Chapter 74:

It didn't take Susan long to get dressed and back down to her car. She was looking forward to going out; it had been awhile since she had been out with friends. Susan walked into the bar in her favorite black dress. She smiled as she saw Anna sitting at the table. "Guess we're twins again." she said sitting down. "Not too many people here tonight...oh well its still early." Susan ordered a Manhattan and leaned back in her chair. "Well, you look better than you did this morning. Did you fix whatever was wrong?"

Anna looked at her, "there was nothing there to fix. He wants a break, so I gave him back his key sucked it up and now, I guess that makes me divorced and single." Anna said lifting her glass, "here's to the single life."

Susan raised her glass. "Cheers to that." she said taking a sip. "Good old Doug...he's good for a good time and a hell of a friend but he's never been good at commitment. It's alright Anna...there are plenty of guys to pick from...maybe not here, but we'll find ya one."

Anna just smiled as she pointed behind the bar. "The tall dark one is Matt, and the one sitting there near to him is Ben." She couldn't help but giggled now. "I happen to know that Ben is completely single and wait until he bends over... I'm telling ya eye candy. He'd be perfect for you. If you don't mind that he's a professional snowboarder." She took a sip from her glass, "I'll find something. Maybe Matt and I can give it another go around."

Susan turned to look at the two men. "Anna...i need to meet more of your friends! What are we doing sitting here? You have to introduce me!" he said pulling her up and towards the bar. Susan sat down and flipped her hair to one side waiting for Anna to say something.

Anna sat down at the bar with Susan. "Matt hey tequila sunrise please." She walked over and stood next to Ben. "Hey there handsome." She said. "Well hey there Anna baby." She jumped when Ben picked her up. "Still kicking Nate's butt are ya?" She said turning to Susan, "this is a friend of mine, Susan Lewis, Susan this is Ben Jefferies. He's on my brother's snowboarding team." She said standing back and watched as Ben put his hand out, "pleasure to meet you Susan."

Anna turned her attention back to Matt. "Thanks, hey if I warm up your stage you going to buy me a drink?" She asked. She smiled back at him when he said that he would. She watched Ben and Susan for a minute before walking over to the karaoke guy. She stood there for a minute before she found something to sing. There bar was starting to fill up as she took the mike and started to belt out Sweet Dreams.

Susan shook his hand as she flirted with him. She leaned into him as they watched Anna get up and sing. She was really good. Susan was glad that they had decided to go out. It sounded like Anna needed it more but Susan was always up for a good old fashioned casual relationship. She pulled Ben to the dance floor as Anna sang. Hopefully the two of them wouldn't be there much longer, Susan wanted to spend some time alone with her new guy.

Anna smiled when she saw Ben and Susan out on the dance floor. She finished and winked at Susan as she bounced over to the bar and started flirting with Matt who was getting off his shift. Anna smiled as he sat down and joined her for a drink. This was shaping up to be a good night after all. She hadn't eaten all day and soon found the alcohol going straight to her head. She was a little more open and flirtatious than she would have been otherwise. She soon found herself inviting Matt back to her place. She leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around her to steady her as they headed for the door. She looked around to let Susan know they were leaving but she seemed wrapped up with Ben. Maybe a casual relationship with no strings was what she needed right now.

Anna awoke with a splitting headache to her alarm. She went to stretch to find herself in someone's arms. Oh man she had invited Matt back to her place and it was him who was there next to her. She got up and showered and dressed to go into the ER. Matt was ready when she got done and said that he would walk with her to the hospital since he was going to catch the EL anyway. They got coffee and headed inside. It was almost 10 now. She stood outside the lounge door. "Dinner tonight would be great. I should be off at 7 I am only working an 8 today, if you want to pick me up at 8." She said as she wrapped her arm around him pulling him into a hug. She felt him kiss the top of her head. She smiled when he told her that would be okay. "8 then," she said as she headed into the lounge to her locker.

Doug had woken up on his own and wanted to go in and work on his report. He took a taxi and used his crutches to get into county. As soon as he walked through the door he was surprised to see Anna with some other guy. They way they held each other made him jealous. How could she find someone else so quickly? Maybe he hadn't meant all that much to her after all. Had he been right? Doug went past her and screwed on a fake smile. "Morning Anna." he said before she went into the lounge. Susan had a good night. She and Ben had gone to get coffee after a late night of dancing and she had gotten his number. She arrived right after Doug did and saw Anna and matt in the hall. "Anna I owe ya one for last night!" she said smiling at them both and not seeing Doug. "Looks like you guys had fun too." Susan turned to check and saw Doug at admit. "oh...morning Doug." she said as she turned back to Anna and mouth 'sorry' "i better get to work" she said running off to curtain three

Anna threw her stuff into her locker and headed over to admit. She was smiling and actually happy after last night going out made her feel a lot better. She had been friends for so long with Matt it felt nice to have someone to talk to. And he had been so sweet making sure that she got home okay. He had held her hair out of her face when she had thrown up. He had spent the night there because it was late and Anna didn't want to be alone. "Morning Doug," She said as she pulled on her lab coat, and looked thru the rack, she sipped on her coffee, and Weaver wasn't standing right there so she was dragging her feet, "how are you this morning?"

