Donovan Lewis

Nose scrunched just a bit, Elaine nodded, her way of admitting that Donovan's right without outright saying it. "I'm sure they know. If not by figuring out against their wills through experience, I'm sure you've educated them," Elaine grinned, chuckling softly. An annoyed sigh was let out at the mentioning of those goddamn families Elaine could not get rid of and continued finding them entering the hospital. "They might as well. Half of them share the same last name, or the same gene pool, or something of that nature. If they're not related, their parents slept with someone else's parents years ago. It's a whole mess. I've learned all of this unwillingly." Relaxing back in her chair, eyes narrowed as a thought crossed Elaine's mind. "While I have you here, darling husband of mine, I do have one question for you, actually. I have one of those ridiculous unavoidable charity.. fundraising.. mingling.. whatever the hell events coming up, and I've managed to get out of them for the last year or so. But this one, I really can't get out of, and while I could go alone, I could also drag your ass along. If you're willing, that is. Just bring a bucket or something, because you're going to have to watch me be a little nice to some tight-ass idiots for an entire evening, and it's nauseating."

Donovan couldn't help but smirk as Elaine regaled him with the tales she'd found out through the hospital walls. Apparently, the doctors here were even more tightly wound together than even he had known. "That's insane. Any other hospital would have disbanded them, fired them, told them to find different places to work. From what I hear, there are a few couples who started out when one was an intern and the other an attending." His eyes rested on Elaine as his brow quirked; at least he had only been a resident when they'd first started messing around together. "So what you're saying is, because the two of us are married now, you get to drag me along to these boring events of yours so you aren't completely alone. Got it. Yeah, that sounds completely disgusting. No idea how I'll make it through the entire night without being sick at least once."

"Yeah, that's kind of our entire job." He agreed, shooting Donovan an amused look. He always appeared to want nothing to do with the teaching part of the job, which was one of the most essential pieces to the hospital. It was something that most of the doctors in the hospital took pride in and there was a reason that so many hopeful doctors wanted to come here. "Sometimes the people we worry about the most become the best doctors." He simply replied. It was odd, but it was something he'd noticed in his years as a physician.

Donovan simply shrugged. He would be the first to admit he was a horrible teacher. He was an excellent surgeon, but his people skills were lacking in several departments. He was a stubborn, hard-headed, stuck in his ways old man and it was likely too late for him to change any of that. "That remains to be seen," Donovan replied simply. "I might think that way if any of these brainless residents becomes a world-renowned surgeon in a few years, but until then I'll still think of them as the brainless morons they are."

Elaine grinned, typing just about every word that left Donovan's mouth, nodding encouragingly the entire time. "Mhm, just like that," she hummed, finishing her typing and sending the email that would inevitably end in a very long meeting that she'd be forced to sit through. Which, in theory, given that most of the higher ups knew good and well how Elaine and Donovan were as individuals, probably didn't want to fuck around and find out much about them as a unit, would end successfully. "You're my favorite?" Elaine's tone was dripping with sarcasm, given that she literally could not even deny it. While the amount of people Elaine really liked may have been one she could count on her fingers, there really was no denying that she certainly tolerated Donovan the most. He'd been around the longest out of those she currently affiliated with, he'd earned at least some credit for dealing with her for as long as he had. "I think you're a bit beyond the point of humbling, dear," she chuckled. "You'd think they'd care more about the raging nepotism that I try desperately to crush and destroy," Elaine rolled her eyes, playfully tightening her fist.

"You can't even try to deny that I'm right," he added with a grin on his face. "Why else would you have married me? Definitely not for the prospect of money." Now he was just being sarcastic himself, but this was just how they were together. He felt comfortable dishing out to her in ways that others likely wouldn't; and just as much as he could dish it out to her, he could take it from her as well. "Eh, you're probably right. It's way past the point of me ever being humbled. I know how great I am and I want to make sure everyone else knows how great I am too." A bit conceited? Yes. Was it a lie, though? No - not in his mind. "This whole hospital is ran by the same small families. I'm surprised they don't have their names on the hospital already."

If there was one thing that Mark had learned about the guy next to him, it was that he was perpetually grumpy. And nothing Mark said or did was going to change that; and nothing that the interns did would change his opinion either. "I mean eventually they get better. And to be fair, they're still technically in some form of medical school right now. Some people end up being better in the books than they are in practice. This is how we weed them out."

