A/N: Sooo this is my first Mindy Project fic! I usually give long intros in my author's notes but I want to jump right into the story. Before that, however, here's a longer summary for this fic (I seriously suck at summaries ha):

The practice is a disaster due to the immense amount of unresolved tension amongst the doctors. Jeremy's secretly jealous of Peter, Peter is simply unaware of how offensive he can be, and Danny and Mindy… well, no one knows why they're angry at each other, but it's running off the patients and having a negative impact on the practice. What happens when Mindy and Danny are forced to confront their problems with each other on a team building retreat? Will it be the end of their partnership, or the beginning of something more?

Fonder

Chapter One

Mondays Suck

Mindy's POV

I slammed my hand on the ringing alarm clock as a muffled groan escaped my mouth into a satin pillow. It was 6:00 in the morning, and it was Monday.

I hated Mondays.

With an unladylike grunt, I forced myself out of the bed and towards the bathroom, where I knew a long, hot shower would be exactly what I needed to get me ready for the even longer day that was ahead of me.

Since I had returned from Haiti prematurely and without much explanation, the office was the worst place to be. Before I had left and seen how much help the people and the community needed, I probably would've said the office was more of a disaster than the third world country—but I knew better than that now. I had actually grown during the six months I was away, and was far more appreciative of the small things that were considered luxurious in Haiti.

So… I'd say the office was the second worst place ever. Come on, I had grown, not become a totally different person.

See, for some reason everyone at the practice was pissed at each other. Morgan and Tamra weren't speaking over some random drama that I didn't actually care about, Jeremy was mad at Peter over daddy issues while Peter cluelessly went on being his usual bro-ish self. And Danny and I… well, I didn't know what the hell was going on between Danny and me. The day I came back, he was the first person I wanted to see, the first person I wanted to gush all of my feelings to about my experiences in Haiti, and simply just the person I wanted to be around, but he had greeted me with a curt nod and gone about his day.

And had been going about his days ever since.

I had even tried to ask what his problem was, but he insisted that there was no problem, and that everything was exactly the way it was supposed to be, which left me confused and sad and angry because I wasn't crazy—okay, wasn't that crazy—and knew something was going on! No one just abruptly stops talking to you without some sort of catalyst.

But since he wanted to play this game, I had decided to play along. That was two months ago, and now today was Monday, and I had to mentally prepare myself every Monday not to care that the guy who I thought was becoming some kind of dysfunctional best friend was on a totally different page than me…

Which is why I hate Mondays.

"Ouch," I said out loud, realizing how roughly I had been washing my hair. Whenever thoughts of Danny pushed through the wall I had progressively been building to protect my wounded pride, I ended up hurting myself somehow.

I shut the shower off with what was becoming my infamous grunt. "Damn you, Danny," I grumbled as I stepped out of the shower. But instead of stepping on the carpet, I stepped on the porcelain, tiled floor, slipping and crashing down on my butt.

I squeezed my eyes shut and released a long wail, feeling pathetic as I gripped my bare ass on the floor. "Fuck! I hate Mondays! And I hate Danny Castellano!"

"Dr. L! Oh my goodness, what happened? Are you okay?"

Everyone turned to stare at me after Betsy loudly exclaimed her concern as I attempted to subtly limp into the practice.

"Betsy, jeez, I'm fine. I just… took a little spill and hurt my, um, back… side. It's no big deal!" I said as I shuffled on by the front desk.

Betsy trailed after me. "Are you sure? Did you take any medicine? When my grandma gets backaches, she—"

I quickly turned so I was facing her. "No, Betsy, no. Stop right there. Me, your grandma, and meds should never be in the same sentence. Because I'm a young, hot doctor and your grandma… well, she's a grandma."

"But—"

"But nothing! Go back to your desk and answer the phone and," I leaned closer and mumbled, "write down what your grandma uses. Email it to me." I cleared my throat and hurriedly shuffled into my office.

I slammed the door behind me, my mood crankier than it was before I busted my ass, which I didn't even really do because I did have a bit of cushion back there, but knowing that the fall wasn't as painful because my ass acted as a pillow made me even crankier! I didn't want that cushion!

"Mindy."

Danny opened my door without bothering to knock, which led to him seeing me massaging my ass like some kind of creeper. He averted his eyes to whatever was in his hands, "Uh, okay…"

I was livid. Why? Because Danny had to walk in on me rubbing my ass which was too huge for my comfort on a Monday, the worst day of the week, which never would have happened if I hadn't been thinking about him!

This was all his fault!

"Gosh, Danny! Knock much? C—can I not have any privacy in my own freaking office? Is that too much to ask?" I yelled, my voice getting louder with each word.

He stepped forward, pointing his papers at me. "Hey, don't you start screaming at me because I caught you rubbing your ass for God knows what! It's not my fault you're in whatever crap mood you're in!"

