RP with halfway2heaven | Bedside Manner

[1twntyovreighty]

Rick was aware that Chris was away taking some personal time - and he really couldn't deny his little brother. He just wasn't exactly swimming in visitors or with anything particularly constructive to do. Even the TV seemed to suck, and he mostly slept to try and just kill the boredom. It didn't help he couldn't sleep without still some discomfort

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[1twntyovreighty]

Rick's expression shut down and for what seemed like an hour he just didn't say anything. It had seemed easier telling Eva his version of things than it was telling Bella. Maybe because he was more concerned about her deciding he really was a jerk. "I don't really know what it was. We were always hyper-competitive, but Chris was just the better brother. I wasn't as smart as him, I didn't really want to pursue anything academic. I started mixing with the wrong people because I thought it was who I was supposed to be. I've borrowed a lot of money over the years for so-called business ventures... Me and Chris could never get through seeing each other without fighting. I also might have slept with his prom date, but it was two weeks after they broke up! He doesn't trust me around girls that are close to him. Can't blame him." He shrugged a little and broke eye contact to stare down at the bed covers. "He was always a better big brother than I ever was. He did a lot of things to help the family, even when all we did was fuck up."

Rick just closed his eyes shut tightly and clenched his jaw in preparation. It really was a big fucker of a needle. Maybe he didn't have issues with them, but that didn't mean he always liked to watch. "Collarbone? Are you shitting me?" he grunted out a moment later. "I really will be a human pin cushion."

[halfway2heaven]

Bella rested a comforting hand on his shoulder as he spoke, listening to every word. This was why she had left Rick last in her rounds. After this, her shift was over and she could actually give him the time he needed. "What would you do if the shoe was on the other foot. If Chris was the one who was sick? Just to get you thinking in a full circle a little here. It's important to talk about how your feeling, even if it has nothing to do with the actual cancer. I hear he got hurt a few weeks back. Did you hear about that? He went down a massive sinkhole under a building in the city to amputate a guy's leg to save his life. They tried to pull him back out of the rubble when it go unsteady, but he cut his harness so he could finish the job. That's your little brother there. His life was on the line just like yours feels like it is. Just in a different sense."

She pressed her lips together. "Not shitting you, sorry love. It'll actually be less painful than this. You'll hardly even notice it." She tried to be as quick as she could as she inserted the new line and taped it all into place so he wouldn't rip it out. "All over. If you were eating more for me, I could give you a lollipop."

[1twntyovreighty]

Rick cleared his throat. "Yeah, I heard. But that is Chris all over. He's the hero, not me. He really would do something stupid and cut his line to save the guy if he thought he had a chance. Me? I'd probably just get the hell outta there and hope we could still pull the guy out." Rick opened his eyes to look at her. "If he was the sick one... I'd be there. But that's assuming he'd tell me in the first place. See how this works? We don't exactly tell each other the big stuff."

Rick's gaze dropped to her mouth and a smile tugged at his lips as he ran his tongue over them. "How about a kiss instead?"

[halfway2heaven]

"He was pretty knocked around. He was waiting in a bay in the ER when I was seeing a patient there. I didn't actually recognise him until I did a double take. He looked like crap. See, I already had my finger on the pulse before I even met you. This hospital can be quite small with the grapevine when it wants to be. I just have patients who can pass through a lot of different units here, depending on what they have. In fact, one of mine passed away in MT1 recently. She hadn't wanted her family to know how sick she was. Unfortunately, it came as a terrible blow to them when she died. They had no idea. Secrets never seem to end well." Bella sighed and nodded. "I think he would, you know. If you were around. He might tell you more if he knew you would be there to listen."

She felt something niggle in her gut then as she watched him. She had to be careful. He was a sweet guy, and they chatted easily, but he was her patient. That came with a lot of risks. She smiled, tearing open another small packet and held up a band-aid in front of his nose for him to see that had small xoxo all over it. "Enjoy. Don't say I never kiss it better."

