She heard a knock on the door, and emerged from her state of half conciousness. "Yeah, what d'ya want?" She shouted through the door. The person on the other end took that for a 'come in' and walked through the door, pushing his way through using his shoulder, his hands full with a brown paper bag, and one of those drink caddies that held two sodas in it. "Please say one of those is for me."

"No, I'm thirsty."

"It go over and kick your ass but I'm kinda weak here. Give it to me out of sympathy."

"I don't feel sympathy for anyone."

"It's crap anyway."

"How come you wanted it?"

"Soda and burger king, good crap." She laughed at her own joke, and he smiled a bit. "I'm in pain here, gimme."

"You have a morphine drip."

"It doesn't do much for hunger"

"Do you really want this?" She could see the light glimmer in his eyes, he was playing with her, toying with her.

"Hell yeah."

"Well this crap is all mine." There was a smirk on his face, and she glared at him.

"You're evil."

"Thank you."

"Why do you hate it down here so much?"

"It's different from surgery."

"Stick to what you know?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"At least you're still a doctor."

"Like it's much of a difference, I can't do much."

"But you can still preface your name with Doctor, and end it with MD. Some people don't get that."

"Some people do, those of us that work hard."

"And then there are those that work hard, pour their life into their craft, only to have one mistake screw everything up."

"Or one accident."

"No, not an accident, accident's can be explained, accidents can be written off, mistakes can't."

"What's the difference?"

"An accident is not your fault, you can't help an accident, you can stop a mistake. It's why you're still here, why you still have an MD. And you know you like it, it's why you devoted your life to this, you knew that this was what you wanted to do for the longest time, You made this your living for a reason, you love it, and as much as you act like you hate it, as much as you act like you hate all people, you really love humanity. Otherwise, you wouldn't be in here, toying with me, you wouldn't stop in to see me every day, just because you were there when I was wheeled in, otherwise you wouldn't stop in every patient's room, checking up on them. It's not part of your job description, you like people. You want to do something for society, as much as you act like society owes you something, you feel like you owe something to society, hence this. You don't care where you are, or what you're doing, you still have your job, and you're still a doctor, even though you had an accident." Her voice was quiet and calm, but at the same time there was a repressed anger to it.

"What are you, a shrink?"

"Was, it's amazing how a mistake can screw things up."

"What happened?"

"You going to give some of that crap?"

"You going to tell me what happened?"

"Give me the food first." He reluctantly handed her one of the two burgers in the bag over. "And some fries, and a soda." He handed them over to, and set them down on the tray that rested over her bed. She unwrapped the burger, and took a large bite into it. "Thank you. Now leave."

"I thought you were going to spin me a tale."

"Do I look like a bard to you?"

"Then I'm taking all of that back." He said reaching for the fries on the tray. She grabbed his hand before he could reach them though, and pushed it back towards him.

"No, no you don't. Fine, I'll tell you what happened, but quid pro quo pal." He nodded, as she took another bite of her burger. "It's a long story."

"I've got all day. Not like I like this hellhole."

"There you go again with the act. Just admit that you like this job. Or I'm not telling you what happened."

"I don't mind this as much as I act like it."

"Now, can we get that Weaver chick, Luka, and oh, the entire staff of the ER in here to hear you say that."

"I'm not stooping that low."

"That's what you think."

"If I have to resort to that, I'd rather not know what happened."

"Oh, you're an asshole, I plan on publicly humiliating you in front of your colleagues at least once before I leave."

"I can make your stay miserable, you do realize that?"

"Yes, I do, but It'll all be worth it to see you squirm."

"You can't make me squirm."

"I'll be the judge of that. Now out." She reached for the button on the morphine pump next to her as she finished off the last French fry on her tray.

"What happened to the story?"

"I'll tell it later."

"That's not fair."

"Nor are you." He glared at her. "Out, unless you want to sit here while I sleep. Warning, I snore."

"In which case I'll leave." She laughed having gotten in the last word, as he turned around and walked out of the door. "You owe me." She grinned at him as he walked out, and she settled back in to a painful sleep, having not pushed the button on the pump, afraid of what the drugs would do to her.