6:55PM

"Night shift in five minutes!" Jordan called out, sipping on her iced coffee.

The Night Shift staff were currently on the roof, preparing for their 12 hour shift and of course, there had been no better way to start the shift than to relax in the blazing heat.

Drew had been practising for his MMA fight with Kenny's help whilst Krista, who quickly blended into the family was on the side observing. She had become a good friend of Drew's, Lori's and Kenny's since she had started and they had even spent an evening in a bar getting to know each other.

Meanwhile, Topher was sat typing on his phone from his place in a spare wheelchair which he had decided to use as a seat. TC had been led in the paddling pool, cooling from the head and Lori had joined him, although only dipping her legs in as she found a stranded ball to balance her butt on.

"Do you have to take your shirt off, here? Now?" Lori complained, rolling back and forth on the ball.

Jordan chuckled. "He looks for opportunities." It was always the same and had been ever since they got together.

TC shrugged, turning to the Doctor he scoffed. "I recall you looking for those opportunities."

"I think I walked in on a few of those." Lori grimaced as she recalled some of those times.

"You know, he's gonna max you out. He's done it to me more than once." Lori huffed, moving her feet in the water, allowing the cold liquid to cool her.

TC scoffed. "Don't listen to her, she's just bitter today."

"Shut up," She muttered, splashing him a little with some water.

"Staying with Drew not what you expected?" Topher asked, looking up from his phone momentarily.

"I mean, staying with Drew is all well and good 'cause I get the gossip ya know." She huffed, taking a sip of the water she had grabbed from the cooler earlier. "And it's great, like yesterday I heard all about the guy he has in Afghanistan but then he started on his MMA fighting."

TC chuckled, kicking some water, soaking the grey shirt she wore underneath her scrub top. "What you need is some serious down time. What do ya say?" He noticed how Lori was clearly unsure. Noting it he caught Topher's attention. "Hey! Toph? How do you fancy coming out with me and Lori tomorrow night?"

Topher mulled over his decision for a few moments before he shook his head. "Sorry. Janet and Lynn have this 'fun family time' planned. Already tried getting out of it." He sighed, he could really do with a night away from his hormonal wife.

"It's fine Toph, I don't really want to go out. My head's pounding, I just want to sleep." Lori said, she didn't miss the concerned look on her friend's face as she prepared to get out of the pool and get ready for her shift. Although she stopped as she spotted Jordan Alexander approached them.

"Go out where?" Jordan asked.

"We're going out tonight. Lori's been out of Texas for what? 3 years? We need to celebrate. You in?" TC asked, his head tilting up, Jordan's body shading him from the sun.

"I'm in." Krista called, she had been stood on the side watching Drew train when she caught the tail end of their conversation.

"We'll meet you at the Buck at 9." TC clapped his hands together.

The group of four managed to look up in time for Paul to throw a water bottle, he seemed to have been trying to aim for Drew but he had clearly missed and the bottle had bee thrown past them.

"Incoming!" Drew called.

7:09PM

There had been a crash. A woman, that had suffered a sprained ankle had refused to leave the ambulance, complaining that her ankle had been far too swollen for her to put weight on it. Michael Ragosa had repeatedly tried to get the woman to leave but as he stepped away for a moment, to answer a call when a truck, came out of no where and collided with the ambulance.

"What do we got?" Topher asked, spurring into action as the gurney was pushed through the doors.

"40-year-old female with bilateral forearm fractures, open on the left." A paramedic informed, after the collision, passing paramedics quickly gathered and began transferring them from the wreckage and into the hospital where the night shift staff had all been ready to go.

Topher nodded, listening as the paramedic spoke. "Send a trauma panel and type and cross for six."

"Someone notify ortho!" Lori cut in, carefully looking at the wounds before she herself moved onto a different patient. "Kenny, Paul. Wanna go with Topher?"

"We got a stab wound to the neck." Another paramedic called, wheeling a man in.

"Guess we know why he crashed, right?" TC said, slowly, turning to Lori.

She was a surgeon, she needed to evaluate the patients based on their surgical needs and this one, was clear cut. "Penetrating neck trauma, zone two!"

TC began to order necessary tests and organise the staff. "Place two large bore IVs and set up intubation. Tell CAT scan we're on our way up."

"I need the results of that scan asap. I'll book an OR." Lori nodded, at the sound of her phone ringing made her hurry from the cubicle.

