Hello, my lovely readers. I hope you enjoy the chapter. On with the show…
Chapter 2: Oh, What Fresh Hell Is This?
Waking up with a blinding headache and an anonymous blonde in his bed that reminded him of the new intern he could not sleep with made Klaus feel irritable. His shift would begin in less than an hour. His father rode him enough. Klaus did not need to give him reason.
"Whoever you are? Get dressed and leave," Klaus muttered, feeling the right side of the bed shift with the woman's weight.
Hearing the familiar sound of her sharp intake of breath at his cold demeanor after what seemed like an unexpected but welcome night of passion, she would leave and he would not call her. Klaus waited until he heard the door shut behind his guest before he went in search of his own clothing. Chasing new interns was more of Kol's hobby than Klaus' but Caroline had struck his fancy. He did not seem to strike hers.
Klaus grumbled to himself as he got up and looked for a shirt and a pair of jeans to yank on. His phone lit up. "Brother," he said with a smirk, his eyes lighting up.
"Niklaus," Elijah replied drily. "Are you coming in today or shall I do your work as well as my own?"
"What? I'm not late," Klaus snapped, glancing back at his clock.
"On the contrary, brother, you are an hour late." Elijah's words felt like a slap in the face.
Klaus narrowed his eyes at the clock. That was the last bloody time he drank with Kol. "Blasted hell," he snarled, running a hand through his wild locks and striding out of his bedroom. He grabbed his car keys and bag where they lay by the kitchen counter. Empty beers bottles lay on the counter and kitchen table, a few sat in the sink, with more on the coffee table. Yes, partying with Kol could be hazardous to one's career and home.
Elijah sighed. "I will make sure that Father is occupied until you arrive."
"Thank you, Elijah," Klaus said, hung up and yanked the door open.
He might have driven a little too quickly to the hospital, parked a little too close to Caroline's car which she should try to park a little more smoothly between the yellow lines. "Hey, you're blocking me in!" Caroline shouted, rolling down the window to her car and glaring at him.
"Sorry, sweetheart, I'm bound to be late," Klaus muttered under his breath.
"Monster!" Caroline shouted after him.
Klaus waved a dismissive hand her way and kept walking. The minute he walked inside, Bonnie Bennett came toward him. "Klaus, I would like to bring my interns to see the Nicoles' case, if you don't mind?"
"Certainly, love," Klaus replied, not really listening to her.
Bonnie beamed before walking away. Klaus caught sight of Kol flirting with Genevieve. Must they have to share everything? "Kol!" Klaus cried, striding over to interrupt the conversation. Genevieve looked up and had the decency to blush when he came to stand beside her. "Genevieve," he said quietly, kissing her on the cheek.
"You don't call, you don't get to kiss me, Klaus," Genevieve snapped. "Now, go terrorize your new toy," she waved a hand at Caroline who was walking down the hallway with that boy… Joshua something was it?
"Klaus!" Marcel cried, coming to slap his hands down on Klaus' shoulders. "My man, I need to ask you about your sister. You'll give us a minute?" he asked Kol and Genevieve.
"Of course. It's not as if she's my sister as well. Carry on." Kol sneered and walked off, placing his hand on Genevieve's back.
"Isn't he sleeping with Bennett?" Marcel asked Klaus, leaning against the nurse's station.
"Yes," Sage said, taking a bite of frozen dough.
Klaus frowned, peering over the counter at his sister-in-law. "Do you mind, this is private?" he snapped.
Sage rolled her eyes. "Get a clue, Klaus, nothing is private around here?" Smirking at him, Sage turned to Marcel with a wide smile. "Marcel, you were saying?"
Marcel sighed. "I think Bekah's worried about us—as a couple—while I'm her boss."
Klaus rolled his eyes. "I would prefer to not dwell of that topic."
Sage laughed. "The problem is that Rebekah wants to be seen as getting anywhere on her merits—not on her back—so just make sure she knows that it's her talents as a surgeon—not as your lover that are getting her anywhere."
Marcel nodded. "Good advice. Thanks."
Klaus gritted his teeth as his friend walked off. "What about if a woman is not taking kindly to my advances?"
"Ignore her. Really ignore her. It will drive her crazy," Sage suggested.
"Thank you," Klaus said with a wide grin.
Sage nodded and took another bite of her snack. "Or she'll just continue to hate you. Time will tell."
Klaus' smile dropped and he stormed back down the hall.
