How Much Trouble?
"Jesse, it's half past two," Mark told him. "When did you plan on taking your lunch break?"
"At just gone three o'clock," Jesse replied, signing a chart and giving it to a nurse.
"Why so late?" Mark asked him.
"I'm taking Ally out shopping, to buy her a bathing suit or something," Jesse told him. "She hasn't got one, and I thought that since we were going to the beach house tomorrow, she could have some time swimming. She's never seen the sea before, you see."
"I see," Mark chuckled. "So, you plan to spend an hour taking her shopping?"
"Not exactly. I planned to take her shopping for not more than half an hour, then drop her home, and then drive quickly back to the hospital. If there's no traffic, I should be able to make it back all right."
"You know, Jess," Mark began. "They call it lunch break for a reason. It's the time that you tend to have your lunch, remember?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that part," Jesse quipped. "I'll grab something on the way back to the hospital."
"I've got a better idea," Mark said. "How about after you go shopping, you bring Ally back here to the hospital? She could stay in my office if she wants, there's plenty to do in there."
Jesse thought about this for a moment. Was it too risky, bringing Ally to such a public place? Would she be spotted? He thought about the hospital, and Mark's office, and after remembering that few people went in his office on a Friday afternoon, he decided it was safe.
"Sure thing, Mark," Jesse replied. "That's a better idea. Are you sure it wouldn't bother you, having a twelve-year-old girl in your office?"
"How much trouble is she?" Mark asked him.
"Well, I'm still waiting on that broken window to be fixed," Jesse said sincerely. After seeing the look on Mark's face, he laughed and said, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! She'll be well-behaved, I promise."
"And if she isn't, then the damages are coming out of your salary," Mark chuckled.
"I gotta get ready," Jesse said, looking at his watch. "I'll see you later."
"I like this one best," Ally told Jesse, holding up a coat hanger with a blue-green swimsuit on it.
"I hope you are not just saying that because it is the cheapest," Jesse told her, "because you know that you can have what you want, within good reason," he added.
"I don't think that yellow suits me," Ally decided, looking at the swimsuit in her other hand. "Definitely going with the blue one."
"All right then," Jesse said. "You can put the other one back, and I'll go and pay for this one."
Jesse paid for it, and the two of them headed out of the store and back to Jesse's car.
"Ally, I forgot to tell you," Jesse began as he started the engine. "You know I am working until seven-thirty."
"Yeah," Ally wondered what this was leading up to.
"Well, my friend Mark suggested that instead of you going home, you could stay in his office in the hospital," Jesse told her.
"Is that a good thing?" Ally asked him.
"His office is pretty cool," Jesse said. "It's got a lot of books, a computer, and more knick-knacks than the junk shop downtown."
"Sounds pretty cool."
"Don't worry about anything," Jesse continued. "I'll stop and check in on you every so often, and don't feel shy around Mark. He's a great guy."
"You've got a lot of respect for this guy, haven't you," Ally noted.
"I do," Jesse replied. "I've been a doctor at CG for about four or five years, and he's always been there for me. He's like a second father to me."
"Hmm, a second father," Ally pondered. "That would make him my grandfather!"
"Whoa, hold it," Jesse laughed. He was about to continue when he was interrupted.
"If he's like your father, then he must be pretty old," Ally realised.
"He's older than I am, that's for sure," Jesse replied. "But, you'll have to judge for yourself. He's young at heart."
Ally wondered to herself if that counted for anything or not, but she decided to take Jesse's advice and wait before she said anything more.
The car was parked, and Jesse led Ally through the slightly familiar corridors of the hospital. They came to an office, and Jesse knocked on the door.
"Come in," a voice called from inside.
Jesse ushered Ally into the room, and Ally stood still, taking in the surroundings. Jesse was right; the room was full of loads of strange items. At a glance, they would seem like junk, but Ally knew that there was a lot more behind the items, and that each probably had a story to tell.
Then, Ally looked over to the desk, and saw a man sitting behind it. The man looked old, older than Jesse for sure, but not a frail old man. More like a wise man. He had a kind look on his face, and that made Ally feel welcome.
"Hi," Ally said shyly.
"Hi Ally," the man said, getting up from his desk and coming over to her. He held out his hand. "I'm Dr. Sloan, but you can call me Mark."
"Thank you," Ally replied, accepting the handshake.
"Jess, you've got about fifteen minutes in which to eat your lunch," Mark reminded him, tapping his watch. "Are you going to feed yourself?"
"I'm on it," Jesse said, heading for the door. "I'll be back later, Ally. Be good!"
Jesse left, making a beeline for somewhere that served food.
Mark watched him go, chuckled, and then remembered Ally. "Well, what would you like to do?"
"You're asking me?" Ally enquired.
"You'd better believe it," Mark told her.
"Well, this is a hospital," Ally replied. "So, what do you do to have fun around here? Can I use one of those funny machines that the doctor says 'Clear!' and then everyone gets out of the way and the body kinda jumps about ten feet in the air?"
"You mean defibrillators," Mark said, laughing at the description. "And no, you can't use them. They are not there to play with, they are there to save lives."
"Who says I wanted it to play with?" Ally asked him. "I could have wanted to use it to save a life, you know."
"Even if you wanted to save a life, I'm afraid that twelve-year-old girls without four years of med school under their belt would not be permitted to use them."
"That means me, right?" Ally asked.
"Right," Mark replied.
This is going to be a long afternoon, Ally thought to herself.
