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star-trekkin-across-theuniverse · 7 years

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Vital Signs, pt22

Word Count: 2085 Tags: @to-pick-ourselves-up-7 @outside-the-government, @jimfromsales, @donnaintx, @enterprisewriting @starmission @supermoonpanda @rayleyanns @sistasarah-sallysaidso @flirtswithdanger

I collected up the pile of files and resisted the urge to skip up to the bridge. I had finally squared away Steve’s physical, and was happy to turn over the personnel files on all the Avengers to Director Fury. Fury was in quiet head-to-head conversation with Maria Hill, so I waited at the computer console for him to finish. He noticed me and broke away from the conversation.

“Dr. Richmond. I presume that pile of files is completed physicals?” He asked. I nodded and handed them over.

“Sir, if you have a moment, I have some recommendations for medical,” I stated. He nodded, prompting me to continue.

“Sir, we don’t e-chart, and I think we should be. A paper chart is only as good as the information in it, and in emergency situations, if the personnel needing medical attention are not where their charts are, it can mean the difference between life and death. I know that sounds dramatic, but if we’d been able to pull a chart on Coulson electronically as soon as he was injured, maybe we could have done more for him,” I suggested. Fury nodded, the hint of a sad smile flitting across his features.

“I will admit, Dr. Richmond, the way SHIELD medical services runs is largely a mystery to me. I don’t want to recommend you to a management position as you are far too valuable an asset in the field, but if there is something we can trial here, and work out the kinks before instituting across SHEILD, I am in full support. Did you have a specific plan?”

“Everyone on board runs around with tablets. There are tons of hospitals running their charting on tablet technology these days. I can do a little research, and talk to Stark about what the he can recommend or provide. A paper copy of personnel charts can be kept where necessary, but a file that can be transferred from location to location is just so much more helpful. And won’t take up the same kind of space. We have a 12 by 16 room in the infirmary entirely dedicated to personnel charts archives.” I explained.

“Read Stark into your idea, and use the time you’ve been given with him to work on this project as well then, Richmond. You’re starting with him today?”

“Yes Sir.”

“See me on Saturday and let me know how you are progressing,” he dismissed me. I turned to head to the lab for my first day working with Tony Stark. My stomach was tight and I have no problem at all admitting I was nervous as hell. The man was brilliant. Attention span of a gerbil on crack, but brilliant regardless, and the thought of working with him made me a little dizzy. I was, in all likelihood, horrifyingly outmatched by Stark. I was med school smart, which wasn’t stupid, but Tony Stark was a genius. A wave of nausea hit me and I wished I hadn’t had the bagel I’ll wolfed down.

“Richmond, wait,” Fury stopped me as I reached the bridge door. I turned.

“I received a request from Captain Rogers this morning regarding accommodation,” he disclosed. I nodded, a flush creeping up my cheek.

“Sir?”

“I’ve approved it, conditional to you resuming counselling sessions. Captain Rogers has all the information you will need for the transition to your new quarters,” he dismissed me again. A few crewmembers on the bridge had stopped what they were doing and were obviously listening in. I fought back the flush on my cheeks and nodded before dashing from the bridge.

I walked into the lab and it was like walking into a nightclub. Stark had done something to the lighting and it was flashing and pulsing along with rhythm of the music blaring through the room. He was standing at his heads up display, with his back to the door, dancing in place while he flicked through some complicated blue prints. The bridge of the song swelled and he stopped working, did some fancy arm flailing and spun around on one foot. I thought he might stop when he saw me, but he just nodded and kept dancing. I stood there, rooted to the spot. I shouldn’t really have been surprised, and honestly, he looked like he was accomplishing a lot, so it’s not like I didn’t approve. It made me feel more comfortable to be working with him though, knowing he was so relaxed.

He did another spin and saw that I hadn’t moved and danced over to me doing some weird step that looked like it had come out of Saturday Night Fever. He grabbed my hand and spun me over to the console, and then bumped his hip against mine, waving his arms in the air. I couldn’t help but laugh, but wasn’t quite relaxed enough to join in the fun. He shook his head, and made a gesture in the air. The music stopped.

“Richmond, there is a mandatory morning dance party in this lab. You must dance. I can’t work with you if you can’t follow lab protocols,” he deadpanned. I laughed.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware.” I took my lab coat off and draped it over a chair on the far side of the room.

“And you can’t wear scrubs in here. I hate them. If you’re going to be one of Stark’s Dancing Girls (trademark pending), you have to dress sexier than that,” he teased. I rolled my eyes.

“Right. I’ll make sure I wear a bikini tomorrow.”

“Make it really inappropriate. I work better in those conditions.” His grin somehow became broader. Probably in relief that I wasn’t as uptight as he maybe suspected.

“Good to know. Skanky latex peekaboo bikini is standard lab protective protocol,” I nodded. He laughed again.

“We can’t start working until you dance, Richmond. Let’s go, we don’t have all day.” He waved his hand and the music started again and then he crossed his arms and rocked back on one hip, waiting. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

“You asked for it.” I stepped away from him and stretched. I cracked my shoulders and met his gaze. Without cracking so much as a hint of a smile, I busted out into the ‘running man’. He cracked up.

