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Notes: Hi! This is Chapter 2 of "Airplanes & Hospitals." I'm enjoying writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it. That's the way it's supposed to work, isn't it? Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: No, I don't own ER. I guess I sort of own Jamail, though.
"Neela? Ray? It's 7:45, you guys are going to be late!" Jamail felt like his mother yelling for Neela to hurry up for school; it was not a cool feeling. Unfortunately for Jamail, both Ray and Neela worked all day today, and not wanting to leave him at home by himself, they had decided to take him to work. For his part, Jamail didn't want to stay home either and he certainly wasn't going to wander around Chicago by himself. Neela and Jamail had spent the first two days sightseeing, and despite the blistering cold, the bright glow of the sun encouraged the pair not to leave a leaf unturned—they had gone to places that Neela had not even seen and she'd been living in the city for a while now. Jamail loved the vibrancy of the city, and they spent a small chunk of the day exploring the different parks and gardens that Chicago had to offer. Nevertheless, that didn't mean he actually knew where he was going.
Getting ready to bellow out Neela's name again, Jamail stopped himself just as Neela and Ray came bursting out of their respective rooms at the same time, bags in hand and fingers ready to grab the car keys. About time, he thought. I wonder what their boss is like. I hope they don't get chewed out for being late…
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
"Barnett! How many times have I told you that this is a hospital, not a rock concert—you can't show up whenever you feel like it. And Neela, you better watch it I think he's rubbing off on you." Weaver was in a foul mood this morning, and Ray and Neela just made it worse. So much for not getting chewed out, thought Jamail.
Attempting to brighten up the mood, Jamail forced his hand into Weaver's and said, "Hi, I'm Jamail, Neela's brother. I'm visiting for the week from Britain."
Weaver seemed temporarily stunned before regaining her composure. The beaming smile on his face seemed to relieve her anger, and she returned the expression with her own smile. "Nice to meet you, Jamail."
"I was wondering—Dr. Weaver—if I could maybe shadow some of the doctors? See if I want to go into medicine some day?" Jamail was bluntly trying to kiss up, but it was for a good cause.
"Sure, I don't see why not. Normally you have to be a volunteer, but I think we can make an exception." Weaver had clearly been won over.
"Great, thank you," Jamail replied with another disarming smile. Weaver walked off without another word, forgetting why she had been raving mad a few minutes earlier.
"Suck up," Neela said to her brother with a smirk.
"Hey it got her to stop barking at you, didn't it?" to which Neela looked at her brother with a smile and a look that said reluctantly, 'Yeah it did.'
"Thanks, man," was Ray's response. He'd had his head bitten off by Weaver too many times not to appreciate what Jamail had done.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
The debacle with Weaver and all of the new faces Jamail met temporarily caused him to forget where he was—Jamail was in a hospital, a place he had been many times before. The bright fluorescent lights and the constant buzzing and beeping of monitors were all too familiar…but Neela didn't need to know that. At least not yet.
"Jay, you want to see a shoulder popped back into place?" Ray chimed in with a gleam in his eyes, interrupting Jamail's thoughts.
"Oooo, yeah," was what came out of Jamail's mouth. This is going to be a very interesting day.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Neela was bummed. The only thought in her mind all day had been how much she was looking forward to spending the night relaxing at home with Ray and Jamail, which meant having dinner and generally just hanging out on the couch. And just as she's getting ready to sneak out ten minutes early, Weaver manages to find her and tell her she's working a double. Not asking. Telling. Great.
Jamail and Ray found her wallowing in her frustration at the admit desk, a scowl on her face and a chart in hand as if ready to smack someone with it.
"Neela, you ready?" Ray could see she was angry, but at what—or who—he didn't know. He just hoped it wasn't him.
Neela's voice was seething with annoyance. "No, I'm not because someone is making me work a double." Looking up at Jamail, she felt her anger turn into disappointment. "Jamail, I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry about it. You're a doctor; doctors have shitty hours." Once again, Jamail's reassuring eyes and that mild-mannered smile managed to do the trick. Ray added, "Yeah, we'll have a guys' night," allowing Neela a comforting feeling that at least she wasn't leaving him completely alone. Ray would be there.
"Alright well, I'll see you guys tomorrow then," a little less forlornly than before. "Have fun," she added with a weak smile.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
After two days of hanging out with Jamail, Ray felt like they had become roommates. He enjoyed having Jamail around—Ray didn't know if it was his youth, his humor, or just the fact that he was Neela's brother, but it was as if the apartment was a happier place with him in it. Even Neela felt it. She had found her long-lost sibling; Jamail brought out a side of Neela that Ray thought didn't exist—she was like a little kid, telling her brother about the cool procedure she got to do at work or teasing him about the girls at school. He had never heard her use the word "man" before either; it sounded funny coming from Neela.
