November 10th, 1997
Jordan McCullen sat tensely on the back of a large black stallion, her hands fidgeting nervously with the reins. "But Daddy," she protested quietly, "I don't want to ride Make Way," she complained, her brow furrowed as she felt the horse prance beneath her.
"Nonsense," her father replied, holding the horses reins to keep it steady. "If you want your own horse, you have to prove to your mother and I are you can ride your own horse," he said.
"But.but Make Way isn't my horse.and I don't like him," she said. "I'm not that good of a rider," she explained, and her father smiled absent-mindedly up at her.
"What was that honey?" he asked, waving at a loudly dressed women standing by the rail.
"Make Way is to powerful for me," Jordan started again, knotting her fingers in his thick mane, "and I haven't been feeling good. I think I'm sick again -" she started to go off onto the subject of her health, but her Mr. McCullen silenced her with a wave of his hand.
"You're fine," he said. "I'm going to go stand by your mother alright? Now show us what you could do with this boy," he said, slapping the stallion on the rump. Snorting, the horse pranced away as he let go of the reins, leaving Jordan to gather them up tightly and steady the horse.
Jordan was small for a thirteen year old; perhaps around five feet tall, her small stature was amplified as she sat unsteadly on the back of the Thoroughbred. Brushing her chin-length auburn hair out of her eyes, she glanced nervously over at her parents; as she suspected, they weren't even watching her. "Bastards can't even pay attention," she muttered angrily, the childish tone she took with her father gone. Shoving her weight into her heels for balance, she slowly brought the large horse out onto the rail.
"Why don't you make him run honey!" Jordan's mother called out, and she rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh.
"He's not warmed up yet!" she called back, trying to get the horse to walk calmly. Out of nowhere, Make Way bucked mightily, nearly unseating Jordan.
"'Atta girl!" her father called out, popping a cigar into his mouth. Jordan looked over her shoulder at them, but they couldn't see the angrily shocked expression on her face.
"Calm down now.easy Make Way.I don't feel too good," she said, her already pale expression loosing some of it's color. The horse continued to act up, prancing and pawing at the ground. "Easy boy." Jordan said again, her voice getting stronger with worry. "Calm down!" she said as the horse pranced away underneath her.
"Everything alright out there sweetie?" Mr. McCullen called out, but Jordan could not respond. Sweating, she shook her head to clear the dizzying fog that floated before her eyes. Make Way pranced, rearing slightly.
"Whoa boy," Jordan repeated, her eyes widening as Make Way reared up again. "Easy!" she shouted, and the horse stood still, blowing air noisly through it's nose. Jordan sighed in relief, leaning forward to pat the horse on the neck.
A car alarm suddenly blared through the arena, sending Make Way skittering again. Jordan grabbed onto his mane and pushed herself up as he reared. His hooves reaching higher towards the sky, she went to slip her feet out of the stirrups and bail out, but she was too late. With a shrill scream, she closed her eyes as she felt the stallion lose his balance and tumble backwards.
Her head hit the ground, and then all she felt was a crushing weight, an ever-present pain. The air was knocked out of her chest, and she felt blood spurt into her mouth. The sounds of the car alarm began to fade away as she felt the great weight sift and move off of her, leaving her broken and bent on the dirt floor. Moments passed like years as she saw her parents faces hovering above her, her father smacking the stallion and sending him galloping away. Sound and sight were distorted through the pain, but she could make out the sound of an ambulance siren and her parents speaking calmly to her. Feeling her eyelids lowering, she let the fog overcome her and the world sank into darkness.
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"So it's a horse-back riding accident?" Robert "Rocket" Romano asked as he pushed through the swinging doors.
"Hello Robert," Elizabeth Corday said calmly, rubbing the soap over her hands. "Yes, it's a horse-back riding accident," she replied, scrubbing harder as if Romano's appearance had somehow caused more germs to jump onto her skin.
"Ah, horse related injuries...those are unusual in Chicago, aren't they?" Romano quipped, picking up the soap.
"So are your surgical caps but you don't see me complaining," Elizabeth commented dryly as she ran her hands under the water.
