Strangest CircumstancesFrom chapter 6…
Marshall shook his head, trying to clear it. “Aiight, yeah…I was gonna ask about that other fag, Tomas or somethin’. Ya know, the other doctor? What’d he do, exactly? You got all freaked the other night when I asked.”
Kat stilled, and her eyes flashed indignantly. “I did not freak!”
Marshall chuckled. “Yeah, ya did. So, what’d he do?”
“Nothing, he’s just gotten into trouble with the board before,” Kat said. Marshall looked at her. “Why are you so interested anyway?” She asked, eyes narrowed.
Em shrugged. “Just curious. Coz you had such a reaction an’ all.”
Katya sighed. “He made a few advances on me, when I was a student here, ok? I turned him down, he wouldn’t say no, and when I refused him repeatedly he got nasty. That’s all.”
Proof screwed up his nose. “Ain’t he a little old for you?”
Kat nodded emphatically. “Oh yeah. One of the reasons I told him to get lost.”
Then she looked at Marshall. He was scowling furiously.
Chapter 7
“Marshall?” Kat ventured cautiously. He looked ready to explode.
“What?” he growled.
“Why are you scowling?” Katya sounded almost bemused.
“What’d he do?” Marshall ground out, ignoring her question.
Kat looked at Proof for help. He shrugged; truth be told, Marshall didn’t usually react like this for anyone who wasn’t his woman. Proof was as at a loss as Kat.
“What the fuck’d he do?” Marshall repeated angrily.
Kat frowned. “I told you already, he hit on me. Not that it matters; anyway, it’s in the past. And it has nothing to do with you, so I don’t know why you’re getting all agitated.”
Marshall took a deep breath. He knew he was over reacting; he barely knew this woman, why the fuck was he getting so pissed? It was just the thought of that other doctor touching her, trying to get her into bed, made his blood boil. She was so… vibrant, too good for that doctor.
Oh, but not too good for you? His inner voice mocked.
“Isn’t that against the rules or shit?” Marshall asked, managing a relatively casual tone.
“Yes, which is why he got into trouble.” Katya said patiently, rolling her eyes.
Marshall just nodded.
“’Ey, yo, I’ma get going.” Proof said. Marshall turned his focus to his friend.
“Aiight, thanks for looking after Hai.”
“Anytime, dawg, you know that,” Proof turned to Kat. “Bye Doc,”
Kat smiled. “Bye Proof.” He returned her smile, and thumped Marshall on the back on the way out.
“I should be off as well,” Kat said, turning to leave.
“Wait!” Marshall called. She faced him, looking confused.
“Yes?”
“Do you uh…would you like to get a coffee or somethin’ down at the cafeteria? I don’t wanna leave the hospital, coz of Hai an’ all, but…” He trailed off, shrugging.
Kat looked at him, the confusion not leaving her face. Why would he want to have coffee with her? To talk about Hailie’s diagnosis maybe?
“You know, Mr Mathers, if you wish to discuss Hailie’s condition further, you just have to ask. You don’t need to have coffee with me,” Katya informed him.
Marshall looked at her like she’d grown another head. “Who said anythin’ about talk ‘bout Hai’s injuries? And I told you to call me Marshall, aiight?”
“You…don’t want to talk about Hailie?” Kat asked, surprised.
Marshall scowled. “No. But if you don’t wanna have coffee wit’ me, that’s fine.” He started to turn.
“I’d…I’d like to have some coffee.” Katya said hesitantly. What am I doing? Is this…are we going on a date?
“Aiight….we go down now then?” Marshall smiled, genuinely for once. Kat returned the smile, still hesitant, and followed him out of the room. Her shift was over anyway.
~*~*~*~
Three days later, Marshall decided he didn’t need to stay at the hospital any longer. Hailie was fine there by herself, and at night she was sedated anyway. She still had to be in for another six days, as the doctors had decided a ten-day stay would be better for her recovery.
He’d had another ‘date’ with Dr Morgan, as well. Just down to the cafeteria, again, but it was a start. Marshall hadn’t exactly been getting out a lot lately-between Hailie, Kim, Shady Records and writing, he’d been run off his feet. He wasn’t exactly sure where he was going with Kat, either. He certainly wasn’t looking for a relationship-hell, he’d practically sworn off women for life.