Despite all the fun they were having, there was one problem: Ray had begun to suffer from intermittent anxiety attacks. They started the night Neela told him Jay was coming to visit, and had become slightly worse when he arrived, but Ray couldn't think of a reason why. Well, maybe one reason…but every time that voice—soft, slightly high-pitched—entered his thoughts, Ray would automatically shut off the motor in his mind. That voice haunted his days, and it was all because of Jay's green eyes.
"So what movie are we watching tonight?" Jamail said cheerfully, plopping himself down on the couch next to Ray.
Ray veered himself back into reality. "I went digging through my pile of movies and through Neela's and all I found was 'Scary Movie' and 'The Exorcist.'
"Let's watch 'Scary Movie,'" Jamail said all too quickly. He clearly wasn't a fan of horror movies. Like sister, like brother. Ray smiled.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
"So Jay, I never asked you, do you have a girlfriend?" They had moved to the floor after popping in the movie, and were now sitting with their backs against the couch, happily chowing down on popcorn.
"Unfortunately for me, no I don't. I think life is too…intense…as it is, and girls just complicate things." Jamail didn't add that spending most of his time at the hospital wasn't really conducive to having a girlfriend.
"That's not always true. I can think of plenty of times that…" that what, Ray? That things didn't get complicated because one-night-stands aren't complicated? Ray didn't dare finish his sentence, and instead thought of something else. "Well I bet British girls are hotter than American girls," Ray said a little more to himself than to Jay. Quickly realizing that Neela was a British girl, he attempted to remedy what he had just said. It was true Jay was only 14, but he was still her brother and Ray knew that brothers are always protective. "I didn't mean…"
"Ray, I'm her brother not her father." I'm not blind; I know it's going to happen sooner or later. Sooner would be preferable, though. Jamail knew Neela like only a sibling can, and he could see more than friendship in her eyes when she looked at her roommate. The part of him that had become Ray's friend wanted to tell him that, but the part that was also Neela's brother told him that he needed to respect her privacy. She would tell him when she was ready.
"Having said that, though, I should warn you that I am a black belt and any future phone call I get with my sister on the line crying will prompt me to kick your ass."
"Right, of course." Ray and Jamail burst out laughing, but both knew that Jamail was only partially kidding. The funny thing was, Ray was okay with it. Because I would never make her cry…he stopped himself. Where was this coming from?
Ray was saved from his thoughts by the urgency in Jamail's voice. "Ray, can I ask you a question?" Jamail's face had a gravity that made him look much older than he was; he looked at Ray intently.
"Yeah, go ahead." He felt slightly apprehensive about not being able to answer his question.
"Do you believe in heaven?" Ray had expected to hear something like, 'Why did you become a doctor?' or maybe even 'What's it like to be in a band?' Nothing like this.
"Umm…yeah, I guess so. Why?" He didn't where this was going, and he wasn't sure he liked it.
Jamail chose his words carefully. "Well, when family members die all you really know is that you won't see them again, right? But if you believe in heaven, then there's this hope that someday you will. It sort of…makes things better, I guess."
Ray felt as if the air had been knocked out of his lungs—out of nowhere, he was having an anxiety attack. He was gasping, attempting to gulp in air, and all the while that voice—the voice of a young boy—rang through his ears, at once soft and sad.
"Ray! Are you okay? Ray?" Jamail was wide-eyed and frantic, not knowing what to do. "Just take slow, deep breaths, maybe that'll help."
Jamail's voice pushed Ray back into the reality of his situation, and he managed to regulate his breathing in little time. How did I lose it so quickly?
"Umm, listen, maybe I should go to bed." As with Neela, Ray felt like there was nothing else he could say—he could give no explanation.
"Okay…you sure you don't want to go to the hospital or anything?" Jamail was still a bit freaked out, and he really didn't want something to happen while he was sleeping. Neela would kill me…
"What? No, no I'm fine. I just need to get some sleep, that's all." Ray was in his bedroom less than two minutes later.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
It was 4 in the morning and all Neela wanted to do was get into bed and pass out. Weaver had been merciful enough to let her leave half-a-shift early, and as a result, she was now gently setting her bag on the floor and taking off her coat, happy to be home at last.
Looking around the apartment, Neela noticed the bowl of popcorn on the counter and the couch pillows on the floor. Jamail was sprawled on the couch, arms wrapped around his pillow in the same way that Ray wrapped his arms around his pillow when he fell asleep on the couch. Neela had always thought it was cute. Since when do I say 'cute'? And since when do I use it to describe Ray?
Neela put an end to the debate in her mind and proceeded to walk to her room. A few minutes later she was standing in the kitchen in her pajamas, drinking half a cup of tea in a hurry. She had intended to go straight to bed, but realizing that you can take the girl out of Britain but you can't take Britain out of the girl, she trudged into the kitchen for her late-night ritual. Sipping the last remnants of her cup, Neela placed it in the sink and tiptoed slowly towards her room. As she passed Ray's room, however, she heard something that made her stop dead in her tracks.
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