Kate felt relieved when she finally could settle down for lunch in the hospital cafeteria. The walls were painted a creamy orange while the floor was covered in light brown linoleum. She found herself a seat by a round plastic table. There had been discussion of replacing them with something more aesthetically appealing, but as far as she was aware no project was in motion yet.

Not that she thought it mattered. She was content with having a seat and being able to fill her stomach. The cafeteria sold a hot lunch which she usually opted for when she had the time. On today's menu was meat stew - one of her favorites. She drew a deep breath through her nose to enjoy the scent.

All around her was the buzz of chatter. The cafeteria was filled with staff and patients, typical at this time of day. She didn't look up when she heard the clacks of high heels approaching, guessing them to belong to one of the female administrators looking for a table. The administrators didn't tend to be interested in sharing a table with her. There was no ill intent behind it, they just never had much to talk about.

"Is this seat free?"

Kate looked up in surprise when she heard a woman's voice directly in front. She was holding a bowl of salad. Kate blinked a couple of times, unable to recognize the woman. The stranger had light brown hair, which was curled from her shoulders and down. Her manner of dress was formal and she wouldn't have looked out of place in the administration. Could she be a new hire? Kate figured it was simpler to ask than speculate.

"Do we know each other?" Kate asked.

She encountered a lot of people through her job and most of them tended to not stick in her memory. It was commonplace for her to be greeted in town by unknown faces. Blowing them off tended to anger people. She had learned that fact the hard way. Her usual response these days was to ask if they had met before. A few people still seemed insulted by the question, but it worked better than the alternative.

"Not yet, no," the woman smiled. "It's my first time at Mercy Grove Hospital."

"Really? You must be in good health then."

The woman laughed and shook her head. "Decent health I suppose, but no, it's not like that. I'm not from the area."

"Just visiting then?" Kate asked.

"That's right." The woman nodded affirmatively. "Seems like a cozy place though."

"I think it's pretty nice," Kate smiled "Just far enough out in the countryside to be relaxing, but not cut off from all civilization."

"You grow up here?"

Kate nodded. "I did. Then I went away for my studies, managed to get a job here and returned. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against the city, it just doesn't have the same kind of charm."

"A-ha," the woman opposite her grinned. "I thought there was a certain rustic look to you. Not that it's entirely unappealing."

"Excuse me? Are you hitting on me?" Kate's face scrunched up in confusion.

The other woman leaned closer and smiled slyly. "Would you mind if I were?"

Kate felt her cheeks flush. She wondered if they were visibly red or not. Well, there was nothing she could do about it either way so she pushed the thought away. "I would have to object if you planned on becoming one of my patients, I guess. That kind of thing usually doesn't end well."

The woman laughed and waved her hand. "That's not what I was planning on. Just visiting, remember?"

"Yeah." Kate smiled. The remark caused her to feel silly and her cheeks still burned hot. Most likely, the woman had come to visit a sick relative. There was no indication that she was going to suddenly jump up and ask Kate to take a scalpel to her abdomen. Such people usually had a much more desperate air about them, one that was easy to recognize.

"What is that you're having?" The woman changed the subject, seemingly picking up on Kate's discomfort. She motioned to Kate's bowl of stew.

"Oh, that? Meat stew," Kate responded, relieved that it was a question with an easy answer. "I would recommend it if you didn't already have salad."

The woman needed a moment to chew and swallow the spoonful of salad she had just put into her mouth. "I have to admit, the smell is tempting. Too bad I can't return the salad."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "You didn't notice the smell while you were at the counter? Impossible to miss."

"Apparently not for me." The woman laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Guess I took the wrong route. I'll try to do better next time."

This time it was Kate's turn to chew for half a minute before her mouth was free to respond. But before she could, her pager beeped. She looked down to check it and promptly frowned.

"Oh no. Seems like I lost track of the time. I have to get going now." She forced a quick smile. "Sorry."

"But your meal, there still some left-"

Kate shook her head. "No time for that, I can't be late for the surgery. There's not that much left anyway."

"Wait."

Kate stopped in her tracks and gave the woman a questioning look. "What is it?"

"Can you spare just a moment? We never got around to proper introductions." The woman extended her hand. "I'm Rose Forster."

Kate mirrored the gesture. "Kate Aster."

Kate thought she saw something in the other woman's eyes in that moment, but when she looked a second time it was gone. She concluded that it must have been her imagination as she hurried off in the direction of the operating room.