Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. I'm poor, etc.

A/N: Inspired by LiteratiLoverNo1's vid 'Finding Each Other' on youtube, and I do hope she doesn't mind me digging into the idea of Rory and Jess being young doctors... I really loved her work on this video and something bugged me to explore an AU where they meet under completely different circumstances.

I'm also a huge fan of 'House' (well, who isn't...) and I thought it would be fun to try a different setting for a Lit story ...

Your opinions matter, so please let me know what you think (whether you liked it or not, your feedback would be equally helpful) :)

'Eight year old girl with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting,' Dr Rory Gilmore reported to the surgeon on duty as she got out of the ambulance and entered the emergency department.

The surgeon didn't reply, but sized her once from head to heels in a slightly dismissive way. She read 'Dr J. Mariano' on his badge. He was young and she thought he must have graduated soon - maybe a year or two ago. An intern. Like herself. She almost expected him to stop and stare at the kid, unable to make a decision.

Ever since she entered the ambulance tonight, she felt somewhere between stoned and hyperventilated. Six years at medical school had evaporated from her head the moment she started her first night shift at the emergency department. Sixty-four year old man with a heart attack, young woman with broken arm, an overdosed teenager and a drunken tramp had made her switch from excitement to autopilot, thinking tonight was never gonna end.

She kind of expected any other young doctor to feel that same paralyzing feeling of doubt. Dr Mariano didn't show such, though. He took the other end of the stretcher and led them on to the emergency ward. Rory felt a quiet pang of envy at the back of her mind.

'What do we have here?' a middle aged brown-skinned nurse joined them, dragging a mobile IV pole along.

'Eight year old with appendicitis,' Rory answered readily, giving the nurse a helpful smile.

'And a twenty-five year old with FNS syndrome,' the man spoke for the first time, pronouncing the words under his breath.

She gave him a perplexed look while the nurse chuckled.

'First Night Shift syndrome,' she explained. 'Don't mind him, sugar,' she gave Rory a wink, 'he's just a harmless smartass.'

'Gimme five and I'll show you harmless, Helen,' he smirked and Helen shook her head, obviously amused.

Rory frowned, finding the whole joking while a kid was squirming in pain thing somewhat inappropriate.

They entered a small room with a couple of beds and the smartass surgeon gave Helen a nod. Rory watched awkwardly as they took the ends of the sheet on which the girl was lying and moved her to one of the beds almost immediately.

'What's your name?' he asked then, bending over the girl.

The girl concentrated on his face for a moment, probably debating if he looked trustworthy.

'Melissa,' she answered.

'Okay,' he nodded and made a sign to Helen. She prepared a blood sampling kit and took Melissa's left arm.

'Now I'm gonna be a mosquito, sweetheart,' she said gently. 'You'll feel a quick sting, okay?'

'Okay.'

'You know why you're here, Melissa?' Dr Mariano asked.

''Cause my tummy aches,' she answered and then winced as Helen took the blood sample.

'Good reason. Anything else? You allergic to something?'

'I don't think.'

'You took any medications, pills, anything?'

'No.'

'Last thing you ate?'

'Bagels.'

'Anything that bothers you, besides your tummy?'

'I'm thirsty and I...'

'Yeah, sweetheart?' Helen encouraged her, bending over the kid.

'I wanna pee,' Melissa finished shyly.

'Okaay,' Dr Mariano said thoughtfully, taking a glucometer from a side drawer. 'Now I'm gonna prick your finger and check why your tummy aches.'

'I don't wanna... ouch!' the kid winced again, her eyes getting teary.

'Hey, was that necessary?' Rory stepped forward.

He looked up.

'Nursery's over there,' he nodded to his left.

'She's eight,' Rory said.

He smirked.

'I meant you.'

She glared.

'Excuse me?'

Who the hell do you think you are?

'And now, doctor,' Dr Mariano turned to her, '... sorry but I didn't catch your name. Anyway,' he made a theatrical gesture with his left hand while taking a small insulin pen from the shelf beside the bed. 'You're gonna attend a hugely innovative way to treat appendicitis in children.'

Rory frowned.

'What are you...'

'Oh no, did I just inject insuline to the poor kid?' he feigned terror. 'Her sugar is five hundred. She has newly onset diabetes. Would've known that yourself, had you tested her in the ambulance on the way here.'

Then he turned towards Helen.

'Isotonic with potassium chloride. The symptoms are easily mistaken for appendicitis,' he explained calmly as he passed Rory by.

Rory blinked, unsure of what to say. For the first time this evening, he didn't sound like a smartass.

'Never give a diagnosis before you have proof.'

She nodded, afraid her voice would betray her. She felt really stupid.

Then she felt a reassuring tap on her shoulder. Helen.

'Don't worry, kid, you'll learn,' she smiled at Rory and then added in a motherly manner. 'Happy first night shift, dear.'

'Who is this guy?' Rory narrowed her eyes above her steaming cup of coffee.

Now that her endless shift was over, she was so tired she could well fall asleep straight in the armchair of the break room, was she not infuriated.

'What guy?' Dr Paris Geller asked while chewing on a dried a papaya.

Nursery's over there.

She's eight.

I meant you.

Rory wrinkled her nose with disgust.

'The doctor House wannabe over there,' she pointed her head towards the emergency ward. 'He thinks he's so smart.'

'Hey,' Paris raised her point finger, 'we all think we're so smart. That's why we studied medicine.'

Rory let out a small sigh.

'Yeah, you're probably right. I must be overreacting.'

'I'm always right,' Paris shrugged and took another piece of papaya from the plastic box on her desk.

'I guess I just wanted my first night shift to be somewhat...'

'Heroic?' Paris offered.

Rory shook her head.

'... less of a humiliation.'

'Hey, you saved lives today.'

'Not really. I think rather my luck helped me to not kill anyone. Do you ever think you made a mistake choosing this?'

'The papaya?' Paris paused with a piece of papaya in her hand.

'Medicine.'

'Never.'

'Yeah. Of course, cause you're always right, eh?'

'Exactly. And so are you. We're gods, remember?'

Rory gave her best friend a look to ensure she was kidding before smiling back. With Paris, you never knew when she was self-ironic and when she was simply boasting.

'How could I forget, you keep reminding me,' Rory smiled.

'So, what do you think about your new job, doctor Gilmore?'

'It's crazy,' Rory shook her head, reminiscing the past twelve hours, and then added, 'Confusing. Frustrating.'

'Welcome to A&E.'

'Why, thank you. I need sleep.'

'And I need more papaya. I have six more hours until my shift's over.'

A/N: Okay, so this is what could be the first chapter of a new story. Should I continue, should I not? I really wanna know what you think.