Hearts Connected (a Hospital Central fan-fiction story) Chapters 1-3
Hearts Connected
By Elizabeth Ragona
Disclaimer: Hospital Central is a television show that aired in Spain on the Telecinco channel. This is a fan-fiction story. The Spanish characters are from the show, all other characters were my creation.
Chapter One – Going to Atlanta
Just a few blocks from Gaudi's Sacred Family Church in downtown Madrid stands the venerable Hospital Central whose trauma center doctors are on the cutting edge of medicine and drama. Their lives, their relationships with their patients and with each other, and their heroic rescues generate stories throughout Madrid. The story of one rescue, a heart transplant performed on a child with Downs' Syndrome, went spinning around the world and fell onto the desk of a doctor in Atlanta, Georgia, and in response, an offer was made to bring the trauma doctors to Atlanta for the summer to share ideas and treatments.
Maca, or more officially Dr. Macarena Fernandez-Wilson, the director of the Emergency Department, had agreed to the fellowship two months ago when she felt like she needed to get away. Her relationship with her lover Veronica had gone cold, her ex-wife Esther was involved with Bea, and her parents had already asked if the kids could spend part of the summer at the family's vineyard in Jerez. So when the director of Emory's Eggleston Children's Hospital wrote to ask if she would like to bring a team to Atlanta to teach a class in emergency room pediatrics, she agreed immediately. She shared the invitation with her team, including Dr. Jacobo Muniz, Dr. Hector Bejar and Dr. Waldo Jaramillo. But Hector's own heart transplant a month ago prevented him from traveling. Waldo and his wife were having some marital problems about starting a family and he didn't want to leave her. Jacobo said that he was afraid of flying but Maca suspected that he was planning to steal her position of ER Director while she was away. She needed a break from all the drama and she suspected, or at least hoped, that Atlanta would be a welcome respite.
Maca almost reconsidered the trip when her reconciliation with Esther started heating up but Esther insisted that she go; it would be prestigious for the doctor and for Hospital Central. Maca then asked Esther to go with her to Atlanta but Esther didn't want to leave the kids alone with their grandparents for so long and she would keep an eye on Jacobo and watch for any games he might play.
They had a romantic evening the night before Maca's flight. Candlelit dinner included tender veal roasted in wine and rosemary sauce; sweet, little carrots that they fed each other, and a fragrant Cabernet that brought out Maca's sensual playfulness. The pastries with sweet cream filling were left on the table after Maca smeared a little of the cream on Esther's hand and then proceeded to kiss it off. They made love in Maca's bedroom with all three of their children asleep down the hall and, for the first time in several years, Maca felt like she was home.
Esther had spent most of the night after they made love just holding the taller woman while she slept, trying to memorize every curve and every scent so she wouldn't be so lonely while Maca was in Atlanta. Maca hadn't actually been sleeping; she was reveling in her beloved's caresses and soft kisses. Throughout the evening it had been the little things – Esther's shy smile, the way she moaned when Maca touched sensitive spots just behind her ears, the fact that she couldn't stop looking at Maca and then got embarrassed when Maca caught her staring – that reminded her of the early years of their relationship. In the beginning, Maca usually initiated their lovemaking but she'd find herself wrapped in Esther's arms after the passionate nurse had sent Maca soaring. Esther might be too shy to start things, but she had proven to be a playful, passionate and attentive lover and was very good at finishing things. Maca was actually grateful for the long flight from Madrid to Atlanta and the comfortable first-class seat so she could catch up on some much needed sleep.
Maca worried that she was going to have a hard time getting use to the time change. Her plane left Madrid at 11:30 a.m. and landed in Atlanta at 3:30 p.m. but it had taken nine hours to get there. The Delta stewardesses had been very good about letting her sleep and had woken her about an hour before landing so that she could freshen up.
The last e-mail from Dr. Belter, the director of Eggleston's emergency center, said that he would pick her up, so when she disembarked from the plane she scanned the crowd looking for someone who resembled his picture. The chauffer watched as she came through the door from the plane and he smiled; she looked exactly as the doctors at Eggleston had described: tall, beautiful, confident and casually elegant. He took a few steps forward to separate himself from the crowd, which caught Maca's attention. She noticed that he was a good-looking man of Latin decent dressed in a crisp, black suit with a white shirt and thin black tie. He had on a black cap and was carrying a sign that read "Dra. Fernandez".
He gave her a sharp, quick bow and said, "Bienvenudo a Atlanta, Doctora Fernandez. Soy Roberto."
"Gracias, Roberto. Pero, please, can we speak English? I need all the practice I can get." Maca asked in perfect but carefully spoken English.
"Vale, Doctora, as you prefer. Dr. Belter and the Eggleston Children's Hospital welcome you to Atlanta and hope you enjoy your stay. He sends his regrets that he cannot be here to meet you personally but a patient came in that he felt needed his attention."
"Oh, it must be very serious then."
"Si, Doctora, a six year old with a gunshot wound came in after lunch and Dr. Belter is still with him. May I have your luggage claim tickets please? I will return for you in a moment."
