Chapter 12 - Autumn Breeze
November 1998
Frankie quietly picked up the pot of dead flowers, pulling the withered leaves out before putting it back in it's place on the windowsill. Outside, a gentle but freezing rain was falling, and the heat in the hospital had been turned up to a drowsy warmth.
"Makes me wanna sleep," Frankie yawned to herself, tossing the crumbling flowers into the waste basket. Her eyes glanced over to Jordan's form, and she sighed slightly. "Of course, I guess the heat in here doesn't effect some of us - they just sleep anyway," she mumbled, noting again the girls emaciated form. If Jordan pulled through this coma, she will be set back quite a bit in her recovery.
Frankie continued cleaning the nearly spotless room, trying to bide her time with mindless tasks. She always tried to spend as much time as possible down here, hoping uselessly that the girl would come out of her coma. Thanksgiving was coming up, and she knew that Jordan's fifteenth birthday had just passed; and the girl hadn't even been conscious to experience it. Dr. Romano of course had come down, as had Dr. Carter and Dr. Ross, but her family had stayed far away from the hospital.
Frankie glanced again at the crackers that Dr. Romano had placed by Jordan's bed stand. They appeared to be an odd present, but next to the wrapped can of wax they seemed rather normal. Frankie still couldn't decipher his sense of humor, but it sure as hell frightened her sometimes.
The nurse's train of thought was suddenly interrupted as a barely perceivable movement coming from the direction of Jordan's bed. Freezing in her movements, Frankie fixed her eyes on the girls form. There - there it was again! Jordan had moved a finger. The small feat was followed by a fluttering of her eyelids - the girl was surely on the path to awakening. Running to the hospital phone, Frankie quickly dialed the number to Dr. Romano's office.
"Hello?" his voice greeted her sharply, not at all welcoming or warm.
"Dr. Romano, this is Frankie," she began, her voice stammering with each word. She heard his breath catch slightly at the other end of the phone, before he cleared his throat.
"Ah, Frankie. What's wrong?" he asked cautiously, a hint of fear combined with a hint of hope barely concealed in his voice.
"It's Jordan - "
"Well that's obvious."
"-I think she's waking up," Frankie finished hurriedly. There was a pause and a clatter, and Frankie could vaguely hear Dr. Romano's footsteps over the phone. "Dr. Romano? Dr. Romano?!" she called into the phone, and she heard the footsteps return.
"I'll be right there Frankie," he said breathlessly, quickly hanging up the phone properly. Frankie turned and stared nervously at Jordan, biting her fingernails as she waited. Within minutes a panting Romano stood in the doorway, staring at Jordan. The girls eyelids were fluttering again, and she turned her head slightly as if she was trying to pull herself out of a dream. Robert's eyes flickered to Frankie's face, which had turned frighteningly pale. "Jordan," he said as he forced his gaze away from Frankie's face. The girl moaned slightly and screwed her eyes shut.
"Bright," the whispered word came out groggy and thick, but it sounded beautiful to Robert's ears. Tears sprang into Frankie's eyes, and she automatically ran to the window to shut the blinds.
"Jordan," Robert repeated as he ran over to her bedside. Grabbing her shoulder, he shook her gently. "Jordan, look at me," he said calmly, although his eyes were dancing with excitement. Her eyes opened slowly, the lashes partially stuck together from her months of rest. "Jordan, can you hear me?" he asked, and she nodded her head gently. "Do you know who I am?" he asked, and her eyes opened more.
"Baldy," she replied after a long pause, her tone audibly confused. "R- Robert," she said, clearer this time. Robert's face flooded with relief, and he clenched her hand tightly.
"Thank god," he whispered to himself. Jordan blinked, and her eyes scanned the room without her head moving.
"What - happened?" she asked, focusing her eyes on his face. Robert gazed down at her, feeling his heartbeat slowing down to it's normal pace.
"You were in a coma," he started, watching Jordan's expression carefully. "You had developed an infection - which forgot to inform me about," he heard the sting in his words, and softened his tone slightly. "You've been unconscious for three months."
Jordan raised her eyebrows slightly, trying to take in all the information at once. "Thr-three months?" she stammered, blinking. "How am I -?" her voice faded off, a pained look in her eyes.
"Still alive?" Robert finished for her, and she nodded weakly. "The miracles of medicine," he replied with a smirk. "And," he continued, leaning down towards her ear, "I dare to say prayer might've affected this outcome."
"You pray?" Jordan croaked out, and Robert heard Frankie laugh tearfully behind him. "I thought you didn't believe in god."
