RP LOG with cutandlearn | Another big brother on the scene
According to the cute nurse with the blood pressure machine, today was 'an average day in MT1'. But comments like that could mean so much to a person who knew sweet FA about MT1, or even Miami in general. Drew lay on the gurney, leaning over a little to try and see all the passing parade through the gap in the flimsy curtains. He was too curious for his own good. It wasn't that he was foreign to Miami. This was his second trip here, even if the first was just a brief weekend visit to his little sister with his parents for Thanksgiving last year. The weather had been getting cold and it rained most of the time. This was entirely different. He had two reasons for being here this time. Business, mostly, and to visit his sister and make sure this dude she was 'seeing' wasn't in the realms of Steve Urkel or maybe the Yorkshire Ripper. And if he was anything like Mel Gibson, or liked Twilight, Drew really was just going to have to put his foot down. Sometimes, his sister's tastes in guys really were a bit questionable. He didn't want a repeat performance with the guy she dated in her first year of college. Drew didn't want to have to shave another dude's eyebrows and leave him buck naked on a sporting field drunk for punishment again.
The thing was, coming from Chicago, Drew really wasn't used to the heat Miami was going to hit him with. Not like this, anyway. Apparently it was even a heatwave for Miami that day. The ER was overrun and this MT1, which Drew even knew meant Miami Trauma One was busy, but not completely mental. The beds were more comfortable too, and with family on the employment books, Drew figured he deserved preferential treatment. All it took was chatting up a few nurses to get him moved from the ER to here, requesting Dr Warren to attend him. Apparently he had heatstroke from sitting out in the sun too long. He didn't ever want to pass out on the beach and faceplant the sand in his life ever again, either. Waking up with a mouthful of sand was enough to make a dude think he was being buried alive... a phobia he had always shared with his sister.
Serena had been surprised when Tuck had handed her a case file on her brother, but she hadn't argued. She was glad that MT1 was under control enough and had enough space so that Serena could see to her brother. She hadn't even known he was in town and then there he was. She almost gave into a little pre-elevator dancing before she turned in the opposite direction to track down the wayward Warren. Not only had her boyfriend told her the day before that he loved her, her brother was in town. Her little Serena world was complete.
She pushed the curtain to the side and put on her best disapproving doctor face. "You know, there are these things called telephones now and they're really handy for letting people know you're coming. Did you really need to go and make yourself a beetroot to get my attention?"
"I was going to call you! But I just... didn't," Drew explained with a small, sheepish smirk. "I was going to, and in my own defense, I only got here this morning and you were working, so you couldn't see me anyway. I figured I'd hit the beach, only the beach is a bitch. It's fucking hot out there. I was working on some stuff, and I lost track of time and... you never told me you worked in the cavier of the hospital world, sis. All glass and no shit equipment. Really hot nurses. I should have come for a visit sooner." He dropped his head back against the pillow with a small moan. "I feel shit, but your air con here is way better than the ER. I'm almost waiting for someone to come offer me room service, or a chocolate on my pillow. Maybe that cute blonde nurse to come wipe my fevered brow?"
Serena cracked a smile as she gave her brother a look. "Cute blonde nurse, huh? Doesn't sound like Kathy so I won't warn you off. Yet. I might just have to interrogate every nurse that comes in here though, and make sure you aren't leading them astray. I don't need you turning MT1 into a porno movie set just because you're all with the sympathy and sexy music thing." She leaned against the edge of the bed and reached back to pick up his chart to have a read over it. "Can't believe you've got sunstroke. You're letting the team down. Even I've managed to avoid sunstroke and sunburn here. You're so Chicago."
Drew placed a hand on his heart, ready to offer some cheeky comeback, only to hiss in pain when the sunburn under the hospital gown protested to the slight pressure. He peeled the fabric away with a small whimper, peering down the front of it to survey the damage. "Holy fuck, I look like a cooked lobster. Better steer clear, sis. I might nip you with my big scary claws..." He didn't even want to know what his face looked like. He prided himself too much on his good looks to want to see them affected by bad sunburn and a peeling nose. It was true, he was a Chicagoite and always peeled when he got burnt. "I would never lead anyone astray. I'm too considerate and respectful. And hey! I deserve sympathy. I threw up in front of a gorgeous brunette lifeguard with D cup natural boobs! I'm extensively distressed here. Where is your sympathetic doctorly bedside manner, or do you just save that for single dudes with arms falling off?" He flipped her off carefully, making sure the gown didn't rub on his burnt arms. "Like you're all natural Miamian. One year still makes you so Chicago too. And just before you even think about it, please, please don't hug me! I love you, sis, but please no."
Serena had looked slightly panicked at the idea of her brother becoming a giant lobster but then she relaxed and smirked lightly before she leaned over to kiss his burning forehead. "Ouch, big brother. That's some temp you got going on there. I do not envy you when you start peeling. It is going to suck." She dropped down into the chair next to him. "Natural D cups? Wow, that really was some loss. Just remember that gravity isn't always kind to the naturally big breasted. Sure you'd still be okay with them once the swimsuit came off? And hey, I am so natural Miamian! I even got to be right up close to an alligator from some pond at a golf course. Dr Proctor was the one that fished out the hand, but I got to assist."
At the mere mention of a hand in an alligator and her boss - he remembered his name from the extensive amount she talked about him when she first started - fishing a hand out of it, Drew turned slightly green with a wave of nausea. He might technically have the doctor label, but he wasn't a huge fan of blood or bodily fluids that weren't his own... expect when it was to do with sex. "Never did like golf..." he mumbled, swallowing back the sick feeling and fighting the urge to give her a wet-willy for the bad story telling. "Come on, she was a nice girl. Why do all chicks seem to hate other chicks with nice breasts? It's like you all have some sort of vendetta against each other. Not all chicks are sluts, you know. Are you seriously going to deny your big brother some sweet lovin' just because you have a jealousy complex? That's not fair. You went and lost your virginity when I told you not to, so the least you can do is be happy for me when I find a sexy lifeguard."
