CHAPTER 42: All In A Day's Frustration

It'd been a frustrating day at work for Julia Epstein...first, the bus she was on during her morning commute had broken down, then she desperately tried to catch a subway train but couldn't find a space in the rush hour crush, then an old lady collapsed through a lack of air on one train and Julia had to help her medically. In the end she arrived an hour late for work and got chewed out by Dr Murakami. Her day didn't get any easier either; she was assigned all the worst jobs, from changing bedpans, mopping floors and taking people's temperatures....the unpleasant way. To add insult to injury, the canteen failed to provide a kosher lunch option. Her friend and colleague, Francesca Griffith, arranged for a suitable sandwich meal to be delivered to Judith so she wouldn't drop through hunger.

"Ugh, Murakami hates me; that's the only explanation!" said a frustrated Julia to Francesca.

"You need a break...why don't you and me check out that new art installation over at Crawdad Quarter this evening?" said Francesca.

"Won't your family need you?" replied Julia.

"Husband's off with his friends for 'gaming' night and our daughter's with my parents this evening....I was going to catch up on some revision for my promotion exam but I can make up the time later....you need serious cheering up!"

The exhibition at Municipal Muses was "Artifacts of Late Medieval France" and it was hardly a sell out with the two of them the only ones in the place.

"I expected more....more...." said Francesca.

"Gild? I was thinking that as well...I don't think they've labelled the piece properly either: It says on the card that this armour belonged to a duke but looking at the decorations I'd say it was more that of a fairly prosperous knight...not too wealthy as you can see the armour doesn't cover the full body and has chain mail segments" replied a very confident Julia.

"I didn't know you're an expert in medieval armour?" said Francesca.

"More of a passing fancy...I know more about early Renaissance German art than French medieval"

"I think you shouldn't let Murakami get to you, Julia" said Francesca after a while.

"Grrrr, that woman drives me up the wall!" growled Julia. "She has it in for me! I know it!"

"She's strict with all of us...our hospital has the best track record of any in Sim City. You need to be patient, you need to be in control and also you need to demand more respect from others there. For starters, you lay down the law about what food they should serve...they got it wrong because they don't care enough. Make them care." said Francesca.

"Sigh, I'm sure you're right...I'm just so tense right now and that erroneous artifact sign is bugging me as well!"

Francesca smiled and wrinkled her nose. "I know what we should do next!" she said, grabbing Judith by the hand. The next thing she knew she was being dragged two doors down to the Blue Velvet nightclub.

"Dancing?" asked Judith.

"Sure...and maybe you could meet a cute guy as well?" said a beaming Francesca.

"Ugh....I don't want to meet any guys; cute or otherwise" replied a disgusted Judith.

"Oh..." Francesca looked embarrassed for one moment. "I didn't know....well, that's OK by me...I'm not judging"

"And no, I'm not interested in cute girls! I'm not that way inclined either...I have dedicated my life to the pursuit of knowledge and excellence and relationships are a barrier to my goals"

"How about some fun in general then?" smiled Francesca.

"Well....erm....I am not averse to fun if in the pursuit of higher goals" said Judith.

They went into the nightclub but Judith nearly bolted and ran when she saw way too much physical contact between men and women as they danced. 

"Francesca" Judith began "You have been a good friend to me since I started at the hospital, let me buy you a drink and some food"

"Thanks, I'll have what you're having"

Judith went to the bar and tried, politely, to gain the bartender's attention...without much luck.

It was very crowded at the bar until a well dressed middle aged man seated right in front of her turned and said "You can't expect to be noticed by being mousey, little lady. What do you want, I'll order it for you"

"Two sweet n' spicys and two of those delicious looking giant pretzels they have as well, thanks"

The man snapped his fingers and got the bartender's attention. He placed the order and turned to Judith. "My treat. By the way, I hope you don't mind me saying but if you took off those glasses and let your hair loose around your shoulders you'd be very beautiful"

"I do mind you saying, and I'll pay for my own round thank you" replied a cold Judith.

"I'm a bit of an expert in what men find desirable. I'm Alan Cuffe, owner and editor of Lothario magazine"

"I've heard of your salubrious publication...it is not to my taste" said Judith.

"It's not meant to be. But it influences fashion, style and looks. You could learn from it."

"I am not influenced by such trivialities and thank you for your help in getting my order...good evening, Mr Cuffe"

Back at the table Judith gave Francesca her drink and pretzel. "Do you see, Francesca, how sleazy men are?" she said.

"Oh I get it all the time from male patients. I tell them my husband's a professional wrestler"

"Is he?"

"Oh no, but they see the wedding ring and what I say is enough to frighten them"

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly. Judith had a little too much to drink by the end of it and it loosened her inhibitions. Seeing a young man attempting to sing "Yeah Yeah"...badly...she couldn't stand it anymore. "Someone needs to accompany him on the piano and that person is me!"

Judith got up and began to play. Francesca smiled....Judith was a young woman of many talents but she was sure hung up over so much!