"Well - I am god," Robert replied with a wry grin. Jordan's eyelids fluttered, and she turned her eyes towards the ceiling. "Tired?" Robert asked, and she nodded slightly. "Well, after three months I guess it won't matter if you sleep in a bit more," Robert said, although some of the cheer was gone from his voice. Jordan smiled lightly and started to close her eyes when Robert gently put his hand on her forehead. "Oh, and Shorty," he started.
"Mmmhmm?" she asked, looking at him again. He paused, staring at her, before clearing his throat.
"Don't pull a stunt like that again. I need someone here and conscious to laugh at my jokes, understood? I got tired of these bozos around here who don't understand the art of sarcasm," he continued quietly. Jordan nodded, closing her eyes.
"Will do captain," she murmured. Robert stood up as her breathing deepened, turning to Frankie.
"Oh dry your eyes woman," he muttered, tossing her a box of tissues. Frankie caught it and tabbed her eyes with the paper, blowing her nose. "Now listen," Robert said, striding up to her. Frankie began to recoil as if in fear, and Robert stopped. Sighing, he tried to force himself to relax. "She's not out of the woods yet," he continued in a slightly softer and calmer voice. "She can fall back into that coma at any time. We've got to keep on top of her, especially her eating habits; I don't think that coma is going to change her that much."
"Why do you always have to be so pessimistic?" Frankie asked, holding the tissue tightly.
"Because I'm me," Robert responded shortly. "Anyway who said I was being pessimistic?"
"Well, I'd like to think that an experience like that might get her eating and talking again. Why don't you think she'll change?"
"Cause, Frankie - nothing seems to change that girl. It'd probably take the end of the world to get her to utter a word in public, if it took that much effort to get her to eat. No, I don't think she's going to be much different - once she starts feeling better again it'll be business as usual," he explained. Before she could respond, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room.
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A/N - Whoohoo, I have returned! Sort of! Yeah, I admit it - I've been horribly MIA for the past few months or so. Of course this has an explanation, several in fact, but the ones I'll explain are 1.) my arm problems are acting up again -horribly-, 2.) I got a new job (whoohoo money!) and 3.) I got a new horse (byebye money). So, my time has been limited. Plus I have not had enough Romano inspiration recently **kicks TPTB** argh.
So yes, I promise to be more vigilant about this fanfic. I think I have a way to shorten it dramatically while not taking away from the story, but it still has quite a few more chapters to go. So, I'm going to go tonight and save my arms for another chapter. I'm sorry again to all my readers for disappearing so long and leaving you guys hanging, I feel really bad. =(
November 1998
Frankie quietly picked up the pot of dead flowers, pulling the withered leaves out before putting it back in it's place on the windowsill. Outside, a gentle but freezing rain was falling, and the heat in the hospital had been turned up to a drowsy warmth.
"Makes me wanna sleep," Frankie yawned to herself, tossing the crumbling flowers into the waste basket. Her eyes glanced over to Jordan's form, and she sighed slightly. "Of course, I guess the heat in here doesn't effect some of us - they just sleep anyway," she mumbled, noting again the girls emaciated form. If Jordan pulled through this coma, she will be set back quite a bit in her recovery.
Frankie continued cleaning the nearly spotless room, trying to bide her time with mindless tasks. She always tried to spend as much time as possible down here, hoping uselessly that the girl would come out of her coma. Thanksgiving was coming up, and she knew that Jordan's fifteenth birthday had just passed; and the girl hadn't even been conscious to experience it. Dr. Romano of course had come down, as had Dr. Carter and Dr. Ross, but her family had stayed far away from the hospital.
Frankie glanced again at the crackers that Dr. Romano had placed by Jordan's bed stand. They appeared to be an odd present, but next to the wrapped can of wax they seemed rather normal. Frankie still couldn't decipher his sense of humor, but it sure as hell frightened her sometimes.
The nurse's train of thought was suddenly interrupted as a barely perceivable movement coming from the direction of Jordan's bed. Freezing in her movements, Frankie fixed her eyes on the girls form. There - there it was again! Jordan had moved a finger. The small feat was followed by a fluttering of her eyelids - the girl was surely on the path to awakening. Running to the hospital phone, Frankie quickly dialed the number to Dr. Romano's office.
"Hello?" his voice greeted her sharply, not at all welcoming or warm.
"Dr. Romano, this is Frankie," she began, her voice stammering with each word. She heard his breath catch slightly at the other end of the phone, before he cleared his throat.
"Ah, Frankie. What's wrong?" he asked cautiously, a hint of fear combined with a hint of hope barely concealed in his voice.
"It's Jordan - "
"Well that's obvious."
"-I think she's waking up," Frankie finished hurriedly. There was a pause and a clatter, and Frankie could vaguely hear Dr. Romano's footsteps over the phone. "Dr. Romano? Dr. Romano?!" she called into the phone, and she heard the footsteps return.
