"ER Arrivals, this is Kurt," he says into the phone after assuring the lady with the ten month old who wont stop crying that its still just going to be a bit longer despite her already having been waiting over three hours. Its a weekend and theyre busier than they expected at a really late hour and, well, what do these people want from Kurt? It isnt like hes a doctor or even a nurse. Hes the guy who registers people. He makes sure they have all the right info so they dont get billed crazy amounts or get the wrong medication or... yeah. Hes important, but he cant tell this lady whats making her baby fuss and run a fever and make extra messes in his diaper, which Kurt had to note on the file in vivid detail, so he knows, lady, he really knows.

Hes already gone through half a canister of hand sanitizer, and the hospital uses the big bottles, so thats really saying something, and at this time hes rubbing more over his palms and between his fingers as he accepts the call from the nurses station. When he hears his boyfriends voice, he raises a brow, though. "Hey, Kurt. Its Blaine. Which you probably knew already. I mean... yeah. Anyway. The trauma that just came in? The pilot is gonna come out with the name and I think he has the social maybe? Not sure what all hes got. Just wanted to give you a heads up!"

Blaine sounds exhausted, but still his happy and positive self. Kurt often wonders how on earth the man can stay so cheerful when he sees so many bad things on the job. He supposes its the good things, too, that keep him upbeat. Like when he can make a little kid happy instead of frightened, or when he can assure an adult that their parent is going to make it... Kurt sighs a little stupidly, love-drunk and zoning in his tired state. Its two in the morning and hes been here since eleven and hes still got til after seven and then hell wait for Blaine, whos supposed to get off at eight but sometimes that doesnt actually happen...

"Thanks, hun. Hey, why are you on the phone? Shouldnt you be attending to that trauma?" Kurt asks, refreshing his screen to see the nameless Emergency, Acd patient has been entered so they could start working on him. Soon, there will be an actual name for the case, but for now, its a nameless man, over a hundred years old and nothing to ID him from any other John. Kurt hopes the man will end up able to tell him all his demographics eventually. He always hates thinking about what the end result might be for such patients.

Focus returns as Blaine speaks again, breaking Kurt out of his darker thoughts. "No, there are tons of people around him. Pretty much everyone else back here is working there, so Im kind of left to... do everything else. Were really short-staffed tonight. One of the guys who was supposed to be here had to call off since his wife is upstairs having their first child, and we all said we could handle it... Tony shouldnt have to worry about this shit when hes about to be a dad, you know?"

Kurt smiles into the phone. One day, that will be them. Needing to call in so they can be there when their surrogate goes into labor. They havent told their families or friends yet, but Blaine actually popped the question just last week, and Kurt very happily said yes. He wears his own ring daily, since he is allowed to. Blaine keeps his on a chain around his neck so he can scrub in without issue. So far only one fellow employee has noticed, and she just gave them a knowing look and a huge grin. Kurt figures theyll tell her first when they officially start letting people know, since shes been so kind about keeping it a secret.

"Agreed. I hope you all told him to bring pictures when he comes back down, even if its just to adjust his schedule once he knows more. You know were all invested in his family developments, even if we dont work directly with him..." Kurt says, then sighs. "You better get to work, babe. This lady with the sick infant is about to come shove the smelly creature in my face, and as much as Im excited for Tony I really dont do well with strange children. Please, Im begging you, find her a room. Please."

With that, he hangs up the phone and refreshes his screen once more, checking the discharge board and clearing it appropriately so more can fill it up. The never ending cycle of the hospital... Its almost soothing in the monotony. When things are quiet and all Kurt has to do is open his workqueues and the status board, discharging and noting accounts and making sure things are in order...

The lifeflight pilot eventually makes his way out and gives Kurt the proper information to turn Emergency, Acd into Wilkins, Jared who is twenty-two and had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kurt feels for the man, and hopes hell be okay. Hes been informed by the triage nurse that no one is to go back to see said patient, so he regretfully informs the (very pregnant) fiance that she needs to have a seat in the waiting room until there is an update.

