CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVEMELONIE'S POV

   I walked toward the information desk and started writing stuff down in a chart, then I looked at the nursing assistant at the other side of the desk.

   "Can I get Raelynn Anderson's chart please?" I asked her, and she handed it to me.

   I took my pen and opened the chart, writing down the information I had just gotten from her and her parents. Suddenly, I felt someone's arms wrap around my waist and I could smell the familiar scent of my husband's cologne.

   "Why hello, Dr. Avery," I smiled, turning around to face him, and our faces were inches apart.

   "How are you, Dr. Avery?" He looked at me.

   "I'm doing just fine," I chuckled. "How are you?"

   "I have to run upstairs to check on a patient," he sighed, starting to walk away.

   I handed the nursing assistant the charts back and ran after Jackson, and he put his arm around my shoulders.

   "I actually have to go check on a patient, too," I told him.

   We walked into the elevator. No one else has come into the elevator, so it was just us too. As soon as the doors closed, Jackson pushed me against the wall and smashed his lips into mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me up, wrapping my legs around him. 

   "What was that for?" I asked, out of breath, as he set me back down.

   "Because I love you," he smiled. "Are we still on for Joe's tonight?"

   "Of course," I smiled, kissing him once more.

   The doors on the elevator opened and we walked out, walking in opposite directions. I grabbed some more charts, ready for my intern to show up.

   Shane ran up to me with a very big smile on his face. "I'm here, I'm ready, I'm excited-"

   I sighed, "Okay, look, stop. All of that fake enthusiasm... I see right through it, and I don't appreciate insubordination, okay?" I plopped the charts in front of him. "So just order these by date of appointment made."

   "Uh, okay..." he said with a hint of attitude in his voice.

   I sighed, looking at him. "Is there a problem?"

   "No, no, no." He shook his head. "It's just... outpatient surgery. I was hoping I'd be doing some surgery on the outpatients."

   I gave him a fake smile. "Oh, you'll be cutting. It's lump and bump day!" I sarcastically exclaimed.

   "Yay?" Shane gave me a confused look.

   I rolled my eyes. "This hospital likes to schedule all of its outpatient mass and growth removals on one day. So, one lucky surgeon will find themselves carving out glorified pimples for twelve freakin' hours." Shane gave me a worried look. "It's called whittling. A hillbilly with a pocketknife could do it." I started walking. "Come with me." I grabbed a clipboard and he followed me to the waiting room, and I started to read off the list. "Mr. Publer? Um, Pub-Publer?" I tried the name in a different way, but still, no one responded, until an old man slowly stood up.

   "We're seeing all of them today?" Shane whispered, looking into the room full of patients.

   "Oh, this is just this morning's." I gave him a fake smile. "Sharpen your pocketknife, Jethro."

   Mr. Publer finally reached us as we both walked out of the room, taking Mr. Publer to his room.

~

   As I was taking out the gunk from Mr. Publer's body, I was also walking Shane through it so he could learn.

   "You need to make sure that you get good borders so we can send this to path," I told him.

   "Woah, that's..." He sharply inhaled, looking at what I was doing. He seemed disgusted. "Woah." 

   "What do you mean? What's 'woah'?" Mr. Publer asked.

   "I don't know, it just keeps coming." Shane crossed his arms and covered his mouth.

   "You don't know?!" Mr. Publer shouted.

   I cleared my throat and glared at Shane. This is why I hate interns. They don't know what to say around patients and they make everything ten times harder.

   I bent down so Mr. Publer could look at me. "Hi. I know how scary this must be for you. But I want you to know that we are taking really good care of you, okay?" Mr. Publer nodded and I stuffed tissue into Mr. Publer's back. I sternly turned to Shane. "Dr. Ross... a word." 

   I walked out with Shane following me and I stopped, crossing my arms in frustration. I took my mask off so I could talk.

   "What was that?" I asked.

   "I don't know, but it was disgusting," he shuttered. "You were, like, a magician with a handkerchief."

