#this post brought to you by me being a receptionist for a couple of extremely opposite people

[13eyond13]

People hate on Light for many many (mostly valid) reasons, but you can't deny that he's so incredibly organized and so determined to handle most things by himself that being his admin or his receptionist or his assistant would probably be a dream

[joyfulholland]

Where Stories Start

a/n: bookshop/coffeshop au! this idea came to me months ago and it has been a long process trying to get it into something actually readable, so i would love to hear people’s thoughts on it, and if people would like any more as i could definitely write a sequel! any comments/ideas/requests are more than welcome in my inbox!

warnings: none

word count: 3000

The first time you see him, you spill your drink all down your shirt.

Admittedly, it wasn’t his fault. You’d been trying to pick up the stack of books you had to take back to the shelves and had unsuccessfully balanced your coffee cup on the top. In a haste to save the books you’d thrown them back down, only for the end result to be your previously white shirt to have a large brown patch all down the front. A handful of napkins had suddenly been held out in front of you, and as you’d lifted your eyes to thank your helper, you’d been met with a much warmer shade of brown than the one now dominating your shirt.

“It’s the worst when that happens.” The handsome stranger smiled, before turning his head to nod at Theo, your co-worker manning the coffee bar that day. “See you later.”

He offered you another smile before turning to leave, a navy rucksack draped over one of his shoulders. You watched him walk towards the door for a second, before Theo’s voice brought your attention away.

“I’ve got a spare hoodie in my bag if you want it?”

“Yeah.” You nodded, thoughts still lingering on the man who’d just walked out. “Yeah, thanks Theo.”

*

You’d first gotten a job at Where Stories Start when you were a student, desperately in need of money to help you out whilst you studied. Stumbling in had been an accident, hoping to find reprieve from the rain by wasting an hour or two browsing the shelves. Then you noticed the coffee bar tucked away in the corner of the shop, surrounded by mismatched tables and chairs. By the time you’d explored both of the two floors, discovered the entire wall by the children’s section painted with a character for every letter of the alphabet, seen the “Book Swap” section near the coffee bar where people could exchange their old battered copies for others to enjoy whilst they drank, and had spent at least twenty minutes writing a review of ‘Who Will Love Polly Odlum’ for the “Book of the Month” display, you’d completely fallen in love with the place. It was as if it were fate when you noticed the help wanted sign on the pay desk, and you had immediately asked the woman behind it for an application. She’d introduced herself as Bryony, the owner, and had hired you with only a five-minute conversation as your interview. A couple of years later, when you were graduating, she’d promoted you to manager, claiming that whilst being a starving artist was admirable, until you’d achieved your dream of being an author, she wanted you to have a steady income from somewhere. She was your biggest supporter, letting you write from the desk when it was quiet and assuring you that taking any freelance writing jobs you could find wasn’t at all like selling out your dream, just a way of getting your writing out there. The bookshop had become your second home, and you always secretly thought that there was a little bit of magic to the place.

Maybe that’s what brought him into the shop so often too.

*

The second time you encountered the handsome stranger, it was a much quieter affair.

It was a Thursday afternoon, and the shop was reasonably quiet. You’d just settled in behind the desk to check through any online orders when the bell on the door chimed to signal someone entering. You glanced up to smile at whoever it was and were taken aback when it was the warm brown eyes from the week before.

“Hiya.” He grinned, closing the door behind him before crossing the space to lean on the desk in front of you. “No accidents yet today?”

“No, but there’s still time I suppose.” You chuckle, noticing a tattered copy of ‘Life of Pi’ in his hand. “Here to swap a book?”

“Yeah, I grabbed this last week and thought since I’ve got some time, I’d come have a tea and get a new one.” He nodded, waving the book up. “I only came in by chance to grab a present for my Mum, but the place is so great I felt I had to come back.”

“I know what you mean. I only came in to escape the rain and I’m still here three years later.”

“I think there are worse places to get stranded.” He joked, waving his book again. You laughed at his joke as he grinned, lifting his bag on his shoulder a little higher. “Well I won’t distract you from your work anymore. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“See you.” You nod, smiling before turning back to the desktop monitor. You watch him walk a few steps before he pauses, and you lift your head to see him turning to face you.

“I’m Tom, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Tom.” You smiled, “I’m Y/N.”

*

Tom became a regular visitor after that week.

Every Thursday at around four o clock, he would come in, pause at the desk to chat with you, usually about whichever book he’d read that week, before heading over to the coffee bar to drink tea and start a new story. Sometimes you would join him; if the shop was particularly quiet and you had some writing to do, it was easy to slip into the chair opposite him and sit in a comfortable silence, occasionally sharing comments about what Tom was reading. Sometimes you would simply send him a wave as he entered; on the days were the shop was busy and you were constantly on the phone or helping a customer, you wouldn’t have chance to even say hello until he’d already packed away his things and was heading for the door. It became a nice routine, knowing that on a Thursday you’d see Tom, in whatever form your interaction took that week.

The only problem was that with each passing week, your attraction to him grew stronger.

You’d always found him good-looking, from the moment your eyes had met as he’d handed you the napkins. But as you spent more time together, you couldn’t help but find him more appealing as you discovered how his brain worked. Each time he finished a book you desperately wanted to know his opinions, whether they aligned with yours or not, simply so you could hear him speak. It was the passion in his voice as he spoke of his annoyance at how some characters acted, or how he was relived with the way a book had ended. You loved when he made connections between stories and his own life, especially when he related them to some anecdotes about himself, his friends and family.

It was these anecdotes that began the shift in your conversations to more personal matters. The stories he told would always prompt you to ask questions about the people who featured in them. You learnt about his three brothers, his best friend Harrison, his dog Tessa. Tom told you about his job working in what he described as “the most boring office in the world”, and how he was jealous of the people who got to follow their passion instead of just work to pay the bills. He, in turn, would question you on your family, your friends, your career ambitions. He’d constantly pester to read your writing, protesting when you told him it wasn’t ready yet.

“You’re such a cliché you know.” He chuckled one day, a few minutes after you’d settled down in the chair opposite him, coffee in one hand and laptop in the other.

“What?” Your eyes met his as you opened your laptop, raising your eyebrows as he smirked.

“You’re a writer who works in a book shop.”

“I’m an aspiring writer who manages a book shop.” You grin back at him, scrunching up one of the old Post-It notes stuck next to your mousepad and throwing it at him. “Very different.”

“Still a cliché.” He continued to smile as he diverted his eyes back to his book. You rolled your eyes as your own attention went back to your laptop, taking his cue to mean the conversation break was over.

The two of you were still smiling to yourselves an hour later when you packed up to help close the shop.

*

A week before Christmas, he burst through the door on a late Saturday afternoon, his hair dishevelled, his scarf extremely lopsided and a panicked look across his face. His eyes searched the shop until he found you re-stocking the shelves, walking towards you as a tall blonde man, looking much calmer followed casually, hands in his pockets as he smirked at his friend’s behaviour.

“Emergency.” Tom stated, skidding to a stop in front of you. The man with him chuckled and Tom shot a glare in his direction. “This is not a time to laugh Haz.”

“You should have been an actor, mate, always overdramatic.” He laughed, before extending a hand to you. “Harrison. You’re Y/N I presume?”

“Great to meet you.” You nod as you take his outstretched hand. “Heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise.”

“Oi,” Tom interrupted, his eyebrows furrowed. “I really am having an emergency here.”

“Sorry.” You turned your attention back to Tom, attempting to pull your face into a serious expression but failing. “How can I help?”

“It’s the office Secret Santa tonight and I forgot to get anything.” His words tipped you over the edge and you couldn’t help but laugh, prompting Harrison to join in. “This is serious, stop laughing. Steve will have my head if I turn up to the dinner later without one.”

“Okay, sorry.” You giggled, placing down the stack of books you’d still been holding down. “Who do you have to buy a present for and is there a price limit?”

“Edie, the receptionist. Limit is fifteen quid.”

“How old is she?”

“About fifty. She likes Agatha Christie I think, she’s always banging on about how it’s a shame that there’s no more Poirot.”

“Perfect.” You nod, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the crime and mystery section. It only takes you a couple of seconds to locate the orange cover you were searching for. “This is by Sophie Hannah. She’s writing a whole new set of Poirot stories in Christie’s style. And it’s five pounds under your budget, which means you can go to Tesco around the corner and buy a gift bag and some chocolates to make up the rest.”

“You’re a life saver.” A grin spread across Tom’s whole face, and before you could register what was happening, he leant forward and brushed a hasty kiss across your cheek. “Best pay for this and go, Haz and I are meeting the boys for a quick one before I go.”

He turned and walked towards the check out before you could reply, joining the short line around the corner to pay. After a few seconds, you shook your head before turning to return to where you’d been stacking, when you noticed Harrison was still there.

“Thanks for saving the day.” He smirked, nodding before starting after Tom. “It really great to meet you, he hasn’t stopped talking about you for weeks.”

*

The week the shop was closed for Christmas, you couldn’t help but miss Tom, despite the fact you’d only see him for an hour or two a week. When Thursday afternoon rolled around, you berated yourself for feeling a way about a man who’s friendship only existed within a small space and time, until a Facebook notification lip up your screen, displaying that you had a friend request from Tom Holland. You grinned to yourself as you accepted, a message coming through seconds later.

So I read your piece online about the Christmas placebo affect.

So you not only facebook stalked me, you also stalked my work

Well I kept asking to see it and you kept saying no

And it isn’t facebook stalking when we’re already friends

It’s completely normal for me to have found you on here and requested your friendship

So we’re friends now?

Of course we’re friends I showed you seven pictures of my dog last week I don’t just do that with anyone

Calm down stalker And you know I appreciated the pictures of Tessa

You know, I started this conversation with every intention of telling you my deepest thoughts and feelings about your piece but now I’m not going to

Ok fine with me

Great

Great

Good

Tom?

Yeah?

What did you think?

