Dr. Mark Keaton

With her chin resting on the heels of her hands, Nora put on her most convincing poker face, and actually managed to keep it together until the phrase ‘frenemies negotiations’ was brought up– until it was coined right there before her. “Vale, and I’ll get Zürich on the line, move some money around,” a light laugh escaped her, at the sheer absurdity of what a couple of doctors could come up with to pass the time, relieve some of the daily stress. “Mmhm, I think so too, this could be the next level for us; the beginning of a beautiful anti-friendship.” Nora liked to think she didn’t have a jealous bone in her body. And the ugly feeling gnawing at her insides whenever she spotted a group of carefree civilians, adventurous tourists or a mother with a child? Would remain unnamed. Perhaps one day she’d admit how envious she was of his years, though, too. His young years and the freedom he enjoyed. Young, handsome and with an impeccable sense of humor– what more could one wish for? “A hidden talent mm, why stop there, why not call it a superpower, even.” Mark’s sense of humor was absolutely brilliant, yes, and it was what made Nora relax as well, be able to joke around. “A gift, am I now. –I won’t believe you think so until you put it in the contract, feel free to shout it from the rooftops too, repeat numerous time in front of McKelly…” she grinned. Fingers crossed it’s a quiet night for you– there was nothing kinder, nothing better he could’ve wished for her Halloween night to be, and Nora offered a soft smile in return. “I don’t think you have to worry about if your night’ll get interesting or not– New York nights have a soul of their own, they’re notorious for taking you on a ride– you start off in a local watering hole in Queens and end up on a rooftop in Manhattan.” Just one of many examples from her own life. The woman noticed the almost wistful look and remained quiet, letting him have his moment before another genuine smile began forming on her lips. “Right, would I even recognize you in non-white and non-teal clothes?” Nora didn’t have a habit of hanging out with her co-workers outside work, mostly to keep it professional and keep them away from some other shady aspects of her life, but maybe she could make an exception for Mark. If he made a good offer. 

“I think a healthy anti-Friendship is exactly what I’ve been missing in my life. I just never knew it until you said the name” Mark snapped his fingers as if this was some epiphany or revelation rather than a contrived storyline made up by two sleep deprived doctors trying everything to pass some time that didn’t involve medicine. The thought made him wonder if Nora ever worried about her personal life as much as Mark did. He had seen the way she threw herself into her work. Was that from her passion for the job? A reality that she was hoping to avoid outside of the revolving hospital doors? Or maybe she was just that dedicated to every aspect of her life. For her sake, he hoped that she maintained some sort of life outside of her work. Selflessly for her, and selfishly for himself. He liked Nora, maybe even looked up to her. He didn’t want to become the person that had nothing to do but go to work.

“You make me sound like an Avenger or something.” New York seemed the right place for them, “I don’t think spandex are the right look for me though, I’m going to be honest with you.” Fighting the urge to stand up on the chair and shout compliments for Nora was hard, but even he had to draw the line at some point. The rest of the staff might not react positively to his declarations. “Should I shout it from the hospital roof? Or are you thinking somewhere higher? I guess anywhere I can get Mckelly’s attention is a good start, huh?”

Merry Christmas, my dear Mark!

P.S. If you don’t show up with Christmas leftovers tomorrow... You can truly consider me to be your worst enemy.

xoxo,

[ Mark’s presents are in a few boxes, with the following card on top of them. His presents include a new jacket, gluten free Christmas cookies, a plant, and a turntable. On the card, Maureen has written a note: ]

I just wanted to win official best sibling title, that’s all. :)

No but in all seriousness, I love having you as a brother. Glad you’ve moved beyond locking me in toy chests and scaring me with bugs, and that I can call you both my brother and one of my best friends. The plant supposedly is one that’s very hard to kill. 

Obviously I am playing all my Taylor Swift vinyls on your turntable. You don’t get to say no.

Promise, cross my heart, the cookies have nothing healthy in them.

Love you most, big brother.

Love,

The card lights up and plays obnoxious annoying musing when opened, which is exactly why Aaron picked it. Written on the inside of the card is the following message : Dear Mark,

This year I decided to pay more attention than I usually do. That is something that has sometimes caused us to disagree on some matters, and you know I'll never stop apologizing for ever making you feel neglected.

She knew that she could be fully herself around her brother. Even if they had gotten into disagreements throughout their lives, they both had a fierce love for one another and Maureen also trusted him more than she trusted nearly anyone else. More than their parents, even, at times. Because Mark was someone she could talk to about things she couldn’t even talk to her parents about, and she hoped that she was the same sort of case for him.