"Alister." She answered. Rubbing her temples as she did.

8:57PM

Topher and Lori were discussing their patient. She had suffered severe fractures, there were fractures left right and centre and she would clearly be in a great deal of pain.

"How is she?

The Zia doctor looked at Michael Ragosa as if he had grown two heads, Lauren's look wasn't far different.

"Bad?" Michael grimaced, feeling slightly queezy as the doctor explained the ins and outs of the woman's injuries.

"That ankle sprain? Isn't the biggest concern." Lori sighed, she had barely spoken to Michael but it had been clear since her first day that he was highly committed in keeping the hospital open, he didn't want his own name tarnished if something was to go wrong.

"I just checked with our lawyers. She refused to get out of the ambulance so technically she was not on hospital property." Michael shrugged, a small smirk appearing as he noted his victory. "Zero liability."

Got it in one. Lori thought.

"We should throw a party." Jordan butted in, making Lori chuckle. She really liked this woman.

2:41AM

Lauren's head and body were beginning to ache more. She had been shrugging off the pain since she started the shift, unable to sneak away she had had to endure the pain. It was shortly before 3AM when Lori got the chance to hide away.

Finally reaching the locker room, Lori slid down in front of her locker. She needed a break. Turning slightly, she reached for her bag, inside she searched for the orange cylinder, managing to grab two, she swallowed them dry.

"Hiding from Krista?" Jordan joked, making Lori jump, slamming her head against the locker. "Sorry." Jordan apologised quickly.

The surgeon quickly shoved the bottle back into her bag, hoping that the doctor hadn't caught sight of it.

"Concussion?" Jordan asked, again. She clearly hadn't missed Lori stumbling over the pills.

"Yeah." She nodded, a tight smile appearing on her face. "Just do me a favour? Don't tell Drew, he'll only worry."

Jordan smiled, her tone knowing. "Ahhh, the protective older brother's in full force." She chuckled. She knew how Drew could be, especially hearing stories from TC, so it really hadn't surprised her.

Lori nodded.

"Just take care of yourself, okay?" Jordan said, squeezing the surgeons shoulder with a reassuring smile.

But something wasn't sitting right.

7:09AM

Something had been bothering Jordan Alexander. Deciding to question it, she headed down to reception where she knew Lauren would be waiting for her brother since he would be the one driving home.

"Hey!" Jordan beamed as she spotted the new doctor, her back leant against the desk, clearly bored.

"Hey there." Lori smiled back, of course, she had known the brunette before she started here at San Antonio but it had been a change to work with her. "TC dragging you along tonight too?" She chuckled.

Jordan nodded. "I need to speak to you." She said, her tone serious. "Lo-"

"Come on you two, Texas will be dried up soon enough." TC chuckled but soon turned serious as he clocked the concern on his former girlfriend's face. "Everything okay?" He asked, his eyebrows raising.

Jordan had been about to answer but Lori quickly cut her off as they began walking out of the ER after being joined by Topher and her brother, Drew. "Fine. I just need to go out tonight and have a beer." Lori sighed. It had been a hectic shift, she couldn't actually remember if she took her break or not.

"Can we come?" A voice she recognised as Krista called from behind them. She had been followed out by Paul and Kenny who were having a conversation between themselves.

Kenny chuckled at something Paul said, clearly finding it funny enough to share he caught everyone's attention. "Pau-Paul wants to go to the River Walk." He said, in between breaths, leaving the new intern confused.

"R-river walk? We're not going to river walk." Drew shook his head, his lip twitched in grimace, clearly recalling one of his own experiences at the place.

"I've been gone 3 years and even I know to steer clear of that place, it's a tourist trap." Lori scoffed, she had been talking to Jordan about organising a girls day. It wasn't something that Lori would usually do but now civilian life was all she had left, she might as well start living it.

TC grimaced at Paul's plans. Shaking his head. "I'm gonna show you the real San Antonio." He insisted.

"The 'real San Antonio'?" Lori chuckled, shaking her head she turned back to the group. "Wait, so who's buying?"

"Paul." Kenny said.

"Paul." Drew offered too.

"Wait. What? Why me?" Paul complained as he looked around, he couldn't remember offering.

"New guy always buys." TC shrugged, like it had been the most obvious thing in the world. Coming up behind the intern, he tapped his shoulders before he headed over to his bike.

