Every year a new batch of interns arrived at Sacred Heart hospital, men, women, white, black, Asian, fat, thin and even thinner. Some came from wealthy families, some dirt poor with barely a nickel. Some were great at theory, but with the bedside manner of a serial killer, others were all charm and smarm, but with the medical skills of a drunken sailor. They'd been to the best Medical Schools in the country or to ones hardly known outside their own state. They had shaved their heads or wore bandannas or had some weird spiky thing going which they thought was great and everyone else thought needed brushing. And each year they'd rely on Carla Espinosa and her nurses to keep their proverbial chestnuts out of the fire.
The Latino nurse sat at reception watching the first batch come in. First, a surgeon with a tendency to high-five and a habit of pointing down at his crotch in a manner which suggested he was compensating, followed by a nervous looking doctor who was sure to kill all the patients who were assigned to him. Then came a doctor who'd overdosed on gel, Carla watched vaguely interested as he placed a penny in the door - that was sure to get the janitor riled. Immediately he was followed by a black surgeon, whom Carla would, in another world, have thought was handsome, but in this one was so obviously gay for wire haired doc.
"Hello," Nurse Roberts lowered her glasses to look over the top of the frames, "Flustered blonde doctor at ten o'clock."
Keeping her chin rested on her hand Carla swung her head in the direction indicated by her friend. She was right, the newcomer was flustered, rushing in late, blowing the bangs away from her face and glancing around hoping that no-one could see that one of her heels had chosen this moment to get stuck in the door's trench. Yeah, this one was a walking bundle of insecurities wrapped in a bubble wrap of bimboness. She was also cute, something Nurse Roberts also noticed as she gave Carla a knowing look, "She's just your type."
"Please," replied Carla with exaggerated politeness, "That one's cheerleader territory."
"As I said, just your type," Nurse Roberts said dryly. Carla gave a small scowl, she had known Laverne Roberts for close to eight years and her friend was right, the new blonde intern was exactly the type Carla went for - sexy, hot and totally clueless. Carla continued to look at the young woman, struggling to pull out her heel without falling over. Sighing she got up from her seat, ignoring Laverne's smirk and stepped from behind the desk; it was hardly her fault she liked pretty blondes who needed mothering, it was just the top in her.
"Lean on my shoulder for balance," she said as she walked over to the blonde, "Then bend your knee and twist slightly; it'll come out."
The blonde did as she was told, always a good sign, wiggling her heel free. Once it was out she looked at Carla, with a look of gratitude on her face, blowing a bang free from her face before saying, "I'm Elliot Reid. Dr Elliot Reid. I know, I know Elliot's a boy's name, my father thought that giving me a male name would help me in Medical School. He thought that something like Kate would hold me back. And what do you know he was right -- here I am, first day on the job, as a Doctor."
Carla waited until the nervous monologue was over, using the time to check that close up Elliot was as cute as she appeared moments before. She was, and she'd got on a very delightful perfume as well, a flowery and fresh fragrance that delighted the nurse's nostrils as much as intern's slender body delighted her eyes. Elliot paused, Carla wasn't sure whether it was because she had finished or to draw breath, but she stepped in anyway, "Nurse Carla Espinosa. You shouldn't wear high heels." She mentally grimaced, she wanted to create a good impression on the new intern and telling her off after three words wasn't necessarily the way to do it.
Luckily Elliot didn't seem insulted, "I know sensible pumps. I thought about them, but you know how it is first day at work, everybody's so judgmental I didn't want to spend my entire future here being known as sensible shoes girl; I had enough of that at High School."
There was a piercing whistle, "Barbie..." Elliot looked around, a look of confusion on her face.
Carla gave her a nudge, "He means you... That's Dr Cox, but don't worry about him his bark is worse than his bite."
Which was lucky as his bark was pretty bad. Carla stepped away, gracefully walking back to her place in the nurses reception, as Dr Cox treated the new Doctor to his own trademarked withering scorn. The blonde seemed to wilt under his firepower, a long winded monologue, but with every word precisely chosen. Carla put her hand under her chin and smiled; she wondered if Elliot was single.
*
"So what's the story?" Carla took a seat in the canteen opposite Laverne and gave a brief nod towards Elliot Reid, who was sitting at another table loosing a battle with a juice carton and a straw.
"She treats patients like pin cushions, that's the story," said Laverne grumpily, "Three different patients and she can't get an IV tube in any of them."
"Be nice Laverne, all the interns have difficulties at first, we should be offering them support."
"What about offering support to Dr Murphy instead of banishing him to the store cupboard?"
"He killed two patients today and that's on top of the four yesterday and three on Monday," replied Carla, "Elliot is a much more promising doctor, she just needs some confidence."
"You're just saying that because you want in her panties," Laverne responded. She gave her younger friend a fixed glare.
Carla nodded and grinned, "Do I have a chance? Did she tell you anything about herself."
"Sister, following that girl on rounds means I know her whole life story. The name of her first goldfish; I got it. What she thought of elementary school? The boys were mean and the girls meaner. And her prom dress was made of blue silk and was a two sizes too big as her Mom thought she'd grow into it."
"So she's a little talkative, and a bit disaster prone and not to good with school children. Hey, I get it, no-body's perfect... not even me," Carla grinned, "But what about now?"
"I'm just warning you that's she the type who put the dumb into blonde." Laverne sighed and shrugged, "And you just want to put her under your wing."
"Strictly I want to have sex with her," smiled Carla, "So?"
"She's single; last girlfriend cheated on her with her best friend, another one pretended to be dead to break up and she caught her High School sweetheart naked in bed with her Mom; her love life makes me glad I've Mr Roberts."
