Jordan sat looking out of the window, watching the January snow settle down
on the ground. It had been two months since she'd been admitted to the
hospital, two weeks since she'd seen her parents last, and two hours since
she'd seen Dr. Romano last. For the first time in a long while, she had
felt strong enough to venture out of her room.
"I'll be down here to check on you in between surgeries," Robert had said briefly, smiling at her before he left her in the doctor's lounge. Frankie had questioned their choice of her placement, but Jordan wanted to meet the other hospital staff - and this seemed like the best place to do it.
Sketching clumsily with her good arm, she glanced around the room. It was still decorated for the holidays, which she could barely remember as happening. She vaguely recalled seeing Robert by her bed, and she thought she remembered a happy verse of "Jingle Bells", but the chemotherapy and exhaustion had caused her to forget the rest.
"Hey Jordan," she heard Dr. Ross' voice exclaim in surprise, and she looked up slowly. Smiling politely, she nodded at him. "What are you doing here?" he asked here, and she looked up at him tiredly. "Oh, right.sorry," Doug apologized. Robert had had a nice long talk with him about Jordan's preference to not speak.
"Patient confidentiality," Robert had snapped and walked away when Doug had asked for her reasons. Doug sighed slightly as he remembered this, glancing over at the girl. Her hair was thinner, with some of it having fallen out from the chemo, but she looked content. Getting himself a cup of coffee, he tried to glance over at the paper she was drawing on.
Jordan looked up at him and pulled the paper tight to her chest protectively, giving him an indigent glare. "Sorry," he muttered, sipping his coffee. "Hey, remember Carol?" he asked her, and Jordan nodded; Doug had talked about her often in Jordan's presence. "Has she been in here?" he asked, and a sly grin broke out on Jordan's face. She shook her head, giving Doug a teasing glare. "Alright. If you see her, tell her - never mind," Doug said defeated, turning and walking from the lounge. Jordan repressed a good-natured chuckle, returning her attention to her drawing.
"Yeah, Scott's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow," a female voice drew Jordan's attention towards the door.
"Really? How is he?" a male voice responded as the pair walked into the room, not seeing Jordan.
"Well, he's pretty nervous I think. Jeanie spent a lot of time with him today -" the woman stopped talking, finally seeing Jordan. Jordan recognized her from Doug's descriptions as Carol, but she had never seen the young man before.
"Hey, who's this?" he asked, and Carol shrugged.
"I'm not sure," she replied, walking over to Jordan. "Hello," she said, and once again Jordan smiled politely. Carol glanced up at the man and tilted her head.
"Carter, is there a chart lying around here for her?" she called, straightening up slightly. Jordan instinctively pulled the drawing towards her chest, causing Carol to look at her again and smile. "Can you hear me honey?" she asked, and Jordan nodded slightly.
"None that I can see," Carter replied, walking over. "Hello," he said, kneeling down next to Jordan. She raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced in between the nurse and the doctor. "Can you understand what I'm saying?" he asked her, and Jordan got a slightly annoyed look on her face. With a sharp nod of the head, she rolled her wheelchair back slightly. "Not very friendly," Carter muttered under his breath, and Carol jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.
"Hey look at this," she said, kneeling down. Tied around Jordan's wrist was what appeared to be an index card with a "My Name Is" sticker on it. "My Name Is.Property of Dr. Romano?" Carol read the sticker out loud in surprise, and Carter emitted a short laugh.
"Well that explains it," he said. "Property of Dr. Romano, eh? Nice name," he said, sitting down for a moment. "Have a real name?" he asked Jordan, and she gave a small smile; she liked him, but she still didn't feel like talking to him. Carol glanced between them and sighed, shaking her head.
"Leave it be, I don't think she intends on talking," Carol said gently, and Jordan decided that she liked her too. Carter picked up a basketball tucked away in a corner and shrugged.
"I bet she'd be cool," he said with a wry grin. Tossing the basketball to her, he caused Jordan to scramble and catch it with her left arm. "Hey, what's wrong?" he said, taking note of the lack of movement in her right arm. Jordan tossed the basketball back to him but turned away, tucking the cumbersome arm in her lap. "Having trouble with that?" he asked gently, but Jordan sneered at him. "Alright," he said with an almost comical twist of the face.
"Good one Carter," Carol said, sarcasms in her voice. "Tick her off some more why don't you," she said, heading for the door. "I've got some patients to look at," she said, waving goodbye to the two as she headed out the door.