She knew that they both had to be thinking about how, when they were younger (and she imagined it was much more so for Mark, being the older sibling), they would have done anything for their dad to take time away from work. Yet now that he’d entirely resigned, something felt sour in her mouth, in her thoughts, and if she were younger, she might’ve worried that a birthday wish from years back to have her dad just to herself for a day without worrying about work had somehow come to life on a greater and more harmful scale.

“You are my only, and I suppose it might also make you my least favorite…” she scrunched up her nose, “but I think you’re far more often my favorite and even if I had another brother, I somehow figure you’d somehow win my favor regardless.” She stuck her tongue out at him. It was easy to fall into old routines with Mark, to let her guard down, and even if they were both graduated from advanced degrees, it still felt like they were children, sometimes, in the very best of ways.

“It really is. There’s something about imagining it, but when it all becomes reality,” she blew a strand of hair out of her face, “I don’t think that you can ever entirely figure out what it’ll be like.” Much to her chagrin, that much was certain. She would have much preferred to just have been able to figure it all out. Though, at the same time, that would rid her of any proper ability to explore and discover, and the thought of that was just as unsettling.

“Yes, of course,” she raised an eyebrow at him, “only because you’re my favorite brother.” A beat, before she added, “but no seriously, it’d be great to have you along.” She held out her pinky to him, “I’ll hold you to that, but honestly, that’s a fair reaction - I’m still not totally used to it myself and I have to go to these things all the time.” She crossed and then uncrossed her legs. “Any particular category of cultural event you’d prefer? Or are you good with most anything?” She knew her brother well, but a check-in never hurt. Especially not since she figured they could both use a sort of break, and if she could help Mark with that, she would do so in a heartbeat.

“How’s the start of your work been going?” She looked over to him. “I hope well, anyone who gets you as their doctor is lucky to have you, you know.”

“You’re being very mushy. I would be roasting you for it if you didn’t just bring me food.” Mark joked. He never had the ability to be quite as open or honest about his feelings as Maureen was. Tragically, Maureen was the only person that he did have any talent for opening up to. And even then this was as far as he got. She never seemed to take it personally, him cracking a joke to avoid a compliment that she just paid him. In a way, this had turned into his own way of accepting her compliments, even returning them. “I promise to agree with everything you just said as long as I keep the food. This tupperware container is the healthiest thing in my apartment right now.”

Even as confident as Mark felt in his job, he had to agree that Maureen was right. They probably wouldn’t ever fully figure things out. Though he had never considered anything else. From a young age he had decided on being a doctor and never really looked back. Except for a brief stint of wanting to be a broadway actor after seeing Wicked for the first time. Considering he couldn’t sing, that dream never came to fruition. So, medical field it was. He never pegged Maureen the type to not  figure something out. Or at the very least, he didn’t peg her as the type to admit to it. It made him wonder if his parents ever felt the same way, or if law enforcement and law were so integral to their identities that they fit right in right away? Surely not, considering the family history. “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure mom came out of the womb reciting habeas corpus.” 

Considering his options, it occurred to Mark that there probably wasn’t a single event that could be terrible. Good company, presumably good drinks, and good culture. What more could someone ask for? “You can take me to literally anything and I’ll have a good time.” Mark promised, excitement building as he considered it more and more. “I promise to be the best plus one you’ve ever had. I’ll wingman the hell out of you to coworkers. They’ll be eating out of the palm of my hands. YOu’ll be begging me to come along to every event from here on out.” 

There Maureen went with the compliments again. In a failed attempt at brushing away his reddening cheeks, Mark looked past the kind comment entirely and focused on the question at hand, “Pretty great. I’ve got a potential rivalry in Nora. I basically live out of my bookbag that I care to and from work. And the job itself is pretty easy. All I’ve gotta do is show up on time and cut a few people open. What more could I ask for, honestly?” Besides more free time to try to enjoy life outside of work, but that was a conversation for another time perhaps.

