newbie with fic...
Howdy!!! I was linked over to here, and I cannot tell you how happy I am to see a Ray/Neela community. These two have won me over big-time. can't wait to discuss them with you guys and get to meet everyone!
And as an opener, I bring my first attempt at Ray/Neela and ER fic in general. Hopefully I do it justice!
Title: Twelve Hours
Author: Tonya (tcooksey@gmail.com)
Rating: FRT (suitable for teens and over)
Pairing: Ray/Neela
Disclaimer: No own, no sue. The basics.
Warning Content/Spoilers: None.
Summary: Neela deals with her insomnia.
1:20am
Neela closed the apartment door with a heavy sigh. Locking it securely, she pulled off her coat and tossed it along with her messenger bag onto the couch. Normally, she would have taken the time to be tidier. Her coat would be hung up in the closet, her bag neatly draped over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. But normally, she wouldn't find herself sharing an apartment with Ray Barnett, a man who apparently had never learned the fine art of proper housekeeping between his band gigs. He'd barely notice her coat or bag unless he attempted to flop down on the couch and found his spot occupied by her belongings.
"Ray?" she called into the quiet apartment, making her way down the hallway.
She was greeted with silence in return which didn't surprise her. Not only did they have a tendency to work different shifts in the e.r., but he also had a tendency to be out into the wee hours. With his band. With his friends. With some random girl who had probably fallen for some unbelievably horrific pickup line he had fed her.
Either way, it didn't matter much to her. It meant she got a pleasantly quiet apartment to herself, if only for a few hours before he came stumbling through the door.
Stepping into her bedroom, Neela began to pull off her clothes, more than ready for a scalding hot bath to wash away the day.
***
1:46am
Neela shut off the water, listening intently to the silence of the apartment surrounding her. She pulled back the shower curtain, peeking around the edge and listening again. She could have sworn she had heard the apartment door shut.
In her mind, she retraced her steps.
Bedroom. Hallway. Tossed coat and bag. Shut door.
Did she lock it? It was second nature to lock the door when she crossed the threshold, but sometimes, even she forgot. So tired from work, little things could slip her mind.
Like locking the damn door behind herself.
Her hand still gripping onto the shower curtain, Neela waited a moment before pulling herself from the tub. She grabbed her towel from the back of the bathroom door, not even worrying to dry herself off as she wrapped it around her body.
Dripping wet. Stuck in a bathroom. No weapons. With some stranger rummaging through her apartment. Her odds could not have been any worse.
Determined not to stay holed up in the bathroom like a frightened child, Neela grabbed the closest thing to a weapon she could find. Which unfortunately, at the moment, happened to be her curling iron.
"Yes, let's curl the robber to death, Neela," she muttered at herself, her hand on the doorknob. "Brilliant idea, really."
She cracked the bathroom door and listened to the silence again, and this time she could faintly hear sounds coming from down the hallway, from the kitchen.
"Ray?" she said quietly.
The sounds continued on without missing a beat, as if she weren't there. One hand holding her towel securely in place and the other clenching her last minute attempt at a weapon, she started quietly down the hallway. She reached the kitchen doorway before she realized what a horrible idea this was if the intruder was a) armed with something more than a hair care device, b) a lot larger than her, or c) all of the above.
Holding her breath, Neela peeked around the corner, and nearly groaned in frustration when her eyes fell on the so-called intruder.
Ray stood in front of the open refrigerator door, gathering items for what Neela could only assume was a very late night snack.
"Thanks for the near coronary, Ray," she said, irritated as she lowered her weapon.
He didn't turn in response, continuing with his gathering of items. Neela studied him with a tilt of her head before stepping into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes as she noticed the wires for ear pieces dangling from his ears. Irritated, she gave him a hard nudge in between the shoulder blades with her curling iron.
Ray jumped before finally turning to face her. He grinned at her, pulling one of the earpieces out of his ear with his free hand. "You say something?" he asked as he closed the refrigerator door with his foot.
"Would it kill you to announce your presence next time?" she asked, her hand still clinging to her towel.
