What James didn't know was that it wasn't about the money. Well - it wasn't just about the money. It had all been in the name of self-preservation. And sure - while being paid more than his salary was an added bonus, it came at the price of constant paranoia, the fear that one day he would end up on Jack Cassidy's bad side and face the same fate some of the hospital's other staff had. There was a time when the hospital had experienced a slew of "unexplained suicides", as the newspapers classified them. But he knew that they were far more than that. The truth ran deeper, and much darker. It was only a pity that James still harbored that idealism which came with many of the new residents.

"No?" Gabe raised an eyebrow at James's sharp response. Of course the new guy would find this morally wrong, for all the right and rational reasons. Which sick bastard didn't want to give loved ones the chance to say goodbye? Even if technically, Elizabeth Charles was already dead, her body still struggling on even though hope was long and far gone. It was only a matter of time before her family had to accept that, harsh as the realization was. He wasn't sure how carefully orchestrated the "accident" had been, but law enforcement had hardly suspected a thing, even through extensive investigation. But considering the amount of "help" Cassidy was able to call on at any one time, dissatisfying the man was practically slitting one's own throat.

"Last I checked, I wasn't the resident." Gabriel's tone was steady, the humor lost in his eyes. He observed James's expression, the resolution in his features. He thought the decision to move up the surgery was outrageous - and it made perfect sense. Of course it was outrageous. But life was occasionally a cold place where good men lost out, hard as it was to sometimes understand, and perhaps someone needed to explain this and shatter that idealism. Normally, they would wait until a resident had spent sufficient time in the hospital before "sharing" the dirty details, but he'd already asked James to assist and couldn't afford messing this one up.

And so, Gabe relented. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Do you even know what men like Jack Cassidy are capable of?" He kept his voice low, so that Mrs. Cassidy wouldn't pick up on their discussion. The "suicides" had been huge news some years back, and most people in the city had heard of them. It was widely dismissed to be a series of "freak accidents", but really...those who knew were forced to keep that knowledge secret. "I don't know which small town in Connecticut you came from, but we do things differently here. I'm sure you've heard of the suicides..." It was a difficult reality to begin conveying, but he couldn't afford failure. He had to risk it.

“No,” James repeated, his voice equally firm. This wasn't something that he was going to budge on, and he didn't care that Jack Cassidy was going to have some kind of vendetta against him for it. Moving up a surgery for no reason other than money was unethical and Elizabeth Charles' parents were already on their way to say goodbye. He and Gabriel and everyone else who worked at the hospital were simply doctors, men and women who had no right to play god and James would stand by that practice. If Gabriel wanted him off of the surgery for his refusal to do the dirty work, so be it. There were many other hungry residents in the program who would have taken his place in a heartbeat—no pun intended.

He grasped Hannah's chart in his hand, prepared to hand it over to Gabriel when he asked, but the man seemed to relent and perhaps this wasn't a lost cause after all. He listened to the other man and whatever hope he had for the situation being turned around was quickly fading away. The blonde doctor knew exactly what men like Jack Cassidy were capable of; he'd grown up around it and his father was one of those men himself. The smug look on Gabriel's face made James want to come clean with his lie, one up the other doctor and tell about where he actually came from. D.C. was a disgusting place, wrought with white collar crime and gilded streets that hid the filth below. It made New York look small time, like it was nothing.

The talk of suicide caught James' attention, and perhaps if he had been aware of the conspiracy beforehand, he would have reconsidered his refusal. The suicides had happened years before James had ever been to New York, and it had been a local thing, not an issue that would have made it to the national news. He had been hard at work and studying in Chicago at the time, and he hadn't even had a spare moment to pick up a newspaper, let alone get involved in any kind of discussion about suicide. James didn't like the tone that Gabriel was taking with him, and even if he would have understood the gravity of the situation, he still wouldn't have liked it.