"Im sorry, its just that theyre working on him since he just came in and there isnt much room back there. They want to be able to do as much as they can as quickly and best as they can, so they cant have anyone back at the moment," he explains when she looks like she might cry. "Ill make sure they know youre here, though, and as soon as theres an update, Im sure theyll be out to tell you."

She looks at least a little comforted, and goes to wait with a couple friends who had shown up with her, and Kurt sits back, feeling conflicted. What would happen if something happened to him or Blaine? They arent married yet, so it would be up to the doctors and nurses whether theyd be allowed to see each other. Often its only family who is allowed back. They are each others family, but not legally, so they could be denied that right. They could be denied the ability to be with each other if one of them is dying. Kurt swallows hard and rubs his eyes. He needs not to think about that. It is sad and unnecessary. For one, they wont be getting hurt any time soon. And for another, they work at the hospital. Everyone knows them and knows how close they are. If anything does happen, theyll be the first person at the bedside. No questions asked.

Kurt is just getting ready to check his work email when the doors open and two guys come in, one of which falls into a wheelchair as soon as hes out of the car and is holding a very bloody piece of fabric around what must be his hand. Blue eyes go wide at the sight of all the blood, and Kurt has to take a breath to steady himself before he can ask, "date of birth?"

"This is a fucking emergency!" the guy, kid?, yells from the wheelchair and Kurt swallows hard before continuing.

"Yes, sir, I know, but I need to get you in the system so you can be seen. Youll be in to see the nurse in just one second, but I need to have your date of birth, please." The kid jerks his hips and directs his friend to his pocket, to grab his wallet. Kurt sighs. "I dont need anything else right now. Just your date of birth and your name."

Of course, the kid isnt in the system, so Kurt has to get his social as well, and by the time he gets to the reason the kid is here, he is so fed up with the attitude that he just puts hand injury and prints off the labels for the writstband. Fuck it. The triage nurse can try and get an actual explanation out of this one. Kurts had about all he can take.

Once the labels print, Kurt makes the bracelet and looks at the guy, then looks at the triage nurse, and shakes his head. "Go ahead and wheel him into triage," he instructs the friend, then taps on the window and hands over the extra labels and the bracelet. "I made this, but I am not touching that. Even with gloves." He makes the nurse giggle and roll her eyes at him, but she takes the stuff and he gets back to his desk, grabbing the Clorox wipes as he goes and pulling on a pair of purple gloves.

The kid might not have even touched anything, but Kurt is so not taking chances. That was a lot of blood, and hes not catching anything tonight, thank you. He almost calls back to warn Blaine, but figures hell probably hear about it eventually. As in, Blaine will probably call him about it. Possibly demanding to know how the hell Kurt even dealt with that much blood without freaking out. His boyfriend- wait, fiance- knows him very well.

Kurt doesnt even bother asking the triage nurse what the kids story was. She looks like she wants nothing more than a disinfecting shower right now, and he cant blame her. There so isnt enough hand sanitizer in this hospital for what they just dealt with. Hes about to wipe his entire area down for a third time when the door opens again, and two males walk in, coming right up to the desk and speaking in such heavy accents Kurt can barely understand them.

"Um, date of birth?" he asks, trying to figure out which one is the patient. One answers, so he types it in and then asks for the name, going a bit cross-eyed when the guy responds. "Can you spell that, please?" He ends up having to get the guy to spell his name three times before he finds it because the Middle Eastern accent is so strong, and Kurt isnt racist, really, he swears, but he just cant understand the guy. Hes really trying, but, dammit... Its difficult.

Kurts blushing and completely embarrassed by the time he asks if the guy has been out of the country, which he has, then asks where, and the guy says some place Kurt has never heard of so he blinks and stares at him until he clears his throat and says "Its in the Middle East. In Dubai."

And even though hes not exactly sure where the hell Dubai actually is, Kurt knows it isnt one of the big three scary places of doom as far as that whole questions purpose is concerned, so he isnt worried. He just selects Middle East- Other as where the guys been and moves right along, listing flu symptoms for the reason hes there because honestly all the things this guy just said are too much to bother with and triage changes it anyway.

