#code queue

[pittnights]

@thewarhounds // cont. from here

Ally smiled back at her but the expression faded as soon as they started to walk. "Yeah, thanks for coming down. I've got this kid and her mom. They came in for the daughter--she's nine years old--really lethargic, not incredibly responsive. I smelled something on her breath and I think...I think she might have taken a weed gummy. Or a pot brownie. Something like that. The mom isn't admitting to having anything like that in the house, and now she's angry that I suggested it, so I was hoping you could try to clear the air a little."

[pittnights]

@drhalepitt // cont. from here

Ally told Igraine she could come over to her apartment, that she could help her shower, do her hair in the privacy of a home and not the staff bathroom at work, but Igraine insisted on this. Why? Ally wasn't sure, but there must have been a reason. Either way, it didn't feel right to push; they were becoming friends, for sure, but they weren't close enough yet for Ally to feel comfortable asking every question that came to mind. She learned a long time ago sometimes her curiosity could be a bit overwhelming to some.

Her hands were deep in Igraine's curls, fingers scrubbing shampoo through her scalp. "Of course," she nodded. "I don't have curly hair, but my mom does. I've got you covered." She'd watched her mom do her hair enough to have a basic idea of a curl routine. "I'm sure he was. He must have been. You pressed charges on the guy, right?"

[pittnights]

Take Out Favorites

There are many, many restaurants in Downtown Pittsburgh and the surrounding neighborhoods that have spots in Ally's heart, but there are a few near her apartment building that she consistently returns to for take out, whether that's for herself, for friends, for dinner, for breakfast, for a late night snack, or any and all of the above.

Jumping Zorba's

A play on the Dancing Zorba's name from My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Pavlos Makris, the founder, thought he was being funny), Jumping Zorba's has been a part of the Downtown Pittsburgh food scene since 1996. It is now run by Nick Makris, Pavlos' eldest son, but Pavlos and his wife, Marta, still come by and help pack orders during the restaurant's busiest times. There are about twenty indoor tables and a couple outdoor tables at the restaurant itself, but it's big business is takeout. Known for the gyros, spanakopita, and other classic Greek dishes, Jumping Zorba's is a hit for those looking for something healthier or something filled with feta cheese and deep fried. If you order enough from them that they start to recognize your name and/or address, they will add a couple homemade sugar cookies to your order as a thank you for the continued business.

Ally's classic order: A lamb gyro with extra tzatziki with a side of greek fries and an iced tea.

Vinny Booms

Vinny Booms, or simply Vinny's, is your standard local pizza shop. Run by brothers Tony and Vinny, the hole in the wall pizza joint has been around since 2004 and is a local favorite. It has no seating inside, just a pizza oven, some counters for the pizza making, a register, an iPad for mobile orders, and a phone. They have all the classic pizzas you want to see on a menu, but they have some creative pies as well. Ally has always been intrigued by the Mediterranean style pizza: feta cheese, peppers, onions, olives, chicken, and a pesto stuffed crust.

Ally's classic order: Their chicken parm pizza which is vodka sauce, chopped up fried chicken cutlet, fresh mozzarella, and basil.

Aunt Mei's Chinese Restaurant

Aunt Mei's Chinese Restaurant is your quintessential Chinese takeout place. The menu is classic American-Chinese fair; there are no frills, no funky menu items, and it is all absolutely delicious.

Ally's classic order: General Tso's chicken, medium spice, with white rice, an egg roll, and wonton soup. She'll get some crab rangoons if she's feeling like treating herself that day.

[pittnights]

Oliver Caster

Oliver Caster is one of Ally's ex-boyfriends and longest romantic relationship to date, someone she dated through years 1-3 of medical school. The same age as Ally, the two met in one of their early classes and hit it off quickly. By the winter holidays, they were together as a couple; Oliver even came to Long Island to spend New Year's with Ally and her mom that first year.

Oliver comes from a large family in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is the youngest of five kids with three older sisters and one older brother. He is driven and incredibly smart, and while in medical school, he determined he wanted to pursue becoming a surgeon of some kind.

The two initially bonded over their shared love of staying active; they would go on runs and hikes together, trying new trails and paths around Boston. They also found a shared love of being in the kitchen; Ally loved to bake and he loved to cook, having learned from his Dad who is a professional chef.

