Fear not, friends, for I have not given up on this story! I took a break to finish other WIP's, so updates should be much more frequent, but I don't plan on stopping this one until it's finished. So you're stuck with me :D Please send feedback, and I hope you enjoy.
I noticed that every time we had a patient die on us, Dr. Mills got much more irritable, but I guessed it was because she blamed herself. That was just my guess, though. I wouldn't get offended if she blamed me, but it would still hurt. It seems like her opinion of me is just going downhill from an already low point.
Dr. Mills was informing the parents, while I was freshening up in the bathroom. While I was leaving, Dr Mills burst through the doors and bumped her shoulder with mine rather forcefully on her way to a stall. I was halfway down the hall when I realized I left my phone on the counter. I opened the door and immediately registered the sobs coming from the stall at the end. I grabbed my phone and inched closer to the stall.
"Dr. Mills? Are you okay?" The crying stopped.
"Get out this instant," her hoarse voice replied.
"Is there any way I can help you?"
"There is a way. Leaving this bathroom before you emerge from the building in a body bag is an excellent start. I didn't think you were even more stupid, but now you're proving me right. If I have to reiterate, leave." I left hurriedly and I realized when I got to the stairwell that I was running. I walked briskly down the stairs and into the lobby, where David was sitting with two styrofoam containers on his lap. The sky outside the windows were beyond dark, which made the lobby look even more unwelcoming.
"Hey. I thought we could take the food back to my apartment."
"I'm tired, David. I'm sorry. I just want to go home."
"I understand." He knew what happened with the boy by just looking at me. "Would you be up for a second date then?" I bit my tongue.
"I don't think so. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time. It's just that I don't think we can be anything more than friends."
"Okay. See you around, Blanchard."
"You too, Nolan." I hoisted my purse up my shoulders and made a beeline for the exit. In the reflection of the window, I saw Dr. Mills behind me, looking as put-together as she was when she came in tonight. The only thing out of place was her glassy eyes. I waved to her over my shoulder and pushed the door open, trying to navigate the parking lot in minimal lighting.
"You took a ride with me. Remember?" Dr. Mills's voice said coldly from behind me. I smiled tightly and nodded.
"I forgot. Goodbye Dr. Mills."
"Where are you going?"
"Home?"
"Walking after midnight? Where it's dark and you could be mugged, or worse?"
"That's my only option." Dr. Mills sighed.
"Can't you take a hint?" My eyebrows knit together. "Get into my car."
"That's really not neces-"
"Get in my car or I'll force you in." I sighed and complacently followed her to the black Mercedes we arrived in. I closed my door and watched her silhouette through the windshield. The car suddenly started, and it took me a second to realize I was staring at the truck in front of us for a minute. She smiled at me when she noticed I jumped, but her smile had a scary edge to it. Dr. Mills is just a scary person. I wondered if she wears costumes during Halloween because she doesn't need one if she just looks scary all the time.
"I do wear Halloween costumes, thank you. Frankly, it's not the costumes you would think, at least before med school." I cursed myself.
"I said that? Out loud?"
"No, I read your mind." I fell silent and gave Regina an appalled look. "God, you really are tired." I laughed without an ounce of humor to my breathless voice. Of course she was joking. If she wasn't, I would've been screwed from the beginning. "Where am I driving to?"
I listed off my address and watched out the window as the familiar darkened streets of town whizzed past the window. "Listen, in the bathroom—"
"Nothing happened."
"What?"
"You will stay silent."
"Or what?"
"I will—"
"You can threaten me all you want, you don't scare me." The car pulled up to the apartment and Regina cut the engine.
"You should be afraid of me. I may not look like it, but I can end you, both physically and otherwise. You think these are just empty threats, but I can assure you they are anything but. So if I were you, I'd take my advice and not mention this to anyone for the rest of your life, or you will find it ending very soon. Have I made myself clear, Miss Blanchard?"
"Crystal."
"Then leave this vehicle. Now." I scrambled around for the door handle and yet I couldn't get out quick enough. Cold chills ran up my spine.
By the time I got inside, I was feeling terrified to sleep.
"What the hell? Do I need to corner David in an alley?" Emma ran from the kitchen to the doorway and took in my paler-than-normal complexion. "What the fuck happened to you?"
"It's not him, that's a different conversation. It's a long story, but Regina and I had a patient and we got called in and she gave me a ride there and then back. It ended with her threatening me."
"Okay, so what's the big deal? She speaks in threats. I think it's her second language," Emma said.
"Yes, but this one was worse tenfold."
"How so?" Kathryn asked.