I folded my arms over my chest. "Really? It's not?" I said sarcastically.

"No, it's not! How the hell could it even be my fault?"

I wanted to yell that since I'd come back he'd been a total jerk to me, but I couldn't even say that because he hadn't technically done anything… at all. He hadn't insulted me, hadn't complimented me, had barely even said hello. It was like he didn't care.

I suddenly let out a defeated sigh and plopped in my chair. "Why are you here Danny? What do you want?"

He narrowed his eyes, observing me closely, and for a second I thought he'd ask what was bothering me, but instead he shook his head and answered, "We have a guest. He'd like to meet with all of the partners."

I sat up straighter in my seat. "Who?"

"Dr. Shulman, with all due respect, you're being absolutely ridiculous." Danny spoke, and it was the first thing in a while I agreed with him about. He, Jeremy, Peter and I sat in Jeremy's office across from Dr. Shulman, who none of us had seen or heard from since he left the country to travel the Caribbean.

"Yes, Dr. Shulman, I've been running this practice since you left, and it is ours now, not yours. You can't come in here making demands after you've relinquished all such rights," Jeremy chimed in, hands folded over his large belly.

Our old boss smiled at us. "That, my friends, is where you're wrong. I still have all of those rights because I never completely relinquished all of my control of the practice." He handed us each large, laminated booklets. "If you turn to section 5.9 of your contract, that I assume none of you completely read—"

"My lawyer handled that," I interrupted.

"—then you'd see that after two years, if this practice isn't thriving the way it was when I left, and the numbers aren't higher or don't match those that were in place before I left, then I have the power to return and make necessary changes."

"Are you out of your bloody mind?" Jeremy yelled.

"No, Jeremy, I'm not. Now calm down and have a seat before you have a heart attack. I have no intention of staying. I just want to help get you all back on track because what I'm seeing isn't good at all. You've lost a third of your clientele, and though financially you're okay, that will change abruptly when the backup fund you've been using continues to diminish. I just don't understand it! Jeremy, your business plan is outstanding, but in the past several months, your patients have dropped and I see no signs of recruitment. Where have your minds been? Because you're all good doctors, I've heard great things about you Peter from the nurses, so it can only mean that there's something wrong with the four of you. So answer me, why aren't you all getting along?"

"What?" We all said simultaneously.

"Let's not play dumb. I basically raised you… as doctors. You're like my OB/GYN kids. And I know you. So why aren't you all getting along?"

"I have zero problems with any of these guys. They're the ones always acting stressed." Peter spoke up quickly.

"Ugh will you ever be capable of shutting your trap for even a second?" Jeremy blurted.

"Gosh, Jeremy. Harsh much," I said with wide eyes. I wanted to turn to Danny and share a look but I knew it would be pointless. Knowing I couldn't put me back in my cranky mood. I crossed my arms over my chest, accidentally elbowing Danny.

"Mindy, be a little more conscious of your movements, please. You almost knocked my arm off." Except he didn't say so rudely or with any emotion. It was a calm statement, which only pissed me off.

"Right, because my elbow can literally knock your arm off. Okay Danny."

"It's a figure of speech. And, ya know, judging from the size of that wing, maybe you could've. Who's to say!"

My mouth dropped. Did he really just say that? "Did you really just say that?" But it came out less sassy and more genuinely hurt, which was the exact opposite of how I wanted him to know I felt.

I turned back to Shulman as Danny opened his mouth to speak, only then noticing that Peter and Jeremy were in a similar back and forth argument with each other.

"HEY!" Dr. Shulman shouted. "Are you all kidding me right now? Is this what happens everyday?"

"No, usually it's just silence," Peter answered. "Patients feel super uncomfortable here. They say it's a stressful environment and leave… huh, which probably explains the drop in numbers, Doc."

"Thank you, Peter. I'm glad to see you're communicating, unlike the three doctors who I passed this practice onto," Dr. Shulman let out a disappointed sigh while plopping back down in Jeremy's chair. He suddenly perked up. "You know, I have a great idea. You four are going on a week-long retreat to bond and work on team building."

"No," Danny said monotonously.

I leaned forward. "I communicate Danny's same sentiment. No!"

"But yes. You're all going."

"Sir," Jeremy spoke, "I can't let that happen. I'm in charge of the practice, I need to be here. Uh, they can go, but I'll have to stay."

"Throw us under the bus, I see," I grumbled audibly.

"No, Jeremy's absolutely right. All of you can't go. So… well, since Jeremy is needed here, you and Peter will stay and take relationship building classes in New York to resolve your issues, but Mindy and Danny? You two are going to Gatlinburg, Tennessee." He typed some words on the computer then turned the screen towards us. "The program's called Building a Better Business Relationship. It's for a week. I went a few years ago with an old partner. It really helped! And now, you two are going."

"What? No way! I have patients that need me!" Danny said, standing abruptly.