Serena pointed her finger at him after she handed him a cup of water to help him keep his fluids up. "No, no I can't. The least I can do is continually remind you that you lost your virginity way before me and have enjoyed a lot of sex ever since. So you don't get to be all judgemental about my viriginity or sex life. Besides, I'm in good hands now so you can rest easy, okay? I promise. He's nothing like the other guys. By the way Jeff of all people rocked up in MT1 the other day. I'm really starting to wonder about all these men that need to get hurt to get my attention. What does that say about me? Was the lifeguard genuinely nice? Are you going to go find her?" She leaned forward a little and watched him to check if the green tinge to his skin was fading. "Was the alligator too much? Want to hear about the internal decaptitation?"
"No, I don't. Shut up, or I'll spew on you," Drew said with a huff and took a small sip of the water. It still didn't make his tongue feel any less swollen or his mouth any less dry. "And I'm older than you, there would be a serious, serious deficiency if you beat me to the cherry popping. I'd have to have been a Monk or something, and like that is ever going to happen. Jeff? Your ex? Fucking hell, you're a magnet for bullshit, aren't you? But seeing as you brought him up, I want to know about this new loverboy. Your track record sucks, sis. Maybe I should just give him a Talk now, tell him to piss off and leave you alone, save any heartache down the track. Please tell me you at least see this one in person and don't stick to dating by text message. Who is he? You haven't even told me his name. All I got was a 'I'm seeing someone'."
Chris was sauntering up the corridor of MT1 glancing into the bays to try and find Serena. She was around here somewhere. Something about some ER overflow patient... or patients. Chris wasn't really listening to Kathy when she told the story. He didn't listen to Kathy much in general now that Tuck was back, even if she wanted to be all with the arm touching and sympathetic enquiries as to his health. He heard Serena's voice and pulled back the curtain of the next bay, copping sight of her sitting at a blond dude's bedside. He raised an eyebrow, hoping to god this wasn't some other ex, or another patient to try and crack onto her. He really didn't have the patience today. "Excuse me... I just wanted to give you a heads up, I'm scrubbing in on Proctor's GSW. The bullet's nicked the dude's liver and pierced right through the bowel, so it's gonna be a good two hours. Can you keep an eye on my head injury chick? Waiting on the CT, but she needs obs on the half hour." He went to go again, more than in a rush. "Oh, and our, uh... patient... in oncology... surgery this afternoon at five," he added, a small frown appearing on his face right before he shot the patient in the bed a hint of a threatening look without realising it.
Chris' appearance had been a surprise and Serena had almost jumped out of her skin, but she managed to catch herself in time. She'd also been about to introduce her brother to Chris but the Chief Resident had pulled the curtain back into place and was gone. She had caught his look at her brother and his less than sneaky message about his own brother made Serena frown herself. She was silent for a long moment before she looked back at Drew and sighed. "I'm sorry, about Chris. He's... Well, you know how you were asking who I was seeing?"
"That dude seriously gave me the evil eyeball!" Drew protested indignantly. "Are doctors even allowed to do that? And Christ, all the medical talk and nicking of bowels. I don't want to know about nicking of bowels, alright? In fact, lets leave bowels out of the conversation totally, just to be on the safe side," he decided with a small shudder, but then his eyes landed on his sister questioningly. "Chris? The Dr C dude you were singing the praises of a few months back? The one shoe dude? That's him? What's he got to do with who you're see- oh. Ohhhhhh fucking hell, S. No way!"
Serena put her finger to her lips to try and get her brother to be quiet. "Shh! Kathy might hear you. This is the one time in your life I need you to be subtle, okay? Chris and I are still doing sneaky ninja dating. So yes, way! He's my exclusive. My boyfriend... I love him, Drew. Crazy love. He's still stinging from when Jeff was here. The douche told me he still loved me - in front of Chris. Don't feel bad about the evil eyeball. He'll understand when I tell him you're my big brother." She held up her hand. "Keep the secret, and I promise there won't be talk of bowels."
Now Drew just looked completely confused, his nose scrunched up as he looked at the spot where Chris had disappeared from and tried to put all the pieces together. "No, wait. You said the dude was a player. You're playing with a player, and that's just... just... I'll kill him. I will. If he hurts you, I'll kill him. No eyebrows and nakedness will be the least of his worries. If he cheats on you, I'll tear his dick off and shove it in an electrical socket. A very large electrical socket! He's too hot, chicks will drool over him! Chicks better not drool over him or I'll kill them too!" he insisted in a pointed whisper complete with emphatic hand gestures.
Serena raised her eyebrows as she listened to Drew. She'd never heard him get that carried away with threats before. "He was, but that doesn't mean he can't be a boyfriend. He's been a boyfriend. He hasn't played around since we went exclusive. He's been the best boyfriend I could have ever asked for. He's real, Drew. Really real, and he's mine." She couldn't help but give a smile filled with pride and just a little smugness. She'd bagged Dr C. It was hard not to be proud of herself. "I'll kill those chicks first, by the way. All that really is that they don't touch. And you haven't even spoken to him yet, Drew. Don't kill him until you do."
Drew was thinking back to the very brief glimpse he caught of the dude his little sister was apparently head over for. He seemed like a prat, on the face of it, but now the dots had been connected, he just had to wonder if the guy was all protective of her. He also seemed busy and distracted. "Isn't he the Chief Resident here?" he asked, remembering back to what she had originally said about the guy when she first got the gig here. "So, he's technically your boss. Jesus, S..." he murmured, rubbing at his forehead. "Is this wise? You could be fucking with your job here. Hopefully he's not the sort to make a habit of dating all his new residents..."
