ODDS OF LOVE

Episode Thirty Six

The next several days for DuBuis proved to be busy especially at the hospital to which he had returned on a part time basis. There was a sudden rush of summer colds mixed with covid and RSV hitting the ER. He also was balancing parenting Lucy , visiting Spencer every day after work and overseeing the renovation preparations to their house for Spencer's new needs. He was moving their bedroom to the former dining room and had hired a contractor to make more handicapped  accessible changes to the downstairs bathroom and kitchen plus build a ramp onto the front steps and back steps. He had also traded in his beloved car for a minivan that was more suitable for Spencer and the fact that they had a child now. He had also purchased a portable ramp. 

This particular day he was very tired as he stepped in his blue scrubs and running shoes from the triage room of a pale faced thin teenaged girl who was currently puking into a trash can while her expensive designer suited mother ignored her and tapped away on her Iphone. " I do hope that doctor gives you a pill or something , Muffy , " he heard the mother say with much irritation. " He said it was only a cold. The covid and RSV tests were apparently negative. You are aware I am missing a very important business meeting. I am supposed to be Facetiming Tim Cooke ! "  DuBuis rolled his eyes and looked down at the very prominent greenish - yellow stain on his scrub top. He had not moved away fast enough.  He walked wearily into the nursing desk and headed straight for the pot of hopefully freshly brewed coffee. 

" Who made the coffee ? , " he asked even as he reached for his personal coffee mug that said " WORLD'S BEST DOCTOR " on the front. Spencer had given it to him when they had graduated college.  As the years went by he had made sure never to lose or damage that mug. Seeing it reminded him of Spencer on their graduation day. He could still see the man in his too big graduation gown and crooked cap with its gold tassel. 

( " Your cap is crooked , Genius , " he said with a gentle laugh as he reached out to fix it. Spencer's face flushed red. " So , DuBuis , I guess this means goodbye ? We are leaving school now so no more roommates anymore ?  " DuBuis shook his head at him. " Don't be silly , Spencer. I'll never leave you. " ) 

As he poured the coffee and took a long blessed sip , he said , " Angel  , give an anti  nausea medicine to Room 2. She only has a cold. Everything else is negative. Ondansetron should be good.  I'll be discharging her as soon as my coffee hits. " 

Austin Anderson rubbed at his own tired blue - green eyes as he leaned back in his creaky swivel chair. The short slim man with the dancer's grace in his hot pink scrubs and matching slip on shoes was the newest addition to the ER's nursing staff. From New York. He was an acquired taste to most of the ER staff because of his cocky almost entitled attitude and brash mouth but DuBuis liked him. Austin genuinely cared about the patients though. He was very gentle with them. His fellow workers were a different story. Except for DuBuis , he acted like he hated them all. 

(" That old lady who took the fall at home also fell head over walker over you , Anderson , " the nursing supervisor Dottie had said one night. " She called you an Angel of Mercy. Ha. An angel. Good one. " Austin pursed his lips and said , " I'm nobody's angel. " )

The Angel nickname had stuck and all the ER called Austin Angel now. And behind his back Satan's Angel. 

" Fine , " Angel said , " good med choice. And who the hell do you think made it , Lane ? I am the only one around here besides yourself who can remake the coffee. They can drink it though. And I am the only one who can clean out the refrigerator. I swear the people who work here are such lazy pigs. I found a taco in it last night that was growing mold. It looked like a science experiment. " 

DuBuis took another long gulp of coffee. Yeah. Angel was an acquired taste but the man could make coffee. Damn good coffee. " Well. Boo hoo , Anderson. We all didn't grow up with servants like you. " He watched as the nurse flushed red in much embarrassment.  Angel hated being reminded of his rich background especially that his father was the chief of staff. Too many thought that Angel had been hired because of his father but DuBuis wasn't one of them. Angel was a damn fine nurse and a hard worker. He just also was an ass. 

" Yeah , well you should talk. Your hubby's family is way richer than mine. Anyway you got a gift , Romeo. "  With a quick flick of his hand he pointed at the fragrant bouquet of long stemmed red roses tucked away in a  corner of the cluttered desk. " Your rich man must have ordered them from the rehab you sent him to. Tell him all the ICU nurses are still traumatized by him. I hear they're collecting money for a hitman. That may or may not be a joke. You know them. Your man has a mouth on him. I did OT up there. I like him. " 

DuBuis reached out for the small white envelope that accompanied the flowers. He opened it and read the card inside it. 

Still missing you , baby boy. Dinner at my place ? Yours , Joe. 

Angel lifted an eyebrow at DuBuis's storm cloud expression. " Hmmm ? Not from hubby ? Or are you and SuperNerd fighting ? "

DuBuis ignored him as he snatched up the bouquet and stomped out of the nursing station. He went back to Room 2 where the teen girl was no longer puking but still looked pale. She was sipping timidly at the can of ginger ale he had given her. Both she and her mother were startled as he shoved the roses at them , saying , " Gift from the hospital ! Hope you feel better soon ! "