DISCLAIMER: Doctors and its characters are the property of the BBC. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Brief context - Doctors is set in a GP surgery. Zara is a (somewhat bitchy) GP, Michelle is the practice nurse and Cherry is another nurse who is driving everyone nuts by going on about how great her boyfriend is because he took her to France.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Cheerful is Overrated
By Purplepapillon
"What are you doing, hiding in here?" Zara demanded, peering at Michelle, who was looking none too pleased at having been discovered lurking in the corner of an otherwise empty examination room. While the doctor's voice had been stern, however, there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye which told Michelle that she was on safe ground and the usually cheerful nurse grimaced at her colleague as she formulated her response.
"Seriously!" she muttered darkly. "If I have to hear another second of that ooh-la-la-isn't-my-boyfriend-simply-amazing nonsense I think I'm going to have to stuff the whole stupid box of truffles right down her throat."
Zara snorted with laughter, entering the room fully and pushing the door closed behind her. She opted for what she hoped was a nonchalant pose, leaning against the door frame, all the while eyeing Michelle keenly. Zara had been searching for an opening for weeks, and it seemed like all of a sudden, she'd had one handed to her on a plate. She made a mental note to thank Cherry someday - it seemed that her inane drivelling about her larger-than-life boyfriend had served a purpose after all - and grinned at the sullen nurse in front of her. "Don't forget the Camembert," she quipped.
Michelle snorted with laughter and eyed the dark-haired doctor gratefully. "I bet he only took her there to stock up on cheap booze," Zara continued, unfolding her arms as she relaxed into the conversation and slipped onto the edge of the bed on which Michelle was sitting.
The nurse nodded. "I bet he made her eat horse without telling her what it was," she countered, getting into the game.
Zara rolled her eyes. "I bet he was shagging the maid and gave her herpes."
"Ugh." Michelle spat, shaking her head in disgust. "Trust you to bring out the gross diseases." She paused, then sighed, her eyes suddenly sad as she regarded the doctor wistfully. "She really has got it all, though, hasn't she? She's just so cheerful..."
Zara winked conspiratorially, as if letting Michelle in on an open secret. "Cheerful is overrated."
The nurse raised her eyebrows sceptically, inviting her colleague to continue.
"Oh come on," Zara challenged. "Cheerful is just so..." she pulled a face as she searched for the right word "... so blah." She ran a hand through her hair and attempted what she hoped was an intriguing and pensive look. "Dark and brooding is so much more mysterious."
"Dark and brooding?" Michelle echoed incredulously. "Isn't that just a euphemism for moody and aggressive?"
Zara rolled her eyes in mock-exasperation. "Are you calling me moody?" she demanded, taking a step towards Michelle, who shuffled hurriedly back on the bed, wondering suddenly if she'd misjudged the entire situation. A couple of seconds passed - long moments in which Michelle's cheeks grew steadily pinker as she racked her brains for an appropriate and tactful response - before Zara's face relaxed into a smile and a low chuckle rumbled in her throat.
Michelle frowned. She was used to Zara's teasing. Contrary to what she might habitually lead the doctor to believe, their easy banter was one of the things that made her working day more bearable. But her last utterance had shown an edge to Zara's voice which the nurse had never heard before. It was different to the tone she took in staff meetings, when she wanted to tell someone they were talking crap. It was different even to the tone she'd used to tease Cherry that morning. It was lighter... sexier almost. Michelle flushed bright red as an uninvited concept suddenly ambushed her thoughts. Was Zara flirting with her?
As much as the thought had taken Michelle by surprise, what had come as more of a shock was the distinct lack of urge to be anywhere but there, and the sudden butterflies which had started their merry flight around her stomach. She looked up to find Zara still towering over her, gazing at her intently, and her blush instantly deepened. Had Zara been able to read her thoughts? Did she know what Michelle was thinking? The nurse opened her mouth to speak, but found herself gaping like a goldfish, unable to think of words to express any of the ideas currently racing full pelt around her mind. She opened her mouth again, but found that words were suddenly redundant as Zara's lips closed on hers and kissed her, briefly but firmly, leaving no room to misinterpret the sentiment behind the action.
It was Zara's turn to blush as she pulled away, a rarely-seen insecurity burning at the back of her eyes as she awaited Michelle's reaction. She felt her cheeks flare with colour as the nurse stared at her for a long, protracted moment, her brow furrowed in confusion. Just as Zara was about to break the stalemate with a gabbled apology and excuse, however, Michelle reached up and pulled her down for another kiss, reciprocating with more certainty, devouring Zara's lips as if she'd been waiting for the moment forever. Her hands tangled in Zara's hair as the doctor's tongue eased forwards, cautiously at first, then more forcefully, drawing a soft moan from Michelle as Zara claimed her mouth.
As they eventually broke apart, the doctor in Zara suddenly seemed to remember where she was: A cold and uninviting examination room into which any of her colleagues could walk at any time. "I should go," she spluttered, mumbling something about patients and prescriptions and running a hand though her hair to restore it to its usual neatness as she crossed towards the exit.
At the door, however, she stopped suddenly and turned to face Michelle, who was still sitting in stunned silence, her finger lightly tracing her lips. "Moody, I object to," Zara stated, in as level a voice as she could manage. She paused briefly, before winking at the nurse. "But I'll give you aggressive any day you like."
The End