Sophie Dubenko was amusing herself at the admissions desk in the ER while her father was otherwise engaged in his surgical duties. People watching was at a premium in the emergency room. Besides a full house in the waiting area there were admits of every description from the boring and mundane to the very colorful. Never a dull moment around here I guess, she thought to herself. God this place is a hole. Why in the world did Papa ever agree to this? VCU is SO much nicer. Sophie had noted the discoloration spots on the ceiling that indicated water damage as well as the general state of the ER as a whole.
Looking across the floor Sophie noticed a rather animated doctor with ginger colored hair that seemed to be lecturing a group of interns or med students. She couldn't really tell, but none of them seemed particularly interested in what he was saying. Well what have we here? Not a master of oration apparently. "Hey, who's that?" Sophie asked the admit clerk, Jerry whom she thought of as an oversized teddy bear just from the brief time she'd been standing there chatting with him.
"Heh, that's Dr. Morris. He's the chief resident. Rumor has it that no one else wanted the job so Weaver and Lewis had to give it to him. He's on probation, but acts like he owns the place."
Sophie laughed at this information and went back to observing the nearly organized chaos around her. A particular patient had caught her attention because he apparently had issues with wearing clothing. Any clothing. A frazzled nurse and two orderlies kept trying to get him into a hospital gown only to have the guy start screeching. "It burns! It burns!" He would then pull the gown off and the process would start all over.
"Hello there, can I help you with something?"
Sophie turned around at the sound of the voice behind her. She ended up looking into the chest of one A. Morris, M.D. according to the lab coat he wore. Looking upwards confirmed that she was indeed being addressed by the chief resident, "Uh, no. I'm good thanks." I'd be even better if you went away now.
"You work here? I wasn't notified that we hired a new clerk. You'd think someone would tell the chief resident something like that. I get no respect around here. Zero." Morris leaned against the admit desk so that he was eye level to Sophie. "At least you're easier on the eyes than the other two." He jerked his head at Jerry "And the night guy? Frank? Woof."
Sophie arched an eyebrow at Morris as she responded, "I don't work here but thanks anyway for the compliment. I think." I bet this guy gets off on saying "chief resident" when referring to himself.
"Oh, you don't work here? Then ah do you need a doctor? I'm the chief resident you know. You'd be safe in my hands."
"I just bet I would. But, no, I'm perfectly fine. I just decided to tag along with the parental unit today." And now I wish I hadn't. I could have stayed home and organized Papa's sock drawer or something. Anything has to be more stimulating than talking to this guy.
Morris looked the hazel-eyed girl over appraisingly. And rather obviously as he had to lean further over the admit desk to do so. "So are you seeing anybody?"
Trying not to laugh Sophie stared at a point over Morris's shoulder for a moment before answering, "No, I'm not. I'm just here for a visit. I don't live in Chicago." And if I did, I'd consider moving far, far away. Did he just look at my ass? He looked at my ass. Sleaze.
"That's a shame. That you don't live here I mean. I think you are the prettiest thing I've seen in my ER in a long time. Since you aren't seeing anyone, why don't you let me take you to dinner? It's almost eight o'clock."
Oh dear god, he is not hitting on me. Maybe I should tell him I'm gay. No, asexual. "Oh, it's not that I don't want to but I already have dinner plans with someone. Sorry, Dr. Morris."
"You can call me Archie. And who do you have plans with? Can't top the chief resident, can they?"
Archie? More like Jughead, I think. "Dr. Dubenko. Actually I think the Chief of Surgery and senior attending trumps a what? Fourth year resident?" Ah, the sound of ego deflating.
Morris looked a bit agitated at the implied insult but continued to try and convince Sophie to join him for dinner. "Dubenko? He's kind of out there isn't he? How'd he rope you into a date? I mean the guy's a fuzzy-headed wall scribbling little weirdo. Ask Lockhart. She thinks he's a creep."
By this time Jerry and several other ER staff members had noticed Morris and Sophie's conversation. Dr. Lockhart was amongst them and she just smirked as she watched Sophia Dubenko bristle at Morris's opinion of her father.
Anger flashed in her hazel eyes as Sophie leaned in towards Morris. Her voice a steely hiss as she snapped, "That 'little weirdo' happens to be my father you…you egotistical, imbecilic excuse for a medical professional."
Morris just blinked as those nearby stifled their laughter.
Sophie bit back further insults as she saw her father making his way across the ER. Please don't let him have heard any of that. "Papa! I'm starving, thought you'd never get back down here." She threaded her arm through his and all but dragged her father out of the ER through the ambulance bay doors.
"So what were you and Morris talking about? You looked pretty intense." Dubenko held the door to Ike Ryan's open for his daughter.
"Oh, nothing really important, Papa. Dr. Morris was just telling me that I'm the cutest little thing to walk into his ER in a long time." She grinned at her father, who was standing beside her, mouth agape.
"He…what?"
"Said I was the cutest little—"
"I heard you the first time Sophia." Dubenko ushered her towards an empty table and pulled out her chair. I just had to let her come to work with me didn't I? Why didn't I leave her in my office instead of the ER? Because leaving her in that pit without company is cruel and unusual punishment. And being hit on by Morris isn't?
Sophie was looking around the bar with an amused expression on her face. "So this is the infamous Ike's, huh? Seen any good foreign films lately, Lee?" She gave her father a cheeky grin.
"That's Papa to you, and no I haven't."
