I Want You

It Goes Like This

"Either this map is dumb or I'm dumb and I know I'm not dumb," Benjamin Warren mumbled to himself as he stepped into the crowded elevator. He was walking around a hospital; one at which he would probably spend the rest of his career. Two hospitals had just merged to create one mega-hospital, Seattle Grace-Mercy West Hospital. As a fourth-year Anesthesiologist resident at Mercy West, he followed the horde of his colleagues to Seattle Grace. But this place was crazy. South was left and East was down. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad. However, it was so different from Mercy West that he hated it instantly. 

The elevator bell sounded and people got off, Ben offered them "good afternoons" and quick nods. Nothing about it was good. The scrubs were a light blue. Yeah, they made his brown skin look okay, but that wasn't the point. It wasn't what he knew. Also, he'd lost his damn parking spot and that was something that he wasn't happy about at all. And the people—Jesus Christ, the people. His new colleagues... they were so competitive and so uptight and so cliquey that even on his third day, he was already contemplating going back to his college job as a librarian. The last person aside from him got off of the large elevator. "Stupid ass elevator, so damn slow."

"Maybe it's you who's stupid... and slow," a voice said from behind him. He'd thought that he was the only one on the cart. He turned around to see a short, Black woman eyeing him furiously.

"Sorry, I didn't know...," he sighed. "I didn't know anyone else was on the elevator. That was inappropriate."

"It was," she said. Ben faced the front of the elevator. He checked his watch. He was late. So late—he'd had to go back home to change after spilling coffee all over his clothes. In the house, he sat on the edge of his bed smelling like roasted coffee beans. And wondered if he should even go to work at all. His enthusiasm with anesthesiology had dwindled a lot lately and it wasn't just the merger. That was just what he blamed it on. In reality, he was still heartbroken. Three months ago, just as he thought things were getting serious, his girlfriend of two years had left him. He'd felt ready enough to pop the question when he found a note saying that she was moving on—without him. Ben shook the sad memory from his head and looked over his shoulder to see the woman on her phone. He took a second to take her in. She looked familiar. She had on the same color scrubs that he'd be putting on soon, which meant that she was in on his level. He read the name on her lab coat, "Miranda Ba—" The rest of the coat was covered by her arms. Barns? Banks? Barclay? Battle?

"And, uh, what exactly are you looking at?" She asked, not looking up.

He smirked to himself. "Nothing. I just want to ask for some directions."

"You're sure? Because I know you're not dumb," she said impersonating him.

He let out a genuine laugh. "You have good hearing."

"And perfect eyesight," she responded moving next to him. He had a good six or seven inches on her. And even looking up at him, she didn't look intimidated or unsure. He liked that. "Unlike you. Let me see that." She grabbed the map out of her hand. "You got, ugh, you have the damn thing upside down." Her voice was strong and firm. She reminded him a lot of his older sister, Angela, who didn't have the patience for inane things.

Ben bent down to see what Miranda was seeing. "Wow. Mm. That explains a lot. Thank you."

She shook her head and spoke again. This time her voice was much softer: "What floor are you going to?"

"Three. To get scrubs."

"Oh! They're by the dispensary. You're a doctor?"

He nodded. "Don't sound so surprised. Men can be doctors, too."

She tried to hold in a laugh, succeeding. "Surgery?" Ben shook his head. Miranda made a noise. "Don't sound so disappointed."

The elevator dinged again and she got off. "Don't tell me what to do," she said over her shoulder. Ben watched her walk down the hall, her head high. She saw someone she knew and turned with a smile on her face. The hairs on his forearms stood up. The doors closed and Ben headed to the third floor.