Hah-hah. Jess had hauled his ass out of bed just after three to get himself to the hospital at five. His master plan involved showing up at an ungodly hour, and getting a jump on paperwork, or something that needed to be done. In all honesty, he wasn't particularly concerned with what he'd be doing once he got to work, he just wanted to be the first internist in. Impress the highers-up, you know?
In one hand was a paper cup, full of coffee. One knew one was up too early when the workers at Starbucks gave one dirty looks for patronizing their establishment. He also carried a bag of three yummy chocolate-chip muffins with stickers on the bottoms of their wrappers that read, 'Beat ya. Cheers, Jess.' Walking up to Sarah, one of the IM early morning desk nurses, he set the white paper bag down.
"Could you give one of these to doctors Rhoads, Franklin, and Riley when they get here?" Jess asked with a winning grin. Man, would he ever regret his promptness around closing time, but now he had satisfaction. Mwaha.
Sarah sighed, looking like she was about to drop unconscious onto her desk. "Yeah, yeah, sure whatever." She accepted the bag with a yawn, then blinked at Jess, almost as if his words were just then registering. "Actually... Riley might be here already." She checked her spreadsheet. Another listless blink. "This says she's been here for... the past twenty-one and a half hours."
As if this was nothing special, the nurse handed the bag back to Jess. "Her office is down that way." With that, she closed her eyes, and rested her head back in her palm, looking for all the world like she was asleep.
WHAT?! NOT fair. Riley was killing him here, really, she was. Jess gave a small, good-natured groan, and rubbed his face with his hand, accepting the bag back from Sarah. Twenty-one and half hours? Was that even humanly possible? Perhaps a better question: was Riley even human?
Just the same, Jess headed down to Riley's office, not bothering to point out that he knew where it was. Seeing the light from her desk lamp pouring out into the relatively dark corridor, he didn't even bother to knock. If she happened to be naked with Doc Benson on her desk, then he'd lose his internship, and his credibility, but he'd gain one hell of a memory. Only half of which he'd have to repress.
What? Hell, he is a guy. But, unfortunately, or, fortunately, depending on your take on it, Riley was fully clothed and alone. Now, we're going to stop that train of thought before it got him kicked out of PPTH for harassment. But anyway. He entered, normal as can be, holding his bag of goodies up. "Morning, Doc R."
Ugh. A person. No, just kidding. Though Riley did have to resist the temptation to send her pen flying towards Jess' forehead with a flick of her wrist. "Good morning, Jess." Speaking made Riley yawn, and largely, sitting back in her chair, smiling a little at him. Normally, she'd be receptive to the bright, personable, pleasant intern, but now was a bad time for anyone to be here.
Riley was feeling sort of vulnerable at the moment, and rather than making her open to conversation, it brought out the biting side of her personality. Now would be a good time for Jess to hightail it. "You're here early," She said sort of tightly, willing him to be yanked out of her office by a supernatural force.
"You're here late," Jess countered. He, completely and blissfully oblivious to her mental exorcism of him, moved towards her desk and plunked the bag down. Pulling a muffin out, he tugged the sticker off the bottom. Holding out the muffin to her, "Breakfast/dinner. Next to coffee, most important meal for doctors such as yourself." He stuck the sticker on the collar of his lab coat.
"You know, those two letters after your name on your ID mean that you're a doctor, too." Actually, maybe it was better that Jess hung around a little. Catching Riley in a poor, sleepless mood was a handy way to quash that odd little crush she was becoming increasingly suspicious of. If it was really there, it needed to be stopped, pronto.
She gestured at a chair by her desk in her smallish office, indicating for him to sit down. "What're you doing here so ungodly early?" A quirk of the eyebrows, a dry attempt at humor. But really, Riley was in the mood for neither flirting, nor being funny. "Besides talking to me." She accepted the muffin and set it on her desk with a nod of thanks.
"Feeding you?" Jess guessed. He sat down in the indicated chair. "What's up, doc?" After he asked the question was when he realized he was quoting a cartoon rabbit. Whoops. Meh, no big.
Riley knew he wasn't trying to be funny, really she did. But that didn't quell the tiny bubble of frustration she felt. Not necessarily at Whitman, but just things in general. Like the fact that she had to motivation to go home from work, besides House. Who was an independent spirit that enjoyed having free reign over both sides of Riley's bed. He wouldn't be going into doggie depression over her absence any time soon.
She gestured at him with the muffin. "You realize that if this had been made of carrot cake you'd be out on your ass now, right?" The right corner of Riley's forehead twinged. She was setting herself up for one hell of a migraine, and, at that moment, she was considering how best to get the 6'2" intern out on his ass anyway, carrot cake or no.
Gaw... interns didn't know when to quit. Besides being intensely private anyway, a subordinate was the last person she was going to get personal with. And that's personal on all levels. "Seriously, Doc W," Mimicking him a little, saying the last initial in the same way the president did, 'Dubya.' "Nothing's up."
She kicked her feet up on her desk, and folded her hands over her middle. "So. If we're having some special doctor/intern time, you'll have to let me know. Or is this muffin a well-leavened bribe? Or maybe one of those time-release detonators." No matter how short of temper and patience Riley was feeling, she was truly fighting not to oust the slightly younger man right then and there.
Something had gotten to Riley pretty bad, Jess could tell. He could also tell that she was about four and a half seconds away from shoving that muffin somewhere very uncomfortable. So, he nodded a little and chuckled softly, trademark grin present as the first streaks of morning light struggled through Riley's office window.
"I'll never tell." Reaching into his black cargo messenger back, he pulled out a compact disk in a green jewel case. It was identical to six million others he had at home, in his car, or yes, even in that bag. But that one might be good for whatever Riley was in right now. He sat it on her desk as he stood, still smiling warmly. "I'll see you later, Doc R. Do me a few favors though? Eat the muffin, and get some sleep." If she wanted to listen to the CD, she would. Easy as that.