Doug looked up at her fro the computer. "I'm alright...same old you know?" he said clicking with the mouse. He wanted to ask who the hell that was but it wasn't any of his business. 'I don't care anymore' he told himself. 'She's moved on and so will i' "sorry about not switching you to nights yet...i need someone here during the day until i can work again. I decided after yesterday not to do any actual patient care for awhile." he said actually breaking his eyes from the computer. "Hope I'm not messing with any of your plans."

"Not a problem, you're the boss. Your probably right about patient care, you wouldn't want to overdo it." She said as she picked up a chart. She glanced over the schedule. It wasn't anything that she couldn't handle; she had the day after tomorrow off. Maybe Susan would want to go up to the mountain with her Nate, Ben and Matt would be practicing up at the cabin and it had been a long time since she had been up on the mountain with Nate. She waited for Susan to come out from being in with a patient; she could care less if Doug knew she was going. After all it's not like there was anything remotely romantic between her and Matt. They had been friends for a long time. He had taught her to snowboard what it was now 10 years ago. Matt was one of her brother's friends, not really serious dating material, but a strong shoulder to cry on. Right now she just wanted someone to hang with, go out and have fun with. She wasn't over Doug yet, she didn't know if she ever would be. Her best friend was a guy so what no big deal. That's what she had grown up around. Doing nothing but hanging with the guys, trying to be one of the guys.

"Hey Susan," Anna said when she emerged from curtain three, "I'm off day after tomorrow and I'm headed up to the mountain to play with the boys. There's a hot tub in our cabin, and if I know those boys a well stocked bar, and its paid for by their sponsor," Anna rolled her eyes as if to say going alone would be the death of her, "please don't make me go alone, I'm sure Nate has a million and one embarrassing stories that he's dying to tell. I need someone there not to laugh when I fall flat on my face coming down that hill. It's been awhile since I've boarded." She laughed, "Another doctor up there wouldn't be a bad idea. And I promise to have you back before you have to work again. Please..." She drug out the word please, almost begging not to have to go alone.

Susan was shocked at the offer. It sounded like a good time to her. "Well...i guess. Just so you don't have to go alone." he joked. "I have never boarded so you'll have to laugh with me on that one too...sounds great though. Check back with me later and ill make sure i can go." she said setting her chart down and picking up another. "God it's like morning of triage...no major accidents just boring stuff." she added not finding anything interesting in the charts. She grabbed an ear ache and headed off to exam two. "Thanks again Ann...This should be fun."

Doug rolled his eyes when he heard Anna talk about her plans. He didn't know if she was trying to make him feel bad about what happened or just get him back but he didn't care, it wouldn't be hard for him to find a casual relationship and then he would really be over it all. He wasn't petty enough to book her for the day she said she was planning on leaving but he would still have to find someone to fill in...Maybe he would take the shifts and see how it went. Doug started to type out the first draft of his paper and read over what he was saying. It didn't make much since he was trying to overhear Anna's plans so he deleted it all again.

Anna watched Susan walk away and she grabbed her chart and headed off. She just had to stay busy for the rest of the day, that shouldn't be too hard. She headed into curtain 2, a youngster with a rash, ah, the joys of being a pediatrician. The baby had a fever was sweating and pale. She sent off a CBC. After a half hour she had her labs back she walked over to where Doug was sitting. This was not the news that she was expecting and was not looking forward to breaking it to the parents of this little girl, "Doug I have an 18 month old in 2 labs show A-L-L white count is over 60 thousand and 50 percent blasts, do we have a peds oncologist upstairs?" She said tossing the chart on the admit desk and she ran her hands thru her hands; "I'd like to have them down before I give the parents the bad news."

Doug looked up at her breaking his concentration. She was right, that news wasn't good. He thought about it a second before answering. "I don't think there is anyone from peds but i can find out...if not you want me to help you out?"

"No," she said turning and walking away the smile fading from her face as she headed away from the admit desk, "I might not be able to do anything else right, but I think I can manage to my job with out having my hand held."

Doug shot her a look as she raised her voice to him. Dating in the workplace had never been a good idea when people's feelings got hurt. "Hey..." he said low but strong."I was just offering my help." He may have been her lover and her friend but at work he would always be her boss. As much as he hated it he couldn't have her talking to him like that in front of other doctors and patients. Doug knew she was still upset, but since she showed up with another guy he had figured she had moved on...apparently not.

"I asked you for the name of a peds oncologist." She said, "Not to help me consult my patient, I can handle that on my own." She took a deep breath and walked into the room.

Doug rolled his eyes and shook his head. 'Boy she has a problem' he thought to himself. If it hadn't been for his current state he would have gotten up right then to discuss it with her, but he thought, for right now at least, he'd let it slide. Doug looked up the number for oncology and called someone down for a consult like Anna had asked. They were a little backed up but said they'd be down shortly. 'Maybe that'll make her happy' he thought. The last thing he needed was another workplace fight to deal with.