New Amsterdam's Max Goodwin X OC.

Alec?

I managed to wiggle myself into some of the most uncomfortable situations going and I knew it. If there was anyone going to find themselves sat next to their attractive boss at work during a speech from some outsider, it was me. And to prove it, I had done it. Max was listening closely but something caught my eyes. It was the man at my side and the fact that he would constantly steal glances until I would look at him and make a directional glare at the man who stood speaking to us.

"...stool samples aren't always the nicest. I know that, but it tells us so much..." The man blabbed on and I took constant notes on what he said. My mind was a sort of standstill about what was going on around me as I felt a hand creep up to meet my back. I had leant myself forward so that I could only see Max in my peripheral and we both sat right at the back so it wasn't easy to hear the man. This meant that Max had full availability to rest his hand on me though. I wasn't sure how to get him to stop and when I really thought about it, it wasn't bad. Slowly though his hand slipped to my waist and I had to wiggle so that he would back off and he did. His hand returning to his lap and I sat up straight again but my eyes zoned in on what he was saying.
"...the urethra tells us something as well. From the feel to the smell..." I didn't mind what he was saying but it was something that we all knew and if it had been up to any of us, we wouldn't have been there but Fulton insisted on it.

"No one would see or hear if we spoke." I sighed out and picked up my phone. A few messages were then replied to and then I saw Alec's contact and I felt a smile grow on my face. It felt odd that I wouldn't be seeing much of him and yet we both spent hours a day talking and if I was off he normally was too. Only a few minutes over perhaps.

I sent off a message and placed my phone down as I awaited something in a reply. He would be at work for a small while but he would be on a break that lasted a good while.

"Dr Goodwin. How long is this due to last? I want to get back to my patients." He checked his watch and a grunt escaped him. It was a primal grunt and I would never admit to how it made me feel deep down.

"Minus one hour. This needs to wrap up because no hospital can function with time being waisted like it is now." Dr Goodwin got up and made his way to the front before thanking the man and concluding the meeting. We were all grateful but as I got ready to leave my elbow was caught and I stood at the side in limbo as I waited for the crowed to pass. The guest speaker even passing and I smiled widely with a soft thanks being given.

"What is it?" I turned and heard the door closing as the man left. My mind was full of patients and what I would have to do but I was being kept back once again.

"What do you think you are doing?" Helen spoke with a small bite as she did so. I couldn't tell what it was that had happened to make her so angry.

"Sorry, I don't know what has happened. If I said something you didn't like then I apologise but I'm not a person to use empty words. Even with the old or young patients." Sharpe widened her eyes in utter disbelief before pulling me down to sit with her as she planned to speak to me.

"Max told me that you two got close. I don't know how close but I think it was at least a kiss. Suddenly, he then tells me that you were dancing with another man in the club and got annoyed when he tried to talk to you. Apparently you guys are head over heels. Is that why you are always smiling at your phone?" He really was something. Convenient truths lost and the whole situation was almost laughable.

"Dr Goodwin had no right to put all of this on you and the truth is, yes we got close but it was clear that neither of us would be getting closer. He said some things and I got annoyed at him and before you say anything, none of it was true, I hope." Sharpe was a little less than convinced as she sat with me. Eyes delving into my mind but I was telling the truth to her.

"Just tell me. Max has to turn to someone and he is a little less than close to you." Anger began to boil and the look in her eyes told me that she knew that as well. Her bitter tone had seemed to stir something in me as well.

"Fine. I will tell you everything. Max and I had a date but I didn't realise it was a date but thought that it was just him telling me about his Nutella. Well, we ended up sleeping together. I got scared and felt like he was, I don't even know anymore but then with the whole, me leaving thing he got persistent. We ended up in a fight and he said that he won't be falling into bed with 'another call girl' and as soon as he said that I was gone. Sharpe, Goodwin messed up and I felt like I had no option but to do that. Don't get me wrong he is attractive and if he hadn't said that I was never going to act out like I did with Alec but he is the one being nice to me, respecting me. Not Max." In a second Sharpe lost all of her defensiveness and a look of annoyance covered her face. A look I had seen before but before she could get up I pulled her back down.

"Venus, surely you realise that this is stupid. He is saying so much stuff and you are letting it go like it means nothing." I just smiled at her and took in a deep breath.

"Why don't you, me and Bloom do something tonight as the three of us? Get out of our own heads and get absolutely stupid. I don't drink but I mean, stop with the pressures of being a doctor, of being a woman in a world of men and do you know what? I haven't had a night in and done something fun in ages. To be honest I am either up late working or I am sleeping but I don't do much else. What do you say?" She was quick to nod and I felt a burden lift off of my back and shoulders as she did this.

"I'll ask Bloom. You go talk to Max because I might say something I will regret." I agreed before letting her walk out before me. The door closing behind and then I set off to find the man of the hour. It seemed he had made quite the name for himself but it was a highly stressful job and he had a right to make some silly mistakes but I also had a right to correct those mistakes.

I walked around but he wasn't willing to be found clearly as he eluded my eyesight for a short while as I looked but I had to get back to work and so I did. As the floor was met I saw Goodwin and grabbed his hand before walking to the beds that I would have to see to.
"Venus. What is this all about?" He was ignored as I kept professional in front of the patients.

"Hello, I just wanted to check that everything was all up to scratch. No changes in pain or ailments and are we at the hospital helping you enough?" It was on the whole plain sailing. A few additions for notes and Goodwin would ask between patients what was going on but I kept to myself and other than pulling him with me, his brooding existence was ignored.

"Thank you doctor." I smiled and pulled the curtain back to where it had been as the both of us left him so that we could chat. I wanted somewhere private but the risk of the staffroom after my lively dream was too high, so I got him to unlock his office for us.

"What is this all about?" My hand landed on my head and a deep breath was taken in before I felt the final release of my temper. It sounded level but some words game me away as I cracked a little.

"Say what you want. Call me names and belittle me but don't lie. Not to my friends. To tell you the truth I don't give a damn about my reputation because that can be fixed but liars are rarely forgotten and they are rarely lost. Get off your stallion of righteousness and be the man that you are supposed to be. Now, I am going to be off in a while and I want to just have time to not think about you or your stupid words to me. I said that I don't give a damn about the names but they stung when you said them. Now, I am off to do something stupid." With that I left and the sound of trainers hitting the floor filled my ears but I ignored his attempts to talk to me until I left and saw that Sharpe and Bloom were also leaving the dreaded hospital.