Eyebrows furrowed, James tilted his head. “Are you threatening me?” he asked, making sure to keep his voice down, although he was sure that Hannah was out cold. “What are you going to do? Tell that old fuck that I'm not going to change the surgery around and then toss me out the window?” He gestured over to the large window that overlooked the city, quite the drop. “I'm still not doing it,” he decided. “I'd rather quit right now than hurt people like that for nothing.”

The resident really didn't get it, did he?

"No, I'm sure as hell not threatening you. I'm trying to save your damn life!" Gabriel's professional attitude was disposed of fairly quickly. Messing around with Jack Cassidy - or any member of the Cassidy family for that matter - was not only bad business, but bad for health as well. Without knowing it, he'd raised his voice, and he could hear Hannah stirring from her bed, the sound of shifting sheets a clear warning that she was gaining awareness of the confrontation. And as much as the surgeon disliked his subordinate mouthing off to him, he didn't want more death than there had to be.

"Corridor. Now." The two words were expelled sharply as he pushed at the ward's door, stepping outside to where they could speak in a more conducive environment, away from Hannah's unconsciously prying ears. Obviously this guy hadn't been in New York long, because everyone in this hospital knew about the suicides. Maybe not the complete truth behind the suicides, but they knew nonetheless. And now, Gabe was about to break his oath of secrecy for a guy whom he hadn't even known for a day. He didn't know precisely what he thought he owed his junior, but from the way the man had effortlessly stepped in to buy his coffee, there was a pure soul behind that stubborn, willful exterior. Gabe's own soul had long been choked with guilt.

"We had a lot of talented surgeons here once..." Gabe started, shifting to glance furtively around him every few seconds. "I was senior resident at the time, and I looked up to them. They were everything I wanted to be, everything I was going to be. One of them, Dr. Davidson, was my friend and mentor. One day, he pulled me aside and told me there was something I needed to know. He seemed...scared, like something was really getting to him. But before he could tell me anything, he got a call to surgery. The day after that, he was dead. Turned out him and Jack Cassidy had bad blood between them."

Gabe raised his brows, as if expecting the meaning to become explicitly clear. "Davidson wasn't the first, and he won't be the last. So you can refuse all you want, but I'm telling you now that you don't screw with guys like Cassidy. Not just because it could cost you your job, if that's what you're thinking." He paused. "Davidson didn't get an autopsy, and neither did the other "suicides" which happened after his. You think this is just some righteous occupation, saving lives, all that "do no harm" shit. But it's not. And you should take me at my word. It's a risk just telling you this, but I'm doing it because you seem like a good guy." It was the first real compliment Gabe had given James, though perhaps not in the best way.

The sudden influx of anger and frustration in Gabriel's voice startled James and he frowned as Mrs. Cassidy began to wake beside them. Truthfully, the young doctor didn't think she was coherent enough to realize what she was hearing, but James didn't argue as he followed Gabriel out into the corridor. It was quiet out there, the hallway mostly empty as there weren't many patients in the VIP ward. A person, or that person's family needed to have a lot of money to even get a bed on that floor, and not many could afford it. Those were the people that James wanted to be helping, not people like Hannah. Although she had done nothing wrong, and couldn't help being sick, the blonde didn't wish to be indirectly threatened by her husband for not wanting to move the surgery up.

Without interrupting, James listened closely to Gabriel's paranoid explanation of the accidents that had happened around the hospital. He agreed that it sounded suspicious, but he wasn't going to be scared off by the reach of Jack's power, and he still thought it was wrong to change the surgery time. Part of him was skeptical of the whole thing, thinking that the other man was just trying to scare him, haze him a bit as a way of welcoming him to the hospital. However, the serious look on Gabriel's face told a different story; he was serious. James had spent too much time being manipulated by people, and he was still reluctant to comply.