She thanked him as she handed him the stapled pack of tickets and then retrieved her cell phone from her favorite leather backpack. While she waited for him to return, she checked her voice messages and deleted all except the one from Veronica, who said she would miss her and ordered her to have some fun on the trip. She then sent text messages to Esther and her mother telling them that she had arrived safely. A few minutes later, Esther replied that she was glad that Maca was safe and now perhaps Teresa, the not-so-psychic emergency room desk clerk, would stop scaring her about plan crashes over the shark-infested Atlantic Ocean. Her mother simply thanked God for the safe trip and told her to look professional at all times.
She looked down at the boots stretched out in front of her and wondered if her mother would think she looked professional right now. The beautiful doctor was turning heads in her brown leather jacket and tight tan pants tucked into riding boots. Her thick brown hair flowed in curls around her shoulders. Most strangers she met outside of "El Central" were surprised to find out that she wasn't a model or actress but that she was a 37-year-old pediatrician with three kids.
She smiled at the thought of her three children. Shortly after her marriage to Esther, the Director of Nurses at Hospital Central, Maca had their son Pedro. He had been planned with the biological assistance of Dr. Devilla, the retired chief of the hospital. The boy was a bright, outgoing child who was curious about everything around him: worms, birds, and flowers, and he loved kites, stories of pirates, and futbol. A year later, she found out about Esther's affair with Raul and the imminent birth of little Patricia. She had been very hurt and incredibly angry. But as the baby's birth came closer and closer, she found herself caring about the unexpected child. Their family grew when the three parents made the decision to have another child because Patricia needed a perfect donor for a bone marrow transplant. Although she had given birth to Pedro, and Esther had had Patricia and Paula, they were never thought of separately by either mother. Even after splitting up and moving apart, she and Esther were in agreement that both were responsible for all three children; and all three kids were equally loved. Maca believed that their children contributed to the reconciliation that was occurring. Esther had a strong belief in 'family' and didn't have a problem maintaining their family ties even after their divorce; she even included Raul and Vero as extensions of that family. As long as Maca was 'family' she had been able to keep the lines of communication open with Esther and eventually began winning her back.
Roberto returned with a cart stacked with Maca's luggage and led her through a maze of corridors to the loading area where his black limousine was waiting for them. The heir of renowned winemakers, Maca regularly attended events with guests such as Spanish royalty, movie stars, well-known fashion designers, and illustrious artists. So the gorgeous doctor was unperturbed by the crowd that had gathered around the car and nonchalantly entered the pristine vehicle as the travelers strained for a better look to see if she was a recognizable actress.
After leaving the airport, Roberto drove the limousine north through the city on Interstate 85 toward the hospital. She was amazed at how much had changed since her last visit back in 1978. The large complexes of condominiums, the tall office buildings, the bright neon signs that loomed over the highway were a sharp contrast to the Atlanta she remembered 30 years ago. Even the highway, in some places 14 lanes wide, was so much larger than the road she remembered. She shook her head and laughed at herself when she realized that she had expected it to look the same. It now occurred to her that as greater-Madrid had grown to over 5 million people, so had greater-Atlanta, and at 4:00 o'clock on a Monday, it seemed that most of them were on the interstate at the same time as she was.
"Pardona, señorita, would you like to go to your hotel to relax or to the hospital first?" Roberto asked with a charming smile.
She wondered if he was flirting or hinting at other services he might provide. She studied him a moment. He was about six feet tall, wavy black hair, dark skinned, laughing brown eyes, and straight white teeth. He was slim and it appeared that he worked out; and probably got lots of requests for services outside of the limousine. He reminded Maca of her brother, who was coincidently also named Roberto. Like her brother he probably used his good looks and charm to get and keep happy, satisfied customers.
The young chauffer raised his eyebrows when he noticed her staring, and although she preferred women over men, she blushed when she wondered what he might be thinking. Trying to compose herself, she returned his smile. "Señora," she corrected him. "Actually, perhaps you can help me with something."
"I am at your service, señora." He gave her a little nod.
"When I came here as a child we stayed in a white house with tall columns in front and a 'porche' that wrapped around the house. It had a tall, black iron gate in front and it had a grand staircase in the 'vestibulo' of the house like they use in the...como se dice 'peliculas'?" she couldn't remember the English word.
"Movies, señora?"
"Si, movies."
"Señora, there are many houses like that in Atlanta. Do you remember the street or what part of the city you were in?"
"No. We were always driven there and once we were there, we didn't have to go anywhere else. It had everything we needed." She forced herself to remember the estate and anything significant about it. She thought for a few minutes while Roberto drove the car north towards Emory University. "Caballos!" Maca shouted. "Horses!"
"Que, señora?" he looked in the mirror back to her.
"It had Andalusian horses and a big white stable. I learned to ride there. And there were a pair of bronze horses at the front gate."
"Aldalusians? Hmm." Roberto thought for a moment. "Ah, si, I know the place. You would like to go there?"
"Si, if it is not too much trouble," Maca replied.
"Vale," replied the smiling driver. As her attention was drawn to a neon sign that advertised that the next Braves baseball game was this coming Thursday, Maca missed the unusually pleased look that passed across the driver's face.