2007-12-24: Bonus Shift

Starring:

Bekah_icon.gif Peter_icon.gif

Summary: For months, Peter has quietly longed to return to nursing, though he's rarely spoken of the desire. Today, he takes on a volunteer shift at Sinai while they happen to be short staffed for the Holidays.

Date It Happened: December 24th, 2007

Bonus Shift


Mt. Sinai Hospital

It's the holidays. Christmas may be the main theme of much of the decorations, but there's also decorations for Hanukkah as well, though it has already passed by this point. All fairness, after all. The waiting area is opened up, with visiting family members. A couple of the nurses have taken the holiday off, so even a walk-in non-active (but still certified) nurse can get temporary employement. They still had him on record from his brief stint in training, and just needed to check through some paper work to make sure he was still Peter Petrelli and still had a certified license to be a practicing nurse. A hour or two of paperwork later, he's back in scrubs. Some time later, after checking meds and leading family members back to their patients, he's on break, standing in front of a vending machine, pondering over his choices.

Working on Christmas Eve is everyone's idea of a good time. Right. Bekah is in her scrubs with a white coat and ice cold stethoscope to complete the look. She drops a chart at the front desk and heads towards the vending machines, stretching her back. "Anything good in there today? Or is all the same hyped up wonderful amounts of sugar?" Bekah aims towards Peter before she pauses to add, "You new to this wonderland?"
"Salt too," Peter says, pointing briefly at the packages of pretzels and potato chips before he glances over and finally sees the woman. Any familiarity that might be left behind from an extrememly memorable night in quarantine doesn't click right away. She'd been in a hazmat suit, after all. "I worked here briefly while I was still in training, Doctor. Had some free time today. Thought I'd see if you were short staffed." He doesn't smile, but the corner of his mouth tugs in the direction of one.

Bekah nods her head. "True. A wonderful variety of preserved junk food." She steps forward to put her quarters into the machine in return for a Twix. "Ah. Maybe that's why you look a little familiar." Or because she saw him from inside said hazmat suit. "I'm sure the official line is that we're never short staffed." She adds with a tone that states that might not be exactly the truth, even if it is the official line. "Dr. Bekah Morgan. It's nice to meet you."

The name sounds more familiar, from the reports about the viral outbreak that he recently had to read over. Peter had to track down one of the people in quarantine with them, after all, and the names of some of the staff had been included. "Peter Petrelli. They never did say they were short staffed, but they certainly didn't delay things much longer than checking my ID and making sure I was who I said I was. The clothes don't fit perfectly, though," he looks down at his uniform, obviously a borrowed one. "You do look familiar." He adds, still not pulling out his money to sample the sugar and salty goodness of the vending machine. "We might have met while I worked here. One of the doctors I worked with a couple times was a Dr. Applebaum."

The Twix is opened even as she talks. Who wants to waste time when there is chocolate and caramel for the taking? "Ah, yes. We might have met then. Sam, Dr. Applebaum, is a good friend of mine. We often end up working shifts together. I may have been a resident when you were training here. Anyway, it's good to have an extra set of hands for the day. Christmas Eve usually brings in a full string of pukers whose doctor's offices are closed."

"I worked with her a little recently— on the Gemini Virus outbreak," Peter says softly, finally reaching into his pocket to pull out some coins and drop them in. The buttons he pushes dispose some baked potato chips, regular. He bends down to pick it up, pulling the bag out. "I currently work with a lab that was involved in investigating it. Was hoping I'd run into her today while I'm here. I doubt she'll be taking the day off to go get drunk and party." And thus puke.

Bekah looks over to Peter with a smirk. "That must mean you've never seen her off duty." Bekah jokes before she adds. "She's not on yet. I honestly didn't check to see who's coming on shift later. Wouldn't surprise me if she's on at some point soon. After all, she's not going to be going to midnight mass or anything." Bekah points out before she gives Peter a look over. "You do research?" There's not a whole lot of mention of the outbreak from her beyond that.

"Every time I've seen her off duty she was still acting just like she was on duty. With needles," Peter says with a hint of that smirk returned. "The lab I work with is involved in research. It's not what I became a nurse to do, but I'm glad to be doing it." It helped people this time around. "I had kind of a personal investment in the virus. Knew people with it." Was one of them. He won't mention he was the first cured under mysterious circumstances, but…

"Needles are a wonderful thing." Bekah states with characteristic sarcasm. "Knowing people with it. Seems to be common. I can say I'm glad for the work your lab did. Even if it isn't what you became a nurse to do." Bekah states, chomping into one Twix bar.

"Did you know someone who got it?" Peter asks, turning to face her a little more fully now that he has his bag of baked chips. A bag he only now opens, but doesn't start munching on just yet. There's a sign of a new emotion in his eyes, something a person working in a lab to stop the spread of a virus and help develop a treatement probably shouldn't be feeling right now. Guilt.

Bekah looks over to Peter and nods. "I do, yes. Thankfully, he pulled through, so he still gets to face the prospect of marrying Sam." Bekah gives Peter a quick smile before she looks around. "So, have you gotten the chance to be puked, bled, or otherwise pussed on yet today?"

