A Short Exploration

[Brianna Grey]

Another day, just like like all the rest whenever she had to come into a hospital. This one was rather new, since she'd only been in the area fora couple of months, and she was only asked to get checked out once a month. She was a little late, but it wasn't a huge deal. This was just to keep her employers happy, which she would do. Bree loved her job, and if this is what it took to make them feel safe about having her work there, fine. There was nothing wrong with her, but you know human nature. People being different scares them, so what can you do?

She hadn't been sure where she was supposed to go at first, but figured it out in enough time to make her appointment. And, as always, the same thing happened. They tried to get a medical history, which stopped at her. No family to get any history from. Then they ran a few basic tests, and that was it. Nobody was ever going to figure it out, and she was just glad that she had insurance that paid for all of these little trips. Otherwise, she might very well just lie about them.

Since she was out with plenty of time to catch the bus to get home, Brianna choose to take a little while to learn the lay of the land. She planned to be in this city for a while, and that ment that she'd have to come here every now and again. If that would be the case, she had to know where she was going, and where to find people if she ever needed that. With a cup of apple juice on her hand, and her messenger bag over her shoulder, she walked down one of the halls.

This was easily the nicest hospital she'd ever been in. Glass walls, everything was so crisp, it could easily be the best in the state. Pausing near one of the doorways, Bree loked up at one of the signs to see where it would lead to. Ah, the chapel.... yeah, she could do without that one. There had been another sign not too far back.. oncology or something. She knew what that one was for, she'd been looked at for cancer a few times.

[Dr. Wilson]

Ah, the busy bee was buzzing once again. James had been working tirelessly in his office for some time now, going over charts and reading about new prescriptions and forthcoming cancer research and whatever else it is that oncologists do in their offices for extended periods. In any case, a red-headed someone had just dropped in with a file for him going over a new patient. Not cancer, he noted, but there'd been a lull in oncology [an odd occurance] and some catastrophic event or other had hit some of the other departments. A critical eye ran over what he'd come in with; bluish tinge to skin, fever of 105 and vision problems, as well as muscle weakness. Wilson puzzled over this for a few moments as his interest was piqued. Had it not been for that abnormal fever, his thoughts would've skipped straight to asphyxiation. Apparently, the hospital he'd come from at Hopkins had thought that, too, and had sent him here because they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

James continued to read as he rose, instinctively reaching for his coat, but then realizing it was still stained from lunch and House. He sighed shortly and then headed for the door, nose still buried in the file. As the doctor emerged into the hallway, the hand that wasn't doing anything fell into the pocket of his black slacks and was quickly forgotten while the brilliant man puzzled. Johns Hopkins had found that he tested positive for EBV. Sure it was a common virus, but it wasn't something that James would've thought to test for. Eh. Epstein-Barr could mean anything and nothing at all, though. Sometimes it was asymptomatic and sometimes you got herpes.

Jimmy was just raking his brain for something with EBV roots that turned people blue when everything came to a crashing halt. That was what he got for roaming the hallways with his nose in a file, he mused. The oncologist seemed to have stumbled over --on top of, even-- a younger, pretty someoneorother. The first thing he noticed was the mousey brown wavey hair, which smelled good. James backed up instinctively, hoping he hadn't knocked her off balance or anything, his face turning an interesting shade of red. "I, uh, ohmygod, I'm so sorry." The file fell to his side and his other hand rose from his pocket, though he was unsure of what to do with it. "Are you alright, miss?"

[Brianna Grey]

Not being the only one to be lost in thoughts of her own, she was suddenly jerked back into the world aroun her as someone walked right into her. Being much smaller than the man who'd hit her, and not expecting it, she nearly feel. Luckily, and unluckily fo rher, she was standing at the wall. It ment that she was able to catch herself pretty easily... but it also ment that she hit the wall. Well, you take the good with the bad, and she didn't hit it too hard.

Using her arms to steady herself out of instinct, she'd dropped her drink on the floor. That was going to need to be cleaned up, and she felt bad for dirtying up sucha clean place. Maybe she shouldn't have been drinking in this part of the hospital... oops. She'd have to remember to be more careful in the future, and keep her food and drink consumptions to the cafeteria.

"I'm alright, I'm sorry about the floor."

