viva_vegas_grls (viva_vegas_grls) wrote in vivavampvegas, @ 2010-11-21 13:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | daniel portman, jennae ravensdale |
Who: Jennae Ravensdale and Daniel Portman
Where: Coffee House
When: Saturday, November 20th
While an LA native, Daniel Portman was currently in Las Vegas to attend a medical conference. He went to them several times a year, leaving his 16-year-old daughter home alone. After conferences in Vegas, he went to the same coffee house and ordered a short stack with a cup of coffee. He was currently dressed in a pair of jeans and a white collared shirt rolled at the sleeves and was twisting his wedding ring around his finger thoughtfully, before doing something that had been on his mind recently:... he slid it off and placed it down on the table.
Jennae had attended a partial section of the same conference Daniel Portman was in town for the previous day. It had actually been the only spare time she found herself having, Jennae would have loved to have been able to attend the full medical conference, but time just wasn't allowing it. Her work at University Medical took up a majority of her time that Jennae sometimes felt she barely had time to breath.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Jennae questioned casually when she approached Daniel's table and saw the man seemed to be off in a world of his own. The fourth year residence had spotted the man when she entered the coffee house, she recognized her fellow doctor from the medical conference the day before. And though they hadn't had anything resembling a lengthy conversation, the two had exchanged a few words concerning their thoughts on the medical conference itself.
Daniel blinked and looked up, smiling lightly when he recognized her face. "Hello," he replied, his Scottish accent still very recognizable. "I was just thinking how time seems to … slip away from you, when you're not paying attention." It was as if he was finally waking up from his own personal limbo. "Would you care to join me?"
"If I won't be interrupting anything." Jennae answered. She hadn't meant to intrude on the man having only wanted to stop a brief moment to say hello to the man. For all she knew he could have been waiting for someone to show up and had just gotten momentarily distracted by his thoughts.
"Not in the slightest," he replied, standing up politely as she took a seat and then sitting back down again himself. "It's actually nice to see a familiar face," he admitted.
"Thank you." Jennae said politely as she settled herself down on the chair opposite Daniel. "I think that holds especially true when one is in a strange city. Makes the place less strange when you find youself running into someone you know." Not that they knew each other all that well, but at least neither was a complete stranger.
"You're not wrong," he replied, meeting her eyes. Being a hermit, like he was, was it any surprise that he had some difficulty making conversation here? He smiled, though, and looked up as the waitress set his coffee down for him. She looked a little surprised that he wasn't sitting alone but tried to hide it as she asked if Jennae would like anything.
Jenna smiled politely to the waitress and asked for coffee and an order of the coffee house's cinnamon apple pancakes. When the woman departed with her order Jenna directed her attention back to Daniel. "How long will you be in Las Vegas?" The brunette inquired to try and keep their small talk of conversation moving smoothly.
"I drive back to LA on Monday morning," he replied. He honestly liked these trips to Vegas. He considered them to be a vacation rather than something work related. Of course, recently he worried that he'd been too neglectful of his daughter. She was sixteen now, and beyond her friend Bette, he didn't know a thing about her. Anyway... "When do you go back to work?" He ducked his head shyly.
Jennae paused a moment when the waitress returned and set a cup of steaming coffee down in front of her. "Hopefully not til tomorrow, but I'm on call tonight." She told him with an expression that read she expected to be paged later that day to go to the hospital. Most doctors knew from experience that being on call more often then not led to their working more hours then scheduled.
"Well, I hope that you're able to get a decent night's sleep and that nothing terrible happens this evening." He heaped two teaspoons into his coffee and stirred, before taking a sip. It was still a little too hot for his liking. "Unless you're a workaholic like me, but then, it's hard to hope for something tragic to happen to someone else..." He winced apologetically.
Well, wasn't that a nice little coincidence. Two doctors who seemed to be workaholics. Most doctors she knew, like herself, devoted their lives to the care of the unhealthy. And like herself, most of those she knew worked hours on end in their chosen profession. It had gotten to the point now where if Jennae wasn't doing rounds at the hospital, or working in the ER, she was at a loss as to what to do with her time. "A good night's sleep would be wishful thinking on my part." Jennae smiled a bit wistfully at that thought.
"I suspect you wouldn't be able to sleep anyway," he replied with a smile and leaned back in his chair when the waitress reappeared with their pancakes. It appeared that she'd set his order aside so that she could serve them together, nicely enough. He chuckled when he realized... "It seems we have something else in common." He nodded to their meals. Although while she'd ordered cinnamon apple pancakes, he'd ordered chocolate chip.