"My my Lizzie, aren't we uppity today. Did somebody get your panties in a twist?" Romano asked cheerfully, causing Elizabeth to shake her head in disgust and give a defeated sigh as she shut the water off.
"The patient is a thirteen year old girl named Jordan McCullen, height 5'1", weight 98 lbs, eyes blue, hair red-" Elizabeth continued before Romano cut her off again.
"Thank you for that wonderful physical description of the patient Lizzie, I was afraid I wouldn't recognize her when I went to operate," Romano commented dryly. Elizabeth glared at him, preparing herself to observe the operation.
"The horse she was riding reared up and tumbled over, crushing her underneath. They were able to stabalize her downstairs, but they're afraid -" she began to explain again.
"Why did the horse rear?" Romano cut in as he followed Elizabeth into the OR.
"Pardon?" she asked, glancing over at him curiously.
"The horse, it reared, how come," Romano demanded shortly, glancing over at the small girl on the operating table.
"Um, I don't quite know why...her parent's were letting her-"
"Making her," interjected the surgical nurse Shirley, and Elizabeth sighed.
"Her parent's were making her ride a horse she didn't want to ride-"
"What was the horse's name?" Romano interrupted again, setting to work on examining the girl.
"Will you please stop doing that?" Elizabeth protested, and she could see the hint of a grin in Romano's eyes.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, please continue...your informationless tale was so riveting," Romano deadpanned, and Elizabeth glared at him.
"I believe the horses name was Make Shift," she said through clenched teeth.
"Make Way," Shirley corrected, inching away from Dr. Corday.
"Make Way? Her parent's had her on Make Way?" Romano asked suddenly, glancing up from his work.
"You've heard of him?" Elizabeth asked, eyeing him carefully
"Of course, I thought everbody had," Romano said, returning to work. "He used to be a big shot racehorse; after they retired him, it turned out he wouldn't breed because he was quite the homosexual and so the owners sold him to a riding farm a few hours out of town and how this girl came to be on his back is beyond me," Romano said in one large breath. "No parent in their right mind would put their child on that freakshows back," he muttered, and Elizabeth glanced up at him momentarily. "Speaking of the parents, where are the little buggers now?" he asked, and Elizabeth looked up again. Glancing uneasily at Shirley, Elizabeth shifted her weight.
"They're...um...at a dinner party," she said, and Romano paused without looking up.
"I thought they brought the child in."
"They did," Elizabeth said slowly, "but they...had to leave...for a dinner party," she said, watching Romano carefully. His eyes turned to Jordan's face, but he didn't say anything. Returning to work on the girls damaged internal organs, he sighed.
"Shirley, suction please...I can't see a goddamn thing in here," he said irritably. "Why won't she stop bleeding?" he asked in a frusturated tone.
"Her charts say that she's been in remission for acute myeloid leukemia for two years now...maybe she's come out of it," Shirley suggested.
"Thank you Shirley, you're supposed to tell me these things before I start work on the patient," Romano said angrily, silencing her. He worked silently for a long while, eventually making the bleeding stop.
"It looks like there's been some damage to the spine," Elizabeth commented, and Romano nodded in agreement.
"So I see. It looks like part of the bone is pressing against the cord," he muttered. Turning his attention to that, silence fell over the group again.
"Do you think any damage was done to the spine?" Elizabeth asked eventually, and Romano shrugged as he continued to work.
"My guess is that she'll have partial paralysis in her legs for the rest of her life, and according to the head trauma she's going to have partial paralysis in her right arm also," he said, his voice surprisingly quiet.
As they finished stitching the young girl up, Elizabeth was shocked to find Romano studying Jordan's face. "Are you alright?" she asked him, and he looked up with a barely noticible jump.
"Of course I'm alright," he said in his gruff voice, backing away from the table. "I would just like to speak to her parents, that's all," he said. Taking another glance at Jordan, he turned his eyes towards Elizabeth. "Keep me updated on her, will you Lizzie?" he asked, and Elizabeth nodded silently. Shaking his head in disgust, Romano stipped off his surgical gloves and stalked out of the room.