Once he put the bracelet on that guy, the other steps up instead of going to triage with his friend and says "Um, me too?" and Kurt just barely resists rolling his eyes. Because of course the other one needs to be seen. Of course he does. And of course his friend isnt going to triage but wants to stay out there while Kurt admits this one, and the triage nurse is out in the hall now looking at him like, are you coming or..? and Kurt just wants to kick them both for being incredibly difficult.

"Okay, you can go into triage while I finish with your friend and then Ill send him in to join you," Kurt orders, not even trying with names. There are way too many letters and none of them go together and really, he is not even going to try and butcher this shit. "Alright, spell your name for me again? And whats your social?"

Finally establishing that the second guy doesnt even have a social security number and getting his name in the way Kurt thinks the guy spelled it, he sends him into triage with his friend and shares a look with the nurse. They are so not paid enough to deal with this.

Then someone, oh, its the woman with the sick baby, comes up to his desk and says shes sick of waiting and theyre just going home and theyll figure something out. Kurt kind of stares at her for a minute, then shrugs and says "Okay," before writing down the name and slipping it under the window to the triage nurse, who has to put that in the computer so everyone knows that patient is gone.

His phone is ringing then, so he answers, only to hear Blaine on the other end. "A firework, Kurt? A firework? Why in the world would someone hold a firework and set the thing off? I mean, really?"

"Ooooh, is that why that kid was covered in blood? I wondered. He swore at me, so I wasnt all that concerned. I was much more worried about sanitizing my counter," Kurt comments, then gapes as the triage nurse leads the two foreigners out of the ER wearing masks, heading to the back by the shortcut and for the isolation room, Kurt guesses.

He blinks, having completely missed whatever Blaine just said, then clears his throat. "Um, honey? I might have just been in contact with one of the crazy letter diseases." His voice is a little shaky and he blinks again, wondering what the hell else this night might have in store for him.

"Um, okay? Thats...  not very specific. But also doesnt sound good. Ill keep you posted on the status of the isolation duo that just came back here I guess?" Blaine offers and Kurt weakly agrees before hanging up the phone. He really hopes he doesnt have the Camel Flu- sorry, MERS, Kurt had to be politically correct- or something equally ridiculous. He just got engaged, for Christs sake. He really doesnt want to die before he even manages to get hitched.

Hes interrupted from those thoughts when he hears Blaine say something about the firework kid needing attention, so Kurt just sighs into the phone. "Alright, have fun back there with Stumpy, then." Hes pretty sure Blaine is laughing while telling him to be nice, and hes also pretty sure he needs to be careful since Stumps McGee definitely has friends in the waiting area, so he tries to bite his tongue and hangs up the phone, grabbing a mask and idly playing with it while his screen refreshes for the umteenth time.

Oh, he really hopes he doesnt have some kind of scary flu. That would be a serious downer. Hes already exposed to fucking MRSA and shit every day no matter what. It really gets confusing because these people who get labelled contact patients, as in, you have to wear gowns and gloves and masks to go in their room, still just walk right up to the registration desk and get bracelets like everyone else, which means Kurt touches them. With his bare hands. He could be catching damn near anything on a daily basis. Its... disconcerting. To say the least.

Kurt looks out and notices that the waiting room is considerably less crowded now, even if there are still a few people impatiently waiting to be seen. Mostly its family and friends. The trauma, Stumpy, some girl who was brought in a couple hours ago for alcohol intox... He takes his BelVita out of the drawer beside him and just starts opening the banana oat bar when his phone rings and hes pulled back to work mode.

"ER arrivals, this is Kurt," he answers, tucking the food back in his desk as his stomach grumbles unhappily at him. The voice on the other end of the phone starts asking about insurance and he rolls his eyes. "Let me check, one moment," he says, opening up the website only to find its down for some kind of maintenance that he wasnt warned about. Great.

Taking a breath to prepare himself for whats to come, since its now going on four in the morning and this lady is calling about freaking insurance of all things, Kurt starts to explain. "Maam? I believe we do accept that insurance, but I cant confirm it at the moment because the servers for that website are down. All the insurance specialists only work during normal business hours, so you could call back then to speak with one of them," he gets cut off by an irritated voice.

"I need to know now. I wanted to come in right now," she snaps. Kurt just kind of blinks and pulls the phone from his ear, staring at it in confusion. This lady thinks she can come in at... 3:47 in the morning? And be seen? It doesnt sound like shes talking about the ER but...