“Wait, was that enough? How about a little sprinkler?” I popped my arms up and waved my one arm across in front of me, “Or the lawn mower?” I leaned over to ‘start the mower’ and Stark broke.

“You have to stop! No more dancing!” He turned away. Damn good thing he broke when he did, I had very little left in my ‘weird dance’ repertoire. He cut the music.

“Please say no more morning dance parties,” I begged, and sat down on a stool across the table from him. There’s something about the Tony Stark smirk that makes you really not want to trust whatever he says next. Like some sort of mischievous child up to no good, but promising to behave because he knows that’s what you want to hear. He gave me the smirk, and nodded. I cringed inwardly, dreading what might greet me the next morning. I walked over to the coffee maker and poured myself a cup.

“The MRI lacks functionality in a lot of ways, Richmond. I think we could build a better imaging unit that would complement what we’re trying to develop more appropriately. I looked at some of the scans in the database and they aren’t fantastic for 3D imaging. We can definitely do better.” He changed gears immediately when he decided he was done screwing around.

“Oh, we’re working now?” I returned to my stool and sat down.

“Unless you wanted to dance some more?”

“Work it is.” I opened the Medical Imaging textbook I’d been studying and we started discussing what improvements could be made to the imagine technology we had access to. Tony’s brain was a masterpiece. I would never say it to his face, but the speed at which his mind moved was astonishing to me. I would say ‘wouldn’t it be cool if?’ and he would be halfway through figuring out how to make it happen before I could finish my sentence. It was really no wonder he could be so wild and unpredictable. I don’t know that I would particularly enjoy living in his brain every day.

Steve popped in at lunch with sandwiches, which was random and kind of sweet. We sat down and ate quietly, which was apparently highly offensive to Tony.

“Don’t you two speak to each other? How can you be revoltingly romantic without words?” He pulled a stool up and took a bite out of my sandwich. I caught Steve’s eye and winked.

“And people say I’m naïve,” Steve teased. Tony raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that, Cap?” He asked.

“Do you talk all the time when you’re alone with your best girl?” Steve’s question was pointed. Tony furrowed his brow and said nothing, his look of confusion spreading.

“Steve is too much of a gentleman, but what he’s getting at is that most people don’t talk when they’re busy in the bedroom,” I filled in. Tony’s eyes widened and then he laughed.

“This is lunch, not some illicit assignation. Unless it was supposed to be? Oh god, I just ate part of your sandwich. Are we having a threesome?” He stood up and faked a full body shiver before heading back to his computer console. Steve smiled and said nothing as he finished his sandwich.

“Fury told me you’d spoken to him about quarters,” I stated, my voice low. Steve nodded and shot a look toward Tony.

“Yeah. Did he tell you he approved it?” He asked. I nodded. He collected our garbage and kissed me on the forehead, “I’ll move your stuff this afternoon.” He headed out of the lab. Tony looked up.

“You guys are boring,” he stated.

“Oh?”

“You’re boring. You eat sandwiches. And you run together. And watch movies. You’re boring. I get that he’s a 90-year-old man, but you are a young woman. Live a little.”

“I’m touched that you’re so concerned,” I replied dryly.

“Seriously, Lex. You are what, 25-“

“29, but who’s counting?”

“Okay, 29. When was the last time you were out partying and woke up in a strange country with a guy name Sven rubbing your back?”

“Considering I’m not a billionaire? Never,” I laughed.

“We need to remedy that,” he determined.

“We don’t. I’m good.”

“When was the last time you were in Vegas?” He demanded.

“Never?”

“You’ve never been to Vegas? Have you ever drunk a beer? Kissed a boy? Had sex somewhere other than a bed? Partied with the Maxim girls?”

“Never been to Vegas. Wouldn’t want to party with the Maxim girls.”

“Wait, does that mean –“

“Tony, enough. I am happy. I love Steve.”

“You were recruited to be an agent, right?” He changed topics.

“Why?”

“I just think someone with the temperament to be an agent shouldn’t be babysitting Cap.”

“I’m not babysitting, Tony. And I didn’t have the temperament to be an agent.”

“Sure you did. You just wrecked your shoulder. By the way, that’s been fixed. How long do you think until Fury pulls you from medical to work as an agent?” He asked.

“I’d refuse. I like my job. Besides, SHIELD is out a med school education if they turn me into a field agent. And there’s a greater need for docs now that we’ve had all the shenanigans of the last couple of years. And with that, can we talk about the e-charting system we need to develop? I would like to get started on it, and I have an appointment at 1400.” I sent up a silent prayer that Tony would take the damn hint and stop dissecting my relationship with Steve. It was making me nauseated and uncomfortable.

“Sure.” He flipped open a paper chart and cringed.

“I would like to use tablet technology for charting and maintaining employee health records. Is that feasible?” I asked.

“Easy. We’ll just need to develop a health management program and then install it. I’ll need a list of headings for charting info to go into, and we’ll have to merge some database management software into it.”

“We’ll need mainframe access to lock into various servers for information of medical records,” I explained.

“What about Barton? He’s nice, single.”

“Tony! Enough!” I snapped and pointed at the chart.

#avengers fanfic #Steve Rogers x OFC

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