koi no yokan || austin + alex.
norkiewrites:
starter for @ethor-writes.
IT was turning out to be one of those days. The kind that never seemed to end. Never seemed to stop and let you catch a break — the power had gone off in her apartment and she’d slept through her alarm, traffic had been horrible, the coffee machine in the precinct had broken right before she completed her cup and her prime informant had come to her, fearing for his life. Under normal circumstances she would have handle things differently — but Kevin was associated with dangerous people and had been for some time. Any hint of betrayal would lead to almost certain violence.
And Austin hadn’t been wrong. Not a few hours later had she received a call from a panicked and frantic Kevin, telling her people had come into his house and tried to kill him. It took her no time at all to pick him up in an unmarked car and shuttle him to the hospital, fully ready to keep watch over him until witness protection could be arranged.
“Hey,” she placed her hand on the counter of the emergency room reception desk, flashing a smile. “One of my friends cut his arm pretty bad with some glass and I was wondering how long it’d take for him to get looked at?” Discreetly, she straightened and showed the badge at her hip, which earned her wide eyes and a short, quick, nod from the young woman sitting behind the desk. I’ll get you a doctor right away — the words pulled a smile from her lips and she nodded, gaze returning to scan the surrounding waiting area, eyes trained on every single person. Watching hands and body language as she kept Kevin close by her side.
It had been a frustrating night so far for Dr. Palmer. Not busy, just challenging having to deal with particularly difficult families, a minor complication happening during one of her surgeries, and arguing with a sobering alcoholic. It felt as though Alex hadn’t had a moment to breathe since she got to work. But finding herself suddenly in an empty hallway, she took a moment to lean up a surprisingly empty gurney. Her head falling back and her eyes fluttering shut, Alex took a deep and slow breath, the sounds of the busy hospital falling into the background. Any time she felt overwhelmed, at work or waking up from a dream, she felt the need to regain control of her body and controlled breaths was the easiest way to do that.
Repeating the process a few more times, Alex felt a presence and slowly opened her eyes to see a nurse nervously standing beside her. “What?” She demanded, pushing herself up and smoothing out her coat. An officer in the waiting room asked how long it would be until her friend was able to see a doctor... the nurse mumbled under breath. Alex rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Isn’t that supposed to be your job?” She rhetorically asked as her patience was running thin, leading the way back to the waiting room for them both. “Everyone here wants to see a doctor and they all will. Now, I’ve got giving these people proper healthcare under control. All you’ve gotta do is sit here and take down....” Alex slowed to a stop when she turned the corner into the front office and was greeted by a tall woman in all black, a badge shining on her hip.
Alex stood for a moment and looked at the woman, slightly stunned and unable to think of anything other than how beautiful she found this stranger to be. Finally, she cleared her throat and stepped forward, hand outstretched, “I heard you asked for a doctor. I’m Dr. Alex Palmer. How can I help?”
