Luna sighed heavily, sipping her dark coffee as she stared at the fountain right in the middle of the patio. She still had a few minutes once the new guy had been briefed by her boss before she'd have to show him around. During this time, she found herself picturing Quinton kissing Samantha June and suddenly, the already-black coffee tasted like bitter hate in her mouth. She spat the drink back into the mug and tossed it in the trash before heading back inside.

Knight sighed as his sister picked at the absent doctor's office. "Don't you think you're going a bit too far for a rabid pet?" he drawled without thinking and received a glare from Shadow.

Shadow successfully undid the lock and opened the door. "Shush and watch the door while I check it out... She's not here but we can find where she is now." She entered the dark room and closed the door, searching the area as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

Livvy closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air. She was finally coming to terms with the fact that she would be pretty useless for the next few weeks. It wasn't a good feeling but it was the truth.

"Thank you." She said tilting her head up to look at Obadiah.

Obadiah patted her shoulder. "I know this is tough for you, Ms. Independent... But maybe your body is grateful and wants you to slow down a bit."

"I've never been this useless." She explained, covering his hand with hers. "Not once, not never, I don't know what to do with myself."

"Let others take care of you..." He smiled. "Trust me, it's not as bad as you think."

"I hope not." She said blowing the hair out of her face.
She took a deep breath when she saw the doctor come out. She could tell by the look on his face it wasn't good news, not that she had expected it to be.
"It's broken." He confirmed."We'll splint it for a couple of days just in case it swells up some more and then we'll replace the splint with a cast. Follow me please."

Obadiah sighed. "I guess I'm gonna run solo from now on..." he murmured in an attempt to lighten the mood, wheeling her after the doctor.

She bit her lip as he wheeled her into the the examining room again.

Colton slouched in his seat, looking out the window. "It's dark...the stars look amazing tonight."

Vanessa had leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed as she sipped slowly at her coffee. "Mmm are they? The backs of my eyelids look pretty good right now too," she sighed.

He smirked as he openly observed her. "You look so high right now," Colton drawled, reaching for his mug of milk.

"High?" she echoed with a laugh after another sip. "Somehow I don't feel like that's a compliment, Colton. Of course when you consider that I thought I looked like a junkie who's gone weeks without her fix, your version is much more flattering."

He chuckled a little too loudly, forgetting that it was late and that everyone else in the lounge was as tired and worn out as they. "A junkie? That's a little...much. But not inaccurate."

"You flatter me," she drawled sarcastically as she lifted her head and opened her eyes. "Just this last shift and I'm going to let myself crash on the nearest soft surface." Yet, she doubted the truth of her own words. Something always came up and she ended up spending more time at the hospital than she'd intended. Who knew when she'd see her apartment again.

He smiled. "Somehow, I doubt that sleeplessness is going to make us better doctors."

"Hmph, that shows what you know," she said laughing. "That is very true but we're in demand. What can we do?" She sighed and turned to her coffee again. "I rest when I can. It's better than the non-resting you've been doing," she grinned accusingly.

"I'm not the one who looks like a druggie," Colton laughed. "But yeah. I'm always stressed, but the minute I get the scalpel in my hands, it's all worth it, you know?"

She smiled and nodded. "Oh yeah. The minute I see somebody take a step when they couldn't stand a few days ago? Nothing else matters. We're pitiful," she laughed.

Colton faked a sob and buried his face in his hands. "I honestly have no social life outside of this hospital because of my affinity for medicine. You too?"

"My last night out is hazy at best," she said woefully. She hadn't regretted it though, even though it had left her nearly dead on her feet the next day. "I imagine some friends are plotting another kidnapping soon. I'll make sure they kidnap you too," she teased.

"Better be a promise," Colton ran a hand through his hair. "I don't only need sleep but fun."

"Finish drinking that milk and it'll knock you out. That's a promise," she smiled. "You really do look like you could use a good day of sleep," she frowned, concern edging its way into her voice.

His eyelids were getting heavy. "Yeah, I know. I'll sleep someday...someday...."

Vanessa laughed softly and covered her mouth to hide her giggles. Colton needed to sleep and he didn't want to wake him.

"Don't do anything weird to me while I sleep," he warned her groggily. "And don't go anywhere. Just stay here....just stay here."

"Hmm, what do you classify as weird?" she asked softly but she expected no answer as sleep claimed Colton. She was content to sit there, watching him as she drank cup after cup of coffee to keep her wired enough to survive the night.

She was unsure of how long she sat there before another doctor beckoned her over. She smiled softly at Colton before rising and gratefully accepting the cup of coffee the doctor offered as he spoke.

His broad chest rose as he slept, dreaming of doing a major surgery.

I really needed this, his conscience said happily, causing him to smile in his sleep.

Vanessa was thankful for the coffee she held in her hand when she heard the doctor's news. She nodded gravely and gave him a weak smile in parting before returning to Colton's side. She smiled softly, glad someone was getting some seriously needed rest. She scribbled a quick note for him.

Duty calls. Sorry to leave you unprotected from all the weird things people might want to do to yo. :) Glad you got some rest. See you later.

Nessa

Almost three hours later, Colton found himself alone in the lounge. "Geez, how long was I asleep?" he yawned, spotting a bright Post-it on the table. He grinned when he read it, feeling energized.

It was morning, now. Time to go back to work.

"Dr. Savoy!" he'd caught up to her after some time. The woman was an excellent speedwalker. "How did the surgery go? Is Olivia okay? I heard--"

She cut him off. "It was successful. We managed to replace the aortic valve with her pulmonary valve and--"

"You did the Ross procedure?" he asked, his brow furrowing. "I thought that was for older patients...Olivia's only twelve."

"We did it. And it worked," Andrea spoke, looking down at her sandwich before glancing back at him. "Anymore questions?"

Colton bit his lip and shook his head. "No ma'am. Have a nice lunch."

Sebastian looked down at Andrea in disapproval. "Can't you be nicer? He's under me."

"Nope. He's asking too much about a surgery he had nothing to do with," Andrea wiped her mouth, looking up at Sebastian. "Besides, no one was nice to me when I was a resident. It's a cycle. Sit down."

"Can't. I have to go check on my patient, since you scared my resident away," he laughed. "Enjoy your...tuna?"

"Close enough...it's chicken," Andy replied and took a sip of her soda.

Once Sebastian walked away, he found Colton watching Dr. Savoy from afar with a look of distaste on his face. "She's a tough cookie, that one," Sebastian spoke. ""But she's kind-hearted, I promise."

"I doubt that," he scoffed before running a hand through his hair. "It's fine, though. It's the food chain thing, right?"