Dopamine High (Carlisle Cullen)

Twelve

"Kate...what is going on? Everyone's been in a terrible mood. Did we lose someone?" Lorelai questioned in a hushed whisper, dunking her tea bag into a steaming mug of water. She had been working for a few hours at this point, there was no harmless joking, or smiling nurses, Dr. Gerandy seemed a little peeved to come in early this morning, and even Maggie seemed relentlessly agitated.

Kate glanced over with a gloomy look, "Have you seen Dr. Cullen today?" She asked, bowing her head to the table with tired eyes. Lorelai cocked a brow, "No. I've been working at the desk, remember?"

Kate sighed dramatically, "He's on vacation, that's what. For a month." Lorelai blinked, "How ironic," She murmured aloud, unknowingly.

Kate straightened immediately, with eagle eyes, "What's ironic? Did he say something?" She demanded, Lorelai slowly lowered herself to sit, and she sighed as she spooned a tablespoon of sugar into her tea. It was one of those days.

"Just a few days ago we had talked about how much we loved our work. I pointed out that he hasn't taken a vacation and he rebutted, quite honorably, that his work was so important to him that he never felt the need to leave." Lorelai tapped her cheek, "Maybe I seeded the idea. It's not a bad thing, Kate, he needs breaks, too." She pointed out, feeling a little alarmed at Kate's scowl.

"We don't have that many doctors here, Lorelai! Dr. Brown took a majority of Dr. Cullen's patients."

"Surely Carlisle didn't leave them halfway through treatment?" Lorelai exclaimed, pausing finally to peer up at Kate with actual interest. Kate hesitated and Lorelai relaxed, "Well...no, but if more issues arise.." She trailed off.

"Everything will be fine." Lorelai assured her with a small smile. Kate shook her head, "You just don't get it. You'll see soon enough. Since when have you and the doctor been on a first name basis, anyhow?" Kate shot an amused smirk Lorelai's way.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Lorelai responded cluelessly, "You said Carlisle." Kate rebutted, headstrong as ever. "Since yesterday, I believe."

"What if he's divorcing his wife so he can marry you? Being oh so desperately in love that he lets you call him by name!" Kate spike loudly and dramatically a grin on her face while she made a very whiny, high pitched voice that disgusted Lorelai.

"Don't even joke about that!" Lorelai scolded, smacking Kate's hands from there spot waving in the air dramatically. "That's awful to say! And this towns so small if one person hears you the whole town will think I'm some sort of home-wrecker."

Kate cackled, "I'm just teasing, no need to be so defensive...some may say you're being a little too defensive..." Another look from Lorelai made Kate quiet down.

"Jeez, you're no fun." She muttered.

***

The hospital was in chaos.

They were severely understaffed, three nurses caught the flu simultaneously, four teenage boys skidded on ice on a cliff side and went flying off and broke a great many bones, and one elderly gentleman went into cardiac arrest.

Lorelai felt regret for having talked to Carlisle, and regret for talking to Kate about it. Why? Because Kate told Theodore, Theodore said something snarky to Maggie, whose anger could not be challenge and then it spread from there. She was getting nasty looks from just about everyone but Theodore, who didn't really care, and Judy, who was still in denial that Carlisle was really going to be gone for a month.

By the time Lorelai got home she was swaying on her feet with exhaustion and barely got the front door open before she sagged against it and rested her forehead on her knees with her arms holding them to her chest.

"Christ Lori, are you okay?" Charlie jumped from the sofa where he had been watching Edward and Bella with close scrutiny to kneel in front of her.

Lorelai peered up with a small frown at her brother, "Carlisle went on vacation." She murmured, and Charlie cracked a grin, "What? That's it? Jesus, Lori." He stood, "You had me worried."

"You don't get it Charlie," Lorelai was surprised by how similar she sounded to Kate, she shook her head in dismay, "Everything has gone to hell at the clinic. Four boys with broken bones, a cardiac arrest, nurses called in with the flu, and it's all my fault according to Kate." She prattled stressfully.

"How is it your fault?" Bells scrunched her nose up a little, her eyes flickering across Lorelai's face with an expression Lorelai didn't care to place.

"I had spoke to him yesterday and the break room and told him he never had a break - I thought his rebuttal was one that would mean he wouldn't go on vacation. A month. We have to be without him, for a month. Dr. Gerandy looks like a ghost." She paled a little and climbed shakily to her feet.

"I need to go to bed." She announced, "It's only six!" Charlie exclaimed, Lorelei waved him off and yawned, "I'm going back in at three. Maggie put me back on emergency shifts. Thank God!"

The three watched her go silently and Charlie peered over at Edward, "Where did Carlisle go?" He wondered, Edward shrugged casually, Charlie didn't realize his ease was feigned. "Just taking time off." Bella's fingers curled into Edwards soothingly and he kept silent after that.

"For Lorelai to panic," Charlie sat down, "It must be terrible." He took a swig of his beer, "That or," He smiled a little, "She's liking the place."