Still…something about the tiny doctor had caught his attention. They’d spent, in total, 4 and a half hours over two coffee dates, and the whole time was spent in conversation. Now that he thought about it, he could barely remember what they’d talked about. His music, for one thing. Her life as a doctor; she’d told some funny emergency room stories. Marshall had talked about Hailie, of course. He could barely get through a conversation without mentioning his daughter.
But, when he really analyzed their conversations, Marshall realized that he knew as little about Katya as when he’d first seen her. She was remarkably good at dodging personal questions. He’d asked her where she’d grown up; she’d told him she moved a lot, and that she was born out of America, but had moved here when she was younger. He asked why she’d gone into medicine; she said she’d always been interested in helping people.
He asked about her family; she said she had none. Marshall frowned. The more he thought about her, the more he realized how elusive she was. After all, she knew all about his life. He’d told her about the break up with Kim; she surprisingly understood, and she’d listened when he bitched about the fact Kim was off with her latest boyfriend. Reflecting, he couldn’t believe he’d told her all that personal shit. Marshall, typically, was a private person. Despite the fact he aired his dirty laundry for the world to hear, he hated talking about his personal life. In interviews, when reporters were stupid enough to ask about his home life, they quickly found themselves frozen out.
His thoughts returned to Dr Morgan, and he realised he still hadn’t gotten a proper answer from Kat about what happened with Tomas. He was sure there was more to it than the fag hitting on her.
~*~*~*~
Kat couldn’t believe the week she’d had. She’d been on two quasi-dates with Marshall, gotten all her editing for two weeks done, and Hailie was recovering quicker than expected.
Of course, Kat was tired. She barely noticed; she was used to it. It seemed she was tired all the time now. Ever since…But no, she wouldn’t think of that.
It was late. Nearly 2:00 am, in fact. She was just finishing her 12 hour shift. Putting the file away, and picking up another one, she sighed. She’d already checked them all, she realised, seeing her signature at the bottom. Well, that was her done. Turning, she headed to the elevators. She had her head down, and as one opened; she bumped the person stepping off. “Sorry,” she mumbled. Fuck, she was tired. The world was spinning, and her vision blurred slightly. In the last 48 hours, she’d gotten four hours of sleep.
“”Ey, yo,” Em said, when Kat didn’t say anything to him.
“What?” she looked up. A tired smile broke out on her face when saw who’d spoken to her. “Oh, hey Marshall.”
“What up?” He stepped back inside the elevator.
“Oh, nothing. I just got off duty. Wait…” she frowned. “What are you doing here? It’s 2:00 am!”
Marshall shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh,” she nodded. Reaching up, she brushed a stray lock of hair back from her face. It was fighting a losing battle really; although her bun was still in tact, tendrils had escaped and were framing her face.
Marshall caught sight of her hands, and his mouth dropped. Grabbing her wrist roughly, he inspected the palm.
“Marshall? What the hell? What are you doing?” Kat looked at him, confused. She hid her other hand behind her back, as an automatic reaction. Katya didn’t like her hands.
“What the fuck you been doin’?!” He asked, his temper threatening to flair again. Her small, delicate hand was covered in scrapes and bruises; her palm and fingers were badly blistered, and there were numerous splinters buried in the tanned flesh. He was willing to bet the other hand was exactly the same.
“Oh,” Katya realised. She tried yanking her hand away from him, but he wouldn’t let go of his grip on her wrist. “It’s nothing; they’re always like that.”
“What the hell’d you do to them?” Marshall asked. Looking at her abused hand, he was struck by a sudden impulse. He brought her hand up to his mouth and gently kissed her palm. She gaped at him; what was he doing? He looked up and caught her surprised gaze. His blue eyes met with hers; and it was a contest of wills as to who would break first.
Kat wanted to look away. The way he was looking at her was dangerous; everything about him was dangerous. When he looked at her like that; with tenderness, it felt like he was seeing straight through every barrier she’d every put up. And she couldn’t afford that. Who was this man? One minute he was angry; fierce, and the next he was looking at her like she was a fragile creature that would break if handled to harshly. Finally she tore her blue eyes away from his, and using his distraction as an advantage, yanked her hand away from his grasp. She was severely unnerved.
