Part Six
"Excuse me miss, the plane will be landing in Chicago in a few minutes," a young stewardess said to Harmony.
She nodded, blinking sleep from her eyes and cursing herself for actually choosing to take this late flight home. It was about two-thirty in the morning. She glanced out of the window. Chicago looked like one of those towns that were set up for Christmas. That reminded her. Christmas was a little under a month away, and she had to prepare. She mentally counted all the gifts and Christmas cards she would have to purchase for the season. She considered this for a while as the plane touched down violently.
She got off the plane quickly, greeted by a blast of icy air in the ramp way adjoining the plane. Welcome back to Chicago, she thought, rubbing her shoulders involuntarily. The waiting area was empty and quiet. The silence was partly due to Harmony's popped ears, but in her mind was very prevalent. Her fellow bedraggled passengers wandered sleepily to the luggage claim, Harmony following in their tracks. She gazed longingly at the closed coffee shop, promising herself she would stop somewhere to get coffee on the way home. She grabbed her suitcase and set off for the parking lot.
By this time in December, Harmony had her own car, a bright blue Volkswagen Beetle. Her parents had given it to her as a belated "Welcome back to the States" present. She heaved her suitcase into the trunk and drove slowly to her house.
It was three in the morning when Harmony got home. She rolled into bed and slept like a rock for four and a half hours.
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"Welcome back Doctor Morris," Abby said distractedly as Harmony entered the doctor's lounge.
"Thanks," Harmony said sleepily, again bleary eyed. She walked past admit. "What's wrong with Abby?" she asked Kerry.
"Her mother's in town. I didn't know you'd be back today."
"I am. What's so bad about her mom being in town?"
"Mrs. Wysinski is bi-polar, and Abby doesn't want to take care of her," Carter explained, checking the board. "Welcome back."
"Thanks. What do we have today?"
"Not much. Here, you take the abdominal pains. You'd better take it easy today, since it's your first day back," Carter replied.
Harmony jokingly pushed Carter. "I'm not coming back from something like, say drug rehab."
Carter glared at her. "You'd better watch that mouth young'in."
Harmony started laughing and grabbed the chart.
"Yeah, you'd better run!" Carter's voice followed her down the hall.
"Nah, I'm not running, I'm getting out of there before you could rip my head off!"
"What's this about ripping people's heads off?" Malucci asked, as Harmony turned the corner.
"Nothing. Nothing. Inside joke."
"I hate inside jokes," he commented.
"So did I, before I had a few," Harmony giggled, pushing past him into exam three. "Miss. Georgina Keller?"
"That's me," said a young woman in the farthest bed.
"I'm Doctor Morris," Harmony said, crossing the room.
"I thought you got in this morning," Luka said, who was also in the room.
"Luka! I missed you." They hugged each other quickly. "I got in at about two this morning."
"Ah, well I have to get these charts up to radiology. See you later."
"Bye." Harmony turned back to Georgina.
"You're a couple hun? You make a cute one."
Harmony blushed slightly and turned to examine the chart to hide her grin.
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Screams. The E.R. was filled with screams. Not that this was an odd occurrence, but these screams were different. They were ballistic, wild, neurotic. Harmony jammed her hands over her ears.
"What the hell is that!" she yelped, trying to be heard over the racket.
"I think it's Abby's mother," Chuny yelled back. She too had her hands over her ears.
"My god!"
Maggie Wysinski ran by them screaming at the top of her lungs. Harmony and Chuny looked at each other. Harmony was ready to crawl under one of the desks and hide. Luka and Carter grabbed the woman and dragged her back to the exam rooms.
"Harmony!" It was Kerry
"What!"
"Can you take this sample up to the labs for a DNA test?"
"WHAT!"
"CAN YOU TAKE THIS SAMPLE UP TO THE LABS FOR A DNA TEST" Kerry screamed.
"YES!!!!" Harmony grabbed the test-tube and ran to the elevator. When the doors had safely closed her away from the E.R. and she was gliding smoothly upward, Harmony sighed. Her ears were buzzing and she could barely hear herself think.
The chemical labs were on the same floor as the pathology labs, so Harmony had stayed away from the place as often as she could. She pushed past the swinging doors of the laboratory
"Hey Doctor Morris, long time no see," said a chipper young woman who was at one of the tables.
"Hi Rachel. Doctor Weaver from down in the E.R. wanted a genetic test on this," Harmony explained, showing her the test tube.
"Think you could help me?" The blonde asked, walking over to where Harmony stood.
"Sure, I guess. I don't have anything else going on. But if I get a page, you understand that I have to go, right?"
"Of course! Now, you'll need some gloves and some eye wear."
"'K."
Rachel handed the items to Harmony. "I'll go get the machines ready."
------------------------
Luka stood outside the lab, waiting for Harmony. He could see her and another woman, a blonde, not quite as tall as Harmony, working. Kerry had told him that Harmony was taking a sample up for a test, but he had expected her to come back down to the E.R.
Harmony left the lab. "…I'll give you a call Rach," she was saying. "Oh, hi Luka. How'd everything go with Abby's mom?"
"She left and Abby is very worried about her."
"God, that's terrible. I've got to get these results down to Kerry before I go. Hey, do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"
Luka shrugged. "Sounds good to me."
"Great. Hey, guess what. I got a car! My parents gave it to me."
"Nice."
Harmony giggled awkwardly before the two got into the elevator.
