"You got it?" Susan yelled across the ER.
"Yup." Mark joined the throng of people guiding a gurney and assessed the patient with his eyes as the trauma nurse filed off his vitals.
Susan did much the same at another gurney. She had that feeling about this patient. She hated that feeling. When someone got wheeled in the doors and you just knew that they weren't leaving again. This guy was a mess. She fell into the rush, the pattern of treating a MVA victim. But it was no use. Twenty minutes later she pulled offer her gloves and replaced her smock, backing through the doors to help the next patient. No one got a moment to stop today.
Susan rolled her neck from one side to the other, eyes shut, enjoying the momentary stillness. The trauma was over. And so was the next one. A trickle of minor injuries came in, to be pawned off on students and presented to residents. She followed Gallant through severe asthma, lacerations to the feet, smoke-inhalation, a sprained ankle, a minor concussion and then escaped to the lounge. It was finally over.
Elizabeth was fiddling with the coffee pot.
"Hi." Susan offered somewhat shyly.
"Does this thing work?" Elizabeth didn't look up.
"Sure." Susan crossed the room and loosened the lid before banging it down with a fist. "It's all in the wrist." She grinned at the tell-tale red light that promised coffee in the near future.
"Thanks." Elizabeth got a mug out of the cupboard. "You want some?"
"No. And you might want to try it before you thank me." This was odd. Elizabeth was easier to handle when she wasn't married to Mark. Okay, that wasn't odd, but this friendliness between them was.
"Long shift?"
"Oh, just the usual." Susan opened her locker, keeping busy while she spoke, "It goes pretty fast when it's busy. You?"
"Oh, I just started. It's the paperwork that makes my day long. But I'm on the ER so it should be interesting."
"That's one word for it." Susan was ready to leave but didn't want to sabotage this. It was going better than expected. And it would certainly be an advantage to be on good terms with Elizabeth. "So, how's Ella."
Elizabeth nodded, "She's good. Almost crawling. She's getting dangerous."
Susan smiled. "Yeah, she was pulling herself up on the coffee table at…" so much for NOT sabotaging this. Susan looked awkward.
"It's okay, I know about you and Mark." Elizabeth surprised herself – she could have really made Susan suffer. But unfortunately she really liked her. If it wasn't for the whole suspicious history with Mark she would never have disliked her. But now that the Mark thing was pretty much out of the way…
"It's good to see she's fully recovered." Susan wanted to keep the focus on Ella. Safe territory. Sort of.
"Yes, well we can't be a hundred percent sure until she's older but as far as we know she's fine. Thank God."
"Yeah. Well, I should fly, but it was nice to…" what? Chat?
"Yeah. Have a nice evening." Elizabeth poured her coffee with an ironic smile. That could have been worse, she thought to herself.
"You too." Susan pushed on the lounge door as someone else pushed to toward her. She stepped back as Mark came in.
"Oh, hi." He grinned. Then he saw Elizabeth. "Oh, Hi."
Elizabeth smiled. "This is awful." She held up her coffee mug to them to try and quell the awkwardness of the situation.
Mark wasn't sure where to go, what to do. "Doesn't change I'm afraid." He offered. "You done?" He asked Susan, trying to act normal.
She nodded.
"I'll be ready in just a sec." He headed for his locker.
"I'll meet you out front." Susan escaped.
"She's nice." Elizabeth turned to him, challenging the peacekeeper she knew so well.
"Ah, yeah."
Elizabeth laughed, "It's okay Mark. If Ella's going to have an evil stepmother she could do worse. And so could you. Damn, this is awful." She tipped her coffee in the sink and rinsed the mug, washing her mouth out with water.
"Thanks." Mark forced himself to face her. "I just want you to know that we weren't…" ugh…
"I know. She told me you never… not before we…"
"Oh." Mark wasn't expecting that exactly.
"When Ella was sick. She was trying to help."
