LOST - PART I
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
Chapter 2
David quietly opened the door to Adam's private hospital room and slipped in. Glory was worried and had sought him out to tell him Thea hadn't left the room all night and for most of the day. He closed the door quietly when he saw she was asleep, curled up in the chair next to the bed.
Moving quietly toward her, his eyes ran over the long form of the man in the bed. He shook his head, marveling that Adam was still alive. Little could be seen of his face, it was covered with bandages, while his left arm and both legs were in full casts. Only the lower right arm had been fractured so he sported only a half-cast there.
Thea stirred, seeming to sense his presence so he stood there quietly, waiting for her to fully wake up. While he waited he considered this puzzle. The way she had focused on Adam made him think there was more than a doctor - patient relationship here. In a few moments, she opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"David," she said quietly, "I'm so glad you're here. Would you mind taking a look and giving me your opinion?" He smiled and nodded, while at the same time feeling a little disgruntled that she seemed to be able to consider nothing else but this man. Any doctor becoming that involved with a patient was always a dangerous situation.
He quickly completed his examination then sighed as he straightened up, reluctant to meet her eyes. But he forced himself to.
"Well?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry..." he said quietly.
"Sorry? About what?"
"Thea, you know as well I do that his brain is beginning to swell. And you know what the consequences of that are."
"Yes I do," she answered and surprised him by smiling. "You are correct about the brain swelling, but it's actually going down now. He has shown improvement."
David shook his head. "Even so, the chances are that he won't ever be normal. If he does wake up, he'll have suffered severe brain damage."
Thea was staring at Adam's face, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. "That is possible, certainly, but my instincts tell me he's going to pull through."
He had just opened his mouth to argue with her further when the door opened and Doctor Simon, the hospital administrator strode in. Ignoring Thea, he came up to David and held out his right hand.
"Just popped in to take a look at your patient Doctor Charles," he said with a huge, overly bright smile. "For a new staff member you certainly have made your mark already." He turned to her then. "I'm glad you are here Theadora. You could learn a great deal from this young man. We all could," he patted David on the shoulder. "Excellent work Doctor, we are very pleased and proud you have chosen to join our staff." The big man chuckled, and turned to leave as David opened his mouth to protest. But he stopped when he saw Thea shaking her head.
Doctor Simon opened the door then paused to look back at them. "Excellent work!" he repeated and stepped out, closing the door firmly behind him.
"Why did you stop me?" he demanded, upset at this turn of events.
Thea shook her head again and gave him a commiserating glance. "It wouldn't have done any good, David. That man only ever hears what he wants to hear. Knowing him, he would have thought you were just being gallant. He never would have believed any woman was capable of this."
"But it's the truth and that's not fair."
She gave him a knowing look. "Life is like that sometimes, isn't it?" Tipping her head to the side, she gave him a grin and he couldn't help but respond with a smile.
"Besides, that doesn't really matter. I've already made up my mind to resign."
"No!"
"Yes," she answered quietly, but firmly. "I'm leaving and I'm taking Adam with me." She reached down to touch his forehead, looking for any signs of fever. "He's going to need a great deal of care to recover from something this terrible and he certainly won't be getting that here."
"You're taking him home with you?" he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
She nodded. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Glory has decided to come and work for me."
They heard a knock on the door and Thea turned her head to call out, "Come in."
The door was opened by a heavily muscled black man. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked her with a charming grin.
"No, Abner, come on in and we'll get out of your way," Thea chuckled as the orderly came in and moved toward the bed.
"Any idea when you'll be moving him?" he asked.
"I would think in about a week," she answered. "Will that work out for you?"
"Yes ma'am," he said and gave her a pleased smile as she moved through the door. David followed closely, and when she started down the hall he touched her arm. She stopped and turned to look at him questioningly.
"May I speak to you in private?" he asked low, glancing around at the many people passing. She stared at him impassively for a moment before saying, "My office?"
He gave her a brief nod and the two hurried down to the basement level where Thea's office was. When she paused to unlock the door his eyebrows rose, and she gave him a rueful smile.
"I had to start locking my office during the day when 'specimens' started showing up in the oddest places."
David rolled his eyes in disgust as they entered and she moved behind her desk to sit down. He quickly seated himself in one of her visitor's chairs.
Thea raised her eyebrows and looked at him impassively again, waiting for him to speak first. He took a deep breath and just plunged in.
"No doubt this is none of my business, but have you lost your mind?"
Her lips twitched slightly, but her eyes remained remote. She didn't answer so he charged ahead, realizing he couldn't back down now.
"What on Earth has possessed you to leave your position here, take a complete stranger into your home, and spend the next year attempting to nurse that man back to health?"
Thea's brows snapped together and her lips tightened, but she still did not respond. His eyes narrowed as he stared at what he read as a furious expression. Then an outlandish thought occurred to him.
"Are you doing this because you've developed...feelings for him?"
Her lips twitched again and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. Then all he could do was stare in disbelief when she burst out laughing.
