RP with cutandlearn & surgeonshands | Three of a foursome

[learninghearts]

[Posting order: Aimee, Serena, Dave]As promised, Aimee had the kettle on when Serena arrived and had already jumped online and put a pizza order through. She hadn't checked with Dave if he would be down with those plans, but he seemed easygoing about everything else, and he would probably be starved after a busy shift anyway. Since their date,

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[cutandlearn]

Serena shook her head. "No, but then what did I expect? He just... He thinks I'm stuck on the time of death thing, and he said he doesn't need protecting, but how can I not want to protect him?" Serena let out a huff as she rubbed her hand over her face. "I know I'm not making sense, and I'm sorry. Are you sure this is okay? If you had plans with Dave I really don't want to be the third nipple. I don't think talking about my fight with Chris is going to make for romantic vibes with you two. I'm probably just being stupid, but I'm worried about him. This is his brother, and he... I want to be there for him."

[surgeonshands]

As much as he hated himself for it, Dave had stayed at MT1 to put off going to Aimee's for just a little longer. In the wake of his conversations with Eva and Serena, he was left with a strange numb feeling that had settled over him, and he needed to take a few minutes to work up to heading over Aimee's, where Serena was going to be. He could have just said he was tied up at work, but he sucked at lying. He sucked at secrets, he always felt horrible for it, like an emotional hangover.

But after trying to contact Chris and having no luck, even going so far as to stop by Chris' home and still receiving no answer to his knock at the door, Dave drove to Aimee's and now stood at her door, ringing the buzzer. He took a moment to rub his head and his eyes, hoping at least to push away some of the tension there, but it just didn't work.

[learninghearts]

Aimee gave Serena's hand a squeeze and couldn't stifle a soft sigh from escaping. "Romantic vibes... Dave and I haven't even slept together yet," she admitted, pressing her lips together. The doorbell sounded and she pushed her hair back off her face, tucking it behind her ears. "Let me get the door, and then you can have free range on my phone to try and call Chris again. At least if he sees all the missed calls on his cell, he'll know you're thinking about him."

[cutandlearn]

"Or assume I'm stalking him," Serena said as she stuck her tongue out. "And for the record, sleeping with someone isn't everything. Sometimes it's nice to take it easy." She tried to give Aimee a hopeful look before she got up to pour the tea on Aimee's behalf. She was about to hog her friend's phone, and date time. It was the least she could do.

When Dave came into the room she gave him a smile and a little wave. "We meet again, Dr D. Or actually, for the first time properly."

[surgeonshands]

Dave leaned in and gave Aimee a soft, lingering kiss in greeting before pulling back and shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. There was maybe just a moment of hesitation before he offered Serena a small smile and a wave before the hand was stuffed back into his pocket. "Hey," he returned and bit down on his lower lip. "I just tried calling C, and dropped by. No answer, and doesn't look like anyone is home. I don't know what time he left work, so maybe he's still making the trip?"

[learninghearts]

Despite the serious subject, Aimee couldn't stop the heat that spread through her when Dave kissed her. His lips were always so soft and warm, and her eyes still lingered on them even when he pulled away. Still, she hadn't known him very long, but long enough to pick up an air that he was feeling eithe akward or distracted. She just had no idea why. They all knew Chris and Serena were dating, and he was Chris' best mate. They were just here to try and help. She slipped her hand into his, giving it a soft squeeze. "You okay, sweetheart?" she had to ask.

At Dave's question, she raised her eyebrows a little. "It wouldn't take that long for him to ride home, would it? But then, it is dark. Maybe he took the scenic route to clear his head?"

[cutandlearn]

Serena watched Aimee and Dave with a soft smile, and averted her eyes briefly at the kiss. If she didn't feel like she was intruding before, she really did now. Aimee had the cute little flushy thing going, and Dave was in there with the lingering hello kisses. They really should have been alone. Serena reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears as she tried to give them both another smile.

"Or maybe he stopped by a bar like he told me too. I don't know. He didn't even text me back after I asked him if he was home safe. Only thing anyone's heard is that he called in sick to work."

[surgeonshands]

Dave rubbed a hand over his lips and then pushed his fingers through his hair. He was trying not to come off restless, but it was a damn hard feat. Fresh, right in the forefront of his mind was his conversation with Chris the night of their boys' night out. Not even conversation, because he had done all the talking while Chris had listened blankly, then proceeded to get extremely drunk. But the thing was, at least Dave cared enough to stick around and make sure Chris was okay. He had no idea what the hell Rick was playing at with this, and he wanted to punch his lights out, cancer or not.

He gave Aimee a smile, slipping his arm around her waist to give her a reassuring hug. "I'm fine, just tired." He took his cell phone out of his pocket and held it up. "Who wants to try the first call to him? To be honest, if I had a brother with... cancer and found out off a work colleague, I'd feel sick too."

[learninghearts]

Aimee's nose scrunched up a little and she glanced at Serena, a hint of knowing behind her blue eyes. She just got fed the 'I'm fine, just tired' line. They were doctors, they all knew that line better than their own names. Worry immediately gnawed in her gut, but she didn't want to blatantly go all Spanish Inquisition on his ass. He was probably just worried about Chris. They all were, especially now. Cancer wasn't anything to not be worried about.