Ray tossed the makings for a sandwich onto the kitchen table. He removed his iPod from the pocket of his jeans, placing it on the table as well. "You were in the shower. Not like you would have heard me," he said with a shrug, heading towards the drawers for a knife. He retrieved it, and turned to her with a smirk. "Hot date?"
"What?" she asked, the confusion etched across her face.
He simply pointed his knife at her side, and Neela's hand tightened around the base of the curling iron.
"No, I... I thought you were a burglar."
Ray laughed as he twisted open a jar of mayo. "And you thought you would give him styling tips while he ripped our place apart?"
Neela narrowed her eyes at him. "Very funny."
He raised his eyebrows in amusement before sniffing the jar. The amusement faded away to disgust as he groaned and held the jar out as far as possible. He continued to hold the jar at arm's length as he screwed the cap securely back on. "When was the last time you bought this crap?"
"First of all? I'm not the only one capable of shopping here. Second of all? You like mayonnaise, not me. Therefore, *you* bought it last."
"Right." He tossed the jar towards the trash can in the corner, and surprisingly, it bounced off the outer rim before landing squarely inside. He glanced at her, the look of amusement returning. "You're leaving a puddle."
Neela looked down to see that she was, in fact, dripping water onto the tiled kitchen floor. With a sheepish look, she turned and padded out of the kitchen, feeling Ray watch her depart with that same amused smirk of his.
***
2:32am
Neela laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She hated insomnia. It always seemed to come on the nights when all she wanted to do was slip into a nice deep sleep, to put aside all her thoughts for the day.
It wasn't anything new to have a bad day. It came with working in the emergency room. You had cases that turned out perfectly. The person recovered, their family rejoiced, and all things seemed right in the world. And then you had those other cases. The cases where you knew happily ever after wouldn't happen. Where you found yourself standing in front of distraught family and friends, trying to hold your professional manner while still showing compassion.
Her last patient of the night had been one of those. A young newlywed couple in a car accident. She had helped tend to the pregnant wife while her unconscious husband laid a room away fighting for his life. Neela had tried to be comforting, even as the woman began to have premature contractions. She had been reassuring up until the moment she had had to leave the woman alone with her grief, with the knowledge that she had not only just lost her husband but their unborn child.
And lying in bed now, Neela could still hear the woman's sobs as if she were standing back at the woman's bedside.
With a sigh, she turned onto her side, forcing her eyes closed, trying to will herself to sleep. She laid motionless for a moment, listening to the apartment around her. Through her cracked bedroom door, she could faintly hear the TV playing from the front room.
"Night owl," she mumbled to herself.
She listened to Ray laugh and sighed, finally kicking back her sheets. She couldn't sleep so there was no point in lying wide awake and watching the minutes tick away on her clock. She pulled herself from the bed, grabbing her robe which had been draped over the foot of her bed and slipping it on.
She strolled down the hallway and into the front room to find Ray just where she had expected-- lounging on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table. Her belongings, as she also expected, remained in their spot on the couch beside him.
"Couldn't sleep?"
She jumped slightly at his voice, unaware that he had even noticed her entering. He glanced over the back of the couch at her when she didn't answer.
"No," she admitted to his expecting look.
He simply nodded before turning his attention back to the television.
"Shouldn’t you be asleep?" she said as she finally approached the couch, sitting down on the arm next to her belongings. "You have a shift in a few hours."
He shook his head, holding out an open bag of chips to her as he continued to watch his movie. After a moment of thought, she took one. "Naw, you're off tomorrow night so Susan put me on to fill the gap." He glanced over at her. "What has you up?"
She exhaled deeply, and before she could respond he answered for her.
"Good ol' County General." He fished another chip from the bag. "You really need to learn how to leave work at work."
"Right," she replied with the raise of an eyebrow, "because I'm really going to take work advice for the person whose mind leaves work hours before he actually does."
Ray shrugged in response. "I'm not the one missing my much needed beauty sleep, now am I?"
Neela frowned at him, removing herself from the arm of the couch. She started towards the kitchen and only stopped when he called out to her from his spot on the couch.
"If you're looking to make yourself a snack? You're out of luck."
