cherry flavored lollipops;;

[Roxi]

Brown eyed gaze studied the chart before her. Slim finger's grasped the metallic back while she wrote various information about the patient; with a final dot, she concluded the information required and placed the chart back in it's plastic holder.

one little peek. Thats it, just one... Casually, Roxi took a look inside; what awaited her was that of a very tearful boy, hiccuping and in major pain. The strings on Roxi's heart tugged a bit, though she tried not to let it show. Had it been an adult, she probably would have told them to suck it up...not really, but the feeling would have been there. Gently, she eased the door open wider. 'Well, at least he has a parent here,' she thought with a smile. She knew all to well the pain of an ear infection, and when you had no one there, it really sucked.

She gave a smile to the woman, who was slightly showing early signs of pregnancy. She gave a final nod and turned her attention to the brown haired boy. Kneeling down, she attempted to get to eye level and succeed. She wasn't as young as she felt anymore... Roxi grinned and tousled the boy's hair, "How about a lollipop hmm?" She paused to reach into the pocket of her scrubs. Thankfully, she always had a lollipop handy, especially in pediatrics. Carefully, she pulled out a beautifully wrapped cherry lollipop, and held it open in her palm. It took little to persuade the boy, who was happily enjoying the luscious candy.

Roxi gave a final smile and stood, dusting herself off and retreating out into the hall...

God she loved kids.

[Marcus Sisneros]

There weren't many things Marcus hated more than the morning after an on call shift. How much time asleep, total, had he acquired during the night? Oh, right, less than one hour. It was funny, but not really, how even if you got a little sleep, when you woke up you didn't feel any better than you did before. Especially when you've been brought back to conciousness by an shrill, beeping pager. Important as they may be in a hospital, sometimes he felt like he could throw those little black devices against the wall.

He was pushing the doors open that lead from the operating room to the nurses station as he thought this; he'd just finished a surgery. It was nothing particularly exciting, just a woman who had been hit by a car and needed an exploratory laparotomy, one of the more common procuedures he'd been doing, even in his short time as a surgeon. The operation went without a stitch, which was of course very good. Marcus hadn't even gotten a splash of blood on himself, that was a suprise. Leaning against a counter and scanning his eyes over the chart of another patient he'd operated on very early that morning, he took off his thick rimmed glasses and cleaned them on his shirt absnetmindedly. He was nearsighted, so he could still see the chart he was reading without much trouble.

Marcus felt antsy all of a sudden. He need to walk somewhere, but it was mid-morning, his lunch break was still at least 45 minutes away. Not really having the option of going outside and walking across the street, instead he went to the elevators, where he pressed a random button. Hopefully, it would take him to one of the floors in the hospital he didn't visit often. Feeling the almost empty elevator, save for a older nurse and a lab technician, lift, he crossed his arms and waited for the doors to open. It didn't take long; they opened at level three. The two women didn't even flinch towards the door, so he figured this must be his stop.

As he walked into the pediatrics wing, Marcus looked around. He'd been up here before, but it looked like they'd changed some things around since the last time he saw it. Running a hand through his hair, he bagan ambling around the nurses stations and through the corridors and hallways and pretended like he was doing something important.

[Roxi]

Roxi tapped her pocket, keeping track of how many candies she held; still a few left. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, trying to get a better view of the area. She supposed she could take a break, but she was so backed up on work. She'd most likely work through lunch; just like always. It never ceased to surprise her how often these girls never got work done.

A sigh tore from her throat in soft vibrations; tired eyes gazing at the nurses station. She was head nurse, she should be on top of this... With a frown, she dragged her wary body, rounded the counter and headed straight for the files. She alphabetized, reorganized, and placed them all in the correct order; all in record time. After that, she made a few calls to some patients about their appointments and scolded a few nurses on their lack of efficiency. Work work...never play for such a dull girl. Right?

Sure, she had a little thing a while back, but that didn't count. It was barely a one night stand. She'd been invited to a bar by her friend, her only friend since she moved here. Pretty pathetic, she knew. Regardless, she was invited out...met a man and..pretty much the same story ever told...