   I rolled my eyes. "Ross, these lumps are attached to people. Scared people. You need to acknowledge that fear and ease it. You look them in the eye, you talk to them like you care. Imagine if it were you and I was pulling a wormy handkerchief out of your flesh." Shane shuttered again. "I'm sure you think this is beneath you, okay? I get it. I know you guys call me 'the dud.' But that doesn't mean that these patients don't deserve your respect and care, no matter how crappy you feel. Do you understand?"

   "I-I think so," he stuttered.

   "Hello?" Mr. Publer called, and I walked back in.

   After the lump removing, it was about five, so I wasn't on-call anymore. I gave all of the non-emergent patients to Shane and went to eat in the attending's lounge.

   I plopped down onto the couch next to Meredith with my salad and yogurt in hand. I jammed my fork into my salad.

   "Woah." Mer scooted over a little. "What did that salad ever do to you?"

   "Shane is such a baby," I groaned, shoving a crouton into my mouth.

   "About what?" She stopped, and she gasped, looking at me and whispering, "Oh my God, did you sleep on him?"

   "What? No!" I exclaimed. "I'm married, Mer."

   "Well, then, what is he doing that's so babyish?"

   "He can't handle lump and bump day," I scoffed. "I was removing lumps from this guy's back and he was disgusted the whole time and he was making the patient uncomfortable. He doesn't even know how to treat patients!" 

   "Wow, what a loser," Mer laughed.

   "Who's a loser?" Cristina asked, plopping on the other side of Meredith.

   "Shane."

   "All of the interns are losers," Cristina chuckled, popping a pretzel into her mouth.

   "Well, I mean, Jo's not that bad." I shrugged.

   "What is it with you and Jo?" Meredith asked, drinking from her water bottle.

   "She's just nice," I replied. "If you actually talk to her, she's a tolerable intern."

   "We'll see," Cristina sighed.

   Suddenly, my pager beeped and I rolled my eyes. "It's Shane. I guess I should go."

   "But you're not on-call anymore," Meredith pointed out.

   "Knowing Shane, he's probably having trouble with something that will take me five minutes," I sighed, walking out of the lounge.

   I got to the second floor and before I even reached the patient's room, Shane ran up to me with a panicky expression.

   "What do you do when you need to..." He swallowed, as if he was about to puke or something, and I backed up a little. "Sorry... um, when you need the lab to fast-track a..." He swallowed again, "a specimen?"

   "What is wrong with you?" I sighed.

   "That lady has the most disgusting butt scab. It's just-" he cringed.

   "Oh my gosh. You're a child," I groaned, walking into the room.

   I walked toward the woman and smiled at her. I went to her backside and saw the scab, cringing harder than I have ever cringed. The scab was a greenish color and had hair coming out of it. 

   I quickly walked out of the room and nearly barfed, and I looked at Shane with apologetic eyes.

   "Tell the lab to..." I swallowed hard, just like he did. "Tell them that I said to push this to the front of the line," I exhaled. "We're gonna need those results stat."

   "Would you mind doing it?" Shane asked with hope in his voice. 

   "Nope! Yours!" I ran off so he couldn't say anything.

   As I was on my way to the locker room, I ran into Jackson, literally. I bumped into him, making him drop everything. 

   "I'm so sorry," I laughed, picking up his charts. "I just got off. Are you ready to go?"

   "Yeah, I just have to change," he said, putting his charts back and walking with me. 

   "Okay, same," I sighed. "I have to grab something from the on-call room really quick. I left a paper in there after I took a nap."

   "Alright." Jackson pecked me on the lips as I walked off.

   I walked over to on-call room two and I opened the door, but what I saw made my blood boil. I saw Alex and Jo making out, and Jo was only in her bra. 

   "Oh my God!" Jo screamed, covering herself. 

   I looked at her, then at Alex. I rolled my eyes and sighed, grabbing what I needed to grab and shaking my head.

   "K." I walked out of the room, shutting the door behind me and trying to get that image out of my head.

~

Word Count: 1555