I think you’ve been holding out on me

*

One Monday afternoon at the end of January, you bumped into each other in a pub, nowhere near the book shop, and you both froze like deer caught in headlights. It was odd, to see him in a situation so alien to what you were used to. Your friendship had only recently shifted to one that existed outside of the book shop, but even that was only via Facebook. His shirt was slightly smarter than his usual Thursday afternoon clothes, and the red tint to his cheeks alongside the empty pint glass in his hand clued you into the fact that he probably wasn’t drinking tea. You stood frozen as you realised he too had been assessing your appearance, far less professional than your usual work attire, before your eyes met and you grinned at each other.

“Of all the gin joints.” He joked, taking a step towards you and wrapping his arms around you in a brief but tight hug. You were both still grinning as he stepped back. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Yeah, that’d be great.” You nodded, noticing the group he’d left behind. You recognised the faces of two of his brothers from photographs you’d seen, before Harrison caught your eye. The blonde smiled and waved at you across the room, before saying something to the group, whose eyes all turned to you in curiosity.

Tom bought your drink and offered for you to join them, even inviting your friends to come too. You declined, explaining it was someone’s birthday, before reaching out to give him another hug goodbye.

“See you Thursday.” He winked before turning back to join his group.

You returned to your own friends still grinning, rolling your eyes as they all started asking the same question; who was the handsome man at the bar?”

“That,” you grinned, eyes drifting over to where Tom now sat laughing with his friends again. “Was the Thursday Tom.”

*

“You’ve got some explaining to do.”

Tom was smirking as he came to lean his forearms on the desk, his rucksack already slung over his shoulder as he’d been in for over an hour.

“About?” You locked the shop desktop monitor before turning in your chair to fully face him.

“I’ve just seen your review of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.”

“Ahh.”

With it being the “month of love”, as Bryony had kept reminding you, you’d succumbed to peer pressure and made ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the Book of the Month. As shop manager, you were obligated to write a review for the display before the customers began to add their own. Normally, you were thrilled to do it, but this month you’d been very reluctant.

“You barely wrote anything.” Tom continued, smirk still in place. “Usually yours is the longest on there, even I could write more than your review.”

“I’m just not a fan.” You shrug, watching Tom’s face as he looked at you in disbelief.

“’Romeo and Juliet’ is the best love story of all time!” He exclaimed.

“Sorry I think you mispronounced ‘Pride and Prejudice’.” Your own smile only widens as he shakes his head at you.

“So you’re saying that millions of people are wrong.”

“It’s not even Shakespeare’s best work, ‘Hamlet’ is clearly the better play.”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You’re an author, and you work in a book shop called Where Stories Start! ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is where most love stories start.”

“Exactly. That makes me more qualified than anyone.”

“Unbelievable.” Tom was grinning as he shook his head again. “Can I ask you to explain one more thing?”

“Go for it.”

“Would you say that our story started when you spilt your coffee down your shirt, or does it not start until I ask you to dinner on Saturday night?”

He’s still smirking as your smile turns into a look of shock, your brain unable to string a sentence together as you stare at him.

“I…well…it…did you just ask me out?” You splutter, finally regaining the ability to speak.

“Well, not technically.” His smile turned softer as he stood a little straighter. “Was trying to gage your reaction before I went for it. Have been, actually, since I first met you, but thought it would be strange to do when you were in the middle of trying to dry yourself.”

“Very considerate.” You nod, unable to stop the smile taking over your face. “Well, in my expert opinion. I would say that any moments leading up to you asking me out could be counted as a prelude, rather than where our story started.”

“Excellent, excellent.” Tom nodded, shifting his bag a little higher on his shoulder before grinning at you. “So, what do you say. Saturday night. Will you go to dinner with me?”

“I’d love to.” You nod, the grin taking over your own face. “And for the record, I’d have said yes if you’d asked me then too.”

Because maybe your story had started back when an accident had led to a stranger handing you a bunch of napkins, or maybe it properly yet to start. Or maybe, it had started before, when two individuals had stumbled into a random shop in two separate spontaneous moments. You supposed you couldn’t really be sure.

But you did know that you were still only at the beginning.

[atlafan]

Tethered - Sneak Peek

Based off this ask.

a/n: this is going to be a doozy fam, the full thing is 27K. I really wanna take my time to proofread, so here’s the first few “pages” to hold you over. I’m hoping to post the full thing tomorrow if I can get it proofread tonight. Enjoy doctor!Harry!! 

Becoming a pediatrician was no small feat. Four years for an undergraduate degree, perhaps in biology, or biochemistry, something of that nature, four years of medical school, and then five years of residency. Thirteen years total, and hundreds of thousands of dollars just so people will know you as doctor. But it was worth it, and not just because a person can get paid nearly $200K a year, although, that was pretty nice. No, it was worth it because a pediatrician got to spend the day with babies and kids, and even teenagers, who loved coming in for a checkup. Most kids loved going to the doctor. It was someone they knew well, someone they trusted, and someone to sneak them an extra piece of candy after a particularly difficult flu shot.

Dr. Harry Styles was just about thirty, and had gone into business with another doctor, Dr. Niall Horan, to open up their own pediatrics office. After their residency, they both agreed that smaller offices were better than working in a wing of a hospital. It was pretty easy to do, Harry had a friend from undergrad that he stayed close with who was a business major. She helped them with a business plan, with hiring, and even selecting a proper location for their practice. They wanted a space with a proper parking lot and all that.

It wasn’t difficult to keep patients, most of the parents that brought their kids to see Niall and Harry at the hospital followed them to their new practice. Word of mouth spread about the two handsome doctors with the accents, and the rest was history. They hired a couple of nurses, and a receptionist or two, and they were up and running with style. They had a nice little play area for kids, and a TV in the waiting area for everyone else.

Harry loved kids ever since he babysat them as a teenager. He knew from a young age he wanted to become a doctor of some kind, opting to take Latin in high school to get familiar with the terms earlier on. Pediatrics was guaranteed money, which was good because medical school is fucking expensive, and Harry had to take out loans to go to a good school. He sure as hell didn’t expect his mother to pay for it. Oh, and his mother was extremely proud of him, of course. As was his older sister, who, wasn’t doing so bad herself either, she was an Ecologist. Anne was amazed by both of her children, having zero idea where they got their brains from. The only thing she didn’t like about Harry’s career path was that he had to put so much on hold while he was in school. She felt like he didn’t really get to enjoy being young. Not that he would ever tell her, but he made plenty of time for fun when he was in school, even during his residency, he and Niall had plenty of fun.

“But when do you think you’ll find someone to settle down with?”

“Mum, I’m only going to be thirty, got plenty of time for that.”

“I’d like to be able to actually play with grand babies and not just be some old crone in a rocking chair.”

“You have two children, you know?”

“Funny, your sister says the same thing to me all the time.”

Harry was just happy he practiced his medicine in an entirely different country from where his mother lived. His sister wasn’t so lucky to be far away, she got the brunt of the married and kids talks. It’s not that Harry didn’t want those things, he did. It just wasn’t the right time. He finally felt like he could breathe. He only had to work four days a week, and he was finally getting his home in order. He just wanted to get settled before he started going out to try to meet someone.

*                                                                                       *                                                                                             *

It was an average Tuesday morning. Harry came in at 7:30AM, and said hello to his staff. It was Niall’s day off so he’d be holding down the fort, which he didn’t mind one bit. It was spring time which meant lots of kids had been coming in with sinus infections. Harry always felt horrible for them. He was alerted that his 10AM was in and waiting for him. He snags the chart and looks things over. It was a new patient, Michael Y/L/N, age two, both of his ears hurt. Harry sighs and goes into the room, putting on his best smile.

His eyes fall to the little boy sitting up straight on the bed, and then they fall to the woman sitting in the visitor’s chair next to the bed. She was wearing a white blouse, and a light pair of jeans, cuffed at the ankles. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she had her hands folded in her lap. Her lips were painted red and her eyes were being illuminated by some faint eyeshadow and long lashes.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Styles.” He smiles at her.

“Hi, I’m Y/N, and this is Michael.”

The two shake hands. Harry extends his large hand out to Michael’s, and his little hand grasps it.

“Well, Michael.” Harry sits on the rolly chair and skootches closer to the bed. “What’s going on today?”

Michael looks at Y/N and then back to Harry.

“Go on, you can sort of speak.” She smiles at her son.

“My ears.”

“Both of them?” The boy nods at Harry.

“I think some water got in there during his last tubby, and we weren’t able to get it out.”

“Ah.” Harry stands up and grabs his otoscope. “Michael, may I check your ears?” Harry always liked to ask the kids if he could touch them before he did. It was a way to show them early on that their bodies were their own.

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” He smiles. He gently tilts Michael’s head so he can get a better look. He hums while he does so, and then steps to check his other ear. “Oh, yeah, they’re both infected.” He tells Y/N. “But not swimmer’s ear. Has he had ear infections before?”

“Yeah, a few. I think he has allergies. He gets them a lot in the spring.”

“The shape of his ear canal may have something to do with it as well. You may want to look into tubes down the line if this persists.”

“Aren’t those…” She looks at Michael and then back to Harry. “P-A-I-N-F-U-L?”

“They can be.” Harry chuckles. “They knock the kids out nowadays.”

Harry checks Michael’s nose and throat as well. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“I’m going to write him a prescription, and then I’d like him to come in for a follow up so we can get his ears cleaned out. I’d do it now, but I don’t want him to get irritated. I’ll put a prescription for some ear drops too. That’ll loosen a lot of the wax up that he doesn’t need. He’ll need to lay on his side when you put them in, and then you’ll want to stick a tissue under his ear for run off. Get some cotton balls too, so when he stands it won’t all fall out.”

“Alright.”

“Michael, I know you don’t feel well, but if mum says it’s okay, I have some candy that may lift your spirts.”

“Mumma?”

“Sure.” You smile.

Harry opens a cabinet and reveals a bucket of different chocolates and lollipops. Michael sticks his little hand in and takes out a kit kat.

“His favorite.” She tells Harry.

“Anything for mum?”

“Oh, no thank you.” She scoops up Michael in her arms. “What do we say to Dr. Styles?”

“Thank you.” He beams up at Harry.

“You’re more than welcome. Here’s his prescription.”

“Thank you, Dr. Styles.” She takes the small slip from him, and he notices she’s not wearing a wedding ring. Just a simple ring on her middle finger in the shape of a sunflower. “We’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”

“Wait, uh, will I be expecting you or…another guardian?”

