Clouds Roll In
Jim Kraft paced anxiously back and forth by the admit desk while Doug and Carol watched on. While he was busy fuming, Aurora Chandler was dating Robert Romano. Jim loved Aurora, and whatever Jim wanted, Jim got. And he wanted Aurora.
The first date had gone by fantastically, as had the second, and third, and fourth. It killed Jim to see Robert come down to the ER just to see the nurse or to have her assist a surgery. It killed him even more to hear of what went on during the dates. Of course, Aurora was kind enough to not mention anything while he was in the room, but he had to ask Carol because of curiosity.
Expensive Italian restaurants, movies, a trip to the Space Needle, everything Jim had promised to Aurora, Robert had given. The visitor from Chicago seemed to know everything about impressing Nurse Chandler and that both angered and saddened Jim.
"Are you okay?" Carol Hathaway asked, pulling him away from pacing.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he groaned.
"No you're not. You're thinking of Aurora."
"Yes, I am. But wouldn't you? What are they doing right now? Has he yet again impressed her with his knowing on charm? I swear, it's like he is purposely trying to make me unhappy!"
"Jim, he isn't very popular in Chicago and this is probably one of the few times a woman who isn't a bimbo has found him attractive. Just let this pass. She won't go back with him to Chicago. No offense, but Aurora wouldn't be able to handle an inner city hospital."
"I want to think that, but I can't! Something about him is making me nervous, like she would run off with him!"
"Then there's nothing you can do."
A faint beeping was heard in the background as Robert slowly kissed Aurora. Why bother with work when he was with the woman of his dreams. Shrugging off the noise, he continued to hold her in his arms.
"Robert," she smiled, gently pushing him away, "Your beeper's going off."
As she said that, another pager went off. Sighing, both of them got up and checked their pockets.
"You too?" Robert asked.
"Let's just hope we're needed in the same OR," she breathed, picking up her scrub coat and he, with his lab coat, and ran out of the apartment to the car.
Jim looked over the trauma as the med students nervously used the defibrillators. As the patient came back to life, all he could do was sigh. Nothing seemed appealing to him, including other's lives. The only thing he cared about was Aurora.
"Hey, is Robert here yet?" he moaned, "We need him in the OR."
"He's in the lounge, with Aurora," Doug Ross answered.
He ran out of Trauma One and into the lounge. He entered to see Aurora pushing her purse into her locker and Robert laughing at her for doing so. Her thick hair was a mess around her shoulders, and Jim quietly flashbacked to when they first slept together. Of course her hair was considerably longer then, but it was still thick and luxurious. He remembered running his fingers through it and smiling. Jim knew he would marry her one day, but when the day should have come, he was scared. It wasn't his fault. He loved her; he just wasn't ready for the husband and wife part of it.
"Jim! I didn't know you were in here!" giggled Aurora.
"Yeah, I was," he murmured.
"So, what's the problem?" asked Robert "Do we need to cut the guy open?"
Jim nodded, "They need you to scrub in and Aurora, they're short a nurse in the OR, so they want you up there, too."
"See ya around, then," the nurse grinned as she and Robert ran out of the lounge.
"Dan, would you like to close or shall I?" Dr. Romano inquired, as Aurora passed him the suture.
"I'll close. You go talk; you're supposed to be off anyway," the other surgeon said.
Robert and Aurora quickly exited the OR and found the patient's family. After telling them the surgery was a success, they ran into the men's' locker room.
"Am I allowed in here?" she laughed.
"Maybe. I don't think it matters," he responded, kissing her gently.
"I thought you two had more decency than that," announced Jim, appearing from behind a locker.
"Oh, sorry," the nurse blushed, "I'll leave."
"Don't," barked Robert, "Listen, I don't care if you're pissed by us being together. So just stand back, all right?"
"Why should I? I love her, you don't!"
"Jim, Robert, come on, let's not start something…"
"Shut up, Aurora, nobody asked you anything!" yelled Jim.
"Don't yell at her!"
"Fine. Fine. I'm leaving. Robert, I'll be at my apartment if you want to stop by later. Jim, just leave him alone, okay?"
"Dammit!" the ER doc hollered, punching a locker, "I love you! Why can't you accept that?"
"Because you left me at the altar! How am I supposed to accept that?" she retorted angrily, and then ran out of the room.
"Why the hell did you do that for? Now she's pissed!" growled Romano.
"Well hey, maybe I made a mistake! I'm sorry! All I want is to be with her and you're ruining that!"
"She doesn't love you so stay away from her!"
With his last snarl, Rocket stormed away and into the hall. Stopping himself from beating something, he took a deep breath and leaned against a wall. Robert always told himself not to love someone if it got too hard, but he wanted to be with Aurora. And, he told himself; Jim wasn't going to stop him.
Doug and Carol watched with concern as Aurora ran into the lounge, tears streaming down her face. Never before had she been seen that way, even after Jim left her at the altar.
"I'll go see what's wrong," sighed Carol.
She opened the door to the lounge and walked over to Aurora, who was laying on the couch, sobbing softly.
"What happened? Did Jim say something?"
Aurora sniffled, "No, he was just trying to pick a fight."
"Poor thing. I know this is hard, but you have to work through it. And, in a month, would you go to Chicago with Robert anyway? Just try to have fun while he's here and don't take what Jim says to heart. Just have fun," the other nurse grinned, "Now cheer up. Hey, I know something. Let's go refill IV's. What do ya say?"
"Sure Carol, I'd love to," Nurse Chandler moaned, getting up, "But you're getting the bed pans. I'm supposed to be off, I don't need dirty work."
"Now that's the spirit," responded Carol, and they exited the lounge to get to work.