She turned on him, the irritation emblazoned across her face. "But I just saw you make yourself a sandwich an hour ago."
"Yeah, and you also saw me using the last of the ingredients we had to make said sandwich."
"Is shopping a foreign concept to you?"
Ray finally pulled himself from his spot, sighing as he stood. "Go put some clothes on."
Neela stared at him, not sure she had heard him right. "I'm sorry?"
"You're awake, I'm awake, you're hungry, and I'd prefer not to be bitched at at--" He glanced at his watch.-- "nearly three in the morning. So you and I, roomie, are going shopping."
She gaped at him. "At three in the morning?"
"There are places that stay open 'round the clock, you know."
"Ray, I am not going grocery shopping at three in the morning."
"Are you hungry or not?" he simply replied.
Neela continued to stare at him in silence.
***
3:27am
Neela stood in front of the wall of cereal boxes, her mind going back and forth between thoughts about which to place in the cart and the fact that she was debating such a decision at this time of day.
"Heads up!"
Neela turned to Ray's voice just in time to see the box of cereal coming at her and catch it with more grace than she had thought possible.
He grinned at her, leaning on the front of the cart, one foot propped on the undercarriage. "Nice catch."
She frowned at him before tossing the box into their cart, which in the course of the time they had been roaming through the store had slowly started to accumulate items. She started down the aisle, Ray following close behind as he propelled the cart as if riding a scooter.
"Have you noticed how there's barely anyone here?" she asked him, slight annoyance in her voice.
"Because it's three-thirty in the morning, Neela," he smirked. "No one in their right mind would be out shopping at this hour." He grinned at the glare he received in response. "Look at it this way, we won't have to wait in line."
***
4:01am
"Ray, we didn't come for this," Neela sighed, following Ray as he navigated the cart towards the electronics department.
"I know. Just chill for a second. I just want to check some things out."
Neela watched him disappear into the CDs section with a huff. Rolling her eyes, she made her way towards the DVDs, looking to pass the time while she waited.
She glanced at her watch.
Normal people would be asleep right now. Normal people would not have left their nice warm apartment. Normal people would not be out shopping with their annoyingly eager roommate. And normal people would definitely not be holding a copy of The Breakfast Club and debating purchasing it.
And obviously, tonight, she was far from normal.
A copy of The Breakfast Club in her hands, she scanned the rest of the titles, from A to Z before deciding it was time to drag Ray away kicking and screaming if need be. She found him at one of the listening stations, the headphones on his head as he mouthed along to whatever CD he had selected to play.
She stepped up to him, taking hold of one of the headphones and pulling it away from his head. "We're leaving." With that, she let go, and the headphone snapped back onto his head.
"Ow!" Ray replied, throwing her a look before removing the headphones and hanging them back up. He rubbed the side of his head. "The hell, Neela."
She hid her smile of accomplishment as she motioned at the cart with her free hand. "We have things that need to be refrigerated at some point. Can't exactly waste the rest of the morning in order for you to listen to free music."
"Fine, music nazi." He nodded towards her hand. "What's that?"
"A movie," she stated simply.
He tilted his head, reading the title off the package in her hand. A slow grin spread across his face, and he looked back up at her. "The Breakfast Club?"
"Yes, now can we go?" She started away from him before he could say anything more.
Ray quickly maneuvered the full grocery cart to catch up with her, soon walking in step beside her. "Never figured you for a John Hughes fan," he said, that same amused grin on his face.
She looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "First of all, I don't understand why that's so shocking, and secondly? Could you stop grinning at me like that?"
"I just find this new information very entertaining."
"Apparently," she replied in an dry tone.
"You know, your deep dark secret was bound to get back to me eventually," he grinned.
Neela stopped in her tracks, turning on him. "Ray, keep it up, and I will gladly inform the new girl who moved in across the hall that you're gay."
Ray watched her for a moment, trying to gauge her. "You wouldn't."
"Or would I?" she replied and continued on her way, leaving Ray to look after her.
***
4:41am
"Raisin Bran? I didn't realize we were elderly."
Neela rolled her eyes at Ray's voice as she laid out on the couch. They had divided the groceries in half, and as she had expected, she had finished storing her half away long before he had even thought to finish his half.