"Looks like it's just you and me kiddo," Carter grinned at Jordan. He paused as he thought he heard her mutter something under her breath, but he let it pass. "So, do you have a real name?" he asked her, and Jordan eyed him curiously. "You know, aside from 'Property of Dr. Romano'," he said with a smirk, and Jordan seemed to pause in thought. Picking up her pencil, she scribbled out her first name on a spare piece of paper. "Jordan," he read it aloud with a satisfied smile. "Nice name," he said, and Jordan blushed slightly. "So, I have no chance of you talking to me?" he asked her, and her expression turned emotionless. "I guess not - can you talk?" he asked, and she nodded after a pause. "Do you not like me?" he asked, and Jordan furrowed her brow. She shook her head and looked away.
"Harassing my patients John?" Robert said briskly as he walked into the room, smiling at Jordan.
"Oh, of course not Dr. Romano," Carter cleared his throat as he backed away from Jordan. Jordan smiled to herself, returning her attention to her drawing. "We were just talking-"
"Talking? Really? What did she have to say?" Robert cut him off in mock Ernest, and Carter paused.
"Oh - err, nothing. Hey, would ya look at that, breaks over, gotta run!" Carter said in a rush, hurrying out of the door.
"Hey Picasso, how many doctors have you traumatized so far?" Robert turned his attention to the girl, and she smiled.
"None I think, but I did see a few," she said, continuing drawing.
"Did they like the name tag?"
"Very much, **that** might have frightening them a bit."
"My goal of the day has been fulfilled then."
"If your goal was to traumatize them then I'm sure you did it the moment you stepped through the doors."
"Clever," Robert chuckled, shaking his head. "Yes, I try and bring a little agony into everyone's lives," he commented, watching her draw. He stepped closer, trying to look at the paper. Jordan looked up at him with a warning glare, pulling the paper closer. "Excuse me," she said, slightly coldly, and Robert stepped back.
"Sorry," he said shortly, glancing at his watch. "Well, I just came down here to see if you needed anything.?"
"Nope, I'm good," Jordan replied quietly, hearing footsteps in the hallway. "Thanks for stopping by," she said warmly, giving him a genuine smile. He smiled back with a nod of his head.
"No problem. I'll stop by later when I get off duty to bring you back to your room," he said, and Jordan nodded as she returned her attention to her drawing.
"See ya Satan."
"Hmm.I like that name. See ya Mute."
Jordan looked up as the door shut behind him. Looking back at the paper, she allowed her eyes to scan over the sketches she had been making of the doctors. Shifting the pencil to her right hand, she slowly began to sketch a basketball next to Carters image.
As Romano pulled off the bloodstained scrubs, he heard his beeper go off by his waist. Fumbling slightly, he pulled it out into the light. Silence changed into laughter as he read the words on the tiny machine:
"Robert - you're property is asleep in the doctors lounge - please come claim her."
"I'll be down here to check on you in between surgeries," Robert had said briefly, smiling at her before he left her in the doctor's lounge. Frankie had questioned their choice of her placement, but Jordan wanted to meet the other hospital staff - and this seemed like the best place to do it.
Sketching clumsily with her good arm, she glanced around the room. It was still decorated for the holidays, which she could barely remember as happening. She vaguely recalled seeing Robert by her bed, and she thought she remembered a happy verse of "Jingle Bells", but the chemotherapy and exhaustion had caused her to forget the rest.
"Hey Jordan," she heard Dr. Ross' voice exclaim in surprise, and she looked up slowly. Smiling politely, she nodded at him. "What are you doing here?" he asked here, and she looked up at him tiredly. "Oh, right.sorry," Doug apologized. Robert had had a nice long talk with him about Jordan's preference to not speak.
"Patient confidentiality," Robert had snapped and walked away when Doug had asked for her reasons. Doug sighed slightly as he remembered this, glancing over at the girl. Her hair was thinner, with some of it having fallen out from the chemo, but she looked content. Getting himself a cup of coffee, he tried to glance over at the paper she was drawing on.
Jordan looked up at him and pulled the paper tight to her chest protectively, giving him an indigent glare. "Sorry," he muttered, sipping his coffee. "Hey, remember Carol?" he asked her, and Jordan nodded; Doug had talked about her often in Jordan's presence. "Has she been in here?" he asked, and a sly grin broke out on Jordan's face. She shook her head, giving Doug a teasing glare. "Alright. If you see her, tell her - never mind," Doug said defeated, turning and walking from the lounge. Jordan repressed a good-natured chuckle, returning her attention to her drawing.
"Yeah, Scott's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow," a female voice drew Jordan's attention towards the door.
"Really? How is he?" a male voice responded as the pair walked into the room, not seeing Jordan.
"Well, he's pretty nervous I think. Jeanie spent a lot of time with him today -" the woman stopped talking, finally seeing Jordan. Jordan recognized her from Doug's descriptions as Carol, but she had never seen the young man before.
"Hey, who's this?" he asked, and Carol shrugged.
"I'm not sure," she replied, walking over to Jordan. "Hello," she said, and once again Jordan smiled politely. Carol glanced up at the man and tilted her head.