A waitress came over to take their order, and Sophie looked at her father expectantly. "What, you mean I have to order for myself?" Laughing, she asked for a salad with house dressing on the side. "And an iced tea with lemon, please."
Dubenko ordered a burger, medium and a basket of fries knowing that Sophie would eat most of them herself. When the waitress left to put their order in to the kitchen he glared at her over the top of his glasses, "I am never going to tell you anything ever again regarding my personal life. Ever."
"Oh, come on Papa, I was just teasing you. Look at it this way, I could have asked Dr. Abby about your little date, but I didn't."
Thank God for small favors. Very small favors. "Lockhart. It's Dr. Lockhart. You are just determined to needle me today aren't you?"
"What are you talking about, Papa? I'll give you one thing, though. She's very pretty. Older than I expected for an intern, though, which is good because frankly, you wanting to date someone that close to my age would be just too weird."
Must not hurt the child. You love her. Remember, Lee; she's your little angel. With horns and I'm willing to bet cloven hooves. "Sophie, there is nothing going on between Lockhart and I. I told you that, now drop it please."
Sophie smiled again as their food arrived. "So, tell me what you know about Dr. Morris. I gathered that he's awfully proud of himself for making Chief Resident, but other than that I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him. He's pretty cute in that self-assured goofy way."
Dubenko coughed, nearly choking on a mouthful of burger. "No."
"No? No you won't tell me anything about him? Why, Papa? He can't be that bad, after all he's the chief resident, so he has to be somewhat capable and bright. Or did you mean 'No I won't let you go out with him while you are in Chicago'? Really Papa, that's pretty lame. I'm nineteen and have been making the decisions about who I date for quite some time now."
Dubenko just stared at his daughter in disbelief. She isn't serious. She can't be serious. She does not want to date Moron—err, Morris. I will not allow her to go cavorting around with that imbecile. Don't tell her you forbid her to see him; she'll do it just to spite you. "Don't you think he's a little old for you?"
"Too old to take me to a movie? Out to dinner? Geez, it's not like I want to marry the guy!"
I'm in hell. I died and someone forgot to tell me. My daughter wants to date Morris. What did I ever do to deserve this? Is this payback for the relentless bastard routine I treat med students to?
"Oh come on Papa, you look like I just told you that I had acrobatic sex with the guy on a gurney in the middle of the emergency room while your coworkers supervised."
At this, Dubenko spit a mouthful of water back into his upraised glass. "Sophia!"
She burst out laughing and reached across the table to pat her father's hand. "I'm kidding. Like I'd want to go out with that tool. Please, during a five-minute conversation he mentioned his title no less than four times, looked at my ass at least twice and insulted my Papa. Besides, he is so not my type."
A barrage of thoughts crossed Dubenko's mind, all of them including Morris meeting an unpleasant fate. Then he realized his daughter was still talking to him. "You have a type? Since when? You've never said one word to me about dating anyone."
"Ugh. Guys are the farthest thing from my mind, Papa. I swear. I don't have a boyfriend. I'm not seeing any guys. You are the only man in my life, okay? Sorry for yanking your chain."
"Then what is on your mind, Soph? You haven't said a word to me about your studies either, or friends for that matter. Just what have you been up to lately?"
Sophie responded to his questions by stuffing several French fries into her mouth and shrugging.
"Charming. Ever so eloquent. My daughter, with a perfect score on the verbal portion her of SATs, can't even respond to a simple question. And here I thought I'd raised you better than that."
She rolled her eyes at her father's criticism before swallowing loudly. Sophie then made a big production out of taking a noisy gulp from her glass of iced tea. She considered belching but noted her father's look of impatience and slight disgust. "School's school, Papa. I go to class. I study. Well, sometimes I study and I mostly go to class. What? My grades are fine, so stop glaring at me like that. I'm not a bookworm like you. I'm even working on an extracurricular study okay? Happy now? I'm just as much of a geek as you are, all right? Friends? Do you really want to hear about the latest trip to the mall with the girls? Because if you do I can tell you that we tried on approximately three hundred shades of lipstick and I find thong underwear to be totally and completely uncomfortable."
I was wrong about hell. Hell isn't Morris wanting to date my daughter. Hell is having a discussion with my daughter about her choice of underwear. "Make-up and um, undergarments aside, what have you been doing in your spare time, Soph?"
"Stuff. Reading mostly. You know, the former chief medical examiner for Virginia spoke at the university recently about forensic pathology and technological advances in the field. Fascinating stuff really. They've been able to open old cases, reexamine evidence. Actually solve crimes that are years old…I spoke with her after the lecture. Did you know she actually remembers Mom?"
Lee Dubenko closed his eyes and shook his head. Not this again, Sophie. Please not again. I'm not doing this. Don't ask me to.
"Papa, you know if you'd just—"
"Sophia Marie, don't even bother finishing that thought. The answer is no. It was no the last time you asked and it will continue to be no. We've been over this. There is nothing to discuss. Just stop. Leave it alone."
"Papa, why won't you just—"
"No! No, Sophie. Just…no."
She glared at her father as she balled up the napkin that had been in her lap. "I don't understand you. I just want to—"
"I know what you want and the answer is still no."
Sophie threw the napkin on the table and stood up.
"Sophie, sit down and finish eating." Dubenko tried to keep his temper even, his voice calm.
"I'm done. I'm leaving." Sophie glared down at him before turning on her heel and storming out of the bar.
That went over exceedingly well. He sighed and reached for his wallet to pay the bill. I am never eating here again; it's always a disaster.