She could clean that up. If she found the bathroom, she could get towels or something. But before that, she had to look up at the man that had crashed into her in the first place. He looked like he was really sorry, and that was god. It hadn't been on purpose, so it was completely forgiven. Accidents happen, what was the point in holding grudges? Brianna gave him a warm smile, before looking him over quickly to make sure that he wasn't hurt. He looked fine, and he was a doctor, so he would know where to go if he wasn't.

"It's a tight maze."

[Dr. Wilson]

James's eyes flitted down to the spilt substance; at first glance, he'd thought it was a urine sample, if only because of that one time House had knocked into an Asian kid and thought the same thing. But no; as it had been for the kid whom House had given a stroke, the stuff was only apple juice. That was a relief, to be sure. He'd look back up at her, glad to see that she was fine. Where Greg might've had no problem with hitting people, Jimmy felt incredibly embarrassed. "Ah, don't worry about the floor, I'll ask the janitor to fix it up." It'd be a welcome change for the man who was more accostomed to cleaning up various bodily fluids.

She was indeed younger than he, but she was very pretty, he noted. There didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her, either, so poor Wilson was glad to see that he hadn't run over a pregnant woman or a dying person or...something. Not that they all weren't dying anyway, but that was a morbid tangent he didn't much feel like probing when there was a girl standing before him. "A maze indeed. Are you...looking for something?" She did look sort of lost, after all, and there weren't many visitors who wandered around just outside his office. Unless, of course, they were visiting the chapel, which she didn't seem to be doing as she was heading in the wrong direction for that.

[Brianna Grey]

"Oh, ok."

She knew that there had to be janitors around. She wasn't used to using them, though. When she was in her own class, she liked to do the cleaning herself. Well, that was after she taught the kids how to clean up after themselves for the most part, then she got to finish up and make sure everything was prepared fo the next class and that everything was safe. Bree found it calming in it's way, and she also didn't like other people to move around her work. It was just unsettling, and art could be a very personal thing. The children in her class were very young, still, but she made it clear that they could express anything that they wanted or needed to get out.

That's why she was sure to make it a safe and private feeling environment. It was one reason that Brianna had gotten into art in the first place. It was a way for her to express herself when she was a kid, and nobody understood her. She could let herself feel free in that way, even if nobody ever saw what she did, nobody had to see. It was for herself, and now she could teach children to help themselves too. However, this was spilt juice, and if the janitor did it, than that was the way it worked here.

"No, not really. I've never been here before, and I didn't want to get lost next time I come."

Brianna tended to be very calm and casual about going to the hospital. She'd done it so often, and it usually went the exact same way. Sometimes they took some blood, sometimes they varried the tests slightly, but it was always the same in the end. They weren't really looking for anything anymore, she bet, it was just a precaution because of what she did for a living. You have to be careful with children, they need to be in safe and trust-worthy hands.

"Were you in a rush?"

[Dr. Wilson]

It wasn't really that Wilson was too lazy to clean things up on his own; on the contrary, he was something of a neat freak and he hated to bother people with his needs. However, he knew that towels from the bathroom would still leave a huge sticky spot on the floor, so it was probably best if they just called a janitor and been done with it. Which was why, as a nurse that Wilson knew walked past, he flagged her down. James was familiar with the girl, often seeing her on her cell phone outside the building with a cigarette in one hand. She didn't look too busy, and she was fairly nice besides. "Miss Kes, would you mind sending a janitor down here to clean up a bit of spilt juice when you have the time?" The woman nodded, smiled, and continued on her way to the elevator.

With that taken care of, he turned back to the woman he'd bumped into, his ease in the hospital rather obvious. An honest smile was given to her as she explained her presence in this not-often visited section of the hospital. He nodded understandingly, and though he thought it a bit of an odd explanation, he let it go. He was not the puzzle-crazed doctor that others tended to be and didn't like to pry if he didn't feel like he needed to. Then, however, she brought his attention back to what he'd been doing before. Annoying, how he got sidetracked so easily by the gentler sex. "Not a rush, no, I was just...absorbed in a new patient." He let out the vaguest of chuckles and raised the file as proof. James really did need to go back to what he'd been doing, however. "I'm sorry again for bumping into you. Is there anything I can do for you before I go, miss?"

[Brianna Grey]

Brianna couldn't help but giggle a little. He kept caling the women "miss". It wasn't funny, in a sense that she was making fun of him, it was just funny because of how rare it was. And how odd, because of the way people tended to speak. Noone said Miss the way he was using it anymore. Children said it to adults, and students to teachers, but she'd never seen someone use the word in such a gentlemanly way. It was like he'd been dropped into this time from one a few hundred years back.