"Dear Lord David," she finally managed to gasp, "Do you really think I'm that much of a fool? That I'm seeing this as some sort of fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty in reverse?" She raised a trembling hand to wipe away tears of laughter.
"I guess not," he said wryly.
"Of COURSE not," she answered. "But think about it, David. What a challenge and a once in a lifetime opportunity for any doctor."
His expression said he was still dubious so she shook her head in exasperation.
"Listen to me. This man is alone, devastated, and destitute. If I don't do this, he will no doubt end his days in some state run asylum and as a cripple. How can I let that happen when I know I can prevent it?" She smiled when she saw he was becoming interested in spite of himself.
"He is going to require extensive physical, emotional, and mental care. And I can't think of anything more worthy of spending my time and skill on." Thea stood to come around and perch on the edge of the desk right in front of him.
David," she said urgently, "I can learn more while just taking care of him than I've learned since I joined the staff here three years ago." She paused to let that sink in. "I have so many ideas about treatments and procedures I've seen in other countries that I want to try."
"He's a human being, Thea, not some lab experiment for you to tinker with."
"Oh I know, and that is why I will be doing everything I possibly can to make him whole and healthy again."
He shifted in his chair, still feeling he should try to discourage her. "Alright, let's suppose for the sake of argument he does survive the brain swelling and doesn't wake up a human vegetable. What will you do if he doesn't want to cooperate?"
Grinning she said, "He will...once I've gained his trust."
"This still sounds insane."
"I know and that's the beauty of it. To think and act outside convention, but at the same time, take every care to see that he is not harmed." Leaning forward, her hazel gaze locked with his. "I can do this David," she said, then fell silent as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. He was the first to look away.
"I guess you've thought this out carefully and I have to assume you know what you are doing."
"Yes, I do know what I'm doing. And just think, if he remains a blank slate with no memory, he has the chance to make himself into whoever he wants to be. What an incredible, terrible gift to be given!"
He started laughing at her wide-eyed enthusiasm, recognizing she was telling the truth.
"Right now I'm starting to think he's the luckiest man in existence in both senses of the word - good and bad."
Slowly nodding her head, Thea smiled her widest smile. "I don't know how I know this, but you mark my words. My patient is a very special individual. His will to live is astounding and he will not only survive, but also go on to do much, much more if I have anything to say about it."
David sighed, "Oh I'm sure you will have PLENTY to say about it Thea. And God help that poor man."
"Yes," she said, perfectly serious. "God help him."
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
Chapter 2
David quietly opened the door to Adam's private hospital room and slipped in. Glory was worried and had sought him out to tell him Thea hadn't left the room all night and for most of the day. He closed the door quietly when he saw she was asleep, curled up in the chair next to the bed.
Moving quietly toward her, his eyes ran over the long form of the man in the bed. He shook his head, marveling that Adam was still alive. Little could be seen of his face, it was covered with bandages, while his left arm and both legs were in full casts. Only the lower right arm had been fractured so he sported only a half-cast there.
Thea stirred, seeming to sense his presence so he stood there quietly, waiting for her to fully wake up. While he waited he considered this puzzle. The way she had focused on Adam made him think there was more than a doctor - patient relationship here. In a few moments, she opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"David," she said quietly, "I'm so glad you're here. Would you mind taking a look and giving me your opinion?" He smiled and nodded, while at the same time feeling a little disgruntled that she seemed to be able to consider nothing else but this man. Any doctor becoming that involved with a patient was always a dangerous situation.
He quickly completed his examination then sighed as he straightened up, reluctant to meet her eyes. But he forced himself to.
"Well?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry..." he said quietly.
"Sorry? About what?"
"Thea, you know as well I do that his brain is beginning to swell. And you know what the consequences of that are."
"Yes I do," she answered and surprised him by smiling. "You are correct about the brain swelling, but it's actually going down now. He has shown improvement."
David shook his head. "Even so, the chances are that he won't ever be normal. If he does wake up, he'll have suffered severe brain damage."
Thea was staring at Adam's face, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. "That is possible, certainly, but my instincts tell me he's going to pull through."
He had just opened his mouth to argue with her further when the door opened and Doctor Simon, the hospital administrator strode in. Ignoring Thea, he came up to David and held out his right hand.
"Just popped in to take a look at your patient Doctor Charles," he said with a huge, overly bright smile. "For a new staff member you certainly have made your mark already." He turned to her then. "I'm glad you are here Theadora. You could learn a great deal from this young man. We all could," he patted David on the shoulder. "Excellent work Doctor, we are very pleased and proud you have chosen to join our staff." The big man chuckled, and turned to leave as David opened his mouth to protest. But he stopped when he saw Thea shaking her head.
Doctor Simon opened the door then paused to look back at them. "Excellent work!" he repeated and stepped out, closing the door firmly behind him.
"Why did you stop me?" he demanded, upset at this turn of events.
