Beatrice Rodríguez (busybea_) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-02-29 19:04:00 |
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Jailbreaks and zombie hordes definitely made for an interesting start to one's internship, but Pete thought that Bea was handling it all pretty well. It probably helped that the UMCB was pretty fortified and neither of them had reason to go out while everything was so unstable, of course, but Pete was sure that he'd been pretty distracted during Bea's first few days due to the situation over at the LBJ. Once they were out of danger and his head was clearer, Pete decided it was finally time to broach the subject with Bea. So after they'd finished the shift for that day, he ushered her to his office for the usual debriefing on what they'd seen that day and the new skills and concepts she'd had to learn. "There is something else," he added, once they'd finished, leaning back in his chair as he studied her. "If you're serious about training to work here full-time, you'll probably run into the fact that the UMCB doesn't treat everyone in Austin." So far Pete was a great teacher and Bea was actually really enjoying her time learning, as complicated and overwhelming as it could be. Pete’s words, though, confused her more than normal. “What do you mean? Because some people don’t have IDs or…?” She trailed off. It wasn’t something she’d thought about yet, but it made sense. They were super strict about that here. But with over a thousand people living here, she could understand the need to identify people. It wasn’t like you could just let raiders into the hospital. "Yeah, that's pretty much it." Pete wasn't completely aware of all that the ID process entailed, but he knew enough about how it discriminated. He paused, trying to gauge her response, before continuing: "And there isn't anywhere else where the people without IDs can get help if they need it. Sure, you can do some things without the equipment we have here, but for things like procedures, even ultrasounds… It kinda sucks for them." Bea was quiet for a moment, pondering his words. She’d always been welcome at the hospital while she’d lived at Fox Grove and now that she’d moved to UMCB she had one of their IDs. She’d been on the fortunate side of always having access to these services that she’d taken it all for granted. “Is there--I mean, what can even be done about something like that?” She asked, the struggle clear on her face. "It's a tricky situation," Pete said, referring both to this conversation and to the solution he and Lita had devised. He was still choosing his words carefully, just in case she didn't end up a good fit for the project, but the way she'd asked that last question made it clear she was at least concerned about it. "Anyone who gave anyone medical care in any other way would do so knowing they were breaking the law." “It’s actually illegal to help people who can’t come here to get medical help? Wow. That’s like--” Bea’s mouth hung open, literally unable to find the words for how stupid that was. After a moment of gaping at Pete like a fish, she said, “So if you saw someone in trouble outside the UMCB, you’d actually get in trouble for helping them?” He nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much how it works. Or, you know." Pete shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. Even though he still had misgivings about breaking the law, it was impossible to deny how unfair the situation was. "Doesn't work, I guess. Either way, it sucks. So I guess I was wondering what you thought about that, since it's something that's going to come up." “Well I don’t think that’s right at all. You’re a doctor and it’s your job to save lives. It’s your skills they’re trying to control and you should get to decide how you want to use them, don’t you think?” Bea said, her brows furrowed in consternation. "Yeah, I mean, that's basically how I feel, too." And that was really the crux of it, the thing Pete kept coming back to every time he questioned this new path. "For a while it wasn't something that I really gave all that much thought to, but once I realized how much it sucked… There wasn't really anything I could do." He was silent for a moment, debating whether he ought to bring up his new venture with her directly... But he'd promised Lita that she'd be able to meet Bea for herself, too. So he smiled at her in a way that he hoped was reassuring, then added, "There's another doctor I'd like you to meet, if you have the time right now. You may be working with her as well during your internship." Bea supposed Pete changed the subject because there wasn’t much else to be said about it. The rules sucked but getting in trouble did too. Maybe they’d find a way to help people outside the UMCB, but that solution wasn’t going to come today. Instead of pressing the issue Bea nodded and smiled. “Okay, that seems like a good idea. Lead the way.” |