CHAPTER 41: Five Little Maids

 

One of the perks of being in the police force was that it allowed an ordinary beat cop to enjoy the luxury facilities of the Skye Fitness Club, courtesy of a year’s free membership to all at the 13th Precinct for their assistance in resolving the hostage situation last New Years’. Action had a daily exercise regimen and in his view why just pound around the local streets when you could enjoy the luxury penthouse views whilst on the treadmill?

After showering and getting dressed he noticed Nancy Landgraab had just arrived. Their eyes made contact for only a second but it was enough to prompt her to break off her warm up exercises and head over to him.

“Officer Action” she said as a greeting.

“Mrs Landgraab. I hope you are well” he replied.

“I am and thank you for keeping Mortimer Goth off my back”

“I just keep the peace, I don’t insert myself into other people’s problems”

“I understand and your impartiality will not affect the Landgraab Foundation donation to the Police Veteran’s Fund.”

“Why should it?” Action remarked.

“Oh…no reason. You protect and serve…just remember who that is” she said, cool as you like, before returning to the treadmill. Action watched her go, suspiciously, and headed off to work.

13TH PRECINCT HQ, 10:58am

“Chief wants to see you” said Officer Datta.

“Makes a change…he usually wants me nowhere near his office” replied Action, sauntering off to the Captain’s office.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” he said, after entering.

“Action…sit down! I know you like to be out in the field but…you’re too slow getting results!” said the Captain.

“I gather evidence, sir, with all due respect” said Action.

“Well, sometimes you have to knock a few heads about to teach the villains on the street just who’s boss.”

“I don’t like to haul some juve into the slammer and then find out he didn’t do the crime” said Action.

“I want results today, Action….actually I want results YESTERDAY! Get to it!”

“Yes. Sir” said Action, getting up to leave. No sooner was he out of the Chief’s office than Sergeant Kitchen approached him.

“Hold your horses, Action, there’s been a big burglary over at the Solar Flare lounge in Oasis Springs” he said.

“I’m on my way” said Action, putting on his cap.

THE SOLAR FLARE LOUNGE, 10:28AM

A full squad was on the premises already gathering evidence. Action noticed some unusual marks on the ground and brought them to the senior detective’s attention.

“Footprints…two sets. One large, man sized. One smaller but also male. Although the length would suggest a female it’s too broad and has to be a man’s. They ran across the flower bed here and into a getaway vehicle…you can see the tyre marks there; that indicates a quick getaway. I reckon it was a large vehicle as well; pick up truck or van.”

“It looks like a load of artwork’s gone missing.” Said Datta.

“Makes sense; the Solar Flare promotes a lot of new artistic talent on its premises so they have originals but they’re not well guarded.”

“And we’ve got some witnesses as well…I’ll dust for prints, you start the interviews.”

“Typical, I bet I’ll get the confused old ladies and retired majors….oh, hello nurse!” said Action, noticing who the witnesses were. Three very attractive young women.

The first was called Judy Dyble and she described the van she saw parked out the front. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it leave or who drove it but I definitely noticed it was parked oddly. I got a partial licence plate…651 is all I remember, sorry”

“Well, don’t be, that was very helpful Miss Dyble” said Action, warmly.

Moving on to his second witness, a perky blonde called Skye Warner, he got more information.

“I saw two guys run out of the building carrying paintings…they wore ski masks but one I noticed wore a short sleeve shirt and shorts…he was young looking. They waved a gun at me and I had to duck behind this stone bench”

“That was the right thing to do…and very brave of you to remember those details; it all helps” said Action, again trying to put Miss Warner at ease.

The third witness was inside the lounge: A striking young woman called Chloe Gibbs who was dressed in the height of mod fashion.

“I…I…was rehearsing for my live set when these two men in ski masks burst in and took the paintings there and just over here. They tried to grab my guitar but when I protested they waved a gun in my face…I’ve never been so scared in my life since….since….well, I heard my husband was killed at Ia Drang last year.”

Action put down his notepad. He’d fought at Ia Drang as well; it was a desperate fight for survival.

“I’m an ex-Marine, ma’am, I understand” he said, sympathetically. “Anything else you noticed?” he continued.

“Well, one of them…the one with the gun…got real close to me and I could see his eyebrows were red. He must have red hair”

“That’s very useful, Miss Gibbs”

“Call me Chloe”

“Sure thing. Now listen, Chloe, I’ve got some photos of some suspects here in this holder. I want you to look at them to see if you recognise any of them.”

Chloe looked at the photos in turn and shook her head. “No, they don’t look like the man I saw…it’s the eyes that I remember. They don’t have the same kind.” She said.

Action thanked her and headed back to the police station…he felt for Chloe, being a widow so young was rough and how many brothers in arms had he seen lose their lives in combat, never to see their loved ones again?

Back at the station Action looked at the evidence gathered and started to put together a crime map. What he had so far was two men, a van description, one of the men had red hair, a short sleeve shirt and was wearing shorts but no names yet. A new pair of villains working the town? Perhaps.