[1twntyovreighty]

"I'm here now, aren't I? Just fucking blows that it took this to get us to come together. And no, secrets never do end well..." Rick frowned as he considered Chris and his girlfriend. He was more than worried that particular secret was going to blow up in his brother's face. He felt an urge to mention something to Bella, but didn't. He wasn't sure it was the kind of doctor-patient confidentiality she was looking for.

Rick was a little disappointed his attempt had failed but at least he wasn't getting a slap in the face. "You really do have a band-aid fetish, don't you?"

[halfway2heaven]

Bella nodded in agreement. "It does suck. Next time, don't make the same mistakes. You're fit and healthy, Rick. You have a damn good chance of beating this. It's just going to be some tough roads for a little while." She watched him closely, taking in the features of his face. "You've got a lot going on in that head of yours, don't you?"

"Well, I have a habit of sticking people with a lot of pointy things. It could be worse. I could have a bondage fetish, in which case, it is highly unlikely I would be your oncologist right now," she pointed out and stood up so she could pull another different looking machine over towards his bedside and hooked the new line up to it.

[1twntyovreighty]

Rick blinked, and met her gaze. "Can I ask you a question this time?"

"Bondage never really did it for me. I was with a chick that had a thing for it... I failed to see which part was meant to turn me on." He turned his head to look at the new machine. "I can trust you, right?"

[halfway2heaven]

Bella nodded, even if she was slightly suspicious that he might ask what colour underwear she was wearing. "Of course you can."

"We must be a match made in heaven, because it never did anything for me, either." She held his hand again carefully as she attached the line and hung the bag of saline with the small medication pouch beside it. "I cut you open and took a body part. I think you can trust me, love. I'm not going to hit you with the pole, promise. You can trust me with anything," she assured him, her tone a little more serious now.

[1twntyovreighty]

Rick studied her for a quiet moment before he reached out to tug on her hand slightly, indicating she should sit back down. "What would you think if you found out the rumours about Eva and Chris were true?"

[halfway2heaven]

Bella sat back down when he tugged on her hand, watching him closely as she reached behind her head and pulled the elastic out, letting her hair fall down around her shoulders. "I wouldn't be very surprised. They're very close. Sometimes people just can't help an attraction between each other. I would think they were very professional in keeping it separate from work."

[1twntyovreighty]

Rick's tongue slipped out to wet his lips again at the sight of her hair tumbling around her shoulders, and a part of him wondered why she'd even down that. Because all he wanted to do know was run his fingers through it and kiss her. "What would you think if he was seeing a nurse?"

[halfway2heaven]

Bella gave him a confused yet curious look and laughed a little. She just couldn't tell if he was trying to tell her if Chris was seeing a nurse or not. As far as she knew, he was very, very single. Everyone knew the Calle Cubana shoe story, and she was pretty sure that was a waitress. "Would I think he was some sort of overpowering jerk taking advantage of a colleague in a lower rank, you mean?" she asked, watching him closely. "I've dated nurses. Do you think I'm a jerk?"

[1twntyovreighty]

"No, but I am trying to work out if that means that you're a lesbian." Rick reached up with his hand to rub it over his face and let out a huff of breath. He knew the questions were a little random, but it wasn't as if he could ask Eva her opinion of Chris and Serena and whether Chris' career really was at risk. "What if he was dating his resident?"

[halfway2heaven]

Bella smirked. "Sure, because there are no male nurses in the whole wide world," she returned. His next comment had her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Dr Warren? He's dating Dr Warren?"

[1twntyovreighty]

Rick held his finger against her lips. "Might want to keep it down a little, Dr Watson. I need your trust here. This is my baby brother's secret. I want your somewhat professional opinion."

[halfway2heaven]

"There are no patients three rooms either side of you. You have your privacy." Bella couldn't believe it, and she frowned a little as she thought over for any signs of it going on. If she squinted, maybe she could see it. The Alpha Team in MT1 were close, so it wasn't a massive jump. Dave had mentioned a few things that could indicate something also. It was just intriguing to actually hear. "My professional opinion? Because I'm lesbian or because I've dated nurses? Male nurses, by the way. I've even dated one from Chris' unit."