Kol Mikaelson was having a particularly lovely day. He and Klaus had gone out on the town the night before and had had lovely company. Since Dr. Bennett made it perfectly clear that she did not want to make their relationship an on-going thing, Kol had chosen the high road of moving on to the next lady, or twenty who struck his fancy.
With a fresh crop of interns he felt himself lucky to work where he did. Of course having only three women—one of whom was his sister—his luck could have been better. But two pretty single girls was more than he could hope for. Klaus' intentions toward Caroline would not stop Kol and Hayley seemed like a feisty girl. If none of that worked out, there were countless nurses and doctor-loving patients.
"Kol!" Elijah called from down the hallway. Elijah did not look all that happy. Hope it did not have anything to do with the little missus. She'd made their lives a living hell for long enough, time to cut the bloody cord.
"Elijah, what can I do for you?" Kol called, coming down the hall.
"What did you do to Bonnie Bennett?" Elijah snapped, hands on his hips.
"Excuse me?" Kol's eyes widened and his mouth opened but he couldn't think of a good retort. How was that even possible?
"Bonnie's head has been somewhere else for days now. I thought it might be your fault," Elijah accused him, his eyes narrowed.
Kol felt confused. "It's not me, brother, but I can look in on her if you're concerned."
Elijah nodded. "Good. You've done a wonderful job of causing us to lose many fine staff here. Try not to cause our best resident to leave."
Whirling on his heel, Kol strode back down the hallway. It felt as if Elijah was trying to blame him for Bonnie's problems, whatever they might turn out to be. If there was something going on with her, Kol did not believe that this was the time that she would confide in him. He'd just have Rebekah listen to Bonnie when she was on the phone or some such nonsense. His sister was a good little eaves-dropper.
Kol's mind shifted from disagreeable things to a pleasurable pastime: torturing his other brother. "Finn!" he bellowed although Finn stood two feet ahead of him. "How is Sage and the wee bits? Is she coming right along? Am I soon to be an uncle?"
Finn glowered at the paperwork in front of him. "Kol, don't you have a B-list celebrity to overcharge for their latest rhinoplasty?"
Kol grinned at his brother, coming over and clapping him on the shoulder. "Ah, Finn, as always your sense of humor fails us all. So sorry that wit skipped past you but was showered on your younger siblings."
Exhaling, Finn looked back at Kol. "What is it that you want, Kol?"
Kol shook his head. "I want nothing. I'm young and handsome and a joy to be around. There is nothing more in the whole world I could wish for."
Rolling his eyes, Finn closed the chart he'd been looking at and set it in its proper place. Always doing things by-the-book. Dull as dishwater. Kol felt bored already. "Kol, I have patients to see and if you don't tell me what is you want, I'm going," Finn snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I think that Elijah is still holding a bit of a grudge," Kol admitted.
Finn sighed, placing one hand on the counter and the other on Kol's shoulder. "Did you expect that he'd see reason given an unreasonable action?"
Kol shrugged Finn's hand off. "Never mind. I should have known that the guardian of morality could not find a little sympathy for his own kin." Scoffing, Kol stormed off. Why should he have expected that Finn might show him that tiniest sliver of compassion. No, he only offered that to his patients, not his family.
He turned a corner to see Bonnie talking to Bekah and Hayley. Kol strode over to join them. "Bonnie!" he called, feeling happy to have found her. Elijah was right. She looked tired. Purple circles rimmed her eyes and little lines were forming at the corners as she frowned at him.
"I have been looking all over for you," Kol told Bonnie. Yes, a little white lie tended to make a woman just a tiny bit less furious at his inattentiveness.
Bonnie glowered back up at him, her arms folded over her chest. No, this was not working out in his favor. Perhaps he could suggest dinner that night when she was in a better mood. If she ever reached that state.
Turning his attention to the interns, Kol smiled brightly. "Tell me, which one of your lovely faces would like to join me in surgery today?" Everything in the whole blasted world might be uncertain but surgery Kol understood and could control to a degree. People's emotions were completely beyond his scope of expertise.
As he spoke Caroline and the two male interns appeared by her sides. They were like puppies, each hoping to be brought home. The one that reminded Kol of himself opened his mouth first. "You can count me out," he told Kol and for the benefit of his fellow interns who rolled their eyes and shook their heads. "I already have a hot surgery with the other Dr. Mikaelson." He seemed so proud. Kol understood. When you were chosen it seemed like an honor. Of course, it all depended on who and why.
Kol didn't really care which one of his siblings that the boy would be working with but he asked anyway. Bonnie's response made him smirk. So typical of her to punish the boy for whatever infraction he'd made. Her righteousness gave Kol a little thrill. He liked to make her step outside of her comfort zone.