Lita returned from the LBJ feeling with that heady feeling of accomplishment still blooming in her chest. She had been able to see with her own eyes that her best friend’s shelter and its inhabitants had survived the walker incursion relatively unscathed on top of paying a house call to remove Olivia’s leg cast. Liv’s leg had healed well and Lita had assured her she’d be running around in no time. Now that she was free of her plaster prison, Lita hoped the scout’s attitude would improve along with her leg strength but wasn’t holding out too much hope to the former. Still, she had done well by Olivia and Lita was happy for the young woman. Although honestly, Lita was happiest for herself now that she didn’t have to hear Liv complain all the goddamn time about her silly cast. Lita settled into her office, intending to get some paperwork done before Bea swung by for her interrogation. Interview probably would have been a more accurate description of what was going to occur, or perhaps an informal dialogue but Lita kind of liked the serious tone that interrogation denoted. It meant business; which was exactly the impression Lita was looking to convey. Bea was perfectly welcome to intern at the hospital with everything being on the up-and-up; volunteering at a clinic that operated in defiance of the city’s governing body, however? It wasn’t glamorous, or romantic, or heroic. It was as stupid and likely criminal as it was necessary. The younger woman needed to be aware of all the stakes before committing, warts and all and Lita was just the person to give it to her without any sugarcoating. After saying goodbye to Pete for the day, Bea made her way to Lita’s office and knocked quietly before stepping inside. She was pretty sure that the woman sitting behind the desk was the Lita, as in the person Maizie thought had really nice boobs. Unconsciously, Bea’s eyes slid down the woman’s chest, taking in the sight of them, and with a smile looked back up to Lita’s face. “Hi. Pete told me to stop by? I’m Bea.” Lita glanced up from her papers, gave Bea a quick glance, and inclined her head toward the entranceway. “Shut the door behind you,” she told the younger woman, continuing to read the chart in front of her, but her attention was divided. “And, please, sit down.” Half of her was trying to decipher the chicken scratch the pharmacist scrawled in the prescription box and half of her was trying to figure out why Bea looked so familiar. It wasn’t from the LBJ, although Lita knew that’s where she became acquainted with her name as one of Maizie’s friends. No, there was something to the big, brown eyes and the curve of her mouth that was familiar but Lita couldn’t place it. She allowed Bea stew in silence for another minute or so while she made notes on the paper in front of her. When she got to the bottom of the page with no more idea as to why Bea’s face was familiar, Lita started the interview. “Hello Bea, I’m Dr. Singh,” Lita said, folding her hands on top of the desk, crossing her legs in front of her and leaning back in her chair. She appraised the young woman, taking her nice figure and attractive features. She could very well be a medical wunderkind that ended up curing cancer for whatever Lita knew but, as selfless as Pete fancied himself taking on an intern, it was obvious to Lita there was undoubtedly some ulterior motives there. Who wouldn’t want a pretty, young thing orbiting you, idolizing you, studying you and writing down everything you say and do as you save lives? Lita couldn’t exactly blame Pete if this was his line of thinking but she could certainly judge him for it. But, then again, she judged Pete no matter what he does so the point is probably moot. “So, tell me Bea, what made you interested in the medical field?” Lita started out small. Better to nail Bea’s basic motivations before tackling the considerably more weighty idea of helping a potentially illegal clinic. It’d been awkward as hell waiting for Dr. Singh to finish whatever it was that she was doing but she waited patiently. Once she addressed Bea, she gave a smile and said, “It’s nice to meet you. I guess I decided that I should do something more productive with my life and seeing what Pete could do when we were on that trip at Luckenbach clicked something for me.” She shrugged with another smile. “There are a lot of babies at Fox Grove. My friend Kitty has two and every time she needed to get them checked out we had to load up in the van and trek over here. So I got thinking that it would be a good idea if we had someone who lived at Fox Grove that could help with that. And since that was Pete’s specialty, he seemed like the right person to learn from.” Lita hummed at Bea’s response. She had no idea what sort of glorious gynecological miracle Pete pulled off in Luckenbach that had piqued Bea’s interest but she herself knew all too well the rush of seeing doctors in action. It was watching the doctors who worked on her back and legs after her car accident that spurned Lita to turn her life in the drastically different direction of medicine. Bea’s intentions seemed genuine; however, the mention of Fox Grove only highlighted to the surgeon how young Bea really was. Obviously she was older than student age but not by much. Maybe that’s where Lita recognized her from, the high school. She had gone there a handful of times over the past two years, though admittedly, not recently. “Have me met before?” Lita asked, curious. As good as she was at closing up enterocutaneous fistulas, she was shit at remembering names and faces. “At the school, or at the LBJ, maybe?” Tilting a head and taking a closer look at Lita (and not just her boobs), Bea eventually shook her head. “I don’t think so? I’m friends with Maizie and Olivia and they’ve mentioned you before, but I’ve never actually seen you until now. But maybe you’ve seen me before? Like, you know, if I walked by and you saw me but we never really got introduced?” Bea shrugged, not sure how else to explain the sense of familiarity or deja vu Lita was experiencing. Lita shrugged and sighed. It would bug her who Bea reminded her of but there were more pressing matters at hand to dwell on it for any longer. “So, other than watching Pete, have you any experience? First aid course? Candystriper? CPR certification? Hell, even a passing grade in Home Ec sewing could give us a better idea