The Mafia's Heirs

22. I Have One More Question

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"Well, you will have to keep the cast on for a month or two. And that's that." River told the twenty-year-old Deric Richards who had successfully snapped his femur into two in a motorbike accident.

Amateurs. Can't even handle some alcohol.

"Can I start riding after that?" He asked.

"Yeah sure." River said.

"As soon as you get a new ride that is. I heard yours died on site."

River cleared her throat and gave her chirpy overly-optimistic intern Valerie Pierce a side eye though internally, she really couldn't agree with her more.

"My condolences." Valerie finished while River rolled her eyes.

She checked his charts and talked with his guardian and was on her way out when the door opened from the other side, and she came face to face with him.

"River?"

River forced a smile on to her face, straining her facial muscles against the scowl they wanted to form and replied, "Long time no see, Eric."

"You are a doctor now?" He chuckled, as if it was the funniest joke of the century.

Adjusting his helmet under his arm, he invited her back but she declined. "Maybe another time. I have to do my rounds."

She quickly walked out followed by Valerie who quickly fell into pace with her.

"Who's Mr. Ink dermis?" She asked.

The doctor turned to her, a smirk on her face. "A douchebag I used to date." Not any douchebag; this douchebag was her first everything.

"Ahhh.." She said, dragging it. "I figured as much."

She pulled her strawberry blonde ponytail up and pointed at the back of her neck. "See that, that's my pipe."

River scrunched up her face.

"Valerie, I think you should go back to middle school if you don't know where your wind and food pipe is."

"No no Doc, pipe - P.I.P.E - It means Perv Induced Piloerection."

"Wow." River rolled her eyes. All her interns were idiots. Or weird. Or both.

'Am I the only one who thinks maturity is a sham? Everyone is immature once you get to know them. Or is it just me?'

"I know right." She said. "I am pretty proud of myself for that." She patted her own back causing River's brow to perk up yet again.

But then she was glad that she was here with her now. Unlike the usual set of idiotic interns, she was cursed with, Valerie wasn't particularly scared or nervous around River or the patients. It didn't hurt that she got everything right too. And she was very friendly and sweet. But, she was very talkative!

Rounds weren't boring anymore. Surgeries weren't tense anymore. Lunches weren't lonely anymore. She was a bit annoying at times but it was fine.

It was like River got her younger self back.

"You know him, don't you?" River asked her after a while.

"Which runaway in NYC doesn't?" She spat out and looked her senior in the eyes. "Did he ever hurt you?"

"He spent five years in jail for that. You?"

"He wasn't directly involved. Michael Jahn-"

"The Hammer." River chuckled. She was not going to forget that character in this lifetime.