“I am a good guy,” James agreed, “but I'm still not going to do your dirty work. If you're so afraid of him, you go make the arrangements and then you won't have anything to worry about.” Perhaps it was a little cold for James to not take Gabriel's admission seriously, but he wouldn't be guilted into going back on his decision. At this point, he would have looked weak and ans indecisive to change his mind and on top of that, he didn't want to break Elizabeth's husband's heart more than it already was. He wasn't that type of person.

Shaking his head, James handed over the file with a sigh. “Look,” he began, “I don't think you're a bad guy, and I really don't think Cassidy is going to have you killed for making him wait, but you do what you have to. I'm just not going to play errand boy.” He was in this business to help people, not hurt them, and at some point, it was clear that Gabriel had lost his way. Maybe he needed to be reminded that he had taken an oath to do no harm, an oath that shouldn't have come with a price. This suicide story sounded ridiculous and although James knew how someone with money could get away with it, he didn't think it was entirely plausible in a hospital of this size.

Gabriel's eyebrows raised at James's response. It was cold and to the point, and as much as the doctor wanted to call him out for being so immensely stubborn, he had associated with his share of immovable individuals, and the only way they learned was the hard way. He didn't consider himself a coward, per se - he'd been through a whole lot growing up in his dump of a neighborhood, crammed in a tiny room, and you learned how to play the game or be played by it.

"Fine." His answer was curt, suggesting he'd had enough of trying to persuade the blond into doing the "right" thing. The right thing to save his own life, at least, but perhaps not the right thing for the members of Elizabeth's family. "If you don't want to listen to me, then I can't help you. You're digging your own grave, and you don't even know it." He paused, evaluating the words which had just emerged from his mouth. Before James could even reply, Gabe continued, shaking his head in a lamenting manner. "And that wasn't a threat either, if that's what you were thinking."

One of the nurses had witnessed their exchange, and was now looking in James's direction, an open frown written on her features. As Gabriel noticed her staring, she quickly turned on her heel and strode back down the near-empty corridor, the sound of her clicking footfalls fading into the distance. He knew that James considered him paranoid - and, for what it was worth, he was paranoid. You didn't take a job here just to be careless, and there were people here who wanted in Cassidy's good books so bad that they threw others under the bus to get there. Those were the ones to watch out for. But if he'd told James, the man wouldn't believe that, either.

He was about to do likewise - walk away - when James said something which surprised him. I don't think you're a bad guy. If only he knew. Greed. It had been greed which had gotten him involved in this, and now it was too late to back out. Aside from having someone killed, he knew Cassidy could ruin future job prospects for those who tried to leave. Maybe it was crazy. Maybe Jack had gotten inside his head. But for what it was worth, he didn't get so far in his career only to have it end with his unsolved murder. "Tell me you're still scrubbing for Mrs. Cassidy's transplant." He stated flatly. "Because it's either that or your first day also becomes your last."

Gabriel's warning did little to change James' mind, even if it did scare him a bit. It was eerie to think that suicides had run rampant around the hospital and not a single investigation had been conducted. Being a doctor, a nurse, any position in the medical field was a stressful job, and James quickly went about rationalizing everything that Gabriel had just clued him in on. People were unstable, and high-pressure situations often brought those instabilities to light. It was no wonder that some doctors had turned up dead, and James was sure that a connection to Jack Cassidy had little to do with it. Either way, the man didn't see a point in changing his mind when he had already spoken up and aligned himself with the grieving family downstairs.

At his side, James could feel someone staring at him. He slowly looked over and met eyes with a displeased-looking nurse. Her frown seemed out of place, and James couldn't figure out what he had done to cause such a look. After all, she couldn't have been within earshot of the conversation between himself and Gabriel, and all he had done was hand the man a file. James found himself frowning back, and watched her as she quickly turned and walked away. “What was that about?” he asked, now turning back to Gabriel.

