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Post by Evangeline Jones on Jul 10, 2007 3:21:00 GMT -5
The cup of coffee was still warm in her hands and it gave her a slight sense of comfort. It was late, very late actually but Evie didn't really mind. She didn't have anyone to go back to. Sometimes, she thought that she should get a cat or something, just so she would go home to feed it if nothing else and maybe if she went home, she might rest a bit more, get her mind off things maybe. She might even call all the people she'd been meaning to call back, contact some old friends, write birthday and Christmas cards... She shook her head and smiled slightly at the thought. No, she would never do it. She was incapable of keeping pets, anything she kept would probably die of starvation or loneliness...if only pets could go feed themselves or entertain themselves. Oh no, hold on, humans are the only ones capable of being that alone, no wonder they can't be kept as pets.
Is that how she had treated Charles? She was holding the cup but almost dropped it when his name came to her mind. It had been over seven years, (or was it ten?) since she last saw him. No she had seen him, just once about a year and a half ago, at a grocery store with his wife and two children. Evie's expression changed again to a more thoughtfully sad one. It had hurt her. She thought she'd got over him but she still wasn't completely prepared to see him with his family. She was happy for him, happy that he wasn't as lonely as she was but she was hurt when he did not recognise her. After all, who would? She was so different. In her twenties, Evie could be considered pretty and fashionable and wore a pleasant expression most of the time and a lovely smile. She had changed so much. She wore nothing but dark shades... just baggy pants and fitting, long-sleeved tops. The lines on the corners of her eyes had deepened and her normal expression had grown more serious. Her once lovely brown hair was now up in a messy bun, letting a few grey strands show. Dark rings had started to form around her eyes, making her look genuinely weary.
She put her cup back down on the table and rested her left elbow beside the cup on the table. The fingers of her right had began drumming the table in a pattern, actually playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. She often played to relax herself or just moved her fingers as if they were on the keys of a piano and let the music play in her mind.
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Post by Jared Heath on Jul 10, 2007 4:15:35 GMT -5
[maroon]
Lunch break. Jared entered the cafeteria with a pocket full of lunch money and a need to have something better than hospital food. He stopped in the doorway, looking around. Pediatricians were cluttered at one table, interns from different departments at their own tables. Residents and attendings sat apart. Different departments sat in different areas of the cafeteria. Jared shook his head. It was high school all over again.
Not knowing where to sit, Jared simply went to get food. A sandwich and coffee sounded like heaven right about now. Chief of surgery and still working 40 hour shifts, Jared knew his friends thought it was time for him to retire. Then again, his friends were attendings just waiting to get a position as chief. No, not good at all.
After picking up his tray, Jared knew it was time to confront the age old problem - where to sit? He looked around, and realized only one person was alone. A very familiar looking person at that. Evangeline. A small smile appeared on Jared's face as he walked towards her, sliding smoothly into the seat in front of her.
"Long day, Jones?"
He asked with a smile, noticing her tired looking appearance. He knew it never got easier, being a surgeon. Even now, he still felt like an intern, being worked to the bone yet not finishing anything. More sick people to tend came in after he sent away the last batch. As long as there were stupid people in the world, there would be doctors.
Jared kind of liked it that way.
[/maroon]
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Post by Evangeline Jones on Jul 10, 2007 5:01:14 GMT -5
Evie's fingers stopped, as did the music in her mind. She turned her head to Jared and gave him a tired smile. Chief of Surgery, yes she knew him, same department, she had to. She didn't know him very well but a familiar face was always welcome, it just made Evie feel a little less lonely. She sipped her coffee silently, as if she was till getting her thoughts together.
"Yes, I have to admit it is, Doctor Heath" she finally said, answering his question. She smiled a little as if she was amused by a thought. "I still feel like an intern," she mumbled, voicing the thought that amused her.