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"Robert," Elizabeth said later as she knocked on the door, and Romano looked up from the newspaper he was reading.
"Lizzie," he smiled cheerfully, folding the paper in half. "How goes it with our little jockey?" he asked, and Elizabeth smiled slightly.
"She's awake, if you want to see her; she's still a bit groggy though."
"I'm a surgeon Lizzie, I'm familiar with the after effects of anesthesia," he cut in, standing up. "Thank you for the notification," he said, walking hurridly past her.
"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked in exasperation, and Romano turned around but continued walking.
"To go see her of course," he replied, hurrying into the elevator. Before Elizabeth could respond, he was already gone.
Once in the elevator, Romano sighed to himself and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "What I wouldn't give to be able to chew out the two bastards she has for parents," he muttered to himself. Normally malicious, Romano had an odd soft spot for children. As the elevator door opened, Romano walked out into the hallway and turned towards where he knew Jordan's room would be. Pausing at the door, he picked up her chart and glanced over it. He made a mental note of how light she was, and thought back to Shirley's comment about the cancer. Opening the door, he walked quietly through, and the nurse in the room glanced up.
"Dr. Romano," she said corteously, although it was clear she wasn't pleased he was there.
"Hello Frankie, I assume you're giving our patient here the best possible care?" he asked, his eyes intent on Jordan's face. She looked out at him through half closed eyes, tubes sticking out of her. Romano thought for a moment that she looked like an alien from a bad horror-science fiction movie, and he had to grin to himself.
Although she was groggy, Jordan raised her eyebrows at his expression. She tried to say something, but Romano put his hand up to silence her. "Don't try and talk Shortcake, the tubes in your throat will prevent you from doing something. She raised her eyebrows again, and Romano handed her a sheet of paper and a pen, his eyes intent on her. "Write it down," he said, and Jordan blinked tiredly. Suddenly her brow knotted in confusion, and looking down he saw her right arm moving slightly. "Try the other arm," he said, and slowly Jordan lifted her left hand to the pen. "I thought so," he said, and Jordan looked up at him again. As he explained himself, she slowly scribbled a word down onto the paper. "Due to the head trauma you've experienced, you've lost partial use of your right arm." he said, trailing off as he saw her eyelids flutter weakly. He sat watching her, and Frankie glanced over at them. Shaking his head, Romano cleared his throat and smiled at Jordan. She made an attempt to smile back, and nudged the paper back towards Romano. Expecting to read a serious question, such as "Why?", Romano had to laugh when he read the word "Shortcake?" and then the word "Baldy" with a feeble arrow pointing towards him. "I get the feeling we're going to get along very well," he smiled at her. Her eyelids began to close, and he put a gentle hand on her shoulder to wake her up. "One more piece of information before you pass out on me - I've put you down as one of my patients, alright?" he asked, and after a long pause Jordan seemed to recognize the words and she nodded her head very slightly. "Good," he smiled up at her. "Now my first prescription is lots of rest; I'll be down to check on you contionously throughout the day, and then I'll come down tomorrow to discuss with you the accident, the surgery, and the cancer," he said. Jordan cringed slightly when he said it, but she shut her eyes obediently. Within a few moments, her breathing slowed and deepened, and Romano sighed. "Frankie," he said, looking up at the nurse.
"What doc?" she asked, opening the curtains to the room.
"If anything changes in her condition, anything at all, you notify me," he said. "I don't care if I'm at home sleeping, I don't care if I'm in the shower, I don't care if I'm in surgery, here's my pager number," he said, scribbling it down in a rush and handing it to the stunned Frankie. "She's my patient, and I want to be kept informed," he said as he walked hurridely to the door. "Oh, and one more thing," he said, sticking his head back in the room as he went to turn the corner. "Page me when the parents come, alright?" he asked, slapping the wall quietly with his hand. "Alright," he said before Frankie could respond. Turning, he hurried down the hallway without another word, leaving the stunned nurse standing with his pager number still in her hand.