Neela flipped through the stations, watching as the early news began to play on many of the local stations. "I should be asleep," she muttered to herself, amazed that she seemed to be wide awake at the present time.
"The adrenaline rush of shopping," came Ray's voice at a much closer proximity than she had expected. She looked up to see him standing over her from behind the couch. "Here."
He held out his hand, presenting her with a bagel, cream cheese sandwiched between the halves. She gave him a curious look before sitting up and slowly taking it from his hands.
"Did you put something in this?"
"You know, every time I try to be nice to you?" He paused, jumping the back of the couch and landing where her feet had been. "Not trying to kill you."
Neela simply watched him, skeptical.
"So where is it?" he asked, ignoring the look she was giving him.
Breaking off a piece of the bagel, she popped it into her mouth before speaking. "Where is what?"
He smirked. "Your movie. You know you're dying to watch."
"Didn't I warn you in the store?"
The smirk did not falter. "You did."
"Shouldn't you be going to sleep soon?" she replied.
Ray's smirk intensified. "It's already in the player, isn't it?"
No," she scoffed.
They shared a look, and at the same moment, both reached for the remote. Unfortunately for Neela, Ray proved faster.
"No, you say?" he grinned, hitting play on the remote. The DVD menu began to play, and his grin turned triumphant. "You were trying to send me off to bed so you could watch your movie alone in shame."
Neela snatched the remote from his hand, giving him a look that could kill. She started the movie and looked over at him, surprised that he had yet to move from his spot.
"Isn't this your cue to make a smartass exit?" she asked.
"And do what exactly?" he asked, sinking lower into the couch cushions. He crossed his arms over his chest and propped his feet up on the table. "Stare at my ceiling for a few hours before I finally fall asleep? I'll definitely fall asleep quicker if I watch this."
"Funny," she replied dryly.
He simply smiled at her before turning his attention back towards the television. Neela placed the remote back onto the table before settling into her side of the couch with her bagel.
***
1:20pm
A sharp pain coursed up Neela's spine, and she awoke with a groan. Blinking, she rubbed at her eyes, trying to identify her surroundings. She sat up slightly to realize she was lying on the couch, a blanket draped over her and the TV that had been previously on turned off.
Sitting up with a yawn, she rubbed at her eyes once more before finally standing. She wrapped the heavy blanket around herself as she made her way down the hallway. She could faintly hear music coming out from behind Ray's closed bedroom door, and she hesitated a moment before knocking.
"Yeah!" came his voice from the other side of the door.
Neela pushed the door open to see Ray sitting at the foot of his bed, dressed in his scrubs and lacing up his sneakers. He looked up and smirked at her. "Hey, she lives!"
"What time did I fall asleep?"
"Neela, you were out before the credits even thought about rolling." He grinned. "Told you that movie was the best way to get some sleep."
Neela smiled despite herself, but the smile fell as she began to speak. "Can you do me a favor?"
He stood, running a hand through his hair, making it stand up even wilder than usual. "Depends. What is it?"
"There's a patient," she replied, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. "From last night. If she's still there, could you check up on her for me?"
Ray exhaled deeply, his expression turning serious. "What I said earlier? About leaving work at work? I meant that. You're gonna drive yourself insane worrying about every single case that crosses your path."
"Not every case, Ray. This case."
He frowned, staring at her, before finally nodding in agreement. "What's the name?"
"Bridget Holloway. Came in around 11:45 last night. Car accident. Eventual miscarriage."
Ray nodded again. "Right. I'll check it out."
Neela smiled in appreciation. "Thank you."
"Anytime." He walked over to his dresser, grabbing his wallet. "Enjoy your day off, alright?" He stepped by her, patting her on the shoulder as he passed.
Neela stood there for a moment before finally moving to go across the hall to her own room. She had just pushed the door open when Ray's head poked out from down the hallway.
"Hey, Neela!"
Her hand on the doorknob, she looked down the hallway towards him. "Yeah?"
"About our new neighbor. You were joking, right?"
Neela grinned deviously. "Have a good day in the e.r., Ray."