"I'll be right there Frankie," he said breathlessly, quickly hanging up the phone properly. Frankie turned and stared nervously at Jordan, biting her fingernails as she waited. Within minutes a panting Romano stood in the doorway, staring at Jordan. The girls eyelids were fluttering again, and she turned her head slightly as if she was trying to pull herself out of a dream. Robert's eyes flickered to Frankie's face, which had turned frighteningly pale. "Jordan," he said as he forced his gaze away from Frankie's face. The girl moaned slightly and screwed her eyes shut.
"Bright," the whispered word came out groggy and thick, but it sounded beautiful to Robert's ears. Tears sprang into Frankie's eyes, and she automatically ran to the window to shut the blinds.
"Jordan," Robert repeated as he ran over to her bedside. Grabbing her shoulder, he shook her gently. "Jordan, look at me," he said calmly, although his eyes were dancing with excitement. Her eyes opened slowly, the lashes partially stuck together from her months of rest. "Jordan, can you hear me?" he asked, and she nodded her head gently. "Do you know who I am?" he asked, and her eyes opened more.
"Baldy," she replied after a long pause, her tone audibly confused. "R- Robert," she said, clearer this time. Robert's face flooded with relief, and he clenched her hand tightly.
"Thank god," he whispered to himself. Jordan blinked, and her eyes scanned the room without her head moving.
"What - happened?" she asked, focusing her eyes on his face. Robert gazed down at her, feeling his heartbeat slowing down to it's normal pace.
"You were in a coma," he started, watching Jordan's expression carefully. "You had developed an infection - which forgot to inform me about," he heard the sting in his words, and softened his tone slightly. "You've been unconscious for three months."
Jordan raised her eyebrows slightly, trying to take in all the information at once. "Thr-three months?" she stammered, blinking. "How am I -?" her voice faded off, a pained look in her eyes.
"Still alive?" Robert finished for her, and she nodded weakly. "The miracles of medicine," he replied with a smirk. "And," he continued, leaning down towards her ear, "I dare to say prayer might've affected this outcome."
"You pray?" Jordan croaked out, and Robert heard Frankie laugh tearfully behind him. "I thought you didn't believe in god."
"Well - I am god," Robert replied with a wry grin. Jordan's eyelids fluttered, and she turned her eyes towards the ceiling. "Tired?" Robert asked, and she nodded slightly. "Well, after three months I guess it won't matter if you sleep in a bit more," Robert said, although some of the cheer was gone from his voice. Jordan smiled lightly and started to close her eyes when Robert gently put his hand on her forehead. "Oh, and Shorty," he started.
"Mmmhmm?" she asked, looking at him again. He paused, staring at her, before clearing his throat.
"Don't pull a stunt like that again. I need someone here and conscious to laugh at my jokes, understood? I got tired of these bozos around here who don't understand the art of sarcasm," he continued quietly. Jordan nodded, closing her eyes.
"Will do captain," she murmured. Robert stood up as her breathing deepened, turning to Frankie.
"Oh dry your eyes woman," he muttered, tossing her a box of tissues. Frankie caught it and tabbed her eyes with the paper, blowing her nose. "Now listen," Robert said, striding up to her. Frankie began to recoil as if in fear, and Robert stopped. Sighing, he tried to force himself to relax. "She's not out of the woods yet," he continued in a slightly softer and calmer voice. "She can fall back into that coma at any time. We've got to keep on top of her, especially her eating habits; I don't think that coma is going to change her that much."
"Why do you always have to be so pessimistic?" Frankie asked, holding the tissue tightly.
"Because I'm me," Robert responded shortly. "Anyway who said I was being pessimistic?"
"Well, I'd like to think that an experience like that might get her eating and talking again. Why don't you think she'll change?"
"Cause, Frankie - nothing seems to change that girl. It'd probably take the end of the world to get her to utter a word in public, if it took that much effort to get her to eat. No, I don't think she's going to be much different - once she starts feeling better again it'll be business as usual," he explained. Before she could respond, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------
A/N - Whoohoo, I have returned! Sort of! Yeah, I admit it - I've been horribly MIA for the past few months or so. Of course this has an explanation, several in fact, but the ones I'll explain are 1.) my arm problems are acting up again -horribly-, 2.) I got a new job (whoohoo money!) and 3.) I got a new horse (byebye money). So, my time has been limited. Plus I have not had enough Romano inspiration recently **kicks TPTB** argh.
So yes, I promise to be more vigilant about this fanfic. I think I have a way to shorten it dramatically while not taking away from the story, but it still has quite a few more chapters to go. So, I'm going to go tonight and save my arms for another chapter. I'm sorry again to all my readers for disappearing so long and leaving you guys hanging, I feel really bad. =(