Title: Bonding with Patients.
Prompt: #29 Questions
Word Count: 530
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: General season four of course.
Summary: A rather inquisitive young patient and Kutner have a conversation.
Kutner was checking the IV on their current patient, a seventeen year old boy. Kutner liked this kid, he reminded him of himself.
The door opened.
"You've been in here a while, so I got you some lunch," Thirteen said, handing him a bag.
He peaked in the bag. It was a sandwich and some chips.
"Thanks," he said with a smile.
Her eyes darted from the patient back to Kutner and she returned the smile before leaving.
"Did I ruin the moment?" the kid, Andrew, asked, watching Thirteen's retreating back.
"Nah, she's usually like that."
"Your girlfriend or something?"
Kutner looked over the monitors. "Something like that."
"How long have you been dating or whatever?"
Yeah, this kid was definitely still in high school.
"I wouldn't call it dating. We just hang out a lot."
"And have sex?"
"Aren't you a little young to be asking this?" Kutner asked, more amused than embarrassed. He sat down beside the kid's bed and pulled his cellophane wrapped sandwich out.
"I've had sex before, I'm not a baby."
"Well yeah, we do."
"She's hot."
"I count myself lucky."
"I wish some hot doctor would bring me lunch," Andrew said, spinning his hospital bracelet.
Kutner laughed. "I'll make sure a hot nurse brings you dinner, kid," he replied.
He took a bite of the sandwich as the patient looked around, searching for a new question to ask.
"Do you love her?"
He choked a little on his sandwich. Then faltered before he could even speak. "I…really like her."
"You aren't in love with her though?"
"No. We aren't really that serious."
They weren't serious. Half the time he didn't even think of them as a couple. It's not like they went out to dinner or held hands in public or even displayed any kind of affection in public at all. Occasionally they went to a movie or a bar, sometimes they held hands on his couch watching some lame late-night TV show or when Thirteen was scared during a cheesy horror-flick but didn't want to admit it.
"Have you ever been in love?"
"No. Have you?" he shot back. Sometimes he hated personal questions.
"Well there's this girl in my gym class. She's funny and nice and super hot. She's got great legs." He grinned lazily.
"I wouldn't call that love."
"Close enough. How come you've never been in love?"
"Well I don't know. I've just never had a cool enough girlfriend."
"She seems cool," Andrew replied, pointing to the door.
"Yeah, she is. But I gotta go talk to my boss," he said, crumpling the empty cellophane wrapper and chip bag and stuffing them in the brown bag. "Someone else will be in here in a few minutes, and I'll keep my promise about that hot nurse," he said.
"You better," he called as Kutner shut the door.
He met up with Taub somewhere between the patient's room and the elevators.
"What's got you in such a good mood?"
"I don't know, I like that kid."
Taub just rolled his eyes.