Before he could respond, she stepped into her room, finally ready to take that much needed rest she had been waiting twelve hours to take.
And as an opener, I bring my first attempt at Ray/Neela and ER fic in general. Hopefully I do it justice!
Title: Twelve Hours
Author: Tonya (tcooksey@gmail.com)
Rating: FRT (suitable for teens and over)
Pairing: Ray/Neela
Disclaimer: No own, no sue. The basics.
Warning Content/Spoilers: None.
Summary: Neela deals with her insomnia.
1:20am
Neela closed the apartment door with a heavy sigh. Locking it securely, she pulled off her coat and tossed it along with her messenger bag onto the couch. Normally, she would have taken the time to be tidier. Her coat would be hung up in the closet, her bag neatly draped over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. But normally, she wouldn't find herself sharing an apartment with Ray Barnett, a man who apparently had never learned the fine art of proper housekeeping between his band gigs. He'd barely notice her coat or bag unless he attempted to flop down on the couch and found his spot occupied by her belongings.
"Ray?" she called into the quiet apartment, making her way down the hallway.
She was greeted with silence in return which didn't surprise her. Not only did they have a tendency to work different shifts in the e.r., but he also had a tendency to be out into the wee hours. With his band. With his friends. With some random girl who had probably fallen for some unbelievably horrific pickup line he had fed her.
Either way, it didn't matter much to her. It meant she got a pleasantly quiet apartment to herself, if only for a few hours before he came stumbling through the door.
Stepping into her bedroom, Neela began to pull off her clothes, more than ready for a scalding hot bath to wash away the day.
***
1:46am
Neela shut off the water, listening intently to the silence of the apartment surrounding her. She pulled back the shower curtain, peeking around the edge and listening again. She could have sworn she had heard the apartment door shut.
In her mind, she retraced her steps.
Bedroom. Hallway. Tossed coat and bag. Shut door.
Did she lock it? It was second nature to lock the door when she crossed the threshold, but sometimes, even she forgot. So tired from work, little things could slip her mind.
Like locking the damn door behind herself.
Her hand still gripping onto the shower curtain, Neela waited a moment before pulling herself from the tub. She grabbed her towel from the back of the bathroom door, not even worrying to dry herself off as she wrapped it around her body.
Dripping wet. Stuck in a bathroom. No weapons. With some stranger rummaging through her apartment. Her odds could not have been any worse.
Determined not to stay holed up in the bathroom like a frightened child, Neela grabbed the closest thing to a weapon she could find. Which unfortunately, at the moment, happened to be her curling iron.
"Yes, let's curl the robber to death, Neela," she muttered at herself, her hand on the doorknob. "Brilliant idea, really."
She cracked the bathroom door and listened to the silence again, and this time she could faintly hear sounds coming from down the hallway, from the kitchen.
"Ray?" she said quietly.
The sounds continued on without missing a beat, as if she weren't there. One hand holding her towel securely in place and the other clenching her last minute attempt at a weapon, she started quietly down the hallway. She reached the kitchen doorway before she realized what a horrible idea this was if the intruder was a) armed with something more than a hair care device, b) a lot larger than her, or c) all of the above.
Holding her breath, Neela peeked around the corner, and nearly groaned in frustration when her eyes fell on the so-called intruder.
Ray stood in front of the open refrigerator door, gathering items for what Neela could only assume was a very late night snack.
"Thanks for the near coronary, Ray," she said, irritated as she lowered her weapon.
He didn't turn in response, continuing with his gathering of items. Neela studied him with a tilt of her head before stepping into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes as she noticed the wires for ear pieces dangling from his ears. Irritated, she gave him a hard nudge in between the shoulder blades with her curling iron.
Ray jumped before finally turning to face her. He grinned at her, pulling one of the earpieces out of his ear with his free hand. "You say something?" he asked as he closed the refrigerator door with his foot.
"Would it kill you to announce your presence next time?" she asked, her hand still clinging to her towel.
Ray tossed the makings for a sandwich onto the kitchen table. He removed his iPod from the pocket of his jeans, placing it on the table as well. "You were in the shower. Not like you would have heard me," he said with a shrug, heading towards the drawers for a knife. He retrieved it, and turned to her with a smirk. "Hot date?"
