"What?!" Romano's furious voice echoed through the halls, sending nurses
and med students scattering. His knuckles were white as he clenched the
papers in his hand, and Kerry braced herself against his furious stare.
"It's what her parents wanted-"
"You're letting them decide who's to be her doctor?" Romano said sarcastically, and Kerry sighed.
"Robert, they **are** her parents," she pointed out, and he rolled his eyes.
"Oh sound the trumpets! I don't care if they're the goddamn King and Queen of England -"
"I heard that," Elizabeth said calmly as she walked by reading a book, not looking up.
"Thank-you-Lizzie," Romano snapped harshly, turning his glare back to Kerry. "-They're too stupid to offer an opinion," he picked off right where he had been cut off.
"While I share your dislike for them, there's nothing I can do unless you want to face a complaint," Kerry sighed.
"Who are they going to complain to, the Head of the Ignorant Parents?"
"Drop the parenting thing! What is wrong with you today?" Kerry snapped, her patience running low.
"Nothing's wrong with me today," Romano snapped, "I'm just tired."
"Or PMSing," Elizabeth commented as she passed by again, and Romano turned around to say something. Closing his mouth again, he threw his hands up in the air.
"Fine, fine!" he shouted as he lost his patience, throwing his papers down on the desk. "Assign Jordan to Dr. Ross, I don't care. If that's what the parents what, then I guess that's what **has** to happen then," he said the last sentence oddly calm, and Kerry looked at him suspiciously. "But you can be the one to tell her about this.change of doctors," he said, and Kerry blinked. "Tell her I'll be down to visit her," he said coldly, picking up his papers and walking away.
"Long day?" Elizabeth asked Kerry as she walked by again, and this time Kerry fell into step beside her.
"You have no idea," Kerry readjusted her glasses and sighed. Elizabeth glanced up with a warm smile and closed her book.
"Any day dealing with Robert Romano is bound to be a long day," she said with a wink as she turned and paused by a hallway. "Are you going down to see Jordan McCullen?" she asked and Kerry nodded. "Hmm.I think I'll stop by later, I'd like to see how she's doing," Elizabeth mused, and Kerry nodded again.
"I'll see you down there then," she said, turning and walking towards the elevator. Sighing to herself as the door closed, she closed her eyes for a moment. The clang of the elevator pulled her back out of her thoughts, and she slowly walked out into the hallway. Pausing outside Jordan's door, she frowned to herself. Robert had seemed rather passionate about having Jordan as his patient.but there wasn't really anything she could do now.
Gathering herself up Kerry walked briskly into Jordan's room. "Hello Jordan, my name is Dr. Weaver," she said. She had the feeling that she should be receiving some smart reply, so the silence that greeted her surprised her. Glancing up she found Jordan watching her intently, not saying anything.
"The girl won't talk doc," Frankie said sadly from the corner, and Kerry looked over at her.
"What?" she asked, walking over to Jordan. "She can talk," she said, slightly puzzled. Jordan's cold expression remained, and she glanced continuously at the door. Kerry paused and glanced over her shoulder, not seeing anyone there.
"I think she's waiting for Dr. Romano, Dr. Weaver," Frankie explained quietly, and Kerry saw the flash in Jordan's young eyes when his name was mentioned.
"Are you waiting for Dr. Romano honey?" she asked in a gentle tone. Jordan nodded, although her face took on a clear don't-call-me-that expression. Kerry blinked and looked away, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Jordan's indignant expression caused her to stand back up, and a glance of amusement crossed the younger girls eyes.
"I'm afraid that Dr. Romano won't be down for awhile," Kerry started slowly, and an alarmed look crossed Jordan's face. "He's alright, don't worry," she said hurriedly, and Jordan relaxed slightly. "But he had a slight - err, altercation with your parents," Kerry continued, and Jordan leaned back against her pillow in annoyance. "They've requested that you be moved into a pediatricians care," Kerry said quietly, and Jordan nodded to herself and rolled her eyes. "Dr. Ross will be down in awhile to introduce himself, and - Dr. Romano said that he'd be down to visit you in a little while," she said, but this time no expression showed in the girls eyes. Kerry thought she saw tears, but Jordan blinked rapidly and turned her head away. "If you need anything at all." Kerry started, but Jordan shook her head and shut her eyes.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Frankie offered, and Kerry nodded without taking her eyes off of Jordan's face. Finally turning away, she paused by the door.
