Jason didn’t notice how Rita seemed to have gone a bit slack in the jaw, or that she was looking at him as if he were a piece of meat to be taken and enjoyed bite by bite. What he did notice was how weary and tired he felt, and recalling the sad events of the morning was making him… a little hungry. That was an odd occurrence to be sure. Absentmindedly rubbing his stomach, he left his palm there, drumming his fingers lightly against the material of the frock.

He did notice how she seemed to follow a similar lean as he had, a little closer and on the desk now. He stayed where he was, in his chair, and merely bit his lower lip in thought. He was too into the story to notice anything else but movement, though. On top of that, he was fairly thick when it came to noticing others ogling him. Especially from the woman he assumed just wanted a story. It felt a bit warm in there and he reached up to the top buttons on his frock, pulling at them until they were loose around his neck and upper chest. Just two buttons and he felt loads better.

“Hmm?”

Raising an eyebrow at that, he let his hand drop as he sat up a bit. Rubbing his thighs, he watched her sit up suddenly as if she’d dozed off a bit. Was his story that boring? Well… maybe she’d think up a better story to post than it, then. A small tug of his lips came at that. If she wasn’t paying attention, maybe she would be forced to write about something else. Then he remembered the quill and his smirk fell slightly. Surely the quill needed a little guidance to do anything worthwhile… Most did.

Or maybe Rita was just good enough and had been at it long enough to get it to do what she needed whether she was sleeping on the job or not.

“Oh yes…um…right. Blood.”

His eyes narrowed slightly before he nodded. “Right.” Taking in a slow breath, he rested a hand on his stomach again, leaning back. His fingers slid in between a couple of buttons as he frowned in thought. “We lost him in the surgery room. We tried everything we could.” His face matched his emotions. He might have been a terrible liar, but it just made it easier to believe him when he was telling the truth. A bit choked up, he frowned hard and sat up suddenly, putting his hands on either arm of the chair and pushing himself up.

Jason didn’t like losing patients, and found it difficult when you tried so hard and it still did nothing. That feeling of helplessness had been heavy on all who had worked. The one in charge who had forgotten to check on the patient for that time had still been crying, last he saw. She might not make it out of her training phase, if she couldn’t pull it together. Rubbing his eyes, he finally found voice. “Coffee? I’m going to get some coffee.” Pausing a moment near the door, he frowned a little. "Why don't you come with me?"

He carried on talking after eyeing her suspiciously. Once again she allowed her imagination to rove into the reverie of the good-looking variety. She was careful to try and keep her expression looking interested this time, however, to try and avoid drawing attention to herself. Who was she kidding? Drawing attention to herself was what she wanted to do right now. But really? She couldn't interrupt his story to draw attention to her cleavage for the second time - could she?

Then her decision was made up for her. He started to choke up. Rita's face fell. This was really cutting him up. Suddenly, a pang of guilt overcame her - something that did not happen very often. She suddenly felt very uneasy and shifted in her seat, uncrossing her legs as he stood up stating he needed coffee. She looked out of the window behind him and tried to smile as best she could without making eye contact.

When he invited her along to join him, she looked up at where he stood and smiled. "Thank you." She said as she took the quill and parchment from the desk. "But I think..." She looked at the parchment. "I have everything I need." She put the parchment and quill in her bag and stood up. She put her hand out to Jason, her expression as professional as she could possibly make it. "Thank you very much for your help, Healer Marren. I will contact you in due course to notify you of the interview going to press."

“Thank you.”

Shrugging a little, he was about to tell her how it wasn’t a big deal; that they had coffee all the time, brewing around the clock. Same as their schedules. When nothing else could keep you going near the end of a long shift, a cup of coffee did wonders. Then when they got home, it was hard to get to sleep. Still, it was a natural part of the healing profession, as natural as compassion was supposed to be. Jason tried to bring that out of those who worked with him, and most of the time it did shine through.

Perhaps that was why he was offering her to come along with him. That even though she had tried to blackmail him and bribe him into her story (which she had gotten), Jason could still go out of his way to make her feel a little better. It was second nature.

“But I think… I have everything I need.”

A slight frown came over him but he merely nodded slowly. He stepped towards her, a bit confused but not about to beg her to stay. Taking her hand in his, he shook it slowly but firmly, finally letting it go. She had everything she needed… Now he’d have to look out for the article. Here he’d thought maybe she wouldn’t be able to do it, with as much attention as she seemed to have been paying. Then again, he’d been wrapped up in it, remembering it, that he hadn’t really noticed until the end.

“Thank you very much for your help, Healer Marren. I will contact you in due course to notify you of the interview going to press.”

He felt his heart speed up a little at that and a blush tinge his cheeks as he recalled what all she could write up for an article, but merely nodded. “Thank you… for taking the interview, Ms. Skeeter.” He was fairly certain he could at least be polite and thank her for that. He stopped himself from saying it was a pleasure, however. “And I would appreciate that.” He walked her to the door, opening it wider for her and stepping out after her. He could at least walk her down to the entrance. Merlin forbid she stuck around for a while longer.

“You should be able to make your brunch at least.” He was stopped just outside his door by a worried looking Healer. Biting his lip, he glanced to Rita before smiling as best he could. "If you'll excuse me... you know the way out, yes?" She'd gotten there. Squeezing her shoulder without thinking about it, he walked quickly with the new Healer. "What's going on?"

Was that a frown Rita saw on Jason's face for a moment? Yes, she was sure it was - but it was only there for a fleeting moment before it disappeared. He shook her hand, grasping it for a short moment then letting go - a professional manner.

“Thank you… for taking the interview, Ms. Skeeter.”

He sounded unsure, and yet there was something in his voice that made Rita think perhaps he had enjoyed the challenge she presented. She smiled as he released her hand. He walked her to the door in only the way that a gentleman would. Jason's comment about her making her brunch was lost once outside the office door, as the pair were faced with a healer who had a worried expression on his face. Little did he know that there was no brunch for her to attend. She had made the story so that she had a convenient reason to leave, not before giving her clever parting comment which made him haul-ass back into the office with her to start the real interview.

She smiled. It was an empty smile. Today, she was going back to her lonely office at the Prophet. Then back to her lonely flat to read and write articles late into the night. "All in a day's work." She stated as she began to walk away. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and her eyes widened as she felt a squeeze. As she turned, unsure of what she should say in return for the gesture, she realised she didn't need to say anything. Jason was already walking down the corridor with his colleague.

Rita watched as he walked away, a small smile on her face. It seemed that in the fleeting second, someone actually cared for Rita's feelings. He probably didn't - but she could dream.

With a genuine smile across her plump red lips, Rita hitched her handbag up her arm and made her way out of the hospital and into the mid-morning sunlight. Just another day's work.