Action was having a drink of water in the evidence room when he heard the blades of the ceiling fan start to sound like the blades of a Huey helicopter. The room got hotter, like the jungle and he could hear cries, screaming and gunfire all over again. Chloe’s story reminded him of how he’d narrowly avoided getting killed himself and it triggered a Vietnam flashback.

The shift had ended and Action needed to switch off from work. He was hungry and remembered the Spice Festival was happening tonight. That sorted out his food problem…now he needed the company of a beautiful lady….he’d been casually seeing Katherine Bowie, the socialite, and things had been going well between them. Phoning her as he was ending his shift, she agreed to meet him in the Spice Quarter.

“Hard day at work?” she said, instinctively reading his face.

“You could say that…fancy some decent chow?” he replied.

“Always up for that and pleasant company” she smiled.

The festival was busy but they found a place to sit, eat and talk.

“I’ve always been grateful for the presence of the police…I couldn’t do what you do, couldn’t put up with the horrible and wicked things people do” she said.

“4 years in the Marines trained me well to deal with it” he replied.

“That’s what I admire about you, Action, your bravery" she said before breaking into a smile "amongst other things"

Action smiled as well and leant in towards her.

"So what's a rich girl like you doing with a brother like me?" he said.

"I don't care for categories...I see someone I like, I want to be with them" she said, calmly.

"Aren't you bothered by what other people might think?"

"Are you?" she said.

Action shook his head. "Never needed or cared for affirmation from others" he said. "Let them think what they want...I don't let them stop me"

"We're very much alike, John" she said, smiling.

CHAPTER 40: The Tree

 

After the last few days doing field research for "Hey, Wow!" magazine, Suzy Kent was due in the office today. She'd woken up early, showered, got dressed in her green leaf patterned mini dress and light green shoes, applied her make up and was ready to go by 7am. The trouble was if she left now no one would be in the office. For good measure, she decided to do some last minute street interviews with passers by.

Once she'd got her interview done, a strange sensation came over her...maybe it was the sunshine, maybe it was the loveliness of this tree that she remembered had a prominently marked question mark on the map of Foundry Cove that Burr DeBenning had shown her. Now Suzy felt this sudden urge to sing.

She knew it must have looked silly to anyone looking...it certainly drew a bemused smile from a little girl who happened to walk past at that moment, but sing she had to do.

As she drew to the close of her song, she checked her watch...it was time for work. Letting out a nervous laugh for anyone still bemused by her impromtu session, she quickly ran to the bus stop.

At work, her editor pulled her to one side. "Suzy...you've been out in the field chasing a story and I like that kind of initiative" he said. "However, we need articles. Now, with all that research you've done, do you have a story?"

"Well, almost one" Suzy replied. "I'd like more time to gather evidence"

"Give me a first draft of what you've got by the end of the day. That way I'll see if it's got any merit to it" he said.

She went to her desk in the open plan office, shut the noise and hubbub of fashion, pop music and movie gossip and got typing. She wrote about the rivalry between the Landgraabs and the Fengs, how the Goths fit into high society in the city but she didn't have anything near enough a consistent thread. How would she write about the Landgraab's alleged criminal activities? If she got any detail wrong she and the magazine would be sued. She kept it vague for now.

When she handed it in to her editor, he read it through very quickly. "I like your writing style..." he began. "But you talk about a trilogy of power and yet that's incomplete. You allude to criminal goings on with Malcolm Landgraab but your source is one anonymous person. I can't print this."

Suzy looked down. She knew she'd be lucky if it did get published.

"We're a trendy fashion and lifestyle magazine for the youth of today" said her editor, standing up and pacing around his office. "Will they go for any of this? Dusty old politics? Middle aged rivalries? The fuddy-duddy Goths? No, they won't go for a blow by blow account of Victor Feng vs Geoffrey Landgraab"

"I know...it's just I found some information on them and just ran with the story" said an apologetic Suzy.

"But...there's definitely something here" said the editor. "You've got an angle: Malcolm Landgraab. He's young...our target audience. He's one of Sim City's most eligible young men and has a reputation for being a bit of a bad boy. How bad? You find out."

"So...you want me to continue?" asked Suzy

"Yes, but focus on the Landgraab boy. Follow up with your contact...oh, and Suzy?"

"Yes sir?"

"Dang fine work you've done. In fact, I'm so impressed by the quality of your writing and photography that I'm giving you a promotion!"

"Thank you sir!" said an elated Suzy. She was going up in the world and, well, she could do with the extra money.

At the end of the work day she went home and cooked a celebratory dinner for one. There was a knock at the door; as usual, it was Summer Holiday. Summer had become Suzy's closest friend and the two shared a trust as well as a friendship: They told each other everything that was on their minds and this evening was no exception.

"I got a promotion at work today!" exclaimed Suzy.

