‹ Prequel: Precaution
Status: In Progress
Warning
Maneater
You know how sometimes, when you least expect it, everything falls right into place? You may have failed a test or said something stupid and then the universe gives you some kind of bonus, a consolation prize in the game of life just when you need it most. That was sort of the way it was going for me now.
I woke up to the sunlight streaming through my window, my alarm clock silent and still. He had already been up, propped up on one elbow and looking down at me with those familiar hazel, almond shaped eyes. “Good morning.” He said with a smile and I grinned back at him.
“Good morning to you too.” I said and he bent down to kiss me. His gaze shifted passed me then, looking at something over my shoulder.
“And good morning to you.” He said nodding and I turned around, still relaxed in Sidney’s arms.
“Yes. I would say so.” Neal said as he leaned over to kiss me. I turned over and looked at Sidney, before looking back up to the ceiling. The two of them leaned in closer to me and—
---
The buzz of my alarm clock pierced through the darkness. I reached over and banged it silent, pulling the covers back up over my head in an attempt to recreate the dream. It took me only three minutes to realize that any attempt into falling back asleep would be in vain—I was a surgeon, my most important and useful trait was not my ability to cut open people and fix them, but it was to wake up at a moments notice and stay awake. We call it the pager syndrome in the hospital, but in reality, we were all just glorified insomniacs with competitive streaks, unwilling to bear the thought of someone else getting a better surgery.
I threw the covers off of me and sat up, staring outside. It was pitch black and pouring rain, the complete antithesis to my sunny fantasy. I stumbled into the kitchen and switched on the coffee maker, moving back to the bathroom to take a shower and brush my teeth. By the time I threw on a sweater and jeans, put on my boots, grabbed my coat, a scarf, I was still not fully functional. I was hoping the walk to the hospital would jolt me awake. I locked the door and in no time, I was walking in the automatic doors of the hospital with Kat joining me.
“So. Have you picked yet?” she asked, pressing the elevator button. I just stared at her.
“No. Neal, Sidney. Sidney, Neal. If I don’t pick one at the end of the day, I’m flipping a coin. A girl can only hold out for so long.” I said, turning back to the elevator. Kat shrugged.
“I still say go with Neal. I mean, Sidney is cute and all but Neal has surgeries to offer. Sidney is just…tall. And hockey like.” She said casually and I shook my head as the elevator doors slid open going down to the ORs and Neal walked up to our side.
“Hey.” He said with a smile and I grinned. He handed me a Styrofoam cup. “I brought you coffee.” The elevator doors closed, but he didn’t even seem to notice.
“Hey.” I said, grinning and taking the cup. “I had a dream about you last night.” I said with a small smile and he laughed.
“Was I bringing you coffee?” he asked, pressing the button again.
“No you most certainly were not.” I said with a coy smile and he laughed, stepping in the elevator when the doors opened again. “Hey, do you want to meet me for lunch today?” I asked before the doors closed and he grinned.
“Absolutely. 12?” He asked and I nodded, watching the steel doors slide back and the lights flash as our elevator opened up and Sidney walked out. Kat gave a quick, dark laugh and Sidney smiled at me, walking out.
“Hey.” He said and I grinned awkwardly. This was not the universe rewarding me, this was the universe screwing with me.
“Hey to you too.” I said, ignoring the fact that we were missing our elevator. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I was on my way to go watch practice when I decided to stop by and confirm my appointment. Every two weeks. I’m a model patient, really.” He said, leaning in close with a smile.
“You know you could have just called.” I replied. “I—I had a dream about you last night.” I said and he grinned back. I noticed that Kat had turned around and was staring at me, but I ignored her.
“I know, but I’m a more hands on kind of guy. Plus, I wouldn’t have been able to drop off this over the phone. “ he said and handed me a white bag. “And you’ll have to tell me more about the dream. Are you free for lunch today?” he asked and Kat leaned over to me.