Marshall smirked. Katya was looking slightly flushed; it was certainly an improvement on her sheet white colour of a few minutes ago. “So, what you been doin’ that got your hand like that?”
Kat looked at him suspiciously. He asked a lot of questions; why did he care? “My other job,” she explained reluctantly.
“Aiight, what that be?” Em asked impatiently. She wasn’t dodging any more questions; now he knew what her game was, he’d be more persistent.
Kat backed up slightly, so she was in the corner of the elevator. They’d been on the second top floor, but surely they were nearly at the bottom? Looking at Marshall, she realised he wasn’t going to drop the subject.
“I work at the midday markets on Tuesday, lifting and moving crates,” she explained.
Marshall didn’t look like he believed her. She lifted crates? She was tiny! “But you’re a woman!” was the first thing that came out of his mouth. He could have kicked himself when he saw her eyes narrow.
“Well, yes. Is there a problem with women doing jobs like that?” She was glaring at him, and her tone was icy.
“No…but…but, you’re small!” Marshall pointed out.
Katya rolled her eyes. “You’re not exactly a giant yourself.”
Marshall glared back at her. “But I’m a guy. And, I’m bigger than you!”
“I’m stronger than I look,” Kat shrugged.
“Why the fuck’d you work there?” Marshall demanded, remembering how their original conversation.
“I can work anywhere I want!” Kat said haughtily, sensing criticism.
Marshall nearly screamed in frustration; she was so defensive! “I know that!” he said testily. “I’m just wonderin’ why a gorgeous woman doctor would be working at a place like that!”
That stopped Katya short. Gorgeous? He thought she was gorgeous? “Gorgeous?” she asked.
Em rolled his eyes. Christ, this was why he’d given up on women! They were so fucking unpredictable! “Yeah, you’re fucking gorgeous, but you musta known that. Besides, it ain’t the point. I just wanna know why the fuck you work at them markets!”
Kat wondered briefly why he expected her to think she was gorgeous, but decided that she better give him a proper answer before he hit something. He was looking very frustrated.
“I work there because I need the money.”
Her simple answer made Marshall bite back all the cutting remarks he had. “But…” he frowned, confused.
“If you’re going to tell me I’m a doctor, and therefore I shouldn’t need the money, don’t bother. I’m still paying off my med school fees, and that, coupled with living costs, means that I need all the work I can get.” Kat said wryly.
“Why that job?”
“It’s the only one that fits in with my schedule,” Kat sighed.
“Excuse me?” A voice intruded on their thoughts. They both turned to face the speaker. An irate looking doctor stood there. “Are you two planning on getting out of the elevator, or are you just going to stand there and talk all night?”
“Oh!” Katya flushed. “Sorry, sir.” She stepped out of the elevator, giving the doctor an embarrassed smile. He smiled back dryly, showing that he wasn’t too annoyed.
Katya began walking away, all thoughts wiped from her brain, except for the picture of her bed. “Katya, wait!” Marshall hurried after, stopping only briefly to glare at the doctor as he got into the elevator, checking out Kat’s ass over his shoulder.
Kat turned, tiredly. “Marshall, can we continue this another time? I just want to get to bed.”
He looked at her closely; she looked like she was barely managing to stand up. “’Ey, you aiight?”
She smiled thinly. “I’m fine, just tired. Now, I’ll say goodnight, if you don’t mind.”
“Are you alright to drive?” Marshall asked, concerned.
She waved a hand carelessly. “Of course, I’ll be fine. Goodnight Marshall.”
He looked at her; she was swaying slightly, and her eyes were drooping. He made a decision. “Uh uh,” he was shaking his head. “No way are you fit to drive. I’ma take you home.”
“No!” Kat wasn’t too tired to protest it seemed. “I’m fine. Besides, how am I supposed to get to work tomorrow if you take me home?”
Em thought for a minute. He was getting too involved in this doctor’s life; he knew that. But he couldn’t help himself. “I’ll pick you up. Now come on, my car’s out here.”
“I’ll be….” Katya started, and then gave a small shriek. She’d been swept off her feet, in the most literal sense. “Marshall, what are you doing?!”
