#shenye.

it's one of those lulls— fleeting moment of silence where the phone isn't ringing and there isn't a patient yelling a nurse's (sometimes, her) ear off. too late to make anything more than some quiet rounds, eventually settling down at one of the computers and updating chart work in the meantime. something would always come up, least she could do was keep busy in preparation for another long night ahead.

it's calming at the very least, checking her watch and counting down the hours before her next surgery prep, the attending's name plastered at the top of the schedule doing nothing to spark excitement. to put it simply, she finds ji wenbai to be an arrogant asshole, foolishly involving herself with the likes of him once upon a time and paying the price for it.

still paying the price, as it seemed.

he wasn't exactly her boss, yet most days felt like it. knuckles turning white after most encounters and biting her tongue in the midst of her superior. alas, it was moments spent in front of a computer about ten years passed its expiration date that held her together, room voice of nothing more than background noise and feet shuffling down the hallways. until of course, the door opens and the silence is cut through like a knife.

"room's occupied," she mumbles, pen in between her teeth and finishing up a note before beginning to look up. perhaps the wrong choice, eyes widening in the slightest before straightening her posture. "doctor," she addresses him, something sickeningly sweet about the change in tone, posturing to give him a fake smile just to sell her saccharine. "what do i owe the pleasure. if i recall, there's still ... three and a half hours before i'm obligated to you."

"i'm  starting  to  lose  track  of  how  many  times  you've  ended  up  in  one  of  my  beds,"  shenye  comments,  plastic  clipboard  in  hand  and  glasses  framing  her  face—  a  rarity  that  only  occurred  when  the  florescent  lights  dried  out  her  eyes.  another  night  shift,  which  had  somehow  become  synonymous  to  seeing  them.  at  first  she  was  miffed  by  the  reoccurrence,  taking  up  a  bed  after  no  doubt  getting  into  some  trouble—  at  least  that  was  the  assumption  she'd  been  running  with.  now,  after  more  than  she  could  count  on  her  hand  in  visits?  it  was  routine,  something  neutral.  at  least  that's  what  she  told  herself.  “so  what  did  it  this  time?”