9:53 pm. Susan flicked through the charts piled atop the desk. What would take 7 minutes?
Meanwhile…
Mark flicked off the tv. Nothing on. Didn't seem to matter how many channels there were. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He should really clean that out sometime. Susan would be horrified if she saw her fridge like that. This living in her old apartment wasn't helping him to miss her any less. He pulled out a pizza box and put the last two slices of pizza in the microwave. Then the phone rang. He sprinted into the lounge, cleared his couch in a flying leap and picked it up after two rings.
"Hello?" He said hopefully
"Ah, yeah Mark." Not Susan. "I was wondering if you could trade shifts…" Kerry.
"Yup, sure. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"
"Well, don't you want to know when?"
"Na, I'll do it. I have to go." He hung up desperately hoping Susan hadn't tried to call in the last 30 seconds. He returned to the kitchen, flicking on the radio as he walked past. 'Great' he thought 'Just what I need' – The oldies station he liked was playing 'Someone like You'(Van Morrison).
He knew he should turn it off but part of him relished loving her this desperately. If she didn't call he'd be devastated. He returned to the couch with his pizza.
And back in Arizona…
Susan stole a look at the clock as she resumed compressions. 11:07 pm. She should have just left early. But, no, she had to take one more patient. And then a trauma. But she had a feeling this trauma was almost over. Thirty minutes of compressions and she was completely drained. The other doctor pronounced the patient at 11:15 and Susan fled.
When she got home she checked on Suzie, then Chloe. Both asleep in bed – 'thank God' she whispered into the darkness and made straight for the phone. It was ringing. Still ringing.
"Hi, this is Mark's phone. He funs a fanatic lifestyle, or it runs him, and for whatever reason he cannot pick up. So leave a message and when he stops to breath he'll ring you back."
Susan laughed but she was gutted. It beeped.
"Hey Mark. It's Friday morning."
Mark was dreaming. He knew it. She was telling him it was morning. He should get up but he didn't want the dream to end.
"I want to talk to you. I'm so sorry I couldn't get to a phone – trauma came in at the end of my shift."
He half opened his eyes. Weird dream – he could still hear her.
"You're probably asleep – taking my advice."
He turned around and saw the phone – of course!
"Maybe this will wake you up. Well, if you miss it, I'm at 602…" He picked up.
"Susan?" he almost dropped the phone he went at it with such haste.
"Mark." She grinned. "Oh my gosh, I thought I'd missed you."
"I thought you'd forgotten."
"Ha. Not likely." She laughed.
He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. That laugh…
"You there?"
"Yeah. I'm here. It's so good to hear you laugh."
"Did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, but I was just on the couch so you saved me from tomorrow's back ache."
"Anytime." She laughed. "Gosh it's good to hear your voice."
"Yeah, same back atcha." But this was actually more painful than just letters. "How was work?"
"Fairly quiet, just steady, until the last five minutes of my shift. I was meant to be off at ten. I almost called you on my break but then I thought I'd wait till I got home and had more time. Didn't really happen as I planned."
"It's okay. I'm just glad I woke up when I did. I thought I was dreaming – it was really weird."
"You should probably get some sleep – you must be exhausted if you fell asleep on the couch."
"What's really surprising is that I left pizza uneaten."
"Flip, there must be something wrong."
"No, it wasn't that appealing – finishing pizza was my first attempt at cleaning the fridge. You'd be appalled."
She laughed. "And you were trying to convince me you were eating better?"
"You know better eh?"
"Absolutely."
"Come home."
"I can't. You have no idea how much I want to."
"I have a fair idea."
"Okay." She whispered. It ached to miss him this much.
"How's Suzie?"
"She's doing okay. No different really."
"What about Chloe?"
"It's been a good few days – I don't want to get my hopes up though."
"I wish I could do something."
"I wish I could do something. Maybe I'm wasting my time."
