She was good tired.
Curled under blankets, still dressed, Kerry let her weight drop into the mattress, easing the pain in her legs. Sighing deep in her chest, she uncurled her toes, flexed the tight spots in her writing hand.
If only life was as simple as a good bed.
She let her thoughts drift freely then, as her body sank into her exaughtsion; if it was one thing she'd learned from her years in the ER, it was how to make the last bits of energy last. She was reminded of the River Phoenix film "Running on Empty," for that's exactly what it was... Chugging away on those precious few fumes until, finally, it came to an end.
Lynn had offered a ride, which she'd gratefully taken, though not entirely understood; she wanted to understand it as a thank you, but something wouldn't let her. The feeling didn't stay long as Cairo, the child, held court in the back seat, chattering nonstop the entire way.
"Cairo, take a pill," Lynn had said, laughing over his one-sided conversation, "sit down and give the doc a rest!"
Cairo, take a pill. Kerry remembered this, repeated it. Take a pill, take a pill. It had a nice ring to it; take a pill, take a pill. She smiled under her covers. Kerry, take a pill.
*****
They were up to something.
Secret smiles, suspicious glances, odd hand signals. Funny-shaped packages spirited away in lockers and behind boxes of gloves.
Susan was trying to catch them.
It was Jerry who gave it away; Malik could keep a secret better than any of them, but Jerry was a dead giveaway.
"What's going on, boys?" Susan asked mock-wearily, setting down a stack of charts.
"The ceiling," Malik supplied, glowering at Jerry, who put on his special Queen-of-England-"I'm-Innocent" smile.
"Nothing," Jerry said, casting his eyes away, "not a thing."
Susan wasn't buying it.
"Oh, you guys," she admonished, waving a tongue depressor at their foolish faces, "better not come crying to me when whatever it is blows up in your faces..."
The boys exchanged glances and winked at one another, giving the high sign.
"Nobody will see it coming," Malik whispered, grinning.
*****
Gallant was asleep. Very asleep.
"Where the hell is that kid?" Chen demanded, standing in the middle of the admit area, charts in hand, "I have some really good stuff for him and he's gone AWOL."
"I wouldn't say that word too loudly," said Abby, not looking up from her paperwork, "you can never be too careful."
"What word?"
"The AWOL word."
"What?"
Abby put down her pen.
"Remember when I... Remember that thing with my brother? You never know when those Army narcs are hanging around. So ix-nay, if you don't mind. I don't want to spook the poor guy."
Chen sighed impatiently.
"Where is he, dammit?" she demanded, spinning on her heel to check behind her, as though the med student might be sneaking up on her.
"I think he's in sutures," Takata replied calmly from his corner. Chen spun towards him, hair flying in an arc around her head.
"What the hell is he doing in there?"
"Sleeping," Takata replied.
"Sleeping?"
"Someone pulled a Malucci," Takata replied, "he got himself stuck."
"With what?"
Takata shrugged.
"Frequent flier," he replied, "wanted 'something for the pain' but ended up getting a different kind of 'ol. As in 'Hal,' not 'demer.'
Chen chuckled, shaking her head.
"Do you think he's... Recovered?"
Takata looked at the clock.
"Could have," he replied, "Abby, why don't you go get him?"
Abby picked her head up.
"Me? Why me?"
Takata's face showed nothing.
"I don't know... You're closer?"
Abby shrugged, pushing off to rouse the sleeping Gallant.
"Hey!" she shouted, ducking her head into sutures, "rise and shine!"
Nothing.
"Gallant?"
Still nothing.
"Gallant? Gallant, you better not be dead in here."
She was answered by a soft snort and a mumble.
"Galannnt..."
"MMmmm."
"Wake up, golden boy," she said, poking him.
He opened one brown eye. The eye tracked slowly around the room, then shut.
"Mmgrrr."
"Gallant, time to get up!"
Abby shook his arm, watching his body rock back and forth with the motion.
"Oh, for christs sake."
With her forefinger and thumb, Abby gently parted his eyelid, shining her penlight down into it. Sure enough, the student jerked forward.
"Huh?"
He threw his hands out in front of his face, blocking his eyes.
"Owww!" he screamed.
Abby smirked at the delayed reaction. Gallant blinked a few times, gripping the side of the cot to steady his rolling head. He looked at Abby, stare glassine.
"That's great, Gallant. You're high as a kite."
He was watching her, mouth open.
"I'm... I'm in heaven," he mumbled, then fell back against the cot.
Abby rolled her eyes.
"Ohhhh boy," she said, rolling Gallant onto his side, "ohhh boy."
