DISCLAIMER: Don't Own It, No Money Made... Just for fun & enjoyment.
RATING:M for Mature. For language and mature situations in later chapters.
A/N: After re-reading the first two chapters posted, I realized that I really should have waited for my beta to be awake... I've learned my lesson, and from now on I wait for my Central Time Zone buddy to wake with the roosters to do a read through before I post.
Thanks for the reviews! Especially since the website seems to have a glitch and not registering hits at the moment, and I was afraid no one was reading. :p
Chapter 3
Assistant Medical Examiner David Phillips had just returned from another crime scene (his sixth of the night) and he just wanted to get away from CSI headquarters for a little while. His mistake was in trying to leave through the front door. The receptionist stopped him cold, "DAVID!"
He instantly slumped his shoulders before turning around to face the woman at the front desk, "Can it wait, Judy? I was just leaving."
The diminutive receptionist stood up behind the desk and pointed at a professional looking woman sitting in the chairs of the waiting area. "She's been here for almost an hour, and Doc Robbins is still in the field. Think you can get her started until he gets here?"
David looked over at the woman, and she was just casually reading a magazine, "Started on what?"
The receptionist moved closer to David and whispered, "She's the one he's interviewing today… To replace him." As soon as the words penetrated David's overworked and extremely tired brain, everything snapped into focus.
Practically smacking his own head in frustration and surprise, "Right!... Um, yeah, I can give her the tour… Did Dr. Robbins say when he was going to be back?"
"Last time I called him he said they were loading up now and should be driving back soon… But he said he was twenty minutes out." She looked down at her watch, "That was like ten minutes ago, so I figure he's probably twenty to thirty minutes still."
David shook his head, "Right, so I'll get her started and at least let her wait in his office, instead of out here in the melee."
The receptionist gave him an appreciative nod, "Thanks, David… I felt really bad about telling her he still wasn't here again."
Taking a deep breath and letting it out quickly, David began his walk over to the woman who obviously had the patience of Job. When he was standing right next to her, she just looked away from her reading briefly to notice his presence and then placed a mark over where she had stopped, removed the earphone from her right ear, and closed the magazine. "It's okay, I've already been helped and I'm just waiting for my appointment."
David fumbled a little at her having spoken first, but he quickly recovered, "Ah.. Um.. No, see, I'm Dr. Robbins' assistant. And he's um, still on scene, but he should be back shortly. Reception asked me to give you the tour while you wait, and then I'll take you back to the doctor's office… So, you can wait where it isn't quite so busy."
The woman stood up, and that was when David realized just how tall she was. Looking up into her face, he figured her to be at least six feet tall. She extended a hand to him and he took it, noticing that she definitely had doctor's hands; closely manicured nails, worn skin from the powder in the gloves they wore most of the day, and strong fingers. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Robbins' Assistant."
Her words broke David from his observations, "Oh, um… Sorry, David Phillips, nice to meet you, too."
"Thanks, David… And don't worry, everyone is a little intimidated by my height. It's probably why I use the wheelie stools in the morgue so much." Her smile was disarming, and David was much more at ease now. "Oh, and it's Stephanie, Stephanie MacInnerney."
David gestured towards the entry doors, "Well, then let's head right this way, Dr. MacInnerney." They both walked up to the doors and David took the guest badge from the receptionist and handed it to this new woman. As the striking woman quickly pinned it to the lapel of her suit jacket, David mused that this could definitely be an interesting development for the lab, if this was the person Dr. Robbins chose to succeed him.
Reaching the first area, he peeked in to find no one in the A/V Lab, "This is the A/V Analysis Lab… Archie is usually in here still, but he must have already finished for the day."
She took an appraising eye of the place before commenting, "I imagine being in Las Vegas, there is a great deal of video to process for almost any given case."
David was taken aback by her observation, "Yeah… That's what I'm told." He gestured towards the next area and she followed his queue.
Walking over to the Print Lab, David stopped at the door when he saw the day shift person working in there. When he spoke to the woman again, he was using a hushed voice, "This is the Print Lab, and the day shift people are not fond of interruptions, so we'll just move on now." The woman chuckled at his apprehension, but she once again followed his lead.
He peered around the corner into the Trace Lab, and was relieved to not find anyone in there. The last thing he wanted this late in the shift was to be dealing with Hodges, "Uh, this is the Trace Lab, and you will learn to avoid it at all costs."
She was noticeably intrigued by his comment. "And why is that, David?" she asked as she looked around the lab.
"The night shift guy is a real-."
"Real nice guy to have around… Right, David?" Hodges chose that moment to re-enter the lab and place himself between David and this new woman. Not waiting for David to continue, he decided to introduce himself, "Hello, I'm David Hodges… One of the senior techs here at the lab, and a charming delight to have around… And you are?" Hodges was being his normal, oily self.
"Just visiting." And with those two short words, she turned out of the Trace Lab with David slipping carefully past Hodges, trying not to let his smirk seem too obvious. David was definitely right; this woman might just be the perfect fit for this place.
The rest of their tour was fairly uneventful, and with every interaction, David was becoming more and more convinced that this new development in the morgue might not be as bad as he had originally envisioned. When Dr. Robbins first told him he would be moving to days, David was heartbroken. He had never worked with another coroner and was not looking forward to it either. With classes and his fiancé, David knew he would not be able to follow the doctor to the day shift. And besides, David hated working with most of the day shift techs, since they seemed to have unreasonably high opinions of themselves. David decided being caught by the receptionist was probably the best part of his shift tonight, because it had given him a unique chance to meet with the person who could very well be his new boss in a few weeks.
When they finally reached Dr. Robbins office, David was now feeling comfortable enough to actually look at this new doctor. He realized that, in addition to being over the six foot estimation he had made earlier, she possessed an athletic build. He also noticed that her hair was not a deep brown, as he had originally perceived, but that it was actually a very rich auburn with what seemed to be a natural curl to it, though he suspected she did something to it to keep it from becoming as uncontrollably curly as his could get when it was longer. He also observed that she was quick to smile, which was a trait sorely in short supply around CSI headquarters. Overall, he surmised that she had a pleasant disposition and seemed to have a wealth of knowledge regarding the whole process of forensics. He assumed that she probably had some kind of degree in forensics, as well as her medical degree. He also realized that she was an extremely attractive woman, and would have most of the guys around here standing on their ears with a simple glance.
However, before he could continue his analysis and start asking her any questions about her background, Dr. Robbins finally arrived, "David, Dispatch said that you had taken charge of my interv-." Doc Robbins stopped his question as soon as he noticed the young woman who had just stood up from her seat in his office, "Ah… I guess they were right… Dr. MacInnerney, I presume?" The doctor stepped toward the woman with his free hand extended.
"Indeed," she took the proffered hand and nodded her head. "Good to see you finally got out of the field… Busy night?"
The doctor released her hand and started making his way around to the other side of his desk, "That would be the understatement of the decade… Any time they get me out of the morgue, it is more than just busy." He turned back to David, "David, if you could log in the last body, you can go ahead and sign off for the day… I know you've been going since about 5PM and you have class tonight."
David looked visibly relieved to hear the doctor's suggestion, "Thank you, Dr. Robbins. I'll get that done now." He turned to the woman, "And it was nice to meet you, Dr. MacInnerney."
The woman nodded at his comment, "Likewise, David… And thanks for the tip about Trace." David was not certain as he turned to leave the office, but he thought the woman had winked at him when she commented about Hodges. He thought to himself, And a decent sense of humor; I like her.
