2021-12-09 - Doctors Unite

What a day.

Abraham has been hard at work, already one of the hardest working doctors there, which has no doubt helped him garner a modicum of respect among staff members.

He had just come out of brain surgery to remove a tumor. He was successful. He's just finished cleaning and disinfecting what he could and had a wonderful post-op discussion with the patient's family.

Now he sits in the break room, taking a deep breath before looking at his notes. Continued education or just reviewing what he already knows?

It had been a long day for Doctor Thule too. No brain surgery perhaps, but working in the Emergency Department is never dull. Among many other things, today she was called on to remove a selection of objects from a place where they should not be. Her patient must be one of the clumsiest people in Gray Harbor with the number of times they 'fell'...while naked...and in front of those friends who accompanied them to the E.R..

"Doctor Valentine I presume" Zara greets as she makes her way over. "Doctor Zara Thule. You're already causing quite the stir, Doctor. In a good way" she smiles. "Not everyone needs to do neurosurgery in their first days here. Oh, sorry, you're reading."

Abraham lifts his head ever so slightly when Zara enters the room and speaks with him, introducing herself in the process. "That would be me." Abraham smiles. "Though most people call me Abraham or just Abe. Its nice to meet you, Dr. Thule." When she tells him he's causing a stir, he shrugs. "I do my best to do good work. Though I'm also attempting to make a decent first impression on my coworkers and patients that their in good hands. And well, from what I looked at their scans, it was an emergency surgery if we wanted the best chances of survival."

Brain Tumor's a bitch.

"But what do you specialize in, if you don't mind me asking Doctor? In fact, you're the first one to even attempt to be friendly with me. Most just mind their patients and themselves."

"Please, call me Zara when we're not on the clock" she smiles in reply before looking confused at the lack of friendly greeting that Abraham has received so far. "Really? Sorry to hear that. They're usually much nicer. I might have to see what's going on." Zara heads for the fridge to grab her bottle of water. For some reason, no one ever tries to steal her water. Much too boring for this crowd.

"I guess if I'm pushed for a specialty it would be trauma. I've spent a lot of time in war zones." A mouthful of her water before finding a place to sit near Abraham. "What brought you to this little town? Can't be much call for brain surgeons with your skills around here."

"Zara it is." Abraham chimes, before pondering how unique it is. Though he appreciates the informality of their interactions.

"It's alright. Equally my fault since I focus a great deal on work." He chuckles, but trauma specialty? Emergency care doctor. "ER then? And one with a great deal of experience. Combat medic?" He questions.

"Well, my mother moved here after my father passed away. So I decided to tag along with her and see some work. Thankfully, this hospital is more relaxed than I’m used to, which lets me at least try for a normal-paced life."

"I didn't intend to be a combat medic, circumstances usually required it. I've done work for Medicines San Frontiers, that kind of thing" Zara explains with a shrug. "I'm not too long back from a quick trip to Somaliland. But, yes, mostly do E.R. work. I guess I like to be hands on."

"Sorry to hear about your father. That was nice of you to help your mother out like that. No family of your own then?" A beat. "You don't have to answer that if it's too personal. If you've arrived from a big city then, yes, this will appear more relaxed. Though you may see some conditions that you haven't before. You never know, Abraham, this may be a more intriguing place than you're expecting."

“Circumstances often have a way of coming to us. But, welcome back from Somaliland, hope you enjoyed your work-vacation." Abraham says with a light smile, but a friendly one all the same.

"It's alright, but no, I’m not married and I have no kids. Work always seemed more pressing.” He doesn’t mention that he had no luck with dating. "Conditions I haven't seen before? Well, then this will be exciting." He smiles.

"Thankfully, I enjoy my work, regardless of where life may take me." Zara sips at her water. "Not too keen on being shot at though."

A wry smile at talk of 'exciting'. "Oh, yes, very exciting. And very interesting. I'm not a local myself but I've certainly heard stories and...seen things. My first job was at an asylum near town. Not as a psychiatrist, I was the on-site doctor." She grows pensive as she thinks on that past, frowning and then shrugging at her own thoughts. "Sorry. It was a while ago and the details are a little hazy." A little laugh at herself. "Guess I'm just getting old."

"Thankfully, so do I." Abraham states with a smirk. "I’ve never been shot, thankfully, but I have treated gunshot wounds more times than I can count." Abraham says with a sigh.

"An Asylum? Unnerving. My first job was being an assistant researcher for a pain and rehab doctor. Much more mellow job I imagine." He chuckles. "Everyone has been saying that I may see something somewhere, but who knows." He shrugs softly.

"As for old...we are all getting there, just a matter of how quickly." He chuckles. "I’m 43, so it’s well within reach."

"Forty is the new seventy" Zara smirks in reply. "Wait...no...I have that the wrong way round. Seventy is the new forty. Excuse my Freudian slip. So you're still a teenager." A bright smile before adding, "Did that work at all?"

"A pain and rehab doctor doesn't sound like a cake walk. Being involved with pain all the time. Does that mean you hurt people as part of your research? Volunteers, sure, but if you did, you might not want to tell people about that" Zara smiles sweetly. "Thirty-eight myself. If you wanted to know...and not sure why I told you either. Where did you treat gunshot wounds?"

