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The imminent feeling of a headache grew more prominent the longer he sat there. The dull throb of it had begun to root itself just behind the Glabella, that space just above the nasal bone that had become home to many of these frequenting headaches. Dennis had finally found time away from his new ‘normal’ to hide himself away from the harsh July sunlight, and so he gingerly tucked himself into the shallow bend of the room in an attempt to tuck himself into the shadows for a moment of relief. This was his first time away from his home state of Nebraska, and things here in Pennsylvania were decidedly contrasting. Dennis was still deciding if this whole ‘turn a new leaf’ journey was worth his time at all considering his time had no limit, when the door opened and the outline of a man walked in. From his stooped position, Dennis couldn’t tell who had entered the room as his view of the mystery figures face was obstructed by the break-rooms table. That said, a caustic scoff followed its owners entrance. “Robby’s ‘outstanding’ attending prowess already has one of the new residents cowering in the corner of the break room i see?” Frank Langdon, Dennis could tell by the impish sarcasm “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it… he’ll never stop being an ass-hat mind you, but you’ll get used to it.” The flippant tone in which he’d said ‘ass-hat’ made Dennis wince a little, the thought of being accused of gossiping about his new boss on his very first day didn’t sit right with him. Dennis stood inelegantly and offered an inept chuckle. “oh uh - no no, nothing to do with Dr Robinavitch’s uh…. leadership skills.” he assured with an awkward chuckle before he took a breath “ah uh- i just had a headache…is all” he added. For his supposed ‘charm’ and ‘charisma’, he didn’t half feel foolish and human. Langdon just hummed and threw a sideways glance at Dennis before returning his gaze to the mug he’d just taken from the cupboard in front of him. “Whitaker right?” Frank said, stirring some ground coffee into lukewarm water. Dennis nodded modestly before frank spoke again “nice chit-chat, but Dr Robinavitch is expecting all of you new residents to meet in the hub for a quick ‘briefing’… i say briefing loosely as it is mostly him bitching, but nevertheless…go” he hummed. Dennis flapped a quick “oh right of course! thanks…” before he left his sanctuary of shade and silence.
meanwhile, Robby was leaning coolly against the fringe of Dana’s desk and studying a rather occupied looking chart. The pained seam between his eyebrows seemed to darken the overall complex of his normally handsome looking face. As any day, this day was proving to be challenging for all parties involved, including Robby who had just grumped to himself before sighing. He checked his watch once before tapping it twice with the knuckle of his right index finger. a nervous habit he had picked up over the many years of none stop trauma cases. Before long, a small apprehensive gathering of new residents assembled together. Robby looked up from his watch, the crows feet around his eyes softened for a moment before his gaze scanned each face as he attempted to recall each new name. Victoria Javadi, Trinity Santos, Melissa King and a Dennis Whita- . Robby hesitated for a moment, right… a missing resident, perfect. He frowned for a moment before clearing his throat, he’d get to the missing staff member in a moment “Ah right, good morning everybody and welcome to the pit-” before Robby could continue his welcome, whom he presumed was Whitaker disrupted his thoughts as he awkwardly hurried into the gathering that had accumulated around him. “shit, sorry! sorry i lost track of time.” Dennis gushed hastily. ‘what a great first impression Denn’ he thought to himself: late to the briefing, already complaining about a headache to a senior resident and the possibility of being accused of gossiping about his boss. Trinity snorted from beside him “psh” she huffed, grinning from ear to ear “seems as though i don’t have much competition, a newbie who can’t keep time and Crash over here has already fainted” she jested, pointing lazily towards Victoria, who seemed to be glowering at Santos with enough frustration to power the entire hospital. Robby cut in with a harsh cough. “right, if everybody could please settle down, i would like us to grow up and start our shift” he implored, but his eyes had never really left Dennis. There was just something about him that felt almost trance-inducing in an unorthodox way. His skin seemed so pallid, almost bloodless, but he didn’t look sickly like you’d expect. The curls that framed his forehead and temples were flaxen and aureate whereas the curls at the base of his neck were dulling to a fawn colour. His eyes though, they were what entranced Robby in the first place, so aphotic that they almost seemed cavernous. Robby couldn’t help but let his eyes marvel Dennis’ enthralling complexion. He felt shameless, he had never encountered an individual so compelling before. Dennis felt his cheeks heat up , well as much as they could for a vampire. He could feel the flush paint his skin. Robby shuddered, eluding all of the frenzied thoughts from his sudden hyperactive imagination. “As i was saying” he expressed slowly, “good morning, welcome to the Pitt. I apologize that this is the first time we have met, as the saying goes, there is no rest for the wicked” he began “we all understand you are new here and may be nervous for your first day” he continued thoughtfully, flipping a sheet on his chart. “As you may or may not know, my name is Dr Michael Robinavitch,or Dr Robby for short, either is fine” he finished, before motioning behind him towards Dana. Dana caught the movement and looked up, however she stayed silent as she picked up the squealing phone “This is Dana. She’s our charge nurse. She is the ring leader of our circus. Do what she says, when she says it.” as Robby continued Dennis had began to look around him, and abruptly thought to himself: ‘how dense was i when i thought about coming here? the place is practically bursting with silver and people bleeding out… I’m going to be constantly ravenous and seared if I’m not careful.’ Dennis stood there, his thoughts focused elsewhere as he chewed the fleshy edge of his lip with the needlelike points of his fangs, he was doubting himself, doubting his choices of choosing this path. He was contemplating just leaving, giving up before he even had chance to leave his mark or make himself memorable . But every time he looked, no, thought about his new attending, he had this stupid tug in his stomach as if he were stuck on the end of a fishing wire and Robby was the fisherman. which is stupid! they’ve barely even interacted yet. “FUCK!” the abrupt cry cut through Dennis’ fantasies and the overall din of the busy ER. Dennis’ hackles immediately raised and his head flew towards the cause of commotion, Robby was demonstrating the correct way to handle a scalpel when a rushing paramedic dashed passed, pushing the honed end right into Robby’s flesh as he made contact with Robby’s dominant arm. After the initial shock faded from the atmosphere, all the new residents seemed frozen in time, completely perplexed. However, Dennis rushed over. What possessed him, he didn’t know. But before he could demur, he was already making his way over to Robby, already being pulled in by the idea of getting closer to his attending, even for a second, it was senseless . “its okay, nothing too deep” Dennis said quietly, after raptly inspecting Robby’s arm “just a flesh wound is all” he began. He was about to speak again when a sudden forceful, albeit, ambrosial smell overpowered Dennis’ senses, sending his instincts haywire. the aroma was something Dennis had rarely had the luxury of smelling… type AB negative blood. What a treat!…what a nightmare.