Take No Shit..

When asking about what exam had the brunette crawling down the veggie conspiracy rabbit hole, at least the class it was for made sense. “Oddly enough, the exam wasn’t the reason I ended up falling down that slippery slope; it was anatomy though, so my brain was begging for a break.” Beginning to explain, Remmy shifted to better look at Cas while she spoke. “The group chat that someone made with all of the med students in my year were having a very passionate argument about it, so I looked into it. Now I have all this fun information because of it.” At least she was able to make it useful, and for once, she didn’t feel like she was rambling.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Cassie. Hmm, let me see…” Trailing off, she glanced off into the distance for a moment. “Red pandas aren’t actually related to pandas, closest living relative is raccoons.” It wasn’t just raccoons, but that wasn’t super important. “I got a whole school project presented to me about it, for a nine-year-old, he did a pretty good job.” Hearing that she just needed another minute, Remmy gave a shrug and a smile. “I don’t have to work until 6:50p.m. So I have time.” Plus, she’d accept the possible chew-out if it meant making sure someone was okay.

Cass had struggled quite a bit in the exams but she'd had excellent tutors and that made it easier. The mention of being a Med-student? Ah shit right they were getting new ones today. Well this would maybe be awkward later, maybe she wasn't going to the ED and Cass could avoid the social awkwardness. "Anatomy was one of the harder ones. Pretty sure I broke two stress balls during that one."

She listened to the bit about the red panda's and nodded sagely. She remember a similar project though Harrison had picked otters. Which she'd enjoyed learning about as much as he did. "School projects are kinda great like that."

"My 12 year old also doesn't have to get stitches." She'd only had to do basic first aid on Harrison and she'd like to keep it that way. The last thing she wanted was her son here. There was no way she could handle that. "Alright, fine you don't lurk."

He totally lurked, but tom-ato, to-mat-o. She gave him a little nod of thanks as he settles long enough to allow her to finish without issue. "Robby, you are a patient right now. But if you'd like I'll go get an intern to do it instead?" She shook her head, "I figured you'd be all for an update on the how long you gotta sit for."

She tied off the final knot, "I figured... it was better me than someone who you've scolded recently."

His voice came out low and even, no actual bite behind it. He kept his eyes forward as they cleared the doors, giving her the sidewalk and the silence she had asked for without crowding despite the prickly unease that he couldn't fully shake off.

A few steps further on, he glanced sideways at her. "You don't have to tell me right now. But I'm not buying that whatever happened in there is in any way 'fine.' You're not great at lying, or I just pay too much attention. Jury's still out."

He shifted the bag his other hand without breaking stride and moved just close enough that his shoulder nearly brushed hers. Not obvious. Just solid. His gaze swept the street ahead out of habit, the same quiet scan of surroundings he always did - whether consciously or not , and he was grateful for it this time.

"We'll get these back-," he continued, tone deliberately easy even as the concern ran underneath it. "-then you take the on-call room. I'll run interference. Nobody gets through that door unless the building is actually on fire."

The corner of his mouth pulled up into a small, lopsided smirk.

"Bullshit, McKay."

Why were the people she spent time with so fucking observant? She could never be 'fine' and people leave it be. That was likely for the best, granted Elias was in the same group of people that had more of the story than everyone else. Not all of course, but more.

"I'm starting to think I'm bad at lying these days... which I guess in a way is a good thing. Annoying though." She felt comfortable with Elias here at least despite the unfortunate run in. He was a safe person, "That guy, he's was my ex's uh best friend. Pretty sure he still gets high on a regular basis. Asked where Chad was... I guess they haven't talked in a long while."

The proximity to Elias was reassuring like the stupid videos of girls saying they had scary dog privileges. She looked up at him watching the wat he scanned the street and watched out for them both. "I'm okay, though, I mean I don't need the nap. I appreciate the thought, One of the downsides of living in the city where you fucked up is it has a tendency to throw your past back at you."

“Mm. Excellent demonstration. Really painted the picture for me,” he mutters dryly as he scrolls through her vitals again. “You know most people just say ‘collapsed,’ right?”

He steps closer to the bed after another second, attention sharpening again beneath the teasing. “Cass, dizziness bad enough to hit the floor doesn’t usually come out of nowhere.” His tone softens slightly, less sarcasm now and more concern tucked underneath it. “You eat anything today? Fever? Nausea? You been sleeping at all or doing that thing where you convince yourself caffeine counts as a personality trait?”

"Mmmm but the sound affect was fun." She HATED being fussed over. Even worse when it was her boss, she needed to cut the awkwardness before she lost what was left of her marbles. Being fussed over made her feel weak something she wasn't exactly comfortable feeling. She knew she was safe here but it was still uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I know..." She rests her hand on her forehead the thrumming in her head still. "I ate this morning, I've had a cup of coffee, I did sleep a full...." She stopped pulled out her phone and the app, "Seven and a half hours..."

' I really made a mess of everything. ' The words were low. Spoken mostly to HIMSELF that the Cass. Fidgeting fingers switching sides, toying instead with the elastic looped around his other wrist. The action PUSHING the obnoxiously colored bear into his chest. Frank forcing himself back into the presence with a deep intake of breath. Ripping his eyes away from the glass. Blinking hard.

She nodded as he asked if she knew about him and Abby, "I know about her, but I've been ignoring the gossip where I can. I figured I'd rather hear it from you." It was pretty hard to avoid all the gossip including the one about the Frank/Santos shouting match.

"Frank.." She rested a hand on his shoulder, a part of her understood the way this felt. On the other hand she'd been dying to get out of her own. "I'm so sorry, I know how hard that can be... I'm assuming your friend was for the kiddos?"