"You'll like Dr. Ross," she offered, but Jordan gave no indication of even hearing her. With a sigh, Kerry turned and walked out of the room. She passed Elizabeth on her way out, and turned to the other woman. "I-I think Jordan may have had enough of doctors for awhile," Kerry suggested, glancing back into the room. Elizabeth followed her gaze, and shivered when she saw Jordan's cold eyes upon her face.
"What happened?" Elizabeth asked as the two women walked away from the door and further down the hall. Kerry glanced over her shoulder again with a sigh before turning back to Elizabeth.
"Apparently Jordan's developed a sort of attachment to Dr. Romano," she explained, and Elizabeth nodded.
"Yes, I can imagine; it looks like Dr. Romano formed a bit of an attachment to her also," she replied, referring to his outburst from before.
"Right," Kerry agreed with a nod. "Well, Jordan's not speaking to anyone except for Robert. I don't know if it's a psychological problem, or if she's just nervous; apparently it's not from the trauma or anything," Kerry's voice drifted off.
"So you think we should take it easy with Jordan for a little while, let her have her space?" Elizabeth suggested.
"Exactly," Kerry nodded. "I think she'll come around on her own."
-------------------------------------------------------
Doug Ross stood by Jordan's bedside, looking over her chart as the girl slept. "Dr. Ross?" Frankie piped up as she passed by the doorway.
"Ah Frankie, good to see you again," he smiled warmly, and the young nurse smiled back. "How are you?"
"I'm doing alright, and yourself?" she asked, and Doug grinned.
"I'm making do," he chuckled, putting the chart down with a sigh. "It seems like we have quite the patient here, don't we Frankie?" he said quietly so that he wouldn't wake her up.
"There are some odd things about her," Frankie agreed, eyeing the girl carefully. "I can't get her to eat one bite."
"Really? Have you tried bringing her something different?"
"I've tried everything, but she won't have any of it. And she hasn't even had her chemotherapy," she said, and Doug frowned.
"Hmm. When did she start not eating?"
"Well, just today but-"
"Ah Frankie, it might be just a phase," Doug cut her off, and the nurse frowned. "Maybe she's just settling in."
"Well, I can't get her to talk to me either. I've tried to start a conversation but-"
"Maybe she's just nervous?"
"She wouldn't talk to Dr. Weaver either."
"Has she talked to anyone?" Doug asked with a raised eyebrow, and Frankie paused.
"Well.I have heard her speaking to Dr. Romano," she said quietly and Doug chuckled.
"Perhaps he traumatized her to the point she can't speak or eat," he joked. He fell silent as he heard Jordan shift in the bed, her eyes slowly opening. "Well good morning to you," he said warmly, turning to face her. Jordan blinked and glanced around the room, clearing the grogginess out of her head. "My name is Dr. Ross," he introduced himself, holding out his hand to her. Jordan turned her head, stared at him, blinked, but did not take his hand. "Alright then," Doug said, pulling his hand back and scratching the back of his neck. "I'll be your doctor from now on," he said, trying to ignore her continuous stare. "I see that you've agreed to some chemotherapy?" he asked, and Jordan nodded slightly. "Good.we'll get you started on that tomorrow, alright?" he asked, but Jordan chose not to respond. She glanced over to the doorway where Frankie stood quietly. Jordan blinked and looked up to the ceiling, then glanced back towards Frankie. Frankie tilted her head slightly in confusion, and Jordan sighed with a shake of the head.
"Ms. McCullen?" Doug asked, causing Jordan to look back towards him. "Are you alright?" he asked her, and a cold expression fell over her face. Doug paused, not understanding the brief glance of hatred that she shot him. "Anyway," he cleared his throat, looking down at her chart again. "We need you to start eating again, alright? You don't need to talk if you don't want to, but your body needs the nutrients," Doug said.
"I don't think she likes being told what to do," Frankie offered, and a hint of a smile crossed Jordan's face. Doug sighed and turned away, shaking his head.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were conspiring against me to keep me from doing my job," he said goodheartedly, and the smile faded from Jordan's face. Her eyes took on a distant expression as she stared behind Frankie. Turning, the nurse saw Dr. Romano standing patiently behind her.
"Oh, excuse me Dr. Romano," she said, scurrying out of the way.
"That's quite alright Frankie," he said, unnaturally charitable. Taking a few steps into the room, he glanced at Jordan; her expression was unreadable but tense. Looking back towards Dr. Ross, he forced himself to smile. "I congratulate you on your gaining of a new patient," he said shortly, his gaze intense. "Should I leave you two?" he asked, and Doug felt that there was only one right answer.