"A nobleman.."

She was talking to herself just there, but it was true. And he was in a white coat... he was like a white knight. The thought made her smile, and she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear so that it was out of her eyes, where it had fallen. The way he was talking, it sounded like he was preparing to leave. Which was more than okay, he was a busy man, he had patients that needed his help in order to live. People that were sick, and needed the attention they sought, not like herself who came in for different reasons. So, she wasn't going to stop him.

"Don't fret. However, does the mysterious stanger have a name?"

Bree didn't want him to feel bad about his littl mistake. It happened, and if they were both alright, there was no harm done and no need to feel guilty. But if he realy wanted to do somethign for her, he could tell her what his name was. That way, if they were to see each other again, they could greet eachother properly. He was a nice man, and there wasn't any problem making new friends.

[Dr. Wilson]

Despite a considerable IQ, people skills, his years of medical training and experience as well as a considerable amount of worldly knowledge, Jimmy was mystified as to what the woman was giggling about. He hadn't said anything funny, really, and glanced down at his clothes as if to make sure there wasn't anything weird on them. No, nothing there. Why, then...her comment about a nobleman only confused him more, which was evident in the way his brows creased oh-so-slightly. It was a slightly amused confusion, however, as her laughter kept a smile on his face.

Wilson couldn't help but notice her eyes as she brushed that lock of hair out of her face, and had to fight to keep himself from blushing once more. She really was quite...entrancing, he admitted to himself hesitantly. James was still trying to adjust to the idea that it was okay to flirt since he was no longer married, and while he was getting there, he still caught himself forgetting that he was divorced at times, in the same way people forget that the year has changed in early January. He extended his hand politely as he replied with an amiable smile; "Dr. James Wilson. And you are...?" Perhaps he'd meet this woman again some time; if he did, he'd like to at least know her name.

[Brianna Grey]

Yes, there was that confused look. Well, she was used to that. Brianna had gotten used to getting confused or questioning looks by people, just because they didn't think the way she did. She just understood things in a different way, and often comented on them. When it happened and it wasn't something that you would expect to hear, people did that look. But he was still smiling, so it was all find. That was another reason kids were so great to work with. At that age, they were very open about things. As long as you taught them to stay open, they would do anything.

However, there was another look in his eyes that she didn't quite recognize. A certain way that his brown eyes shimmered at her, it was as if he was thinking something, but for once, it was Brianna that didn't understand. It was an interesting feeling, she liked it. The mystery of it was fun, and the anticipation of one day finding out what it was that was going through his mind was kind of exciting.

"Teacher, Brianna Grey."

That wasn't so odd a comment, at least not to her. He'd said that he was a Doctor, so she'd just been as curtious and told him what her profession was. It was a little more obvious what he did, seeing as they were at his place of work, and his coat gave him away so easily. Her smile had never faltered, if anything, it had grown a little during their brief conversation. She took his hand in her slender one, giving his a gentle grip. She wasn't the strongest girl, but she wasn't planning on doing much fighting, so it wasn't a problem.

"I hope I see you again soon."

[Dr. Wilson]

Though he was glad to know Brianna's profession (Jimmy'd always liked teachers. Nice ones, anyway), he hadn't really meant anything by calling himself 'doctor.' It was mostly habit, and he was distracted besides. It probably was fairly obvious that he was a doctor, anyway, what with his ease in the hospital, giving orders to nurses and holding patients' files....which should be his priority at the moment, he chided himself. Wilson noted her gentle grip happily; he was far too used to the rich 'handshake' that many snobby women gave him anymore. Their limp, pampered hands confused and intimidated him. He felt comfortable with this girl, though, which was a welcome change.

He returned his hand to his pocket, though, as James prepared to scott back off to work. A wry smile crept onto his handsome face as he replied; "Just so long as you're not one of my patients, Miss Grey." It was a constant fear of his, after all; hell, it was a constant fear of many doctors. No one wanted to have to treat someone they knew. Family members, friends...pretty, intriguing girls they'd bumped into in the hallway. But that sort of foreshadowing was brushed off as he nodded a final time to her. "Take care." And then, he was off, trying to get his mind to jump back from Brianna to this patient...Ryan? Except his little smile was still lingering even halfway down the hall. Jimmy really needed to work on his distraction problems with girls or House would surely start calling him a philanderer once again...