Thea shook her head again and gave him a commiserating glance. "It wouldn't have done any good, David. That man only ever hears what he wants to hear. Knowing him, he would have thought you were just being gallant. He never would have believed any woman was capable of this."
"But it's the truth and that's not fair."
She gave him a knowing look. "Life is like that sometimes, isn't it?" Tipping her head to the side, she gave him a grin and he couldn't help but respond with a smile.
"Besides, that doesn't really matter. I've already made up my mind to resign."
"No!"
"Yes," she answered quietly, but firmly. "I'm leaving and I'm taking Adam with me." She reached down to touch his forehead, looking for any signs of fever. "He's going to need a great deal of care to recover from something this terrible and he certainly won't be getting that here."
"You're taking him home with you?" he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
She nodded. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Glory has decided to come and work for me."
They heard a knock on the door and Thea turned her head to call out, "Come in."
The door was opened by a heavily muscled black man. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked her with a charming grin.
"No, Abner, come on in and we'll get out of your way," Thea chuckled as the orderly came in and moved toward the bed.
"Any idea when you'll be moving him?" he asked.
"I would think in about a week," she answered. "Will that work out for you?"
"Yes ma'am," he said and gave her a pleased smile as she moved through the door. David followed closely, and when she started down the hall he touched her arm. She stopped and turned to look at him questioningly.
"May I speak to you in private?" he asked low, glancing around at the many people passing. She stared at him impassively for a moment before saying, "My office?"
He gave her a brief nod and the two hurried down to the basement level where Thea's office was. When she paused to unlock the door his eyebrows rose, and she gave him a rueful smile.
"I had to start locking my office during the day when 'specimens' started showing up in the oddest places."
David rolled his eyes in disgust as they entered and she moved behind her desk to sit down. He quickly seated himself in one of her visitor's chairs.
Thea raised her eyebrows and looked at him impassively again, waiting for him to speak first. He took a deep breath and just plunged in.
"No doubt this is none of my business, but have you lost your mind?"
Her lips twitched slightly, but her eyes remained remote. She didn't answer so he charged ahead, realizing he couldn't back down now.
"What on Earth has possessed you to leave your position here, take a complete stranger into your home, and spend the next year attempting to nurse that man back to health?"
Thea's brows snapped together and her lips tightened, but she still did not respond. His eyes narrowed as he stared at what he read as a furious expression. Then an outlandish thought occurred to him.
"Are you doing this because you've developed...feelings for him?"
Her lips twitched again and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. Then all he could do was stare in disbelief when she burst out laughing.
"Dear Lord David," she finally managed to gasp, "Do you really think I'm that much of a fool? That I'm seeing this as some sort of fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty in reverse?" She raised a trembling hand to wipe away tears of laughter.
"I guess not," he said wryly.
"Of COURSE not," she answered. "But think about it, David. What a challenge and a once in a lifetime opportunity for any doctor."
His expression said he was still dubious so she shook her head in exasperation.
"Listen to me. This man is alone, devastated, and destitute. If I don't do this, he will no doubt end his days in some state run asylum and as a cripple. How can I let that happen when I know I can prevent it?" She smiled when she saw he was becoming interested in spite of himself.
"He is going to require extensive physical, emotional, and mental care. And I can't think of anything more worthy of spending my time and skill on." Thea stood to come around and perch on the edge of the desk right in front of him.
David," she said urgently, "I can learn more while just taking care of him than I've learned since I joined the staff here three years ago." She paused to let that sink in. "I have so many ideas about treatments and procedures I've seen in other countries that I want to try."
"He's a human being, Thea, not some lab experiment for you to tinker with."
"Oh I know, and that is why I will be doing everything I possibly can to make him whole and healthy again."
He shifted in his chair, still feeling he should try to discourage her. "Alright, let's suppose for the sake of argument he does survive the brain swelling and doesn't wake up a human vegetable. What will you do if he doesn't want to cooperate?"
Grinning she said, "He will...once I've gained his trust."
"This still sounds insane."
"I know and that's the beauty of it. To think and act outside convention, but at the same time, take every care to see that he is not harmed." Leaning forward, her hazel gaze locked with his. "I can do this David," she said, then fell silent as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. He was the first to look away.
"I guess you've thought this out carefully and I have to assume you know what you are doing."
"Yes, I do know what I'm doing. And just think, if he remains a blank slate with no memory, he has the chance to make himself into whoever he wants to be. What an incredible, terrible gift to be given!"
He started laughing at her wide-eyed enthusiasm, recognizing she was telling the truth.
"Right now I'm starting to think he's the luckiest man in existence in both senses of the word - good and bad."
Slowly nodding her head, Thea smiled her widest smile. "I don't know how I know this, but you mark my words. My patient is a very special individual. His will to live is astounding and he will not only survive, but also go on to do much, much more if I have anything to say about it."
David sighed, "Oh I'm sure you will have PLENTY to say about it Thea. And God help that poor man."
"Yes," she said, perfectly serious. "God help him."