"Congratulations!" replied Summer. "Let's celebrate"

The two went inside and Suzy started to tell Summer about how her boss liked her writing and that she should pursue the Malcolm Landgraab angle on it.

"So I guess our little stake out the other day paid off then?" said Summer.

"Definitely. So you'd be up for more snooping around?" said Suzy.

"Well, Malcolm Landgraab is too young for me and not my kind of guy but...hey. The other day was fun"

"Hey, you wouldn't believe what happened with me today" said Summer.

"Go on" replied an interested Suzy.

"Well, I was down at the Rattlesnake Juice Bar with some friends and this guy comes up to me and says I'm stunning and asks if I was a model"

"You don't say!" replied a shocked Suzy. "Who was he?"

"Some guy I'd never heard of but he said he ran a magazine and was always on the look out for beautiful young women who had modelling experience"

"And you think he was on the level?" said Suzy. "I mean, you could easily be a model but there's a lot of creeps out there..."

"I know and I treated him a bit cool...I'm suspicious of that kind of flattery"

"Did he say the name of his magazine?" asked Suzy.

"Lochnivar? Lottery? Erm...Lothario! That's it. Lothario magazine"

"Never heard of it" replied Suzy. "Hey, if you're interested in modelling I could hook you up with some genuine fashion photographers. There's a demand for good clothes models at the moment"

"Thanks but that's something I'm not really interested in" replied Summer. "I'm a bit two left footed and gangly"

"So...we haven't talked about our sucky love lives yet" said Suzy. "I'm getting nowhere...fast. Where are all the decent, single guys?"

"Hey, I know that Jeremy and that Barbara girl he's been seeing are getting serious now. Twice she's stayed over"

"Woooo! Good for him, he's such a nice guy!" said Suzy. Suddenly, another urge hit her....she had to dance this time. Switching on the radio she got up and had a boogie. Summer wondered what was going on.

"Don't ask me..." said Suzy. "It's been one of those days!"

CHAPTER 39: A Declaration

 

There'd been something gnawing away at Barbara Dubois and it wasn't the alleged rat that her work colleagues and the sandwich bar claimed existed in the dry food storage. The last few days she couldn't get Jeremy Saint out of her mind. The more she thought about him, the more warmly and fondly she felt. Despite the outwardly square and awkward demeanour she knew he was really a romantic and caring person. Plus he was the first guy she'd dated who wasn't interested in one thing and one thing only. Barbara wasn't a prude by any means but she liked being courted, wooed and romanced and that's what Jeremy brought to their courtship. He was also the first American she'd dated since her move from Montreal to Sim City and that made him seem more exotic, crazy though that seemed.

But this lunchtime she'd finished her shift and and was desperate to see him. Maybe he was in, maybe he'd had lunch at home? Sure, she could wait until after 5pm but she HAD to visit him just in the slight chance he was there....to see him and tell him how she felt. However, knocking at the door she knew there was no one at home. Sighing in disappointment she began to trudge off when an idea struck her...she'd leave a note for him, telling him she wanted to see him soon. Not too desperate, but clearly displaying her eagerness to meet up. She wrote a note, folded it and pushed it through his letterbox.

At a little after 5pm Jeremy had arrived home feeling crushed, disappointed and embarrassed. He was certain he was going to get a promotion today after all the nods, winks and "attaboys" he'd been getting from some of the senior staff at Dewey, Cheathem & Howe. He'd heard his name being spoken in corridors along with the word "promotion" so when he was called into J.J. Gotcha's office he began by saying to his boss "Thank you, you do me a great honour and I'm pleased to accept the appointment...can we talk about my salary?"

"What salary? What are you talking about?" said Gotcha.

"Well, the promotion" replied Jeremy

"But what's your salary got to do with Henderson's promotion?"

"Henderson?" said an incredulous Jeremy.

"Yes...Henderson is being promoted to department manager. You didn't think it'd be YOU, did you? Ha. Ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha!"

"Well, sir, it's just that there were rumours...." said an embarrassed Jeremy.

"Hey! Bronson...come in here for a moment!" said Gotcha, calling to a passing colleague who stopped to listen. "Saint here thought he'd be getting the promotion! Ha-ha-ha-ha- ha!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" said Bronson, bursting out laughing.

"What's so funny?" said a woman clutching a folder who was also walking past. When Bronson explained that Jeremy thought he was being promoted to department manager she started laughing as well. The laughter was so contagious it started to spread around the office. Soon Jeremy couldn't take it anymore.

"Gahhhhhh!" he said, running out.

When he got home he just wanted to die. If that didn't happen then he'd probably pack his bags and move back to Crested Butte.

He opened the door, sighed and noticed a little note on the floor. Opening it up, he saw it was from Barbara.

I have to see you, is this evening any good? Please call me....hugs and kisses, Barbara

What could she want to see him about? Knowing his luck is was another dumping, just like Bianca. But she did sign it hugs and kisses so maybe it wasn't all bad? He raced to the phone and called her.

"Barbara...are you alright?" he said.