"Didn't make much difference eh?"
"Yeah, it did. Anyway, what are you still doing here? I'm going to need to be admitted if I drink anymore of that coffee but you're free to go."
Mark laughed. It had been a while since he'd seen this side of Elizabeth. It was good to know she hadn't completely vanished. "See you around." He pushed through the door.
Susan was surprised when she saw him approaching, still grinning like he had been when they'd bumped into each other in the doorway.
"Lets go." He put his arm around her shoulder and whispered, "That went well."
She looked at him confused, falling in stride.
He just grinned.
"What happened?" Her curiosity refused to be ignored.
"Nothing. It just went better than expected. I mean, we're hardly the three musketeers."
"No, but then the lack of capes and French accents and swords give that away. Why are you grinning?"
"I've got you."
Susan stopped. "The real reason?"
"What?" his eyes sparkled. "She just said something funny – well not really funny, more… enchanting. You are enchanting."
Susan wasn't satisfied, "What?"
"You are."
"No, that's not what she said."
"You're right. She said you were nice. Not bad really. But I was grinning because she also said that if Ella had to have an evil stepmother then she could do worse." He laughed, holding her eyes with adoration.
Susan laughed. "That's assuming a lot."
"Well, yes, but the prospect is enchanting. You…" he touched her flushed cheek with tentative fingertips. "You…" his face turned serious, "are enchanting."
Susan shook her head ever so slightly and reached up into his kiss. Then into his embrace.
He only let go when everywhere she wasn't touching was getting cold. "Where do you want to have dinner?"
"I'm tired, lets just get something hot and take it home."
"I have some pasta at home, it'll only take a few minutes. I might even be able to hunt down some matching wine."
"Well I can't turn that down." She kissed him again and wrapped one arm tightly around his waist as they walked toward the el.
I could keep this going but it's just mush - any ideas for a bit of drama. give me a challenge and i might try and write it up. but without your input i don't have a whole lot of ideas left. but don't worry there's at least one more installment.
amy
"Yup." Mark joined the throng of people guiding a gurney and assessed the patient with his eyes as the trauma nurse filed off his vitals.
Susan did much the same at another gurney. She had that feeling about this patient. She hated that feeling. When someone got wheeled in the doors and you just knew that they weren't leaving again. This guy was a mess. She fell into the rush, the pattern of treating a MVA victim. But it was no use. Twenty minutes later she pulled offer her gloves and replaced her smock, backing through the doors to help the next patient. No one got a moment to stop today.
Susan rolled her neck from one side to the other, eyes shut, enjoying the momentary stillness. The trauma was over. And so was the next one. A trickle of minor injuries came in, to be pawned off on students and presented to residents. She followed Gallant through severe asthma, lacerations to the feet, smoke-inhalation, a sprained ankle, a minor concussion and then escaped to the lounge. It was finally over.
Elizabeth was fiddling with the coffee pot.
"Hi." Susan offered somewhat shyly.
"Does this thing work?" Elizabeth didn't look up.
"Sure." Susan crossed the room and loosened the lid before banging it down with a fist. "It's all in the wrist." She grinned at the tell-tale red light that promised coffee in the near future.
"Thanks." Elizabeth got a mug out of the cupboard. "You want some?"
"No. And you might want to try it before you thank me." This was odd. Elizabeth was easier to handle when she wasn't married to Mark. Okay, that wasn't odd, but this friendliness between them was.
"Long shift?"
"Oh, just the usual." Susan opened her locker, keeping busy while she spoke, "It goes pretty fast when it's busy. You?"
"Oh, I just started. It's the paperwork that makes my day long. But I'm on the ER so it should be interesting."
"That's one word for it." Susan was ready to leave but didn't want to sabotage this. It was going better than expected. And it would certainly be an advantage to be on good terms with Elizabeth. "So, how's Ella."
Elizabeth nodded, "She's good. Almost crawling. She's getting dangerous."