"I don't believe it Susan. They need you. And as much as I want you here, SO much, I know you – if you can do something, ANYTHING, you'll do it. And that's the Susan I love. Meanwhile, I'm not going anywhere. Every bone in my body is screaming for you but I'll wait for you."
"Thank you." She whispered, not wanting him to know she was crying. "I love you."
He could tell she was crying. "Are you in bed?"
"No, it was next on my list."
"Well, go on. I'll sing you to sleep."
She laughed.
"Hey, I'm a great singer. Well I am when I'm not drunk. Or maybe it's the other way around. I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
"Okay. I'll be right back." She put the phone on her bedside table and changed into her pyjamas in record time.
"Hey." She said as she got into bed.
"Hi." He was grateful she couldn't see his ridiculous grin.
"So what are you going to sing?"
"Um, Dream dream dream dream, when I want you in my arms, when I want you and all your charms. Whenever I want you all I have to do is dream dream dream."
They both cracked up laughing.
"Okay, I'll try again." He got off the couch and wandered into his bedroom. "Don't be so hard on yourself, those tears are for someone else. I hear your voice on the phone. I hear you feel so alone, my baby… my baby, please my baby, my baby."
She was silent.
"Are you asleep?"
"No. Keep going? I don't know that song. Are you making it up?"
"Don't cry… you're not alone. Don't cry… tonight my baby. Don't cry… you'll always be loved. Don't cry… tonight my baby. Na, I'm not making it up – I'm flattered. It's Seal."
"Oh." She whispered. Knowing he was on the other end of the phone was comforting. She didn't need to say anything.
"Are you okay?" He asked her silence.
"Yeah. What time are you on tomorrow?"
"Seven."
"Mark! You'll be shattered."
"No, I'm at the point where I'm better off staying awake then going to sleep and having to get up again."
"Nice theory."
"But I don't think I'll be able to stay awake. I just don't want to hang up."
"Yeah."
"I could just sing us both to sleep."
"Goodnight Mark."
"Okay. Goodnight."
She hung up and let herself cry. While no one else was awake, so no one would be concerned. While it was dark and she could almost pretend he was there, holding her as she drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile…
Mark flicked off the tv. Nothing on. Didn't seem to matter how many channels there were. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He should really clean that out sometime. Susan would be horrified if she saw her fridge like that. This living in her old apartment wasn't helping him to miss her any less. He pulled out a pizza box and put the last two slices of pizza in the microwave. Then the phone rang. He sprinted into the lounge, cleared his couch in a flying leap and picked it up after two rings.
"Hello?" He said hopefully
"Ah, yeah Mark." Not Susan. "I was wondering if you could trade shifts…" Kerry.
"Yup, sure. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"
"Well, don't you want to know when?"
"Na, I'll do it. I have to go." He hung up desperately hoping Susan hadn't tried to call in the last 30 seconds. He returned to the kitchen, flicking on the radio as he walked past. 'Great' he thought 'Just what I need' – The oldies station he liked was playing 'Someone like You'(Van Morrison).
He knew he should turn it off but part of him relished loving her this desperately. If she didn't call he'd be devastated. He returned to the couch with his pizza.
And back in Arizona…
Susan stole a look at the clock as she resumed compressions. 11:07 pm. She should have just left early. But, no, she had to take one more patient. And then a trauma. But she had a feeling this trauma was almost over. Thirty minutes of compressions and she was completely drained. The other doctor pronounced the patient at 11:15 and Susan fled.
When she got home she checked on Suzie, then Chloe. Both asleep in bed – 'thank God' she whispered into the darkness and made straight for the phone. It was ringing. Still ringing.
"Hi, this is Mark's phone. He funs a fanatic lifestyle, or it runs him, and for whatever reason he cannot pick up. So leave a message and when he stops to breath he'll ring you back."
Susan laughed but she was gutted. It beeped.
"Hey Mark. It's Friday morning."
Mark was dreaming. He knew it. She was telling him it was morning. He should get up but he didn't want the dream to end.
"I want to talk to you. I'm so sorry I couldn't get to a phone – trauma came in at the end of my shift."
