Chapter 2 - Romano
It's was dark and noisy, they were waiting on the patients as the chopper idled. He yelled something, they began to argue, one thing led to another and he was pushed into the rudder blade- - - Romano jerked up in his bed, covered in sweat. The same dream ,night after night. Kovac had pushed him into the blade. It was Kovac's fault. Romano pulled himself out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He looked at his arm in the harsh light of the room. He made himself look at the barely healed scar. Reattached just below the elbow. Hours of microsurgery and all that could be said was that his had two arms, only one that functioned. There could be more surgery; he would have to make up his mind soon. Katz from Stony Brook in New York could do more work and there was a chance to return some of the arms function. All he really wanted was revenge. Kovac was on leave, pending a criminal investigation.
"Keep looking at it Rocket." He said to himself over and over "Get used to it and do something about it"
-Later the same morning-
"Shirley" He yelled, " Get in here"
"Yes, Dr. Romano?" Shirley said wishing that he had not come back to work. The weeks without him had been so peaceful. Dr. Anspaugh had filled in for Romano, but he was back.
"Where are the surgical schedules and Anspaugh's notes?"
"One the top of your desk in the red folder." She answered as Romano reached for them and knocked over his coffee
"Damn it. Get someone in here to clean this up." He said as he stalked out of his office and headed to the surgeon lounge
He hated being clumsy and uncoordinated. He missed Lizzie. While he was recuperating, she had sold her house and moved back to London. He had tried to contact her but. She was obviously cutting all ties to Chicago. He couldn't blame her.
"Robert? Shirley told me you were in here. Have a minute?" Kerry walked into the room.
'Wipe that sympathetic look off your face, Weaver." He said before even turning around to face her.
Kerry readjusted her facial expression. "Robert, Donald said that risk management would hold a meeting this week to go over the event and repercussions of the outbreak. Do you know when the meeting will be?" Robert consulted the red folder that he held in his hand.
"Friday, Kerry, the meeting is Friday. You will be called when you are needed."
"I want to ---" He didn't let her finish the sentence. Romano held up his hand.
"You will be called when needed. Do I have to remind you that your account of things are not first hand. You really don't need to sit in on this meeting. You really don't have anything to worry about, do you? This isn't like the time you left your beeper in the bathroom, is it?" He enjoyed this. In fact this was the first time in a long time he was enjoying himself.
"You are such a , there aren't words descriptive enough for what you are!!" She said, not really speaking loud "After your "experience" I would have thought you would reevaluate yourself, your attitudes"
"Why, I'm not any different than I was before the " accident"." He looked pointedly at her leg, "We are not alike"
"You're right Robert, I can still do my job." She said acidly.
"Be careful, Kerry, after Friday you may not have a job" He looked at her in a way that frightened her.
She turned and walked away. Romano looked at her retreating form. He touched the useless arm.
It's was dark and noisy, they were waiting on the patients as the chopper idled. He yelled something, they began to argue, one thing led to another and he was pushed into the rudder blade- - - Romano jerked up in his bed, covered in sweat. The same dream ,night after night. Kovac had pushed him into the blade. It was Kovac's fault. Romano pulled himself out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He looked at his arm in the harsh light of the room. He made himself look at the barely healed scar. Reattached just below the elbow. Hours of microsurgery and all that could be said was that his had two arms, only one that functioned. There could be more surgery; he would have to make up his mind soon. Katz from Stony Brook in New York could do more work and there was a chance to return some of the arms function. All he really wanted was revenge. Kovac was on leave, pending a criminal investigation.
"Keep looking at it Rocket." He said to himself over and over "Get used to it and do something about it"
-Later the same morning-
"Shirley" He yelled, " Get in here"
"Yes, Dr. Romano?" Shirley said wishing that he had not come back to work. The weeks without him had been so peaceful. Dr. Anspaugh had filled in for Romano, but he was back.
"Where are the surgical schedules and Anspaugh's notes?"
"One the top of your desk in the red folder." She answered as Romano reached for them and knocked over his coffee
"Damn it. Get someone in here to clean this up." He said as he stalked out of his office and headed to the surgeon lounge
He hated being clumsy and uncoordinated. He missed Lizzie. While he was recuperating, she had sold her house and moved back to London. He had tried to contact her but. She was obviously cutting all ties to Chicago. He couldn't blame her.
"Robert? Shirley told me you were in here. Have a minute?" Kerry walked into the room.
'Wipe that sympathetic look off your face, Weaver." He said before even turning around to face her.
Kerry readjusted her facial expression. "Robert, Donald said that risk management would hold a meeting this week to go over the event and repercussions of the outbreak. Do you know when the meeting will be?" Robert consulted the red folder that he held in his hand.
"Friday, Kerry, the meeting is Friday. You will be called when you are needed."
"I want to ---" He didn't let her finish the sentence. Romano held up his hand.
"You will be called when needed. Do I have to remind you that your account of things are not first hand. You really don't need to sit in on this meeting. You really don't have anything to worry about, do you? This isn't like the time you left your beeper in the bathroom, is it?" He enjoyed this. In fact this was the first time in a long time he was enjoying himself.
"You are such a , there aren't words descriptive enough for what you are!!" She said, not really speaking loud "After your "experience" I would have thought you would reevaluate yourself, your attitudes"
"Why, I'm not any different than I was before the " accident"." He looked pointedly at her leg, "We are not alike"
"You're right Robert, I can still do my job." She said acidly.
"Be careful, Kerry, after Friday you may not have a job" He looked at her in a way that frightened her.
She turned and walked away. Romano looked at her retreating form. He touched the useless arm.