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Joey stared in the mirror. She wasn't sure she recognized the girl that stood before her. She wondered if Mark would recognize her, she wondered what Mark would say, if he was still alive. It wasn't just the hair and the makeup. It wasn't just the clean clothes, freshly pressed shirt and ironed jeans. It wasn't the weight she had gained from regular meals or the healthy glow that flushed her cheeks. It was all that and more. She had adapted, she had changed. Sometimes, some days she would find herself not remembering and then it would all rush back and a flood of guilt would follow. Things were beginning to get fuzzy, hazy. There were times when Joey had to sit and concentrate, really concentrate, on remembering what Mark looked like. It was becoming more and more difficult to conjure visual images of the past and it shouldn't have been difficult. Not now, not so soon. She grabbed a jacket from her closet pausing to stare at the slinky black dress that sat on the hanger, purchased a few days ago for the hospital function. More guilt. Slowly Joey put on her jacket and glanced at her watch and quickened her pace. She would have to hurry up if she wasn't going to be late for work.
Working the morning shift was not as bad as most people complained. Joey would arrive at the hospital around 6am helping with the necessary cleaning and assisting with the preparation and serving of breakfast. Around 10am things were generally quieter and calmer around the wards not that it meant much in the hospital for there was always things to do. There was always a slight shortage of staff in the hospital, nothing too significant but there were always complaints about how they were understaffed. While doctors and surgeons were paid an inordinate amount, interns, nurses and the general staff did not fare as well. Necessary budgetary cuts were always and continuously being implemented by the hospital as ordered by Dr Evans, head of the hospital. Joey was usually delegated to whatever department or area needed her most. It had been suggested and advised that Joey learn basic first aid but later onwards, as she continued to work in the hospital, it became necessary for her to improve on these learnt skills. Now she was often required to assist in the ER tending minor injuries, basic bandaging and other simple tasks that were deemed not to require the attention of more skilled persons. In fact she was now certified to perform such duties. She found some small amount of pleasure in helping the various people that came in and out of the ER doors. Sometimes there would be mothers with children who had burnt themselves, fallen down or had somehow carelessly injured themselves. The mothers were always grateful to Joey for her help and the children would often, eventually, open up and chatter away as Joey tended to their problem. Later she would give them a choice of a red, green, yellow or orange lollipop and the children would leave the ER happily sucking on their sweet confectionery. Other times it might be elderly people who would come in. Often they had minor injuries that could have easily been attended to at home but they sought the attention of a 'professional' and the concern and talk of another human. The elderly that Joey talked to often had so many interesting tales, giving her different insights into the world. Some would pat her on the arm and tell her what a good person she was. It was nice. It was something Joey had never really experienced before; the gentle, kind touch of the elderly (almost like a grandparent or so she imagined). Then there might be school and college kids, adults with busy lives, all entering briefly the world of the ER for whatever reason. Some would talk to her while others were silent. Often Joey would imagine what their lives must be like; the man in the business suit, the woman with bruises across her arm, the teenager who fell off his skateboard. They entered her world like sheep being herded in and out; a flash of white and then they were gone. Sometimes she would have liked to talk longer to them, sometimes she wished she could follow up their cases yet there were rules and hospital policies; strict guidelines in which Joey had very narrow limits to move. Dr Ross and Dr Williams had broken or at very least severely bent those rules for Joey when they had initially helped and cared for her. She did not know what had made her so special, so lucky. She wished she could reciprocate the favor onto the many other people she saw each day but she was no one so she satisfied herself with the little she could do. The little she could do for the people within her reach because Joey knew that beyond the walls of this hospital, beyond this world filled with warm houses, apartments and people was another world. A world where hospitals did not exist and venturing into one, by your own will and volition, was unheard of.
