A night in Manhattan
Title: A night in Manhattan
Series: Love hurts
Written by: Parishs
Rating: pg
Summary: Reid is his obnoxious self (Reid’s POV
Prompt: Fun Fic Friday prompt of A night in Manhattan (1-24-2014).
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
previous chapter
I have no idea what I am looking at. This guy must buy his clothes in a thrift shop. He looks at me, so he must have asked me something. I didn’t hear him.
“What?”, I ask him, and realize that I have to be more polite, and more eloquent. This is the dump I am going to spend a lot of years in if I say yes, so I have to make friends.
Or, acquaintances. I have to be ready to set up a life here if I agree on the proposition Bob made me. It’s a risk he’s taking, but he knows my history and he still asked me, so he must have faith in me. He must be the only one. I have to ask him one day why he wanted me.
I order chili with cornbread because he recommended it to me, the fool in the hysterical shirt. I have changed for sure, because in the past I never listened to anything people said to me. I have been arrogant. Selfish. A jerk.
That were his words and they were all true. On the balcony of our hotel, that night in Manhattan, he finally said what he was thinking of me. It was almost a year ago, but I wasn’t used to them yet. I never succeeded in living alone all these months after he was gone. I was a mess. I had loved him. With everything I had. But it wasn’t enough, Marc had made up his mind and left.
‘What the hell”, I ask when the waiter brings me my chili with a white wine. He just raises his eyebrows. “What’s the problem?”, he asks. I point at the glass and feel a panic attack coming up. “Can you please bring me water?”, I almost yell. He looks at me and a smile of recognition forms on his face. “Breaking old habits?”, he asks. I must be transparent. Or maybe he is an alcoholic too.
“I’m sorry”, he says, “but it’s tradition here. People who order chili get a wine on the house. But I’ll get you a nice water, mister…”.
His attempt to find out who I am is so pathetic that it makes me shiver. I don’t want this. I want to go back to Dallas, to my old job, my colleagues, my privacy. Nobody knew my name outside the hospital there. But I can’t. it’s my own fault. So I smile as nicely to the clown as I can and tell him my name.
“O my goodness”, he says. “You are the famous doctor Oliver who is going to work here at Memorial? It’s a good thing you could be here on such short notice, Bob really needs to spend time with his poor wife Kim. She is starting with her first chemo in three days, so he has other things to focus on than running a hospital”.
Fuck. Really. I don’t want this. A village in which people know more about each other than I knew about my boyfriend. With gossip and social pressure. The confusion must have been written all over my face. “What?”, he asked. “Don’t you think that a diner-owner can be friends with a chief of staff? Bob and I have been talking a lot about it, it was me who pressured him into looking for a replacement. We don’t give a damn about titles doctor, it’s who you are that counts here. And now enjoy your meal before it’s cold”.
It is heaven to taste a good meal again, it has been a while. I don’t know why I didn’t start to cook for myself when I was suspended. I did have plenty of time, but it wasn’t my thing.
The beans must be cheap this time of year, because several people come in and order a chili-to-go. They all chat with the owner, Henry. They all know about his wife Vienna, and a few people whisper about a Barbara. I try not to eavesdrop, but I have to say that the scenery is interesting. Henry knows everyone and asks about work and family members. Everyone here is friendly and happy. Except for that one man that walks past my window with his chili in a bag. He looks lost.
But Henry doesn’t give me much time to look at him, he comes in with the dessert, a heavenly chocolate mousse. “Try this one, I know you will return when you have tasted this. It’s on the house, because you didn’t want the wine”. I shiver. “Can you please…”, but he holds his hands up to stop me from talking. “I know when to keep my big mouth shut doctor”, he says and sits down across from me. “I have the same thing as you doctor”, he said. “When I don’t get my Martini’s on time my hands start to shake. But that’s not a problem when you own a diner. I am glad you decided on time to stop, before you ruined someone’s brain”.
What does he know, the douche? “Can you put that chocolate-thing in a bag, I have to go”, I whisper and throw a 20 on the table. I don’t want to relate to this jerk, I want him to keep his mouth shut or my career here in damnville is over before it started. And then what? I grab my phone and send a what’s-app to Bob: I’ll take the job.
He must have been waiting for it, because he answers immediately: I am glad you want to help me out. Please beware of the fact that this is a small town hospital. Things take time here and people can be brutally honest. Don’t take things personally when they do. Be nice and you will fit in fast. Welcome in Oakdale. Bob.
Well, Bob, I didn’t come here to help you out, I needed a job and no one wanted me, so I had no choice. I am very well aware of the fact that your hobby box called Memorial is small-town, it even smelled old when you gave me the “grand” tour, man what is going on in there? It looks like a third world clinic to me, they have more equipment in Ghana.
But anyway, people around here are going to feel the new wind, they are going to be propelled into the 21th century. I am going to show them what a leader is. What a vision means. I want them honest, I don’t like people who don’t mean what they say. How hard can it be to run a hospital like that?