Jim Kraft paced anxiously back and forth by the admit desk while Doug and Carol watched on. While he was busy fuming, Aurora Chandler was dating Robert Romano. Jim loved Aurora, and whatever Jim wanted, Jim got. And he wanted Aurora.
The first date had gone by fantastically, as had the second, and third, and fourth. It killed Jim to see Robert come down to the ER just to see the nurse or to have her assist a surgery. It killed him even more to hear of what went on during the dates. Of course, Aurora was kind enough to not mention anything while he was in the room, but he had to ask Carol because of curiosity.
Expensive Italian restaurants, movies, a trip to the Space Needle, everything Jim had promised to Aurora, Robert had given. The visitor from Chicago seemed to know everything about impressing Nurse Chandler and that both angered and saddened Jim.
"Are you okay?" Carol Hathaway asked, pulling him away from pacing.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he groaned.
"No you're not. You're thinking of Aurora."
"Yes, I am. But wouldn't you? What are they doing right now? Has he yet again impressed her with his knowing on charm? I swear, it's like he is purposely trying to make me unhappy!"
"Jim, he isn't very popular in Chicago and this is probably one of the few times a woman who isn't a bimbo has found him attractive. Just let this pass. She won't go back with him to Chicago. No offense, but Aurora wouldn't be able to handle an inner city hospital."
"I want to think that, but I can't! Something about him is making me nervous, like she would run off with him!"
"Then there's nothing you can do."
A faint beeping was heard in the background as Robert slowly kissed Aurora. Why bother with work when he was with the woman of his dreams. Shrugging off the noise, he continued to hold her in his arms.
"Robert," she smiled, gently pushing him away, "Your beeper's going off."
As she said that, another pager went off. Sighing, both of them got up and checked their pockets.
"You too?" Robert asked.
"Let's just hope we're needed in the same OR," she breathed, picking up her scrub coat and he, with his lab coat, and ran out of the apartment to the car.
Jim looked over the trauma as the med students nervously used the defibrillators. As the patient came back to life, all he could do was sigh. Nothing seemed appealing to him, including other's lives. The only thing he cared about was Aurora.
"Hey, is Robert here yet?" he moaned, "We need him in the OR."
"He's in the lounge, with Aurora," Doug Ross answered.
He ran out of Trauma One and into the lounge. He entered to see Aurora pushing her purse into her locker and Robert laughing at her for doing so. Her thick hair was a mess around her shoulders, and Jim quietly flashbacked to when they first slept together. Of course her hair was considerably longer then, but it was still thick and luxurious. He remembered running his fingers through it and smiling. Jim knew he would marry her one day, but when the day should have come, he was scared. It wasn't his fault. He loved her; he just wasn't ready for the husband and wife part of it.
"Jim! I didn't know you were in here!" giggled Aurora.
"Yeah, I was," he murmured.
"So, what's the problem?" asked Robert "Do we need to cut the guy open?"
Jim nodded, "They need you to scrub in and Aurora, they're short a nurse in the OR, so they want you up there, too."
"See ya around, then," the nurse grinned as she and Robert ran out of the lounge.
"Dan, would you like to close or shall I?" Dr. Romano inquired, as Aurora passed him the suture.
"I'll close. You go talk; you're supposed to be off anyway," the other surgeon said.
Robert and Aurora quickly exited the OR and found the patient's family. After telling them the surgery was a success, they ran into the men's' locker room.
"Am I allowed in here?" she laughed.
"Maybe. I don't think it matters," he responded, kissing her gently.
"I thought you two had more decency than that," announced Jim, appearing from behind a locker.
"Oh, sorry," the nurse blushed, "I'll leave."
"Don't," barked Robert, "Listen, I don't care if you're pissed by us being together. So just stand back, all right?"
"Why should I? I love her, you don't!"
"Jim, Robert, come on, let's not start something…"
"Shut up, Aurora, nobody asked you anything!" yelled Jim.
"Don't yell at her!"
"Fine. Fine. I'm leaving. Robert, I'll be at my apartment if you want to stop by later. Jim, just leave him alone, okay?"
"Dammit!" the ER doc hollered, punching a locker, "I love you! Why can't you accept that?"
"Because you left me at the altar! How am I supposed to accept that?" she retorted angrily, and then ran out of the room.
"Why the hell did you do that for? Now she's pissed!" growled Romano.
"Well hey, maybe I made a mistake! I'm sorry! All I want is to be with her and you're ruining that!"
"She doesn't love you so stay away from her!"
With his last snarl, Rocket stormed away and into the hall. Stopping himself from beating something, he took a deep breath and leaned against a wall. Robert always told himself not to love someone if it got too hard, but he wanted to be with Aurora. And, he told himself; Jim wasn't going to stop him.
Doug and Carol watched with concern as Aurora ran into the lounge, tears streaming down her face. Never before had she been seen that way, even after Jim left her at the altar.
"I'll go see what's wrong," sighed Carol.
She opened the door to the lounge and walked over to Aurora, who was laying on the couch, sobbing softly.
"What happened? Did Jim say something?"
Aurora sniffled, "No, he was just trying to pick a fight."
"Poor thing. I know this is hard, but you have to work through it. And, in a month, would you go to Chicago with Robert anyway? Just try to have fun while he's here and don't take what Jim says to heart. Just have fun," the other nurse grinned, "Now cheer up. Hey, I know something. Let's go refill IV's. What do ya say?"
"Sure Carol, I'd love to," Nurse Chandler moaned, getting up, "But you're getting the bed pans. I'm supposed to be off, I don't need dirty work."
"Now that's the spirit," responded Carol, and they exited the lounge to get to work.