"Jeremy! Oh I'm so glad you called. Did you get my message?" she replied.

"Yes...I'm free tonight as a matter of fact. Is everything OK with you?"

"Oh absolutely...I'm so looking forward to catching up with you. See you shortly" she said, enthusiastically. Jeremy smiled....she didn't sound like she wanted to dump him. He went over to the radio and switched it on and noticed his "employee of the month" award. How long ago did that seem? Now he was "laughing stock" instead.

He changed into a casual suit and started to prepare some dinner for him and Barbara. Just as he was putting the finishing touches to a clam chowder, the doorbell rang. Springing to life he saw that it was Barbara.

"Jeremy, thanks for inviting me over" she said, entering the house.

"My pleasure. So you really wanted to see me?" he replied.

"Is that so strange? I'm.....very fond of you" she said, sheepishly. She wanted to say something else but fear had gripped her out of worry of being rejected.

"Well you're in luck because tonight I've cooked another of my grandmother's recipes...clam chowder, I hope you like it"

"I love chowder...it's a favourite dish back home" she said, smiling.

They ate and soon Jeremy forgot all about the work humiliation he'd suffered. Barbara was the ray of light in his life and he wanted to tell her....to tell her how fond he was. No, that sounded weak....he felt much, much more for her but he couldn't quite say it. What if she rejected him just like Bianca did?

Barbara joked and told silly stories about her work but she was barely supressing what she really wanted to say to him. Everything was perfect right now, what if she said something that panicked him?

After dinner they went to Jeremy's study where they talked about their favourite books, places they'd like to go and things they both enjoyed. But there was an elephant in this small room and it wanted to escape! Barbara looked at her feet and scuffed one of them on the floor whilst clasping her hands....

"So....I really wanted to see you tonight. I couldn't stop thinking about you at work today" she said, hesitantly.

"I sometimes feel that way about you" Jeremy replied, looking around the room, too frightened to look her in the eye.

"I....think....well...I KNOW that I...." she began.

"I...I...I..." said Jeremy, trying to fill the silence. "...I want to say, what I mean to say is....

"I LOVE YOU!"
"I LOVE YOU!"

They both said it simultaneously.

There was a short laugh and then silence. Both looked each other in the eye and couldn't break contact. Then they drew towards each other, as if by magnetism, neither wanting to stop what was happening naturally.

They parted after kissing for what seemed like an age. Jeremy stroked Barbara's hair and finally they spoke.

"What were we ever nervous about?" he said, softly.

"I know" she said, looking deep into his eyes. "What next?" she said.

"Stay" he said. She nodded.

"I was hoping you'd say that" she responded. "As it so happens I packed some nightclothes in my bag just in case"

"Good call. Shall we retire to the bedroom?" he said, a new found confidence in his voice. Anything was possible now, he thought.

"I'll just go to the bathroom first" she said. Jeremy went to his room and changed into his pyjamas, neatly folding his clothes on top of his dresser. His heart was starting to pound...he was going to spend the night with her and...well, this could be the night where they would...he couldn't bring himself to think of the word.

His heart began to pound faster when Barbara entered the bedroom. She'd changed into her nightclothes but they were not what he expected. She was wearing a white satin basque with matching garters and sheer white stockings. She'd gone the extra mile.

When Barbara packed a bag earlier on today, in the hope that she and Jeremy would spend the night together, she wondered about how risque her lingerie would be...maybe it would make Jeremy think less of her? As she put the garments on, however, she felt seductive and alluring. Sauntering into the bedroom she stood resplendent. Jeremy's jaw almost hit the floor.

"You're....beautiful" he said, admiring her from across the room.

They slid into the bed and began to snuggle and kiss. Each wanted the other so much but....it was late, and slowly, as they were canoodling, tiredness overcame them. Before anything else could happen they were fast asleep.

CHAPTER 38: Paging Dr Epstein

 

Julia Epstein was a young woman who liked schedules and procedure. She'd been like this all her life, much to the annoyance of her family and those who knew her growing up. She was up at 6am, did a routine of light exercises and had showered, as she had done all through her college years. Finally she put on her make up, plaited her hair and put in some contact lenses...normally she didn't wear them but today was a special day and she didn't want to lose her glasses in a patient during surgery. Yes, today was her first day of work at the hospital and if she was going to assist the best surgeons Sim City had she needed to look smart and professional.

Most doctors wore their normal clothes to work and changed into their scrubs or lab coats at the start of their shift at the hospital but Julia wanted to be super keen so she wore her new, fresh out of the box scrubs on the bus. She couldn't wait to start work; four years of medical school...finishing first in her class...all came down to this: An internship at Sim City's premier hospital.

When she arrived at the hospital she just sauntered in, confident. She knew she belonged here, in the medical world, bursting at the opportunity to show her superiors just what she was capable of. Walking through reception, she made her way to the information desk where she saw a woman in medical scrubs manning the phones and looking through patient records.