"Oh." The guilt lessens, since— he was okay. "I heard she was getting married. She promised me an invite. Hope whoever her fiancee is can handle her," Peter says, that mild smirk coming back as he glances in the direction of some of the rooms. "It's managed to miss me for the most part, luckily, nothing that couldn't get washed off, but it's gone in my direction." He finally reaches in to take out a chip or two and munch on them. Now that the guilt has passed.

Bekah laughs at that statement. "Namir is with the ESU. If he can't handle Sam, I don't know who could. I suppose I'll see you again at the wedding then." Bekah looks off towards the exam rooms with a smirk. "You have the dodging ability down pat then." She states. Apparently it doesn't bother her to talk about such things and eat at the same time. Not that Twix count as real food.

Namir. That name again. Peter mulls quietly over a potato chip or two as he thinks back on that name. It's not exactly the most common name ever, aftre all. Suddenly, he blinks and swallows his chip and asks, "He wouldn't happen to be about… this tall…" he holds up a hand. "And middle eastern?" And scary with guns and taking people out back and shooting them in terrible dark future that he'd honestly rather forget sometimes.

And attempting to shoot brother and best friends in a dark future Bekah has no idea even exists? "Yeah, that sounds just like him. He's a good guy. Even took care of my cats when I was, er, away for a bit." Bekah states, moving on to the second bar of candy.

Yes. That future. Peter met a not-so-good-guy version. Then again one of his best friends shot him in the leg to prove it was him and not a shapeshifter in the same meeting, so the world had been very, very different. "That was nice of him. Guess I shouldn't be surprised I've seen her fiancee around. Everyone seems to be connected." Connected… "Did you do any work with the Gemini Virus?"

Bekah shakes her head. "Not really. Someone had to hold down the fort around here." Bekah says. She looks over to Peter for a moment before she adds, "Besides, I don't have a lot of experience with virus research. I'm stronger with trauma. And well, I treat plenty of infections around here."

"Yeah, I was never really that much into research either…" Peter admits quietly, even shrugging as he downs a few more chips. Some things that Samantha mentioned during the yelling matches tinges on his memory a bit— everyone is connected. Samantha had been involved in the quarantine… Dr. Morgan. "You were at the quarantine," he suddenly says. Finally putting a finger on where he knew her. It's been months and months since then, but… that one meeting has fueled quite a lot for him. The memory of a woman whose face he barely saw. There's a new look in his eyes as he stares at her.

Bekah looks over to Peter for a moment before it sparks. "Yes. That wonderfully exciting night to get dressed all up in hazmat to take a few blood samples." She says with a dry tone. Another look over at him and recognition sparks the rest of the way. "You were there. You helped out in cleaning out that cut the woman had." The one that healed /way/ too fast.

"I was meeting someone who worked here for dinner," Peter admits quietly, tones becoming whispered, though still loud enough to be heard over the various noises of the waiting area. "Ended up having to take her to breakfast." It had been a long night— and one that would end up coming back to bite them all months later. "I remember that— she'd cut up her arm and the nurse who was on duty… I don't think she paid attention in class."

Bekah looks over to Peter for a moment longer, still remembering the way that cut healed a little /too/ much. Too noticably. After a moment she responds. "Thankfully, there was also a nurse in the room who had paid attention in class. I could only do so much inside that damn hazmat suit."

"More than she did, at least," Peter admits with that hint of a smile coming back. "I— I know this sounds weird, but… would it be okay if I got your phone number?" He reaches up and scratches at his forehead idly, even pushing the bangs that hang to his eyebrows out of the way. "It's nothing like— what it sounds. I have a girlfriend. I just think that there's something we might need to talk about…" Like… cuts that heal too fast.

"Fine. I'll make sure I get you my number before you leave." Because really, that's not a good topic for public. "But if you are trying to use me to cheat on your girlfriend? Just remember that I have handy access to needles and scalpels." Whether that last part is a joke might not even be clear from the hint of dark sarcasm in her tone.

"Nothing like that," Peter says, that hint of a smile returning. And it would seem he knows his topic isn't fit for a public forum, hence asking for her phone number. Even if it does sound odd. "My girlfriend would give me more to worry about than needles and scalpels, I think." The bag of chips has been woefully ignored the last few minutes. "I better get back to work. I may be a volunteer and not a student, but last thing I need is Dr. Applebaum thinking I'm slacking by the vending machine— she always seemed to appear when I least expected her to."

"Ah yes, the fear of Sam is deeply rooted. She'll be happy to know that." Bekah says in a rather snarky tone, tossing away the candy wrapper before she looks around. "I'm sure there is some exciting small child just waiting to vomit on me. I'd better get back to that. Or hey, maybe someone will have done something horrible making chili." That's said in an almost cheerful voice.

"It's likely," Peter says, grinning a bit at the joking and the almost cheerfulness. "Or a christmas light misshap." Those happen too. "Hope we can talk soon, Dr. Morgan," he says, sincerity in his voice as he takes his bag of chips and starts to move back in the direction of the nursing station, eating what's left of it on the way there.

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