“I like to around flu season,” she explained, pausing before she bent down and picked a box. She had to make sure her weight was balanced correctly or she’d fall over, which she had done earlier after slipping in a patch of wet grass, but she passed that off with a laugh, the rookie helped her stand back up, and she went about her day. She had fallen more times than she cared to admit since the accident, but at least she could say she would fall in style. “A lot of people mistrust doctors and hospitals - or they can’t afford vaccinations, so if they do get sick - they get sicker, and their hospital bills are higher, and it reinforces why they don’t get help –” she figured Mark already knew that, but what was wrong with a little conversation?  She set the box in the back of the truck. “So, I make nice with people through the year and a couple weeks ago - I started calling and reminding people it was time for their flu shots, told them about the clinic and ta-da, here we are. It’s a labor of love, but it’s also economically –” she struggled to think of how she wanted to say what she meant. “It’s good to take care of people, from a ‘duh they’re people’ standpoint and from a ‘people can be expensive when sick’ standpoint.” She wasn’t the most eloquent person, but she found ways to convey what she meant. “I’ll do a couple more in the lower income areas - infant vaccinations, stuff like that - I leave my card so they can call if they need something or if they don’t understand or trust what their doctor told them. Just – doing what I can for people, you know? It’s not easy when you don’t have a great support system and someone in authority keeps telling you what needs to be done and won’t tell you why.”  Bas couldn’t keep the surprise on her face when her offer was accepted, but the grin came quickly after. “I can get us to an arcade with beer - but the one I was thinkin’ about is more – claw machines and pissin’ people off because I know the secret to winning ‘em. But - we can start there - then go to a bar - and start hoppin’ around the city, if you’d like.” 

With the clinic mostly wrapped and potential plans for the night seemingly unfolding in front of him, Mark didn’t have much else to do but follow Bas around as she finished up with the packing and was ready to go. While he waited, he found it fascinating to get to know a bit more about the woman. Or rather, about her cause. She seemed to give  little information about herself and a lot about the clinics. Admittedly that seemed pretty representative of who she was as a person. Selfless, dedicated, outspoken. Though Mark had just met the woman, so he couldn’t exactly assume anything for sure. “Yeah, definitely I get it.” Mark followed along, nodding his head in agreement, “At least, I’ve seen it from my side too.” He’s had those talks with people, the ones that made the hospital their last resort and finally came in and dreading the outcome. A diagnosis they’ve put off too long, a bill they know they’ll never be able to afford. It only served to remind Mark that he himself had always grown up incredibly lucky, never having to think twice about any of those things until he got into medical school and had to consider the other side.

“You’re like this city’s guardian angel.” Mark laughed, “Or like Batman without all the brooding and violence.” Without a medical license, this woman had found a way to do more for the health of New York’s citizens than most doctor’s probably did in their careers. He supposed that should be inspirational, if he wasn’t one of the very doctors he was shitting on at the moment. “You need help carrying any of that stuff? You’ve got a lot going on.” Mark offered, realizing that this was probably her constant state. At least around flu season. “Well, keep my information too. Whenever you have another one of these popping up somewhere just give me a call and I’ll come help out. With your brains and my charm, we’ll have everyone in the city in tiptop shape.” It was the least he could do.

“Let me tell you, I might consider applying for the position, nothing gets me going like a decent nemesis, a worthy opponent.” Nora suggested with a playful chuckle. As far as entertainment during peak hours at work went, it was every man for himself. Do or die, since they each spent about half a day at the hospital, they were responsible for finding their own fun. “As for our origin story, hmm, my jealousy and bitterness could be fueled by this lifetime wish to have a younger sister… And your hair, so luscious… Not to mention to be 28 again!” Their age difference of almost ten years might not seem like a lot, but in one short decade Nora’s own entire life had turned upside down so in her eyes it felt like a lifetime. “A personal chef– 10 out of 10 would recommend– my life has become much easier,” and the beaming smile on her lips implied being spoiled with cooked meals wasn’t the only aspect of it she was content with. “Mm, I understand completely– after discovering how lacking my spice rack was? He’s never been more disappointed or personally offended, and we’ve already been through a lot together,”

Tale as old as time– some healthy sibling rivalry, present even in the golden Keaton family. In her heart, Nora wasn’t biased but would always fiercely protect the youngest member. “Respect to her– because if she truly is annoying, she’s hiding it very well.” Nora, for one, would never use the world to describe Maureen. Giving a pleased nod as he promised to share food with her, she munched on her lunch before she burst into laughter, mid-bite. “Mmm, but slices of bread are important, doctor Keaton. A nice slice of bread can often be a game changer. In a salad, or to thicken a warm soup. A yummy, homemade jam on a warm toast? A dream,” cue a light sigh. Nora was exaggerating just a tiny bit, but her parents (the restaurant owners, mind you) raised her to use leftovers, not throw away food– and so liked to get creative in the kitchen. Not the best chef in the world, yet she always looked to experiment. Nora paused to fix him with an amused look. “Maybe it’ll all change once you actually start paying attention. Think about it– it wouldn’t be fair to let the admirer do all the work!”

