Chapter Text
Cook County General Hospital was abuzz with people, parties being thrown on almost every floor. Every member of the staff was ecstatic by the fact that they got to keep their jobs and County lived on to see the next day. But everything came with a cost. Here the cost sat, in the nicest clothes that she could afford with the small amount of money she herself had saved for a rainy day. She tugged her sleeves down and sat as upright as she could. Her heel tapped the floor, quick and nervous.
She checked her watch, she should have known that he was going to be late, doctors were always late. But this meeting was important, her life was at stake here, her future. She would sit in this office for ten hours, in the most uncomfortable clothes, with her makeup and hair done nicer than she had done for her own graduation.
Twenty more minutes went by, each passing second making her more agitated and anxious, but she knew her worth. She was prepared to advocate for herself.
Muffled voices came from behind the door, a man and a woman, quick and rushed greetings and then the sound of a door handle jiggling. She stood up quickly, straightening her blazer jacket, reaching out her hand before the man even had a chance to set his scrub cap down. “Dr. Anspaugh, it’s good to see you again, sir.”
The older man took her hand, giving her a firm handshake. The kind of handshake that meant business. “Dr. Hathaway, please sit down. I apologize for being late, I was stuck in a lap-chole that just got rescheduled. You know how it is.”
He gestured for her to sit as he did so himself, placing his scrub cap on his desk. He shuffled around some papers on his desk, searching for what she could assume was her resume that she had faxed over as soon as she heard the news. Her back straightened as her heart rate picked up, the anxiety she felt earlier returning.
The Chief of Staff flipped through the papers and the countless recommendations, not making a single sound. It was as best a time as any to make her elevator pitch. “Dr. Anspaugh, I know that you’re busy and that you taking this position is very recent. I’m sure that plenty of people from Southside have come to ask the same thing, but I’m serious. I have the recommendations. I graduated with high honors in the spring. I’m the best candidate from Southside for the surgical internship. You’ve seen me work yourself.”
Anspaugh stopped fumbling with his papers and sighed, taking his glasses off. He set them down on the desk and looked her directly in the eye. Olivia’s eyes were desperate as she leaned forward, searching for the answers in his face. Once she saw the hard frown he wore she knew and leaned back, ready for the rejection.
He frowned, “Dr. Hathaway, I’m sorry, but just like I’ve explained we have no more room in the budget. All of the intern spots are full.”
Olivia brushed a stray curl from her face, the script that she had rehearsed in her head coming out, “They’re full from before Southside closed. I think that County should at least be willing to work with the interns displaced.”
“I wasn’t the one who decided to close Southside, Dr. Hathaway.” Anspaugh seemed exhausted, he had most likely heard this all before. She knew that many of the doctors on her former intern team came and begged just like she did. But she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Chicago was her home, it always has been. She wouldn’t leave and she wouldn’t work at a private hospital. This was the only way. “Sure, but you are someone who has benefited from it, Dr. Anspaugh.”
She could tell he didn’t expect her to say such a thing, but it was true. The closing of Southside gave him an opportunity. He shook his head and stood up from his chair. He was angry at her candor, but he wasn’t an unreasonable man. He knew how it looked, like he was searching for something bigger. He knew that he wouldn’t have been able to handle something like this at the beginning of his residency. He paced a bit, quietly considering his options.
Olivia became more anxious watching him, but she needed this job. “Please, Dr. Anspaugh. I’m valuable, you know that. You’d regret giving me up.”
Anspaugh stared at her, searching for something that she didn’t know. Then he looked away, now back at the head of his desk, pulling a paper out of a file. “Do you think that you’d be able to get an attending and a resident to sponsor your internship?”
Olivia stood, eagerly nodding her head. A rush of excitement began to bubble in her chest as she said, “Absolutely.”
Anspaugh handed her the file, not smiling, but also not frowning. He was a reasonable man, but that didn’t mean that he would enjoy the surgical board questioning his decision. They had agreed that they wouldn’t take any of the Southside interns that had come to them after the changes that had already taken place, but he knew that she was right. She was going to be an excellent surgeon. She was passionate, intelligent, and she wanted to be there because she knew it was where she could help the people who needed it the most.
“I’ll sign off on your internship.”
Olivia smiled, grabbing the file from his hands. She put it in her bag, “Thank you, Dr. Anspaugh, truly.”
He nodded, “Whenever I need a favor, Dr. Hathaway, I expect you to jump.”
Anything she had to do was worth it, she didn’t care, “Yes sir, whatever it is.”
The quiet tension of Anspaugh’s office gave way to the organized chaos of the first floor: gurneys rolling, monitors beeping, voices calling out orders. Olivia moved in between the doctors, nurses, and staff with ease, her body unconsciously performing a familiar dance.
With each step she took, she grew closer to the front desk, excited to tell one of her favorite people the good news.