"What?" she asked, the confusion etched across her face.
He simply pointed his knife at her side, and Neela's hand tightened around the base of the curling iron.
"No, I... I thought you were a burglar."
Ray laughed as he twisted open a jar of mayo. "And you thought you would give him styling tips while he ripped our place apart?"
Neela narrowed her eyes at him. "Very funny."
He raised his eyebrows in amusement before sniffing the jar. The amusement faded away to disgust as he groaned and held the jar out as far as possible. He continued to hold the jar at arm's length as he screwed the cap securely back on. "When was the last time you bought this crap?"
"First of all? I'm not the only one capable of shopping here. Second of all? You like mayonnaise, not me. Therefore, *you* bought it last."
"Right." He tossed the jar towards the trash can in the corner, and surprisingly, it bounced off the outer rim before landing squarely inside. He glanced at her, the look of amusement returning. "You're leaving a puddle."
Neela looked down to see that she was, in fact, dripping water onto the tiled kitchen floor. With a sheepish look, she turned and padded out of the kitchen, feeling Ray watch her depart with that same amused smirk of his.
***
2:32am
Neela laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She hated insomnia. It always seemed to come on the nights when all she wanted to do was slip into a nice deep sleep, to put aside all her thoughts for the day.
It wasn't anything new to have a bad day. It came with working in the emergency room. You had cases that turned out perfectly. The person recovered, their family rejoiced, and all things seemed right in the world. And then you had those other cases. The cases where you knew happily ever after wouldn't happen. Where you found yourself standing in front of distraught family and friends, trying to hold your professional manner while still showing compassion.
Her last patient of the night had been one of those. A young newlywed couple in a car accident. She had helped tend to the pregnant wife while her unconscious husband laid a room away fighting for his life. Neela had tried to be comforting, even as the woman began to have premature contractions. She had been reassuring up until the moment she had had to leave the woman alone with her grief, with the knowledge that she had not only just lost her husband but their unborn child.
And lying in bed now, Neela could still hear the woman's sobs as if she were standing back at the woman's bedside.
With a sigh, she turned onto her side, forcing her eyes closed, trying to will herself to sleep. She laid motionless for a moment, listening to the apartment around her. Through her cracked bedroom door, she could faintly hear the TV playing from the front room.
"Night owl," she mumbled to herself.
She listened to Ray laugh and sighed, finally kicking back her sheets. She couldn't sleep so there was no point in lying wide awake and watching the minutes tick away on her clock. She pulled herself from the bed, grabbing her robe which had been draped over the foot of her bed and slipping it on.
She strolled down the hallway and into the front room to find Ray just where she had expected-- lounging on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table. Her belongings, as she also expected, remained in their spot on the couch beside him.
"Couldn't sleep?"
She jumped slightly at his voice, unaware that he had even noticed her entering. He glanced over the back of the couch at her when she didn't answer.
"No," she admitted to his expecting look.
He simply nodded before turning his attention back to the television.
"Shouldn’t you be asleep?" she said as she finally approached the couch, sitting down on the arm next to her belongings. "You have a shift in a few hours."
He shook his head, holding out an open bag of chips to her as he continued to watch his movie. After a moment of thought, she took one. "Naw, you're off tomorrow night so Susan put me on to fill the gap." He glanced over at her. "What has you up?"
She exhaled deeply, and before she could respond he answered for her.
"Good ol' County General." He fished another chip from the bag. "You really need to learn how to leave work at work."
"Right," she replied with the raise of an eyebrow, "because I'm really going to take work advice for the person whose mind leaves work hours before he actually does."
Ray shrugged in response. "I'm not the one missing my much needed beauty sleep, now am I?"
Neela frowned at him, removing herself from the arm of the couch. She started towards the kitchen and only stopped when he called out to her from his spot on the couch.
"If you're looking to make yourself a snack? You're out of luck."
She turned on him, the irritation emblazoned across her face. "But I just saw you make yourself a sandwich an hour ago."