A one night stand; Roxi shivered at the thought. She wasn't one to really do anything like that, honestly. It was just...one of those days. Hours at the hospital had made her such a lonely woman, things...happen. Well, it's not like she'd ever see him again. It's a one in a life time chance. It would ne-

Light brown eyes widened like saucers, this had to be a joke. Some weird, sick prank by God. There before her in a surgeon's attire, stood the man she undoubtedly had... relations with. In a panic, she whirled around and tried to lose herself in the files, though it was a complete failure when she ended up colliding with a wheeling chair and a desk. "Who the hell put that there," was the only grumble she could muster. She just hoped the sound wouldn't catch his interest. If it had, she could only endure the snickering of her peers and suck it up. Maybe it wasn't him? God help her.

[Marcus Sisneros]

Happy that he had the freedom to think about things other than how to keep a person alive, Marcus was pretty deep into his own mind, thinking about whatever. He saw a man wheeling a small body bag placed on a stretcher in the opposite direction as him; he quickly veered away from that depressing scene. It was an unavoidable fact in the hospital, people were going to die, every day, but when it was children, Marcus didn't think any doctor could become completely numb to that.

The idea scattered from his mind when he saw a woman, a nurse, no doubt, judging by what she was wearing and how busy she was at the nurses station. She was definitely familiar; she sparked something in his mind. Could it be? Her...? Shit. Marcus never thought in a million years he would be the guy to forget the name of a woman he'd had sex with. Neither had he thought he would even have a one night stand, apart from those few instances in college, but look what happened there. So, was it her?

It had been a few weeks ago, and he was a little intoxicated when it happened, but still, it wasn't enough to impare his memory. Reyna, that was her name. Damn it, no that wasn't right. Reba? Rosie? Rachel? No, no, and no. None of those were even close, that much he knew. At this point, he was obsessing over it. He forced himself to look back to that night, get any sort of hint as to what her name was. For a split second, he had to smile in nostalgia. Well, you couldn't blame him, he was a twenty seven year old man. Marcus shooed the thoughts away. God, he could be a pig sometimes.

He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't figure out what this girl's name had been. At the sound of a collision and talking, he wheeled around. Yeah, now he was almost sure it was her. The sound of her voice somehow confirmed that. Honestly, the last thing he wanted to do was speak to her. Yeah, Marcus would really like to avoid that conversation at all costs. But what the hell was her name?!

Trying to be casually, he turned around and walked past her, trying to as sneakily as possible catch a glance at her ID badge that would most likely be hanging from her shirt. Although it was really a few seconds, it felt like forever, because nobody wanted to be caught looking at a girl's chest, furthermore, at work. And then, it came to him, without even looking at the name tag.

Roxi.

[Roxi]

'God, Roxi..What the hell is wrong with you.'

The thought screamed inside her head; she didn't exactly know what was going on right now. Stumbling, she tried to regain her composure, as much as possible anyway. She picked up her runaway stethoscope, her pens and candies, and placed them all back where they belonged. What a wreck, she was flailing all over the place, over some guy she hardly knew. It's possible that he didn't even know who she was. They were both pretty wasted at the time, so it's a strong possibility that he wont even recognize her. Some hope.

Carefully, she straightened herself out, preparing to brave it all; however, she couldn't mistake the silhouette of a man in the corner of her eye. It had to be him, some how she knew. It was like...gravity. She was pulled toward it, and knew it could only be Marcus. She didn't have to think to hard to get his name, she's mentioned his name many times during that fateful day. God, how embarrassing; she couldn't believe she was blushing right now.

She took a deep breath and only now realized, she was still surrounded by people. She glanced around and frowned, motioned with her hands toward the pile of files, "Get back to work." With that, she decided it was better to take a breather, this unexpected visit from Marcus had her going crazy.

Slowly, she peeked her head around the corner, looking out for him. So far, so good. Maybe he hadn't even noticed her here. Perfect. Gently, she gathered her lunch bag and cautiously walked toward the break room. Well, nearly ran to be honest. Once inside, she closed the door and headed for the small rounded table; with a big sigh, she sat down on the plastic furniture, sitting felt wonderful. Home safe! Roxi ran her hands through her hair, trying to calm herself of the situation. Roxi was just blowing this out of proportion..right? Probably, but it was hard not to when you nearly run into a one night stand. A one night stand that happened because of the alcohol she consumed. And, the thing was, she hardly drank, if ever! It was just a bad night, a bad night that had a wonderful outcome...