Curled under blankets, still dressed, Kerry let her weight drop into the mattress, easing the pain in her legs. Sighing deep in her chest, she uncurled her toes, flexed the tight spots in her writing hand.
If only life was as simple as a good bed.
She let her thoughts drift freely then, as her body sank into her exaughtsion; if it was one thing she'd learned from her years in the ER, it was how to make the last bits of energy last. She was reminded of the River Phoenix film "Running on Empty," for that's exactly what it was... Chugging away on those precious few fumes until, finally, it came to an end.
Lynn had offered a ride, which she'd gratefully taken, though not entirely understood; she wanted to understand it as a thank you, but something wouldn't let her. The feeling didn't stay long as Cairo, the child, held court in the back seat, chattering nonstop the entire way.
"Cairo, take a pill," Lynn had said, laughing over his one-sided conversation, "sit down and give the doc a rest!"
Cairo, take a pill. Kerry remembered this, repeated it. Take a pill, take a pill. It had a nice ring to it; take a pill, take a pill. She smiled under her covers. Kerry, take a pill.
*****
They were up to something.
Secret smiles, suspicious glances, odd hand signals. Funny-shaped packages spirited away in lockers and behind boxes of gloves.
Susan was trying to catch them.
It was Jerry who gave it away; Malik could keep a secret better than any of them, but Jerry was a dead giveaway.
"What's going on, boys?" Susan asked mock-wearily, setting down a stack of charts.
"The ceiling," Malik supplied, glowering at Jerry, who put on his special Queen-of-England-"I'm-Innocent" smile.
"Nothing," Jerry said, casting his eyes away, "not a thing."
Susan wasn't buying it.
"Oh, you guys," she admonished, waving a tongue depressor at their foolish faces, "better not come crying to me when whatever it is blows up in your faces..."
The boys exchanged glances and winked at one another, giving the high sign.
"Nobody will see it coming," Malik whispered, grinning.
*****
Gallant was asleep. Very asleep.
"Where the hell is that kid?" Chen demanded, standing in the middle of the admit area, charts in hand, "I have some really good stuff for him and he's gone AWOL."
"I wouldn't say that word too loudly," said Abby, not looking up from her paperwork, "you can never be too careful."
"What word?"
"The AWOL word."
"What?"
Abby put down her pen.
"Remember when I... Remember that thing with my brother? You never know when those Army narcs are hanging around. So ix-nay, if you don't mind. I don't want to spook the poor guy."
Chen sighed impatiently.
"Where is he, dammit?" she demanded, spinning on her heel to check behind her, as though the med student might be sneaking up on her.
"I think he's in sutures," Takata replied calmly from his corner. Chen spun towards him, hair flying in an arc around her head.
"What the hell is he doing in there?"
"Sleeping," Takata replied.
"Sleeping?"
"Someone pulled a Malucci," Takata replied, "he got himself stuck."
"With what?"
Takata shrugged.
"Frequent flier," he replied, "wanted 'something for the pain' but ended up getting a different kind of 'ol. As in 'Hal,' not 'demer.'
Chen chuckled, shaking her head.
"Do you think he's... Recovered?"
Takata looked at the clock.
"Could have," he replied, "Abby, why don't you go get him?"
Abby picked her head up.
"Me? Why me?"
Takata's face showed nothing.
"I don't know... You're closer?"
Abby shrugged, pushing off to rouse the sleeping Gallant.
"Hey!" she shouted, ducking her head into sutures, "rise and shine!"
Nothing.
"Gallant?"
Still nothing.
"Gallant? Gallant, you better not be dead in here."
She was answered by a soft snort and a mumble.
"Galannnt..."
"MMmmm."
"Wake up, golden boy," she said, poking him.
He opened one brown eye. The eye tracked slowly around the room, then shut.
"Mmgrrr."
"Gallant, time to get up!"
Abby shook his arm, watching his body rock back and forth with the motion.
"Oh, for christs sake."
With her forefinger and thumb, Abby gently parted his eyelid, shining her penlight down into it. Sure enough, the student jerked forward.
"Huh?"
He threw his hands out in front of his face, blocking his eyes.
"Owww!" he screamed.
Abby smirked at the delayed reaction. Gallant blinked a few times, gripping the side of the cot to steady his rolling head. He looked at Abby, stare glassine.
"That's great, Gallant. You're high as a kite."
He was watching her, mouth open.
"I'm... I'm in heaven," he mumbled, then fell back against the cot.
Abby rolled her eyes.
"Ohhhh boy," she said, rolling Gallant onto his side, "ohhh boy."