"I know this isn't the healthiest of breakfasts, but I just can't seem to resist the cinnamon apple pancakes they serve here. Really the best I've ever tasted." Jennae smiled a bit sheepishly when she shared that little bit with the man after their breakfasts had been brought to the table.
His smile widened a bit, hearing that. "I confess to the same thing about the chocolate chip. I try to eat healthily, but I just can't resist it when I come here," he admitted with a faint blush before starting on his meal.
Jennae smiled watching the man a brief moment before a sip of her coffee was taken. The brunette then proceeded to start in on her own breakfast of cinnamon apple pancakes. It wasn't often that she got out, other then with her cousin Willie, and Jennae was genuinely enjoying the company of her fellow doctor. It was nice to talk with a fellow physician, especially one that she was finding she had things in common with, as trivial as they might be.
Daniel liked to take time with his meals, he enjoyed savoring the taste. It was one of only a few things that he took his time with. He paused briefly to take a sip of his coffee, before asking: "Is there anything you like to do with your spare time, Jennae?" Yes, he remembered her name. "Read, or go to the movies?" He offered. "Whenever you have the time, of course."
Jennae swallowed down a small mouthful of pancakes before giving the man an answer. "Guess you could say I'm a collector of sorts. Rare books and texts. And as for movies, more often then not, I tend to just pick up a video or two when I know I'll have the time to actually watch something. Movie night for me is a good movie, hand popped popcorn and glass of wine with me vegging out on the couch."
"That... actually sounds perfect," he murmured. He often had trouble doing anything outside of work, which... went a way to explain why he worked so often. Apart from his daughter, Talia, and the fact that she was growing up so fast, he worried that he'd forgotten how to live. He tried not to dwell on that thought. "I try to read when I can. Even if it's just the newspaper," he offered with a chuckle.
"I find I barely have time to read the morning paper. Most news I'm able to keep up with is from breaks at the hospital when I can catch a few moments of TV news." Jennae admitted with a little bit of a grin. If she would allow herself to think on it, Jennae would realize that life was passing her by by having allowed herself to get wrapped up within her work. Except for her cousin, Willie, Jennae really didn't have any friends that she regularly socialized with. And when she did manage to allow herself time out on the town it was usually just her enjoying a drink or two before heading on back to her one bedroom apartment.
That was the sad thing about this pair. Life really was passing them by. Although it had taken him five years, Daniel had finally come to that realization. He smiled faintly and picked up his wedding ring, twisting it between his fingers, he took in a breath and let it out slowly before sliding the ring into the pocket of his jeans. It was time to let go. "Long story," he explained simply, figuring that she might wonder about that small action. "Would you … be opposed to me asking for your number, so that we might talk more after I've gone home?"
Jennae had wondered about his actions concerning the wedding band he removed from his finger. And she might have questioned that if it hadn't been for his very brief explanation for it's removal. The type of short explanation that pretty much said he didn't wish to talk about it, and Jennae was going to respect that and just let it go for the moment. "I think, actually, I might like that." She smiled to the man as she got a pen and paper out. Daniel was pleasant to talk to and Jennae felt relaxed in the man's presence. And truthfully she could use more friends and people in her life she could have pleasant conversation with whom she also had more then one thing in common with. "Don't be surprised, though, if you get my voicemail message more often then not." She told him sliding over the paper with both her home and cell number on it. Being a physician himself, Jennae was sure he would understand if he might not catch her directly when he tried to call.
He smiled faintly as he took the piece of paper, looking at the number momentarily before sliding it into his pocket. "Well, in that token, don't be surprised if you receive random messages throughout your days," he replied with a chuckle. He wasn't particularly known for his conversational abilities, but he strongly suspected that in this instance, it would be hard to resist.
"Now you're having me considering carrying my cell phone with me while on the job." Jennae said with a gentle, breathy laugh. Not that she actually would as that would be too much of a distraction for the woman. "I think random messages left on my voicemail are better then having none at all." She smiled softly. And generally, Jennae didn't get messages via her voicemail unless they concerned her work at University Medical.
It was much of the same for Daniel, unfortunately, although the idea of calling her did give him a quiet little thrill. At least now, after seeing his daughter, he had something to look forward to when he got home. "Then that's all the encouragement I need to do it," he replied.
"I look forward to hearing from you, Daniel." Jennae smiled warmly to the man before starting in again on her breakfast before the meal cooled too much.