"He's not, he's really not. I'm the first resident he's dated and if I have anything to say about it, I'll be the last. We know it's risky. It's why we've been keeping it quiet. It's more his job that's probably at risk than mine. He's already convinced Proctor doesn't think he's a good doctor. Chris got sent home trying to protect me once because I'd made a mistake in surgery." Serena shifted in her seat, her hands tucked between her legs to stop herself from fidgeting, or fussing over Drew when it would just hurt him. "We've maintained an awesome working relationship regardless of dating. No one's any the wiser, and it doesn't diminish our skills."
Drew just shook his head for a moment and sighed. "They will be the wiser if he keeps giving patients the evil eyeball. That wasn't particularly the best ninja skills right there. I knew straight away something was up with the dude. And what was with that oncology thing? Was that some sort of code for a secret elevator fuck or something? Because he hesitated over it, whereas he smoothly poured out the info on the other patient without a hitch. You've maintained an awesome working relationship until now, but how long have things been serious? Or have you just been keeping secrets from us back home?"
Serena shook her head. "No, his brother has cancer. I met him the other day. As Chris' girlfriend. It's not a code for elevator sex. We don't cross the line at work. The evil eyeball needs some work, I'll give you that one. I guess they've been serious for a little while now. I got so used to not being able to say anything to anyone I guess I forgot that it would have been safe to say something to you guys."
"Cancer?" Drew asked, raising his eyebrows. "He said the patient was having surgery. That's his brother? Well, I guess that explains why he seemed preoccupied... and a little on the moody side. I was starting to wonder how a dude like that kept his licence. Why him, though? Out of all the dudes on the market, why him? You've got to at least have some time to yourself to look for a lay beyond work. Not that I'm saying there is anything wrong with him, because I don't know him from a bar of soap, but still. He's your supervisor. This whole ninja thing, sis, it's not healthy."
Serena gave a nod. "In his kidney. They're going to take it out. It's the best way to deal with it. Rick made the mistake of coming here a couple weeks back and having so-called experimental surgery. It was never going to cure it, or fix it. Now they've got to start being aggressive with the right way to treat it. There's a lot of history with him and Rick. It's not all good. We drew the long straw, big brother. So be glad you got me, okay?" Serena tried not to look too downtrodden that Drew wasn't embracing her choice of boyfriend. She knew he was just trying to protect her. "It works for us. It's a little hard sometimes, but it's worth. And why him? He fixed my clicker. He makes me laugh, he makes me smile just from a look and it doesn't hurt that he's hot and a great lay. I'm talking amazing. He's... He's Chris. It was just meant to be fun at first, you know? A bit of sex but it grew and I don't regret it. We've even had a mutual puke test."
Drew listened closely, even if he had drawn his lower lip between his teeth to bite on it in thought. He couldn't he wondering what their parents would think about this, if Serena even had any intentions of telling them. She had never been secretive before, so this new guy had to be to blame. Probably not intentionally, though. Drew wasn't a complete idiotic jerk, he could see the situation they had gotten themselves in and why the secrecy was there. "Wouldn't being honest just be the better thing at the end of the day? I mean, I get it, okay? No jumping down my throat to strangle me from the inside because I'm douchebag big brother who doesn't get it. But think about it. You both have intense jobs, weird and long hours, dealing with freakish things every day. You have a dude here who has that as well as holding the fort of residents as Chief Resident, and you're telling me he has a brother with cancer. Cancer, sis. The Big C. Isn't the whole secret ninja relationship thing just gonna cause him even more stress worrying about getting caught, worrying about staying out of sight? Hell, because you're on the hush, there's gonna be times you can't be with him when he might need you. Plus, you said yourself, the guy got sent home for trying to protect you. What the hell is your boss going to think when you choose to reveal this - or worse, he finds out on his own - that you two have been concealing this for however long? Protecting a colleague and fucking a colleague are two totally, totally different ball games. How hard you worked to get here, I never thought I would see you lay it all on the line for a dude... but you are, and that kind of scarily tells me how much you care about him. And vice versa, I guess."
Serena sat there quietly as she listened to her brother, already considering calling her parents to tell them about Chris before Drew tried to give them the big brother's side. She felt stupid now keeping the secret from them of all people, but it really was just out of habit. She was used to Aimee and Dave being the only ones to know. Now Rick, now her own brother. The circle was slowly starting to grow and Serena wondered if maybe it was a sign that ninja business should be over. She wanted to go and find Proctor to ask for the afternoon off to be with Chris while his brother was operated on, but she knew she couldn't. Chris was trusting her with his patient instead. "I think it's getting to him... us. There's more and more niggles that make us want to speak up, but it's a huge step. I don't think the timing's ever going to be right. If I knew it would be one less worry for Chris, I'd push to tell Proctor. It's just so hard to guage how he's going to react. Even after the other time."
Drew started scratching at an itch on his wrist near the IV line. Right up there with his medical aversion, he hated things stuck in him for no reason. Even if there was a reason, like now to stop him dehydrating, he still hated it. He wanted to pull it out, but he knew if he even tried that, Serena wouldn't hesitate to promptly deck him and maybe even shove it up his nose. "Well, you've talked to the dude a lot over the time, right? You said he was a good boss. Insightful, or something. How do you think he would react to it? Has he reacted unreasonably with anything else, or do all his decisions seem to make some sort of sense? At the end of the day, he's can't stop you two seeing each other out of work hours, and unless he has witnessed it on the job, he can't fire you for it either. So, what's the problem? Is there something else going on here?"
"What something else could there be?" Serena asked him. She was watching him with the IV line, waiting to pounce if he did take it out, but her brother behaved. "He really is a good boss. I've learned a lot from Dr Proctor. He doesn't seem to mind taking the time to show me procedures or the little things I seem to be missing in my technique. There's no one like him. I still don't know what he'll do. No one can ever anticipate his reactions. It's part of why Chris finds him so infuriating."
Drew really had no more brotherly pearls of wisdom to offer anymore. He wasn't familiar enough with the situation to make any calls about it, even if he didn't want his sister making things difficult for herself. He stretched in the bed a little, even if his skin protested the movement and then sighed. "Well, it looks like you just need to go with it for now. Just please don't consider eloping. Ever. You'll make Mom cry and I hate when Mom cries. Dad will be wanting to do the whole giving away thing, too, and I should rightfully be entitled to take your other half out and get him so piss blind drunk he can't remember his own name. Right of passage and all that. Because I can hear it in your voice, he's not like any of the others. I can't put my finger on why. I can just tell."