Roxi took the moment to think about the night. She was no saint, she had needs too; and it had properly been fulfilled that night. Incredible.

[Marcus Sisneros]

She'd taken notice to him, that much was completely obvious, but did she know he'd recognized her as well? What if she had? What if she thought Marcus was some kind of stalker, coming up here to spy on her? Of course, that wasn't what he was doing, it didn't even cross his mind that Roxi worked in pediatrics, not until he actually saw her. She wouldn't know that, though, she couldn't read minds.

Maybe he should talk to her. Was that why she looked so hurried and frantic, because she was mad at him for not even trying to contact her in the last few weeks? Now he felt just plainly rude, and as much as he didn't want to, at least saying "Hi" to her seemed like the most polite thing; Marcus would look like a complete dick if he didn't, especially when she most likely knew that he'd seen her.

That was a two way street though, he should just wait for her to come talk to him, but the reality was that his pager would probably go off at any second. It was a wonder that he'd been up here for this long without being called back down to the Trauma Ward. So did that mean that it was his responsibility to start a conversation? He still sort of didn't want to. She most likely wouldn't care if he did or didn't, neither did he. They hadn't been dating-

Before he could even continue on with his inner debate, much less make a decision, Roxi had gathered her things and walked through a door, taking a break it looked like. For the first time, he looked around at everyone else. A few other woman who worked at the hospital were looking at him like he was crazy. He knew how nurses talked and gabbed with each other about gossip and such. Had Roxi told them, or did they hear from the small number of guys Marcus had told? Was that even the reason why they were giving him these weird looks, or was it just because he was a little out of place here?

And why was he asking himself so many questions anyways? Was he even making sense anymore?

Marcus stopped himself at once and headed toward the elevators. He was heading back to his place immediately. No way in hell was he going to possibly let a patient in need suffer because a surgeon wasn't even on the same floor, and wouldn't go downstairs because he was arguing with himself about a girl. If she wanted to talk to him, she would, and he made that final.

[Roxi]

Over and over, she'd replay the scene in her mind. They had a good time, that's for sure; a damn good time. Though, she'd look like a fool or some desperate woman if she tried to talk to him again. What if he had a girlfriend and he was just playing her? What if he find's her ugly? They both had plenty to drink that night and anyone's perception can be quite skewed.

Roxi bit her lip and debated weather to run outside and talk to him. 'Should i...shouldn't i?' She fiddled with her thumbs and looked to the ceiling. 'Should i...should't i?' The sounded of a distant bell rang and pierced her thoughts. It was an elevator bell. She had an idea... She could meet him in the elevator and wait inside. He'd be bound to strike up a conversation if he knew it was her; maybe. Well, it's better then nothing.

With a fast pace, she got up from her chair; immediately disregarding her lunch and headed out the door. She nearly jogged down the corridor and toward the elevator, however she stopped to a halt when she noticed he wasn't even there yet. Slowly she attempted to sne-

What the hell was she doing sneaking around for? This was some nonsense. Marcus has single-handedly made her brain turn to mush. If she wanted to get some answers, she'd get them. She might as well apologize too, she did some things and probably took advantage of the poor guy while she was intoxicated. Roxi'd get on that elevator, but she wouldn't be sneaking around, and what better place to do it in private then the elevator?

Straightening herself out, yet again, she casually walked toward the door; as casually as she could make it anyway, and nearly walked up right behind him. With slight courage, she walked past him and toward the elevator he was going to use, 'that way he wont thing I'm stalking him or something... not that I would,' she thought with a inward groan. She scolded herself for such thoughts and proceeded to press the button about ten times. Nerves. She couldn't believe she was nervous.

'Marcus... what did you do to me'

[Marcus Sisneros]

Maybe she was acting like this because she had been in some relationship at the time, and he'd been put in that "other man" position. What if they broke up, and he was the reason for it? Did he have a murderous, over-protective ex-boyfriend to worry about, on top of everything else he was constantly thinking of? What the hell was he even thinking? Marcus was just making stuff up at this point, excuses and reasons. All of it was racing through his mind as he continued toward the elevator.

