erinm_4600
in
12to32
Fic: Vacations
Title: Vacations
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Stephen and Natalie
Rating: G
Summary: She really has had better vacations, but always the same date.
Warning: *Written for Round Three of love_bingo. Prompt: vacations Original titles are wholly unoriginal.
Disclaimer: The original characters of Medical Investigation belong to NBC and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
After the seventh surgery, she was tired. After the tenth, he was. Unfortunately, there were still going to be about five to go. The strains were hard to pin down, but it seemed, for the most part, that they'd managed to get the breakout under control.
Natalie didn't even know what time it was when she finally made it to the cafeteria, and no amount of coffee was going to make the exhaustion go away. Catnaps here and there weren't going to be enough if this went on any longer, which put her at risk for making a mistake.
And mistakes weren't going to help anyone.
She didn't remember leaning forward against the table, nor did she remember cradling her forehead in the crook of her shoulder. But, at some point, she had. It wasn't a deep sleep by many accounts, but it was deeper than she had reached in a while.
Stephen had been looking for her for nearly an hour before he made it to the cafeteria. It took a double-glance for him to realize Natalie was at the table in the back corner, and as he walked closer, he couldn't help but smile.
Letting out a low whistle, he moved around the table and leaned over her. "Natalie," he whispered, placing a hand on her back. He almost hated to wake her up, but she was the one who needed to run the next set of workups.
Natalie grumbled as she started to wake, and squeezed her eyes shut. A moment later, she bolted upright, sucking in a deep breath. Stephen leaned back, leaving his hand in place so that she didn't move too far back and hit her head on the wall. "Hey," he said, leaning forward again to look at her. "You okay?"
Natalie looked at him for a moment, waiting for the sleep-fog to clear and then reached up to wipe her eyes. Over a yawn, she blinked slowly and looked at Stephen. "What time is it?" she asked, noting the steam was no longer coming off her coffee. "How long have I been here?" she asked again, starting to panic slightly.
Stephen gave her a smirk and shook his head. "I don't know. How long after I left did you come down here?"
Natalie yawned again and rubbed at her neck. "Um... about an hour?" she guessed.
Stephen smiled and nodded. "Then you've been down here for about two hours." Natalie's eyes went wide and she stood up, pushing Stephen back. "Hey, calm down," he said, taking hold of her arms. "Everyone's fine. the world didn't come to a halt because you got some sleep." Natalie rolled her eyes and took a slow breath.
"Okay, break time over," he added, turning and tugging on her arm. "Now, earn that paycheck, Doctor Durant. Save some lives." Natalie gave him a dirty look, which made Stephen smirk. "Time for the next set of panels. You go prove we've turned the corner and I'll find you some decent coffee."
"Are you going to lead me to the lab?" Natalie asked, raising her arm just enough to remind him that he was still holding on to her. Stephen glanced at his hand, then back to her, and smirked.
"Are you going to fall asleep on me, again? We do have a reputation to uphold." He laughed as Natalie popped him in the stomach.
"Next Valentine's Day," she told him, "you're buying me a steak and giving me the week off."
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Stephen and Natalie
Rating: G
Summary: She really has had better vacations, but always the same date.
Warning: *Written for Round Three of love_bingo. Prompt: vacations Original titles are wholly unoriginal.
Disclaimer: The original characters of Medical Investigation belong to NBC and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
After the seventh surgery, she was tired. After the tenth, he was. Unfortunately, there were still going to be about five to go. The strains were hard to pin down, but it seemed, for the most part, that they'd managed to get the breakout under control.
Natalie didn't even know what time it was when she finally made it to the cafeteria, and no amount of coffee was going to make the exhaustion go away. Catnaps here and there weren't going to be enough if this went on any longer, which put her at risk for making a mistake.
And mistakes weren't going to help anyone.
She didn't remember leaning forward against the table, nor did she remember cradling her forehead in the crook of her shoulder. But, at some point, she had. It wasn't a deep sleep by many accounts, but it was deeper than she had reached in a while.
Stephen had been looking for her for nearly an hour before he made it to the cafeteria. It took a double-glance for him to realize Natalie was at the table in the back corner, and as he walked closer, he couldn't help but smile.
Letting out a low whistle, he moved around the table and leaned over her. "Natalie," he whispered, placing a hand on her back. He almost hated to wake her up, but she was the one who needed to run the next set of workups.
Natalie grumbled as she started to wake, and squeezed her eyes shut. A moment later, she bolted upright, sucking in a deep breath. Stephen leaned back, leaving his hand in place so that she didn't move too far back and hit her head on the wall. "Hey," he said, leaning forward again to look at her. "You okay?"
Natalie looked at him for a moment, waiting for the sleep-fog to clear and then reached up to wipe her eyes. Over a yawn, she blinked slowly and looked at Stephen. "What time is it?" she asked, noting the steam was no longer coming off her coffee. "How long have I been here?" she asked again, starting to panic slightly.
Stephen gave her a smirk and shook his head. "I don't know. How long after I left did you come down here?"
Natalie yawned again and rubbed at her neck. "Um... about an hour?" she guessed.
Stephen smiled and nodded. "Then you've been down here for about two hours." Natalie's eyes went wide and she stood up, pushing Stephen back. "Hey, calm down," he said, taking hold of her arms. "Everyone's fine. the world didn't come to a halt because you got some sleep." Natalie rolled her eyes and took a slow breath.
"Okay, break time over," he added, turning and tugging on her arm. "Now, earn that paycheck, Doctor Durant. Save some lives." Natalie gave him a dirty look, which made Stephen smirk. "Time for the next set of panels. You go prove we've turned the corner and I'll find you some decent coffee."
"Are you going to lead me to the lab?" Natalie asked, raising her arm just enough to remind him that he was still holding on to her. Stephen glanced at his hand, then back to her, and smirked.
"Are you going to fall asleep on me, again? We do have a reputation to uphold." He laughed as Natalie popped him in the stomach.
"Next Valentine's Day," she told him, "you're buying me a steak and giving me the week off."