Serena pressed her lips together briefly as she felt a lump grow rapidly and lodge in her throat. She was in danger of shedding tears and she tugged at his bed covers in retaliation for making her teary. "I missed you, Drew. I really did. Please tell me you're here for longer than a few days... I want you to meet Chris and be able to talk to him. At least so you can assure Mom and Dad he's not some axe murdering psycho. Which is kind of another story for when you're not feeling so fragile..."
Drew did hold up his hand, his face scrunching up a little. "Please, and thank you. I don't know if I would be more angry that you were in danger, or didn't tell me you were in danger, so lets just leave off the more secrets thing for a little longer. I really hope you shake that habit, sis. You've never been secretive before, and this is hard to swallow. Don't let anyone swallow you up from being who you are, not even some blond surfer doctor dude you're having heart palpitations over. No dude is worth changing yourself for. Ever. Alright?" he insisted, holding her gaze and waiting for her response. "I'm here for a month, initially. A New York stockbroker is paying me to help his wife who has MS, and he wants her to have the treatment here in a nice setting."
Serena nodded. "I know, and of course. I'm sorry, big brother. I really am. It's just so much has been going on these last few months. It's easier than I thought to just stay focused on my bubble here." After a moment she broke into a huge smile. "A month? Really? That's awesome! You have to stay at my place. Promise me, Drew? It'll save you rent, or paying for a hotel room. Do you think you'll be able to help her?"
Drew held his hands up. "Wait, wait. You seriously want me hanging around and cramping your style with Dr Feelgood? Don't you think you better check with him first? What if he needs his brother staying there, or does the brother live local? All these gaps. I might need you to sit down and write me out an instruction manual. Yeah, I should be able to make things more comfortable for her, anyway. She'll be a piece of cake. She used to be a cellist herself before she got ill, so my job will be a breeze. It's why her husband wanted to try my therapy above all else."
Serena looked at him for a moment like he was crazy. "What? We're not living together. It's kind of hard to be secret ninjas when you're living together. I can just go to his place. I think he'd rather have Rick at his apartment than mine. You can still take my apartment, Drew. Really. It's somewhere for you to feel at home. Not just like a tourist. I'll talk to Chris about it, but it's still my apartment. The brother doesn't live local, but I think he's here for a while. At least if the treatment works..." Serena's face dropped again, and she glanced at the clock on Drew's bedside. "I hope the surgery will go okay, I really do. Oh wow, really? Then you two will have a lot to connect on. I still think it's amazing what you do. Music really does escape me still."
"You're still dating him. He should still know about it. He might not want me sticking my nose in when he's trying to cope with his brother being sick. Nothing worse than a houseguest hanging around when you just want privacy, whether you're living together or not. You're obviously pulling it all off somehow." Drew reached over and took Serena's hand to squeeze it. "Hey, it's not easy. It'll be just as hard for you knowing you can't just freely make with the girlfriend stuff whenever you want to. I mean, he said his bro's got surgery this afternoon? Are you even going to be off shift to be with him? Can you be with him without people getting suspicious? It's the same hospital, right? And I'm just lucky to have a job I love and I'm good at. Your thread of medicine, fuck, I'd be passing out everytime a patient landed in front of me."
Serena looked down at their hands and let out a heavy sigh. She really couldn't begin to tell Drew how grateful she was just to have him here. She suddenly felt homesick, but the idea of leaving Chris at a time like this hurt her more than she could even begin to fathom. "Sometimes I think it's just luck that we've gotten away with as much as we have. I want to be there for him... With him... But I can't. I know I won't get off while the surgery's going on. When I get off Rick will probably be in recovery, and I don't know if Chris will really want to be with anyone but his brother. We haven't exactly had a chance to talk about it. I can probably get away with stopping by, but it might seem strange if I'm there all night with him. And yeah, same hospital. Hey, if my price for being able to stomach trauma was a lack of musical talent I think I'm okay with that. I'd rather be able to watch you at work."
Drew raised his eyebrows. "He's not talking to you about it? Is he talking to anyone about it? Stuff like that, it's not healthy to sit on and stew with. It just makes it worse. So, what are you going to do? Go home and sit to stew yourself? You could always just say you went over there to keep him company because there was no one else to. You can still be a supportive friend in public, right? You can sit in the hallway and look pretty, but at least he'll know you're there." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You should come along to one of my sessions. You're a doctor, the patient won't mind. She's pretty cool. Never could have kids of her own, but doesn't let it get her down."
"No, no. He does. A little bit. Only he just told me about the surgery right then. I'm assuming he didn't know until now. So there wasn't exactly a battle plan in place. Well, I do sit in hallways looking pretty very well. I'm like an expert now." Serena looked at Drew, her eyes lighting up. "Really? Are you sure?"
"Well, if he's going to hang about the hospital with his brother overnight, come back a little later to see him. Make up some shit about worrying about him and not being able to sleep. People will buy it, especially if you lot are obviously friends as well as a working team. You said they were friendly, like family. There will be less chance of anyone seeing you a bit later, and the surgery will be over. You'll have an outcome, at least." Drew nodded and smiled. "Yeah, of course. My area isn't like you lot with all your privacy issues and shit. It's okay for me to ask a patient if they mind someone sitting in on a consult. My clients are all there by choice, and I can usually get a feel how they take to it early on."
"Gives me an excuse to come back and check on my big brother too," Serena replied as she stood up to kiss him lightly on the forehead. She'd caught a glimpse at the clock by his side and realised it was probably time to get back to work. Those CTs for Chris' patient were probably ready. "You know, you keep enabling me with him and I'm going to start thinking you might actually approve. I'll drop off a copy of my roster lately, okay? We'll figure out a day for me to drop in when you're feeling better and back into the sessions. I'll be back to check on you in between rounds, too. You're not rid of me just yet."