She used her other hand to shake the hand of the insane bear. "I'm here for you, okay? You can talk to me and it doesn't leave this place. I'm not gonna go gossip around work. If you don't wanna talk that's fine too, we can put on a movie and just sit here."

continued from here {x}

Jack watches the machine for a second longer like he’s expecting it to revolt out of spite, then lets out a quiet breath through his nose, something just shy of a laugh. “Yeah, well, if it explodes, I’m blaming you in the report,” he mutters, tone dry, but there’s a flicker of approval there he doesn’t bother hiding. His gaze shifts back to her as she turns fully, taking her in for a second before he nods once, like he’s already decided something.

“That smirk usually means I’m about to regret asking,” he adds under his breath, pushing off the counter and jerking his head slightly for her to follow. Not rushed, but not leaving much room to decline either. He leads her a few steps off the main flow of traffic, just enough to cut through the noise without disappearing completely.

“I’ve got a patient in three,” Jack says, more focused now. “Complicated history, not playing nice with the standard plan, and I want another set of eyes before I make the call.” His gaze flicks back to her, steady. “You’re good at catching the things other people miss.” A small gesture down the hall. “So—come take a look with me before your ‘patient’ decides to flatline again.”

"Whoa, explodes? How... never mind I don't wanna think about that." There was a couple options, it's a hospital after all and well chemicals. She really should stop reading those murder mysteries...

"It's just my face, Jack." She shrugged, okay that smirk was definitely not just her face but that was for her know now and mess with him later about. Unlikely to tonight given how tired she was and how awful the day had been. She'd leave that for later, maybe a haunting fax machine.

"You've stuck your neck out for me more than once..." She huffed a little, if he was anyone else she might have just let it be. "I'm sure more times then I'm aware of too. So fucking forgive me for worrying."

He seemed so uneasy, but that was something she understood oddly enough. Between her own past and the vivid reminders when she was on the street team of what a fear of hospitals was like. It'd taken her time and lots of exposure to them. Now a days she wasn't afraid of the hospital but the judgement that came in the looks she'd gotten when someone caught a glimpse of her past or knew her. Granted most of the people she worked with now didn't care or never talked about it. Something she greatly appreciated.

She took notes as he rattled off information like a memorized speech. Periods of lapsed memory? That was interesting but not relevant at least not at the moment. She made the note anyway incase it became relevant. "Do you have an idea on just how high that tolerance is? we can work it up till we get you knocked out but the more you can tell me the better."

@pittsass liked for a starter| location. ED - A Floor | circa 2026

Paged to the ED for a consult in triage was not unusual for Lucy. After all that was what she had trained in. As she had arrived and realized which resident asked for the consult, she had paused, just for a second. Just enough to pounder if she should avoid this interaction and send another of her staff.

As Caleb was busy, she clenched her jaw and still decided to approach. Her stoic expression meeting Mckay's glance with no other emotion than professionalism. "Doctor McKay" she greeted her as she was just another resident. "You asked for a consult?" the obvious stated, however they were in front of a patient and while not warm nor courteous, Lucy just remained professional and unapologetic.

Fuck.

It wasn't Caleb. It was Roy. Fuck.

She could feel that tightness in her chest, the burn of anger just below the surface. As far as Cass was aware, Roy hadn't told anyone that she was the reason Cass had worn the fucking monitor. She'd been the one to decide that apparently she's a flight risk. There wasn't long to bury the resentment and anger before needing to act like a professional.

"Doctor Monroe." She handed the tablet to her, "25 years old, parents brought her in, she's been talking to herself this morning going on and on about some kind of apocalypse like event. Sounds a lot like revelations type stuff." Cass tucked her hands into her scrubs, "Tox screen came back with some basic antidepressants nothing that should cause this much of a shift."

a glance around the hub has his attention landing on McKay, the comment from earlier swirling around his mind still. off handed and harmless in most situations. for most people. he's not sure what his face had done at the comment but it had been enough to make Cass change the subject fairly quickly.

tossing his glasses onto the desk, he pushes himself back up and moves towards her. leaning on the desk with a sigh.

She'd barely noticed him approach she'd been staring at the chart hoping for answers that weren't there. "Oh Hey." She gave him that standard smile, the one that if you knew her long enough would know was a lie.

The exhale is dramatic and long as she pulled the case back up for her latest rider on the chair express. "Just a case of Scruvy in a 22 year old male. Apparently his diet is primarily Hot Pockets and uncrustables. Then I gotta 47 year old female thats so very sure she has chicken pox. So all in all.... shit, it's going shitty."

"I have a friend who's a mind reader." That's a gross understatement, but she doesn't want to freak Cassie out any more than she probably already did showing up unannounced on her doorstep. She almost laughed though, when she was told to take it easy. Easier said than done.

"I will do my absolute best to not tear them." The promise is undermined by her trying to salute Cassie and immediately stretching her work.

"I wish I could say I was surprised?" She wasn't, based simply on all the things she'd seen over the last few years that almost seemed fucking normal. Which maybe made the whole thing worse that she was so used to this that it o longer really phased her.

"Jesus Christ, Kate." She sighed and was definitely grabbing the glue. "I'm gonna glue this too... just, well frankly because of it being you. You're worse than my kid."

"Flowers? Well damn Bradley." She couldn't help it, Ally was a ray of sunshine in the ED not unlike Mel could be for the day shift. Cass had to admire her passion. While a Triathalon wasn't exactly on her list of shit to do before you die the idea was in all senses a good one. it'd give her a goal to focus on something to strive for. Goals. She could do that.