Anne walked out of Robert's office and began running to the stairs. She ran blindly until she made it to the ER. Slowly, Anne made her way to the Admit desk.
Looking up from where she was standing, Kerry Weaver saw Anne approaching. As much as she'd tried to find fault with Anne, it was almost impossible not to like the girl. She'd never once used her influence over Robert for anything. She was a team player. Whenever Robert wasn't around, Anne would help the nurses, doctors, desk clerks; she wasn't even opposed to picking up a mop when the need arose.
"Dr. Weaver, I need to know which doctors will be working nights for the next few weeks. Do you have the schedule?" Anne asked Kerry.
"I sure do," Kerry replied, fishing out a copy from the desk, handing it to Anne.
Dr. Kovac was the only one working nights the whole time. She knew he wouldn't mind her working with him. He would be getting off duty in a few minutes, so Anne went to the Doctors' Lounge to wait for him.
Luka entered the Doctors' Lounge, walked to his locker, and began to get ready to leave. Without going into detail, Anne explained that she had to work the night shift for the next few weeks and asked if it was all right if she worked with him.
Dr. Kovac grinned at Anne. "Finally had enough of Rocket, eh? Sure, I'd love to work with you." Noticing how tired Anne looked, Luka offered her a ride home to get some sleep before coming back to work that night. Too tired to object, Anne accepted his offer, against her better judgment. Luka was very friendly with Anne during the ride home. As she walked to her dorm room, Anne wondered what she'd gotten herself into.
After a long day's sleep, Anne felt quite refreshed and was ready to face another night of work. It was while she was getting ready to leave that the morning's events hit her.
Just exactly what had happened? A stupid fight followed by name-calling on her part, then being dragged into Robert's office. Her arm still hurt and there was a bruise growing where his fingers had dug into her elbow. Thankfully it was cold enough to wear a long-sleeved shirt to cover it up; it would be too hard to explain if anybody had seen it.
He'd been so strange since Christmas. Her kiss must have had a strong effect on him. "He's not used to people liking him," Anne thought to herself. The memory of kissing his cheek made her feel strange. She'd replayed that scene many times since Christmas, and the only thing she would have done differently was to not have run away. He would have kissed her too if she had stayed. The thought made her blush even though no one else was around.
She loved spending time with Robert and the thought of not seeing him made her angry. The one thing Anne hated most in the entire world was not getting her way. Now in a foul mood, Anne left for the ER.
*****
Dr. Kovac wasn't so bad to work with. Over the next couple of weeks, he let Anne work with more trauma patients than Robert did. Working the night shift wasn't too horrible either. The wee hours of the morning when the patients were few and far between, was a great time to have fun. Malik the nurse, Anne, and Jerry the desk clerk, invented many games, including gurney surfing, gurney jousting, and latex-glove volleyball, to help pass the time.
Two weeks flew by, but Anne wasn't as happy as she'd have been if she'd still been working with Robert. She missed his one-liners that always made her laugh. She missed his drive for her perfection that made her try to please him. She just missed seeing him, being connected to him. She felt so lost now. Because of this, her underlying anger was always simmering, just below the surface.
Anne resented Luka's forwardness. Robert was so standoffish that Luka's flirtations with her felt unnatural and most unappreciated. Luka thought Anne was very cute and he was always looking for a good time. He tried to make sure she realized that.
While they were alone in the stock room one night, Luka's flirtations came on too strong for Anne and her anger grew beyond the boiling point and surfaced. How dare he put her in this position? Who did he think he was? She knew he was a man in great pain, but that wasn't her problem.
Words entered her mind of what she would say to him. Anne knew they would hurt him terribly, but they had to be spoken. It would heal him.
While Anne was turned away from Luka, she quietly asked him, "Luka, do you think they're proud of you?"
"Who?"
"Your family."
Luka turned slowly towards her, his eyes wide, his mouth open in shock.
"When they look down on you from heaven, seeing you acting like this, do you think they're proud of you?"
Luka was dumbfounded, rooted to the spot where he was standing.
"I think, when they see you, you fill them with sadness, as you are sad."
Luka's face turned red but he still couldn't talk.
"You are all that's left of your family and all you're doing is bringing shame to their memory. You should be living to honor them." With those words, Anne walked out of the room, leaving Luka alone. As she walked down the hall, she heard quiet sobbing coming from the stock room.