"More like-" and they say it at the same time. "Seventy is the new forty-yeah, you got it." Abraham chuckles. "But at least that means I still have my youth, for what it's worth." he smirks. "It worked a little bit, yes, whether it was intended to or not." but his eyes shift downwards towards the table. "Alas, I didn't hurt people. Rather we helped them get off of opioid addiction and drugs, while also working with patients to discover ways and new methods to lower their overall pain. As for the gunshot wounds, I worked in Chicago for a few years."

"Thirty-eight years young." Abraham comments to her with a smile. "Maybe I'm trustworthy?"

"Though if I may say, you don't look a day over twenty."

"You may say it, but I don't believe you" Zara laughs at the compliment. "Now, if you'd said twenty-five..." A nod about the pain work. "Opioid addiction is a thing here too, Abraham, though it may be less to do with dealing with physical pain and more about mental issues. You mentioned some others already telling you to expect strangeness. That strangeness can have quite the effect on people. Not everyone. But enough. Makes you wonder if there is some genetic component or a virus responsible. One thing I can remember about the Asylum was that it was always busy."

"Has your mother settled in?"

Abraham chuckles. "Believe it. You have experience in your eyes but your face shows youth." He compliments her further. "It’s everywhere. No escaping it unless nobody is taking opioids." He sighs.

"But, it’s true that I’ve been warned of interesting events happening. Hopefully it won’t mess with my brain too much, but if it happens, I'll trust you to fix it?" He smirks. "If that works for you anyway."

“She has, thank you for asking. It's hard for her, so I try to be there when I can. I apologize, but do you have a family? Husband? Kids?"

"No husband or kids that I am aware of. I'm pretty sure I would remember the latter. The former...well, a girl can get drunk too" Zara laughs. "I was seeing someone before I left for my last excursion but not sure if I still am. I wouldn't blame him for moving on. And, yes, I know I could always call him but that would mean I would get an answer." She snorts in amusement at herself. "It sounds like I have the mind of a teenager rather than a twenty year old. Would you really want me to fix your brain messes after hearing that?"

"You mentioned that you followed your mother here. Now, I'm going to assume you're not a fan of Norman Bates but is that the only reason you came here? I ask because a number of people feel drawn here. Sometimes they don't even realise it but there is...something." Zara shakes her head. "And now I'm sounding like the old local in a horror film. " She adopts an old crone voice. "Don't you go into those woods or you'll die."

"Well...to be honest, and you can take this however you wish, if I were him I'd consider it a great shame if I left you in dust." Abraham comments with a light smile as he looks at her with a light smile. "Of course, I don't know much about it, but you seem very nice." he comments. "You're a doctor arn't you?" he returns the question of her messing with his brain if it was damaged.

"Not the only reason, no. I felt...drawn to this place, as you've said." he doesn't go into detail. Yet he can...-feel- something off of Zara. "Thankfully, I'm not much of a camper. I'd probably go out and immediately die from starvation." he chuckles.

"I'm incredibly nice" Zara replies with a teasing look of 'how could you think anything else'. "I should give him a call and find out where things stand." Another mouthful of water. "Definitely a doctor. I have pieces of paper on my walls and everything. If the strangeness gets to you, I will ensure that only I apply the electrodes."

"You don't go camping? For shame, Abraham, for shame. That we will have to change. And you do know that you're not going for a trek into the deepest, darkest Amazon, right? If you get hungry, I'm sure you could wander back into town and hit McDonalds. Though you would probably still be hungry after that." She ponders a little more. "Probably can go to a McDonalds in the deepest, darkest Amazon too. If you ever want to try camping, let me know." A more solemn nod at his admission of being drawn to Gray Harbor. "Yeah, like I said, it calls to some."

Abraham smirks at Zara, before he nods. "That would be wise." he informs her, regardless if he truly thinks it is or not. Though he smirks. "I also have multiple papers on my wall back at home, maybe we'll compare notes sometime." But he smiles to her, before she's calling him out on his lack of camping. "I've just never done it before."

Never -ever-?

"But if you believe you can change my opinions of camping, I'll happily give you the chance." he smirks, despite her calls that he could just walk a certain path and find a McDonalds and walk back, Abraham seems honest in his inability to camp properly, likely due to inexperience.

"Is that the new version of 'would you like to come up and see my etchings'?" Zara laughs. "Do you live with your mother as well? She's probably very proud of all those papers on your wall. Pretty expensive wallpaper though. Never went camping." A shake of her had at such a terrible revelation.

"Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you for your first time. No wolves. No poison ivy. No hunting for your food. Might even bring a chemical latrine so you don't have to dig a hole" she teases. "You'll love it." Finishing off her water, she refills the bottle before placing it back on the fridge. "I best get going or I'll fall asleep in here. Nothing to do with the company, more the heck of a day. Are you done for the day?"

Abraham chuckles. "Not if you don't want. Besides, I'm still getting my arrangements together. No, I don't live with my mother, though I do make it a habit to visit often. She's in an interesting state, emotionally." He notices that Zara has a...glow to her. But he does not speak about it.

"But thank you for taking pity on me. But I will leave you to your work, lest you have a patient who becomes sad and abandoned." he chuckles. "I'm not quite done for the day, but we'll see what the day has in store. Until then, have a good rest of your day unless I see you first." He checks his watch. "Speaking of, I have a patient to see about a second-degree burn." He smiles. "If you'll excuse me." and he makes his way out of the room and down the hall. He moves with a purpose.

No rest for doctors.