"Dr Julia Epstein, reporting for duty" she said.

"Dr...Epstein?" said the woman on the desk. "Do you work here?"

"As of today, yes. Did you not see my file?"

"I haven't but I'm sure the Duty Doctor has. Let's just look through my records here....Epcott, Ephraim, ah here we go...Epstein. I see you're a first year intern."

"That's me!" replied Julia, positively.

"I'm Francesca Griffith, admin assistant. Glad to have you on board, Doctor. I'll page Dr Murakami and she'll show you the ropes."

Francesca picked up a phone receiver and put out a message over the hospital loudspeaker system. "Paging Dr Murakami...paging Dr Murakami...please report to reception please.

After a few minutes wait a Japanese-American woman with short hair and wearing a lab coat arrived in the reception area and walked over to Julia. "Ah, Dr Epstein...good of you to join us. I see you've met Mrs Griffith...now, I haven't got time to give you a guided tour of the whole hospital but it's well signposted, there's maps in every corridor and I'm sure you'll pick things up quickly."

"Now, for your first task I want you to take some food for the patient in room 2" said Dr Murakami.

"Erm, you want me to take some food to a patient?" asked an incredulous Julia. "Surely I should be studying some case notes, maybe working in the lab..."

"Oh no, I want you to take food to the patient" said Dr Murakami, matter of factly. "I have a policy where new interns learn the ropes and layout of the hospital by doing simple tasks. I don't like those fresh out of medical school...particularly ones who show keen medical knowledge but little in the way of life skills...to learn from the bottom up. Now, this meal, room 2 and pronto...Dr Epstein." she said, pointing to a trolley with a covered metal dish on it.

Julia, without saying a word, trudged over to the trolley and began to push it. Reaching the double doors to the wards, she turned to Francesca looking puzzled.

"Through those double doors and just ahead to the left...you can't miss it" said Francesca.

Julia followed the directions and found room 2. Inside was a teenage girl who appeared to be covered in spots "Early stage psoriasis or perhaps an allergic form of eczema" thought Julia to herself.

"Nurse?" said the girl, quizzicly.

"Doctor, actually. Dr Epstein. I've brought you some food."

"Oh I'm so hungry...I had an examination early this morning and missed breakfast time...I guess this is a late breakfast, maybe brunch"

"Are my results back yet?" asked the girl.

Julia walked to the end of the bed and checked her notes...name, Yuki Behr, age 17. The usual medical history...nothing out of the ordinary.

"No, not yet it appears" said Judith. "But my guess is that it's an allergic reaction to something that contacted your skin. Do you by any chance frequent outdoor places much?"

"Well...no, not usually, but recently I've found a shortcut through Newcrest to my home that takes me through a lot of old heath land that has a lot of long grasses and wild bushes."

"Ah, that's probably it. If it is then there's plenty of ointments we can prescribe."

"Thank you, Dr Epstein...you're the first person here to tell me what might be wrong"

At that point there was a knock on the door. Julia said "enter" and Francesca did just that.

"Dr Epstein....Dr Murakami has got your next task for you." she said.

"Already? What is it? Does she want me to sit in on surgery? Does she want me to take some tissue samples from this patient?" asked an eager Julia.

"No, she wants you to change the IV drip of the patient in room 4."

Julia let out a "harumph", put Yuki's chart back in its holder and left the room. Popping along to room 4, she was met by a VERY talkative old lady.

"Well you took your time...do you know how long I've been waiting for an operation? Do you? Well it's not good enough, do you hear? Not good enough...good grief, look at the state of you? Are you a nurse? In my day nurses looked like nurses...white uniforms and hats...now look at you!"

"I'm a doctor, madam" replied Julia, when the old lady paused to intake a breath of air.

"A doctor! What are you, 12? Tsch! And a mere slip of a girl as well!"

"I'll just change your drip" said Julia, who had faced plenty of prejudice during her medical training from older male doctors who thought that she was too young and slight to cut it as a doctor.

"I tell you what Mrs...." and she checked the patient's notes "...Kearney. I'll follow up with the surgeons on your time of operation" and with that she quickly made her way out of the room.

Lunchtime came and Julia grabbed a light snack from the cafeteria. She ate alone; not knowing any of the other staff apart from Francesca, who was still working on the front desk. To be frank, she didn't mind the solitude here and appreciated the break from all the mundane tasks she'd been assigned. It certainly wasn't what she expected on her first day as a qualified doctor.

Heading back to the reception, Julia asked Francesca what her next "arduous" medical task would be.

"Well...there is something the higher ups wanted you to do" said Francesca. "Something that will familiarise you with every part of the hospital, be more hands on and is part of the very wellbeing of the place."

"Ooh, sounds interesting...what is it?" asked an expectant Julia.

At the end of her shift Julia trudged out of the hospital...she was disappointed that all her cases could have been handled by nurses, janitors or candy stripers but a job's a job and she would give it more of a go to prove to the "higher ups" that she deserved better. Francesca stopped her on the way out.