There definitely was something strange going on at the hospital, and James had to think twice about Gabriel's question. If he scrubbed in, that would seal whatever fate had chosen for himself by refusing to cooperate, and if he didn't assist with the surgery, his time in school would have been for nothing—no medical career to speak of, he would have been a failure. Faced with the decision, walking out didn't seem to make a lot of sense anymore. Of course, it would have been noble, but being a good person didn't pay any bills, it didn't buy food or keep a roof over his head. This was still very much about Elizabeth in her family, but James had to protect himself too.

“I'll scrub in, yeah,” he nodded, “at eleven, or whenever you see fit.”

"The walls have ears." Gabriel muttered under his breath, directing his gaze squarely at the other man. The nurse might not have overheard the exact details of their exchange, but body language was far louder than any verbal utterance. The hospital was a machine, programmed to perfection, and programmed to be completely subservient to men like Jack Cassidy. It was a cold truth, but money talked. Or perhaps "screamed" was a better way of putting it. And in this day and age, there were few who could deny the allure of money and what it could buy. It had given Gabe some respect for his resident, but respect was a poor form of currency around here, and in the end probably amounted for nothing when you were lying dead at the bottom of a river.

"Wise choice," Gabe indicated as soon as James had given his answer. "I'll still be shifting the schedule, and next time? Consider every decision you make very carefully. Down here, there are no such things as second chances." There was something in his voice which imparted his words as a piece of valuable advice rather than an open threat. He had done things which, had James known...well, the outcome wouldn't have been pretty. "Do no harm" didn't go very far in reality. Someone always won, and someone always lost at the winner's expense. And "lost" could mean a whole lot of things, especially when you took into account what he had been witness to.

"Wait for the call." He said finally, face unreadable as he made his way down the hallway for the next patient on his rounds. There was nothing left to say between them, and especially not here. He had a grieving family to speak to, and as much as it stung him to do it, it had to be done. He'd probably face the husband's rage, but the intensity of that rage would be reined in by the law. Robert Charles couldn't do much unless he wanted a prison sentence. Gabe had almost perfected the art of delivering bad news, and he was about to give a performance that would probably warrant an encore.

It was only when Gabe was clear from view, though, that another figure came striding round the corner. Another doctor, from the looks of it, but his silvering hair indicated he was far older. Still, he carried himself with an easy sort of class, his eyes glimmering with dark wit despite the straight, stern set of his mouth. Coming to a halt before the younger resident, the man looked him over briefly, his expression barely changing except for a slight raise of the brows. "You must be one of the new residents. I'm Dr. Tomlin." The calm, cool manner of his speech clearly revealed he occupied some position of seniority. "I understand you're working with Dr. Morris on Hannah's - Mrs. Cassidy's - surgery. Gabriel can be a bit...stubborn. I hope he hasn't said anything...offensive to you."

The statement seemed well-meaning, but there was a glint in Tomlin's eyes which suggested it was anything but.

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.

Gabriel hadn't mentioned it to James - he hadn't thought that the situation necessitated it - but he did have his enemies here at the hospital. More than one, in fact. There were those who thought the surgeon couldn't be trusted. For all his sternness and cutting sarcasm, there was still a sliver of a good heart remaining within - one that hadn't been speared by the lure of wealth and glory. And his enemies thought that a weakness, something which would eventually lead him to go to the cops as soon as the situation turned against his favor. And one of the biggest doubters of his loyalty was Richard Tomlin, a man who, by all intents and purposes, was Cassidy's best friend. He considered those who knew the truth an "exclusive" bunch, and wanted nothing more than to keep it that way.

Tomlin didn't quite resemble a bird of prey as Cassidy did. In contrast, the man was quite attractive for his age, bearing a sense of sophistication despite the eyes which hid more malice than one could initially perceive from his person. Looking over the resident's face, he didn't seem to buy the faux happiness James had put on, having seen that expression many times on the faces of those who had something to hide. He'd dealt with those, of course, before they had the chance to do any kind of whistleblowing. In the period after the "suicides" had occurred, the media had been prowling about the hospital, journalists asking questions where they shouldn't.

