T h i r s t

t w o

Son of a bitch.

The air felt colder as I walked back to the elevators, then swerved and headed for the staircase. Being in a small room with a bunch of people now would spell disaster.

I took the stairs two at a time, not even raising my head up when I passed someone. Only interns and med students took the stairs. I might as well have been one considering the way he was treating me.

All because I said no. Well, so be it. I didn't want to go out with him and I wasn't going to say yes now just because he's making my life a living hell. I can push through it. That's what I've been doing for the last 8 years.

The thought of pushing through it made my shoulders slouch and my pace slow, and it was only then that I realised what I was holding. The candy bar. I smiled in gratitude and got to pushing through the chocolate instead.

I was nearly finished by the time I'd reached the first floor and disposed of the wrapper at a nurse station's trash can. Then, I took in a deep one and walked through the doors.

It was the usual 'controlled Babylon' as Dr. Perez liked to call it, but I could not say the same for the Paediatric ED. That was a whole another world. I walked past the trauma bays and up to the electronic whiteboard where Dr. Perez was delegating work to the residents and swiping her fingers swiftly across the screen.

The residents had scattered by the time I reached Dr. Perez, who already had a relieved smile on her face.

"You are a godsend. Come here." She sighed and guided me back to the bays with her arm around my shoulders. I chuckled.

"Who fainted? Was it Shaw?"

"Hey I like you but don't go around belittling my residents ok?"

"Yes, ma'am." I smiled. "So it was Dr. Shaw."

"He didn't faint." She stopped by bay 4 and faced me. "Anxiety attack. Had to go home."

"Ah." I nodded understandingly, putting my hand out for the case study.

"GSW?" Perfect. Another mess.

"It's not as bad as you think. Barely grazed him. Might need sutures." She said with intentions of making me feel better I think, but that didn't work. Rather, it reminded me of what Sophie, another R3 had said about Dr. Kirby riding my ass as just something that wasn't 'as bad as I thought'.

The caffeine and chocolate only managed to fuel my anger.

I groaned and stepped into the bay and pulled the curtain aside.

I was greeted by a mountain of a man perched on top of the stretcher and about to light a cigarette.

"Hey!" I chided and pulled the cigarette right out of his mouth.

It was too late before I realized what I'd done. He stared at me with his lips slightly parted in utter disbelief. They were pink mounds amongst a dark stubble. I'd never kissed anyone with a stubble before.

What?!

"This is a hospital." I shook my finger at him and the thought out of my head and proceeded to throw the nasty thing into the red trash can. Well, it was infectious waste now.

"I've had one hell of a day and trust me, that's the only thing that helps."

"Well I've had one hell of a day too and the last thing I need are fire alarms going off." I said, snapping on a pair gloves. Ouch.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you get shot?" He spat, gripping his left shoulder with a bloody palm.

"You call that getting shot? It barely even touched you."