"Yeah, eventually. Unfortunately for us, we're the ones who are supposed to shape them into actual doctors, or whatever." Why Donovan had ever decided to come to a teaching hospital, he would never know. Maybe it was the prospect of seeing Elaine again, but whatever the reason, he was now regretting it. Interns were the bane of his existence. "Seems to me they should be weeded out before they're thrown into the thick of it with people's lives in their hands, don't ya think?"

"If you start throwing around the word necessity, then I can use that to my advantage. Your advantage, really," Elaine scrunched her nose, eyes still skimming the document full of numbers. "So if you sit here, and tell me how beneficial these things are for the hospital's reputation and for teaching and all of that shit.." trailing off, Elaine looked over to Donovan, "then I can say that, and I'll say that, and they'll consider it. I'll need at least a few solid excuses, because despite this hospital drowning in nepotism, they might be a little iffy about me trying to help your department." Despite the fact that the two weren't exactly parading around the building hand-in-hand like real newly weds, Elaine preferred to keep her private life private, which meant that it wasn't entirely common knowledge. Even with the privacy, they couldn't really keep the marriage discreet from the hospital's board and legal team. And for whatever reason, that sort of thing meant more to them than when Elaine tried to deny Sofia's application to the residency program on account of her entire giant ass family working in the hospital.

"So what you're saying is, I should tell you all about how this latest innovation would be a great way to teach the up and coming potential cardiothoracic surgeons how to perform surgeries with a much smaller risk of complications. Or how it could reduce a patient's recovery time by as much as a week, meaning they won't be in the hospital for as long, thereby meaning we can have more patients come in for life-saving surgery also?" While all of that might not necessarily be true, for the most part, it was. He just really wanted this equipment because it was shiny and new, but Donovan was willing to say whatever it took to get it approved and brought in to the hospital. "The board needs to wake up and realize that just because you and I are married doesn't mean you're going to just approve every request of mine all willy-nilly. We both know that while I am clearly your favorite person in this hospital, you wouldn't want me to get too cocky about my position here."

"Actually, I was insinuating you were going through the change, but I suppose that entails being on your period more often." Donovan shrugged his shoulders as if it was merely a semantics problem. "Oh, didn't you realize I thrive on the suffering of others?" he asked, the tiniest bit of sarcasm in his voice. "Other people's tears give me my superpowers."

Letting out a slightly dramatic sigh, Elaine leaned in a little closer over the desk, "you really know how to get me going, hm? Money." And, to be fair, money was one of the most consistent things about their relationship. Barring their personalities and their shared love of torment, of course. "I suppose I'll take a peek," Elaine nodded, leaning back slightly, pulling up reports on her laptop and skimming over the endless spreadsheets. "Just remember, I don't make these, alright? Some nerds with awful taste and too much knowledge of Excel do." After a few clicks, and a bit of scrolling, she found what she needed. "How wonderful is wonderful? Is it a necessity, or do you kids just want some more toys?"

"I pride myself on my knowledge of what excites you," Donovan affirmed, letting out a slight chuckle in the process. He moved from the desk to the chair, making himself comfortable as she pulled up whatever it was she needed on her computer. However, as soon as the first words left her mouth, he knew from the start that he wasn't going to be getting the money he wanted for the department. "Depends on how you define necessity. Do we need it to save lives? No. Would it make it a little easier? Yes. Is it more just for having a fun new thing to mess with? Mostly."

Mike glanced at the person sitting next to him and then glanced down the hallway at the group of interns that looked more lost than he thought should actually be possible. They'd been at the hospital for the last month and somehow still didn't know how to get from one section of the hospital to another, even with the signs and symbols meant to lead patients and families in the right direction. "Sometimes it's hard to understand and remember how hopeless interns are. And then the new group comes in and I'm reminded all over again."

"The only good thing about interns is being able to boss them around and make them do the grunt work we don't wanna do." Okay, maybe not the best attitude to have, but Donovan had grown tired of dealing with interns over the years. The only intern he'd never had an issue with had been Elaine, and now she was his superior. "It amazes me how many of them are here. How the hell did half of them even make it through medical school?"