"Yeah, and you also saw me using the last of the ingredients we had to make said sandwich."
"Is shopping a foreign concept to you?"
Ray finally pulled himself from his spot, sighing as he stood. "Go put some clothes on."
Neela stared at him, not sure she had heard him right. "I'm sorry?"
"You're awake, I'm awake, you're hungry, and I'd prefer not to be bitched at at--" He glanced at his watch.-- "nearly three in the morning. So you and I, roomie, are going shopping."
She gaped at him. "At three in the morning?"
"There are places that stay open 'round the clock, you know."
"Ray, I am not going grocery shopping at three in the morning."
"Are you hungry or not?" he simply replied.
Neela continued to stare at him in silence.
***
3:27am
Neela stood in front of the wall of cereal boxes, her mind going back and forth between thoughts about which to place in the cart and the fact that she was debating such a decision at this time of day.
"Heads up!"
Neela turned to Ray's voice just in time to see the box of cereal coming at her and catch it with more grace than she had thought possible.
He grinned at her, leaning on the front of the cart, one foot propped on the undercarriage. "Nice catch."
She frowned at him before tossing the box into their cart, which in the course of the time they had been roaming through the store had slowly started to accumulate items. She started down the aisle, Ray following close behind as he propelled the cart as if riding a scooter.
"Have you noticed how there's barely anyone here?" she asked him, slight annoyance in her voice.
"Because it's three-thirty in the morning, Neela," he smirked. "No one in their right mind would be out shopping at this hour." He grinned at the glare he received in response. "Look at it this way, we won't have to wait in line."
***
4:01am
"Ray, we didn't come for this," Neela sighed, following Ray as he navigated the cart towards the electronics department.
"I know. Just chill for a second. I just want to check some things out."
Neela watched him disappear into the CDs section with a huff. Rolling her eyes, she made her way towards the DVDs, looking to pass the time while she waited.
She glanced at her watch.
Normal people would be asleep right now. Normal people would not have left their nice warm apartment. Normal people would not be out shopping with their annoyingly eager roommate. And normal people would definitely not be holding a copy of The Breakfast Club and debating purchasing it.
And obviously, tonight, she was far from normal.
A copy of The Breakfast Club in her hands, she scanned the rest of the titles, from A to Z before deciding it was time to drag Ray away kicking and screaming if need be. She found him at one of the listening stations, the headphones on his head as he mouthed along to whatever CD he had selected to play.
She stepped up to him, taking hold of one of the headphones and pulling it away from his head. "We're leaving." With that, she let go, and the headphone snapped back onto his head.
"Ow!" Ray replied, throwing her a look before removing the headphones and hanging them back up. He rubbed the side of his head. "The hell, Neela."
She hid her smile of accomplishment as she motioned at the cart with her free hand. "We have things that need to be refrigerated at some point. Can't exactly waste the rest of the morning in order for you to listen to free music."
"Fine, music nazi." He nodded towards her hand. "What's that?"
"A movie," she stated simply.
He tilted his head, reading the title off the package in her hand. A slow grin spread across his face, and he looked back up at her. "The Breakfast Club?"
"Yes, now can we go?" She started away from him before he could say anything more.
Ray quickly maneuvered the full grocery cart to catch up with her, soon walking in step beside her. "Never figured you for a John Hughes fan," he said, that same amused grin on his face.
She looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "First of all, I don't understand why that's so shocking, and secondly? Could you stop grinning at me like that?"
"I just find this new information very entertaining."
"Apparently," she replied in an dry tone.
"You know, your deep dark secret was bound to get back to me eventually," he grinned.
Neela stopped in her tracks, turning on him. "Ray, keep it up, and I will gladly inform the new girl who moved in across the hall that you're gay."
Ray watched her for a moment, trying to gauge her. "You wouldn't."
"Or would I?" she replied and continued on her way, leaving Ray to look after her.
***
4:41am
"Raisin Bran? I didn't realize we were elderly."
Neela rolled her eyes at Ray's voice as she laid out on the couch. They had divided the groceries in half, and as she had expected, she had finished storing her half away long before he had even thought to finish his half.