"Direct." Tomlin laughed, a deep laugh which seemed to resound within his chest. "That's what they all say about dear Gabe. Sometimes too direct, in my opinion..." He seemed amused, his lips titled in a crooked manner suggesting some attempt at a smile. There was an ominous note to his voice. "You understand that some things should be kept to more...senior members of staff. And Morris is, well, far too nice to those under his charge. He can get...chatty, you understand. But that won't really matter in the long run. I won't impede your work any further." He gave James a heavy pat on the shoulder, one imparted as if as a warning. "Do tell Gabriel that Richard wants to speak with him before the surgery commences. It'll just be five minutes. A quick chat. Nothing too distracting."

It was obvious that Tomlin could've found Gabriel on his own, knowing fully well he was with the Charles'...but the older doctor was playing a game. Testing the waters, it seemed, even as he flashed the resident a broad grin and strolled back down the hall, whistling an off-key tune under his breath. Loose mouths were loose ends, and loose ends were tied.

With the addition of doctor Tomlin, the hospital had officially become too strange. James had been expecting to meet a few character that day, after all, it was New York and personalities in the city were often large and over the top, but there was something malicious about the people who frequented this building. The young doctor couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but the uneasy feeling that sat in the pit of his stomach had his fight or flight response going crazy. He wanted to run away, forget about the paper work and the years of school and just...leave. That was the simple solution, at least, the safe solution to whatever mess James had gotten himself into by not agreeing to change the surgery time himself. Backing down had seemed cowardly at the time, but perhaps James should have thought twice about whose toes he stepped on.

The older man's request caught James off guard, and suddenly, he was a little worried for Gabriel as well. It was obvious that doctor Tomlin didn't like the other man, and grudgingly tolerated him at best. The blond man was curious about what had gone on between doctors Morris and Tomlin, who had crossed who and ended up with the short end of the stick, but he didn't dare ask. In fact, the less he knew, the better off he would be if the hospital was as sinister as its staff was making it out to be.

“I'll send him along, doctor,” James nodded, easily complying with the request. He knew that he would have to go down to Elizabeth's room to fetch Gabriel, the very place he wanted to avoid for obvious reasons. As Tomlin walked away, James was quick to press the call button for the elevator, ready to get off of that floor as soon as possible.

After the elevator had come to rest, the doors parted and James stepped inside, pressing the number on the keypad for the appropriate floor. He was alone in the elevator, thankful for the silence and the inability for anyone else to surprise him with a strange conversation. James ran a hand through his hair and rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling the tension in the muscles. He was normally so relaxed and easy-going but this upcoming surgery and the people involved had him on edge. He was ready to assist and get it over with.

Exiting the elevator, James walked down to Elizabeth's room, already able to hear Robert's angry and distraught voice. He took a deep breath and entered the room, seeing that Gabriel looked ready to end his bad news.

“Him!” Robert shouted, pointing to James. “He's the one who said we could do it tonight! After her parents got here! Don't you people have any decency?”

James felt sick and oddly betrayed. This was the very scenario he hadn't wanted to deal with, and now because of doctor Tomlin, he had to face the wrath of Robert Charles. The apologetic look on James' face was sincere, but he doubted that matter much to the man. “Sir,” he said, holding up his hands, “I'm very sorry. Sometimes, things just can't wait.”

Robert went off on another tangent, but cooled and slumped down into his seat with his head in his hands. James frowned, feeling lower than low. He looked over to Gabriel and nodded toward the hallway, needing a word. After, he left the room to wait for the other man and leaned against the wall. When Gabriel appeared, James wasted no time on relaying the other doctor's request. “Richard told me to let you know that he wants to see you before the surgery. He said it would be quick, five minutes tops.” James could have easily left it at that, but he didn't trust Tomlin one bit. “He warned me about you, by the way—said you're offensive or something.” The ton of his voice indicated that he didn't believe it. “So, I hope it's nothing serious.”