I stood too, but instead of yelling, I walked around the desk and placed a hand on Dr. Shulman's shoulder. "Listen, Dr. Shulman. Erika Gilbert, a ridiculously sweet, sensitive woman, is having triplets and she needs me not only as her doctor… but as her friend and pillar to lean on. Don't you see I'm all she has?"

"Oh! Erika will be fine!" Peter chimed in. "We had din din last night—she'd love to have me as her doctor… She kind of said it herself."

I turned to him with gasp. "What the hell Peter! Are you trying to steal my patient?"

He laughed cluelessly. "Actually, I think she's trying to start an affair with me. Blame her hormones, but Erika G wants the D… from me." When none of us joined in his laughter he said, "The D… as in dic—"

"STOP!" We all shouted, mumbling our various distastes in his inappropriateness. He was worse than Morgan. Okay, he wasn't, but he wasn't far behind.

"Alright, I'm putting my foot down," Dr. Shulman said. "Jeremy and Peter, I'll meet with you later to discuss the alternative to going on the retreat. You two get back to work."

"But this is my office," Jeremy began but was shoo'd out by Peter.

Shulman turned to us after Peter shut the door. "Danny and Mindy, there is obviously something wrong with you two. I don't know what happened, but maybe if we can try to resolve it here right now, you won't have to go on the retreat. So tell me, what's the problem?"

I quietly took a seat, waiting for Danny to speak up and possibly admit there was something wrong.

He folded his arms over his chest. "Shulman, I don't know what you're talking about. I have no problem with this woman. Really, nothing has changed since you left."

"Are you saying you two are on the same terms as when I left? Y-you're still fighting constantly and acting like children in the workplace?"

"No. We don't fight," I answered, my voice softer than I intended. "We just don't speak because… we just don't. Some people aren't meant to be friends, so… we're just cordial, if that. A-and forcing us to go on a retreat won't do any good if two people aren't meant to be friends."

There was a short, tense silence after my statement where I stared down at my shoes, Danny shifted in his seat, and Dr. Shulman stared at us with narrowed eyes. He finally leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I honestly expected more from you two. I know initially you didn't get along, but I suspected a great friendship would bloom. But regardless of my expectations, what's really important here is that you're able to work and communicate with each other, or else you're putting this practice and your careers at risk. SO… you're going on the retreat. Your flight will leave in the morning and Jeremy and Peter will take over your patients for the week. Handle anything you need at the practice today. I don't want to see you two until next week."

"An entire week? Really Marc? Is that even necessary?" Danny asked in exasperation.

Typically I would have joined in, because complaining is one of my favorite pastimes, but I was exhausted. I hated that Danny seemed so upset to have to spend time with me. Hell, the retreat sounded like a vacation, and it was in the mountains—probably the wilderness! That seemed perfect for Danny, who respected all things nature! Why was he so reluctant to go?

I didn't want to think about it because I knew that could result in me busting my ass again or physically getting hurt someway. Instead I stood, dusting invisible lent off the front of my skirt. "Well, what do I need to pack? I still have my tent from Haiti."

He laughed. "That won't be necessary, Mindy. The cabins are quite nice in Gatlinburg! Electricity and everything. Even a hot tub. So just bring boots, warmish clothes, and you'll be fine. It's fall! The Smokies are beautiful this time of year."

"Wow, I'm kind of excited now, even though you can't see it on my face or hear it in my voice… Anyway, it was great seeing you again, Dr. Shulman, and I'll see you next week."

And with that, I left the room, only stopping in my office to grab my purse before exiting the practice, joining my fellow pedestrians as we moved in sync on the busy sidewalks, though we headed towards different destinations. I pulled out my phone and immediately speed dialed Gwen.

"Mindy! Hey, what's up?"

"Drop everything you're doing. We're going shopping."

"Oh no. What's wrong?"

I sighed. "More Danny drama."

And as soon as the words left my mouth, I tripped over my own two feet, luckily catching myself before I stumbled to the ground and was stomped by the hordes of impatient New Yorkers.

And in that moment, I was so pissed, so furious that Danny Castellano was having this kind of impact on me, I stopped walking, threw my head back in the middle of the sidewalk and just screeched, right then and there, out of frustration and anger and pure emotion.

People stared at me like I was insane, but it was New York. There were about a million crazier people who had done crazier things.

I put the phone back to my ear after releasing my primal scream. Gwen was repeatedly asking if I was okay. I cut her off, "Meet me at Macy's on 34th street. NOW!"

A/N: YAY! That was Chapter 1! I really hope you all enjoyed it. Progressively more will be revealed, because I know you're probably wondering why'd Mindy come back from Haiti, where's Casey, is he even in the picture, what about Christina? All of those questions shall be answered! Anyway, I'm so excited to write this story. I have lots of ideas, but please feel free to leave suggestions in a review! And also give me feedback in the reviews. I'd love to know what you think so far :D. Until next chapter!