of what we’re working with here.” There wasn’t anything wrong with being a complete novice; everyone had to start somewhere. Even though both Lita and Pete had grown up with either one or both parents in the medical field, that obviously wasn’t true for everyone and certainly didn’t have any bearing on what sort of doctor either of them turned out to be. Lita understood that there was a sort of noble duty in passing down what you know to future generations; it was quite another thing to bring someone in on a shady business venture who wouldn’t be able to contribute anything to it for several years. Bea hardly thought that taking Home Ec made her qualified on any medical professional level, but if Lita thought it would be helpful, then Bea already seemed to be on the right path. “Of course I took Home Ec. Everyone had to. Plus we still had all the sewing machines and needles and stuff around to fix any of the clothes we could. Anyway, um--actually my mom was a nurse so I grew up around a lot of this medical stuff. When I asked about where babies came from, she gave me a medical book that talked about eggs and sperms and--it was just so gross when I was a kid,” she laughed. Lita’s eyebrows raised. A nurse for a mother did not a doctor make but it certainly boded well that Bea had an understanding of the field. Knowing the amount of sleepless hours you put into job, living the lack of social life, and feeling emotional strain day in and day out was half the battle. Lita opened her mouth to speak, looked at Bea again, and then shut it. Finally, it hit her why Bea looked so damn familiar. “You’re Ruby’s kid,” Lita said slowly, the realization dawning on her. Her expression sobered and softened. “I was sorry to hear your folks went missing. Your mother was,” Lita cringed slightly but she continued. “...is a great nurse. We worked together quite a bit, actually. A good nurse and a great lady.” Lita knew what “missing” really meant. Bea likely did, too, but even if she didn’t, it wasn’t her place as a relative stranger to point out the obvious. Bea wasn’t the kind of girl who was deluding herself into believing her parents were still alive. It had been two years with no word from either of them, but no matter how upsetting that was, Bea just had to keep living. “Yeah, that’s my mom,” she said, nodding in confirmation. “What do you think your mom would think about you joining our clinic? How would she feel about the sort of people you might have to treat?” Letting out a genuine laugh, Bea said, “My mom would have been so thrilled. Like, legit over the moon. It was only what she told me she wanted to do like, everyday of my life.” Being a trapeze artist was not a sensible career choice according to her parents, though in the end they’d been supportive and loving as they had been for everything else in her life. They’d also just made it very clear that being a nurse or a doctor was always an option, and quite frankly, one that they would prefer. “And, I mean, it’s not like I approve of criminal activity and raiders and the Hellhounds, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get help if they need it. I think my mom would have felt the same.” Her parents had raised her and taught her their values, after all. Even though she quickly quelled the expression, Lita smiled despite herself. She knew a thing or two about following your parents into the family business and all the pressure and expectations it held therein. But she had known Ruby; known her dedication and temperament and heart and if Bea was half the sort of woman her mom was, she and Pete would be lucky to have her. “After careful consideration,” Lita said, threading her fingers together and placing them on top of her desk. “I think we can agree that a trial period would be the best course of action and, barring how that goes, we will take into consideration having you on full time. How does that sound? Do we have a deal?” Lita pushed back in her chair and stood up behind her desk. She extended her hand in Bea’s direction. There could be no papers to draw up, no official line for a signature. There was only only her word and Bea’s but Lita had a feeling it would be more than enough. Bea just smiled and nodded, reaching out to shake Lita’s hand. She wasn’t about to argue with the semi-approval she was getting from Dr. Singh right now, even if she was confused. Wasn’t she already for sure Pete’s intern? How much more “full time” could it get? Maybe she just meant that Bea could spend more time with her too, pending their part-time shadowing went well. Either way, Bea would take it. “Awesome! I’m really glad we got to talk to each other and am looking forward to this. I better go back and check in with Pete, so I guess I’ll see you later.” Standing, she gave a small wave, then made her exit from Lita’s office. Lita watched Bea go, wondering if she’d made the right decision concerning the younger woman. Bea seemed eager enough to work toward a greater purpose, all while following in her mother’s footsteps. Still, Lita had a sneaking suspicion she wasn’t hearing the entire story. She wasn’t exactly a patient person but there was a part of her that figured it would end up all coming out eventually. At the very least, the one thing she knew for sure was that Bea recognized quality when she saw it. Lita peered down at her chest and nodded appreciatively. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Bea had been checking her out earlier and, honestly, she didn’t blame her one bit. “You still got it, Singh,” she said with a smirk on her lips. Satisfied for the time being, Lita turned back to her patient charts and dug in. |