And last but not least, I don’t want to fit in. I hate to be a “part of something”. I am going to be the boss. And they do what I say.
next chapter
Series: Love hurts
Written by: Parishs
Rating: pg
Summary: Reid is his obnoxious self (Reid’s POV
Prompt: Fun Fic Friday prompt of A night in Manhattan (1-24-2014).
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
previous chapter
I have no idea what I am looking at. This guy must buy his clothes in a thrift shop. He looks at me, so he must have asked me something. I didn’t hear him.
“What?”, I ask him, and realize that I have to be more polite, and more eloquent. This is the dump I am going to spend a lot of years in if I say yes, so I have to make friends.
Or, acquaintances. I have to be ready to set up a life here if I agree on the proposition Bob made me. It’s a risk he’s taking, but he knows my history and he still asked me, so he must have faith in me. He must be the only one. I have to ask him one day why he wanted me.
I order chili with cornbread because he recommended it to me, the fool in the hysterical shirt. I have changed for sure, because in the past I never listened to anything people said to me. I have been arrogant. Selfish. A jerk.
That were his words and they were all true. On the balcony of our hotel, that night in Manhattan, he finally said what he was thinking of me. It was almost a year ago, but I wasn’t used to them yet. I never succeeded in living alone all these months after he was gone. I was a mess. I had loved him. With everything I had. But it wasn’t enough, Marc had made up his mind and left.
‘What the hell”, I ask when the waiter brings me my chili with a white wine. He just raises his eyebrows. “What’s the problem?”, he asks. I point at the glass and feel a panic attack coming up. “Can you please bring me water?”, I almost yell. He looks at me and a smile of recognition forms on his face. “Breaking old habits?”, he asks. I must be transparent. Or maybe he is an alcoholic too.
“I’m sorry”, he says, “but it’s tradition here. People who order chili get a wine on the house. But I’ll get you a nice water, mister…”.
His attempt to find out who I am is so pathetic that it makes me shiver. I don’t want this. I want to go back to Dallas, to my old job, my colleagues, my privacy. Nobody knew my name outside the hospital there. But I can’t. it’s my own fault. So I smile as nicely to the clown as I can and tell him my name.
“O my goodness”, he says. “You are the famous doctor Oliver who is going to work here at Memorial? It’s a good thing you could be here on such short notice, Bob really needs to spend time with his poor wife Kim. She is starting with her first chemo in three days, so he has other things to focus on than running a hospital”.
Fuck. Really. I don’t want this. A village in which people know more about each other than I knew about my boyfriend. With gossip and social pressure. The confusion must have been written all over my face. “What?”, he asked. “Don’t you think that a diner-owner can be friends with a chief of staff? Bob and I have been talking a lot about it, it was me who pressured him into looking for a replacement. We don’t give a damn about titles doctor, it’s who you are that counts here. And now enjoy your meal before it’s cold”.
It is heaven to taste a good meal again, it has been a while. I don’t know why I didn’t start to cook for myself when I was suspended. I did have plenty of time, but it wasn’t my thing.
The beans must be cheap this time of year, because several people come in and order a chili-to-go. They all chat with the owner, Henry. They all know about his wife Vienna, and a few people whisper about a Barbara. I try not to eavesdrop, but I have to say that the scenery is interesting. Henry knows everyone and asks about work and family members. Everyone here is friendly and happy. Except for that one man that walks past my window with his chili in a bag. He looks lost.
But Henry doesn’t give me much time to look at him, he comes in with the dessert, a heavenly chocolate mousse. “Try this one, I know you will return when you have tasted this. It’s on the house, because you didn’t want the wine”. I shiver. “Can you please…”, but he holds his hands up to stop me from talking. “I know when to keep my big mouth shut doctor”, he says and sits down across from me. “I have the same thing as you doctor”, he said. “When I don’t get my Martini’s on time my hands start to shake. But that’s not a problem when you own a diner. I am glad you decided on time to stop, before you ruined someone’s brain”.
What does he know, the douche? “Can you put that chocolate-thing in a bag, I have to go”, I whisper and throw a 20 on the table. I don’t want to relate to this jerk, I want him to keep his mouth shut or my career here in damnville is over before it started. And then what? I grab my phone and send a what’s-app to Bob: I’ll take the job.
He must have been waiting for it, because he answers immediately: I am glad you want to help me out. Please beware of the fact that this is a small town hospital. Things take time here and people can be brutally honest. Don’t take things personally when they do. Be nice and you will fit in fast. Welcome in Oakdale. Bob.
Well, Bob, I didn’t come here to help you out, I needed a job and no one wanted me, so I had no choice. I am very well aware of the fact that your hobby box called Memorial is small-town, it even smelled old when you gave me the “grand” tour, man what is going on in there? It looks like a third world clinic to me, they have more equipment in Ghana.
But anyway, people around here are going to feel the new wind, they are going to be propelled into the 21th century. I am going to show them what a leader is. What a vision means. I want them honest, I don’t like people who don’t mean what they say. How hard can it be to run a hospital like that?
And last but not least, I don’t want to fit in. I hate to be a “part of something”. I am going to be the boss. And they do what I say.
next chapter