Susan was wakened by a shake at her hip.
"Bloody pager." She forced herself to sit up despite the loud protest her back made.
"Good morning." Mark had been watching her sleep.
"How long have you been awake?" she looked at the pager.
"I don't know, but watching you, I wasn't sure if I was dreaming… What is it?"
"I was meant to be at work twenty minutes ago." She pretended to look guilty – frankly she couldn't care less right now. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, could be worse. Like, if you weren't here, being a truant…" he grinned cheekily.
She kissed him softly, but as usual, his response drew her in. She touched his face. She was close enough to feel the sharp breath he inhaled.
"Sorry," she stepped back.
"No." he grabbed her hand.
"I have to go."
He hated to see that sadness in her eyes. "I'm fine. Please, don't worry about me."
"I can't even touch you without hurting you." She held his hand tentatively.
"It's worth it – what's that saying, no pain no gain?"
She didn't even smile. She lifted his hand to her lips, kissed it once, and put it back on the bed. Then she picked up her bag from where it had spent the night at the bottom of her chair. "I'll visit on my break. If I get a break." And walked away.
*~~~*
Susan finally got her break six hours later and collapsed onto a chair in the lounge with a dramatic sigh. She wanted to go see Mark. But her body refused to move. Her back and arms ached from sleeping in a chair with her arms under her head, holding Mark's hand, on the bed. Her legs ached from six hours chasing paper and patients around the ER. And her head ached from not eating enough, drinking too much coffee and, again, sleeping half way between a chair and a hospital bed.
Kerry poked her head in the door, "Sorry Susan, Doug's been called up stairs, we need you out here."
Susan let her head fall back with another sigh. "Yeah. Coming."
A minute later Kerry poked her head in again. "Susan!"
"Yeah." She forced herself upright and muttered under her breath, "you wouldn't need me if you didn't waste your time finding me and just did it yourself."
Susan walked into the ER and was soon snatched up by a patient.
Ten minutes later Doug traded places and demanded Susan take her break now – "Go poison yourself with the coffee in the lounge – might get you a longer break." He smiled compassionately.
Susan looked at the closing elevator doors and vowed to visit Mark on her next break. If she got one. She fell into the seat closest to the door as soon as she entered the lounge.
"Hard day?" Mark asked from where he sat on the other side of the room.
Susan jumped up, suddenly finding that last dreg of energy your body saves for moments like these. "How did you get down here?" she sat beside him, taking his hand carefully.
"Doug came and got me. Took me a few hours of sitting alone in a hospital bed to realise you were only a phone call away."
"Sorry I didn't make it up to see you yet."
"Na, I know what it's like down here." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Plus, it's always fun to surprise you."
Susan reached over to kiss him, careful only to touch his lips, and even then, only softly.
"When do you finish?" Mark asked.
"Two. But I was thinking of trying to get out of it. I'm shattered."
"I'm not surprised, I mean hospital beds aren't great, but chairs…"
"Oh, I shouldn't be complaining. How are you feeling?"
"Better, but I was thinking, I can go home. Just need clearance from a doctor, and apparently I'm not allowed to be that doctor. So if you'll sign me out when you're finished we can go home and THEN I'll be heaps better."
"Sounds like a plan." She touched his face feather-soft.
"Don't look so concerned. I'll be fine. I promise."
"Okay. You better go back upstairs. I'll come get you as soon as I can." She kissed him softly and then helped him up.
"I'm glad you're here. This morning I was lying in bed, thinking about how it would be if we'd not kept in touch. If you were still in Arizona and I was here alone." She stopped walking and so did he, since she was half-carrying him.
"I couldn't bare it. Don't think like that."
"I'll try." He said and started to step forward, trying to walk without her help. It looked awkward and painful and she ducked under his arm to support him before he went any further.
"I'll take you back upstairs." She whispered opening the door.
"Bloody pager." She forced herself to sit up despite the loud protest her back made.
"Good morning." Mark had been watching her sleep.
"How long have you been awake?" she looked at the pager.
"I don't know, but watching you, I wasn't sure if I was dreaming… What is it?"
"I was meant to be at work twenty minutes ago." She pretended to look guilty – frankly she couldn't care less right now. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, could be worse. Like, if you weren't here, being a truant…" he grinned cheekily.
She kissed him softly, but as usual, his response drew her in. She touched his face. She was close enough to feel the sharp breath he inhaled.
"Sorry," she stepped back.
"No." he grabbed her hand.
"I have to go."
He hated to see that sadness in her eyes. "I'm fine. Please, don't worry about me."
"I can't even touch you without hurting you." She held his hand tentatively.
"It's worth it – what's that saying, no pain no gain?"
She didn't even smile. She lifted his hand to her lips, kissed it once, and put it back on the bed. Then she picked up her bag from where it had spent the night at the bottom of her chair. "I'll visit on my break. If I get a break." And walked away.
*~~~*
Susan finally got her break six hours later and collapsed onto a chair in the lounge with a dramatic sigh. She wanted to go see Mark. But her body refused to move. Her back and arms ached from sleeping in a chair with her arms under her head, holding Mark's hand, on the bed. Her legs ached from six hours chasing paper and patients around the ER. And her head ached from not eating enough, drinking too much coffee and, again, sleeping half way between a chair and a hospital bed.
Kerry poked her head in the door, "Sorry Susan, Doug's been called up stairs, we need you out here."
Susan let her head fall back with another sigh. "Yeah. Coming."
A minute later Kerry poked her head in again. "Susan!"
"Yeah." She forced herself upright and muttered under her breath, "you wouldn't need me if you didn't waste your time finding me and just did it yourself."
Susan walked into the ER and was soon snatched up by a patient.
Ten minutes later Doug traded places and demanded Susan take her break now – "Go poison yourself with the coffee in the lounge – might get you a longer break." He smiled compassionately.
Susan looked at the closing elevator doors and vowed to visit Mark on her next break. If she got one. She fell into the seat closest to the door as soon as she entered the lounge.
"Hard day?" Mark asked from where he sat on the other side of the room.
Susan jumped up, suddenly finding that last dreg of energy your body saves for moments like these. "How did you get down here?" she sat beside him, taking his hand carefully.
"Doug came and got me. Took me a few hours of sitting alone in a hospital bed to realise you were only a phone call away."
"Sorry I didn't make it up to see you yet."
"Na, I know what it's like down here." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Plus, it's always fun to surprise you."
Susan reached over to kiss him, careful only to touch his lips, and even then, only softly.
"When do you finish?" Mark asked.
"Two. But I was thinking of trying to get out of it. I'm shattered."
"I'm not surprised, I mean hospital beds aren't great, but chairs…"
"Oh, I shouldn't be complaining. How are you feeling?"
"Better, but I was thinking, I can go home. Just need clearance from a doctor, and apparently I'm not allowed to be that doctor. So if you'll sign me out when you're finished we can go home and THEN I'll be heaps better."
"Sounds like a plan." She touched his face feather-soft.
"Don't look so concerned. I'll be fine. I promise."
"Okay. You better go back upstairs. I'll come get you as soon as I can." She kissed him softly and then helped him up.
"I'm glad you're here. This morning I was lying in bed, thinking about how it would be if we'd not kept in touch. If you were still in Arizona and I was here alone." She stopped walking and so did he, since she was half-carrying him.
"I couldn't bare it. Don't think like that."
"I'll try." He said and started to step forward, trying to walk without her help. It looked awkward and painful and she ducked under his arm to support him before he went any further.
"I'll take you back upstairs." She whispered opening the door.