Drew smirked and nodded. "Don't go getting into mischief now, little sis. I don't want anyone thinking I have a bad reputation," he joked and gave her a small wave. "I'll reserve judgement on the approval, but... I dunno, S. I can't even fathom what it would be like if you had cancer, so just do whatever it takes to let him know you're there. Maybe some things are just bigger fish to fry than boss' approval, huh?"
Word Count | 5,611
The thing was, coming from Chicago, Drew really wasn't used to the heat Miami was going to hit him with. Not like this, anyway. Apparently it was even a heatwave for Miami that day. The ER was overrun and this MT1, which Drew even knew meant Miami Trauma One was busy, but not completely mental. The beds were more comfortable too, and with family on the employment books, Drew figured he deserved preferential treatment. All it took was chatting up a few nurses to get him moved from the ER to here, requesting Dr Warren to attend him. Apparently he had heatstroke from sitting out in the sun too long. He didn't ever want to pass out on the beach and faceplant the sand in his life ever again, either. Waking up with a mouthful of sand was enough to make a dude think he was being buried alive... a phobia he had always shared with his sister.
Serena had been surprised when Tuck had handed her a case file on her brother, but she hadn't argued. She was glad that MT1 was under control enough and had enough space so that Serena could see to her brother. She hadn't even known he was in town and then there he was. She almost gave into a little pre-elevator dancing before she turned in the opposite direction to track down the wayward Warren. Not only had her boyfriend told her the day before that he loved her, her brother was in town. Her little Serena world was complete.
She pushed the curtain to the side and put on her best disapproving doctor face. "You know, there are these things called telephones now and they're really handy for letting people know you're coming. Did you really need to go and make yourself a beetroot to get my attention?"
"I was going to call you! But I just... didn't," Drew explained with a small, sheepish smirk. "I was going to, and in my own defense, I only got here this morning and you were working, so you couldn't see me anyway. I figured I'd hit the beach, only the beach is a bitch. It's fucking hot out there. I was working on some stuff, and I lost track of time and... you never told me you worked in the cavier of the hospital world, sis. All glass and no shit equipment. Really hot nurses. I should have come for a visit sooner." He dropped his head back against the pillow with a small moan. "I feel shit, but your air con here is way better than the ER. I'm almost waiting for someone to come offer me room service, or a chocolate on my pillow. Maybe that cute blonde nurse to come wipe my fevered brow?"
Serena cracked a smile as she gave her brother a look. "Cute blonde nurse, huh? Doesn't sound like Kathy so I won't warn you off. Yet. I might just have to interrogate every nurse that comes in here though, and make sure you aren't leading them astray. I don't need you turning MT1 into a porno movie set just because you're all with the sympathy and sexy music thing." She leaned against the edge of the bed and reached back to pick up his chart to have a read over it. "Can't believe you've got sunstroke. You're letting the team down. Even I've managed to avoid sunstroke and sunburn here. You're so Chicago."
Drew placed a hand on his heart, ready to offer some cheeky comeback, only to hiss in pain when the sunburn under the hospital gown protested to the slight pressure. He peeled the fabric away with a small whimper, peering down the front of it to survey the damage. "Holy fuck, I look like a cooked lobster. Better steer clear, sis. I might nip you with my big scary claws..." He didn't even want to know what his face looked like. He prided himself too much on his good looks to want to see them affected by bad sunburn and a peeling nose. It was true, he was a Chicagoite and always peeled when he got burnt. "I would never lead anyone astray. I'm too considerate and respectful. And hey! I deserve sympathy. I threw up in front of a gorgeous brunette lifeguard with D cup natural boobs! I'm extensively distressed here. Where is your sympathetic doctorly bedside manner, or do you just save that for single dudes with arms falling off?" He flipped her off carefully, making sure the gown didn't rub on his burnt arms. "Like you're all natural Miamian. One year still makes you so Chicago too. And just before you even think about it, please, please don't hug me! I love you, sis, but please no."
Serena had looked slightly panicked at the idea of her brother becoming a giant lobster but then she relaxed and smirked lightly before she leaned over to kiss his burning forehead. "Ouch, big brother. That's some temp you got going on there. I do not envy you when you start peeling. It is going to suck." She dropped down into the chair next to him. "Natural D cups? Wow, that really was some loss. Just remember that gravity isn't always kind to the naturally big breasted. Sure you'd still be okay with them once the swimsuit came off? And hey, I am so natural Miamian! I even got to be right up close to an alligator from some pond at a golf course. Dr Proctor was the one that fished out the hand, but I got to assist."
At the mere mention of a hand in an alligator and her boss - he remembered his name from the extensive amount she talked about him when she first started - fishing a hand out of it, Drew turned slightly green with a wave of nausea. He might technically have the doctor label, but he wasn't a huge fan of blood or bodily fluids that weren't his own... expect when it was to do with sex. "Never did like golf..." he mumbled, swallowing back the sick feeling and fighting the urge to give her a wet-willy for the bad story telling. "Come on, she was a nice girl. Why do all chicks seem to hate other chicks with nice breasts? It's like you all have some sort of vendetta against each other. Not all chicks are sluts, you know. Are you seriously going to deny your big brother some sweet lovin' just because you have a jealousy complex? That's not fair. You went and lost your virginity when I told you not to, so the least you can do is be happy for me when I find a sexy lifeguard."
Serena pointed her finger at him after she handed him a cup of water to help him keep his fluids up. "No, no I can't. The least I can do is continually remind you that you lost your virginity way before me and have enjoyed a lot of sex ever since. So you don't get to be all judgemental about my viriginity or sex life. Besides, I'm in good hands now so you can rest easy, okay? I promise. He's nothing like the other guys. By the way Jeff of all people rocked up in MT1 the other day. I'm really starting to wonder about all these men that need to get hurt to get my attention. What does that say about me? Was the lifeguard genuinely nice? Are you going to go find her?" She leaned forward a little and watched him to check if the green tinge to his skin was fading. "Was the alligator too much? Want to hear about the internal decaptitation?"
