ER Doctor's Lounge

[Nate]

Flipping the page over on the chart, Nate scratched a hand through his slightly messy curly black hair, and then reached for his coffee. Before he tipped the mug, he realised it was empty, but too engrossed in his paperwork, he decided to delay refilling it. For now. He would get to it in a little while, when the need for caffeine became too much to resist. Nate only had an hour left of his shift, and never liked to leave any loose ends for the next shift if he could help it, so, pen in his left hand, he marked this box, and jotted down that detail, eyes scanning the facts and diagnoses quickly for anything he might have missed.

He was, of course, comforted by the fact that his check-up on Dia’s condition had not only shown her to be in peak health, but had confirmed her suspicions. She was indeed pregnant, and not only that, the baby was perfectly fine, and developing as any young foetus would; there was nothing out of the ordinary — beyond the fact that mother and child were both werewolves, of course — and all signs were positive.

Involved with his paperwork though he was, Nate wasn’t deaf, and looked up from his notes as he heard the door click open.

[Nate]

“We had an MVA, and a couple of shooting victims; all in a day’s work.” He flipped closed the chart he’d been working on, satisfied with its completion, and played with the pen for a moment as he gazed across at the older doctor. “‘Same old, same old’, in other words,” he added, smiling gently, especially when he saw the new pot of coffee brewing. His eyes drifted once more to his empty cup, and he indicated it with his pen. “Y’know, you read my mind.”

Pulling the final chart towards him to check on its notes and orders, he opened it, glancing up at Michael in order to ask, “And how were things on your side of the hospital today?” Of course, by that, he meant the psych ward; Nate had visited it enough on odd occasions to know that, just because it wasn’t as hectic as the ER could be, it was by no means less stressful. And just because the staff over there weren’t seen in scrubs nearly as much as those in Nate’s department, it was by no means less messy.

[Nate]

His smile dropped instantly at the sight of the bandage, and he blinked, surprised and yet curious, even if he didn’t ask where it had really come from. It was true that medicine really was a dangerous profession; if you weren’t holding other peoples’ lives in your hands, then you were at risk of attack from the patients themselves. And if not them, then the emotional family members and friends… or enemies, in the odd case.

“So how did that happen?” Nate finally asked, pointing at the bandage with his pen, before signing the last chart to finish it off, briefly skimming the details one last time to make sure everything was correct, and he wasn’t confirming an accidental overdose, or anything equally as stupid. After all, in this profession, if you didn’t pay attention, people really could get hurt.

[Nate]

“Remind me to keep a closer eye on the interns around here,” Nate mumbled thoughtfully, closing the last chart and clicking the pen so that the nib wouldn’t dry out, before putting it into the top pocket of his white coat. Amused by Michael’s ability to laugh about any kind of insanity even after a long shift in his department, Nate smiled honestly, and shook his head. “Sometimes, I really think you guys in psych have a tougher time than any of us down here do.”

Taking hold of his mug when the other doctor offered coffee, he nodded. “If I don’t get some soon, I think I’ll put my head down right here, and sleep right through until my next shift. And I don’t wanna get back to my apartment to find my dog’s eaten all my shoes because I wasn’t there to feed him.” Not that Brock would do such a thing, but he had a tendency to slobber on them, at the very least.

Besides, he wanted to be alert in case any of the pack needed him for whatever reason; they had his pager and cell phone number — the only ones who had the latter, in fact, given that had been the origin of the phone in the first place — if there was need for a doctor, but he was honestly hoping this full moon would be like the last… well, all of them. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d called on his services during the peak of the lunar cycle. Which was a relief; they got enough crazy action in the hospital on the full moon without real werewolf madness adding to it.

[Nate]

Chuckling to himself, he refilled his coffee, and then returned to his seat. With his paperwork done, and little possibility of a new crisis hitting the ER before his shift really ended, Nate allowed himself to relax. He had to fight the temptation to put his head down on crossed arms though; he'd end up dozing off, and feeling stupid if someone came in and found him like that... or if Michael laughed at him.

"The crazy hours?" He pulled a face. "They get crazier. You worked a double yet?" He settled for crossing his arms while his steaming coffee cooled, and nestling his chin down on them, looking at the other doctor across the round table. "And y'know, I've thought about nine-to-five jobs myself, but each time I do, I'm in danger of my brains dribbling out of my ears... I think the monotony would kill me."

And it was true. After all, it wasn't everyday you were approached by a werewolf and asked to be their personal physician.

[Nate]

Nate nodded, watching the steam rise from his coffee, and lethargically so. He stifled a yawn, and lazily reached down to pull his pager from his belt with a click as the clasp came loose. Checking the display, even though it had made no sound to announce a page, he saw it was blissfully blank, and sighed slowly as he set down the device. As much as he cared about the pack he was physician for, he didn’t fancy stepping foot in that hotel during the full moon. He did, however, briefly wonder how Brock would handle the tension from a wolf pack…

Not that I’m going to find out, he told himself. Angling his eyes up, he realised he hadn’t responded to Michael yet, and looked sheepish for a moment.

“Sorry,” he apologised with a soft chuckle. “In my own little world… I think my brain starts to shut down in this last hour. Hopefully I won’t have any last minute patients, or I’ll probably end up ordering the wrong tests or… I don’t know. I’d do something wrong, anyway.” Stifling another yawn, he managed to drag his weary head up from his arms, reaching for his coffee.

Mmm… caffeine…

[Nate]

Feigning a wince when Michael slapped his shoulder, Nate then smiled, and nodded his head wearily. Taking a moment to roughly cast his black locks back from his brow, he said, "I'm sure you will." After all, it was a big hospital, but they were always running into each other in one place or another, for some reason.

"Have a good night," Nate added, taking his coffee mug in his hand. Only forty-five minutes before he could head home...

[Nate]

Continued from: ER Curtain Area.


He’d filled out the prescription order on the way to the desk, giving it over to the staff members behind there with a sheepish, apologetic smile. After that, depositing the chart and quickly signing the board, he’d hurried to find an attending; a superior. Finding Dr. Fields outside the trauma rooms, he’d easily made up an excuse about an emergency with his ‘brother’.

After a sigh, Dr. Fields had nodded, noting in passing that it seemed to be — no pun intended — dying down anyway, and that Nate could be spared, if his brother needed him. Promising to make up for it, Nate had thanked the attending, and run back for the staff lounge, pushing his way through the door… and almost tripping over his own feet in the process.

Chance was slouched on the dingy sofa, a magazine of some sort over his face. Nate would have nagged him about doing some reading, or perhaps seeing if any lab-work needed to be transferred, but he had other priorities. “Check in with Dr. Fields if you need anything,” he said to the med student as he opened his locker to retrieve his personal jacket, not bothering with anything else other than his car keys. “I have a personal emergency to deal with.” He offered a smile even though the younger man couldn’t see him. “See you later.”

And with that, he hurried out of the lounge again, without another word, rushing for the parking lot.


Continued at: The Hyperion; The Lobby.