Dixie jumped and nearly slipped off the back of the barstool. She took off her reading glasses and turned to look at him. When she saw the smile on his face she couldn't scold him. "Just having a blast, Morris. Anspaugh was a little less then clear about how much paperwork I'd be doing. It's like, doubled, since Robert was Chief."

"Nah he just snuck into one of the empty trauma's for the majority of his shifts to get it done os it LOOKED like he had less." he teases , peeping over her shoulder at the paper she had been looking at "Budget cuts huh?" he makes a face "I remember how fun that was when Dr. Lewis had to do it,  good luck."

"I just hope I don't have to fire anyone," She sighed and sat down her pen. "We're understaffed as it is. But Ican't seem to make the board understand that."

"Ah yeas.." Morris replies with a nod "From what I can recall of all the other cheif's complaints, that is likefighting a loosing battle." he moves away from her, checking to make sure Frank wasn't on duty before reaching and grabbing a donut from the box, WITHOUT putting any money into Frank's little donut nazi jar.

"You know, Frank is going to kick your ass when he figures out you're not putting money in the donut jar." She yawned and stretched a little. "And he's got to outweigh you by one-fifty pounds or more. Just a thought there."

"What?" he says, mouth full of donut, powder falling from his lips and onto his shirt. "I put money in all the time he just never sees it...I put money in for this box before...before he even bought it so I think that means I am entitled.." he nods his head and takes another big bite causing more powder from the donut to fall from his lips

"Oh really?" Dixie smirked, then leaned forward and brushed the powdered sugar off of his shirt. "Do you ever eat anything that's not fast food?" The question wasn't rude, just a little bemused. "God, Archie, you're going to have a coronary by the time you hit 50."

Morris smiles, swallowing his donut mouthful and shrugging "Yeah well, good thing I work in an ER and have all these Doctor friends then huh?" he asks with a smirk

"You need a girlfriend," She shook her head. "Bachelor life is going to kill you. Just because you have doctor friends doesn't mean you get to eat like a pig, you know better then that!"

Morris shrugs again, finishing his donut and rubbing his hands together to get rid of the excess powder. "I've had girlfriends." he replies "Just in some between time at the moment..." -beat, then sighs, leaning against the counter. "Where's Ray? He's usually got some kind of cool party to go to that he lets me tag along with...isn't he supposed to be in today?"

"This is Ray's day off." Dixie looked at him, and smiled a little. "You'll either have to go party yourself or stay here and listen to me complain about paperwork."

Morris sighs and drums his hands on the desk lightly, his brain in action -a scary notion- "Or...." he says, perking up a little, looking at her with a smile "We could go out. Have some drinks do some dancing...see where the night takes us. Think of it as..celebrating your new position as cheif!"

Dixie laughed a little. "I haven't been out drinking and dancing since my bachlorette party!"

"Is that a yes?" he asks, interests firmly perked now "Common you know you want to...drink, dance.....fun fun fun..."

Dixie smiled and rolled her eyes a little at him, trying not to show that she was finding him rather adorable at this moment. "My Nanny is about to kill me already. And I have a stack of paperwork..." She glanced at it and sighed. "But I'm also off in ten minutes..."

"I have a girl in my building!" he exclaims, then frowns as he realized just how that sounded "I mean, a girl in my building who babysits for other people in the building...I'm sure she'd be willing to help out, give your nanny the night off...my treat?" He smiles again "And as for the paperwork, come on, you have the rest of your life to finish

that stuff but only one night where you are the brand new Cheif of County's fabulous ER. What do you say?"

"Well..." Dixie looked at him and nodded. "Couldn't hurt, right?" She smiled with a sudden touch of shyness. Was this a date?

Morris' smile turns into a grin as she accepts his preposal, finding himself happier than he should be with the acceptance. Had he just asked her on a date? Was he nterested in being more than just friends and co-workers with the new cheif? He swallows hard, finding himself wondering if he should invite other people along...

"So....um...." Dixie smiled shyly. "Are you asking me out here or...? I mean....we're both single...."

Morris swallows hard "Well I m...mean did you..w..want it to be a date?" he asks, feeling less smooth and more like a dork now with the studder. Why couldn't he be as cool and easy with women as Ray was?"

"I...I mean..." Dixie did something she hadn't done in a long time, she blushed deeply. "You asked first."

Morris clears his throat and nods "Yeah I just...meant...you know like a friend thing...celebration for the new job....I don't want to...overstep my bounds or anything you know asking out the cheif...wouldn't want to get fired for sexual harassment or anything..." he was babling now and he was well aware of it but for some reason, he couldn't make himself stop

"Oh...okay." Dixie tried to hide her disappointment and smiled at him. "Sure. Of course."  Honestly she hadn't been asked out in awhile and she had been a little bit happy at the thought that she was still desireable to men.

"But I mean if you...won't fire me for asking you out..." he trails off, swallowing again, nerves taking over. He clears his throat "It's...I mean I wouldn't...mind spending some more time with you in ...in like a solo kind of setting i...if you wanted to..." back to babling, great that was so sexy to women..

"I wouldn't fire you for asking me out," Dixie smiled at him sweetly. "I mean, we've known each other for five years....you're a great guy....why would I fire you for asking me out?"

Morris shrugs "Against company policy..."  -thinks for a minute remember the many couples that had come into the ER in his seven years of service- "Or maybe not...I don't know I just thought it might be....you know awkward with us being friends and working together for so long not to mention..." he trailed off, not really wanting to mention her dead husband