New York: the city that never sleeps. It could easily be compared to a med student, they didn't get much sleep either and James Allen ought to know. The now thirty year old man had spent the last part of a decade and some change in school, studying, working his ass off and learning all he could. It had been a process, but those long hours of dedication, and all that time spent with his nose in an anatomy book instead of out at a party were finally starting to pay off. 

Residency was the one thing that a medical student waited for. It was the end of an era, and a start of a new beginning, the road to a promising and hopefully successful career. Being accepted into a residency program at [i]any[/i] hospital was a milestone on its own, but it was just a little bit sweeter to be brought into a top facility, something that would look good and prestigious on a resume. The bragging rights were an added bonus, the cherry on top when all was said and done. Finally, James had something interesting to talk about when meeting new people, he could say that he did more than slave away in a lab all day.

The morning was bright and fresh, not a cloud in the sky as James walked along the crowded streets of the Big Apple, mostly keeping to himself as he listened a playlist on his iPod. Today was his first day at the hospital, and the sandy-haired man was appropriately excited and nervous as he made his way uptown. Having only woken up and left his apartment a full fifteen minutes ago, James knew that he was going to need a cup of coffee to get him through the first few hours of the day. Nerves and adrenaline could only do so much, and caffeine had become such a staple in his daily life—it would feel weird to miss it.

Luckily for James, there was a coffee shop right across the street from the hospital. The Daily Grind was a popular spot in the morning, the first stop for many in their long day, and the line out the door reflected that. The tall, soon-to-be-doctor had time to spare and didn't think twice about queuing up with the others, minding his own business as the pleasant sounds of indie rock continued to play in his ears. His own noise drowned out the chatter of people on cell phones, and the noises of the street; all of the honking and shouting, the screeching of tires. Never a moment of silence.

The line seemed to move rather quickly, and soon, James was inside and approaching the counter. He had enough common sense to remove his earbuds before ordering his coffee, which was nothing special. “Coffee, light,” he told the woman behind the counter, who seemed a bit relieved that she didn't have to make a complicated drink. James was a simple guy for the most part, and was happy to drink his coffee with just a little extra milk. 

After giving his name and paying, the blue-eyed man stepped to the side to wait for his drink, and in the meantime, he listened to the complicated order of the Wall Street type who had been in line behind him. Soy and chocolate sauce didn't go together in James' mind, and he thought it was a little too early for all of that sugar, but he wasn't one to judge.

In no time at all, his coffee had arrived in front of him, steaming and smelling perfect with one of those little sleeves around the cup. He popped the lid off and added in his own sugar, only two packets. Poised to place his earbud back in, and resume his first day playlist, James happened to look over at the scene in front of the counter. Some guy in a nice suit was claiming to have forgotten his wallet, and the line behind the man groaned in frustration. New Yorkers were far from the most patient bunch in the world. James was feeling generous that day, maybe this would earn him some good karma, even if he didn't believe that the man in the suit was actually without cash.

“I got it,” he spoke up, stepping in and reaching into the pocket of his jeans for his wallet. The woman behind the counter didn't put up a fuss, and James suspected that it didn't matter who paid as long as the line kept moving. “I've forgotten my wallet before,” he mentioned with a friendly smile as he accepted his change from the woman.