"No it's okay, I was finished anyway. I'll see you tomorrow Jordan, alright?" he asked, but the girl didn't respond. Walking out of the door, he glanced at Frankie. "She's a piece of work," he whispered, and Frankie nodded. Turning, the nurse saw Dr. Romano staring at her pointedly, and she walked away in a hurry.
"So I see you've met the best in our child care," Dr. Romano said flatly, turning back to Jordan. She paused, clearing her throat but not saying anything. "How are you?" he asked, seeing the pale expression on her face.
"I need drugs," she replied shortly, and Romano chuckled.
"Well you'll be getting plenty of those tomorrow."
"Whoopdi-doo."
"I'm sure Dr. Ross will give you the pretty colored ones."
"I'd rather you be my doctor," Jordan said, and Romano sighed.
"So would I," he answered truthfully, and Jordan fell into silence again. "However, the powers that be have decided that I will not be your doctor, and I am to instead place you into Dr. Ross' care," he said in a professional voice, and Jordan rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry," he said in the same professional tone.
"Cry me a river," Jordan muttered, looking away.
"Would you like me to come down and visit you?" Romano inquired, and Jordan paused.
"I don't want to be a pest."
"No, your parents are a pest, you a certainly not."
Jordan turned and held an even gaze with Romano, and he could see the pain in her eyes. Unsure of what to do, he glanced away uncomfortably. "Don't worry Jordan, things ill be okay. Dr. Ross is a good doctor," he said with mustered cheer, and Jordan frowned again.
"Dr. Romano?" she asked, and Romano smiled slightly.
"Call me Robert," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice, and Jordan raised her eyes.
"Err-alright, Robert. Do you think the chemo will work?" she asked, and Romano tilted his head.
"Time will tell," he said, walking over and squeezing her shoulder gently. "As always, I've got to run-" Jordan's shoulders sagged at his words. "I'll be really busy for the next few days, but I'll stop down again when I get the chance to, alright?" he asked, and Jordan nodded after a pause. "Goodnight Shrimp."
"Goodnight Pipsqueak," Jordan replied, and Robert turned around in surprise as he passed through the doorway. Jordan just shrugged with a grin. Shaking his head, Robert laughed as he turned and walked back to his office.
------------------------------------------------------
2 weeks later.
"Get me Doug Ross," Romano told his secretary shortly, who simply stared at him.
"You want me to page him?" she asked, and Romano returned her blank stare.
"No, I want you to open the window and shout for him," he deadpanned. "Of course I want you to page him!" he exclaimed irritably as her blank stare continued, causing her to scramble away. Shaking his head, he shook his head and walked back to his office.
After pacing his office for a while, Romano turned around sharply as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he said, and Dr. Ross poked his head in.
"You called?" he asked, and Romano gestured for him to walk into the room. "What's up?" he asked, and Romano gazed keenly at him.
"You're Jordan McCullen's doctor?" he asked, and Doug nodded.
"Yes, em - you were in the room when I first met her," Doug looked at Romano curiously, but Robert ignored the look.
"So, Dr. Ross.little birdies have been whispering in my ear.they tell me that Jordan's on an IV now," he continued calmly, and Doug nodded again. "And why is this?"
"I just can't get her to eat," he said simply, and Romano raised his eyebrows.
"I just saw her four days ago, I could've gotten her to eat then. Why is it so hard to get a little girl to eat?"
"I can't get her to talk either."
"What? Is everybody deaf in this hospital?"
"What do you mean?" Doug asked curiously, a confused expression in his eyes.
"I talk to her every time I see her Dr. Ross, I can't even begin to fathom how you can't 'get her to talk'," he snapped, and Doug shrugged.
"Maybe she's just more comfortable with you."
"And maybe you'd be more comfortable with a different job."
"Listen I'm telling you Robert, I can't get her to eat anything. I'm not going to force the food into her mouth-"
"Give me one night and I'll have her eating solid foods," Romano said strongly, and Doug raised his eyebrows.
"Alright," he said gamely, leaning back slightly. "Think you'll get her talking too?"
"Don't take that tone of voice with me Dr. Ross," Romano checked Doug's condescending tone. "I promise nothing about the talking, but I will visit her tonight after I get off duty, and I will get her to eat."
"Okay," Doug said with a little nod. "I'll see you later then," he said, but Romano didn't reply. As Doug hurried out of the room Romano leaned forward and placed a hand on his desk, sighing. Sitting down at his desk he looked out of the window, watching the season's first snow drift past.
