Open Heart One Shots (Choices)

Unfortunate Misadventures

Summary: Ethan Ramsey had seen people do stupid things before, but none quite like this.

Dr. Ethan Ramsey marched down a busy hospital hallway, a man on a mission. He nodded absently as others called out greetings but otherwise kept moving.

He had a to-do list as long as his arm and not enough hours in the day to cross off every item. He'd started coming into the hospital earlier than usual and leaving later. He had to balance his patients, the diagnostics team and Naveen's care. Sleep could wait.

The fellowship competition was another thing taking too much of his time. He couldn't very well pass off the evaluations to another physician. The number one intern would be an integral part of his team. Ethan needed to ensure he selected the right person for the job.

He thought it wasn't just about having the potential to be a good doctor. The successful candidate must have the drive to excel against all odds. They would essentially complete four years of training in two.

The traditional training route was hard enough, but this...Ethan had meant it when he told Harper the interns weren't ready. He could name only a handful of doctors he'd met over the years that could accomplish the feat and do it well.

The new crop of interns seemed eager enough, he supposed. And Ethan wondered if he would've been the same had he been given this chance at the start of his residency. The answer, of course, was absolutely. He'd have jumped at it and taken the top spot.

Speaking of interns, or one in particular. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. Dr. Valentine had a bad habit of spying on him, especially when he was on his way to visit Naveen in the new wing under construction.

He'd had to change directions more than once to throw her off his tail. Despite her poor showing on the fellowship rankings, she was incredibly observant. He would have to be clever in shaking her off to keep his promise of secrecy to Naveen intact.

Relieved that the coast was clear, he ducked into a stairwell, running down two flights to exit near an elevator bank intended for the new wing. Not yet operational, it was protected from the construction grime by a combination of tarps and flattened cardboard boxes. The manufacturer's sticker was still visible in places.

Ethan checked his wristwatch. He had an hour before he needed to be back for a patient consult. That gave him enough time to begin the next round of differentials during Naveen's dialysis cycle.

He was halfway down the hallway when one of the elevator doors slid open. Surprised at the unexpectedness of it, Ethan turned his head toward the expanding space between the doors. He came face to face with a young man in an orderly's uniform holding up a cell phone and masturbating vigorously inside.

Ethan's brows snapped together when he realized the man was filming himself. "Oh, for Christ's sake!"

The man heard him and gasped loudly, the cell phone slipping from his hands to fall on the ground with a loud clatter. Still holding the penis hanging out the front of his trousers, he took an inadvertent step forward and tripped over a piece of loose cardboard on the floor.

Later, Ethan would think Shakespeare would've had a field day with this comedy of errors.

As the man stumbled, the elevator doors began to slam shut, catching the man's erect penis and fist in a crack barely big enough for a flat hand. The door sensors jammed, so the two ends didn't pull apart when sensing an obstruction.

The orderly sucked deep breaths as the cold metal pressed against his penis. And then he started screaming, a loud shrill sound like a steam train racing down the tracks.