“Yeah, a part of me wants to protest, but again, I can’t blame you.” Some co-workers of theirs kept it all together. You had Tupperware lunch boxes containing vegetables in all colors on one side, and Nora, on the other, forgetting to eat after a busy day at the hospital. She did make a mental note to slip him an occasional celery or a kale smoothie whenever she had a chance. Or if they went down the whole workplace-nemesis route, to send Maureen over to annoy her brother some and cook something healthy for him. “Me,” chewing on the last of her food, she thought for a bit. Halloween came first to mind; the party at the Cancún– such a potential for disaster, she instinctively put her fingers to her temple to prevent an inevitable headache. “I think I’ll just stay home with my Beastie,” wishful thinking. Lying came easy to her; when it came to her other job. It was merely an instinct to protect the other party, a choice to keep them in the dark. Not to mention she feared being judged, terribly, by those she respected the most. Aaron’s respect she had already lost, and she selfishly wished to postpone it happening with the remaining Keatons. “My building is notorious for being haunted– which is usually enough to keep people away, but as you can imagine, they all feel frisky on Halloween. I can only hope there won’t be many trick-or-treaters, because– I’d have candy all to myself. Or maybe I should find a costume scary enough to keep them away.“ A chuckle– she relaxed some, moving onto a safer, more mundane topics. “What are your options?”

Mark considered his options. On one hand, having a contrived rivalry with Nora felt like winning the hospital lottery. He knew her record, her work ethic. When it came to the best choose, how much higher on the food chain could someone get than Dr. Vidal? On the other hand, part of the fun of the rivalry came in the disdain and bickering. Mark wasn’t sure he had it in him to dislike Nora that much. “Hmmm” he pondered out loud, rubbing his fingers along his chin as if smoothing his non existent beard. “Some sort of frenemies negotiation? I’m not sure I dislike you enough to be able to pull off an arch nemesis. I’m liking this sibling rivalry. I’m loving the hair flattery. And my stakes are jealousy of this personal chef of yours.” He snapped, ideas flowing freely now. “I think we have a good plot stewing. We can put a pin in it for now. I’ll have my people get in contact with your people. We can work up a contract.” Mark rattled off as he took bites, throwing in any bit of legal jargon he could think of to make it sound more legit.

“Sure, sure. She’s gotten great at hiding it around everyone except me. Or maybe I’m just special enough to bring it out of her. A hidden talent of mine.” While the attempt was clearly facetious, Mark couldn’t stop himself from chuckling along with Nora as she continued listing examples of bread making a meal. She wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t sure it necessarily applied to him. He appreciated it nonetheless, and as per usual the attention forced his cheeks to heat and a blushed to spread across his face. It never took much. “This is why we’re friends. Even when I’m clearly hopeless, you’re here to make me sound better. You’re a gift.” Mark raised his bottle of water towards her in mock cheers and took a sip from it. 

x

  “You’ve got Neil Patrick Harris beat, though - you’re what, a head taller? And you’ve got those signature Keaton looks.” Mark was as well suited to being a doctor, as any twenty nine year old, fresh out of school due to intelligence, could be; Laith admired his dedication to his profession, and longed for the same kind of ease, the same kind of finesse. “Oof, what’d you say? I got carded trying to go into a bar the other day, just to hang out, and I wasn’t sure whether or not to be offended or flattered.” If he shaved his beard, he’s probably be mistaken for the college senior to Mark’s freshman. “Really? You mean it? That makes two people who think so - you and my mom, maybe your dad if he got to know me a little better.”

  Past Halloween’s for Laith had been grand disappointments - he wanted this year, to make up for all of them. “I’ll let you invite your coworkers, as long as you can promise me that they’re not funnier than I am - or at least, only mildly funnier. Any Meredith Grey types? I haven’t seen the show, but I know people go crazy for her.” Visions of a party, beyond what he’d even started to plan for, came to mind; but with Mark, Laith felt more ambitious than usual. “Apple bobbing for all, and separate barrels for most -  though I’m thinking it’ll bring us closer together as friends, if we share a barrel. I’m thinking we throw a huge thing, fill up my apartment I’ve barely decorated with cobwebs, people. Costumes required - which we’ve got to coordinate, though I can’t decide between Blues Brothers or Shinning Twins.” 

.