She stops short with Michael in her arms. She turns to look at him and she smirks.

“I’m home with him during the day, so it’ll be me.”

He lets her leave after that. He goes behind the receptionist desk, where Joyce was sitting, to look into her file.

“You only have a few minutes before your next appointment. You’re swamped without Niall here.”

“Eileen can handle it f’me.” He searches for Michael’s information in one of the spare computer’s. “Ah! Seems like they just moved to the area from a couple hours away.”

“Who?”

“That woman and her son.”

“You really shouldn’t shit where you eat.” She shakes her head.

“Oh, stop. I was just curious is all.” He stands up from the computer. “A man can’t know where his patient is from?”

“He can…but the patient’s mother…?” She smirks at him.

Harry rolls his eyes and walks away from her, going to wash his hands to get ready for his next appointment.

He tossed and turned when he first got into bed that night. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. She didn’t really answer his question about whether or not there was another person in the picture. A lot of people didn’t get married these days, but they at least still wore some type of ring, didn’t they? He thought to maybe see if she had any social media, but knowing her full name was confidential, and he didn’t want to abuse his power.

[kpoptrashibnida]

Enough Pt. 9

A/N: Hello everybody!!!!!!!!! First of all, WOW, I just want to start by saying how SORRY I am for taking this long to post an update. Also, I want to say THANK YOU to all of those who have been eagerly waiting for updates and supporting this series. It means a lot to me, like you guys have no idea! It was hard for me to update because I was having a hard time finding free time to write. I was also having difficulties because this has mature content and ya girl in inexperienced as fuk! Like, I legit have no experience whatsoever. The most I’ve done with a guy is kiss. So smut scenes are probably no longer going to be a thing if I want to update in a timely manner, I might make some suggestive content, but no more actual explicit scenes. It’s hard to write about something you have no experience in hehehe. I also feel like this part is shorter than others and that’s because I really wanted to wrap it up and post something for you guys. But I’ll do a better job for next part.  Anyway, enough about that! Here is a new chapter! I really hope you guys enjoy it and was worth the wait. Happy reading!

WARNINGS: Smut, 18+

The past couple of weeks have been hectic. With the project at full speed, your days were long, full of meetings and long conference calls. You did not mind since you were always working with Mark, Johnny and Jaehyun; they made your long days fun and bearable. Speaking of Jaehyun, you and him were now officially a couple. The day after your date he asked you out for coffee and you obviously agreed to meet him. He nervously asked you if you wanted to be in a serious relationship with him. He confessed his feelings, how he was interested in you since he first met you and how after getting to know you better, he knew he liked you. You felt like a ton of bricks hit you all at once, not really knowing how to deal with a man being so open about his feelings. Jaehyun seem to know what he liked and wanted and went for it, he didn’t play any games and that was a big breath of fresh air. You obviously said yes because, if you’re being honest, you were extremely into him as well. Basically since you first met him too and you had never met a man that was so genuine. 

Since that day you had both been inseparable and it didn’t take long for Mark and Johnny to figure it out. They were weirdly excited about your relationship with Jaehyun, both of them squealing like school girls when you both confirmed their suspicions. They became super annoying (more than usual) and wanted to spend every second with you and Jaehyun. You didn’t mind it so much at work because some people didn’t seem too keen on your relationship, so having Johnny and Mark as a buffer really helped out. Not that you actually cared, the only bothered ones were the delusional receptionists that thought they stood a chance with Jaehyun. 

The two of you went on many dates but Jaehyun didn’t want to go to your place alone, he only agreed to go when Johnny and Mark would join you. It didn’t bother you, it was actually sort of cute; but your attraction towards him was growing and you wanted to have him all alone. Like, really badly wanted to take your relationship to the next level. Jaehyun was adamant on taking it slow and it was nice to have that for a change. You were experiencing a lot of new things with him and it made you giddy, like an excited child. He was very patient with you and you appreciated that because you knew you weren’t always easy to handle, especially when certain insecurities would jump in your mind. Jaehyun didn’t seem fazed by any of it and was actually really sweet when helping you through your moments. 

You really hated when you did this because you really did not want to compare Jaehyun to Chanyeol, but sometimes your brain went there before you could even stop yourself. Jaehyun was so different and it honestly scared you how amazing he is; sometimes you felt like he was going to tell you it was all a joke and that he didn’t like you and you were delusional for thinking he did. Thankfully that had not yet happened and you really hoped it would stay that way.

You were going on a date with him this weekend and you were excited to spend some time with him without Johnny and Mark around. You loved those guys, but they were really cramping your style. You had a feeling that maybe Jaehyun wanted them around to keep up with the whole ‘taking it slow’ thing, but you really wanted to spend some time alone with him. After voicing these concerns to him, he rapidly complied and promised to take you out on a date with just the two of you. It was going to be a perfect day for a picnic in central park and you couldn’t wait. It seemed so romantic and like it was straight out of a movie. No other guy had ever put this much effort into dates, Jaehyun kept amazing you day after day. You wore a cute white sundress with baby blue flowers, it stopped right above your knees and you paired it with your favorite white sneakers. You made your hair in soft curls and wore a cute bra and panty set… in case things went the way you were hoping for.

Punctual as always Jaehyun arrived at your apartment to pick you up and the butterflies in your stomach started to flutter around like crazy, almost making you sick. The fact that after weeks of dating they did not calm down one bit really made you realize how head over heels you were over him. He looked absolutely perfect wearing khaki chinos and a light blue button down with the sleeves rolled up, his hair brushed away from his forehead.

“You keep getting lovelier and lovelier as each day passes.” He compliments as he greets you with a chaste kiss on your mouth.

“Eww shut up.” You tease, still not used to his cheesiness and how open he is.

“I have the goods,” He lifted a cute wicker picnic basket, “ready to go?”

“Yes, let’s go.” You said, walking out of the apartment and out into the sunny New York afternoon.

“This is a nice day for a walk. But are you sure you don’t want to get a taxi or an Uber or something?” He asked, holding your hand tightly as you made your way through the crowded streets. 

“Yeah I’m sure, I like taking walks with you.” You state simply, shoving his shoulder lightly with yours.

You got to the park in record time and made your way to your favorite spot, right by the Alice in Wonderland statue. There was a cute pond nearby too, so you had the best view of the park in your mind. After finding the perfect spot and setting up your cute picnic, you dug into the goodies Jaehyun prepared. He brought your favorite cheeses and laughed when you squealed excitedly, lunging at him for a hug and toppling backwards, laughing as you thanked him over and over for the cheese. That was something you loved about him and had not experienced before. No one you had ever dated had ever bothered to remember small details about you. Sure they remembered the important things like your birthday and your favorite color, but it was never the more important things and Jaehyun seemed to remember everything about you, even if you only mentioned it once.

“I brought some wine and grapes too if you want some.” He said, motioning to the basket that sat between the both of you.

“Oh not yet.” You groaned, laying down on the blanket as you clutched your belly, having eaten too much cheese. “I’m so full. It was worth it though.” You sighed contentedly.

Jaehyun chuckled and laid next to you, enjoying the lazy afternoon. “I feel like it got cloudy all of a sudden.” He commented, glancing at the darkening sky.

“The weather app said it was supposed to be sunny today.” You mention, feeling the sudden change in temperature, your skin breaking out in goosebumps.

“Do you want to leave or do you want to stay here longer?” He asked, glancing at your still form.

“I want to wait a little longer, I am really enjoying this.” You hummed, loving the sounds of the ducks in the nearby pond.

Jaehyun decided to relax as well and closed his eyes, enjoying the crisp air against his face. 

His fingers reached for yours and entwined your hands, giving you a soft squeeze that made your heart jump. You were so happy and relaxed that you felt yourself start to drift off a little bit, your breathing getting deeper. You twitched when you felt a drop fall on your face, opening an eye to look at the sky and noticing that it had gotten much darker. You looked over to Jaehyun and saw that he still had his eyes closed. You ignored that droplet and closed your eyes once again. 

You felt another droplet hit your skin, followed by another one. Soon, there were many water droplets falling fast, quickly getting you wet.

“Oh shit!” Jaehyun exclaimed as both of you scrambled off the blanket and got all of your belongings.

“Hurry!” You laughed, collecting the blanket off the floor as Jaehyun got the basket. He reaches for your hand and you both ran as fast as you could, seeking shelter under the awnings of the buildings you were passing. Since your apartment wasn’t far from the park and you were wet already, you decided to just walk the rest of the way. 

By the time you make it to your building, you both are drenched from head to toe, laughing as the water droplets made a puddle at your feet in the elevator.

“That was fun.” You shiver, teeth chattering as you wrap your arms around yourself in an attempt to warm up your cold skin. 

“I’d offer you some warmth but I’m just as soaked as you are.” He says, shivering slightly from the feeling of the wet clothes on his body. 

The elevator stops at your floor and you make your way to your apartment, desperate to get into some dry clothes.

“I think I might have some sweat pants and an oversize sweater that might fit you.” You say to Jaehyun, taking your wet shoes off at the entrance of your apartment.

“Thanks.” He says, teeth chattering because of the cold, wet clothes on his body.

“I have another bathroom in the guestroom. Why don’t you go and take a warm shower there. I’ll bring the clothes over to you in a minute.” You say as you point over to where the other bathroom is.

“Okay, thank you.” He says, walking as fast as he can to the room without falling over and making a mess on your floor.

You find the over-sized clothing items and a towel for Jaehyun and make your way to the guest room and leave the items on the bathroom counter, making sure you don’t look over to where the shower is.

Practically running out the door, you make your way to your own bathroom to take a quick but warm shower, excited to be clean and dry. 

You make sure you don’t take long so Jaehyun doesn’t have to wait for you, but also making sure that you are squeaky clean and smell nice.

Once out of the shower, you put on some nice lotion to make your skin soft, and you put on some black leggings and a white t-shirt.

Jaehyun is waiting on your couch by the time you exit your room, looking really cute wearing your clothes. 

“Did the clothes fit you okay?” You ask as you take a seat next to him on the couch. 

“Yes, thanks. It’s a little snug but its not bad.” He said as he wiped his hands on his legs.

