Spaceman, oh spaceman!
come rescue me from this!
calling all aliens!
come rescue me!
- Spaceman: Bif Naked
The room was shrouded in a faded darkness like the coming of dusk, the hallway's fluorescent lights casting a faint glow in the hospital room as the man lay in his room and stared fixedly at the ceiling.
The room had belonged to an elderly woman with a bad hip. Edith Vasner's family had visited her every day and brought flowers, the room once smelling of wild roses and hopeful good cheer. Edith had gone home, her old hip replaced with plastic and metal, and her family taking her into their home and heart.
Now it smelled of antiseptic and iodine. It smelled of pain and exertion. It smelled of a lonely emptiness. The man that now lay in Edith's bed breathed slowly, counting each respiration and each prick and throb of pain. The nurses had come and gone, changing his dressing and his IV meds.
The man had a visitor, he'd sat beside the broken soul, waiting for him to wake. It had been the second time he'd been in hospital. The man that is, not the visitor. The visitor worked in the hospital, in fact; so did the man.
The visitor sighed, his attention drawn to the outside window, the sky thick with falling snow, when his friend spoke. In fact he'd spoken before, but Mark was too drawn to the outside world. "So you never EVER wished I was dead?"
Dave repeated again to Mark who sat by his bedside. "No.. Well.. You have to admit.. You are a pain in the ass sometimes... But no... I've never wished you dead. I never EVER said you should have been dead ages ago. I never said anything of the sort." Mark replied, reassuring the man. "Carter's right.. You must have been having nightmares.
"Well.. If you're sure.." Dave said quietly, staring at the IV pole beside him and sighing. "I don't like laying here... I don't want to be in here.. I was only out less than a month, Dr.Greene.. It's not fair. Couldn't you get me out at all?"
"No.. You know I can't. You just had major surgery... You'll have to stay for awhile till you heal up.. Till we can take that chest tube out.. Till we can take out the rest of the tubes draining your incisions.. I can't release you Dave. I'm sorry." Mark slowly exhaled, ducking his head and staring at his shoes. "I'm sorry Dave."
"You haven't phoned my Mom yet have you?" The man whispered sadly, changing the subject, his fingers trailing down the IV lines in his arm.
"No.. We haven't-" Mark started, almost plaintively. "Don't.. Don't phone her.. She won't remember anyway.. If my aunt phones.. Tell her I'm sleeping, or at the store or something.. Okay? I don't want to worry them." Dave Malucci said, determined to keep his family in the dark. He'd already put his family through enough, a little set back wasn't enough to worry them all over again.
"Dave, we have to contact somebody."
"No.. Don't tell anyone.. It's okay. I'll be fine."
"What about that girlfriend? Cheryl? Should we phone her at all?"
"Cindy.. We're not together anymore.. She.. We're not together anymore. She's found somebody without so much emotional baggage." Dave said with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.
"I'm sorry Dave."
"Hey.. Not your fault. I thought I was the one who couldn't take commitment. I guess I was wrong.. Even she couldn't handle it getting a little rocky.. She bailed out. It's her prerogative, I guess." Dave said honestly. "I just need a little sleep.. I'm gonna get some sleep. Okay Dr.Greene?"
Mark nodded, standing up and straightening the pleat in his pants. "No problem, Dave. You get some rest. The bed will still be there at my place when you get released. Don't worry."
*********
"You're suing the hospital? I thought this was settled?" Carter sighed, his fingers drumming on his leg cast, now signed by half the hospital. His fingers settled on a small crack in the plaster and his finger nail picked away at the fine dust, his gaze fixed on it as he refused to look her in the eye.
"It is.. Or it was.. Yes.. It's settled.. I don't know anymore Carter. You knew her. What do you think?" Barb Knight sighed, staring out the window at the falling snow, the bustling of ambulances and street cleaners marring the peaceful whiteness of the outside world.
"What do I think? I think it's bad enough we have Samantha Sobriki trying to sue. I thought you said it'd be too painful for everyone to deal with." He said honestly. "I think it'd be bad for everyone. That's what I think. But if you really want to, I can get one of our lawyers to talk to you. I'm sure Gamma would be happy to help you in anyway she can." He smiled hopefully. The hope that resided in his heart was a lot less that what he showed in his cheery smile, but the woman needed hope, he was glad to spare all he could. "It'll be okay, Ms.Knight.."
"Thank you Dr. Carter."
****************
"Ms. Sobriki.. I know you're hurting. I know you're looking out for the welfare of your child, but I don't think that suing the hospital.. Suing the Maluccis.. Suing the Knights.. It's not a way to make friends, and there's no guarantee you'd win in the first place..." Elizabeth sat beside the woman, rubbing her back as Samantha sobbed, shaking her head.
"I.. I'm sorry.. Dr. Romano.. He-" Samantha broke off weeping into her mittens and allowed Elizabeth to pull her into an embrace.
"Dr. Romano is an insensitive horrid old sod. Anything he said, I'm sorry... I'm sorry about your husband and I'll personally try to do anything I can to help you get settled. I know some real estate agents, I have some connections with social services. I'm promising you, Samantha. I'll help you and your baby any way I can." Stroking the woman's back, Elizabeth let her nuzzle into her curls, her hair now sodden with salty tears. Samantha was in so much pain, and there wasn't really anything anyone could do. Nothing that would make Paul Sobriki right again. Nothing that could ever turn back the clock and put everything right again.
*********************
"Mark.. Get back to work.." Kerry snapped, standing in the doorway, standing more straighter than usual, her arm linked with Luka's. She didn't avert her eyes or blush as Greene's eyes fixated on Luka, on the hand that was intertwined with hers.
She watched as the man slunk from the room and walked down the hall, his head twitching as if he ached for another look, to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he dare not. With a suppressed sigh of fear she strode to Dave's bedside, her hand still held by Kovac.
"How are you feeling, Dave?" Luka said, with a small smile, his hand breaking free and his arm circling around Kerry's shoulders. Dave looked at the sight for a moment and shrugged.
"Fine I guess.. Fine as to be expected. So your dinner date went well?"
Kerry reddened slightly, and Luka exchanged a confused and fearful glance with her. "How did you-?"
"It's all over the ER now.. They were looking for you.. When that kid.. When I.." Dave groaned, staring out the window, taking a deep sigh in order to compose his thoughts. "They couldn't find either of you, and finally put two and two together.. That little stare-down with Greene can't have helped much. Did you two walk all the way up here like that?" Referring to the hands they gripped tightly, as if letting go would cause both to spiral out of control and out of existence completely.
He said it almost accusingly with an edge to his voice, but Dave was more curious about it than anything else. They hadn't really thought about it. As Luka and Kerry had headed back into her house, the phone rang. The news of Dave's emergency surgery was made evident and they rushed down to County, parking in the underground garage in his reserved spot. Luka of course had to help Kerry from the car. The cold weather stiffening her leg, and the slick ice in the garage making the goings dangerous.
"Yes.. I suppose so." Kerry said carefully. "We might have..." She said guiltily as if holding the attending's hand was a sinful thing.
"Well then it's out then. You guys are an item. Congratulations." Dave said some-what cheerfully.