You’re a first year resident at thirty years old. That’s.. not necessarily common, but you’ve gone through a lot. And knowing that McKay is a forty-two year old R2 makes you feel a lot better about the fact that all of the other residents and med students are younger.

You’ve been working with Cassie for the majority of your first shift, and you’ve found yourself enjoying it.

A few hours after your shift started, you and her brought back a new patient from the waiting room.

The two of you led her to an empty room so you could stitch up her laceration.

She explained to you how she got the cut while you were cleaning the wound and beginning to sew it up.

McKay was asking her questions about her job while eyeing your handiwork at the same time, giving you advice when needed.

Tasha, your patient, explained that she’s the sommelier at Altius, a very fancy restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh.

Once you’d gotten from the start to the end, you had McKay check your stitches, and she then told you what to do to close it up entirely in order to bring the wound edges together.

She asked Tasha her favorite wine she’s ever tasted, or the most expensive one. Her answer was the same for both— a 2011 Domaine de la Romaneé-Conti.

She then asked how much a bottle cost, and you were told that it had been sold for eighteen thousand dollars.

“I’m about 18 grand short and a friend of Bill’s, so I’ll have to take your word for it,” she told Tasha, nodding her head while watching you work.

Once you finished closing the wound, you explained to Tasha that she’d need to come back in two days for a wound check.

She thanked you both and went on her way. After she left, McKay led you out of the room and down the hall.

You had known right away what she meant when she said she was a “friend of Bill’s.” It’s a euphemism for members of Alcoholics Anonymous, but the whole point is keeping anonymity, so you’re not really sure if you should tell her that you are too.

But your better judgement seems to be lacking, and you really want her to know that you can relate to her.