While initially kind, Oliver's hubris was his worst enemy. As someone who stayed toward the top ranks of their class, Oliver would judge those who found medical school harder than he did or those who contemplated specialties he considered less challenging such as dermatology or family medicine. That judgement soon found Ally as well; she was always determined to specialize in emergency medicine (and made that very clear), and while Oliver could admit it was hard work, he did not understand the fast pace, mass medicine side of it. He preferred meticulous work, a lot of time on one patient, one procedure. To him, that took more skill versus the jack of all trades, master of none air of emergency medicine. He always told her she would change her mind and pick something more credible like surgery.

Ally hoped he would learn to open his mind to how challenging and credible all fields of medicine were. Oliver hoped she would rise to a greater potential.

Neither changed their minds, and the two somewhat mutually decided to break up toward the end of their third year. Oliver did not take the break up particularly well, however; during Ally's time at NYU Langone as an MS4, she would get calls from Oliver late at night--he was spending time at Massachusetts General Hospital--asking her to reconsider, both him and her life choices. She ended up blocking his number and has not had contact since.

[pittnights]

Jensen, Bestest Boy

Jensen, the Bestest Boy to have ever lived, is Ally's five year old Golden Retriever. She adopted him from a Boston shelter when he was two years old in her last year of medical school (perhaps not long after a breakup); it was somewhat of an impulse decision, but she has never regretted it once.

Jensen is the quintessential golden: friendly, energic, and very good with people. Ally noticed early on how Jensen seems to know how to taper his energy around certain people, especially kids, and she decided--in her ample free time (lol)--to get him certified as a therapy dog. More often than not, he acts as a reading dog at the local library where he sits with young kids who read him small books to practice reading comprehension. On occasion, though, she also brings him to PTMC and other local hospitals to greet patients and staff alike, bringing much needed serotonin boosts to everyone.

His favorite food is a hamburger from Burger King, just plain patty with a bun, and he loves a good walk. He came home from the shelter with a stuffed taco toy, and, to this day, it is still his favorite, though Ally's small apartment is not lacking in toy options. He prefers napping on the wood floor than in a dog bed, but he sleeps with Ally in her bed when she's there, even if he's had a full night's sleep before she gets home.

In Ally's Main Verse, her and Jensen visit Himiko's parents once a month to provide some distraction and love to the elderly couple, as well as some light physical therapy for her mother (her roommate Jess gave Ally some easy exercises to do, using Jensen as encouragement).

[pittnights]

@combxtpulse // cont. from here

Ally had been talking to Igraine about joining her and the guys for a paint ball game for weeks. She was warned that it got intense, but she was not phased. "I can handle intense," she promised, and so, finally, she got the invite to come along.

And now, here she was, hidden behind a couple of metal barrels, paint splattered on her shoulder and legs and back from where she had been hit a few times already. When Elias comes around the corner and crouches behind barrels next to hers, she jumps at first, gun at the ready, but immediately relaxes when she sees who it is. "Oh, thank god."

She settled back against the barrel, gun pointed back to the ground, but her hands stayed on it, ready to aim if anyone from the opposite team got close. "I know. I'm just...I thought I'd catch on quicker." What she meant was she didn't realize paint ball would be this hard. Yeah, she was told it was intense, but she thought it'd be laser tag intense; there'd be a competitive energy, but there would be laughing and dumb codenames.

The ding of the barrel getting hit made her jump again, and she ducked further down, but there was an instinct to peek over and see if she could spot the shooter. Yeah, she was intimidated, yeah she was tired, but she was no quitter. Would she do this again? Debatable.

She turned toward the noise he gestured toward, then looked back at him with a determined nod. "I'm not leaving this place without getting at least one hit on someone. Let's go together?"

[pittnights]

"Floor Time"

Send "Floor Time" to find my muse lying on the floor.

"Okay, I know to some it would look like I'm just lying here." Ally is literally lying prone on the floor, belly down, her forehead resting on her arms. It's toward the end of the night shift, and she's in the unoccupied pediatrics room, a large (clean) pee pad being used as a yoga mat. "But I'm actually doing yoga. I just got out of the cobra stretch. Do you wanna do some yoga with me?"

[pittnights]

@pittsass // cont. from here

Ally had popped into the bathroom before her shift began and when she came back out, she saw Cassie at the lockers, bopping along and singing to whatever was playing in her headphones. She smiled to herself, moved to the end of the lockers, and leaned there, waiting to be noticed.

She couldn't help but laugh as Cassie looked at her like she was spooked in a horror movie. "Aw, you sounded pretty good! What song was that? I swear I wasn't being weird and creeping; my locker is below yours."