Her body almost shook from her energy, the smile on her face unnatural for a place that for most equated with sadness. But the emergency room was where she truly got her start in medicine, where she realized that she wanted to be the one who helped others. It may not be where all of her work happens now, but she hoped to be working it often. Hoped that whatever resident took her did plenty of stints in the ER.
Trauma surgery was exciting, fresh and she could see her life being there for many years. But it was wherever the wind took her now. And she was surprisingly okay with that.
At the front desk, sat a woman with dark hair tied up into a chic updo with the edge of her pen placed in her mouth. Olivia walked up with a smile, dropping her bag from her shoulder slightly as she leaned against the admit desk. “Hi, is Carol still in?”
The woman took the pen out of her mouth and studied her, glancing up and down. She took a note of her clothes and her appearance and shrugged her shoulders, deeming that she wasn’t a stalker or a threat to Carol. “Yeah, she’s in exam room 3, she should be out shortly. You can wait right there.” She pointed to the chairs behind her.
Olivia turned around and noticed the people occupying the chairs were clearly sick, coughing and holding emesis bases. Of course she was used to being around people who were sick, however her clothes were far too nice to get any bodily fluids on them, so she just smiled and said, “I’ll just wait right here.”
The receptionist smirked and nodded, then went right back to writing.
Olivia leaned against the wall, her jacket in her hands. She thought about her dinner plans and about what bottle of wine she was going to buy, the important things. Miles would probably get a red, but she was feeling more of a white, but really anything would be enough. She was celebrating, she could do whatever she wanted.
She spaced out for a few moments, but the sound of a familiar voice broke her from her trance, “Livvy, what are you doing here?”
Olivia looked up and saw pink scrubs and red hair, a smile crossing her face as she saw her friend, “Lydia! Long time no see.” She put her arms out wide, allowing Lydia to step in for a hug, just in case she wasn’t willing. The older nurse’s arms wrapped around her, squeezing tightly. Olivia pulled back with the same grin, looking down at her, “I’m stopping by to see Carol, tell her some good news.”
Lydia immediately grabbed her left hand, looking for a diamond, “Are you engaged, Miss Hathaway?”
Olivia pulled it back, laughing as she did so, “Oh god no.” Lydia thought back to her own long engagement, still upset that a date had not yet been set. She shook her head, “Well good for you.”
Olivia decided not to question the sudden change in mood and instead changed the topic, “I actually just got a new job… working here.”
Lydia wiped the frown off her face and smiled again, taking her arm and dragging her to the nurse’s station to introduce her to the newer ER staff. “Finally! A doctor that loves their nurses.”
She reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled along, her next words falling upon deaf ears. “Well I’ll be a surgical intern, so I’m not sure how much I’ll really be down here. But hopefully I will be.” She glanced around once again, a grin tugging at her mouth, excited for a new start.
“Everyone meet our newest member of County General, Dr. Olivia Hathaway.” Lydia went around introducing her to the receptionist, Randi and reintroduced her to people that she had only met briefly like the desk clerk Jerry and some of the newer nurses. They all gave her polite smiles, told her it was a pleasure and then went straight back to work. That was the thing about working in medicine, there was never enough time for anything. Maybe that’s what Olivia loved about it so much, the constant change and movement. The never knowing what was next.
After so many minutes, a timer beeped on Lydia’s watch and she sighed. “This was fun, but I’ve got to go flag down a doctor for a rectal in room 4.” She smiled as she left Olivia’s side and grabbed a chart from the edge of the desk, “I’ve got an intern in mind.”
Her laughter blended in with Lydia’s as the nurse left her standing at the edge of the counter, watching as life went on. She seemed to fade into the chaos well, no one minding that she was there or simply not caring to comment on it. Olivia was staring at the board of patients, scanning their cases when she saw a large tuft of black curls emerge from exam room 3. Carol caught her eyes instantly, the dull look on her face becoming warm when she noticed her younger cousin.
Carol took one look at her face and knew, smiling as she placed a chart down at the desk and walked over to her, “I’m assuming it went well.”
She nodded, smirking, “It did.”
Carol grabbed another chart behind Olivia, making her way to the board to erase a recently discharged patient and open up another room. Olivia followed behind her jacket still in her hands and her heeled boots making a sound against the hard linoleum floors. “That’s amazing Livvy. I’m glad it worked out. I don’t know if I’d be able to make it living in Chicago without you again.”
Olivia’s eyes followed Carol’s hand as she responded, “I don’t think I could ever leave Chicago again.”
Carol dropped the marker and turned around to face her, curious, “So how did you get Ansphaugh to let you in? I thought he was very against it.”
Olivia bit back her smile and pretended to humbly bow, “He was but he couldn’t deny just how amazing I am.”
Carol rolled her eyes, moving past her once again. “What do you have to do?”