He half opened his eyes. Weird dream – he could still hear her.
"You're probably asleep – taking my advice."
He turned around and saw the phone – of course!
"Maybe this will wake you up. Well, if you miss it, I'm at 602…" He picked up.
"Susan?" he almost dropped the phone he went at it with such haste.
"Mark." She grinned. "Oh my gosh, I thought I'd missed you."
"I thought you'd forgotten."
"Ha. Not likely." She laughed.
He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. That laugh…
"You there?"
"Yeah. I'm here. It's so good to hear you laugh."
"Did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, but I was just on the couch so you saved me from tomorrow's back ache."
"Anytime." She laughed. "Gosh it's good to hear your voice."
"Yeah, same back atcha." But this was actually more painful than just letters. "How was work?"
"Fairly quiet, just steady, until the last five minutes of my shift. I was meant to be off at ten. I almost called you on my break but then I thought I'd wait till I got home and had more time. Didn't really happen as I planned."
"It's okay. I'm just glad I woke up when I did. I thought I was dreaming – it was really weird."
"You should probably get some sleep – you must be exhausted if you fell asleep on the couch."
"What's really surprising is that I left pizza uneaten."
"Flip, there must be something wrong."
"No, it wasn't that appealing – finishing pizza was my first attempt at cleaning the fridge. You'd be appalled."
She laughed. "And you were trying to convince me you were eating better?"
"You know better eh?"
"Absolutely."
"Come home."
"I can't. You have no idea how much I want to."
"I have a fair idea."
"Okay." She whispered. It ached to miss him this much.
"How's Suzie?"
"She's doing okay. No different really."
"What about Chloe?"
"It's been a good few days – I don't want to get my hopes up though."
"I wish I could do something."
"I wish I could do something. Maybe I'm wasting my time."
"I don't believe it Susan. They need you. And as much as I want you here, SO much, I know you – if you can do something, ANYTHING, you'll do it. And that's the Susan I love. Meanwhile, I'm not going anywhere. Every bone in my body is screaming for you but I'll wait for you."
"Thank you." She whispered, not wanting him to know she was crying. "I love you."
He could tell she was crying. "Are you in bed?"
"No, it was next on my list."
"Well, go on. I'll sing you to sleep."
She laughed.
"Hey, I'm a great singer. Well I am when I'm not drunk. Or maybe it's the other way around. I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
"Okay. I'll be right back." She put the phone on her bedside table and changed into her pyjamas in record time.
"Hey." She said as she got into bed.
"Hi." He was grateful she couldn't see his ridiculous grin.
"So what are you going to sing?"
"Um, Dream dream dream dream, when I want you in my arms, when I want you and all your charms. Whenever I want you all I have to do is dream dream dream."
They both cracked up laughing.
"Okay, I'll try again." He got off the couch and wandered into his bedroom. "Don't be so hard on yourself, those tears are for someone else. I hear your voice on the phone. I hear you feel so alone, my baby… my baby, please my baby, my baby."
She was silent.
"Are you asleep?"
"No. Keep going? I don't know that song. Are you making it up?"
"Don't cry… you're not alone. Don't cry… tonight my baby. Don't cry… you'll always be loved. Don't cry… tonight my baby. Na, I'm not making it up – I'm flattered. It's Seal."
"Oh." She whispered. Knowing he was on the other end of the phone was comforting. She didn't need to say anything.
"Are you okay?" He asked her silence.
"Yeah. What time are you on tomorrow?"
"Seven."
"Mark! You'll be shattered."
"No, I'm at the point where I'm better off staying awake then going to sleep and having to get up again."
"Nice theory."
"But I don't think I'll be able to stay awake. I just don't want to hang up."
"Yeah."
"I could just sing us both to sleep."
"Goodnight Mark."
"Okay. Goodnight."
She hung up and let herself cry. While no one else was awake, so no one would be concerned. While it was dark and she could almost pretend he was there, holding her as she drifted off to sleep.