The Doctor's Heart

The Social Structure of a Hospital

"Good, OR2." Emily looked satisfied. "Don't be late."

Riza turned and fled. "Wouldn't dream of it!"

Emily frowned, looked at the nurse and saw the  sour, displeased look. A look she often saw on the nurses' faces when confronted with Marcus... The puzzle pieces seemed to click into place. Mark. Emily stared after Riza's fleeing figure. "Consult my ass." She muttered with a shake of her dark locks with a knowing smirk as she went to scrub in. It was good to have Riza back, she just hoped that she would stay for good.

........

Riza and Emily emerged into the cafeteria with wide grins on their faces. The two were out of surgery with a recovering patient in their room. Barely two hours of surgery and Riza was in the best mood that she's been in a while. She broke bones and cut muscle. She felt rejuvenated like she'd been to the spa for a weekend. Goldeneye Riza was on cloud 9. Emily nudged Riza and muttered, "I'm getting lunch, meet you at the table."

"Get me something?" Riza asked.

"What?" Emily asked, a smirk tugging on her lips. "Mark wore you out?"

Riza scowled. "Go to hell." She snapped as she wandered to her old table.

The heads of surgery had their own table excluding from other surgeons. A select few were allowed to sit with the heads and the head of neurosurgery had been excommunicated from the table after a certain wedding. Riza frowned, as her feet carried her over to her table. The hospital was like a school if you put it in layman's terms. The social hierarchy and who sat with who at the cafeteria tables. Nurses with nurses, interns with interns, residents with residents and attendings with attendings. The heads of departments were top dogs and the chief was like the principal who liked to sit in class, every now and then.

Riza spotted a ever so familiar red head of hair and three other familiar heads, she blinked and slowed. Why was Shanks here? And then she spotted Lucy and Mira laughing, also a smirking Mark. That couldn't be good, she decided. "So, what embarrassing tales have you spun about me?" She drawled, sliding in between to Shanks and Mark. She decided to nip that in the bud before it even thought about growing. Shanks looked at her with a smile and a shake of his locks. Benn, Yasopp and Lucky Roo offered a wave, Riza smiled back, still not sure what to do with the fact of them mingling with her family.

"Nothing to bad yet." He answered at the same Mark said.

"None of those stories are fake."

"Oh?" She asked, leaning towards Shanks to examine Mark.

"Yeah, about that issue you had earlier." Mark teased.

"You can go to hell too." She grumbled, turning away from him.

Mark laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side like he was tucking her away for safety. "Nah, what happens in the on call room stays in the on call room." Riza saw Lucy and Mira's eyebrows rose, almost comically. They knew too, Riza cursed under her breath. Lucy shrugged, she didn't care. "We were just about to touch upon the delicate subject of Dr. Barton."

Riza elbowed him, sharply in the ribs. Mark offed rubbed his side. "You can really go to hell." She growled.

"Yeah." Benn added, from his seat at Shanks' other side. "Why doesn't he like you?"

"He used to love her." Emily added as she approached the table with two trays in hand. Leaning over to set the first one in front of Riza and then going around the table to sit next to Mira. Riza shot her a short glare and looked down at the hamburger and fries. Bless. Riza hadn't eaten dinner the night prior nor breakfast, nerves and such. This was a welcomed sight. Hamburgers weren't the cafeteria's specialty but they sure weren't the worse either, same with their fries. She smiled as she placed the fried potato in her mouth, fresh out of the fryer too.