Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with ER, I just like writing about it.
Content Warning: Minor swearing.
Spoilers: Set post season 12, slightly spoilerish (I hope!)
A/N: This is my first foray into the fanfiction world, please tell me what you think.
I hate anchovies!
Neela knew it was going to be one of those days. The landlord at Abby's apartment still hadn't fixed the heating, the shower kept blasting her with alternate bursts of freezing cold and scalding hot water and to top it all, she'd forgotten to get any milk the night before, so all she had to look forward to was a bowl of dry cereal and black coffee for breakfast. The weather forecast was predicting rain later and the sky already looked gloomy and heavy with promise. Great!
She scurried out of the apartment, hair half wet, coat unbuttoned and dashed towards the El station, knowing that she was going to be late. And now she had the delights of a packed train to deal with. Spending the journey with her nose pressed into some stranger's armpit, what a way to start the day!
She found herself thinking nostalgically about the Tube back home, how friendly people were, how there was that good old London custom of shaking hands with everyone on the carriage before you settled into your spacious, plush seat! What a load of bollocks, she thought, the Tube is worse than this, its underground and boy, the atmosphere really develops personality when you're stuck in a tunnel.
And they always put those silly dangly grabby things you're supposed to hold on to way too high, so no-one under 6 foot can reach them.
One of the joys of being short, she thought, you really don't see the best of people when your head is level with their nipples.
Neela stifled the smile that had flirted with her face. Smiling to yourself on the El was a sure-fire thing to get people edging away from you, as if you were something a little dangerous, I mean, you're going to work, what the hell is there to be happy about?
And work, that had been so weird lately. She really wasn't used to being the cause of gossip, more the half willing recipient of news about her colleagues, most of which she'd rather not know, thank you very much. But since her… whatever it was, with Gates, people had been a little, what, cold?
I mean she wasn't going to mourn Michael forever and he himself had told her to get on with her life. Pratt had been understanding but slightly disgusted, she hadn't wanted to explain to him of all people that sometimes something is better than nothing, but this had turned out to be nothing after all, just a little cold comfort in an equally cold world.
Ray, well, frankly he'd been avoiding her. The little messages checking up on her, left on the answer machine, had slowly dried up and he'd stopped trying to snatch conversations with her in the corridors. She reflected that that was probably because she'd never returned one of his phone calls or had always made up some excuse that she was needed… anywhere but here.
So he'd gone frosty on her. He still shot her the odd smile now and then, one that flashed quickly across his face, gone as quickly as it arrived, when they couldn't avoid each other. Most of the time all she saw was his retreating back as he quickly snatched up a patient chart and hurried off to be somewhere she wasn't. She figured that she probably deserved it. He'd tried to be a friend for her, nothing more and she'd pushed him away which, now she thought about it, was stupid.
She'd been so caught up thinking she nearly missed her stop. Good grief girl, she thought to herself, pull yourself together and stop day dreaming. She grabbed her bag and hurtled of the platform, willing herself to get to County on time, or at least not too late. Neela made it through the doors with a few minutes to spare.
"Good afternoon Dr. Rasgotra," Frank snarked, "Nice of you to join us this fine day."
"Sod off, Frank." She snapped back, striding through reception, hurriedly ripping off her scarf and coat, except her coat got tangled in her bagstrap and she wound up standing in front of the locker room door bedraggled and twisted up looking for all the world like an Eskimo in an inexpertly put on straight jacket. To Neela's growing horror she heard a familiar voice coming out of exam room two and heading right towards her.
"Just take these three times a day for the next week, Mrs Kendal and you'll be fine. If it comes back, just go see your regular doctor and… excuse us Dr Rasgotra… he'll be able to advise you as to further treatment."
Ray had barely broken step. He'd guided his patient swiftly around the struggling Neela, who just stood there with a look of growing horror on her face, Ray not even raising a glimmer of a smirk.
That however could not be said for Frank, who was now not even bothering to hold back but was heaving great snorts of laughter all over his desk.
"Will someone give me a hand here, please?" Neela pleaded, getting rapidly more frustrated. Frank just shrugged and picked up a phone that wasn't ringing. Neela tried to make a rude hand gesture, but her arms were pretty tied up.
Ray had finished signing out his patient and walked towards her. Without pausing, he lifted her bag strap over her head and let it fall at her side. She caught it, just.
"Thanks." She said sarcastically to the now familiar sight of Ray's back.
He didn't bother to turn round, just replied "Welcome" before snatching up another chart and heading off towards the exam rooms commenting that there was a patient in there that really needed restraining.
He hadn't looked at her once or even acknowledged her presence other than that off-hand "welcome". Dammit she thought, what is his problem? Now she was flustered, embarrassed and angry, all before 8am.
What a wonderful day!
Well, what do you think? There's more if you want it...