Riley picked up the CD with her right hand. Looking at it, blank and silver, made her tired. Six hours of nothing but paperwork couldn't make her feel tired, but this nondescript thing did. Maybe because it didn't offer anything to analyze. "Thanks, Jess." She gave up, more or less. No promises were made.
She still thought he was a little over confident, a little too automatically intimate for an intern. But he was a good friend already. As he was her department's intern, he'd have to stay a friend, and strictly just that, but being Jess Whitman's friend was very healthy. "You go get some work done, before I have you do this paperwork." Riley dismissed him kindly, with a smile to soften it. Though it was clearly a If we're done, could we please BE done? sort of request.
"No problem, Doc R." Jess turned, and left her office, leaving her with her muffin, and a low-key mix of hip-hop and jazz. He knew where to draw the line in professional relationships. But if Riley'd give him the chance, he'd take it to the next level. Of course, she wouldn't. And then there was Susan Ellis, whom he barely knew. But she might be a friend, too. Maybe more. Maybe. But at the moment, he just wanted Riley to take care of herself, even if she wasn't open to spilling her 411.
In one hand was a paper cup, full of coffee. One knew one was up too early when the workers at Starbucks gave one dirty looks for patronizing their establishment. He also carried a bag of three yummy chocolate-chip muffins with stickers on the bottoms of their wrappers that read, 'Beat ya. Cheers, Jess.' Walking up to Sarah, one of the IM early morning desk nurses, he set the white paper bag down.
"Could you give one of these to doctors Rhoads, Franklin, and Riley when they get here?" Jess asked with a winning grin. Man, would he ever regret his promptness around closing time, but now he had satisfaction. Mwaha.
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As if this was nothing special, the nurse handed the bag back to Jess. "Her office is down that way." With that, she closed her eyes, and rested her head back in her palm, looking for all the world like she was asleep.
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Just the same, Jess headed down to Riley's office, not bothering to point out that he knew where it was. Seeing the light from her desk lamp pouring out into the relatively dark corridor, he didn't even bother to knock. If she happened to be naked with Doc Benson on her desk, then he'd lose his internship, and his credibility, but he'd gain one hell of a memory. Only half of which he'd have to repress.
What? Hell, he is a guy. But, unfortunately, or, fortunately, depending on your take on it, Riley was fully clothed and alone. Now, we're going to stop that train of thought before it got him kicked out of PPTH for harassment. But anyway. He entered, normal as can be, holding his bag of goodies up. "Morning, Doc R."
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Ugh. A person. No, just kidding. Though Riley did have to resist the temptation to send her pen flying towards Jess' forehead with a flick of her wrist. "Good morning, Jess." Speaking made Riley yawn, and largely, sitting back in her chair, smiling a little at him. Normally, she'd be receptive to the bright, personable, pleasant intern, but now was a bad time for anyone to be here.
Riley was feeling sort of vulnerable at the moment, and rather than making her open to conversation, it brought out the biting side of her personality. Now would be a good time for Jess to hightail it. "You're here early," She said sort of tightly, willing him to be yanked out of her office by a supernatural force.
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"You're here late," Jess countered. He, completely and blissfully oblivious to her mental exorcism of him, moved towards her desk and plunked the bag down. Pulling a muffin out, he tugged the sticker off the bottom. Holding out the muffin to her, "Breakfast/dinner. Next to coffee, most important meal for doctors such as yourself." He stuck the sticker on the collar of his lab coat.
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She gestured at a chair by her desk in her smallish office, indicating for him to sit down. "What're you doing here so ungodly early?" A quirk of the eyebrows, a dry attempt at humor. But really, Riley was in the mood for neither flirting, nor being funny. "Besides talking to me." She accepted the muffin and set it on her desk with a nod of thanks.
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She gestured at him with the muffin. "You realize that if this had been made of carrot cake you'd be out on your ass now, right?" The right corner of Riley's forehead twinged. She was setting herself up for one hell of a migraine, and, at that moment, she was considering how best to get the 6'2" intern out on his ass anyway, carrot cake or no.
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Jess nodded, "Yep." But, still, she had dodged his question. "Seriously, Doc R. Something up?"
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Gaw... interns didn't know when to quit. Besides being intensely private anyway, a subordinate was the last person she was going to get personal with. And that's personal on all levels. "Seriously, Doc W," Mimicking him a little, saying the last initial in the same way the president did, 'Dubya.' "Nothing's up."
She kicked her feet up on her desk, and folded her hands over her middle. "So. If we're having some special doctor/intern time, you'll have to let me know. Or is this muffin a well-leavened bribe? Or maybe one of those time-release detonators." No matter how short of temper and patience Riley was feeling, she was truly fighting not to oust the slightly younger man right then and there.
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"I'll never tell." Reaching into his black cargo messenger back, he pulled out a compact disk in a green jewel case. It was identical to six million others he had at home, in his car, or yes, even in that bag. But that one might be good for whatever Riley was in right now. He sat it on her desk as he stood, still smiling warmly. "I'll see you later, Doc R. Do me a few favors though? Eat the muffin, and get some sleep." If she wanted to listen to the CD, she would. Easy as that.
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She still thought he was a little over confident, a little too automatically intimate for an intern. But he was a good friend already. As he was her department's intern, he'd have to stay a friend, and strictly just that, but being Jess Whitman's friend was very healthy. "You go get some work done, before I have you do this paperwork." Riley dismissed him kindly, with a smile to soften it. Though it was clearly a If we're done, could we please BE done? sort of request.
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And, he didn't want to do that paperwork. :D
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