Who: Luc Flores and Ria Otieno. Where: The UMCB. What: Luc needs a physical in order to be accepted to the zombie hunting program and Ria volunteers to perform the task. While Luc justifies signing up for the program, Ria contemplates if she should help with finding a cure on top of all the rest of her responsibilities. When: (Backdated) 3/7/2020, afternoon.
Ain't in no hurry Be a fool now to worry About all those things I can't change And the time that I borrow Can wait 'til tomorrow 'Cause I ain't in no hurry Ain't in no hurry Ain't in no hurry today...
Luc sat in one of the UMCB waiting rooms, idly flipped through a back issue of Texas Fish and Game that had seen better days, and waited for the nurse to call his name. Even though he knew he was in perfectly good health, the screening process for the zombie specimen retrieval squad required he undergo a rigorous, physical examination. Eye exam, blood panel, urinalysis, the works. Just when Luc started to wonder whether or not he’d need to do the old “turn your head and cough” test, he saw a familiar figure walk into the waiting room. Ria was a knockout no matter what the setting, but there was something about her striding into the room in her white coat and air of confidence that made people sit up and notice, especially Luc. Sure, he had the added benefit of knowing exactly how amazing she looked underneath all that doctor garb but it was more of than that. She was in her element and there was something about her owning her position that did something for him.
She looked up from the chart she was reading and Luc held his hand up in a wave and smiled broadly. He set the magazine down, stood up from his chair and walked over to her. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he approached her, eyes twinkling.
“Why hello, Dr. Otieno,” he drawled, careful to keep his cheek in check. Even though he was dying to flirt with her, she was, after all, at work. “What a lovely coincidence running into you here. Or, you know, as lovely as it can be in the waiting room of a hospital.”
No matter the reason or if they were just visiting Ria’s heart always stopped whenever she saw a familiar face in her waiting room. Every doctor -- especially emergency room ones -- knew there was always that chance that a loved one might come in with an ailment or worse, but they always hoped it wouldn’t happen. Though if the twinkle in his eyes and the broad smile that graced his handsome face said anything, Ria figured she could breath a sigh of relief as he approached her -- nobody was that jovial if they were in the emergency room for something serious.
“Hello Mr. Flores,” Ria replied with an air of professionalism that was meant to amuse him, her desire to flirt with him only being held in check by the fact that the intake nurse was watching them very closely -- though Ria had a feeling it had less to do with nosiness and more to do with her attractive conversation companion. “And while I will always enjoy seeing you, I generally I hope not to run into familiar faces in my waiting room, lovely coincidence or not,” she continued with an easy smile. “So please tell me you’re here for something routine and not something I should be concerned about or else I might have to clear my schedule so I can see to you myself.” Ria finished, the guise of professionalism slipping only a hair. The beauty of being the woman in charge is that she could do just that if she so felt like it and nobody would bat an eye.
A beat went by before Ria added. “Actually, I might do that last one just because I can.”
Luc chuckled; he liked the bit of faux formality out in the open like this. It was playful and understated and intriguing; very different then their decidedly less formal interactions when they were in private. He was more than willing to keep up the guise; not only for Ria’s professionalism's sake but just for the sheer enjoyment of it.
“I am as fit as a fiddle,” Luc assured her. He dropped his voice an octave. “...as you well know.” He winked; a reflex he couldn’t repress as far as Ria was concerned. He raised his voice back up to its normal timbre.
For just a split second Ria’s professional veneer slipped and a knowing smirk was on her lips. “I’m going to hold my judgment on that statement until we’ve finished your physical exam, Mr. Flores,” her air of professionalism tried to reassert itself but traces of her earlier smirk still remained. “And I may need to see you later for more tests.” Ria placed emphasis on the last word, emphasis that clearly meant that ‘tests’ were not ‘tests’ at all.
“But I need a doctor’s confirmation and all the necessary paperwork that goes along with it.” He jerked his head toward the waiting room. “So, as long as you’re sure I wouldn’t be taking you from more important patients, I could use a physical.”
It took all of Luc’s determination not to tack a come-on to the tail end of that sentence but he even he couldn’t help the smirk that threatened the corners of his mouth.