"It's what her parents wanted-"
"You're letting them decide who's to be her doctor?" Romano said sarcastically, and Kerry sighed.
"Robert, they **are** her parents," she pointed out, and he rolled his eyes.
"Oh sound the trumpets! I don't care if they're the goddamn King and Queen of England -"
"I heard that," Elizabeth said calmly as she walked by reading a book, not looking up.
"Thank-you-Lizzie," Romano snapped harshly, turning his glare back to Kerry. "-They're too stupid to offer an opinion," he picked off right where he had been cut off.
"While I share your dislike for them, there's nothing I can do unless you want to face a complaint," Kerry sighed.
"Who are they going to complain to, the Head of the Ignorant Parents?"
"Drop the parenting thing! What is wrong with you today?" Kerry snapped, her patience running low.
"Nothing's wrong with me today," Romano snapped, "I'm just tired."
"Or PMSing," Elizabeth commented as she passed by again, and Romano turned around to say something. Closing his mouth again, he threw his hands up in the air.
"Fine, fine!" he shouted as he lost his patience, throwing his papers down on the desk. "Assign Jordan to Dr. Ross, I don't care. If that's what the parents what, then I guess that's what **has** to happen then," he said the last sentence oddly calm, and Kerry looked at him suspiciously. "But you can be the one to tell her about this.change of doctors," he said, and Kerry blinked. "Tell her I'll be down to visit her," he said coldly, picking up his papers and walking away.
"Long day?" Elizabeth asked Kerry as she walked by again, and this time Kerry fell into step beside her.
"You have no idea," Kerry readjusted her glasses and sighed. Elizabeth glanced up with a warm smile and closed her book.
"Any day dealing with Robert Romano is bound to be a long day," she said with a wink as she turned and paused by a hallway. "Are you going down to see Jordan McCullen?" she asked and Kerry nodded. "Hmm.I think I'll stop by later, I'd like to see how she's doing," Elizabeth mused, and Kerry nodded again.
"I'll see you down there then," she said, turning and walking towards the elevator. Sighing to herself as the door closed, she closed her eyes for a moment. The clang of the elevator pulled her back out of her thoughts, and she slowly walked out into the hallway. Pausing outside Jordan's door, she frowned to herself. Robert had seemed rather passionate about having Jordan as his patient.but there wasn't really anything she could do now.
Gathering herself up Kerry walked briskly into Jordan's room. "Hello Jordan, my name is Dr. Weaver," she said. She had the feeling that she should be receiving some smart reply, so the silence that greeted her surprised her. Glancing up she found Jordan watching her intently, not saying anything.
"The girl won't talk doc," Frankie said sadly from the corner, and Kerry looked over at her.
"What?" she asked, walking over to Jordan. "She can talk," she said, slightly puzzled. Jordan's cold expression remained, and she glanced continuously at the door. Kerry paused and glanced over her shoulder, not seeing anyone there.
"I think she's waiting for Dr. Romano, Dr. Weaver," Frankie explained quietly, and Kerry saw the flash in Jordan's young eyes when his name was mentioned.
"Are you waiting for Dr. Romano honey?" she asked in a gentle tone. Jordan nodded, although her face took on a clear don't-call-me-that expression. Kerry blinked and looked away, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Jordan's indignant expression caused her to stand back up, and a glance of amusement crossed the younger girls eyes.
"I'm afraid that Dr. Romano won't be down for awhile," Kerry started slowly, and an alarmed look crossed Jordan's face. "He's alright, don't worry," she said hurriedly, and Jordan relaxed slightly. "But he had a slight - err, altercation with your parents," Kerry continued, and Jordan leaned back against her pillow in annoyance. "They've requested that you be moved into a pediatricians care," Kerry said quietly, and Jordan nodded to herself and rolled her eyes. "Dr. Ross will be down in awhile to introduce himself, and - Dr. Romano said that he'd be down to visit you in a little while," she said, but this time no expression showed in the girls eyes. Kerry thought she saw tears, but Jordan blinked rapidly and turned her head away. "If you need anything at all." Kerry started, but Jordan shook her head and shut her eyes.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Frankie offered, and Kerry nodded without taking her eyes off of Jordan's face. Finally turning away, she paused by the door.
