Chapter 120: The Verdict
"Much wisdom remains to be learned, and if it is only to be learned in adversity, we must endeavor to endure adversity with what fortitude we command." – from the book Apples of Gold
"Scientists know only what love does. Love, properly applied, could virtually empty our asylums, our prisons, our hospitals. Love is the touchstone of psychiatric treatment. Love can be fostered, extended, used to subjugate hate and thus cure diseases." – from the book Apples of Gold
"Real friends are those who, when you've made a fool of yourself, don't feel that you've done a permanent job." – from the book Apples of Gold
"The door to the human heart can be opened only from the inside." – from the book Apples of Gold
"Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength." – from the book Apples of Gold
Sydney and Vaughn looked intently at Tom and it seemed as though Amélie finally came out of her stupor as well. They all waited for Tom to start talking.
"Ok...I know it sucked having me do that, but I had to see how the infection spread – how far and stuff...and the good news is that I still don't believe it's systemic. The bad news is that it's still infected...and that can turn systemic if not treated. Luckily, Sydney's been keeping a close watch on it...and it's obvious that it hasn't been compressed much – so those are all good things. So, here's what we're gonna do – I pretty much knew that it was going to be infected yet, so I prepared...and," he fished in the bag he brought and took out a pill bottle, "YAY! A new pill to take!" he smiled widely.
Vaughn's response was something between a laugh and a moan, and Sydney kissed his head as she smiled at Tom, "Just one more honey..." she said softly.
Tom smiled in understanding at Vaughn, "Mike...I know...but it'll make the infection go away – and then your back will feel much better...and it's only for two weeks..."
He handed Sydney the pill bottle, "He has to take it three times a day – should take them at roughly the same time each day, with milk or something...ok?"
"Yeah," Sydney said, reading the pill bottle, with Michael Vaughn written on it. She smiled when she saw the address written on it was her own. She moved the bottle down to Vaughn's line of view.
"What?" he asked in a tired voice, "Amoxicillin, 550mg, take 3 pills per day, at–"
"No Vaughn," she interrupted, pointing to the part she wanted him to notice.
He smiled when he realized they had used Sydney's address as his own.
Tom was slightly lost, but he didn't want to interrupt their moment. He waited for a few more seconds and then said, "Well, I think we're done...I'm gonna go and let you get some rest now Mike...ok? Sydney you're doing a great job..."
Sydney looked at the clock, "Tom, it's lunchtime, why don't you stay for lunch?"
"Oh...yeah, I could...if you want me here...after all the pain I just caused you, you might want to rethink that..." he said looking at Vaughn.
"It's part of your job Tom, you can be both my doctor and my friend – I can separate the two..." he stopped and then added, "Can you?"
Tom looked at him strangely, "Yeah...I can..."
"Good, then we don't have a problem..."
Tom managed a smile, but looked at Sydney with a questioning look.
Vaughn finally remembered that his mother was there, "Mom, you ok?"
Amélie looked over at her son, "Michael...I..." she stopped as tears started to fall, "Michael, how could anyone put you through this, you're my little boy!"
It seemed none of the occupants of the room knew what to say or do. Vaughn shared a worried glance with Sydney as well as Tom and then said softly, "Mom...that's why we thought maybe it would have been better if you weren't in the room...I mean...it's rather...disgusting..."
"No, Michael, I...think I needed to see it...it just...I mean it hurts me just to look at it...I know how much it must hurt you..."
Sydney looked at Vaughn and then said, "Amélie, why don't you and I get some coffee..."
Amélie nodded, got up and came over to the bed, "Michael...I love you so much...I'm so sorry...all of this pain...I just...oh Michael," she said as she looked at the face of her son. She leaned down and embraced him, enveloping him in a motherly hug and kissed the top of his head before she moved back and shook her head slowly. As she and Sydney walked out, Vaughn could hear her saying, "I just...can't imagine...don't understand why anyone..." He sighed as he looked at Tom, who smiled at him softly.
Sydney had Amélie sat down by the counter as she turned to make some coffee.
"Sydney...how to do you do it?" Amélie asked softly.
"Do what?" Sydney asked confused.
"See it everyday...watch him in pain every day...I can't even do it for a few minutes, it just tears me apart."
"Well...you just said it – I see him every day...I mean it doesn't get any easier to see him in pain, but you sort of get used to it...so does he...he handles a lot of pain on his own...and he never complains," Sydney said smiling.
"I'm so proud of him...he's been such a wonderful son, always made me so proud, but surviving this...I couldn't be prouder..."
"He's a wonderful man, you did a great job."
"You had something to do with his greatness too..."
Sydney smiled and handed Amélie a cup of coffee. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Sydney heard a few sniffles. She turned to see Amélie crying.
"Amélie?" Sydney said softly, "Are you ok?"
Amélie tried to compose herself, "I'm sorry...I think it's just all caught up with me. I can't get the image of his wound out of my head...I just...that's my son they did that too! I'm so angry and hurt, and there's no one to take it out on. He's had such a hard time...I...what would possess ANYONE to do that? It doesn't take a genius to figure out what made that kind of mark...I get chills just thinking about what he went through...what he's going through...I can't imagine...I'm sorry..." she broke off into quiet sobs.
Sydney put her arm around her and hugged her, "It's ok...it's a lot to handle...Amélie...you've been so strong through all of this...I reacted the same way the first time I saw some of his wounds..."
Amélie sobbed quietly, shaking her head and hiccupping for several minutes, as thoughts of torture and pain, her son in agony ran through her mind.