“Good.” You smiled, looking at his beautiful face. “Want me to order something to eat?” You asked.

“Yeah that sounds great.” He smiled, feeling a little hungry himself.

 You got up from the couch to get the takeout menus from your your kitchen counter, not realizing that your shirt was basically see through with the lighting from your kitchen. Jaehyhun gulped and willed himself to look away from your body, shaking his head to get rid of the image of the outline of your breasts. 

You walked back to the couch and plopped down next to him, your chest making quick contact with his arm, allowing him to feel your soft flesh, even if it was brief.

“Alright, you can choose which one you’d like.” You say to Jaehyun, fanning out the menus and holding them in front of him so he can see them clearly.

You were met with silence and you thought he was deciding on what he wanted to eat. However after another long pause of silence, you look over at him and see him staring right at your chest.

“Jaehyun?” You say softly, finally breaking him out of his stupor. His gaze slowly lifts from your chest to your face and makes eye contact with you.

His stare was so intense, you felt your whole body get warm. You gulped and looked at his plump lips, subconsciously lightly biting your own. That was the last straw for Jaehyun and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward to kiss you. It was tentative at first, but once you leaned towards him to deepen the kiss, he let himself enjoy it. The kiss got hotter and more intense, hands roaming each others bodies, menus long forgotten. His hands shyly explored the skin of your sides, not wanting to push you into something you didn’t want to do. You were finally experiencing something you had wanted for a long time and you were not going to let this opportunity go to waste. You parted from his lips for a second, one that felt much too long, and straddled him, placing your middle directly on top of his hardening one. He let out a gorgeous groan at the contact as you adjusted yourself on top of him, quickly resuming your intense make out session. Jaehyun could feel himself slowly losing control and going crazy with his need for you. He had been trying to control himself for so long, but he now wished he’d allowed himself to get intimate with you sooner. It was as if your body was made just for him, your curves fitting perfectly in his hands, your gorgeous hips on top of his fit together like a perfect puzzle piece. 

You needed to see and feel more of Jaehyun, so you quickly rid him of his shirt, mouth watering at his perfect skin and the deliciously defined muscles of his abdomen. You licked your lips at the sight and quickly attached your hungry lips to his collarbone, lightly sucking and biting on it. He let out a low moan at the sensation, appreciating the attention you were giving his body. Your hips had a mind of their own and you didn’t realize they started to slowly grind on Jaehyun’s hips; you were too enthralled by his collarbones. It wasn't until you felt something poking your thigh that you realized how turned on Jaehyun was as well. 

“Come with me.” You whispered in his ear as you got off his lap, holding your hand out to him.

He took your hand and followed you into your bedroom, where you pushed him down on your bed and straddled him again.

“Do you want this?” He whispered, afraid of ruining the moment with his question.

“Of course,” You smiled at his uncertainty. “I wouldn’t have brought you to my room if I didn’t. Do you want this? Me?” You asked, suddenly feeling a bit out of place. Maybe he didn’t want to take things this far and it felt like maybe you pushed him into something he didn’t want.

“Of course I do. Who would be stupid to not want you?” He questioned honestly, reaching forward to kiss your lips.  

His statement was all you needed to remove the rest of your clothing items, Jaehyun following suit. 

“God you’re beautiful.” Jaehyun groans at the sight of your naked body in full display for him. You walk towards him slowly, placing your hands on his shoulders and push him down on the bed. You straddled him once again, shuddering at the sensation of your bodies pressing against each other. The warmth of his skin pressed against yours felt amazing and you wanted to get more of it. You wanted to feel him all over you, you wanted to drown in it. You felt intoxicated and you wanted more; you never wanted the feeling to stop. You kissed down his neck, lightly nipping at the skin and marking it red. You started to swivel your hips, grinding down on his hard cock, making you shudder as the sensations ran through you. Jaehyun moans at the feeling, holding your hips to stop your movement. You whine at the loss of contact, your core aching and needing attention.

“Baby, I want to taste you.” Jaehyun groans against your skin, cock twitching at the thought of tasting you.

“Another time baby, I really want to feel you inside of me.” You pant, your arousal becoming unbearable. 

“Fuck. Okay baby.” He says, not being able to deny you of anything you want.

You lie down on your bed and scoot up towards the bed frame, spreading your legs open with a teasing smile. You don’t know when you became so bold but the look on Jaehyun’s face was worth it.

“You’re killing me baby girl.” He groans, tugging at his cock subconsciously. 

“Baby!” You whine, “I need you.” You open your legs wider to show Jaehyun that you were more than ready to have him.

“Okay babe, let me get a condom.” He says as he moves toward his jeans that were long discarded.

“It’s okay, I’m on the pill. I want to feel all of you.” You say, arching your back at the anticipation of feeling his big cock inside of you. 

“Fuck baby, you are going to be the death of me.” He groans, moving towards the bed to hover over you. He trails his fingers over your curves, feeling your sides and moving them to your breasts, massaging them and flicking your nipples until they were hard peaks.

“Are you ready for me baby?” Jaehyun asks, trailing his fingers along your slit, feeling the wetness there. “Yes you are baby. You are so wet.” He trails his fingers up and down your slit, spreading your arousal. 

He pumped himself a few times before aligning himself with your entrance, teasing you with the head of his cock, making you mewl at the slight stretch.

“Babe, please don’t tease.” You whine, hips lifting to meet his.

“You ready for me babe? You’re so eager to have my cock fill your tight pussy that you’re begging like a little slut.” He murmurs roughly into your ear, his dirty talk making you even more aroused, something that you didn’t think was possible.

“Jaehyun please I nee- oh!” You gasp, the feeling of his cock stretching you out making you dizzy.

“Oh fuck.” You moan, arching your back as pleasure coursed through your body.

Jaehyun couldn’t believe how tight you were and how well you were taking him. He was mesmerized by the sight of your breasts bouncing with every thrust. He grabbed your knees and spread your legs wider, changing the angle in which he thrust into you, reaching deeper. You moaned wantonly at the feeling of his cock stretching your walls, the feeling making you delirious. You wrap your ankles around his waist to bring him closer to you, his cock reaching deeper inside you, making your eyes roll to the back of your head. The way Jaehyun was moving his hips was driving you crazy. Never before had you felt such pleasure like the one he was giving you. Jaehyun moved his head down to suck on one of your nipples, your back arching into his mouth, the sensation overwhelming.

“Babe you feel so good.” Jaehyun groans, loving the way our tight pussy sucks in his cock.

“I’m so close.” You pant, breathless from the pleasure your body is experiencing. 

 He can feel you tighten around him, a sign that you’re soon approaching your release. He feels his coming on too, so he quickly rubs circles on your clit, making stars burst behind your closed eyelids. 

“Fuck!” You cry out in pleasure, writhing under him. The feeling is all-consuming and you can feel the white liquid pleasure coursing through your body, the pressure building in your lower belly just waiting to burst.

“I’m so close. Please don’t stop!” You pant, lifting your hips in time with Jaehyun’s thrusts, the pressure on your clit from his fingers elevating the pleasure you were feeling.

“Come for me baby.” Jaehyun groaned in your ear, feeling his release approaching soon but he didn’t want to finish before you. 

He bent down to capture a stiff nipple with his plump lips, sucking on it with a purpose, making you cry out in pleasure. That was all it took to get that pressure that was bubbling in your belly to explode, the white heat blinding you for a second, your mouth hanging open with a silent scream. Your walls convulsing around Jaehyun’s cock was all it took for him to reach his peak, a low groan leaving his lips as his hips rocked slowly into you, coming down from his high.

A deep sigh of contentment left your lips as Jaehyun settled on your chest, his sweat-slicked head resting comfortably on your soft breasts, his breath tickling your sweaty skin. You two laid there for a few minutes as you caught your breath, your heart rate coming back to normal. Jaehyun silently got up and you instantly felt the loss of his body heat. He went into your bathroom and came back with a wet towel. He took the warm cloth and cleaned the mess that was left between your legs, being careful with your sensitive part. You felt a knot form in your belly at his consideration. You didn’t want to go there, but you knew Chanyeol would never do aftercare like this. 

“Thank you.” Jaehyun whispered as he sat next to you on the bed, his gaze soft as he looked at you.

“For what?” You asked, ogling his gorgeous body that was still very much naked.

“For this amazing day. For trusting me with your heart and your body. That was… well, amazing. It was the best sex of my life.” He said sheepishly, the tips of his ears turning bright red, making the warmth you felt in your chest expand. 

“Mine too.” You said with a smile, loving the way his eyes sparkled at your comment.

“Want to shower together?” He asked, a hopeful expression gracing his handsome face.

“Are you sure you don’t want round 2 in the shower?” You accused jokingly, making him roar out a laugh.

“I swear my intentions are pure!” He said as he put his arms up in surrender. You rolled your eyes at his comment but got up and led him to your bathroom. You wouldn’t mind round 2, but you were already feeling a bit sore down there. He gave it to you good and you were starting to feel it. 

After a nice shower and a second round of some steamy sex (in the shower), you were finally dressed in comfy clothes once again. You finally called for some take out, having a huge appetite after your earlier activities. You snuggled in the couch while you watched a movie, the dim lights and the tumbling of the dryer in the background lulling you to a comfortable slumber.  You heard a buzzing sound but could not be bothered to wake up even as you felt Jaehyun shift behind you, laying you down completely on the couch. After what felt like a few minutes, you feel Jaehyun lift you off the couch and that’s when you finally stir from your nap.

“Shh it’s okay baby, you can keep sleeping. I’m taking you to bed now, I put the clean sheets on the bed.” He said as he entered your room and placed you down gently on the bed. 

“Mmm thanks.” You mumbled sleepily, happily snuggling into the warm bed sheets that he took out of the dryer. 

Jaehyun got in bed with you and brought you back against his solid chest, resting his head on top of yours. You fell asleep feeling extremely happy and comfortable in his arms, happy that you found someone who really cared about you, was kind and considerate. Sometimes it takes getting hurt by someone in order to really appreciate the way you’re supposed to be treated. You knew that Jaehyun would never hurt you, not intentionally anyway. You knew comparing the two of them was not right, but you didn’t care as you drifted into a deep sleep in the arms of the person who showed you how much he truly cared for you.