"Chin up, Robbins. If you're gonna shed some tears better to do it in the on-call room where nobody can see you." Or have to pretend to be nice, as Donovan was doing his best to do. Nice wasn't exactly in his repertoire, though. "This some sort of hormonal thing, or did someone hurt your feelings?"

"Mmm," Elaine hummed softly, sitting up in her chair, elbows propped up on the desk as her chin rested on her palms, "I suppose not." After a beat, she leaned back slightly, nose scrunched. "But, you know, you've got to keep things interesting somehow. Don't start boring me with just because's before we've even hit a year, dear."

"Yes, darling," Donovan retorted. "I would hate to make things boring when we've still got at least four more years to spend together." Though, of course, he doubted either of them would know how to make anything boring. This last year had passed quickly, and he had no doubt it was because the two of them together always found ways to have a good time. "Actually, while I have you alone, I do have something to ask about. Have you gone through the hospital's budget lately? Because it would be just wonderful if the cardio department could invest in some newer equipment."

“Yes, I’m making note of it now,” Elaine spoke monotonously, leaning back in her chair and very much not making any sort of note. One arm crossed against her chest, the other begrudgingly holding her phone to her ear. Eyes flicked up to the figure in her doorway, not really paying any mind to who was there, but rather that the interruption was her saving grace. Sitting up slightly, she nodded, “I’ll actually have to call you back later, Kimberly, I’ve got another situation on my hands.” A fake smile blossomed as the woman on the line continues speaking, and with that Elaine spoke a quick “thanks for reaching out” before practically slamming the phone down onto its dock. Letting out a sigh of relief, Elaine looked back up, “to what do I owe the pleasure of this little visit?”

An amused smirk appeared on Donovan's face as he leaned against the door to Elaine's office, listening to her half of the conversation she was currently having on her phone. From the look on her face, he got the sense she wasn't entirely enjoying the talk she was having with whoever was on the other line. As she replaced the phone on its dock, he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Do I have to have a reason to come and visit my wife at work?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow as he took a seat on an empty corner of her desk. "I'm sure I could come up with one, if I had to, but where's the fun in that?"

closed starter for: @cardioking​

“Ah, Miss DeVille,” Donovan replied, smile on his own face matching the one on hers. “That is fantastic news,” he added with a British accent; he was really going all in on this costume character. The news was definitely exciting for him, though he still wondered if he should break down and tell her the truth about the new inheritance being fake or just wait it out and see what happened. “How about tomorrow? Might as well go down and start it sooner versus later; make the five years begin right away.”

“I used to love hospital parties when I was little. I remember one time, I was like six, and some hot drunk lady was giving me some really great life advice before one of my parents dragged me away from her,” Sofia giggled, leaning back in her chair. “And now, here we are, I’m the hot drunk lady ― the circle of life is beautiful, isn’t it? But now I feel suuuper obligated to give life advice. However, definitely not the person to be doing that,” she scrunched her nose before taking a little sip of her drink. She really wasn’t in any place for advice-giving, especially since she was getting as far from sober as she could to try to forget the fact that her baby was due this week. A+ problem-solving. 

“My woes?” Donovan stared at the Sloan-Torres girl, eyebrow quirked. He was pretty sure he’d never seen her like this. No, usually his interactions with her happened in the hospital where he treated everyone the same way - like they were beneath him because they were. However, listening to the story she was telling and then having her offer to give him life advice elicited a small laugh from the heart surgeon.

“I really like your costume,” she smiled as she walked past someone dressed up as Kim Possible. She wasn’t normally this social but the liquor confidence had Mia mingling with her coworkers and family friends. She was only one drink in but she felt it. She was a lightweight. Dressed up as Elsa, she searched the party looking for another character from Frozen so they could take pictures when she ran into someone and spilled their drink. “I’m so sorry. I don’t have any paper towels but I can buy you another drink.”

He hated parties. He hated anything that required him to socialize with people he wasn’t fond of. Pretending to be nice for an entire night was far beyond his pay grade, but Elaine had pretty much given him an easy out for his costume and he’d agreed to come along as one of her henchman for the night. He was currently nursing his third drink, the only salvation he had to look forward to, when he felt it knocked from his hand. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, unsure where this uncharacteristically nice persona was coming from. “Just watch out for yourself at the hospital on your next shift, Avery; you may find yourself on scut.”