When she finally calmed down, Sydney smiled and handed her a tissue.
"Thank you Sydney..."
"You're welcome..."
"You are quite an amazing woman...I'm glad you and Michael found each other..." she said with bright eyes.
"Thank you Amélie," Sydney said with moist eyes as well, "I'm very lucky to have found such a wonderful man..." She remembered something suddenly, "Amélie...I have to talk to you about tomorrow..."
Vaughn looked over at the smiling Tom, "Well...that went rather well...all things considered..."
"Your mom is great Mike...really great..."
"Yeah, I know she is," Vaughn said with a proud smile.
"So how are you really?"
Vaughn smiled, "I'm ok...not all the time...but I'm ok..."
"Pain?"
"It's there...tolerable most of the time..."
"Always pain?"
"Pretty much..."
Tom nodded, "I'm sorry Mike..."
"Not your fault Tom...thanks for being such a great friend and doctor..."
"Why did you ask me that?" Tom asked soon after.
"What?"
"If I could separate being your friend and your doctor?"
"Nothing...it's stupid..."
"Well it can't be that stupid if you asked..."
"Just Barnett...she mentioned something."
"About me?"
"Yeah – just if I thought you could separate the two..."
"What did you say to her?"
"I said that you could...just making sure..."
Tom smiled, "You ok with the therapy stuff?"
"Yeah, it sucks sometimes...really confusing, but...how're you? What's new?"
Tom smiled broadly, "I'm seeing someone..."
"Do tell..." Vaughn said smiling back.
"She's 3rd year Peds resident that just transferred from San Diego..."
"Yeah..." Vaughn said in a 'tell me more' way.
"She's got the most beautiful blue eyes you'd ever want to see...just like staring off into the ocean when I look into them...and they compliment mine...ya know – gray and blue..."
"Wow," Vaughn said raising his eyebrows, "You've got it bad..."
"Yeah, you should talk," Tom threw back, "And dirty blonde hair – not too blonde though...more brown, like mine...bout 5'8"...great height...cause I'm like 6'2"...you should see her with the kids, man...just...so great...she's wonderful..."
"Does this wonder woman have a name Tom?" Vaughn asked amused.
"Oh, yeah...sorry..." he said looking down and then looking back up at him bashfully, "Kaia...Kaia Castelli..."
"Ooo...Italian..."
"Yeah...she's...she's great...best thing in that hospital every morning...Italian and tan..." he said with a grin.
Vaughn couldn't resist, "Tan lines?"
"Nope," Tom said cheekily, "She sunbathes naked..."
Vaughn chuckled, "And how would we know this Dr. Barker? Have we...had a check-up with her too? Do a little examining?"
Tom started laughing, "Maybe..."
Vaughn raised his eyebrows again, "So...how WAS the examination?"
"It was good...every time..." Tom said with a wink, then added, "She's...very flexible as well...she was a gymnast and a dancer..."
"She a good dancer?"
"Aw man...the best...hell on wheels in the nightclubs...and in bed..." Tom said with a huge grin on his face.
"That's great Tom, I'm happy for you...after 'she who will not be named,' you deserve it man..."
"Thanks Mike..."
Vaughn raised his eyebrows, "You met at work right?"
"Yeah..."
"Where was your first time?"
Tom laughed, "It's actually a great story," Tom said sitting down and leaning his elbows on his knees, "it was just a sty day – I swear we must have lost like half the people that came in, and it was only her third day on the job."
"Dude, you banged her on the third day?"
Tom blushed, "Well...let me finish..."
"Ok."
"There was a bus accident, some ass drunk driver hit a school bus that was on its way to a field trip...it was only like 9 in the morning and the ass was all ready pissed out of his mind." Tom stopped to shake his head, "It was awful, ambulance after ambulance, I mean talk about baptism by fire – 3rd day and Kaia's got like 25 kids to treat...I got the driver..."
Vaughn looked over at him, with a questioning glance, not wanting to ask the next question, but needing to know.
Tom smiled, "I know, I wanted to kill him...I wanted to leave him there just to die on the table...but I didn't...I did my job...and I saved him...hardest thing..." He stopped momentarily, "After a whole day, we lost nine kids...nine...Kaia was just a wreck after it...we went into one of the exam rooms, and she was so upset, crying and...I was trying so hard to comfort her you know, telling her all the usual s, that it happens sometimes, and we can only do so much...it was bad...and she got really pissed at me...and then we just kind of stared at one another for a few seconds, and then she just pretty much attacked me..."
"In the exam room!" Vaughn said exasperatedly.
"Yep," Tom said with a Cheshire cat smile, "It was pretty hot man, I mean, she like ripped the drawstring on my scrub pants, I kinda threw her on the exam table...I was standing the whole time...it was hot...and hard..."
Vaughn was smiling at Tom's admission and he blushed when he looked back over at Vaughn.
"You wanna know after?"
"Of course," Vaughn said.
"Well, I'm not sure who was more embarrassed, but we couldn't stop smiling, or touching, or kissing...and I asked her if she wanted to get something to eat...so we got Chinese and took it back to my place...let's just say we didn't eat right away, but that second time...it was more gentle...more...I knew she was the one...you know? We ate the food cold, in bed...she loves eggrolls..." Tom was grinning like a fool.
Vaughn couldn't stop smiling with him, "Sounds like you found her...I'm happy for you..."
"Sounds like we both found her..." Tom said smiling.
Vaughn smiled broadly, "I'm glad you're as happy as I am."