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[syms-things-5]

Clear The Area - Chapter Eleven: Part One

Previous Chapter can be found here

Warning: Language, mentions of blood and medical procedures

Note: Sorry for the delay on this one...

Chapter Eleven: Part One

A devastating pile-up on Main Street brought dozens of patients into the ER that Monday morning. Rain had been falling almost non-stop since Saturday afternoon with reports of flooding in areas surrounding the city centre. Paramedics and the Fire Department were having a rough time getting patients to the hospital and as a result, several commuters with moderately less life-threatening injuries had to be diverted to Thomas-Alderson on the other side of town. Ordinarily, she and Audrey would have been assigned onto ward rounds to maintain the status quo for the existing patients but as the first people arrived, all at some stage of critical, it soon became clear this was to be no ordinary day.

Audrey was due to take annual leave that week but she texted Sarah soon after 10 o’clock to let her know she was now on her way in. Greg had recruited two medics he knew from a private hospital in Lincoln, one town over. One was an award-winning neuro-surgeon; Sarah recognised him from a profile featured in an old edition of the AJM. He was considered something of a maverick round these parts but as the ER filled up with bodies and anxious, despondent families, they would gladly take all the help they could get. 

“OK, listen up. We have Trauma One and Trauma Two split between Morris and Stephenson. You three, I’m going to need as back-up, OK?” O’Brien was yelling commands at the team currently gathered just inside the part-covered Ambulance Bay and relishing every minute of it. He excelled in moments of great pressure. “Alex, Mark and Lina, you’re taking the minors. Use the suture lab but make sure they are kept far away from the Trauma centre as possible. They don’t need to see that.”

As Sarah watched the named trio jog off to their posts, her focus was quickly diverts to a waving Audrey as she ran into the building, flustered and wet from a sudden downpour. She caught Sarah’s eye and indicated the locker room to drop off her stuff before joining the group. More staff had gathered by that point, wanting to help in any way they could. The interns looks scared to say the least; Sarah couldn’t remember how long she had interned before coming into contact with something this heavy. This was going to be a harsh learning curve and if she had to bet, at least two of them would rethink their career path before the day was out.

“Sarah, you and Audrey and...Tom will cover the cubicles. Sarah, the man in five has also likely had an A.M.I. and ought to have a sed rate done for assurances. Greg, can you oversee them?” Greg nodded before scanning Audrey and Sarah, a somewhat sympathetic smile on his face. Sarah could tell this was as far from his comfort level as it was anyone else’s and no amount of private education could fully prepare you for being thrown in at the deep end. 

The stretchers were lining up thick and fast. One patient, a man in a designer suit, had most of his body covered with a blanket but not enough to hide visible blood and scratches covering his face and neck. An older man lies on a gurney next to him, looking trim and relatively clean except for his left arm wrapped in a checked towel of some kind or possibly someone’s shirt they had used to stem the bleeding. A woman further down has a makeshift eyepatch covering one side of her face, glass cuts peppering her skin, her trendy grey hair now streaked with red. They shock was evident on every single one of them. It was hard to know where to start.

“Call seventh and eighth floors and tell them we need as much space as they can give us.” Audrey yelled across at Beth, a young receptionist stuck in her spot, mouth open, aghast as what she was witnessing. “Beth! Come on now, girl.” There was nothing quite like Audrey’s voice to stir you into action as Beth fumbled for the handset and began furiously dialling numbers.

“I’m thinking we clear the easy cases as fast as we can and shift those guys upstairs to make way for the emergencies.” Greg suggested, surveying the corridor. “O’Brien said another two ambulances are en route as we speak. We’re gonna need the space.”

Audrey nodded in agreement, taking in the war zone surrounding her. “I think between us, we can stitch up and bandage quickly. Get them out and on their way home if possible.”

“Think you can break your speed record for bandaging?” Tom asked, moving through the growing crowd towards where the three of them stood, equally as dumbstruck by the sight before him. Tom was an upstanding member of staff, seventeen years with the hospital but with a youthful face that belied his impending middle age. Sarah had fond memories of him inducting her when she first started and was a fan of his friendly, goofy bedside manner. Kids loved him.

“I haven’t practiced in a while. I was hoping to get fair warning at least.” Sarah responded. A couple of nursing interns shuffled past carrying stacks of boxes filled with medical gloves and bandages. “It’s gonna be a long-ass day, folks.”

*

Sarah and Ben, a specialist she’d never met before, were tending to the elderly man she’d spied earlier that morning. He’d had a high dosage of a local anaesthetic that took next to no time to kick in and was causing him to drift off very few minutes. Ben didn’t seem worried, it would at least allow them to take a closer look at the deep cuts running from his wrist to his elbow. Within a minute, though, he spotted an artery visible just underneath the muscle closest to the wrist, and glanced at Sarah, worry etched across his face.

“If we touch this, it’s hame over.” he whispered, pointing his finger towards the pronator muscle, glancing back to the elderly man to make sure he was still out. “What are his current vitals?”

“No sensation radial, median or ulnar. Ulnar could be trapped, though. No pulses, temperature and colour as you see, and we’ve kept his arm elevated. He’s had 500ccs of saline by push, too.”

Ben nodded, taking a step back from the trolley to take stock of the man’s predicament. “What about an x-ray?”

“Sarah shook her head. “X-ray is backed up but he’s on the list. Should be less than an hour. Crit count is thirty-two-five.”

“OK. Not great but OK.” He thought for a second. “We need to get him into surgery as soon as we can/ Cancel the x-ray for now.”

Sarah nodded in agreement and called the OR. Ben remained standing in the room alongside her until he knew the plan of action. “OK, they should have a room in twenty minutes. Up on ninth.”

Audrey popped her head around the door and got Sarah’s attention. “All OK in here?” The look on both of their faces soon gave her the answer. “Can I steal you for a minute?”

Ben nodded for Sarah to leave and she followed Audrey out towards a nearby stock cupboard....

*

“....And move this leg for me, ma’am.” Greg was attempting to coerce an older lady, Matilda, into focusing on his small movements as he gently moved her legs and her arms to confirm that what she was experiencing was temporary paralysis from shock and not a more serious loss of feeling in her extremities. He’d called Sarah in to assist after she’d finished stitching and wrapping up a dozen or so other patients. Could have been more. She’d lost count when she hit double figures.

He gently worked her knee, massaged her calf muscle with two of his fingers, and then her ankle until she appeared to be more aware of what was going on. Sarah wanted to give her a hug. She looked completely lost.

“That’s very good. Now, can you tell me if you have any pain in your neck, shoulders or you upper arms?”

“No,”

“What about when I press here? How does that feel?” He moved his left hand to the back of her neck, pressing two fingers slightly onto her atlas and axis bones at the top of her spine.

“That feels OK.”

“That’s good, thank you.” He seemed satisfied she was OK as he continued to move his fingers down through the spinal bones, pressing on each one as he went to see if she flinshed or made any indication that something was hurting her.

Sarah moved a little more into the light so the woman could focus on her as Greg moved his way down her back. “Were you with someone this morning? Is there someone I can call for you?”

“Oh no, just me today.” The lady responded with a small smile. She flinched a bit when Greg moved back down to her right ankle and they noticed some blueish bruising now forming clearly around the lower tibia bones.

“OK, I think we’ll get the x-ray done on this foot and we’ll go from there. Sound good?” Greg smiled broadly, trying to instil some confidence back into her. To her credit, she smiled back at them both, light tears forming in her eyes.

“Hey, why don’t I come with you? It’s near the canteen, we can grab a snack on the way? I don’t know about you but I’m starving.” offered Sarah. Her eyes met Greg’s briefly and he smiled at her. It might be a good idea to keep her company for a little while given she was on her own.

The hospital had filled up more during the afternoon as people came in off their own accord, displaying various cuts and scrapes from flying glass and debris. Security had also noticeably tightened by the reception area, ready to help disperse the typical rubberneckers and ambulance-chasing lawyers that usually made appearances once that first initial panic had died down. Crowds of people had been congregating in the corridors and the consultancy rooms that once allowed patients to have private conversations with their family members and doctors had now been taken over by interns taking temperatures and recording blood pressure. Anywhere you dared to turn, someone needed you for something and it was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic. For a patient as fragile as Matilda, it would have been a scary place to be left on your own and Sarah had started feeling a little protective over this petite old lady.

“If you take her up, I’ll cover you in triage for a while.” Greg offered, taking his gloves off and throwing them in the nearby waste bin.

“Thanks. I won’t be long.”

The elevators were subject to the expected traffic jams as always but Matilda had managed to calm down somewhat in the few minutes it had taken to manoeuvre her wheelchair passed the throngs of people hanging around. Sarah was thankful for a few moments of peace as they waited for the next elevator to open up. She placed her hands back into her pocket and felt her phone having forgotten she had kept it on her. Pulling it out, eleven hours after she’d begun the day, she was expecting to see some messages but not the barrage that awaited her.

Jocelyn had clearly descended into full-blown panic and managed to convince herself that Sarah had been involved in the accident and was currently lying unclaimed on a gurney somewhere. God knows what Noah was doing to calm her down. He’d also messaged her separately to warn her of the increasing press presence currently gathering around outside and she remembered O’Brien’s earlier order for staff not to engage with any line of questioning off the back of instructions received from the local police department. It was becoming increasingly apparent it was a criminal case.

Shanna had helpfully messaged her at half hour intervals to explain the news footage to her and left a voicemail that sounded like she had butt-dialed her by accident, Lisa’s fretful voice also somewhere in the background. She opened up her group text function and typed a quick message in the hopes the signal in the hospital wasn’t too bad.

Sarah 9.14pm

Guys, I’m fine. We’re getting through it. People have responded well. Hopefully over the worst now. Speak soon xx

Had she become de-sensitised to it all? Maybe. In May the previous year she had taken Shanna to a Q&A by renowned medical Psychologist, Professor Alexander Shang, who had just published a long gestating and controversial report stating that slowly, over time and with enough exposure to bodily trauma, people in the medical profession were setting themselves up to become emotionally stunted. Ah. Because that’s what she needed to be thinking about right now.