"Oh, come on! Krista and Laur-" When Lori sent him a warning glare he quickly corrected his words. "I-uh mean, Dr Alister is new here." He corrected, using his hand to scratch his neck as he attempted to hide away from the glare she was giving him. It had seemed that every time he spoke to the woman she became more angry and possessed harder eyes.

Noting the slight fear she had just transferred to the young intern, she smiled, brightly. "I'm a Texan, baby C. This is my home." Lori breathed as she looked out onto the flat. It was nice to be home, she really missed it but she knew despite being born here, she was made in the military and she was going to miss that a damn sight more. She just didn't know it yet.

"See you at 9." Kenny said before they all parted ways.

9:44PM

"Drew and Lori are here" Kenny, the nurse announced as he placed their second round on the table in front of Krista, Paul, TC and Jordan who had already been here for the past forty minutes.

This had been the first bar they planned to go and they had decided to head out to another one to begin the 'San Antonio tour' as TC had referred to it as but they were still waiting for the Alister siblings.

"Finally!" Jordan huffed from her chair with a smile. They had agreed to meet at 9PM but nearly 45 minutes late they had planned to send out a search party.

Krista rose from her seat, stumbling slightly as she reached the bar. Jordan chuckled as she watched the young doctor. TC just stared, wide eyed. She was going to have one hell of a headache tomorrow. "Come on, over here! Sit down!"

"Hey guys." Lori greeted. Dumping her bag under the table as she dropped to the chair.

"What can we get ya?" TC offered, it was clear he had been drinking for sometime. Shaking his hands. "Hang on-hang on, a Southern Star for the lady." He guessed, closing his eyes. When Lori agreed, TC clapped his hands in victory. He had ended up forgetting to ask Drew.

"I'll have a beer, please." Drew nodded towards Paul, who, despite his protests had ended up paying for the group.

11:51PM

"So how do you all know each other?" Krista asked, curiously. She had watched the doctors interact over the past few shifts and it was clear that they all had some specific and unique bond with each other. It amazed her, or possibly just satisfied her drunk mind.

Kenny had been the one to speak up. As resident gossip and best friend to the doctors, he had of course learnt and understood each of their ways. "TC over here," He said, indicating the ex-army medic who with one hand was drinking from the bottle and his other waving. "ex-army medic-"

"So, how do you know TC?" Krista asked the new doctor, cutting Kenny off. Clearly more interested in her surgical god than anything else.

Lori let out a small chuckle, taking a chug of her beer she swallowed before answering. "Well he saved my ass a few times." She shrugged.

"More than a few!" TC called over to the pair, clearly hearing the conversation.

It had been true. Whilst the pair had been in Kabul and treating injured veterans, a bomb had detonated in the opposite village, shortly after, gunfire had began.

"Wait what?"

"Don't encourage them." Drew groaned. He hadn't always been on the same tours as his sister and despite knowing she was with one of the most enhanced teams he always worried, especially when he used to get called for the notification, stating that Captain Lauren Alister had been shot in the line of duty and they were unaware of her current condition.

Lori knew Drew struggled. Especially when she was first deployed. "I didn't die on ya." Lori said with a slight smile. It wasn't the first time she had been hurt out there but it's one of those times that stayed with her.

TC smiled. "No you didn't." He let out a chuckle as he recalled the words he spoke to the young medic.

"Let's get out of here." Drew suggested after a while. He didn't really want to hear anymore about his baby sister being hurt so instead he decided that they should start making their way home.

Paul, by now, had been severely intoxicated and although Kenny wasn't in too much of a better condition he took the intern home. Wishing everyone a goodnight and telling them he would see them next shift, he left, with Paul Cummings balancing upright.

The four - TC, Jordan, Krista and Lori - were drunk and were all practically leaning on each other as they walked towards Drew's apartment.

Lori, who had made a friend in the new intern offered up Drew's place as somewhere to crash for the group, much to his demise. It was much closer than anyone else's and since Lori had yet to find a place to stay this is where she would be staying for the force-able future.

"We should do this again ma'am." Krista said, leaning on Lori.

The younger Alister chuckled. "You don't have to call me ma'am. It's not like I'm in the Army anymore."

Drew, the only relatively sober one in the group had picked up on the comment and although most people would take what she said with no meaning, he didn't. You didn't just leave the military. Some people do, those who feel they have no choice. But not Lauren. Lauren would be there until the very last day. So what had happened?

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