Morgue Maniacs

“Natalie?  Haven’t you eaten yet?  It’s nearly two.”

Hand in the belly of the body on the table, Natalie looked up, to see Grace just inside the door of her office.  “Little busy here,” she pointed out.

“Is that the one Eddie just collected?”  Grace took a few steps into the room.

Natalie shook her head.  “In there,” she said, jabbing the thumb of her free hand towards the steel door to the freezer.  “An overdose from all indications.  This one’s from two days ago.  The Nine-Six put a rush on it; but I’ve been backed up dealing with that multi-car pile-up on the Q.E.W.”  After a pause, during which she pulled out a length of bowel to examine, she added, “Have you eaten yet?  Were you suggesting we go out?”

“No, I ate already,” said Grace.  “I brown-bagged it tonight.  Anything rather than eat at that all-night place round the block.  The streets aren’t too bad, even at this hour; but it’s just a hash house, and I don’t care for the midnight company.  Besides, it’s cold out.”

Natalie could have cracked something about January; but instead she just nodded.  Looking back down, she slit and everted the section of bowel.  After hm-hmming to herself at the sight, she used a scalpel to remove a sample for further analysis.  As she did so, Grace went on, “I wish the cafeteria kept open for the night shift.  It would save me a lot of meal prep, you know?  There’s the cost, of course; but, taken all in all, I think it would be worth it.  Certainly, I eat there when I’m on day shift.  Coffee breaks, too, as far as that goes.”

Natalie looked up.  “I’ll be through here in a half hour or so—or at least to the point of taking time to eat.  I brought my lunch, too.”

An hour later, Grace returned to find her boss finishing a Tupperware bowl of salad.  She rolled her eyes.  “You aren’t on a diet again?” she said.  “Don’t be silly, Natalie.  You look fine.”

“I’ll look finer with a few less pounds,” Natalie retorted.

“Don’t you buy into that nonsense,” said Grace, who had more than a few more pounds.  “Come on, girl.  You work all night with dead bodies from who-knows-where, you need to keep your strength up.  Your immune system—”

“Is fine,” declared the doctor.  “Stop mother-henning me, Grace.  I’ve just eaten plenty of vitamins.  I’ve had protein—you can’t see it now, but I sliced some chicken on top; and there’s a bit of cheese grated as well.  Plus half an orange and some chickpeas.”  She piled the disposable plastic fork with the dregs of her meal, and overly filled her mouth with shredded lettuce.  There came an audible sound of defiant chomping.

Grace did not respond, but looked round the room.  “Got anything for me to take to the lab?”  A glance back showed Natalie, desperately far from swallowing, waving a hand at her.  Amused, Grace said, “Not quite ready for me yet?”  At that, the hand pointed over to the table by the side door.

“Ah, yes,” said Grace.  She walked over to pick up the tray.  As she backed open the door, though, she paused to add enticingly, “You know, if you’re in the mood to break that diet of yours, I brought extra dessert.”

Natalie swallowed.

“It’s that double chocolate fudge cake with the cream filling, shredded coconut up the sides, candied—”

“I know the one,” said Natalie, with temptation longing in her voice.

“Well, how about I drop this off,” Grace said, hiding a smile as she hefted the array of samples, “and come straight back.”  She nodded at the coffee-maker on top of the filing cabinet.  “I’ll bring us a couple of clean forks.  You perk us up a brew.”