Evie put both her hands around her warm cup again, making her fingers feel nice and toasty and giving them a slightly rosy tint. She'd always found the hospital to a little chilly, probably her reason for almost always wearing long sleeves. Her appearance was slightly dishevelled, and she looked tired. Suddenly aware of it, she reached up to her messy bun and took the hair elastic out of it, letting her long brown hair fall free for just a moment and quickly tying it back up again. She needed to get it cut when she had the time. In fact, she couldn't remember when she had last been the the hairdressers. 'Menial domestics', she called things like that.
Life as an attending had made Evie change a lot but she liked it. She liked that it could keep her occupied all the time and that it took up almost all the time that she had. In the few hours that she did have free, she felt lost and didn't know what to do. It wasn't just a job, it was her life.
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Post by Jared Heath on Jul 10, 2007 5:51:06 GMT -5
[maroon]
Jared simply smiled at her words. Yes, life as a doctor had its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, you were just as tired as you were twenty years ago, just starting out as an intern. He still remembered it well. He had said goodbye to his wife on his way out the door, giving her a peck on the cheek. The chief of surgery at that time had been an intimidating woman, and she had wasted no time lecturing the new interns on their duties. By the end of the lecture, Jared had fallen asleep.
He looked up from his sandwich as Evangeline pulled down her hair. She really was attractive, he had to admit, even with the black circles and the tired, lonely expression. She was beautiful for a surgical attending working in a busy hospital.
Jared thought back to what he knew about her. He had known Evangeline for a while now, way back since when he was a resident on one of her cases. He was pretty sure that she was a dedicated surgeon, and knew she'd be a favorite when it came time for him to step down. Still, maybe she'd enjoy life more if she was just an attending. Chief took many years out of you - more than normal. Though only 40-something, Jared pulled a few strands of white hair out of his brown every morning. It was tiring, indeed.
He leaned back for a minute.
"The mixer is coming up soon."
He hinted, after swallowing the last bite of his turkey sandwich. The mixer was the biggest and most awaited function of the year. New interns, residents, and attendings from every department met in one room to get to know each other - and to check out the competition.
Every doctor wanted to be at his or her best during the mixer, to install a good impression on their future bosses. However, "accidents" did happen..
[/maroon]
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Post by Evangeline Jones on Jul 10, 2007 10:33:09 GMT -5
On the mention of the mixer, Evie's face lit up a little, she looked at the old blue digital watch on her wrist and noted the date, raising her eyebrows slightly, "I completely lost track of the days."
She allowed herself a little laugh. It was true. She wasn't sure how the months had passed, or even how the year had past. All of it had been such a blur. The last thing she remembered was her 38 birthday, sitting alone with a glass of red wine in her apartment and thinking about how close her forties were.
She'd thought of it a few times. She wondered what she would do when she was older and retired. Sometimes she thought that she ought to adopt, then again the odds of her being even a remotely good parent... she didn't even want to think about it. She decided that it was the reason why she had given up planning for the future. None of it looked good. But then again, she could go back to England after she retired and maybe live in her parents' house. Perhaps she would have a little shop... just a shop, selling the best tea (with milk and honey) and delicious little cakes. Oh, and scones, don't go forgetting the scones.
But that would mean that Evie would have to learn to bake properly. Thinking of the future wasn't the greatest idea after all. Her thoughts went back to the mixer, "Well," she said, "I think I'm looking forward to the mixer this year. I had to miss it last year because of a wedding." She remembered the previous year clearly, she had to fly to Cardiff, for her cousin's wedding and was flying back on the night of the mixer. She hadn't much of a choice in the matter, the air ticket had been mailed to her and her mother had insisted on her presence. All these years and a very demanding mother was still managing to control her life.
She sipped some more of her coffee, noticing that there was half a mug remaining. The caffeine had started working on her and she looked a little brighter. She looked up from her coffee to Jared. She'd known him a while, a long time really, but they hadn't ever been close. They'd talked yes, but normally just discussing the case, or like now, upcoming events. She wondered how many more people she'd been around for years and never talked to.
"Oh, and please, call me Evie." She said with a smile. "I'm not one for formality and my first name is a bit of a mouthful."
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