"Excuse me miss, the plane will be landing in Chicago in a few minutes," a young stewardess said to Harmony.
She nodded, blinking sleep from her eyes and cursing herself for actually choosing to take this late flight home. It was about two-thirty in the morning. She glanced out of the window. Chicago looked like one of those towns that were set up for Christmas. That reminded her. Christmas was a little under a month away, and she had to prepare. She mentally counted all the gifts and Christmas cards she would have to purchase for the season. She considered this for a while as the plane touched down violently.
She got off the plane quickly, greeted by a blast of icy air in the ramp way adjoining the plane. Welcome back to Chicago, she thought, rubbing her shoulders involuntarily. The waiting area was empty and quiet. The silence was partly due to Harmony's popped ears, but in her mind was very prevalent. Her fellow bedraggled passengers wandered sleepily to the luggage claim, Harmony following in their tracks. She gazed longingly at the closed coffee shop, promising herself she would stop somewhere to get coffee on the way home. She grabbed her suitcase and set off for the parking lot.
By this time in December, Harmony had her own car, a bright blue Volkswagen Beetle. Her parents had given it to her as a belated "Welcome back to the States" present. She heaved her suitcase into the trunk and drove slowly to her house.
It was three in the morning when Harmony got home. She rolled into bed and slept like a rock for four and a half hours.
------------------------
"Welcome back Doctor Morris," Abby said distractedly as Harmony entered the doctor's lounge.
"Thanks," Harmony said sleepily, again bleary eyed. She walked past admit. "What's wrong with Abby?" she asked Kerry.
"Her mother's in town. I didn't know you'd be back today."
"I am. What's so bad about her mom being in town?"
"Mrs. Wysinski is bi-polar, and Abby doesn't want to take care of her," Carter explained, checking the board. "Welcome back."
"Thanks. What do we have today?"
"Not much. Here, you take the abdominal pains. You'd better take it easy today, since it's your first day back," Carter replied.
Harmony jokingly pushed Carter. "I'm not coming back from something like, say drug rehab."
Carter glared at her. "You'd better watch that mouth young'in."
Harmony started laughing and grabbed the chart.
"Yeah, you'd better run!" Carter's voice followed her down the hall.
"Nah, I'm not running, I'm getting out of there before you could rip my head off!"
"What's this about ripping people's heads off?" Malucci asked, as Harmony turned the corner.
"Nothing. Nothing. Inside joke."
"I hate inside jokes," he commented.
"So did I, before I had a few," Harmony giggled, pushing past him into exam three. "Miss. Georgina Keller?"
"That's me," said a young woman in the farthest bed.
"I'm Doctor Morris," Harmony said, crossing the room.
"I thought you got in this morning," Luka said, who was also in the room.
"Luka! I missed you." They hugged each other quickly. "I got in at about two this morning."
"Ah, well I have to get these charts up to radiology. See you later."
"Bye." Harmony turned back to Georgina.
"You're a couple hun? You make a cute one."
Harmony blushed slightly and turned to examine the chart to hide her grin.
------------------------
Screams. The E.R. was filled with screams. Not that this was an odd occurrence, but these screams were different. They were ballistic, wild, neurotic. Harmony jammed her hands over her ears.
"What the hell is that!" she yelped, trying to be heard over the racket.
"I think it's Abby's mother," Chuny yelled back. She too had her hands over her ears.
"My god!"
Maggie Wysinski ran by them screaming at the top of her lungs. Harmony and Chuny looked at each other. Harmony was ready to crawl under one of the desks and hide. Luka and Carter grabbed the woman and dragged her back to the exam rooms.
"Harmony!" It was Kerry
"What!"
"Can you take this sample up to the labs for a DNA test?"
"WHAT!"
"CAN YOU TAKE THIS SAMPLE UP TO THE LABS FOR A DNA TEST" Kerry screamed.
"YES!!!!" Harmony grabbed the test-tube and ran to the elevator. When the doors had safely closed her away from the E.R. and she was gliding smoothly upward, Harmony sighed. Her ears were buzzing and she could barely hear herself think.
The chemical labs were on the same floor as the pathology labs, so Harmony had stayed away from the place as often as she could. She pushed past the swinging doors of the laboratory
"Hey Doctor Morris, long time no see," said a chipper young woman who was at one of the tables.
"Hi Rachel. Doctor Weaver from down in the E.R. wanted a genetic test on this," Harmony explained, showing her the test tube.
"Think you could help me?" The blonde asked, walking over to where Harmony stood.
"Sure, I guess. I don't have anything else going on. But if I get a page, you understand that I have to go, right?"
"Of course! Now, you'll need some gloves and some eye wear."
"'K."
Rachel handed the items to Harmony. "I'll go get the machines ready."
------------------------
Luka stood outside the lab, waiting for Harmony. He could see her and another woman, a blonde, not quite as tall as Harmony, working. Kerry had told him that Harmony was taking a sample up for a test, but he had expected her to come back down to the E.R.
Harmony left the lab. "…I'll give you a call Rach," she was saying. "Oh, hi Luka. How'd everything go with Abby's mom?"
"She left and Abby is very worried about her."
"God, that's terrible. I've got to get these results down to Kerry before I go. Hey, do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"
Luka shrugged. "Sounds good to me."
"Great. Hey, guess what. I got a car! My parents gave it to me."
"Nice."
Harmony giggled awkwardly before the two got into the elevator.