Susan smiled. "Yeah, she was pulling herself up on the coffee table at…" so much for NOT sabotaging this. Susan looked awkward.
"It's okay, I know about you and Mark." Elizabeth surprised herself – she could have really made Susan suffer. But unfortunately she really liked her. If it wasn't for the whole suspicious history with Mark she would never have disliked her. But now that the Mark thing was pretty much out of the way…
"It's good to see she's fully recovered." Susan wanted to keep the focus on Ella. Safe territory. Sort of.
"Yes, well we can't be a hundred percent sure until she's older but as far as we know she's fine. Thank God."
"Yeah. Well, I should fly, but it was nice to…" what? Chat?
"Yeah. Have a nice evening." Elizabeth poured her coffee with an ironic smile. That could have been worse, she thought to herself.
"You too." Susan pushed on the lounge door as someone else pushed to toward her. She stepped back as Mark came in.
"Oh, hi." He grinned. Then he saw Elizabeth. "Oh, Hi."
Elizabeth smiled. "This is awful." She held up her coffee mug to them to try and quell the awkwardness of the situation.
Mark wasn't sure where to go, what to do. "Doesn't change I'm afraid." He offered. "You done?" He asked Susan, trying to act normal.
She nodded.
"I'll be ready in just a sec." He headed for his locker.
"I'll meet you out front." Susan escaped.
"She's nice." Elizabeth turned to him, challenging the peacekeeper she knew so well.
"Ah, yeah."
Elizabeth laughed, "It's okay Mark. If Ella's going to have an evil stepmother she could do worse. And so could you. Damn, this is awful." She tipped her coffee in the sink and rinsed the mug, washing her mouth out with water.
"Thanks." Mark forced himself to face her. "I just want you to know that we weren't…" ugh…
"I know. She told me you never… not before we…"
"Oh." Mark wasn't expecting that exactly.
"When Ella was sick. She was trying to help."
"Didn't make much difference eh?"
"Yeah, it did. Anyway, what are you still doing here? I'm going to need to be admitted if I drink anymore of that coffee but you're free to go."
Mark laughed. It had been a while since he'd seen this side of Elizabeth. It was good to know she hadn't completely vanished. "See you around." He pushed through the door.
Susan was surprised when she saw him approaching, still grinning like he had been when they'd bumped into each other in the doorway.
"Lets go." He put his arm around her shoulder and whispered, "That went well."
She looked at him confused, falling in stride.
He just grinned.
"What happened?" Her curiosity refused to be ignored.
"Nothing. It just went better than expected. I mean, we're hardly the three musketeers."
"No, but then the lack of capes and French accents and swords give that away. Why are you grinning?"
"I've got you."
Susan stopped. "The real reason?"
"What?" his eyes sparkled. "She just said something funny – well not really funny, more… enchanting. You are enchanting."
Susan wasn't satisfied, "What?"
"You are."
"No, that's not what she said."
"You're right. She said you were nice. Not bad really. But I was grinning because she also said that if Ella had to have an evil stepmother then she could do worse." He laughed, holding her eyes with adoration.
Susan laughed. "That's assuming a lot."
"Well, yes, but the prospect is enchanting. You…" he touched her flushed cheek with tentative fingertips. "You…" his face turned serious, "are enchanting."
Susan shook her head ever so slightly and reached up into his kiss. Then into his embrace.
He only let go when everywhere she wasn't touching was getting cold. "Where do you want to have dinner?"
"I'm tired, lets just get something hot and take it home."
"I have some pasta at home, it'll only take a few minutes. I might even be able to hunt down some matching wine."
"Well I can't turn that down." She kissed him again and wrapped one arm tightly around his waist as they walked toward the el.
I could keep this going but it's just mush - any ideas for a bit of drama. give me a challenge and i might try and write it up. but without your input i don't have a whole lot of ideas left. but don't worry there's at least one more installment.
amy