The Alternate Daughter
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
Luca saw her walking away from the hospital. She was moving slowly, holding her worn coat tight against the drizzling rain.
"Ria!" he shouted and jogged to catch up with her. She stopped and turned around.
"Luca?"
"Let me give you a ride" he offered, but she just shook her head.
"It's pouring and that's not good for you right now. Come on, I don't mind" He thought for a moment she was going to refuse again, but then she nodded.
"Thank you again" she said after they had gotten on the road, "It seems I am mounting up quite a debt to you"
"You don't owe me anything" Luca told her, "I'm a doctor, it's my job"
"I think it was more than you're job that made you stop to help me" she said softly. Luca chanced a glance at her. Her hair was soaked from her short sojourn into the rain and it hung in clumps around her face. Her eyes seemed to be a violet color with tourquoise streaks, like nothing he'd seen before. They were set under finely arched eyebrows and above high cheek bones that were covered in perhaps just a tad too much flesh, probably due to her pregnancy. Her nose wasn't small, nore finely chisled, but it fit her face and brought the eyes down to her full lips, which were perfectly shaped. She was regaining color and Luca saw that her skin was usually very lightly tanned, blushed just on the crest of her cheeks. He thought she was beautiful, but it wasn't just an external beauty. She excuded a sense of serinity and kindness, and he again wondered what unfair circumstances had brought her to the position she was now in.
"Oh? What do you think it was then?" he asked. She just smiled serenly.
"Hmmm. Not anything so careless as fate or coincidence" she finally answered. Luca knew she must be talking about some higher power, God, but he found the notion all too intriguing. He usually didn't have much to say to those who were overtly religious, but he found the fact that she had an appearingly deep faith very attractive and drawing.
"Maybe" he murmered, remember the dark mood he had been contemplating when he saw her. "Maybe" Niether of them said anything for the rest of the trip, except for the rare directions Ria offered. He had a chance to think, but he didn't take advantage of it. He just drove, feeling her presence next to him.
"It's there, on the right" she said finally and he pulled over. He squinted through the rain, but all he saw was a church looming beyond the sidewalk.
"This is where you stay?" he asked. She tensed up slightly next to him.
"I know the priest here. He lets me stay in one of the back rooms at night" she answered. She moved for the handle, and a great panic over took Luca.
"Wait!" he objected. He didn't know what he was thinking, except that he couldn't let her out of his sight.
" Someone should be there to watch you while you sleep. You said you sometimes stop breathing. You shouldn't be by yourself, at least not tonight, or for a while even" She turned back to him, questions alight in her eyes, but she said nothing for a moment.
"And what would you propose? I have no where else to go, and no one to go to. It's this or the streets, and you must admit that something is better than nothing" she finally answered.
"You can stay with me" Luca offered quickly.
"What?" she laughed, but Luca could see the wariness in her eyes. He pondered why he'd made the offer too, but could find no logical answer. She stopped and looked at him more closely.
"Please, I'm not trying to take advantage of you or anything like that" he said desprately, "I just don't want you to be alone tonight"
"You don't want me to be alone, or you don't want you to be alone?" she inquired, one of those arched eyebrows raising in an even higher arch.
"Maybe a little of both" Luca admitted, "But I..."
"Don't worry about it" she interrupted, "I can see it on your face." He wondered what she could see on his face, but didn't say anything as she hadn't made another move to get out of the car. He waited what seemed like an eternity for her to make up her mind. He forced himself to look forward, out through the rain, and not stare at her while she thought.
"Okay." she agreed softly. He glanced at her, but said nothing. She settled back in the chair and put her seatbelt on as he turned the key in the ignition.
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
Luca saw her walking away from the hospital. She was moving slowly, holding her worn coat tight against the drizzling rain.
"Ria!" he shouted and jogged to catch up with her. She stopped and turned around.
"Luca?"
"Let me give you a ride" he offered, but she just shook her head.
"It's pouring and that's not good for you right now. Come on, I don't mind" He thought for a moment she was going to refuse again, but then she nodded.
"Thank you again" she said after they had gotten on the road, "It seems I am mounting up quite a debt to you"
"You don't owe me anything" Luca told her, "I'm a doctor, it's my job"
"I think it was more than you're job that made you stop to help me" she said softly. Luca chanced a glance at her. Her hair was soaked from her short sojourn into the rain and it hung in clumps around her face. Her eyes seemed to be a violet color with tourquoise streaks, like nothing he'd seen before. They were set under finely arched eyebrows and above high cheek bones that were covered in perhaps just a tad too much flesh, probably due to her pregnancy. Her nose wasn't small, nore finely chisled, but it fit her face and brought the eyes down to her full lips, which were perfectly shaped. She was regaining color and Luca saw that her skin was usually very lightly tanned, blushed just on the crest of her cheeks. He thought she was beautiful, but it wasn't just an external beauty. She excuded a sense of serinity and kindness, and he again wondered what unfair circumstances had brought her to the position she was now in.
"Oh? What do you think it was then?" he asked. She just smiled serenly.
"Hmmm. Not anything so careless as fate or coincidence" she finally answered. Luca knew she must be talking about some higher power, God, but he found the notion all too intriguing. He usually didn't have much to say to those who were overtly religious, but he found the fact that she had an appearingly deep faith very attractive and drawing.
"Maybe" he murmered, remember the dark mood he had been contemplating when he saw her. "Maybe" Niether of them said anything for the rest of the trip, except for the rare directions Ria offered. He had a chance to think, but he didn't take advantage of it. He just drove, feeling her presence next to him.
"It's there, on the right" she said finally and he pulled over. He squinted through the rain, but all he saw was a church looming beyond the sidewalk.
"This is where you stay?" he asked. She tensed up slightly next to him.
"I know the priest here. He lets me stay in one of the back rooms at night" she answered. She moved for the handle, and a great panic over took Luca.
"Wait!" he objected. He didn't know what he was thinking, except that he couldn't let her out of his sight.
" Someone should be there to watch you while you sleep. You said you sometimes stop breathing. You shouldn't be by yourself, at least not tonight, or for a while even" She turned back to him, questions alight in her eyes, but she said nothing for a moment.
"And what would you propose? I have no where else to go, and no one to go to. It's this or the streets, and you must admit that something is better than nothing" she finally answered.
"You can stay with me" Luca offered quickly.
"What?" she laughed, but Luca could see the wariness in her eyes. He pondered why he'd made the offer too, but could find no logical answer. She stopped and looked at him more closely.
"Please, I'm not trying to take advantage of you or anything like that" he said desprately, "I just don't want you to be alone tonight"
"You don't want me to be alone, or you don't want you to be alone?" she inquired, one of those arched eyebrows raising in an even higher arch.
"Maybe a little of both" Luca admitted, "But I..."
"Don't worry about it" she interrupted, "I can see it on your face." He wondered what she could see on his face, but didn't say anything as she hadn't made another move to get out of the car. He waited what seemed like an eternity for her to make up her mind. He forced himself to look forward, out through the rain, and not stare at her while she thought.
"Okay." she agreed softly. He glanced at her, but said nothing. She settled back in the chair and put her seatbelt on as he turned the key in the ignition.