Kurt clears his throat and tries a new approach. "Maam? The only facility open at this time is our Emergency Department. You are welcome to come here, but there may be other charges associated with such a visit even with your insurance being accepted, just so you are aware. The other departments will be open at eight or nine oclock depending on the individual department." She kind of pauses for a moment, and Kurt just waits until...

"Well, I think Im pregnant? And I have spotting? And like, my abdomen hurts. I think I need to be seen. Do you think I could be seen? Is someone there to see me now?"

Oh, he seriously doesnt make enough money to deal with this. Kurt is not a doctor. Or a nurse. He didnt sign up for hearing all these details. "There are doctors in the ER who could see you, yes. If you feel it is an emergency that cannot wait for your regular doctor, you are welcome to come into the Emergency Department. Its all your decision. I cannot give you medical advice as I am not a doctor."

She finally says okay and hangs up and Kurt slumps in his chair, ready to dig into his snack so he doesnt end up passing out from low sugar or something. One bite in, the doors open and theres a woman standing before him, breathing like they do in those birthing classes with the funny french name and slamming her hands on his nice clean desk, eyes bulging at him.

"Im past due. Thirty-eight weeks. This kid is coming out. I need a room and a doctor and I need it now!" she demands, and Kurt kind of squeaks, almost dropping his BelVita on the floor as he scrambles for the phone. He hates this part of his job. Hes supposed to do something on the computer involving ordering transport and then call the floor, but this woman is way too far along and that would take too much time and he just wants to get her to the floor so they can deal with it and he doesnt have to witness the miracle of life first hand.

He scrambles for the phone, tossing his food back in the drawer and dialing the nurses station all while the triage nurse cackles in her little office. "You could have just called the floooor," she sing-songs at him through the window, and he barely resists the urge to flip her off as Blaine finally answers and he whines into the phone.

"Theres a pregnant woman out here who is about to pop and I need you to come out here and do your doctor thing or whatever. Because I cannot witness a birth, Blaine. I cannot. You know me. I just... I cant." Blaine is definitely laughing in the phone, and the lady is glaring at Kurt for describing her as about to pop while her husband is in the background with a grin on his face like this is the best thing ever. Hes clearly entertained. "Im serious, Blaine! Get your doctor ass out here! Oh, whats the proper word... right! STAT!"

He slams the phone down and triage is seriously doubled over in laughter while the pregnant lady is staring in total judgment. It looks like shes about to tell Kurt exactly how she feels about his incompetency when Blaine comes bursting through the doors with a jovial smile on his face and one of the plush wheelchairs they use for pregnant ladies and old people with sore hips. "Ah, theres the mom-to-be!" he calls, and the ladys eyes soften immediately. Kurt could kiss him. If he wouldnt be risking both their jobs doing so.

"Now, I know sitting seems like a terrible idea at the moment, but its hospital protocol to have you in a wheelchair to get to the L&D floor, so Im gonna need you to work your way into this chair. Take your time though, okay sweetheart? We are in no rush. Well, I think your little bundle might be, but my staff and I are on your time, so you do whatever you need to do, okay?" His voice is so soothing and Kurt just melts as Blaine takes care of the situation. God, he is just so good with people. He is perfect. Kurt is totally swooning. "Im going to call the floor and get someone to come down to escort you, and then Ill have dad over there give me your information so I can get that process started for them. Sound good?"

At the words call the floor, the triage nurse literally hit the floor laughing. Blaine turns after he gets a nod from the pregnant woman and she starts working her way to the chair, dipping his head in the window to triage and quirking a brow. "Amanda? Are you okay?" he asks, getting a thumbs up from the giggling mass that is their triage nurse. "Alright then... Kurt, you wanna let me use your computer?"

Moving slightly over, Kurt stays close enough to touch his fiance and inhale his familiar scent, loving the temporary excuse to be near him. Oh, if only they could be close to each other more often during work. Blaine takes his phone and calls the floor for transport, explaining that there is no one to spare in the ER at the moment or hed just send one of them. Blaine has such a good reputation with everyone at the hospital that he always gets what he calls for. Its really a miracle since so many people have a hard time with different floors. Not Blaine. No, everyone loves him. Kurts so proud.