For the rest of the week, Anne floated around, helping out wherever she could, giving Luka the space he needed to heal.
Looking up from where she was standing, Kerry Weaver saw Anne approaching. As much as she'd tried to find fault with Anne, it was almost impossible not to like the girl. She'd never once used her influence over Robert for anything. She was a team player. Whenever Robert wasn't around, Anne would help the nurses, doctors, desk clerks; she wasn't even opposed to picking up a mop when the need arose.
"Dr. Weaver, I need to know which doctors will be working nights for the next few weeks. Do you have the schedule?" Anne asked Kerry.
"I sure do," Kerry replied, fishing out a copy from the desk, handing it to Anne.
Dr. Kovac was the only one working nights the whole time. She knew he wouldn't mind her working with him. He would be getting off duty in a few minutes, so Anne went to the Doctors' Lounge to wait for him.
Luka entered the Doctors' Lounge, walked to his locker, and began to get ready to leave. Without going into detail, Anne explained that she had to work the night shift for the next few weeks and asked if it was all right if she worked with him.
Dr. Kovac grinned at Anne. "Finally had enough of Rocket, eh? Sure, I'd love to work with you." Noticing how tired Anne looked, Luka offered her a ride home to get some sleep before coming back to work that night. Too tired to object, Anne accepted his offer, against her better judgment. Luka was very friendly with Anne during the ride home. As she walked to her dorm room, Anne wondered what she'd gotten herself into.
After a long day's sleep, Anne felt quite refreshed and was ready to face another night of work. It was while she was getting ready to leave that the morning's events hit her.
Just exactly what had happened? A stupid fight followed by name-calling on her part, then being dragged into Robert's office. Her arm still hurt and there was a bruise growing where his fingers had dug into her elbow. Thankfully it was cold enough to wear a long-sleeved shirt to cover it up; it would be too hard to explain if anybody had seen it.
He'd been so strange since Christmas. Her kiss must have had a strong effect on him. "He's not used to people liking him," Anne thought to herself. The memory of kissing his cheek made her feel strange. She'd replayed that scene many times since Christmas, and the only thing she would have done differently was to not have run away. He would have kissed her too if she had stayed. The thought made her blush even though no one else was around.
She loved spending time with Robert and the thought of not seeing him made her angry. The one thing Anne hated most in the entire world was not getting her way. Now in a foul mood, Anne left for the ER.
*****
Dr. Kovac wasn't so bad to work with. Over the next couple of weeks, he let Anne work with more trauma patients than Robert did. Working the night shift wasn't too horrible either. The wee hours of the morning when the patients were few and far between, was a great time to have fun. Malik the nurse, Anne, and Jerry the desk clerk, invented many games, including gurney surfing, gurney jousting, and latex-glove volleyball, to help pass the time.
Two weeks flew by, but Anne wasn't as happy as she'd have been if she'd still been working with Robert. She missed his one-liners that always made her laugh. She missed his drive for her perfection that made her try to please him. She just missed seeing him, being connected to him. She felt so lost now. Because of this, her underlying anger was always simmering, just below the surface.
Anne resented Luka's forwardness. Robert was so standoffish that Luka's flirtations with her felt unnatural and most unappreciated. Luka thought Anne was very cute and he was always looking for a good time. He tried to make sure she realized that.
While they were alone in the stock room one night, Luka's flirtations came on too strong for Anne and her anger grew beyond the boiling point and surfaced. How dare he put her in this position? Who did he think he was? She knew he was a man in great pain, but that wasn't her problem.
Words entered her mind of what she would say to him. Anne knew they would hurt him terribly, but they had to be spoken. It would heal him.
While Anne was turned away from Luka, she quietly asked him, "Luka, do you think they're proud of you?"
"Who?"
"Your family."
Luka turned slowly towards her, his eyes wide, his mouth open in shock.
"When they look down on you from heaven, seeing you acting like this, do you think they're proud of you?"
Luka was dumbfounded, rooted to the spot where he was standing.
"I think, when they see you, you fill them with sadness, as you are sad."
Luka's face turned red but he still couldn't talk.
"You are all that's left of your family and all you're doing is bringing shame to their memory. You should be living to honor them." With those words, Anne walked out of the room, leaving Luka alone. As she walked down the hall, she heard quiet sobbing coming from the stock room.
For the rest of the week, Anne floated around, helping out wherever she could, giving Luka the space he needed to heal.