over the prospects of leaving Alice with as little as possible. In his mind, she broke the spoken contract between them at marriage when she requested children. "We're practically family now, what with her having your kid and all, we should get to know each other."
"I don't want you within ten miles of Jules," Matt muttered darkly as he hurried along the crowded streets. "I want you on a plane and out of my business by evening."
"Is that any way to talk to your brother?" George replied cheerfully, stopping Matt to buy a hotdog from a street vender. "You know, there is something very addictive about these American snack foods."
"That stuff will kills you," purchasing a hot pretzel instead. He really wasn't hungry, especially after the full meal with Jules earlier, but it made him feel better to be doing something other than listening to his brother talk. "You have any idea what they put in those stuff?"
"If I listen to everything you doctors tell me, I'd be leading an incredibly dull life." George bit into the juicy hotdog and gave a groan of appreciation. "You just don't get stuff like this in London."
"Which is why we have less heart conditions than Americans do," Matt pointed out with a sigh. He wondered for a moment if Jules had already ordered dinner for the evening. Perhaps he could talk her into going to a restaurant instead; it's been a while since they went out to a sit down dinner.
"I always thought it was our wonderful after dinner drinks."
"That too," Matt replied absentmindedly as he watched a couple of teenagers cross the street at a dead run. He almost winced as one dripped on a crack in the middle of the street and crashed to the ground, chin first. "Oh bother," he muttered because walking forward.
"What are you doing?" George asked, frowning as his eyes followed Matt's gaze. "Oh no, please tell me you're not going to...."
"He could be seriously injured," Matt replied, swallowing the last of the pretzel and wiping his fingers on his coat with some regret. "Just a quick look."
"Your last quick looked turned into a disaster," George reminded him in a hurry as they got closer to the crowd that gathered around the fallen boy. "We spent six hours in the emergency room with that woman. And she turned out to be married."
"What is your point? Cause it quite escapes me how it relates," Matt's superior height allowed him to see that blood was already made an appearance. "Oh god," the blood was pouring down the panicking teen's mouth, one of his friends was already screaming frantically into a cell phone. "I think he bit his tongue."
"That's not so bad," George replied, looking over the heads of the crowd.
"It is if he bit it off," Matt replied, his brows knitted. "Excuse me," tapping the guy in front of him. "May I get through? I'm a doctor."
The word was quick to spread among the crowd that there was a medical personnel at hand. George groaned as the sea of people parted. Gentle murmurs of sympathy and useless suggestions filtered through as well as Matt bent to take a look.
"My name is Dr. Slingerland, I'm going to take quick look at the damage, all right?" the boy, with his hand clamped over his mouth, looking frightened and near hysterical, nodded his head. "There's a lad. Just open up for me," firmly pulling the boy's hand away from the bleeding mess that was his mouth. It was almost as bad as he had dreaded. "Has an ambulance been called?" he asked the boy with the cell phone.
The ashen faced teen nodded his head. "They said that..."
"It's okay," keeping his tone soothing and relaxed. There was enough panic, not need to add to any more. "What's your friend's name?" nodding toward the injured teen. The boy started to talk but Matt shook his head, "Don't talk, keep your mouth shut and spit out the blood, don't swallow if you can help it." He did not want the boy choking on his own blood. "Now," looking up at the boy with the cell phone. "What's your friend's name?"
"Jeremy," came the trembling reply.
"And you?"
"David."
"Okay," Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. "Jeremy, I need you to open your mouth and hold this against your tongue. I need you to put pressure on it but not to squeeze." He reached over and took David's cell phone. "Punching in the number, he place the receiver on his ear. "This is Slingerland. I need an emergency team on standby with a suture kit. Prepare 2 units of O negs just in case. Page the attending surgeon; we're going to use him for the sutures. I've got a teen, fourteen or fifteen at most, with a lacerated tongue. We're looking at a major artery damage with..." He looked up, the ambulance was flashing in the distance. "I've got transportation on the way, I'll have them bring us to Presidio. ETA: twenty minutes." He snapped the phone closed when he got the confirmation that his instructions were understood.
"Jeremy, I need you stay calm while I talk to the EMT, can you do that?" Matt's eyes were steady as he helped the boy to his feet, careful to scan and check for any damages that may have been overlook before.
The boy nodded his head; trusting eyes stared back at Slingerland.
"David," snagging the young teen as he fumbled to put his phone away trembling hands tangled with latches and buckles. "Your friend isn't going to be able to provide much in the way of information. Can you stick around and help answer any questions that you maybe able to answer?"
"Yeah," his head bobbed hard.
"Good," he motion for George and leaned over. "Do me a favor?"
"What?" he asked warily. Matt's favor's usually meant having to hold bloody limbs that would cost him a whopping bill at the dry cleaners. Blood was decisively difficult to get out on suits. "Come back to the hospital with me and while I take care of this, go tell Jules that I'm going to be late for dinner."
George frowned, a little taken aback. "You're asking me to play messenger boy?"
Reaching out Matt grabbed his brother by the shirtfront and hissed dangerously. "I'm in the middle of something important right now, you really ought not piss me off. So unless you want a matching bruise to the one that Jules's brother gave you, you'll do as you're told." He let go with a jerk just as the EMT's rushed forward.
"Fine, fine," George muttered irritably then cheered considerably at the prospects of a little time with his brother's new friend.
TBC...
~~~~~~~~~~
Like I said, life of it's own.