Shans 9.17pm

THANK GOD. It looks awful. They’re saying a lorry driver was drunk n drove straight thu all those cars :( xxxxx

In all the stress and drama, she hadn’t stopped to figure out what could have caused this amount of destruction. She nudged Matilda’s wheelchair further up the queue and saw she was within closing distance of the next elevator. She flicked through the rest of her messages to make sure she hadn’t missed anyone. Matilda, bless her, had fallen asleep and a ported in front of her kindly allowed her to take his place in the waiting elevator.

Charlotte 7.44pm

I saw the news. I hope you are OK? Please let me know if you can x

She read the message back several times. Following their failed attempt at meeting up, Shan had encouraged her against replying. She hadn’t felt particularly angry; more so, disappointed. Rejected. Looking down at the message in front of her, she didn’t really feel anything.

The floor opened up in front of them both shaking Sarah from her focus and she carefull wheeled Matilda out towards the reception desk. They avoided waking her up to ask her more of the same questions she’d answered ten times already and Sarah was ushered into a quiet room around the corner and whispered a soft “goodbye” to her before leaving her in peace.

*

“You were great back there.” Greg said, siding up to her in the locker room. He was wrapping up his scrubs into a plastic bag and shoving them in to the bottom, of his rucksack. It wasn’t the designed one she’d seen the other day. She had also noticed he stopped wearing ties, too. He acted a little more relaxed, like he was trying to fit in.

“Just trying to keep things moving.” She shrugged. “You have a fan in Matilda by the way. She was singing your praises on the ward.”

“Ha, that’s cute. She was sweet, wasn’t she? I hope she gets some rest up there.” He pulled his watch from his trouser pocket and began clipping it back around his wrist. “You should really think about going back to Med School by the way. Can’t understand why you stopped. We could do with more level-headed people out there.”

That took her by surprise. She didn’t know what to say when her parents had asked her the same thing so Greg wouldn’t be in much more luck now. “Just...time. Money. I guess I was ready to just get out of there and work.”

“Yeh, I get it.” He grabbed his jacket from the hanger. “You can tell me to butt out but it’s not that hard, the entry exam. Hell, if I managed it, anyone can.”

Sarah wasn’t keen on progressing this line of conversation at 1 o’clock in the morning, and she couldn’t much make out Greg’s features through her growing tiredness. He still seemed bizarrely chipper.

“I know someone on the board up in New York. i could probably get you on the entry test easily enough, if you fancied giving it a go.” He grabbed his bag. “You’ve got some fans here and you worked through those patients like an expert. It’s something to think about at least.” He smiled at her before backing out of the room almost as quickly as he’d arrived.

Sarah was left pondering his words for a second before Audrey emerged from the shower, towel loosely wrapped around her as she attempted to carry half a CVS shelf in her arms. A second earlier and Greg would have been treated to a wonderful sight.

“What did Greg say? Is he going back to school?”

“No, but he thinks I should. Try getting me M.D. again.”

“Yeh? Think you will? ‘Cos I am all for balancing out the gender pool in this place.”

Sarah laughed, tying her shoelaces. “Honestly, it hadn’t much crossed my mind. I don’t think I could handle the pressure and being in school for another four years.”

Audrey raised an eyebrow. “Honey, I know you well enough to know you like a challenge. Plus there’s ways of working around the studies. You know full well you could handle it.”

“Greg knows someone on the board apparently. Said it would be easy for me to at least try the entry test again.”

“Knows a guy, does he? And what will you do for him in return?” Audrey could never be accused of being backwards in coming forwards.

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Can he not just be a nice guy? Honestly, I think I’m warming to him. You should have seen him with this old lady today.”

Audrey side-eyed her and began rubbing moisturiser on her lower leg currently balanced on the chair in front of her. “He’s got you sussed then. Playing nice with little old people always gets in your good books.”

Sarah chose to ignore the implication and gathered her hoodie. “I love you, Audrey. Get home safe. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

*

“Sarah!”

The voice was clear, not quite a shout, and came from seemingly nowhere in the dark. She stood still on the drizzly sidewalk, the hospital gradually disappearing behind her in the heavy rain. She made little effort to stay for long; she was tired and she wanted her bed, so she turned to carry on walking home.

“Sarah, wait up,” came the voice again, a little more recognisable this time. She turned around just in time to see Chris paving towards her, his light grey hoodie spotted with raindrops.

“Chris?” she blinked a few times. “What the hell are you doing here?” It was a fair question; his flight wasn’t due to land until the early morning and she was pretty sure Scott assumed he was collecting him from the airport.

“I left early. God, you walk fast.” He stopped a few feet in front of her feighing breathlessness but she knew better. He could probably run a marathon right about now with energy to spare. Upon closer inspection, he looked shattered and the dark circles under his eyes gave away that he hadn’t slept much. 

“How long have you been waiting her?”

“Not long.” He lied. “Shan said you were staying later ‘cos of the accident so I just pulled up around the corner. You OK?”

Lines clearly marked his face with worry and when she finally realised what was going on, she nodded slowly. “Yeh. Yeh, I’m OK. It’s been a long day is all. Can’t complain really. Not compared to...” she motioned back towards the ambulance bay.

He turned back briefly in the direction she was looking. People were still milling around outside, puffing on cigarettes and talking on their phones. “Yeh, I bet. I saw the news, it looks awful. I can’t imagine how tough it’s been.”

Another pause. It didn’t seem right that he was here. “Night shift have taken over now so I’m just gonna try get some rest and come back in the morning.” She half-smiled at him, still not fully taking him in as he stood mere feet in front of her, his hands balled into the front pockets of his jeans.

“Fuck. Shanna said he was drunk at the wheel.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t been paying much attention to the news.”

“No, yeh, of course. Sorry, I was just....I don’t know.” he snickered to himself awkwardly. He should have thought better than accosting her on the street in the middle of the night when she looked like she’d rather be anywhere else than standing there.

“Let me give you a lift home. Get there faster.”

“No, it’s OK. I’d prefer the walk.”

“Come on, Sarah. You’ll catch a cold out here and it’s dark and I don’t want you getting hurt.” He turned to take a step back in the direction of his car, half insisting but half worrying she was going to stubbornly reject his offer. “Please? I’m just down there.”

He was right and Sarah was glad to take the weight off her feet. She walked a little behind him until they reached his Audi and she removed her back from where it had been slung across her body and released a noticeable sigh as she sat down inside the vehicle. He put the seat heaters on and she felt the warmth gradually travel up her back and down her legs. 

“You been on your feet all day?” he enquired, looking across to see her lean her head back on the headrest, closing her eyes. The rain was coming down hard and blurring the windscreen but he wasn’t in any hurry to set off the wipers or start the car. He allowed her to sit for a moment, gathering her thoughts in what was probably the first moment of peace she’d had all day. She looked exhausted. “I take it you haven’t have a break?”

She shook her head slowly. “Time goes quickly when you’re busy.”

“i know that feeling.” he smiled at her. “Have you eaten anything?”

She shook her head slowly once more but she wasn’t altogether that hungry. Just tired. Just wanting to take off her shoes and lie down somewhere quiet for a few hours. It really didn’t matter where so long as it was dark. There were people currently inside who wouldn’t get that luxury for some time yet. “I could do with a drink.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Yeh? What were you thinking? We could easily grab some beer on the way.”

“Or whiskey. Something strong and warm. Might knock me out for a while.” she chuckled to herself not expecting to be taken seriously. He watched her look at the rain falling onto the windscreen in front of them. Exhaustion was radiating from her body and before he knew what he was doing, he reached his hand out to tuck strands of wet hair behind her ear.

“I have some at mine.” He offered. She leaned her head to one side to look at him, moments passing that felt longer than they were. He looked just as tired and would no doubt crash out as soon as he got home. It seemed wrong to disturb him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She decided, somewhat unconvincingly. Somebody here should be at least trying to think straight.

“I didn’t say it was a good idea.” he didn’t flinch, didn’t blink. “But you need a drink and I have plenty.”

She felt her resolve waiver the more time passed and the more they continued to look at each other. it could very well be the fatigue that was enveloping her and preventing her from thinking straight but she was finding it harder and harder to pull herself away. The last few messages exchanged between them that week proved the energy had shifted and no matter what they intended, things were not the same anymore. And she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

*

[spaztronautwriter]

The Donor: Part One (an Olicity fic)

So I’ve been in a really bad writing slump. The worst part is that I AM writing but I can’t seem to get anything finished enough to post, so I’m going to post this fic that I’ve had written for awhile just to put something out there. This is part one of a three part fic that was originally intended as a one shot but it’s gotten kind of long. The second part is not finished yet and I’m not sure when it will be finished (hopefully sometime soon) but I hope you guys enjoy this anyway!

Read on AO3

###

“Felicity Smoak?”

Felicity glanced up from where she was nervously wringing her hands together. The waiting room was empty except for the receptionist and the nurse standing in the doorway.

“Yes!” she chirped, jumping to her feet. “That’s me.”

The woman smiled warmly, gesturing for Felicity to follow her. “The doctor is all ready to go.”

A shiver went up Felicity’s spine. Why did they always keep doctor’s offices so cold? Were they purposefully trying to make the patients uncomfortable? Shouldn’t doctors be all about making their patients comfortable? A doctor’s office seemed like the type of place you’d want to be comfortable in.

The nurse led her into a room and handed her a blue paper dressing gown. “Get undressed and the doctor will be in when you’re ready.”

“Yup.” Felicity smiled. It was stiff and forced, but it was the best she could do, what with the butterflies currently racing around in her stomach.

The nurse’s sympathetic smile had her feeling caught.

“Everyone’s nervous during this part,” she said, laying a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”

With that, the woman left and Felicity stared after her a moment before quickly stripping off her orange dress and tugging on the thin paper one. She was folding her outfit neatly and tucking it beside her purse when the door opened again.

“Felicity?” a kind voice asked, and Felicity glanced up to see an older woman in a white coat enter the room. Short gray hair framed her thin face, and her gentle smile instantly calmed the nerves Felicity had been feeling all morning.

“Dr. Madigan.” Felicity smiled in greeting. “Hi.”

“It’s nice to see you again. How are you?” Dr. Madigan asked, placing a clipboard down on the counter and pulling a stool closer so she could flip through the paperwork.