"You'll like Dr. Ross," she offered, but Jordan gave no indication of even hearing her. With a sigh, Kerry turned and walked out of the room. She passed Elizabeth on her way out, and turned to the other woman. "I-I think Jordan may have had enough of doctors for awhile," Kerry suggested, glancing back into the room. Elizabeth followed her gaze, and shivered when she saw Jordan's cold eyes upon her face.
"What happened?" Elizabeth asked as the two women walked away from the door and further down the hall. Kerry glanced over her shoulder again with a sigh before turning back to Elizabeth.
"Apparently Jordan's developed a sort of attachment to Dr. Romano," she explained, and Elizabeth nodded.
"Yes, I can imagine; it looks like Dr. Romano formed a bit of an attachment to her also," she replied, referring to his outburst from before.
"Right," Kerry agreed with a nod. "Well, Jordan's not speaking to anyone except for Robert. I don't know if it's a psychological problem, or if she's just nervous; apparently it's not from the trauma or anything," Kerry's voice drifted off.
"So you think we should take it easy with Jordan for a little while, let her have her space?" Elizabeth suggested.
"Exactly," Kerry nodded. "I think she'll come around on her own."
-------------------------------------------------------
Doug Ross stood by Jordan's bedside, looking over her chart as the girl slept. "Dr. Ross?" Frankie piped up as she passed by the doorway.
"Ah Frankie, good to see you again," he smiled warmly, and the young nurse smiled back. "How are you?"
"I'm doing alright, and yourself?" she asked, and Doug grinned.
"I'm making do," he chuckled, putting the chart down with a sigh. "It seems like we have quite the patient here, don't we Frankie?" he said quietly so that he wouldn't wake her up.
"There are some odd things about her," Frankie agreed, eyeing the girl carefully. "I can't get her to eat one bite."
"Really? Have you tried bringing her something different?"
"I've tried everything, but she won't have any of it. And she hasn't even had her chemotherapy," she said, and Doug frowned.
"Hmm. When did she start not eating?"
"Well, just today but-"
"Ah Frankie, it might be just a phase," Doug cut her off, and the nurse frowned. "Maybe she's just settling in."
"Well, I can't get her to talk to me either. I've tried to start a conversation but-"
"Maybe she's just nervous?"
"She wouldn't talk to Dr. Weaver either."
"Has she talked to anyone?" Doug asked with a raised eyebrow, and Frankie paused.
"Well.I have heard her speaking to Dr. Romano," she said quietly and Doug chuckled.
"Perhaps he traumatized her to the point she can't speak or eat," he joked. He fell silent as he heard Jordan shift in the bed, her eyes slowly opening. "Well good morning to you," he said warmly, turning to face her. Jordan blinked and glanced around the room, clearing the grogginess out of her head. "My name is Dr. Ross," he introduced himself, holding out his hand to her. Jordan turned her head, stared at him, blinked, but did not take his hand. "Alright then," Doug said, pulling his hand back and scratching the back of his neck. "I'll be your doctor from now on," he said, trying to ignore her continuous stare. "I see that you've agreed to some chemotherapy?" he asked, and Jordan nodded slightly. "Good.we'll get you started on that tomorrow, alright?" he asked, but Jordan chose not to respond. She glanced over to the doorway where Frankie stood quietly. Jordan blinked and looked up to the ceiling, then glanced back towards Frankie. Frankie tilted her head slightly in confusion, and Jordan sighed with a shake of the head.
"Ms. McCullen?" Doug asked, causing Jordan to look back towards him. "Are you alright?" he asked her, and a cold expression fell over her face. Doug paused, not understanding the brief glance of hatred that she shot him. "Anyway," he cleared his throat, looking down at her chart again. "We need you to start eating again, alright? You don't need to talk if you don't want to, but your body needs the nutrients," Doug said.
"I don't think she likes being told what to do," Frankie offered, and a hint of a smile crossed Jordan's face. Doug sighed and turned away, shaking his head.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were conspiring against me to keep me from doing my job," he said goodheartedly, and the smile faded from Jordan's face. Her eyes took on a distant expression as she stared behind Frankie. Turning, the nurse saw Dr. Romano standing patiently behind her.
"Oh, excuse me Dr. Romano," she said, scurrying out of the way.
"That's quite alright Frankie," he said, unnaturally charitable. Taking a few steps into the room, he glanced at Jordan; her expression was unreadable but tense. Looking back towards Dr. Ross, he forced himself to smile. "I congratulate you on your gaining of a new patient," he said shortly, his gaze intense. "Should I leave you two?" he asked, and Doug felt that there was only one right answer.