Jordan McCullen sat tensely on the back of a large black stallion, her hands fidgeting nervously with the reins. "But Daddy," she protested quietly, "I don't want to ride Make Way," she complained, her brow furrowed as she felt the horse prance beneath her.
"Nonsense," her father replied, holding the horses reins to keep it steady. "If you want your own horse, you have to prove to your mother and I are you can ride your own horse," he said.
"But.but Make Way isn't my horse.and I don't like him," she said. "I'm not that good of a rider," she explained, and her father smiled absent-mindedly up at her.
"What was that honey?" he asked, waving at a loudly dressed women standing by the rail.
"Make Way is to powerful for me," Jordan started again, knotting her fingers in his thick mane, "and I haven't been feeling good. I think I'm sick again -" she started to go off onto the subject of her health, but her Mr. McCullen silenced her with a wave of his hand.
"You're fine," he said. "I'm going to go stand by your mother alright? Now show us what you could do with this boy," he said, slapping the stallion on the rump. Snorting, the horse pranced away as he let go of the reins, leaving Jordan to gather them up tightly and steady the horse.
Jordan was small for a thirteen year old; perhaps around five feet tall, her small stature was amplified as she sat unsteadly on the back of the Thoroughbred. Brushing her chin-length auburn hair out of her eyes, she glanced nervously over at her parents; as she suspected, they weren't even watching her. "Bastards can't even pay attention," she muttered angrily, the childish tone she took with her father gone. Shoving her weight into her heels for balance, she slowly brought the large horse out onto the rail.
"Why don't you make him run honey!" Jordan's mother called out, and she rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh.
"He's not warmed up yet!" she called back, trying to get the horse to walk calmly. Out of nowhere, Make Way bucked mightily, nearly unseating Jordan.
"'Atta girl!" her father called out, popping a cigar into his mouth. Jordan looked over her shoulder at them, but they couldn't see the angrily shocked expression on her face.
"Calm down now.easy Make Way.I don't feel too good," she said, her already pale expression loosing some of it's color. The horse continued to act up, prancing and pawing at the ground. "Easy boy." Jordan said again, her voice getting stronger with worry. "Calm down!" she said as the horse pranced away underneath her.
"Everything alright out there sweetie?" Mr. McCullen called out, but Jordan could not respond. Sweating, she shook her head to clear the dizzying fog that floated before her eyes. Make Way pranced, rearing slightly.
"Whoa boy," Jordan repeated, her eyes widening as Make Way reared up again. "Easy!" she shouted, and the horse stood still, blowing air noisly through it's nose. Jordan sighed in relief, leaning forward to pat the horse on the neck.
A car alarm suddenly blared through the arena, sending Make Way skittering again. Jordan grabbed onto his mane and pushed herself up as he reared. His hooves reaching higher towards the sky, she went to slip her feet out of the stirrups and bail out, but she was too late. With a shrill scream, she closed her eyes as she felt the stallion lose his balance and tumble backwards.
Her head hit the ground, and then all she felt was a crushing weight, an ever-present pain. The air was knocked out of her chest, and she felt blood spurt into her mouth. The sounds of the car alarm began to fade away as she felt the great weight sift and move off of her, leaving her broken and bent on the dirt floor. Moments passed like years as she saw her parents faces hovering above her, her father smacking the stallion and sending him galloping away. Sound and sight were distorted through the pain, but she could make out the sound of an ambulance siren and her parents speaking calmly to her. Feeling her eyelids lowering, she let the fog overcome her and the world sank into darkness.
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"So it's a horse-back riding accident?" Robert "Rocket" Romano asked as he pushed through the swinging doors.
"Hello Robert," Elizabeth Corday said calmly, rubbing the soap over her hands. "Yes, it's a horse-back riding accident," she replied, scrubbing harder as if Romano's appearance had somehow caused more germs to jump onto her skin.
"Ah, horse related injuries...those are unusual in Chicago, aren't they?" Romano quipped, picking up the soap.
"So are your surgical caps but you don't see me complaining," Elizabeth commented dryly as she ran her hands under the water.