"Don't sweat it; all new interns go through this process" she said, sympathetically.

"Sigh...I guess. I'm still frustrated though; I want to prove what I can do!" said Julia.

"That'll come...in time. Meanwhile do you fancy hanging out for a bit after work? My husband's taking our daughter to ballet class this evening so I've got a workout session booked at Skye Fitness...and I'm allowed to bring a guest."

"Sounds good...I don't exercise much but I'm keen to give it a try. Sure." replied Julia.

"OK, see you there at 7pm"

Julia went home, had dinner and grabbed her exercise clothes. Catching the bus into San Myshuno she arrived....as she liked to do...promptly. Francesca had also just arrived and ran over to her.

"Phew! They couldn't find some x-ray at the hospital so yours truly had to locate it for them! Doctors! Anyway, I rushed straight from there to here; I didn't even have time to change out of my scrubs!"

"Hey, this is a pretty swanky place here" said Julia, impressed by the modern state of the art gynmasium.

She and Francesca entered the gym. "Yes, this place can be expensive but my husband's a member" said Francesca.

"Maybe one day I'll earn enough to get membership here as well" commented Julia, taking in the expensive furnishings and equipment.

They went into the ladies' changing room where Julia changed into her exercise leotard. She'd never been the sporty type and wondered how she would get on here but how difficult could keep fit be, she wondered. Francesca showed her to the treadmills and showed her how to operate one.

"So, do you think you'll stick with the hospital?" asked Francesca.

"I'm determined to. It's what I've always wanted to do all my life" replied Julia. "So what's the key to winning over Murakami?"

"Hard work and a can-do attitude" said Francesca. "But I think you did all the right things today, even if they didn't seem like much"

Julia kept running on the treadmill but noticed that two of her neighbours, John Action and Jeremy Saint, had entered the gym.

"Hey, Julia, what are you doing here?" said Jeremy.

"I might ask you the same question...this place is pretty expensive" she replied.

"I know. But my boss gave me a one off pass as a promotion present. John here got a pass from one of his contacts"

Action turned and smiled. "It was more of a personal contact...if you get my drift. I've been seeing this lady who has friends on the council. It pays to be connected"

Julia got off the treadmill, feeling exhausted. Jeremy turned to her and said "I almost forgot! Today was your first day at the hospital. How did it go?"

Julia paused for a moment. Francesca had gone to the other end of the gym to lift weights and was out of earshot and she didn't want to tell Jeremy about her day of delivering food, mopping floors and getting harangued by old ladies.

"Oh it was VERY challenging" she said. "I hit the ground running, so to speak. Never off my feet for a moment with all these tricky cases."

Action stroked his chin. "Really? You made a big impression on your bosses? Normally you have to mop the floors when you're at the bottom rung."

CHAPTER 37: Home Turf

 

"Come on, Action, your shift is about to start....why are you always up here working out when there's fresh donuts in the squad room?" Officer Prisha Datta said to John Action as he gave the punch bag another mighty blow.

"Working out keeps me sharp. Eating well keeps me in shape" replied Action, once again landing a heavy blow on the bag.

"Anyway, you've got about 10 minutes before you have to be out there on the streets. You won't have time to get changed...or hit the showers, phew!" she said, making a wafting sign with her hand as she caught a whiff of Action's sweat.

"Listen, Prish...I'm so fast I can punch this bag, get showered and into my uniform faster than you could eat that donut over there" he replied and giving the punch bag one last massive hit, he grabbed his towel and headed for the showers.

His shift began with taking a suspect's fingerprints, however this cat was giving Action some sass.

"Hey! Watch the hands!" he said "These are the hands of an artist!"

"A con artist more like" said Action, non plussed.

"I'm sure it's against your regulations to be this flip with an innocent victim of your so-called justice" said the suspect, complaining more.

"Innocent victim?" said Action, slamming the guy's hand down on to the ink pad to get his prints. "Tell that to the judge, who you'll be seeing real soon"

Action finished taking the prints and handed the folder with them to Datta. "I'm going to hit the streets now, Datta. Don't eat all the donuts while I'm gone"

He had personally requested his patrol route took in his home suburb as he'd noticed some strange comings and goings there of late. Jeremy and Suzy had informed him about Geoffrey Landgraab and Gillian Hills, Malcolm Landgraab's on-off girlfriend. Plus there were the altercations between the Landgraabs and Mortimer Goth that needed to be kept an eye on. With the all the comings and goings in the area Action had a gut feeling that his shift wouldn't be quiet today.

It did, however, begin peacefully. As he walked up and down the street he noticed Travis Scott leave his house and walk over to him.

"What's up, Travis?" said Action

"Good to see you around, Action. I haven't seen you around recently. Are you still seeing Liberty?"

"It's a casual thing, Travis. I ain't looking to go steady or anything like that" Action replied.

Travis looked a little put out by this comment, mainly because he hadn't done much about his own love life. "Anyway, Action" he said, changing the subject "I noticed this couple down the road there, near the garden, they seem to be having an argument."