"No, I don't. Shut up, or I'll spew on you," Drew said with a huff and took a small sip of the water. It still didn't make his tongue feel any less swollen or his mouth any less dry. "And I'm older than you, there would be a serious, serious deficiency if you beat me to the cherry popping. I'd have to have been a Monk or something, and like that is ever going to happen. Jeff? Your ex? Fucking hell, you're a magnet for bullshit, aren't you? But seeing as you brought him up, I want to know about this new loverboy. Your track record sucks, sis. Maybe I should just give him a Talk now, tell him to piss off and leave you alone, save any heartache down the track. Please tell me you at least see this one in person and don't stick to dating by text message. Who is he? You haven't even told me his name. All I got was a 'I'm seeing someone'."
Chris was sauntering up the corridor of MT1 glancing into the bays to try and find Serena. She was around here somewhere. Something about some ER overflow patient... or patients. Chris wasn't really listening to Kathy when she told the story. He didn't listen to Kathy much in general now that Tuck was back, even if she wanted to be all with the arm touching and sympathetic enquiries as to his health. He heard Serena's voice and pulled back the curtain of the next bay, copping sight of her sitting at a blond dude's bedside. He raised an eyebrow, hoping to god this wasn't some other ex, or another patient to try and crack onto her. He really didn't have the patience today. "Excuse me... I just wanted to give you a heads up, I'm scrubbing in on Proctor's GSW. The bullet's nicked the dude's liver and pierced right through the bowel, so it's gonna be a good two hours. Can you keep an eye on my head injury chick? Waiting on the CT, but she needs obs on the half hour." He went to go again, more than in a rush. "Oh, and our, uh... patient... in oncology... surgery this afternoon at five," he added, a small frown appearing on his face right before he shot the patient in the bed a hint of a threatening look without realising it.
Chris' appearance had been a surprise and Serena had almost jumped out of her skin, but she managed to catch herself in time. She'd also been about to introduce her brother to Chris but the Chief Resident had pulled the curtain back into place and was gone. She had caught his look at her brother and his less than sneaky message about his own brother made Serena frown herself. She was silent for a long moment before she looked back at Drew and sighed. "I'm sorry, about Chris. He's... Well, you know how you were asking who I was seeing?"
"That dude seriously gave me the evil eyeball!" Drew protested indignantly. "Are doctors even allowed to do that? And Christ, all the medical talk and nicking of bowels. I don't want to know about nicking of bowels, alright? In fact, lets leave bowels out of the conversation totally, just to be on the safe side," he decided with a small shudder, but then his eyes landed on his sister questioningly. "Chris? The Dr C dude you were singing the praises of a few months back? The one shoe dude? That's him? What's he got to do with who you're see- oh. Ohhhhhh fucking hell, S. No way!"
Serena put her finger to her lips to try and get her brother to be quiet. "Shh! Kathy might hear you. This is the one time in your life I need you to be subtle, okay? Chris and I are still doing sneaky ninja dating. So yes, way! He's my exclusive. My boyfriend... I love him, Drew. Crazy love. He's still stinging from when Jeff was here. The douche told me he still loved me - in front of Chris. Don't feel bad about the evil eyeball. He'll understand when I tell him you're my big brother." She held up her hand. "Keep the secret, and I promise there won't be talk of bowels."
Now Drew just looked completely confused, his nose scrunched up as he looked at the spot where Chris had disappeared from and tried to put all the pieces together. "No, wait. You said the dude was a player. You're playing with a player, and that's just... just... I'll kill him. I will. If he hurts you, I'll kill him. No eyebrows and nakedness will be the least of his worries. If he cheats on you, I'll tear his dick off and shove it in an electrical socket. A very large electrical socket! He's too hot, chicks will drool over him! Chicks better not drool over him or I'll kill them too!" he insisted in a pointed whisper complete with emphatic hand gestures.
Serena raised her eyebrows as she listened to Drew. She'd never heard him get that carried away with threats before. "He was, but that doesn't mean he can't be a boyfriend. He's been a boyfriend. He hasn't played around since we went exclusive. He's been the best boyfriend I could have ever asked for. He's real, Drew. Really real, and he's mine." She couldn't help but give a smile filled with pride and just a little smugness. She'd bagged Dr C. It was hard not to be proud of herself. "I'll kill those chicks first, by the way. All that really is that they don't touch. And you haven't even spoken to him yet, Drew. Don't kill him until you do."
Drew was thinking back to the very brief glimpse he caught of the dude his little sister was apparently head over for. He seemed like a prat, on the face of it, but now the dots had been connected, he just had to wonder if the guy was all protective of her. He also seemed busy and distracted. "Isn't he the Chief Resident here?" he asked, remembering back to what she had originally said about the guy when she first got the gig here. "So, he's technically your boss. Jesus, S..." he murmured, rubbing at his forehead. "Is this wise? You could be fucking with your job here. Hopefully he's not the sort to make a habit of dating all his new residents..."
"He's not, he's really not. I'm the first resident he's dated and if I have anything to say about it, I'll be the last. We know it's risky. It's why we've been keeping it quiet. It's more his job that's probably at risk than mine. He's already convinced Proctor doesn't think he's a good doctor. Chris got sent home trying to protect me once because I'd made a mistake in surgery." Serena shifted in her seat, her hands tucked between her legs to stop herself from fidgeting, or fussing over Drew when it would just hurt him. "We've maintained an awesome working relationship regardless of dating. No one's any the wiser, and it doesn't diminish our skills."
Drew just shook his head for a moment and sighed. "They will be the wiser if he keeps giving patients the evil eyeball. That wasn't particularly the best ninja skills right there. I knew straight away something was up with the dude. And what was with that oncology thing? Was that some sort of code for a secret elevator fuck or something? Because he hesitated over it, whereas he smoothly poured out the info on the other patient without a hitch. You've maintained an awesome working relationship until now, but how long have things been serious? Or have you just been keeping secrets from us back home?"