"Alright, what is her birth date? Okay, and her name? Perfect." Blaine gets the information from the husband just as the transport gets there and the mom-to-be falls into the chair with a great whoosh and ahhh that sounds half pained and half relieved. "Ive got everything in there, Julie!" he calls to the transport CA who smiles at him. "All ready for an L&D. Thanks for coming down so fast!" And after an anything for you, Dr. Anderson, shes off and Kurt is staring at his fiance with a hand on his hip.

Blaines blushing and Kurt just shakes his head. "You like that way too much. Maybe I should use that line sometime, hmm?" He leans in and discreetly licks the shell of Blaines ear before whispering "Ill do anything for you, Dr. Anderson." And Blaine shivers before Amanda, the triage nurse, pops her head through the window and points at them.

"Behave yourselves, children!" she squawks, face still red from the laughter. And its really hilarious because shes all of 26 while theyre each at least three years older. Well, Kurt is three years older. Blaine is 32, which Kurt teases him for all the time. Regardless, they are far from children, even if Kurt did just stick his tongue out at Amanda like a toddler.

With a small hug, Blaine heads back to his duties and Kurt sits back down at his desk, noticing that Blaine hadnt logged him out, which they could get in trouble for, since hed been using Kurts name to do all that Labor and Delivery stuff. Oh well. Its not like Blaine is out to get Kurt fired or anything, so he just shrugs and exits out of that patient, refreshing his board and discharging people while he takes another bite of his snack in the hopes of actually getting some sustenance this time.

Its been quiet for about an hour when Kurts starting to fall asleep and hes jerked awake by a radio going off and security guys flying past his desk. They run outside and then this lady comes wandering out of the doors to the ER, looking around frantically. "Where did he go? Oh, no, oh, no... whered he go?" shes mumbling and Kurts just kind of sitting there like what the fuck? until she comes over to his desk and looks from him to triage and back and mutters the question again.

"Um... who?" Kurt asks, sharing a look with Amanda that basically asks why this lady isnt wearing a bracelet, because she seems like she probably needs a Med G evaluation...

"The man who was with me!" the woman practically wails, and Kurt slides back in his chair, pushing on the desk to get away from her while Amanda looks at them both before sliding her window open and peering as far as she can see out the doors.

Her eyebrows go up for a moment, then she nods at the doors and comments. "I think they got him. You might want to see what they need from you or something," Amanda says, just as security leads the guy back inside with his wrists cuffed behind him. Kurt squeaks, and Amanda looks at him with judging eyes, then makes a come here motion with her chin. "The guy she brought in is apparently homicidal? Not sure what her story is though. Seems like you might have made a little friend, though, by the way she kept eyeing you..."

She laughs at him then, and Kurt could smack her for it, but the doors open and yet another person comes into the ER and, seriously? Its like five in the morning. What are people even doing right now to end up at the hospital?

This time the woman is wearing scrubs and Kurt almost thinks shes just showing up for work, but then she walks up to him and she looks like she might pass out, so he gives her a sympathetic grimace and gets her date of birth. "Long night of work?" he asks, opening her chart and getting to the admit page as she starts to explain just why shes not going home instead of being admitted to a different part of the hospital.

"You could say that. I thought Id be alright, but then I started getting all whoozy and dizzy and I figured a concussion is nothing to mess with so I better get checked out. One of my patients tackled me. Slammed my head off the wall... Yeah..." Kurt winces at that, and tries his best to sum it up in the notes, making a bracelet and placing it on her wrist.

He slides the labels under the window, then motions for the nurse to go into triage, offering a weak smile. "I hope they can get everything straightened out for you soon and get you home to rest. Sounds like you could use it." She smiles back and he settles back at his desk, happy he hasnt suffered too much at his own job.

Just as hes wondering if he might be prematurely counting his chickens, the phone rings and Blaines on the line. "Just wanted to let you know theyre releasing the isolation guys. Blood tests came back clear and they dont even have the flu. They just have head colds, if even that. I think they just didnt have anything to do with themselves, personally, but... you know how it is. Anyway, didnt want you to worry your pretty little head about it anymore." And Kurt can hear the smile through the phone, so he cant help but smile right back.

