Dempsey Challenge 2012: Fundraiser Fic #1 -- Dude (Looks Like a Lady)
Well, it's not quite that time of year again, but I've decided to get a jump on things! In what has become somewhat of an annual tradition, I've signed up to participate in the Dempsey Challenge once more in 2012 with a bunch of my friends from across the United States.
My Dempsey Challenge donation page is here.
First, what is the Dempsey Challenge, anyway? The Dempsey Challenge is a 5/10k run/walk and 25/50/70/100 mile cycle that helps raise funds for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing, which provides a whole list of free services to individuals suffering from the effects of cancer at the Central Maine Comprehensive Cancer Center, including financial counseling, yoga classes, and other things.
I will be participating not only in the 10k walk this year, but also the 50 mile cycle. I participated in the 50 mile cycle, my first 50 mile ride ever, last year in 2011, and it was an amazing experience. You can read more about my experience at the 2011 Dempsey Challenge here: http://ariaadagio.livejournal.com/172873.html
How can you help? I'm trying to raise sponsorship money for my participation. I need to raise a minimum of $150, but I'm shooting for $1500. Your donation is tax deductible. The website has a very simple interface for donations, accepts most major credit cards worldwide, and will take maybe five minutes of your time. If you have any questions at all, you can find more information about the Center and the Challenge here: http://www.dempseychallenge.org/about-the-dempsey-center
In an effort to secure donations for the 2012 Dempsey Challenge, I've written a piece of fanfic entitled Dude (Looks Like a Lady). It is a humorous piece that I was inspired to write by a friend of mine, who came home the other day speculating about why her surgeon would be wearing blue eyeshadow on only one eye. The main characters in this piece are Derek, Meredith, Zola, and Stewart. Stewart, as you may or may not know, is a popular original character who first appeared in my post-ferry-arc epic, Lightning Strikes Twice. I've dragged him into canon because I've missed him. The story is roughly 9,000 words, clocks in at 22 pages, and is rated PG.
I will not be posting this story in its entirety anywhere in the foreseeable future. If you'd like to receive a full copy, all I ask is that you donate at least $5 to my Dempsey Challenge page. Once you've done so, e-mail your receipt to aria.adagio.fanfic@gmail.com, and I'll send you a copy of the story as soon as possible. Every donation helps. Thank you so much for your support :)
Dude (Looks Like a Lady) - PREVIEW
“Sorry to call you in on your day off,” Owen said. “We have a VIP patient. He demanded you.”
“Demanded me?” Derek said.
Owen nodded. “He said he'd donate $50,000 to our pro bono fund if you came. I don't know how he knows you. Maybe, from when you worked in New York.” And then he frowned. “Did somebody punch you?” he said.
“Um... no. Nobody punched me,” Derek said. “Why?”
“Then what is--”
“Wait,” Derek said. “Who is this VIP? What am I doing?” It was almost 8:00 PM now. He imagined not getting out of surgery until the morning. He could get a nurse to deal with Zola for a few minutes, but not for a long surgery like that. “Do I need to find somebody to take care of Zola?”
Everybody was staring at him, Derek realized. Everybody in the hall that passed him stared at him like he'd grown a second head with horns. What the hell? Owen shrugged, oblivious to the scrutiny. “He's got a concussion. We think.”
“A concussion,” Derek parroted as they stepped into the bustling ER. “You think.”
“Yes,” said Owen.
Every single slot in the ER was full. Derek saw blood. And gore. And vomiting. Two interns doing sutures. Three cubicles had the curtains closed. Nurses ran back and forth with towels and suture kits and other supplies. It was a typical ER scene, one Derek saw on any typical day. But he saw nobody he knew, at least not patients. His curiosity burgeoned.
“You called me in on my day off to deal with a concussion that you're not even sure is a concussion?” he said.
Owen shrugged helplessly at him. “It's $50,000, Derek. I can't say no to a donation like that.”
“I guess not,” Derek said. “But for $50,000, you can babysit.”
He hoisted Zola off his shoulder and pushed her at Owen, who took her reflexively. Zola kicked. And she didn't stop wailing. If anything she looked more miserable with Owen than she had with just the dirty diaper.
“But I'm--”
“Do you want the $50,000?” Derek said.
Owen sighed. “Yes.”
“Then you're changing a $50,000 dirty diaper,” Derek said. He pulled the diaper bag from his shoulder and gave it to Owen. “So, who is this VIP who knows me and maybe has a concussion?”
The fluttering curtains of the nearest closed cubicle opened at the seam, and a tall, lanky body stepped out, wearing nothing but a skimpy hospital gown that stopped well above mid-thigh. “It's Bond,” said the spindly, black-haired man as he held out a long, long arm attached to a huge hand. “James Bond.”
Derek gaped.
Zola wailed.
Owen frowned.
The tall man lowered his hand with a dramatic sigh. “Admittedly, that sounds better when Sean Connery says it,” he said. “Would you accept Knicks center for $300, Alex?”
“What are you doing here?” Derek said.
~~~~~
If you'd like to read the rest of this story, all I ask is that you donate at least $5 to my Dempsey Challenge page. Once you've done so, e-mail your receipt to aria.adagio.fanfic@gmail.com, and I'll send you a copy of the story as soon as possible. Remember, every donation helps, no matter how small or how large. Thank you so much for your support :)