"Jesse, it's half past two," Mark told him. "When did you plan on taking your lunch break?"
"At just gone three o'clock," Jesse replied, signing a chart and giving it to a nurse.
"Why so late?" Mark asked him.
"I'm taking Ally out shopping, to buy her a bathing suit or something," Jesse told him. "She hasn't got one, and I thought that since we were going to the beach house tomorrow, she could have some time swimming. She's never seen the sea before, you see."
"I see," Mark chuckled. "So, you plan to spend an hour taking her shopping?"
"Not exactly. I planned to take her shopping for not more than half an hour, then drop her home, and then drive quickly back to the hospital. If there's no traffic, I should be able to make it back all right."
"You know, Jess," Mark began. "They call it lunch break for a reason. It's the time that you tend to have your lunch, remember?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that part," Jesse quipped. "I'll grab something on the way back to the hospital."
"I've got a better idea," Mark said. "How about after you go shopping, you bring Ally back here to the hospital? She could stay in my office if she wants, there's plenty to do in there."
Jesse thought about this for a moment. Was it too risky, bringing Ally to such a public place? Would she be spotted? He thought about the hospital, and Mark's office, and after remembering that few people went in his office on a Friday afternoon, he decided it was safe.
"Sure thing, Mark," Jesse replied. "That's a better idea. Are you sure it wouldn't bother you, having a twelve-year-old girl in your office?"
"How much trouble is she?" Mark asked him.
"Well, I'm still waiting on that broken window to be fixed," Jesse said sincerely. After seeing the look on Mark's face, he laughed and said, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! She'll be well-behaved, I promise."
"And if she isn't, then the damages are coming out of your salary," Mark chuckled.
"I gotta get ready," Jesse said, looking at his watch. "I'll see you later."
"I like this one best," Ally told Jesse, holding up a coat hanger with a blue-green swimsuit on it.
"I hope you are not just saying that because it is the cheapest," Jesse told her, "because you know that you can have what you want, within good reason," he added.
"I don't think that yellow suits me," Ally decided, looking at the swimsuit in her other hand. "Definitely going with the blue one."
"All right then," Jesse said. "You can put the other one back, and I'll go and pay for this one."
Jesse paid for it, and the two of them headed out of the store and back to Jesse's car.
"Ally, I forgot to tell you," Jesse began as he started the engine. "You know I am working until seven-thirty."
"Yeah," Ally wondered what this was leading up to.
"Well, my friend Mark suggested that instead of you going home, you could stay in his office in the hospital," Jesse told her.
"Is that a good thing?" Ally asked him.
"His office is pretty cool," Jesse said. "It's got a lot of books, a computer, and more knick-knacks than the junk shop downtown."
"Sounds pretty cool."
"Don't worry about anything," Jesse continued. "I'll stop and check in on you every so often, and don't feel shy around Mark. He's a great guy."
"You've got a lot of respect for this guy, haven't you," Ally noted.
"I do," Jesse replied. "I've been a doctor at CG for about four or five years, and he's always been there for me. He's like a second father to me."
"Hmm, a second father," Ally pondered. "That would make him my grandfather!"
"Whoa, hold it," Jesse laughed. He was about to continue when he was interrupted.
"If he's like your father, then he must be pretty old," Ally realised.
"He's older than I am, that's for sure," Jesse replied. "But, you'll have to judge for yourself. He's young at heart."
Ally wondered to herself if that counted for anything or not, but she decided to take Jesse's advice and wait before she said anything more.
The car was parked, and Jesse led Ally through the slightly familiar corridors of the hospital. They came to an office, and Jesse knocked on the door.
"Come in," a voice called from inside.
Jesse ushered Ally into the room, and Ally stood still, taking in the surroundings. Jesse was right; the room was full of loads of strange items. At a glance, they would seem like junk, but Ally knew that there was a lot more behind the items, and that each probably had a story to tell.
Then, Ally looked over to the desk, and saw a man sitting behind it. The man looked old, older than Jesse for sure, but not a frail old man. More like a wise man. He had a kind look on his face, and that made Ally feel welcome.
"Hi," Ally said shyly.
"Hi Ally," the man said, getting up from his desk and coming over to her. He held out his hand. "I'm Dr. Sloan, but you can call me Mark."
"Thank you," Ally replied, accepting the handshake.
"Jess, you've got about fifteen minutes in which to eat your lunch," Mark reminded him, tapping his watch. "Are you going to feed yourself?"
"I'm on it," Jesse said, heading for the door. "I'll be back later, Ally. Be good!"
Jesse left, making a beeline for somewhere that served food.
Mark watched him go, chuckled, and then remembered Ally. "Well, what would you like to do?"
"You're asking me?" Ally enquired.
"You'd better believe it," Mark told her.
"Well, this is a hospital," Ally replied. "So, what do you do to have fun around here? Can I use one of those funny machines that the doctor says 'Clear!' and then everyone gets out of the way and the body kinda jumps about ten feet in the air?"
"You mean defibrillators," Mark said, laughing at the description. "And no, you can't use them. They are not there to play with, they are there to save lives."
"Who says I wanted it to play with?" Ally asked him. "I could have wanted to use it to save a life, you know."
"Even if you wanted to save a life, I'm afraid that twelve-year-old girls without four years of med school under their belt would not be permitted to use them."
"That means me, right?" Ally asked.
"Right," Mark replied.
This is going to be a long afternoon, Ally thought to herself.