Suddenly, a person's body was walking next to him, for a split second, before it continued on ahead of him. Of course, it was Roxi. That was the last thing he'd been expecting. By the looks of it, she was heading toward the elevators too. Well, they were hurdling toward one awkward ride. Elevators were weird enough when you were standing there with strangers, sometimes packed like sardines, but empty with the exception of a one night stand? That sounded like a whole different ball game.

Was she planning this? A creative way to corner Marcus and talk to him?

Nah, that couldn't be... well, maybe. He couldn't deny that he half-way wanted it to happen. By now he was about twenty yards from where she was now standing, looking nervous and antsy. Yeah, she had done this knowingly, but he wanted to know why she was being so fidgety about it. Had she regretted everything that happened? Because, in all honesty, he sure didn't.

When he stood right next to her, in front of the elevator doors, he looked down at her face for a split second. Marcus hadn't forgotten what she looked like-he wouldn't be here if he had. However, his clouded memories didn't do Roxi any justice. She was a beautiful girl, that much was true. He looked away before he gave time the chance to make things even more awkward.

Idiot, say something. "In a hurry?" he tried casually with a raised eye brow, taking note to Roxi jamming her finger on the button several more times than necessary.

[Roxi]

Roxi felt eyes on her, she knew. It was instinctual, however, she'd make sure to hold what little composure she had left; though that nearly came crashing down when she heard his voice. Nimble finger's retracted as a crimson tint washed over her. "Oh, not really, just.. Sometime's the elevators' take forever," she gave a slight laugh and stared at the metallic doors. She fiddled with her scrub shirt, noting a small ink spots on it. Probably when she was filling out some charts and such.

Roxi bit her lip, trying to think of other important things she should probably be doing. Comforting a child, keeping an eye on the other nurses, controlling the gossip mill... So many things. She didn't even have business on any other floor but her own. Still, she couldn't walk away. 'Just apologize and that's it. He'll walk out and go on with his life.' Slightly, Roxi assured herself that this was what needed to happen. Right?

The ringing of an elevator's bell knocked on her ears. It was now or never. Roxi took a breath, making it seem not as obvious, and proceeded to walk in. Casually, she placed her hands behind her back and leaned against the metallic railing that was placed on the wall. She waited for him to proceed in, she really didn't want to get in this elevator for nothing; that would really, really suck.

Roxi turned her gaze to Marcus and smiled. He was quite the looker. It was no wonder they ended up together in the first place; she even felt the attraction now. Who would have expected they've been working at the same place! Whether it was fate or not, she knew this was something special... or it had been. Regardless, she'd most likely remember that night forever, no matter how hard she tried to forget. She just hoped he did to, and didn't hate it; or her for that matter.

[Marcus Sisneros]

Watching her features flush pink, he searched frantically for something to say. All they needed to do was get past this first little barrier, and things would somehow cut the tension and lighten the mood... right? To Marcus's displeasure, her words gave him little to go off of. "So - er - I haven't seen you in a while?" he tried to state, although it came out more like a question. "How are things?"

Then, it hit him: what if she was pregnant? Shit. Had that been why she'd been so flustered around him? He didn't want kids, not now anyways. And knowing his religious mother, they'd have to get married as soon as possible and -

What was he even thinking? There he was again, making up worst case scenarios in his mind without having any clue to lead him to that. Marcus was partly convinced something was wrong with him. The fact was, they'd used something that night (hadn't they? he almost couldn't remember.), so why was he worrying about things like that? He took a deep, but still discrete, breath pieced his thoughts together. This was just a girl he had drunken sex with. Once. As complete strangers. So what was the big deal?

The elevator doors slid open in front of them with a light ding noise. He gave Roxi a moment to walk in before he stepped on himself. As she turned to look at him, he caught her and smiled slightly back. For a second, he started extending his hand to poke the button indicating his desired floor, but he stopped half way to it. Be polite. "What floor are you going to?" He asked, forcing his voice to sound confident.