"My my Lizzie, aren't we uppity today. Did somebody get your panties in a twist?" Romano asked cheerfully, causing Elizabeth to shake her head in disgust and give a defeated sigh as she shut the water off.
"The patient is a thirteen year old girl named Jordan McCullen, height 5'1", weight 98 lbs, eyes blue, hair red-" Elizabeth continued before Romano cut her off again.
"Thank you for that wonderful physical description of the patient Lizzie, I was afraid I wouldn't recognize her when I went to operate," Romano commented dryly. Elizabeth glared at him, preparing herself to observe the operation.
"The horse she was riding reared up and tumbled over, crushing her underneath. They were able to stabalize her downstairs, but they're afraid -" she began to explain again.
"Why did the horse rear?" Romano cut in as he followed Elizabeth into the OR.
"Pardon?" she asked, glancing over at him curiously.
"The horse, it reared, how come," Romano demanded shortly, glancing over at the small girl on the operating table.
"Um, I don't quite know why...her parent's were letting her-"
"Making her," interjected the surgical nurse Shirley, and Elizabeth sighed.
"Her parent's were making her ride a horse she didn't want to ride-"
"What was the horse's name?" Romano interrupted again, setting to work on examining the girl.
"Will you please stop doing that?" Elizabeth protested, and she could see the hint of a grin in Romano's eyes.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, please continue...your informationless tale was so riveting," Romano deadpanned, and Elizabeth glared at him.
"I believe the horses name was Make Shift," she said through clenched teeth.
"Make Way," Shirley corrected, inching away from Dr. Corday.
"Make Way? Her parent's had her on Make Way?" Romano asked suddenly, glancing up from his work.
"You've heard of him?" Elizabeth asked, eyeing him carefully
"Of course, I thought everbody had," Romano said, returning to work. "He used to be a big shot racehorse; after they retired him, it turned out he wouldn't breed because he was quite the homosexual and so the owners sold him to a riding farm a few hours out of town and how this girl came to be on his back is beyond me," Romano said in one large breath. "No parent in their right mind would put their child on that freakshows back," he muttered, and Elizabeth glanced up at him momentarily. "Speaking of the parents, where are the little buggers now?" he asked, and Elizabeth looked up again. Glancing uneasily at Shirley, Elizabeth shifted her weight.
"They're...um...at a dinner party," she said, and Romano paused without looking up.
"I thought they brought the child in."
"They did," Elizabeth said slowly, "but they...had to leave...for a dinner party," she said, watching Romano carefully. His eyes turned to Jordan's face, but he didn't say anything. Returning to work on the girls damaged internal organs, he sighed.
"Shirley, suction please...I can't see a goddamn thing in here," he said irritably. "Why won't she stop bleeding?" he asked in a frusturated tone.
"Her charts say that she's been in remission for acute myeloid leukemia for two years now...maybe she's come out of it," Shirley suggested.
"Thank you Shirley, you're supposed to tell me these things before I start work on the patient," Romano said angrily, silencing her. He worked silently for a long while, eventually making the bleeding stop.
"It looks like there's been some damage to the spine," Elizabeth commented, and Romano nodded in agreement.
"So I see. It looks like part of the bone is pressing against the cord," he muttered. Turning his attention to that, silence fell over the group again.
"Do you think any damage was done to the spine?" Elizabeth asked eventually, and Romano shrugged as he continued to work.
"My guess is that she'll have partial paralysis in her legs for the rest of her life, and according to the head trauma she's going to have partial paralysis in her right arm also," he said, his voice surprisingly quiet.
As they finished stitching the young girl up, Elizabeth was shocked to find Romano studying Jordan's face. "Are you alright?" she asked him, and he looked up with a barely noticible jump.
"Of course I'm alright," he said in his gruff voice, backing away from the table. "I would just like to speak to her parents, that's all," he said. Taking another glance at Jordan, he turned his eyes towards Elizabeth. "Keep me updated on her, will you Lizzie?" he asked, and Elizabeth nodded silently. Shaking his head in disgust, Romano stipped off his surgical gloves and stalked out of the room.