“Nervous,” Felicity admitted with a laugh and the doctor grinned.

“That’s understandable. Artificial insemination is always a little scary, but for someone in your position it’s a little more nerve inducing.” The woman stood from her stool and gestured for Felicity to take a seat on the exam table. “Being a single mom takes courage. But you have the means, you have the financial stability. You’ve decided that this is what you want. Are you really going to let a few nerves stop you now?”

The paper on the table crinkled as Felicity hopped up, letting the doctor help her position her feet in the stirrups.

“No,” she said, voice firm. “You’re right. I want this. I’ve planned everything, been over all the pros and cons. I have a good job, a nice savings, and I’m ready for this. That’s more than you can say for a lot of couples who get pregnant.”

The doctor smirked, pulling a tray of supplies closer to the exam table. “Not to mention some of the best people I know were raised by single mothers. Myself, included.”

Felicity leaned back, closing her eyes. “Me, too,” she whispered, letting Dr. Madigan’s words wash over her.

She wanted this. She’d thought it through for the past two years. She was prepared. More than prepared. Hell, Felicity had even started a college fund.

She’d never wanted anything more than to be a mother. She wanted a good job and an impressive career, as well, but the last few years she’d been considering having children. Her last boyfriend hadn’t been interested, it was why they’d broken up despite the fact that he was kind of perfect for her.

“We’re too young,” he’d said. And maybe he had a point. Felicity was only twenty-six and despite her job being financially satisfying, it wasn’t the job she’d always dreamed of.

No, being Oliver Queen’s executive assistant wasn’t exactly what she’d gone to MIT for, but the money was good, her boss was one of her best friends, and it came with the promise of upward mobility.

“Please, Felicity. Just for a while, just until I get the company on its feet again, then you can have any job you want. I promise.”

It was a nice offer, but ultimately not why she’d taken the job. She’d said yes because Oliver’s father had just died, his mother was practically catatonic from the loss, and Oliver was left trying to fumble his way through a trial by fire to learn how to run a multi-billion dollar company that he had never wanted to run in the first place. She couldn’t have said no if she’d tried.

The first few months had been rough. She’d been frustrated with the new job, resentful even, but eventually they’d found their groove and everything had started to work itself out. Felicity discovered that being a glorified assistant had its perks, like getting to help Oliver make ground breaking changes to the company. She’d discovered that she was actually pretty good at this whole corporate business thing. She was socializing with the big wigs on the board and they’d even implemented some of her ideas.

But, still… There were plenty of people—inside and outside the company alike—who looked down on her for the job. People who didn’t understand why she would demean herself with a job like that, or why she would still be in said job two years later. The company was certainly doing better now. If there was ever a time to move on, it was now.

Truth be told, Felicity wasn’t sure why she was still there. She’d had plenty of job offers from big name tech companies. If she wanted out she’d had plenty of opportunities, but she hadn’t taken one yet.

Whenever she considered it she would think about Oliver and how lost he would be without her. Say what you will about Oliver Queen, but he always appreciated her opinion, which is the only reason she allowed herself to become his secretary in the first place.

Her ex, Cooper, hadn’t understood why she was so loyal to Oliver. He also hadn’t understood when Felicity’s biological clock started chiming for a baby. It wasn’t part of his life plan, at least not yet, but Felicity wanted it. She wanted a family, like she’d never gotten. And now, seeing her friends with their families… Oliver with his mother and Thea. Diggle and Lyla and baby Sara. Felicity was just sick of being alone. She was sick of going home to an empty apartment every night. And she was sick and tired of men leaving her. So she wanted a baby; a perfect little person that she would make sure never felt abandoned. Ever.

After Cooper left, Felicity started to play around with the idea of artificial insemination. It was just a joke at first, something she’d mentioned to Lyla once over drinks. But the more she thought about it, the more logical it started to sound.

She thought and she considered and somewhere along the way it stopped being a joke and started becoming a plan. And now here she was… Feet hooked up in stirrups as her doctor turkey basted her with the sperm she’d spent an entire three weeks picking out of the donor catalogue.

So, yeah, Felicity was nervous. But she was also excited to be starting on this new chapter of her life.

###

She couldn’t take it anymore.

It had been three weeks since the insemination and one week since Dr. Madigan confirmed that it had worked and Felicity was pregnant. And in that time Felicity had told… her mom.

Who, in her defense, had been extremely excited about the whole thing—there may have been screeching involved—but Felicity wanted to shout it from the rooftops not just to her mother on Skype. She decided not to say anything to her friends in case it didn’t work or in case anything went wrong, but she was dying to share the news with someone. Which is how she found herself excitedly scurrying into Oliver’s office that morning.

“I have news!” Felicity said, jumping onto the corner of Oliver’s desk. He was leaning back in his chair reading his email—more like funny animal slideshows Thea sent him—but tilted his head towards her, a worried furrow in his brow.

“What news? Did Palmer offer you a job?” He leaned forward, his chair jerking upright as he did. “Dammit! I knew that guy was going to try to lure you away the second he met you at that House the Hungry charity thing.”

“It was House the Homeless and no,” Felicity smirked, “Palmer is not trying to lure me away. Though, he did mention an opening at Palmer Tech when we were talking…”

Oliver narrowed his eyes and her smile widened. He was so easy to tease sometimes.

“Calm down,” she said, swatting a hand in his direction. “I’m not going to leave you for Ray Palmer.”

The visible relief her words brought Oliver was not something she wanted to think too much about, because one day she would leave. Not for Palmer Tech, but hopefully for a better position within QC. For now, though, she had more important things to discuss. If she could only figure out how to start this conversation.

This had seemed so easy in her head, but staring into his eyes… Where should she begin? She took a deep breath and decided to just jump right in.

“I’m pregnant.”

The tiny upturn of Oliver’s lips dropped along with his jaw as he stared up at her. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he snapped it shut.

“I…” He shook his head and glanced toward the wall of windows, looking out onto the city below for a long moment. “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

“I’m not,” Felicity said. And there it was. The moment of truth. This wasn’t a plan she’d discussed with anyone. Her drive to be a mother wasn’t something she’d talked about with anyone except Cooper and now she was a little scared that people would judge her. Oliver had no right to judge anyone about life choices, but still… She was nervous that he’d look at her differently once he found out about the artificial insemination.

“Oh.” Oliver blinked twice before looking down at his hands. “Oh. Well, I’m… here, if you need anything or you want to talk things over…”

Felicity frowned at his response. “Talk things… Oh! Oh, no! No, I’m not…” She gestured in a circle, indicating her stomach. “I got pregnant on purpose.”

“On–on purpose?” he stammered, looking at her like she had two heads. Just like everyone else would once they found out.

“Yes, Oliver,” she snapped, hopping off the desk and stomping around the other side to glare at him. “Mature, responsible adults can want to have kids, you know. Getting pregnant isn’t only something you do by accident when you’re wasted and sleeping with women whose names you’ve never bothered to ask.”

She knew she was being unfair, but she was feeling defensive. Sue her.

He stood and stepped around the desk, closing the space between them. “I just… I’m sorry, okay? You said you weren’t seeing anyone so I just assumed. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know,” she admitted quietly, glancing down at her hands, watching them fiddle around in front of her stomach. Her soon to be rounded-with-a-baby stomach. “I might be a little defensive, but… Artificial insemination isn’t exactly the normal way to get pregnant and you’re the first person I’ve told—”

“I am?” Oliver interrupted, an adorably surprised look on his face.

“Well, after my mother, of course.”

Oliver grinned, his eyes twinkling at the thought. “What did Donna have to say about it?”

“Oh, pretty much what you would expect. Pterodactyl noises, a few ‘I’m gonna be a grandma’s.” Felicity would never dare tell him that the first question out of Donna’s mouth was, “Is it Oliver’s?” No one needed to know that Donna’s one wish in life was for Felicity to make grandbabies with Oliver Queen. It was mortifying just thinking about it.

“Why haven’t you told anyone else?” Oliver asked, watching her with a small smile.

“I’m only a couple weeks in,” she explained. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything yet, but I was going crazy. I just needed to tell someone.”

“And you picked me?” he teased, his smile turning to a full on grin. “Because I’m your best friend?”

She laughed. “Hold up right there, buddy. You know John Diggle wins the best friend award. Trying to keep you in line has created an unbreakable bond between us.”

It was true. Ever since she met Oliver five years ago when he stumbled into her office in the IT department asking if she could fix his laptop after he spilt a latte on it, his bodyguard leaning in the doorway, laughing as she gave the billionaire a lecture about liquids near technology, the three had had a bond unlike any Felicity had ever experienced. She didn’t have any siblings, but she imagined her relationship with John was similar to that of a brother. Her relationship with Oliver was definitely not brotherly—she may not have siblings, but she knew you didn’t think about your brother the way she occasionally thought about Oliver—but they were still totally platonic friends. And if, on occasion, she enjoyed staring at the outline of his muscles through his dress shirts, well… no one had to know about it.

“I can’t compete with that, I guess.” Oliver laughed, and it sent a happy trill through Felicity, before he sobered. “I’m glad that you chose to tell me,” he added quietly, his eyes warm and serious.

“You don’t think it’s weird?” she asked, biting her lip.

“I think it’s brave,” Oliver said, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“You do?” At his nod, she smiled, feeling her excitement build. “This doesn’t mean I don’t still want a promotion, btw. I mean, I’ll be taking some time off for maternity leave, so you’ll probably want a new assistant by then anyway. And when I come back I was thinking of looking for something in Applied Sciences. I’d really rather stay at QC, because we have an excellent daycare program—”

“Felicity,” Oliver laughed. “Whatever you want. As long as you’re staying. I will not lose my Girl Wednesday to Ray Palmer or anyone else.”

“It’s Friday,” she corrected with a shake of her head. “And… thank you, Oliver.”

Oliver reached out like he might touch her again, but changed his mind, dropping his hand back to his side. “I’m here for you, Felicity. You might have decided to do this on your own, but…” He took a small step closer, his voice soft as he said, “You’re not alone.”

Felicity felt warmth blossom in her heart and, yeah, okay. Oliver might be a lot closer to the role of best friend then she’d let on.