Serena shook her head. "No, his brother has cancer. I met him the other day. As Chris' girlfriend. It's not a code for elevator sex. We don't cross the line at work. The evil eyeball needs some work, I'll give you that one. I guess they've been serious for a little while now. I got so used to not being able to say anything to anyone I guess I forgot that it would have been safe to say something to you guys."
"Cancer?" Drew asked, raising his eyebrows. "He said the patient was having surgery. That's his brother? Well, I guess that explains why he seemed preoccupied... and a little on the moody side. I was starting to wonder how a dude like that kept his licence. Why him, though? Out of all the dudes on the market, why him? You've got to at least have some time to yourself to look for a lay beyond work. Not that I'm saying there is anything wrong with him, because I don't know him from a bar of soap, but still. He's your supervisor. This whole ninja thing, sis, it's not healthy."
Serena gave a nod. "In his kidney. They're going to take it out. It's the best way to deal with it. Rick made the mistake of coming here a couple weeks back and having so-called experimental surgery. It was never going to cure it, or fix it. Now they've got to start being aggressive with the right way to treat it. There's a lot of history with him and Rick. It's not all good. We drew the long straw, big brother. So be glad you got me, okay?" Serena tried not to look too downtrodden that Drew wasn't embracing her choice of boyfriend. She knew he was just trying to protect her. "It works for us. It's a little hard sometimes, but it's worth. And why him? He fixed my clicker. He makes me laugh, he makes me smile just from a look and it doesn't hurt that he's hot and a great lay. I'm talking amazing. He's... He's Chris. It was just meant to be fun at first, you know? A bit of sex but it grew and I don't regret it. We've even had a mutual puke test."
Drew listened closely, even if he had drawn his lower lip between his teeth to bite on it in thought. He couldn't he wondering what their parents would think about this, if Serena even had any intentions of telling them. She had never been secretive before, so this new guy had to be to blame. Probably not intentionally, though. Drew wasn't a complete idiotic jerk, he could see the situation they had gotten themselves in and why the secrecy was there. "Wouldn't being honest just be the better thing at the end of the day? I mean, I get it, okay? No jumping down my throat to strangle me from the inside because I'm douchebag big brother who doesn't get it. But think about it. You both have intense jobs, weird and long hours, dealing with freakish things every day. You have a dude here who has that as well as holding the fort of residents as Chief Resident, and you're telling me he has a brother with cancer. Cancer, sis. The Big C. Isn't the whole secret ninja relationship thing just gonna cause him even more stress worrying about getting caught, worrying about staying out of sight? Hell, because you're on the hush, there's gonna be times you can't be with him when he might need you. Plus, you said yourself, the guy got sent home for trying to protect you. What the hell is your boss going to think when you choose to reveal this - or worse, he finds out on his own - that you two have been concealing this for however long? Protecting a colleague and fucking a colleague are two totally, totally different ball games. How hard you worked to get here, I never thought I would see you lay it all on the line for a dude... but you are, and that kind of scarily tells me how much you care about him. And vice versa, I guess."
Serena sat there quietly as she listened to her brother, already considering calling her parents to tell them about Chris before Drew tried to give them the big brother's side. She felt stupid now keeping the secret from them of all people, but it really was just out of habit. She was used to Aimee and Dave being the only ones to know. Now Rick, now her own brother. The circle was slowly starting to grow and Serena wondered if maybe it was a sign that ninja business should be over. She wanted to go and find Proctor to ask for the afternoon off to be with Chris while his brother was operated on, but she knew she couldn't. Chris was trusting her with his patient instead. "I think it's getting to him... us. There's more and more niggles that make us want to speak up, but it's a huge step. I don't think the timing's ever going to be right. If I knew it would be one less worry for Chris, I'd push to tell Proctor. It's just so hard to guage how he's going to react. Even after the other time."
Drew started scratching at an itch on his wrist near the IV line. Right up there with his medical aversion, he hated things stuck in him for no reason. Even if there was a reason, like now to stop him dehydrating, he still hated it. He wanted to pull it out, but he knew if he even tried that, Serena wouldn't hesitate to promptly deck him and maybe even shove it up his nose. "Well, you've talked to the dude a lot over the time, right? You said he was a good boss. Insightful, or something. How do you think he would react to it? Has he reacted unreasonably with anything else, or do all his decisions seem to make some sort of sense? At the end of the day, he's can't stop you two seeing each other out of work hours, and unless he has witnessed it on the job, he can't fire you for it either. So, what's the problem? Is there something else going on here?"
"What something else could there be?" Serena asked him. She was watching him with the IV line, waiting to pounce if he did take it out, but her brother behaved. "He really is a good boss. I've learned a lot from Dr Proctor. He doesn't seem to mind taking the time to show me procedures or the little things I seem to be missing in my technique. There's no one like him. I still don't know what he'll do. No one can ever anticipate his reactions. It's part of why Chris finds him so infuriating."
Drew really had no more brotherly pearls of wisdom to offer anymore. He wasn't familiar enough with the situation to make any calls about it, even if he didn't want his sister making things difficult for herself. He stretched in the bed a little, even if his skin protested the movement and then sighed. "Well, it looks like you just need to go with it for now. Just please don't consider eloping. Ever. You'll make Mom cry and I hate when Mom cries. Dad will be wanting to do the whole giving away thing, too, and I should rightfully be entitled to take your other half out and get him so piss blind drunk he can't remember his own name. Right of passage and all that. Because I can hear it in your voice, he's not like any of the others. I can't put my finger on why. I can just tell."
Serena pressed her lips together briefly as she felt a lump grow rapidly and lodge in her throat. She was in danger of shedding tears and she tugged at his bed covers in retaliation for making her teary. "I missed you, Drew. I really did. Please tell me you're here for longer than a few days... I want you to meet Chris and be able to talk to him. At least so you can assure Mom and Dad he's not some axe murdering psycho. Which is kind of another story for when you're not feeling so fragile..."
