invasion

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When you get sick, it starts off with a single infection

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When you get sick, it starts off with a single infection. One lone nasty intruder. Pretty soon the intruder duplicates. Becomes two. Then those two become four. And those four become eight. Then, before your body knows it, it's under attack. It's an invasion. The question for a doctor is, once the invaders have landed, once they've taken over your body, how the hell do you get rid of them? What do you do when the infection hits you, when it takes over? Do you do what you're supposed to and take your medicine? Or do you learn to live with the thing and hope someday it goes away? Or do you just give up entirely and let it kill you?

Her nervous system was being invaded by anxiety. Stood in the parking lot, her hands shook as she stuffed them in the pockets of her jacket. She stared up at the large and daunting building attempting to steady her breathing. In and out. Easy. She evened her breaths quickly without drawing too much attention, that would not be a great first impression. "Oh hi, yes I am a new doctor here. Give me a second while I'm having a panic attack, I'll be right with you". Not someone you'd want to leave your kids with.

To put it in the simplest of terms, Phoebe was shitting herself. She thought that she still had a few years to prepare to be the new kid again but times change and hospitals merge. So here she was, once again feeling like the outsider. Being a military child may have left her with some residual scars from being moved so constantly and carelessly. You would think that it would become second nature but Phoebe just dreaded it more and more, until she didn't have to anymore. But then of course she wished for the moving and upheaval of her life as the alternative, losing a parent, she found out was much, much worse.

Once her hear rate steadied, she set her face in a neutral expression and strode forward through the doors of the hospital, her heeled boots clicked against the hospital tiles, exuding so much confidence that it had her debating why she chose med school over drama school.

She studied the freshly buffed floors and bright walls that made her squint her tired eyes. Phoebe noted the overbearing disinfectant smell that once filled her with dread, that now simply reminded her of home. The scent made her fingers tingle with an eagerness to pick up a scalpel.

Suddenly, a booming voice made its way to her ears and her eyes instinctively rolled. Without even sparing him a glance Phoebe called over to her dearly missed colleague (and roommate who had left her to arrive alone).

"Oh Charlie, I was really hoping you didn't make the transfer. These guys must suck if you made it through the merger."Her blunt tone caught Percy's attention and he gave out a sarcastic laugh in return. 

Once their eyes met, Phoebe and Charles shared a rare, genuine smile as he responded.
"Yeah, pretty sure I'm just here because chief couldn't say no to these eyes. I mean come on, you look me in the eye and deny me. It can't be done."  He shrugged.

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