"Thanks, hun. Only two more hours or so, right? Well, for me at least. Im so going to the lobby to get a mocha while I wait for you to get off..." he groans, Then listens as a code blue is called elsewhere in the hospital. "Go dismiss some more patients and Ill try not to send new ones back, alright? Love you," he mutters the last bit before hanging up the phone and grabbing his smart water to take a long pull from it, not having realized how thirsty he was til just that moment.

Hes still drinking when the doors open and a man with an orange vest and work boots comes in, grimace on his face. "Good morning," Kurt greets tiredly, and the man nods, his coworker setting off the metal detector with his steel-toed boots and getting brushed down with the wand before he strides up to the desk as well. "Are you checking in?"

The guy kind of nods and looks awkward and Kurts not sure what to make of it, so he just proceeds, getting date of birth and the name and opening his chart. "Any travel outside the country in the last twenty-one days?" The man snorts, and Kurt smiles, checking no and continuing. "What brings you here this morning?"

"I just got off work and my buddy here finally convinced me to come in. Ive been havin chest pains and I... well, I havent had a bowel movement in about four days." Kurt blinks. Then he blinks again, puts chest pains in the box, and makes the bracelet.

He sends the man to triage, asks his friend if he wants to go with, and the friend just shakes his head and laughs. "We arent that close, man," and he goes and sits in the waiting room while Kurt shakes his head. This place... its crazy today. What are people on right now?

Luckily, things slow down after that, and by slow down, Kurt means theres one girl who comes in drunk and bleeding (and its six-thirty by then, how is she still drunk?) and a mother who brings her vomiting child in right before Kurts set to clock out. He gets them checked in and then passes off his duties, calling back to remind Blaine that hell be in the Starbucks downstairs when he gets off.

When Blaine reaches him, Kurts on his second mocha and is awake enough to drive home at least, while Blaine looks like a zombie. A happy zombie, but still an undead lifeless thing that really needs some sleep. "Oh man. So, I learned something after you left..." he mumbles through a yawn, not even bothering with a coffee as he snuggles close to Kurt and they make their way out of the building.

"Oh yeah? And what was that, Dr. Anderson?" he asks, leading them to the car and unlocking the doors, all the while keeping Blaine snug to his side. He loves it when they finish an overnight shift together and Blaine gets all cuddly. Then they go home and curl up in bed for a well-earned day off together...

Blaine yawns and they get in the car, then he continues his story in his lethargic manner. "I learned... that the homeless guy who was drunk and had blood all over his face..." Pause for a yawn and a stretch and a smack of the lips. "I learned that he lives... under the fucking bridge Kurt. And... and if anyone has a problem with that," here Blaine pauses to catch his breath because his laughter and yawning have collided into something difficult to handle. "They can take it up with God himself!"

Now Kurts laughing, too, as he rolls down the windows and turns on the radio, shaking his head and backing the car out of their spot. "Oh my God. What even was last night? I swear, that was even more insane than the night of the pink puke. Or the night with all the lifeflights... I dont think it was quite as bad as that time when all the college students were coming in with the stomach flu and it was coming out both ends and we couldnt get the bins out fast enough, though."

They both cringed at the memory, then laughed. "Damn, weve made some crazy memories here, havent we?" Blaine asked, and Kurt just nodded. This might just be a temporary job for him while he works on his fashion editing and blogging and such, whiles it a career for Blaine, but it gives them something to bond over and it keeps them strong together. And even when Kurt inevitably moves on, hell still know what Blaines talking about when he comes home ranting about the latest Stumpy and whatever foreign flu is running wild now because the US is over-sanitized to a point of not being able to fight off any new infection for shit.

They understood each other and they loved each other and they loved their crazy lives. And if they had to drive home with Katy Perry blasting through the speakers and the wind whipping their hair so Kurt didnt nod off at the wheel, well, they were still young. They could handle it. At least until they joined Tony in the world of fatherhood. Then they might have to cut back on the overnights... But then again, they might just enjoy it all too much to worry about it.