###

Felicity felt totally prepared for pregnancy.

She’d read almost every pregnancy book written before she’d decided to get artificially inseminated, asked Dr. Madigan what seemed like hundreds of questions judging by the woman’s soft sighs. She had created a budget, a nine month plan for work and even started taking meetings with the head of Applied Sciences who was more than happy to be stealing her away from Oliver.

“Genius like your’s,” Mr. Kapoor had said in their first meeting, “should not be wasted answering phones and planning schedules.”

She’d taken a little offense at that, but not much since it was true. She was too smart to while away her days behind a desk on the executive floor. She needed to get her hands dirty, so to speak.

Four months into her pregnancy and everything seemed to be going to plan.

The one thing Felicity hadn’t taken into account when she’d decided to have a baby? That everyone in the company would assume it was Oliver’s.

There had always been some gossip about the two of them. Nothing that Felicity couldn’t ignore. It was nothing but talk, so what did it matter? But now? Now that Felicity was pregnant, with no husband or boyfriend and with Oliver doting on her? It was becoming a point of frustration for her.

“Can you stop it?” she hissed at him as he chased her down in the lobby, trying to pull a stack of folders from her hand as she walked to her car. “I’m pregnant, Oliver, not an invalid.”

“I know that.” He blinked at her, then tugged the folders away from her anyway. “I just don’t want you overexerting yourself. What are you taking all this home for anyway? It’s Friday.”

Felicity huffed an annoyed laugh. “I’m taking all this home—” she gestured at the folders he was now holding “—because I need to finish reading all the fine print, unless you want to accidentally sell your soul in the deal with Kord.”

Oliver rolled his eyes like she was being dramatic. “That’s what we have lawyers for, Felicity.”

By now a small group of employees were gathered near the elevators, pretending not to watch their boss and his assistant argue over who gets to carry a stack of folders. Felicity shot them a dirty look before shifting it to Oliver.

“Yes, and the lawyers sent these over with a note that said ‘please read and return by Monday’, which is actually your job, mister. So you know what? You want to carry them so bad, they’re all yours. Have fun.”

With that she stormed off towards the lobby doors, feeling her cheeks heat faintly when she saw one of the security guards smirk in her direction. Well, screw him too, she thought, pushing through the doors and out onto the street. Her car was parked in the garage, but she was too frustrated to drive home just yet. First she was going to get a cup of coffee. She’d been waiting all day to have it, but got too busy earlier, so now she was going to go across the street to the cafe, sit down in a booth and enjoy the quiet as she savored her daily allotment of caffeine.

Or so she thought until she went to push open the cafe door only to have Oliver and his stack of folders get to it first.

“Are you serious?” she groaned, tilting her head to the side in exasperation.

“I’m sorry, okay?” he said, shifting the folders awkwardly in one arm. “You’re right. Since you became my EA I’ve taken advantage of you and your willingness to help me with things that I… well, suck at. Like reading contracts. So, here’s my offer. I buy you a cup of coffee and you keep me company—and maybe answer a few questions—while I read through some of this, then I’ll do the rest this weekend and have it back to the lawyers by Monday morning. Deal?”

Felicity watched him for a long moment, before a small smile crossed her face. “You’d willingly read hundreds of pages of legal documents just to make sure I don’t, what did you say? Overexert myself?”

Oliver’s eyes took on a slightly panicked look. “Hundreds?” He gulped.

Felicity grinned, patting his chest as she walked by him and into the cafe. “Don’t worry. It’s not so bad. They marked the things they want you to look at. Plus, it’s a skill you’ll need once your new EA starts.” She scanned the place for an empty booth—she was becoming a real fan of cushioned seats these days—and decided on one in the far corner, away from the busy counter. Oliver would need at least relative quiet to understand the legal jargon in those documents. “Speaking of,” she said, leading Oliver over to it, “have you made any progress on that stack of resumes I gave you?”

“I skimmed it,” he said, noncommittally, as he placed his folders in the center of the table.

“Oliver, you only have a few months left, and I don’t want you backing yourself into a corner with this.” She wanted—no, needed—to make sure his new executive assistant was capable before she left, which meant hiring someone before she had the baby that way she could train them for a week or two. She didn’t want to leave Oliver with a stranger and just hope for the best. She was positive nothing good would come of it.

“I won’t,” he said, placing a warm palm on her shoulder. “I’ll go over the resumes and narrow it down to a few I want to interview. You can even make final pick if you want.”

“I just don’t want to abandon you…”

“You’re not,” he assured her, his thumb brushing a soft circle into her blouse and causing a tingle to run down her arm. He’d always touched her a lot, but ever since she’d gotten pregnant his touches were softer, more intimate, and that caused feelings Felicity would really rather not think about if she was being honest. “You’re moving on to better things, but we’re friends. I’ll miss getting to work with you everyday, but we’ll still see each other. I told you I’d be there for you if you needed it and whether that means making sure you don’t overexert yourself—” he smirked “—or changing diapers when you’re exhausted and need a break, I’m going to be there. So get used to it, alright?”

Felicity bit her lip, nodding slowly, and Oliver gave her shoulder a light squeeze before walking off to buy her that cup of coffee she’d been dreaming about.

So… maybe she could understand where the people at QC were coming from when they whispered about Oliver being the father. To be honest, with all the doting, there were times when Felicity nearly forgot he wasn’t.

But no, they were just friends. Really good friends, but still just friends. Besides, Oliver wasn’t really the father type. He was still having fun as a playboy bachelor, running around the city getting into trouble with Tommy Merlyn and being photographed with models hanging off his arm. Oliver Queen and baby diapers didn’t belong in the same sentence.

When the baby came, as much as she appreciated his offer, she wouldn’t be counting on him to actually follow through with it.

###

If anyone would like to be tagged just let me know ;)

[drferox]

Frankie

A Question Tax in the form of a story that all the recent posts about euthanasia and crying/professionalism while at clinic. Allow me to tell you the time I nearly made all the staff at a clinic cry.

A little background first, I once had a cat named Francis, but in the course of his life was usually known as Frankie. He was a good, extremely affectionate (to humans only, and only to the good ones; if I was dating someone and Frankie didn’t happen to like them that was a red flag), stubborn lad who at the age of nearly 14 came up with mast cell cancer in his intestines. The kitty oncologist gave him a prognosis of 6 months to a year with chemo, 1-2 years with both surgery and chemo, and 2 weeks to a month on what we called palliative care, which was not much more than prednisone and a couple others to help with tummy troubles as thus far the only clue that something was even amiss at that point was more than usual vomiting and decreased appetite. After reviewing not only the cost, but also researching how the side-effects from the medication/surgery would impact his QOL, and talking to Frank’s primary care doctor while watching my old tabby try to comfort me while I was crying in the doctor’s office and acted as if nothing else was wrong… I chose the palliative care.

With help and frequent check-ups with his regular doctor–adjusting things to optimize comfort as he progressed, although not much changed until about a couple days before he passed–he somehow lasted more than a year. I got an extra birthday, Christmas, several nights of him tearing around the house like a stampeding elephant at 3 AM, catnip days, and all sorts of other fun moments I didn’t think I would get. It baffled all the care staff involved, but we were happy he was happy/content. I caught him when he “crashed” so soon that our veterinarian was able to stabilize him to the point of not being in any discernible pain or discomfort, but he had “the look” along with other behavioral changes, so we scheduled him to be euthanized at home (a service our clinic provides) at the most opportune time, which only was a day and a half later. 

The next day I made inquiries about donating his cadaver. I remembered when I was a pre-vet major in university one of the dissections I learned the most from was a cat, and we treasured those specimens we got with special conditions. They were all prized and respected, though, as they were scarce to begin with. I found out the University of Pennsylvania had just such a need, and my clinic offered to hold and pack him for me until I could make the trip to the campus to drop him off. The receptionist cried over the phone when I finalized everything with him.

Although, the crying REALLY began when they came and saw my set-up for Frankie at home. I had positioned everything he needed within a few steps reach for him in front of the big window by our deck, his favorite spot, which got a lot of sunshine. I had positioned his favorite heater on low next to it, and a laundry basket of freshly laundered clothes (I actually had several layers of towels underneath the soft bits on top for when the time came), which is where he had been snoozing on and off by the time the team arrived. When his vet asked why I did it, I just said, “Have you ever heard of a cat that didn’t like to hop on top of a fresh load of laundry? He always preferred my laundry to any special cat bed or box for a nap anyhow,” and that’s when the nurse excused herself for a cry. She had been one of the ones who was a frequent carer of his. 

Frankie was euthanized peacefully, without any issues, surrounded by those who loved him, on a mound of freshly laundered clothes, and a belly partially fully of naughty human food and treats (the only things he wanted to eat post-crash, the vet OK'ed it). His doctor, bless her, kept it together then, but she had a bit of trouble after I brought him out to their van after I let the rest of our kitties say goodbye. The next day I picked him up from the clinic, where they had Frank packed and ready per the university’s specifications. Instead of a tech or nurse bringing him out to me, everyone did. His vet carried his box while the nurses, techs, and other staff that grew to know him well came out to say goodbye. Apparently the owner of the clinic was in the mix, too. No one had actually heard of a client donating a cadaver of a passed pet at their clinic, but they remembered like I did the first time they were able to learn from one during their education and wanted to say thank you on behalf of the future generations of those who pursue veterinary medicine and their clients. When they told me that, I finally sobbed. During his passing I tried to keep things relatively under control so as not to disturb Frankie, but then I ugly cried, which sent off the chain reaction of tears and hugs throughout the lobby. Thank goodness I had my partner with me or I would have had quite the time driving the 1.5 hours to UPenn after that. The collective waterworks would have put the fountains of Bellagio to shame.

The card they gave me with his pawprint had also been signed by nearly everyone at the clinic. Usually in my experience only the treating veterinarian signed it, but Frank was special, and to this day I get a bit teary eyed when I pull it out. The crying from the staff didn’t put me off at all. It was a moment of bittersweet connection that let me know how much they cared for him. I was grateful for it.

Thank you for all that you do, doctor. Your blog has been amazing and informative, and I thoroughly enjoy the individual stories you share.

Thank you for your story.