“Yes, Violet. Are you free for lunch?” Kat asked and I once again ignored her.
“I uh—“ I was about to reject him, when a tiny thought entered my mind and I decided to act upon it. “—sort of. Is 12 fine for you, your appointment is at 3—and what’s this?” I asked and he nodded.
“12 is fine and that is the best coffee cake in all of Pittsburgh. Thought you could use it before you go and save lives. I’ll see you at 12” He teased and gave me a kiss on the cheek, before turning away out the door.
Kat turned back to me as I peered inside the bag. “You had a dream about the both of them?” she asked and I shrugged, taking a sip of my coffee.
“Nice. Just when I think you’re boring, you rise.” She said and the elevator slid open and we both walked in. “What are you doing having lunch with the both of them?”
“I’m going to give myself until 12 and then make a choice. “ I looked at my watch. “So I have six and a half hours to think about it.”
“You have major issues.” Kat said as the doors slid open, the two of us walking into the locker room to change into our scrubs. When we walked in, Mark was by Lexie’s locker while she was pulling her blue scrubs over her head.
“Heard you were being a bad boy in the pit last night, Lex.” He teased with that dirty half-grin and Lexie stared him down. Kat pried open her locker and threw her shirt off and in with the rest of her things.
“If you want to talk about being bad, that would be Violet.” Kat said, wiggling out of her jeans.
I set my bag down and opened up my locker, feeling Mark come up behind me and lean into my ear. “You a bad boy, Violet?”
“Don’t make me kick your ass again.” I said, pushing him off of me before taking my sweater off and pulling my light blue scrubs over my long-sleeve white undershirt. The door to the locker room swung open and Novikova walked in with her clipboard.
“Anderson, Swenn—you’re in the pit today. Lauder you’re with Savard, Scott you’re with Pierce, and O’Neil go with Connors You fools better not embarrass me with your attendings. “
I put my hair up and threw my stethoscope around my neck as Kat pulled on her white coat. “There better be insane carnage today.” She said as soon as Novikova left.
“I’m the one with issues?” I asked, the two of us moving down to trauma.
I woke up to the sunlight streaming through my window, my alarm clock silent and still. He had already been up, propped up on one elbow and looking down at me with those familiar hazel, almond shaped eyes. “Good morning.” He said with a smile and I grinned back at him.
“Good morning to you too.” I said and he bent down to kiss me. His gaze shifted passed me then, looking at something over my shoulder.
“And good morning to you.” He said nodding and I turned around, still relaxed in Sidney’s arms.
“Yes. I would say so.” Neal said as he leaned over to kiss me. I turned over and looked at Sidney, before looking back up to the ceiling. The two of them leaned in closer to me and—
---
The buzz of my alarm clock pierced through the darkness. I reached over and banged it silent, pulling the covers back up over my head in an attempt to recreate the dream. It took me only three minutes to realize that any attempt into falling back asleep would be in vain—I was a surgeon, my most important and useful trait was not my ability to cut open people and fix them, but it was to wake up at a moments notice and stay awake. We call it the pager syndrome in the hospital, but in reality, we were all just glorified insomniacs with competitive streaks, unwilling to bear the thought of someone else getting a better surgery.
I threw the covers off of me and sat up, staring outside. It was pitch black and pouring rain, the complete antithesis to my sunny fantasy. I stumbled into the kitchen and switched on the coffee maker, moving back to the bathroom to take a shower and brush my teeth. By the time I threw on a sweater and jeans, put on my boots, grabbed my coat, a scarf, I was still not fully functional. I was hoping the walk to the hospital would jolt me awake. I locked the door and in no time, I was walking in the automatic doors of the hospital with Kat joining me.
“So. Have you picked yet?” she asked, pressing the elevator button. I just stared at her.
“No. Neal, Sidney. Sidney, Neal. If I don’t pick one at the end of the day, I’m flipping a coin. A girl can only hold out for so long.” I said, turning back to the elevator. Kat shrugged.