"Carter, is there a chart lying around here for her?" she called, straightening up slightly. Jordan instinctively pulled the drawing towards her chest, causing Carol to look at her again and smile. "Can you hear me honey?" she asked, and Jordan nodded slightly.
"None that I can see," Carter replied, walking over. "Hello," he said, kneeling down next to Jordan. She raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced in between the nurse and the doctor. "Can you understand what I'm saying?" he asked her, and Jordan got a slightly annoyed look on her face. With a sharp nod of the head, she rolled her wheelchair back slightly. "Not very friendly," Carter muttered under his breath, and Carol jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.
"Hey look at this," she said, kneeling down. Tied around Jordan's wrist was what appeared to be an index card with a "My Name Is" sticker on it. "My Name Is.Property of Dr. Romano?" Carol read the sticker out loud in surprise, and Carter emitted a short laugh.
"Well that explains it," he said. "Property of Dr. Romano, eh? Nice name," he said, sitting down for a moment. "Have a real name?" he asked Jordan, and she gave a small smile; she liked him, but she still didn't feel like talking to him. Carol glanced between them and sighed, shaking her head.
"Leave it be, I don't think she intends on talking," Carol said gently, and Jordan decided that she liked her too. Carter picked up a basketball tucked away in a corner and shrugged.
"I bet she'd be cool," he said with a wry grin. Tossing the basketball to her, he caused Jordan to scramble and catch it with her left arm. "Hey, what's wrong?" he said, taking note of the lack of movement in her right arm. Jordan tossed the basketball back to him but turned away, tucking the cumbersome arm in her lap. "Having trouble with that?" he asked gently, but Jordan sneered at him. "Alright," he said with an almost comical twist of the face.
"Good one Carter," Carol said, sarcasms in her voice. "Tick her off some more why don't you," she said, heading for the door. "I've got some patients to look at," she said, waving goodbye to the two as she headed out the door.
"Looks like it's just you and me kiddo," Carter grinned at Jordan. He paused as he thought he heard her mutter something under her breath, but he let it pass. "So, do you have a real name?" he asked her, and Jordan eyed him curiously. "You know, aside from 'Property of Dr. Romano'," he said with a smirk, and Jordan seemed to pause in thought. Picking up her pencil, she scribbled out her first name on a spare piece of paper. "Jordan," he read it aloud with a satisfied smile. "Nice name," he said, and Jordan blushed slightly. "So, I have no chance of you talking to me?" he asked her, and her expression turned emotionless. "I guess not - can you talk?" he asked, and she nodded after a pause. "Do you not like me?" he asked, and Jordan furrowed her brow. She shook her head and looked away.
"Harassing my patients John?" Robert said briskly as he walked into the room, smiling at Jordan.
"Oh, of course not Dr. Romano," Carter cleared his throat as he backed away from Jordan. Jordan smiled to herself, returning her attention to her drawing. "We were just talking-"
"Talking? Really? What did she have to say?" Robert cut him off in mock Ernest, and Carter paused.
"Oh - err, nothing. Hey, would ya look at that, breaks over, gotta run!" Carter said in a rush, hurrying out of the door.
"Hey Picasso, how many doctors have you traumatized so far?" Robert turned his attention to the girl, and she smiled.
"None I think, but I did see a few," she said, continuing drawing.
"Did they like the name tag?"
"Very much, **that** might have frightening them a bit."
"My goal of the day has been fulfilled then."
"If your goal was to traumatize them then I'm sure you did it the moment you stepped through the doors."
"Clever," Robert chuckled, shaking his head. "Yes, I try and bring a little agony into everyone's lives," he commented, watching her draw. He stepped closer, trying to look at the paper. Jordan looked up at him with a warning glare, pulling the paper closer. "Excuse me," she said, slightly coldly, and Robert stepped back.
"Sorry," he said shortly, glancing at his watch. "Well, I just came down here to see if you needed anything.?"
"Nope, I'm good," Jordan replied quietly, hearing footsteps in the hallway. "Thanks for stopping by," she said warmly, giving him a genuine smile. He smiled back with a nod of his head.
"No problem. I'll stop by later when I get off duty to bring you back to your room," he said, and Jordan nodded as she returned her attention to her drawing.
"See ya Satan."
"Hmm.I like that name. See ya Mute."
Jordan looked up as the door shut behind him. Looking back at the paper, she allowed her eyes to scan over the sketches she had been making of the doctors. Shifting the pencil to her right hand, she slowly began to sketch a basketball next to Carters image.
As Romano pulled off the bloodstained scrubs, he heard his beeper go off by his waist. Fumbling slightly, he pulled it out into the light. Silence changed into laughter as he read the words on the tiny machine:
"Robert - you're property is asleep in the doctors lounge - please come claim her."