"No it's okay, I was finished anyway. I'll see you tomorrow Jordan, alright?" he asked, but the girl didn't respond. Walking out of the door, he glanced at Frankie. "She's a piece of work," he whispered, and Frankie nodded. Turning, the nurse saw Dr. Romano staring at her pointedly, and she walked away in a hurry.
"So I see you've met the best in our child care," Dr. Romano said flatly, turning back to Jordan. She paused, clearing her throat but not saying anything. "How are you?" he asked, seeing the pale expression on her face.
"I need drugs," she replied shortly, and Romano chuckled.
"Well you'll be getting plenty of those tomorrow."
"Whoopdi-doo."
"I'm sure Dr. Ross will give you the pretty colored ones."
"I'd rather you be my doctor," Jordan said, and Romano sighed.
"So would I," he answered truthfully, and Jordan fell into silence again. "However, the powers that be have decided that I will not be your doctor, and I am to instead place you into Dr. Ross' care," he said in a professional voice, and Jordan rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry," he said in the same professional tone.
"Cry me a river," Jordan muttered, looking away.
"Would you like me to come down and visit you?" Romano inquired, and Jordan paused.
"I don't want to be a pest."
"No, your parents are a pest, you a certainly not."
Jordan turned and held an even gaze with Romano, and he could see the pain in her eyes. Unsure of what to do, he glanced away uncomfortably. "Don't worry Jordan, things ill be okay. Dr. Ross is a good doctor," he said with mustered cheer, and Jordan frowned again.
"Dr. Romano?" she asked, and Romano smiled slightly.
"Call me Robert," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice, and Jordan raised her eyes.
"Err-alright, Robert. Do you think the chemo will work?" she asked, and Romano tilted his head.
"Time will tell," he said, walking over and squeezing her shoulder gently. "As always, I've got to run-" Jordan's shoulders sagged at his words. "I'll be really busy for the next few days, but I'll stop down again when I get the chance to, alright?" he asked, and Jordan nodded after a pause. "Goodnight Shrimp."
"Goodnight Pipsqueak," Jordan replied, and Robert turned around in surprise as he passed through the doorway. Jordan just shrugged with a grin. Shaking his head, Robert laughed as he turned and walked back to his office.
------------------------------------------------------
2 weeks later.
"Get me Doug Ross," Romano told his secretary shortly, who simply stared at him.
"You want me to page him?" she asked, and Romano returned her blank stare.
"No, I want you to open the window and shout for him," he deadpanned. "Of course I want you to page him!" he exclaimed irritably as her blank stare continued, causing her to scramble away. Shaking his head, he shook his head and walked back to his office.
After pacing his office for a while, Romano turned around sharply as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he said, and Dr. Ross poked his head in.
"You called?" he asked, and Romano gestured for him to walk into the room. "What's up?" he asked, and Romano gazed keenly at him.
"You're Jordan McCullen's doctor?" he asked, and Doug nodded.
"Yes, em - you were in the room when I first met her," Doug looked at Romano curiously, but Robert ignored the look.
"So, Dr. Ross.little birdies have been whispering in my ear.they tell me that Jordan's on an IV now," he continued calmly, and Doug nodded again. "And why is this?"
"I just can't get her to eat," he said simply, and Romano raised his eyebrows.
"I just saw her four days ago, I could've gotten her to eat then. Why is it so hard to get a little girl to eat?"
"I can't get her to talk either."
"What? Is everybody deaf in this hospital?"
"What do you mean?" Doug asked curiously, a confused expression in his eyes.
"I talk to her every time I see her Dr. Ross, I can't even begin to fathom how you can't 'get her to talk'," he snapped, and Doug shrugged.
"Maybe she's just more comfortable with you."
"And maybe you'd be more comfortable with a different job."
"Listen I'm telling you Robert, I can't get her to eat anything. I'm not going to force the food into her mouth-"
"Give me one night and I'll have her eating solid foods," Romano said strongly, and Doug raised his eyebrows.
"Alright," he said gamely, leaning back slightly. "Think you'll get her talking too?"
"Don't take that tone of voice with me Dr. Ross," Romano checked Doug's condescending tone. "I promise nothing about the talking, but I will visit her tonight after I get off duty, and I will get her to eat."
"Okay," Doug said with a little nod. "I'll see you later then," he said, but Romano didn't reply. As Doug hurried out of the room Romano leaned forward and placed a hand on his desk, sighing. Sitting down at his desk he looked out of the window, watching the season's first snow drift past.