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"Robert," Elizabeth said later as she knocked on the door, and Romano looked up from the newspaper he was reading.
"Lizzie," he smiled cheerfully, folding the paper in half. "How goes it with our little jockey?" he asked, and Elizabeth smiled slightly.
"She's awake, if you want to see her; she's still a bit groggy though."
"I'm a surgeon Lizzie, I'm familiar with the after effects of anesthesia," he cut in, standing up. "Thank you for the notification," he said, walking hurridly past her.
"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked in exasperation, and Romano turned around but continued walking.
"To go see her of course," he replied, hurrying into the elevator. Before Elizabeth could respond, he was already gone.
Once in the elevator, Romano sighed to himself and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "What I wouldn't give to be able to chew out the two bastards she has for parents," he muttered to himself. Normally malicious, Romano had an odd soft spot for children. As the elevator door opened, Romano walked out into the hallway and turned towards where he knew Jordan's room would be. Pausing at the door, he picked up her chart and glanced over it. He made a mental note of how light she was, and thought back to Shirley's comment about the cancer. Opening the door, he walked quietly through, and the nurse in the room glanced up.
"Dr. Romano," she said corteously, although it was clear she wasn't pleased he was there.
"Hello Frankie, I assume you're giving our patient here the best possible care?" he asked, his eyes intent on Jordan's face. She looked out at him through half closed eyes, tubes sticking out of her. Romano thought for a moment that she looked like an alien from a bad horror-science fiction movie, and he had to grin to himself.
Although she was groggy, Jordan raised her eyebrows at his expression. She tried to say something, but Romano put his hand up to silence her. "Don't try and talk Shortcake, the tubes in your throat will prevent you from doing something. She raised her eyebrows again, and Romano handed her a sheet of paper and a pen, his eyes intent on her. "Write it down," he said, and Jordan blinked tiredly. Suddenly her brow knotted in confusion, and looking down he saw her right arm moving slightly. "Try the other arm," he said, and slowly Jordan lifted her left hand to the pen. "I thought so," he said, and Jordan looked up at him again. As he explained himself, she slowly scribbled a word down onto the paper. "Due to the head trauma you've experienced, you've lost partial use of your right arm." he said, trailing off as he saw her eyelids flutter weakly. He sat watching her, and Frankie glanced over at them. Shaking his head, Romano cleared his throat and smiled at Jordan. She made an attempt to smile back, and nudged the paper back towards Romano. Expecting to read a serious question, such as "Why?", Romano had to laugh when he read the word "Shortcake?" and then the word "Baldy" with a feeble arrow pointing towards him. "I get the feeling we're going to get along very well," he smiled at her. Her eyelids began to close, and he put a gentle hand on her shoulder to wake her up. "One more piece of information before you pass out on me - I've put you down as one of my patients, alright?" he asked, and after a long pause Jordan seemed to recognize the words and she nodded her head very slightly. "Good," he smiled up at her. "Now my first prescription is lots of rest; I'll be down to check on you contionously throughout the day, and then I'll come down tomorrow to discuss with you the accident, the surgery, and the cancer," he said. Jordan cringed slightly when he said it, but she shut her eyes obediently. Within a few moments, her breathing slowed and deepened, and Romano sighed. "Frankie," he said, looking up at the nurse.
"What doc?" she asked, opening the curtains to the room.
"If anything changes in her condition, anything at all, you notify me," he said. "I don't care if I'm at home sleeping, I don't care if I'm in the shower, I don't care if I'm in surgery, here's my pager number," he said, scribbling it down in a rush and handing it to the stunned Frankie. "She's my patient, and I want to be kept informed," he said as he walked hurridely to the door. "Oh, and one more thing," he said, sticking his head back in the room as he went to turn the corner. "Page me when the parents come, alright?" he asked, slapping the wall quietly with his hand. "Alright," he said before Frankie could respond. Turning, he hurried down the hallway without another word, leaving the stunned nurse standing with his pager number still in her hand.