“I’ma carry you out to the car, else we be standing here all night.” Em calmly informed her, ignoring her flailing arms as she struggled to get down. Damn, he thought. Doesn’t she know what all that wiggling’s gonna do to me?
All the fight went out of Kat suddenly. She was tired, and Marshall was warm. In fact…she surreptitiously nestled closer to his hard chest. He carried her securely; clearly her weight wasn’t a problem for him, she thought, as they entered the parking lot. Some of the nurses were outside taking a smoko, and they gaped at the sight of one of the doctors being carried like a child.
Katya thought she might fall asleep before they even reached his car. God, she thought, he really did tone up. Through the sweater he wore, she could feel the muscles in his chest flexing, and his body heat warmed her as she laid her head on his shoulder. Fuck she was tired!
Marshall smiled at the half-asleep woman in his arms. For someone he didn’t know very well, they were remarkably comfortable with each other. He reached his car and put Katya down gently. She was still leaning against him though; at this point he was almost certain she couldn’t stand by herself. Opening the door, he deposited her gently inside. She roused herself enough to smile drowsily at him, and he quirked an eyebrow. “D’you need me to put your seatbelt on for ya?” Marshall asked teasingly.
She flushed, and scowled at him. “No!”
He grinned and winked at her, and then shut her door. Walking around to his side of the car, he took deep breaths and attempted to pull his mind back from the gutter. He couldn’t help it; all her wriggling as he carried her, combined with the way she’d looked sprawled across the car seat…
Shaking his head at his own thoughts, Marshall slid into the car and glanced across at Katya. She was slumped against the seat, eyes closed. Her cheeks were flushed now, and she looked…delectable. And he was overcome with the sudden urge to kiss her senseless. Marshall began leaning over the gearshift, getting closer to her full, pink lips….
“Marshall?” Kat asked, confused. She’d opened her eyes, and he was looking at her really strangely.
He stopped, abruptly, and pulled back. “Aiight, so what’s your address?” He asked gruffly.
Kat looked a little dazed, still wondering about the expression on his face, but she managed to rattle an address off anyway. He gave her a sharp glance, hearing it, but said nothing as the car started and they pulled out of the parking lot.
“Well, here we are.” Marshall stated the obvious, as they pulled up in front of a sorry looking apartment block.
Kat shook herself into wakefulness, feeling suddenly awkward. “Uh, thanks. For driving me home and…everything.”
Marshall turned to her. “This ain’t exactly the best part of town. You really live here? By yourself?”
Kat scowled; she hated being criticised. “Yes, I live here by myself!” she answered peevishly.
Marshall held his hands up in defence. “I was just asking!”
Kat looked sulky. “Thanks for driving me home. Goodnight!”
“Wait!” Marshall called as she opened the car door. He seemed to say that a lot to her….
“What?” Kat asked, in frustration. She just wanted to get to bed.
“What time do you want me to pick you up?”
“Pick me up?” Kat blinked stupidly.
“Yes!” Marshall sighed, exasperated. “To take you to work? Where your car’s at?”
“Oh,” Kat thought. “Um, 11:30 tomorrow morning ok? I mean, this morning.”
Marshall frowned to himself; there wasn’t a lot of time between now and then, when was she going to get some sleep? “Aiight. How about I take you for lunch?”
“Lunch?” Kat repeated.
“Yea, you know, that meal people eat about midday?” He was sarcastic; but it was late, after all. And he was tired. Maybe not as tired as her, but weary nonetheless.
“Umm. Ok, I guess.” Kat was too tired to do anything but agree.
“I’ma see you then, then.” Marshall said. “Night.”
“Yeah,” Kat muttered, getting out of the car. “G’night.” With that she turned and entered the apartment block. Marshall sat in his car for a long time, watching the now empty doorway.
Author: angelic_devil@shadyfiction.com
These stories are for entertainment purposes only. They are completely fictitious, and the authors mean no harm to EMINEM, his family, friends, or anyone else that may have been depicted as a 'real life' character. No money was made on the fiction here, either directly or indirectly, i.e. paid advertising. In other words - it's just a bunch of shit we wrote for fun. Please don't take it seriously.