Drew did hold up his hand, his face scrunching up a little. "Please, and thank you. I don't know if I would be more angry that you were in danger, or didn't tell me you were in danger, so lets just leave off the more secrets thing for a little longer. I really hope you shake that habit, sis. You've never been secretive before, and this is hard to swallow. Don't let anyone swallow you up from being who you are, not even some blond surfer doctor dude you're having heart palpitations over. No dude is worth changing yourself for. Ever. Alright?" he insisted, holding her gaze and waiting for her response. "I'm here for a month, initially. A New York stockbroker is paying me to help his wife who has MS, and he wants her to have the treatment here in a nice setting."
Serena nodded. "I know, and of course. I'm sorry, big brother. I really am. It's just so much has been going on these last few months. It's easier than I thought to just stay focused on my bubble here." After a moment she broke into a huge smile. "A month? Really? That's awesome! You have to stay at my place. Promise me, Drew? It'll save you rent, or paying for a hotel room. Do you think you'll be able to help her?"
Drew held his hands up. "Wait, wait. You seriously want me hanging around and cramping your style with Dr Feelgood? Don't you think you better check with him first? What if he needs his brother staying there, or does the brother live local? All these gaps. I might need you to sit down and write me out an instruction manual. Yeah, I should be able to make things more comfortable for her, anyway. She'll be a piece of cake. She used to be a cellist herself before she got ill, so my job will be a breeze. It's why her husband wanted to try my therapy above all else."
Serena looked at him for a moment like he was crazy. "What? We're not living together. It's kind of hard to be secret ninjas when you're living together. I can just go to his place. I think he'd rather have Rick at his apartment than mine. You can still take my apartment, Drew. Really. It's somewhere for you to feel at home. Not just like a tourist. I'll talk to Chris about it, but it's still my apartment. The brother doesn't live local, but I think he's here for a while. At least if the treatment works..." Serena's face dropped again, and she glanced at the clock on Drew's bedside. "I hope the surgery will go okay, I really do. Oh wow, really? Then you two will have a lot to connect on. I still think it's amazing what you do. Music really does escape me still."
"You're still dating him. He should still know about it. He might not want me sticking my nose in when he's trying to cope with his brother being sick. Nothing worse than a houseguest hanging around when you just want privacy, whether you're living together or not. You're obviously pulling it all off somehow." Drew reached over and took Serena's hand to squeeze it. "Hey, it's not easy. It'll be just as hard for you knowing you can't just freely make with the girlfriend stuff whenever you want to. I mean, he said his bro's got surgery this afternoon? Are you even going to be off shift to be with him? Can you be with him without people getting suspicious? It's the same hospital, right? And I'm just lucky to have a job I love and I'm good at. Your thread of medicine, fuck, I'd be passing out everytime a patient landed in front of me."
Serena looked down at their hands and let out a heavy sigh. She really couldn't begin to tell Drew how grateful she was just to have him here. She suddenly felt homesick, but the idea of leaving Chris at a time like this hurt her more than she could even begin to fathom. "Sometimes I think it's just luck that we've gotten away with as much as we have. I want to be there for him... With him... But I can't. I know I won't get off while the surgery's going on. When I get off Rick will probably be in recovery, and I don't know if Chris will really want to be with anyone but his brother. We haven't exactly had a chance to talk about it. I can probably get away with stopping by, but it might seem strange if I'm there all night with him. And yeah, same hospital. Hey, if my price for being able to stomach trauma was a lack of musical talent I think I'm okay with that. I'd rather be able to watch you at work."
Drew raised his eyebrows. "He's not talking to you about it? Is he talking to anyone about it? Stuff like that, it's not healthy to sit on and stew with. It just makes it worse. So, what are you going to do? Go home and sit to stew yourself? You could always just say you went over there to keep him company because there was no one else to. You can still be a supportive friend in public, right? You can sit in the hallway and look pretty, but at least he'll know you're there." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You should come along to one of my sessions. You're a doctor, the patient won't mind. She's pretty cool. Never could have kids of her own, but doesn't let it get her down."
"No, no. He does. A little bit. Only he just told me about the surgery right then. I'm assuming he didn't know until now. So there wasn't exactly a battle plan in place. Well, I do sit in hallways looking pretty very well. I'm like an expert now." Serena looked at Drew, her eyes lighting up. "Really? Are you sure?"
"Well, if he's going to hang about the hospital with his brother overnight, come back a little later to see him. Make up some shit about worrying about him and not being able to sleep. People will buy it, especially if you lot are obviously friends as well as a working team. You said they were friendly, like family. There will be less chance of anyone seeing you a bit later, and the surgery will be over. You'll have an outcome, at least." Drew nodded and smiled. "Yeah, of course. My area isn't like you lot with all your privacy issues and shit. It's okay for me to ask a patient if they mind someone sitting in on a consult. My clients are all there by choice, and I can usually get a feel how they take to it early on."
"Gives me an excuse to come back and check on my big brother too," Serena replied as she stood up to kiss him lightly on the forehead. She'd caught a glimpse at the clock by his side and realised it was probably time to get back to work. Those CTs for Chris' patient were probably ready. "You know, you keep enabling me with him and I'm going to start thinking you might actually approve. I'll drop off a copy of my roster lately, okay? We'll figure out a day for me to drop in when you're feeling better and back into the sessions. I'll be back to check on you in between rounds, too. You're not rid of me just yet."
Drew smirked and nodded. "Don't go getting into mischief now, little sis. I don't want anyone thinking I have a bad reputation," he joked and gave her a small wave. "I'll reserve judgement on the approval, but... I dunno, S. I can't even fathom what it would be like if you had cancer, so just do whatever it takes to let him know you're there. Maybe some things are just bigger fish to fry than boss' approval, huh?"
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