“You flatter me, Laith” Mark rolled his eyes while giggling, taking a drink in an attempt to hide his blushing cheeks. With Mark’s complexion and naturally rose colored cheeks, he almost always looked like he was blushing regardless, but it didn’t take much to get his cheeks heat up, “But I’ll take the compliment anyways.” It was almost comforting to know that he wasn’t the only one mistaken for a lot younger than he actually was. Maybe that was what made himself and Laith such a good pairing for friendship. Though that was just one of the many things the two had in common. “I was obviously very mature and informed her that my parents had no affiliations with the hospital, I simply slipped in off the street, grabbed some scrubs and started operating on people.” He shrugged before relenting, “I think eventually she found me funny. After some charm.” Laughing along with Laith’s story,  “You should definitely be flattered. At some point, people won’t mistake us for younger anymore and then we will miss it.” Either that, or they’d both be cursed to look like children for eternity. “Nah. I bet lots of people think so, but obviously I’ll always be your biggest fan.”

What Nora expected was to be busted by McKelly, so the sight of anyone but was welcome. However, truth be told there was no one else she’d rather find in the brightly-lit hallway, except for maybe her nurse. “It’s just not McKelly’s day… Besides, who’s to say this isn’t my personal revenge, she did eat the last muffin Rhonda brought in for her birthday, hah. All’s fair in… Hospital wars.” After her… Goofy and not at all mature analogy, she released the young man from her grip, but not before giving his forearm a gentle squeeze, implying she was only teasing, and there was no real beef between her and McKelly. “Mm, the poor woman just needed someone to talk to.” A beat as Nora nibbled on the inside of her cheek. “Don’t we all.” It was more of a rhetorical question before her lips formed into a bright smile. “You know me,” she put a hand to heard briefly in an overly dramatic fashion before she pulled out her eco-friendly lunch box. “Difficult patients, it’s what it’s all about, isn’t it. They’re the reason why we do what we do.” Some humans were like a self-cleaning oven– staying on top of their health, hydrated and regular at their check-ups, but the others… Needed a bit of help. 

“I had meatballs for dinner last night– and I’ll probably eat them again tonight,” she may have pestered her personal chef at home to make his signature dish as often as possible, but at least he had a guarantee there wouldn’t be a single crumb left. “Oh, I didn’t make this, tried once but went a bit overboard with the spices,” she made a face and release one last chuckle before making herself comfortable and allowing her gaze to settle on the young doctor, enjoying the glimpses of resemblance to Aaron and Maureen she found. MauMau and stress cooking– Nora cracked a smile at the mention of the blonde alone, yet she felt herself growing concerned since the word stress was involved. “She’s so precious, I love her with all my heart. What did she make? I’ve been trying to rope her into cooking for me, too,” making people cook for her– was truly one of her numerous flaws. As the Vidal was about to dig in, her brain shut down– all she would be capable of was listening. “What’s new with you? Any new boys or girls chasing you? Between the two of us, I suppose you’re being more reasonable as far as regular sleep and a healthy diet are concerned?”

“I think I need to find a friendly nemesis like you found in Dr. McKelly.” Mark sighed, just now realizing that there may be a void in his current hospital social life. How would he get to live out his Grey’s Anatomy fantasies without some antagonistic doctor to share tension with? He wasn’t picky, he would even take a nurse, hell even someone that worked the cafeteria at this point. “Gotta shake things up around here to keep it interesting.” Though things kept busy enough as was, admittedly. Maybe he should wait until his residency was over to make finding a nemesis a priority. “Sure, sure. Though I don’t think every doctor around here has your knack for talking to difficult patients. You have some hidden talent.”

“Damn, I need to get a personal chef” Mark scowled, though he couldn’t keep the pout for long before breaking into a grin again, “Can you imagine? They’d laugh me out of my own apartment when they saw what I kept in my fridge.” The contents were almost laughable, a stack of kraft cheese, an almost certainly expired carton of almond milk and butter. Right now it included a special guest, Maureen’s leftovers that she brought over. “Please. The puppy dog eyes are just a front to hide how annoying she is.” Mark rolled his eyes and scoffed. It was hardly a surprise, most people find Maureen impossible to dislike. She was friendly, kind and personable. For most others, these were all assets. For Mark it was mostly annoying. “Some kind of delicious cheesy casserole shit. I have no idea what she threw in here but it’s amazing. The only thing I could contribute were the slices of bread.” He took another bite from the sandwich before following up, “I don’t think it will take much convincing honestly, she lives for this. She’ll happily send food in with me to give to you.”