Speaking of discomfort, Hayley looked more than a little uncomfortable when Bonnie mentioned that one of his brothers wanted her on his service. He would have to file that away for later use.
"Which one?" Hayley asked.
"Speak up, darling," Kol said, feeling gleeful. Had Elijah gotten into some mischief of his own. Now that Kol could use to his advantage. For once Elijah could not walk the moral high road and look down on Kol and Klaus as plagued by all-too-human weaknesses.
Hayley's next question made Kol smile inwardly. It looked as if his suspicions were justified as Hayley paled when he casually said. "Elijah. Is that a problem? I could have another intern sent to him if you don't want to work with Lijah. You can work with me today." When Hayley did not jump at his offer, Kol felt amused. Oh, yes, Elijah had created quite the problem for himself. Oh, what sweet revenge when he got knocked down a peg or two.
Elijah Mikaelson felt depressed. He offered a kind smile to his patients but inwardly he grew wary of how many lives he could not save if his phone incessantly went off with the same name appearing on the call log. Aurora. She would not leave him alone. One would think once you had burned your life to the ground you would not relish in kicking up the ashes as she seemed to.
More than once Elijah considered the idea of answering the call and telling Aurora to go straight to hell. He might have at one point when he had had too much to drink on a particularly hard night. Or not. He could not recall. Nor did he wish to. He only wished for his wife to leave him be. Allow him to find a new life, something to mend what she had broken in him.
Hayley. She felt like hope for him. When she sat down on a barstool next to his that first night, he'd felt a tug, a desire he'd thought he no longer felt. The urge to connect. To talk. To have someone listen to you. To brush her hair behind her long neck and to press his lips to her skin. All of these urges had made him feel alive again.
Elijah walked down the hall, feeling his mind drifting to the feel of her in his arms, the sounds she made that night. No, it couldn't be just one night. Not when she walked down these halls. He wanted to be consumed by this newfound passion. To delight in her and the promise of their life together.
His cell chimed again breaking into his pleasant reverie. Aurora. No. Freya. Punching a button, Elijah placed the phone to his ear. "Sister, how is your work?"
"It's moving along," Freya replied with a chuckle. "And you, Elijah, how are you?"
Elijah sighed. How many times would his family feel the need to "check in" on him as if he suffered from an illness? "Why don't you tell me of your work?"
Freya let out another chuckle. "Work?" she said and then let out a giggle.
"Oh." Elijah smiled. "Freya, are you drunk-dialing me?"
"Noooo," Freya replied too quickly. "I just missed the sound of your voice… Hold on… No! I mean it. I'm on the phone with my brother. Yes. No, not Niklaus. You wouldn't like him anyway." Freya let out a laugh before returning to the phone.
"Who wouldn't like whom?" Elijah inquired.
"Oh, just my friend, Kenlin, she thinks that it would be nice to meet another PEDs doc but she's never met our brother, nor will she if I can help it," Freya groaned and then there was a smacking sound. "Stop that!" Freya cried out before letting out a laugh. "Okay. I will see you again soon. Good-bye, Elijah."
"Good-bye, Freya," Elijah replied. He missed Freya's presence. She tended to keep the family from crumbling. Right now, Elijah felt the urge to distance himself from his family. All but Rebekah who did nothing to him, that he knew of.
Seeing his little sister, her lover and Hayley at the end of the hallway, Elijah smiled and headed toward them. He stopped behind Hayley. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and he found his eyes trailing over her neck. He wanted to lean down and kiss the crook of her neck, to make her aware of his presence, to sweep her into his arms and carry her away from the madness that was their workplace.
Instead, he leaned over and whispered into her ear, feeling a thrill when she jumped as his breath grazed her skin and his words hit her ear. When she turned to face him, her cheeks had turned a lovely pink hue. He wished he shared his brother, Niklaus', artistic talent; he would love to paint that hue that stained her cheeks. Her tongue flicked out and licked her lips and he wanted to clasp a hand to the back of her neck and draw her to him. He would open her lips with his own tongue, taking pleasure in the feel of her moaning as his tongue found hers and her arms wrapped around him, pressing them closer.
"Hello, Dr. Mikaelson. I was told that you requested that I follow you on your rotation today." Hayley's words left Elijah feeling confused. Did she mean to be formal, to act as if they'd never touched each other, that that one night meant little to her? It stung a bit but he wouldn't allow her to know that. If she preferred a more professional distance from him, he would allow it, at least during this rotation. He would not make any promises about the next one.
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Peace,
Jessica