There had been quite a commotion when he had entered the hospital, rushed into the ER, surrounded by concerned and distraught friends. Several of them had demanded doctors and surgeons to attend to him immediately and the stationed nurse was flustered and found it difficult to handle this group of young people. The man concerned seemed unflappable and at ease, not the least worried about the gash on his forehead that was producing a steady but small flow of blood to the panic of his women friends. Indeed there were much more serious injuries from other patients that needed to be attended to and while the nurse tried to explain and avert the insistence of his demanding friends, the man leaned against one of the pillars and watched the display in amusement. Joey had just finished with a patient when the ailing nurse saw the young women and quickly signaled for Joey's help. Meanwhile a pretty blonde was threatening the poor nurse with her job and screaming in a high pitched voice that she was going to call "Daddy" to get everything fixed. Much to the alarm of the overwhelmed nurse the young woman took out her mobile, switched it on and began dialing. Quickly the nurse snatched the mobile away and turned it off informing the young woman that mobiles were not to be switched on in the hospital. Amidst the chaos Joey led the young man to a room, instructed him to sit on the bed as she grabbed some swab and antiseptic and prepared to clean the man's wound. Joey had yet to pay much attention to her patient, concentrating on cleansing the cut. He was silent throughout barely wincing when the antiseptic came into contact with his open cut. When the blood and dirt was cleared and the wound cleaned Joey grabbed the necessary supplies and began bandaging the man's cut. It was a simple procedure which was quickly finished and Joey smiled to herself in satisfaction. As she moved away from the patient he grabbed her by the wrist and gently restrained her. For the first time Joey had a chance to fully absorb her patient. He had the most brilliant blue eyes that she had ever encountered and she found herself fascinated by them. "You must do this a lot." The patient spoke. "Your touch is so gentle." Joey jumped a little startled by his voice. It was deep and low and husky. "Um, thanks." Joey blushed. "You're not in too much pain are you?" "You know what always makes the pain go away, or so I am told?" Joey shook her head. "A kiss." There was a teasing quality to his voice. She smiled and laughed a little, assuming he was just joking, but he simply looked up at her in expectation. Suddenly Joey became aware of his hand around her back, gently drawing circles, and the fact that she was caught between his two legs. She shivered instinctively and felt something strange that she had never really felt before (desire?). "I really should, uh, go and see if there are other patients that need my help." Joey said somewhat uncertainly and full of awkwardness. He nodded his head and released her and Joey was walking away. "I don't know your name." He called. "Joey. Joey Potter." "Thank you for your care, Joey Potter." "Oh by the way there are so forms you have to fill out." She suddenly remembered. He quickly filled out the forms and handed them back to her. She glanced down at them, checking to see if everything had been correctly completed. On the white piece of paper, at the very top, on the left, his name was printed out in bold black print. Pacey Witter. "Take care of yourself, Pacey Witter. I wouldn't want to see you in the ER again." Joey smiled kindly as she walked out the door. "And if I wanted to see you again?" She paused halfway out and halfway in the room and stared uncertainly at the man sitting on the bed. Unable to satisfactorily decipher his true meaning she smiled a half smile and then exited the room. Later onwards in the day Dr Evans stopped by and thanked Joey for her skill and care of the patient Pacey Witter. The grapevine in the hospital also had it that the stationed nurse had been severely reprimanded. Some gossiped that she would unlikely show her face in the hospital again, fired for her rudeness and incompetence. Several sneered at her stupidity although a lot seemed frightened that the same mistake might occur to them. Joey did not quite understand the full implications of it all although she deduced that Pacey Witter's well being was a primary concern of Dr Evans and hence to be considered a primary concern and priority for the rest of the hospital and its staff. Various strangers in the form of unknown nurses and doctors had asked Joey how badly injured Mr Witter had been and what he looked like. She gave them what she considered to be a reasonable account of the events but they seemed dissatisfied with her lack of information. She wasn't quite sure what else they wanted. Even Dr Ross and Dr Williams had thought it had been Joey's excitement for the day. It had been an intriguing event but Joey was more interested in the young child she had met later onwards in the day as she left the hospital. A small boy with curly black hair, a ruddy face with various bruises and cuts and clearly suffering from malnutrition she had seen him somewhere just outside the hospital, lingering about. With the equipment she had on her Joey had attended to his wounds and given him the half of her sandwich (meant to be her lunch). He had shyly thanked her and then ran off. All afternoon as she worked in the office of Dr Ross and Dr Williams the young boy haunted her thoughts. For Joey Potter, Pacey Witter had made a relatively small impression compared to the young boy she had met on the street. |
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