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"I could have sworn I heard the monitors going off." Dr Dellacona said, checking his notes "Nah, he must have been choking on something." Jim said flatly
After checking for pulse and returning his attention to the monitors, Dr. Dellacona seemed satisfied that all was well and turned to leave the room, but not without Sara looking at him again. Seeing this, Jim smiled as wide as he ever did.
"You were scoping his ass again, Sara"
"I was not." she protested
"You were then, and you were now. Go ahead, ask him out. I didn't see a ring. Maybe he's not married"
"Just because someone doesn't wear a ring doesn't mean they're not taken." she pointed out
"If I'm not mistaken, he was looking at you, too...not at your ass, but at all of you." Jim said
"I'm not gonna ask him out. Besides, I'm on the clock and so is he, so it figures we have the same schedule, which would make it difficult to schedule something."
"Agh, you pessimist. He could be on a rotating schedule. Just because he's on now doesn't mean he'll be on the same time tomorrow. If he's an ER Physician, he could be in one department one day and another the next. Go on. What've you got to lose, except your pride?" Jim said, jokingly
"Smart ass. I haven't the time for a date, nor the inclination to ask out a complete and total stranger; a handsome stranger, but a stranger nonetheless." she countered
Looking from Jim to Sara and back, Randall let a leering grin present itself on his face. Noticing this, Jim glared at him and growled.
"What the hell are you looking at, you turd eating snake"
"It'll never work out. She's damaged goods, now. Any relationship she endeavors to enter into will be doomed from the start. She's got baggage and no man wants to deal with a broad with baggage." Randall explained
At hearing this, Sara delivered a well placed punch to Randall's right upper thigh where she'd cut him with the knife and watched as he squirmed in obvious pain. She smiled and left the room to sit in the hall in semi-solitude. Her head in her hands, she was momentarily stunned when someone sat beside her. She knew it wasn't Jim, as the colour of the slacks were a blue/green. Slowly, she turned her head and there he was, chart in hand, looking right at her. For a moment she memorized his facial features; his cheekbones, the slight lines around the edges of his eyes, the beautiful colour of his eyes, his hair and the way it just kind of fell where it wanted to and his completely disarming smile. He had a smile that almost made you want to do anything he asked, though he hadn't asked anything of her. He just sat there silently for a few moments before speaking. He could tell she wasn't in the best of moods, so he tried to lighten things up a bit. He turned to her and smiled.
"What's silent and smells like worms?" he asked
At a momentary loss for words, she just shrugged.
"Bird farts." he replied, smiling his glistening smile
For that brief moment, Sara forgot about the bastard in the room next to her and allowed herself to laugh. Turning to face her, his smile turned to a more serious expression and she knew what he was thinking. He began to speak and she slowly raised her hand to stop him talking and gave a resigned smirk.
"Let's just say he's racking up the bad Karma points." she said softly
"Well, we'll do our best to keep him alive so he can be held accountable for his crimes and misdeeds."
She smiled and thought of a joke for the doctor. Sal saw the smile on her face and asked her what she was thinking.
She laughed and replied.
"A man with dementia was driving down the highway when his wife called him on his cell. He picked up to hear her speak….."The news says there's someone on the freeway driving the wrong way."...the man replied, "One person, there are hundreds."
Sal let out a loud guffaw and nearly dropped his chart. Stabilizing it on his knee, Sara got up and turned to him.
"Thanks"
"For what?" he asked "That was the first time I'd laughed in a long time. I needed it. So, thanks."
Leaving Sal in the hall and returning to the room, she could see Jim bent down over Randall's bed and the horrified look on the felon's face. She loved Jim. Maybe not "love" as in LOVE, but more as a best friend. She also loved his interrogation techniques, the blood pressure cuff and the tube pinching among her favorites. After a moment he stood up and turned to Sara who was still in the doorway. Approaching her, he placed his right hand on her left elbow and escorted her from the room. In the hall, on their way out, she said bye to Sal and watched as she smiled in return.
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It was her night off and as Sara sat by herself at Ruth's Chris, sipping on her drink, a voice came up behind her and recognizing it, but not sure who it belonged to, she turned round' and smiled.
"Hey, its you." she said, smiling
"Mind if I join you?" Sal asked
"Not at all." she said, standing up and gesturing with her hand
He was dressed fairly casually in khakis, a dark polo shirt and comfortable shoes. Moments later a waitress came along and took his drink order. They sat for what seemed forever and chatted about work, play and other topics. She explained her duties and function as a CSI and he about his doctoral duties, specializing in internal medicine. Their meals had come and all through the eating, they continued to chat about this and that. When it came time to pay the check, Sal attempted to cover the check, but Sara wouldn't allow it, paying exactly half, even though her meal was considerably less costly than his.
Strolling the Promenade, they decided to plant themselves on a bench and people watch for a while as their food digested. For the better part of an hour they watched as singles and families alike passed by and that's when he did it. He let out a great yawn, stretched his arms out and reached around and rested his hand on her shoulder. Looking, Sara smiled.
"Not too subtle, are you"
"I'm afraid not. Its not one of my strong points. As a doctor, you can't afford to be subtle, you've got to be frank and at times down right blunt. I can move if you like." he said
"No, you're fine where you are. However, if your hand wanders I might have to smack you." she said jokingly
"Well, we wouldn't want that."
Settling himself in and shifting in his spot, he got more comfortable and they continued to sit and watch for a while longer. When they decided to move on, they both got up and made their way back to the restaurant and their cars. Ever the gentleman, Sal walked Sara to her little Toyota and stood there as she unlocked her door. There was the inevitable awkward silence before he spoke up. Her door closed and her window down, she smiled as he leaned in,
his arms crossed on the window frame.
"Can I call you some time?" he asked cautiously
Pulling out her wallet, she removed a business card and handed it to him.
"I can be reached here. If I'm not there, I'm at home, here." she said, as she scribbled her home number on the back of the card
Taking it, he slid it into his pants pocket and watched as she pulled out of the lot and onto the main street.