If there were no such things as second chances, why did James feel as though he had just gotten one? The new doctor found himself frowning as Gabriel walked away, not just from the conversation, but also from the knowledge that the surgery would be moved and Cassidy would have gotten his way. He wondered, briefly, how many other men with obscene amounts of money had pulled this same stunt at the hospital and gotten away with it without anyone batting an eyelash. The very thought of doing this, day in and day out, made him sick, and he was starting to think that he was in the wrong place. It was too early to transfer programs and other hospitals had waiting lists a mile long—James was stuck, and he would have to grit his teeth and deal with the hypocrisy of this place until his residency was over.

Gabriel's expression was unreadable, but James nodded anyway, complying before the other man walked away. As soon as he was alone, James breathed a sigh of relief, the tension finally leaving his shoulders, and he ran a hand through his hair. There were a few things he had to do before the surgery, most of it was more paper work, things the actual doctors didn't want to do, which was part of his job as Gabriel had reminded him. He turned, ready to head back to the elevator and leave the ward when he caught sight of a man rounding the corner and coming toward his direction. He was older, although clearly another doctor considering the white coat he was wearing.

James did his best to keep his expression neutral, but he thought it strange that he was being approached by this man, and singled out, where there were many other residents at the hospital that day. For some reason, Gabriel's warning about the suicides and keeping himself in line hadn't worried him half as much as this man did, and James felt quite uneasy as he stood there. Those dark eyes were strange, and if anyone was going to toss him out of a window, as he had thought only moments before, this man would be the one to do it.

Regardless, James put on a happy face in response to the front of those well-meaning words. He knew not to trust Doctor Tomlin, and perhaps, he was more sinister-looking than Jack Cassidy. At the very least, the other man offered no kindness to anyone, and a person was able to know what they were dealing with, but this man was much different, and James really didn't feel comfortable with the conversation when he was absolutely alone in the corridor of a secluded ward.

“Offensive?” he questioned, shaking his head. “No, nothing like that. He's direct, but I'm sure I'll enjoy working with him.” He offered the man a polite, gracious smile. “I don't mean to be rude, doctor, but I have to get back downstairs. The attending will lose her mind if we're late on our paperwork.” He took a step backward, still polite and waiting to be dismissed. After all, this was a senior staff member, and as uncomfortable as James currently was, he wasn't going to give this man a reason to target him.