“I assure you that you’re not taking me away from anything,” Ria replied, appreciative of Luc’s respect for her job and his obvious concern with pulling her away from something. “Trust me all I have right now is a pile of paperwork that’s calling my name,” she paused. “And as a doctor I would much rather exam you then go and sit behind a desk.” The administrative part of her job had always been Ria’s least favorite part.
Silently she motioned Luc towards the door that lead to exam rooms and once through them Ria only paused in her movement long enough to inform the intake nurse that she would be handling Luc’s exam, then she retrieved the chart that had been started for him and found out which exam room was open. Once all those little details had been tackled they moved down one of the nearby hallways until they reached said exam room.
“Here we are,” Ria announced as she motioned for Luc to step into the room before her. “Please have a seat.”
Luc hopped up on the exam table. He resisted the urge to drape himself over the paper covered stainless steel surface like an absurd parody of a Greek statue and instead simply let his feet dangle over the edge as Ria closed the door behind them.
“So, since you’re the boss in the bedroom and in the exam room,” Luc teased as Ria looked over his chart. He rubbed his hands together and then set them down on the tops of his thighs. “What do you want to do to me first?”
“Anxious to get started as always, I see.” Ria remarked with a soft laugh, her gaze still studying Luc’s chart. While she could have easily allowed their attentions to be drawn elsewhere and away from the exam at hand, Ria was determined to remain professional -- a task that was admittedly hard when she would have much rather acted on the ideas that Luc’s words had ignited in her mind.
There was really nothing about a physical that couldn’t be misconstrued into an innuendo, especially considering his and Ria’s arrangement. Still, Luc actually really did need Ria’s sign off to get into the zombie hunting program so lest they get waylaid by heading into too many naughty tangents, Luc pressed on.
“Eye exam? Bloodwork? Cholesterol test? Not sure what my cholesterol has to do with taking down walkers but who am I to argue, eh?”
“High cholesterol can lead to buildup that can narrow the arteries and make it harder for blood to flow through them. It can also lead to dangerous blood clots and inflammation that can cause heart attacks and strokes. A certain kind can also raise your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.” Ria explained as she glanced up from his chart, and while her tone might have been all business, the smile that toyed at the corners of her mouth gave away her fondness for him. “All things that both the zombie hunting program and I would both like to avoid.” While she might have been trying to be as professional as possible, she couldn’t ignore the fact that she did care for Luc and would prefer not to lose him.
“These are all excellent points,” Luc allowed, recognizing the truth in Ria’s words despite not really wanting to. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn’t in his 20’s anymore. There was a possibility that no matter how good of shape he tried to keep himself in that his body could break down in any number of crappy ways.
“Of course they are,” Ria replied in a matter of fact tone. “I didn’t spend the better part of my twenties in medical school for nothing.” She tacked on while she set the chart down near the desk that held the computer, Ria continued. “We’ll start with the blood work first,” As she spoke she began to gather the items she would need for that process. “How are you with needles?” She asked while she stepped over to Luc, the items she would need laid out on a tray. Ria could attempt to assume a lot of things simply from their interactions, but she had found early on that even the toughest person could be taken down by the simplest of fears -- so she made it a point never to make that particular assumption of someone, not matter how strong or tough they were.
“Needles? Fine,” Luc replied with a shrug. “I mean, I’m not in favor of them unless they’re needed but I can deal.” Luc wasn’t the sort of person to entertain many irrational fears. Even things he should be afraid of he tended to not take as seriously as he probably should. He wasn’t sure how he’d react if Ria actually found something wrong with him but he figured he’d cross that bridge if he came to it.
“As long as you aren’t going to jerk away when I try and stick you, we’re good,” Ria replied with a gentle smile. Most people weren’t overly keen on needles, she was just attempting to make sure she knew what to expect from Luc once she approached him with a sharp object. “I only like the idea of restraining you in the bedroom.” She added with a ghost of a smirk, the kind of smile she saved for after hours and when they were alone.
Luc groaned and narrowed his eyes at Ria. His lips betrayed his smirk even if his expression was one of frustration.
“You’re not going to make this exam easy for me?” Not exactly needing a response to confirm how much she liked teasing him, Luc continued.
“You’d think the city would take into account that I’ve been hunting zombies in Austin since literally day one,” Luc said, rolling up his sleeve so Ria could take his blood with ease. He considered her for a moment, wondering what she thought of the government’s new initiative into the shuffler problem.