"I said she didn't scare me, but then she said that I should because she is capable of ending me, then she said these threats were very much real."
"Shit."
"What spurred this on?"
"She swore me to secrecy on what we were talking about. That's why she threatened me."
"She has no right to threaten you."
"Emma—"
"What the fuck is wrong with her? Is she deranged?"
"Possibly. She seems like it," Kathryn mused.
"It's always the hot ones that are batshit crazy," Emma muttered. "Now what happened with David?"
"It didn't work out. He was very sweet, but we can't be anything more than friends."
"Movie night then?"
"It's 1:30 in the morning," Kathryn deadpanned.
"Tomorrow morning then!" Kathryn and I grumbled. "Good! I have big plans with my stash of horror movies and those store-bought Halloween cookies."
"The Pillsbury ones? I didn't think those came out until October," Kathryn said.
"Yeah, those are the only good Halloween cookies."
"What about mine?"
"Okay, Mary Margaret's cookies come in second, but those pumpkin ones win my heart every day."
"I still don't understand how you can be an excellent baker but a shitty cook," Kathryn muttered to me.
"I don't know, but I'll take a win when it appears. For now, I'm gonna head off to bed."
"Me too. Goodnight, MM."
"Night, Kath. Night Emma."
——————————————————
I was so ready to face Regina, but just as I was finished changing, Regina informed the locker room that Killian was to go with her today, meaning I was stuck with Dr. Hopper all day. I had nothing against Ortho, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Unlike Peds, and unlike Regina Mills.
He didn't have any surgeries scheduled for the day, so we were catching up on patients' paperwork, case files, and ending the day in the record room.
"What's got you down?" Kathryn asked during lunch.
"I have nothing against ortho, but I miss Peds. I miss the sick kids and I miss the tiny little surgeries on the tiny little patients." Emma burst out laughing.
"It's a nice way to put it, but kids are fucking demons." Kathryn tilted her head and smirked at Emma.
"Bad experience on Peds or something?"
"No. The kids in my foster homes were terrible to me." I smiled at Emma. She always mentioned her foster homes and rough past as a joke. She never took it seriously anymore and only looked back on her past with humour in her heart. I never found it quite as funny as she did, but we have very different senses of humour.
"Again with the foster homes? What are you trying to earn pity points for?" Kathryn asked.
"Why do you think I'm up to something when I mention my orphaned past?"
"Because you said so yourself that you don't take it seriously anymore."
"I don't have anything to use pity points on."
"Nobody actually knows that yet except for you." Our conversation was interrupted by a smug Killian.
"So, Blanchard, how's Ortho?" Killian sat down beside me.
"It's fine," I answered pensively. Killian already knew I wasn't enjoying it as much as I let on.
"Don't worry, I don't find Peds very interesting either."
"It's not that, ortho's okay, it's just that it's not my cup of tea."
"Let's hope Dr. Mills takes you off the back burner, then."
"I wasn't put on the back burner."
"You've been on her specialty for three weeks straight, since we started residency. I'm pretty sure you're on the back burner."
"If so, she has no reason to toss me to the side."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." He chuckled.
"Whatever you say, Flash." I glowered at him while he focused on his food.
"You're one to talk, Hook, I heard Dr. Mills chewing you out in the hallway today," Emma said.
"Hey, that was one time, and it's not my fault she was irritated today."
"It must've been if she was telling you not to play with your stethoscope to entertain the kids."
"And it may have only been one time, but you're never gonna live getting a surgical hook stuck in your finger down," Kathryn added. Emma chortled and Killian grumbled.
"I was an intern. As to entertaining the kids, what else was I supposed to do, the kid loved my stethoscope."
"Knowing your history, you shouldn't be allowed to handle a q-tip," Emma jabbed.
"Again, just one time."
"But it was still the greatest thing I'd ever witnessed," August said as he sat down. David agreed and flashed me a quick smile before adding onto the story with:
"I think it's safe to say Dr. Mills doesn't like you." I felt a stab of pride at that, but kept to myself as the table argued lightly amongst themselves.
I caught Dr. Mills' eyes from two tables away. She rolled her eyes and went back to picking at her salad. I'm sure she's never dealt with residents as loud and immature as we were. I wouldn't change it for the world.
Stop! Wait wait wait wait wait, I need your help! I haven't decided where the hospital is going to be yet, but I've narrowed it down to Storybrooke, Manhattan, and Boston. I'm personally leaning towards Manhattan, and I don't think Storybrooke would be a good fit, so please let me know which you would want. That is all, lovelies. :)