Liv followed her around like a lost puppy. “I have to get Keaton to back me and get her to get me a resident surgeon to work under.”
Carol laughed, “That seems like a daunting task.”
Her fingers drummed against her jacket as she weighed her options, “All of the surgical residents in this hospital will be competing for her favor, the pediatric rotation is one of the hardest and most coveted spots.”
Carol scoffed in disbelief, rubbing her tired eyes as she read the chart, “God, I forgot that all of you surgeons are soulless, competitive assholes.”
Her lips curled into a crooked smile, sarcastically replying, “That’s us.”
They stopped at the door of exam room 4, Carol waiting a moment before going in. Olivia nodded at the hint, letting her cousin resume her job of saving lives. “I’ll see you next week Carol, “ she looks at her watch, “I’ve got dinner reservations to catch.”
The nurse nodded, her back to the door, “Tell Miles I said hi.”
She put her coat back on and took one last look at the ER, the unmistakable excitement still residing in her bones. Walking past room after room, she hurried already most likely late for her train. When she turned the corner past the worker’s lounge, she collided with someone, a hard chest almost knocking her over.
She took a moment to reset herself, her breath almost knocked out of her chest, even though this was hardly even close to the hardest hit she had ever taken in her life. Someone swore underneath their breath, hands steadily attempting to grip her arms.
She pulled back from their hold immediately and faced the obstacle that she had collided into. He seemed apologetic, his face red with embarrassment as he studied her. She noticed his eyebrows raise as he got a better look at her and she stared at him too. He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place where. His white coat told her that he was a doctor, but she would remember if she had met him in school.
But he seemed to know her.
“Olivia? I am so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going, I just stepped out of the lounge and bam–”
Her brows furrowed, confused, “Have I met you?”
The young doctor’s face somehow grew into an even darker shade of red as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Carol’s Christmas party last year? She introduced us?”
She bit her lip apologetic. She had gotten very drunk that night, excited to celebrate with her family and new friends. “Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t remember much of that night.”
He laughed, understanding as he shook his head. The red seemed to fade away slowly as he calmed down, a smile once again gracing his face. He was cute, Olivia noted, in a way that wasn’t common with men her age. He reached his hand out for her to shake, “It's okay. Dr. John Carter, it’s nice to meet you again, Miss Hathaway. Or is it Dr. Hathaway now?”
Olivia was pleased at the title, Dr. Carter’s manners were clearly scattered but they were manners no less. She reached her hand out and shook his, feeling the warmth of his hands in her own, “That it is. And I apologise, Carter, Carol’s talked about you before, but I wasn’t able to put face to name.”
Carter looked pleased at the implication, hoping that Carol had only said good things. They were good friends afterall. He pulled his hand back when she did and glanced around the ER, searching for Carol, assuming that Olivia was going to dinner with her. It wasn’t often that people stopped by the ER just to visit. “What are you doing here?”
Her head tilted, hands brushing the sides of her jacket. She hummed, a slight smirk on her face, “Oh just begging for a job after Southside shut down.”
He took a step closer, almost leaning in, as he eagerly asked, “Well did you get one?”
Olivia pretended not to notice the way he watched her, she was used to men coming onto her quickly. A laugh fell from her lips as she subtly leaned away, “I did.”
He leaned against the wall, looking at her even more intensely than he already did. The air around them shifted, a tension arising. “That’s great. It’ll be nice to see you around more.”
At his sudden change in mood and posture, Olivia tilted her head with a smile and raised her eyebrows, toying with him, “Are you attempting to flirt with me, Dr. Carter?”
He chuckled, rubbing his chin with a smile, “Would it be so bad if I was?”
Olivia played coy, grinning as she told him, “You’re cute, Carter.” He seemed to perk up immediately, which made Olivia thoroughly enjoy what she was about to say next. “But I don’t date coworkers and unfortunately for you, I’ve got a boyfriend.” She glanced down at her watch and back up at him as he tried to hide the disappointment in his eyes. “ And he’s currently waiting for me at a restaurant, so I’ve got to go.”
Carter nodded and waved a weak goodbye, watching her as she left through the ER doors, entranced by the way she moved. The confidence she exuded in each step. Her brown curls swaying in the Chicago wind. He stood there for a few moments, a burning tension in his chest.
When the ER doors shut behind her, Carter realized he was still standing there, staring. He felt a presence behind him, watching him. He turned to see Dr. Ross with a knowing glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips. Carter rolled his eyes, attempting to go back into the lounge and wallow. But Doug grabbed him by the shoulder and laughed, “She’s something else Carter. I don’t think that you’d be able to handle her.”
Carter just glared at the man as he led them down the hall, “Like how you couldn’t handle Carol?”
Doug blew out a low whistle, impressed as he opened up the door to a patient’s room.