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"Uh, Lieutenant Lopez?"
"That's me," said Sandy, standing up from her seat on the couch and turning towards the speaker, "Abby right?"
"Yes, wait…" momentarily wrong-footed, Abby lost her train of thought whilst she tried to work out how the Lieutenant knew her, belatedly remembering she wore a name-badge, "…name-badge, right," she muttered, more to herself than Sandy who nevertheless heard.
"And Kerry, umm, Dr Weaver's a pretty good describer of people." Sandy shoved her hands in her pockets as she spoke, suddenly wondering if she'd said too much. Kerry was always trying to get her to understand that her hospital reputation was rather different and, up to a point, entirely well deserved.
"And maybe one day I'll ask you what she said," joked Abby, liking how the firefighter's voice and face changed when she mentioned the doctor, only to quickly refocus on delivering her message and getting back to trauma 1 with the brightly decorated children's hospital gown she'd come out to get in the first place. "Dr Weaver's sorry but she's going to be a while, she's caught a patient right on the end of her shift." Abby paused, not exactly sure what she was going to say next, as Kerry's message had been somewhat vague and rather defeatist and hadn't exactly prepared her for the Lieutenant's laid back attitude.
"No worries, sick kid?"
"Uh…" again, the unexpected question momentarily caught her off-guard before she remembered the gown in her hand, "…yeah, a deaf sick kid with scared parents."
"She kicking me out?" asked Sandy, only partially joking – she knew enough about the hospital hierarchy now to know that when her girlfriend talked about 'my ER' she wasn't exaggerating.
"No, but she did say you didn't have to wait." Abby's tone didn't convey that she'd actually believed that was what her boss wanted when she'd said it.
"Tell her I'll wait 'til the hockey starts," said Sandy semi-cryptically, "but I hope the kid's not that sick."
"What time does the hockey start?" asked Abby, knowing she had to leave but intrigued by the unusual reply.
"Way later than her next shift starts." Kerry was always frustrated that not only did Sandy not blush easily, but when she did blush, it wasn't very noticeable: Sandy was certain she was blushing, but if she was, either Abby couldn't tell or was in possession of a very good poker face.
"You got it Lieutenant… wait, Weaver, umm, Dr, Kerry, I mean…"
"Does my girlfriend what?" asked Sandy, trying not to laugh at the nurse's verbal trip-ups.
"Know what time the hockey starts?"
"Ah no, and it's Sandy."
"Huh?"
"Call me Sandy, I'm not your boss Abby."
"No," agreed Abby, smiling as she turned to leave the calm quiet of the Doctor's Lounge, braced for returning to the busying ER, "you're my Boss' girlfriend, Lieutenant." And, with a final friendly smile, the nurse disappeared, leaving an amused Sandy to drop back down onto the couch and continue reading the paper she'd brought with her. She wasn't going anywhere.