She took Dave's phone and handed it over to Serena. "Just so we're on the same page here, his brother isn't terminal, is he? I mean, I know even if it's treatable and goes into remission, it can always come back, but kidney cancer, early stages, can be treated with the removal of the kidney and chemo, right? Which is a slight silver lining. Not much of one, I know, but it's something. How far away does his brother live? He wouldn't have gone there, would he?"

[cutandlearn]

Serena smirked just a little at hearing Dave use the 'I'm fine, just tired' line. She also had no doubt Aimee would edge it out of him given half a chance. She took Dave's phone with a nod before she took a seat, and picked up her mug of tea, ready to hit redial at least three times before she handed the phone to someone else.

"I have no idea. I mean, it's not like I can ask Eva straight out. Won't she want to know why I'm so interested in the diagnosis? I was lucky not to cross the line completely when I was trying to talk to Chris. We had an audience... Do you know how hard it is to try and act like you don't care as much as you really do?" Chris' voicemail kicked in her ear, and she hung up before dialling again. "Brother lives in, ah... I think, Sarasota? Something like that. He was close to the pick up point for the trauma patients. They weren't locals. Miami locals, I mean."

[surgeonshands]

Dave sat down too, really grateful of the seat, just not so sure about the tea he found in his hands when Aimee handed it to him. At least he could use it as a prop and pretend he had an interest in drinking it. In his own defense, he was tired, he just wasn't necessarily fine to go along with it. He didn't like these sorts of days, when the tiredness felt like it had seeped right down into his bones.

He watched Aimee move from the kitchen to the sofa, trying not to make it too obvious that he was perving on her, appreciating the view of her body. Just because he was trying to be respectful, didn't mean he wasn't needing to jerk off three times a day thinking about her to deal with it. Chris, of course, had told him to just go for the home run, but Dave really wanted to get this right, even if there was now a guilt niggling in his gut at the current subject of conversation. "How was he?" he asked quietly. "When you spoke to him, how was he?"

[learninghearts]

Before Aimee could stop herself, as soon as she sat beside him, she put her hand up to feel his forehead, but then dropped it down into her lap, glancing between them both sheepishly when she felt Dave's eyes turn to her questioningly. "I'm sorry! Nervous tic? Rogue hand?" she suggested, no matter how ludicrous is sounded. "You just... look a bit peaky, and you fed me a line. You're either really worried about Chris and his whereabouts without letting on about it, or there is more going on here than meets the eye."

[cutandlearn]

Serena held out the phone for Aimee, figuring it couldn't hurt for them all to try, and at least this way if Aimee got a response Chris wouldn't hang up on her straight away. Maybe. She couldn't help but think about how he probably wanted time, but all she wanted to know was that he was home safe.

"Don't mind her. She's just smitten with your peaky ass. As for Chris, he was... Well, he wasn't good. He was frustrated and angry, and upset. I've never seen him like it, but then he's never had to deal with news like this before. He seemed stuck on the fact that Rick went so far out of his way to not tell him."

[surgeonshands]

Dave watched the phone pass hands and then glanced at Serena. "It's a massive thing he's hidden, even if it all went down in one day. Right there under C's nose, in his comfort zone, his brother was being diagnosed with cancer by his friend, and he wasn't told a single thing until after he fact. He probably just thought Rick was here wanting money again. There must have been countless opportunities for Rick to tell him, but he didn't. Of course Chris feels fucked over and angry. All cancer can be terminal. Once you've had it, it can always... come back."

He exhaled and scratched the back of his neck before smiling at Aimee again. "I'm okay," he promised with a nod for emphasis. "I just have a bit of a headache, and that's not a line, okay?"

[learninghearts]

Aimee wasn't buying it, but she wouldn't push him on the subject. It was hard not to take the line personally when she had invited him to stay the night. Maybe he just didn't want to sleep with her? Wouldn't explain why he did look a little off-colour. "I'll get you some Tylenol," she offered, standing as she cupped the phone in her hand.

But she didn't have a chance to dial or seek out the headache pills. Her pager started buzzing loudly on the coffee table, and with a small string of soft cursing, she picked it up to read the message. "Damnit," she swore with a heavy sigh and shook her head. "I need to go into work. Emergency heart something or other that you don't need to worry about on your down time." She handed Dave's phone back to him and leaned down to cup his face and kiss him, making sure she at least got some tongue action this time. "I don't know when I'll be home. But you guys stay. S has a spare key, and pizza is on it's way. Let me know if you hear from Chris, okay?" She was going to pull back, but she couldn't help

[cutandlearn]

Serena hugged her friend, still a little shell-shocked that she was even leaving. Once she hit down time it was sometimes a little hard for her to remember that it was still possible to get called into work. Her mind was also on Chris, her entire mind filled with thoughts of the Chief Resident.

As she watched her friend collect her things and go, she turned to Dave with a small smile. "I can go if you want. I mean, it's not like you had planned your evening to be with me. I must seem so stupid going on and on about Chris. He probably just wants to be left alone."