Neela flipped through the stations, watching as the early news began to play on many of the local stations. "I should be asleep," she muttered to herself, amazed that she seemed to be wide awake at the present time.
"The adrenaline rush of shopping," came Ray's voice at a much closer proximity than she had expected. She looked up to see him standing over her from behind the couch. "Here."
He held out his hand, presenting her with a bagel, cream cheese sandwiched between the halves. She gave him a curious look before sitting up and slowly taking it from his hands.
"Did you put something in this?"
"You know, every time I try to be nice to you?" He paused, jumping the back of the couch and landing where her feet had been. "Not trying to kill you."
Neela simply watched him, skeptical.
"So where is it?" he asked, ignoring the look she was giving him.
Breaking off a piece of the bagel, she popped it into her mouth before speaking. "Where is what?"
He smirked. "Your movie. You know you're dying to watch."
"Didn't I warn you in the store?"
The smirk did not falter. "You did."
"Shouldn't you be going to sleep soon?" she replied.
Ray's smirk intensified. "It's already in the player, isn't it?"
No," she scoffed.
They shared a look, and at the same moment, both reached for the remote. Unfortunately for Neela, Ray proved faster.
"No, you say?" he grinned, hitting play on the remote. The DVD menu began to play, and his grin turned triumphant. "You were trying to send me off to bed so you could watch your movie alone in shame."
Neela snatched the remote from his hand, giving him a look that could kill. She started the movie and looked over at him, surprised that he had yet to move from his spot.
"Isn't this your cue to make a smartass exit?" she asked.
"And do what exactly?" he asked, sinking lower into the couch cushions. He crossed his arms over his chest and propped his feet up on the table. "Stare at my ceiling for a few hours before I finally fall asleep? I'll definitely fall asleep quicker if I watch this."
"Funny," she replied dryly.
He simply smiled at her before turning his attention back towards the television. Neela placed the remote back onto the table before settling into her side of the couch with her bagel.
***
1:20pm
A sharp pain coursed up Neela's spine, and she awoke with a groan. Blinking, she rubbed at her eyes, trying to identify her surroundings. She sat up slightly to realize she was lying on the couch, a blanket draped over her and the TV that had been previously on turned off.
Sitting up with a yawn, she rubbed at her eyes once more before finally standing. She wrapped the heavy blanket around herself as she made her way down the hallway. She could faintly hear music coming out from behind Ray's closed bedroom door, and she hesitated a moment before knocking.
"Yeah!" came his voice from the other side of the door.
Neela pushed the door open to see Ray sitting at the foot of his bed, dressed in his scrubs and lacing up his sneakers. He looked up and smirked at her. "Hey, she lives!"
"What time did I fall asleep?"
"Neela, you were out before the credits even thought about rolling." He grinned. "Told you that movie was the best way to get some sleep."
Neela smiled despite herself, but the smile fell as she began to speak. "Can you do me a favor?"
He stood, running a hand through his hair, making it stand up even wilder than usual. "Depends. What is it?"
"There's a patient," she replied, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. "From last night. If she's still there, could you check up on her for me?"
Ray exhaled deeply, his expression turning serious. "What I said earlier? About leaving work at work? I meant that. You're gonna drive yourself insane worrying about every single case that crosses your path."
"Not every case, Ray. This case."
He frowned, staring at her, before finally nodding in agreement. "What's the name?"
"Bridget Holloway. Came in around 11:45 last night. Car accident. Eventual miscarriage."
Ray nodded again. "Right. I'll check it out."
Neela smiled in appreciation. "Thank you."
"Anytime." He walked over to his dresser, grabbing his wallet. "Enjoy your day off, alright?" He stepped by her, patting her on the shoulder as he passed.
Neela stood there for a moment before finally moving to go across the hall to her own room. She had just pushed the door open when Ray's head poked out from down the hallway.
"Hey, Neela!"
Her hand on the doorknob, she looked down the hallway towards him. "Yeah?"
"About our new neighbor. You were joking, right?"
Neela grinned deviously. "Have a good day in the e.r., Ray."
Before he could respond, she stepped into her room, finally ready to take that much needed rest she had been waiting twelve hours to take.