“Yeah.” He opened his mouth, but nothing more came out of his mouth. There was no need to further elaborate on this matter. Nothing would soothe his despair, and nothing would save him now. Aaron reached over his desk, to grab his cup of coffee. The damn thing was cold as he took it, and with a frown of distaste, he set it back down without even trying a sip.

His son’s words caused the lines on his forehead to multiply. “No, you and Maureen have a lot of things to worry about, and you don’t need to worry about me,” although the man knew that either way, his children would. Perhaps raising them to be compassionate had been a mistake. The thought managed to make him smile. It wasn’t much, but it was a smile.”Your sister always was more prepared than anyone else. By the time she was twelve, she was made responsible of packing the car whenever they went on a trip. Aaron, as organized as he could be, always managed to forget about little things which meant that they almost always ended up buying extra towels and wasting a part of their holidays shopping for things they should have packed.

At last, he set the notebook away, throwing it, much like his son did minutes ago, away in a corner of the desk.

“What have I been up to…” He took a deep breath.

There was that case he and Bob were working on. As he thought of it, he caught himself glancing at the wall facing him, a thin, amused smile on his face as he thought of the kiss the pair had shared in the kitchen, on the other side of that wall. “I…Well,” it was unusual for him to be at loss of words, and he wondered if Mark would notice. Maureen certainly would have already asked him questions, or put her finger on what was happening here. “Nora did my medical exam, apparently I’m stressed,” he scoffed. “Other than that, a friend and I are working on a case on the side. I’m hoping we manage to wrap it soon. I think the DA will be thrilled.”

Mark didn’t need to be a police chief in his own right to deduce that they weren’t going to dive much deeper into the conversation. Or that his father had managed to pour himself a cup of coffee and then get lost in work again and let the cup go cold. “You want me to warm that up for you?” Mark questioned, gesturing slightly towards it. If Mark was a betting man, he would bet his entire paycheck that his father had only taken one or two drinks from the cup in the first place before becoming distracted. 

It came as no surprise that his father tried to actively convince Mark and Maureen not to worry about him. Chances were that Maureen and Aaron already had a conversation similar to this one on their own time. Avoiding conversations like this was a lot harder since they lived together, no matter how hard they may try to. “I don’t think either of us have the ability to just not worry about you. Even if we wanted to.” Admittedly, Mark had already made the attempt to not worry about his father. Shortly after the divorce when Mark still felt so much anger and resentment. The true irony was that the Mark back then would have been thrilled to hear about the upcoming resignation. Then again, the Mark back then was also kind of a dick. “I know. It was always really annoying to have my baby sister reminding me of my own homework assignments.”

›››

While Mark’s family’s dirty laundry was publicly playing out, Penelope could not relate to him. She had made a life of her own, barely having anyone to depend on to begin with. Her mother barely did what she needed to do for her for eighteen years. She couldn’t blame her, though. Being a single teenage mother wasn’t something she had planned, clearly. And now, a decade after moving out of her childhood apartment, her mother was off in New York doing god knows what. It was interesting running into her at parties at this point in her life. 

“Maybe it’ll be me,” she teased, a giggle expelling from her. She couldn’t imagine her anywhere near the world of government and politics. Especially since her life was mostly filled with alcohol, trying to make it on time to her shifts and getting a nap or two in. She wouldn’t have it any other way, though. “Make sure you remember that when you check my name on the ballot,” she continued. She couldn’t help herself. Maybe speaking it into existence would stir a thing or two. 

“Shots?” She inquired, a devious grin on her face. 

Whether it was a show of pity or otherwise, Mark was thankful that Penelope had so quickly moved on from the subject of his dad. He had barely talked to his own family about the resignation, practically cutting his dad off entirely when he tried to even approach the topic. If Mark couldn’t handle talking about it with his own father, he definitely wasn’t ready to joke about it in the middle of a bar with one of his friends.

“I would expect nothing else, honestly.” Mark laughed, surprised that Penelope hadn’t started the conversation with her political platform. Not because she showed any actual interest in politics, admittedly Mark and Penelope did not know super personal details about each other at all, but because she always seemed to carry herself in a way that would lend itself well to politics. She had the same confidence that the same men she was just trashing had. The confidence that for some reason, only men seemed to be able to get away with in politics. The more he thought about it, the more obvious it became why she wouldn’t want to run for office. “You know you have my vote. When you’re elected though, do me a favor and consider me for the role of Chief Medical Advisor. I can have my resume faxed over if you want.”