“I still say go with Neal. I mean, Sidney is cute and all but Neal has surgeries to offer. Sidney is just…tall. And hockey like.” She said casually and I shook my head as the elevator doors slid open going down to the ORs and Neal walked up to our side.
“Hey.” He said with a smile and I grinned. He handed me a Styrofoam cup. “I brought you coffee.” The elevator doors closed, but he didn’t even seem to notice.
“Hey.” I said, grinning and taking the cup. “I had a dream about you last night.” I said with a small smile and he laughed.
“Was I bringing you coffee?” he asked, pressing the button again.
“No you most certainly were not.” I said with a coy smile and he laughed, stepping in the elevator when the doors opened again. “Hey, do you want to meet me for lunch today?” I asked before the doors closed and he grinned.
“Absolutely. 12?” He asked and I nodded, watching the steel doors slide back and the lights flash as our elevator opened up and Sidney walked out. Kat gave a quick, dark laugh and Sidney smiled at me, walking out.
“Hey.” He said and I grinned awkwardly. This was not the universe rewarding me, this was the universe screwing with me.
“Hey to you too.” I said, ignoring the fact that we were missing our elevator. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I was on my way to go watch practice when I decided to stop by and confirm my appointment. Every two weeks. I’m a model patient, really.” He said, leaning in close with a smile.
“You know you could have just called.” I replied. “I—I had a dream about you last night.” I said and he grinned back. I noticed that Kat had turned around and was staring at me, but I ignored her.
“I know, but I’m a more hands on kind of guy. Plus, I wouldn’t have been able to drop off this over the phone. “ he said and handed me a white bag. “And you’ll have to tell me more about the dream. Are you free for lunch today?” he asked and Kat leaned over to me.
“Yes, Violet. Are you free for lunch?” Kat asked and I once again ignored her.
“I uh—“ I was about to reject him, when a tiny thought entered my mind and I decided to act upon it. “—sort of. Is 12 fine for you, your appointment is at 3—and what’s this?” I asked and he nodded.
“12 is fine and that is the best coffee cake in all of Pittsburgh. Thought you could use it before you go and save lives. I’ll see you at 12” He teased and gave me a kiss on the cheek, before turning away out the door.
Kat turned back to me as I peered inside the bag. “You had a dream about the both of them?” she asked and I shrugged, taking a sip of my coffee.
“Nice. Just when I think you’re boring, you rise.” She said and the elevator slid open and we both walked in. “What are you doing having lunch with the both of them?”
“I’m going to give myself until 12 and then make a choice. “ I looked at my watch. “So I have six and a half hours to think about it.”
“You have major issues.” Kat said as the doors slid open, the two of us walking into the locker room to change into our scrubs. When we walked in, Mark was by Lexie’s locker while she was pulling her blue scrubs over her head.
“Heard you were being a bad boy in the pit last night, Lex.” He teased with that dirty half-grin and Lexie stared him down. Kat pried open her locker and threw her shirt off and in with the rest of her things.
“If you want to talk about being bad, that would be Violet.” Kat said, wiggling out of her jeans.
I set my bag down and opened up my locker, feeling Mark come up behind me and lean into my ear. “You a bad boy, Violet?”
“Don’t make me kick your ass again.” I said, pushing him off of me before taking my sweater off and pulling my light blue scrubs over my long-sleeve white undershirt. The door to the locker room swung open and Novikova walked in with her clipboard.
“Anderson, Swenn—you’re in the pit today. Lauder you’re with Savard, Scott you’re with Pierce, and O’Neil go with Connors You fools better not embarrass me with your attendings. “
I put my hair up and threw my stethoscope around my neck as Kat pulled on her white coat. “There better be insane carnage today.” She said as soon as Novikova left.
“I’m the one with issues?” I asked, the two of us moving down to trauma.
♠ ♠ ♠
Maneater -- Hall and Oates