“Do you think the hunter program will actually do diddly towards finding a cure?”
If anyone knew about the probability of getting results out of the samples the task force was set to procure, it was Ria.
Ria focused on her task, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t listening to Luc or thinking over his question. She had been approached about the research program, as well as doing some traveling with it. It was a good idea, a smart one, and one they would need if they were every to make progress with creating a cure.
“I think it will,” Ria admitted as she glanced up from her work to meet Luc’s gaze. “I wish they could find a way to accomplish it without placing people in harm’s way,” she added. “But like you pointed out, you’ve been hunting zombies since day one, so this isn’t new, it’s just government sanctioned now.” She finished up the blood draw and set the vials on the tray, returning to Luc’s chart to see what the next item on the exam was.
With the chart in hand, Ria looked back up at Luc and asked. “Do you think it will help?”
Luc was about to shake his head no but stopped himself. What did he really think? Why did he volunteer for the program in the first place if he didn’t think a cure was possible? Was he just a crazy, thrill-seeking idiot that wanted to put himself in danger just for shits and giggles? Luc was a lot of things but suicidal wasn’t one of them so, deep down, he must believe a cure was possible. He sure as hell wouldn’t have come to that conclusion on his own so he could only surmise that it was Ria’s influence that turned the tide of his opinion on the matter. Maybe they had more effect on one another outside of the bedroom than Luc thought.
“You know, I just might?” He flashed Ria a crooked smile. He watched her as she effortlessly moved from one procedure to the next. She was so talented and smart. Not for the first time, Luc marveled at how out of his league Ria was.
Ria smiled softly. “That would make two of us in that case,” she did believe a cure was possible, she also knew some of the minds currently working to sort one out and they were all brilliant. People she could see herself working with if she did decide to help with the efforts in some way.
“You gonna worry about me when I’m out there? Fighting the undead for Uncle Sam?”
Her smile went a little serious as she looked up from what she had been doing to meet Luc’s gaze. “I probably will,” Ria admitted without reservation. “Even if you are fighting zombies for Uncle Sam, and also completely capable,” she paused. “It’s still dangerous.” She would worry in the same way she worried about Ayo, he was completely capable and tough as hell, but Ria still worried that one day something might get the better of him. It didn’t make her want to stop what he was doing, that wouldn’t be fair, but it did make her more conscious of making sure she didn’t take anyone she cared about for granted.
“Is that okay? That I’ll worry about you?” Ria continued while she made a couple notes on Luc’s chart and moved on to testing his reflexes, tapping first one knee and then the other.
Luc thought about it. While he’d never want to cause Ria any undue anxiety, the thought that she liked him enough to worry about him was kind of cool.
“It’s never okay when you have something to worry about on top of all the other things you have got going on in your life,” Luc said, cocking his head to one side as he studied her. “But how about this. I promise I’ll be extra careful out there if you can promise not to worry too much. I reckon that’s a pretty fair deal.”
He patted the very hard, very cold paper-lined exam table in an exaggerated, come hither manner. “Everyone knows making out on stainless steel is the only way to seal a deal this sort of deal. Or, you know, a very chaste peck on the cheek, since you’re on duty and all.”
Luc pointed to the side of his face, his expression impish.
Despite herself and the little voice that wanted to chime in her ear to remain her professionalism, Ria set down the chart she had been holding moved in closer to Luc. Without saying a word of agreement, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek -- after all, how could she deny him when he had that silly impish expression on his face?
“As much as I would love to say yes to making out, you’ll have to settle for that,” Ria finally said as she stood up straight again, though she didn’t remove herself from Luc’s personal space. “Until later.” she added with an impish expression of her own, two really could play this game.
“Now, about the stress test, do you want that administered now or later?” There was a twinkle in Ria’s eyes, even if she was trying her damndest to be professional, she found it was harder than expected with Luc.
Luc rubbed the stubble on his chin and squinted his eyes, as if in deep thought.
“Hmm.” He tapped his finger to his lips. “We should probably be thorough. A little bit now and a whole lot later sounds about right, wouldn’t you say, Dr. Otieno?”
The promise of “playing doctor” later was certainly something Luc was looking forward to but, for now, Luc was quite content to lay back and watch Ria do her thing like the real, badass doc she was. He knew without a doubt he was in great hands.