"So noted" said Action. "I'd better check out that scene. Catch you later, Travis"

Action made his way cautiously towards the arguing couple. All of a sudden, they stopped shouting and everything went quiet. Action stopped by a large tree so he could watch events from a more discrete distance. The couple started talking again but this time in a quieter tone. Neither of them looked happy but at least they weren't causing a disturbance. Action decided to back off for now and await for any future disturbances. But what he didn't spot was that someone else was stalking him.

Action walked back to the corner of the street but it was then the mysterious stalker suddenly rushed him and gave him a karate chop on the back of the neck. Action didn't have time to reach for his .38 service revolver as he dropped to his knees. "Take that, pig!" said the attacker. Action flicked out his left arm and chopped the back of the attacker's knee which caused the man to buckle and lose his balance. Seizing his chance, Action leapt to his feet and gave a roundhouse blow to the guy's jaw, but he was tough and fast and rolled with the punch to lessen the blow. As he recovered he gave Action a 1-2 and almost put him to the ground again.

But all the training Action had put in recently came to the fore. Action stood up and uppercut the guy in the jaw, using the momentum of his rise to give his punch more power. The guy recoiled and fell back into the lamp post. Action was quick to whip out his regulation handcuffs and in seconds he'd locked his attacker to the post.

"You need to cool off, pal!" said Action. "Now why would you go do something stupid like try to beat up a cop?"

"A....warning...." gasped the attacker, who was still stunned from the beating Action had given him. "You've....made....enemies....Action!" he continued before collapsing through exhaustion.

Action got on the radio to call in a car to take this thug away. "Well, you'll have plenty of time to name my enemies in the cooler" he said. "You stay there like a good little doggie while I go deal with the rest of the trash"

The voices between the arguing couple grew louder and was attracting the notice of the locals. Action sauntered over to them.

"I hate you!" yelled the girl.

"Hey, silly cow...you and me, it's not serious." replied the man, matter of factly.

"You slept with HER! How could you?"

"I can't be pinned down, girl, you know that."

"But my best friend as well!"

"I get around, baby, you know that. Now calm down, get your knickers back on or I'm going to have to give you a slap to keep you in line"

"You ain't slapping her or anyone else today" came Action's booming voice. The man faltered in his tracks.

"Hello officer, this is between me and the girl" said the man, not bothered by Action's presence.

"You are causing a disturbance and have just threatened to strike this lady. I'm warning you, pal, you get out of here right now or you'll be joining that guy over there" said Action, nodding to where his assailant was cuffed.

"Alright, chum, keep your hair on." replied the man, leaving the scene.

"You alright, Miss?" said Action to the woman.

"Grrrr! That man! I detest him!" She replied.

"Hey, I know you...." said Action "We met when I first moved into town. Down at the...uhm....the Blue Something or other"

"The Blue Velvet" she replied. "I remember. I didn't know you were a cop...you're pretty handy to have around. I'm Jade"

"Of course" replied Action, smiling.

"Anyway, Jade, you can do better than him in your life. Look, my ride is here and I've got to get that perp back to the blockhouse. Stay cool, baby" he said, tipping his hat at her.

Action and his back up uncuffed the assailant from the lamp post, shoved him in the back of the black and white and hauled him back to 13th Precinct HQ. However, there was no rest for Action. Datta was on the front desk and she was talking to two civilians. One, a dorky looking young man and the second an elegant blonde lady.

"Ah, Action, no rest for the wicked today...we have a couple of complaints to deal with" she said, indicating the two civilians.

"No problem, me and the lady here...." he began.

"Uh-huh...Mr Fowler here has been waiting the longest and he has a problem which I think you're uniquely suited to help with. I will deal with Miss Vale."

Fowler began to explain his problem to Action "Well, officer, I don't know how quite to explain this problem we have in our little community...but someone's been going around and messing in our swimming pools. And by messing I mean...well...leaving something in them that, frankly, deserves to be in a bathroom."

"I get what you mean" said Action, sighing, whilst watching Datta deal with the elegant woman.

At the end of his shift, Action headed home. The pool depositor case would have to wait until tomorrow. He changed out of his uniform, had some chow and was relaxing when he saw a familiar figure outside of his window. A pleasant and familiar figure. Action got up and went outside to say hello. The person was someone he'd met recently; Katharine Bowie, young socialite. She was dressed in the height of fashion, wearing a few yellow whisps of nothing much.

"Katharine" said Action, smiling. "A pleasure to see you"

"Likewise, Action" she replied.

"All dressed up to the nines, and beyond" said Action, complimenting her appearance.

"A charity fundraising dinner" she said.

"And no plus one? I would have thought all the eligible men of Sim City would be beating a path to your door to accompany you"

"Not tonight, alas" she said. "Do you own a tux?"

"I own two"

"I'll remember that for next time" she said, smiling.

"I'll remember to have them dry cleaned" he replied.