Hi! You weren't expecting another one so soon, were you? Well, surprise! For this one, I decided to not use a song, so we'll see how it goes. It's a little long, but whatevs. Enjoy :)
Dani held tightly to her guitar case and made her way up to the third floor of the hospital; the children's ward. She had been trying to find something to do with her Sunday afternoons for a long time, and volunteering to play music for the kids seemed like a pretty great way to spend it. Humming to herself as she exited the elevator and entered the floor, she walked up to the desk and addressed the young woman behind it.
"Hi, I'm Dani Harper. I'm supposed to meet a Doctor...Lopez? To show me to the Hudson Room."
The woman nodded, then picked up the desk phone to make a call.
"Doctor Lopez? I have a Dani Harper here to see you...Yes the musician for the Hudson...No not male, female...Doctor, I'm not going to describe her to you..." the woman laughed. "I don't think I can be objective on that one, you'll have to come see her yourself...Well you have to anyways...Don't be so whiny, you know you love spending extra time there...Okay, she'll be at the front desk...Yes with me..." she gave a small giggle. "Always the charmer, Doctor Lopez." With that, she hung up and looked over at Dani, smiling politely. "Doctor Lopez will be right with you."
"Are you that comfortable with everyone you work with?" Dani asked, curious.
"We're all friends and coworkers, but Doctor Lopez...that one is something else."
"Oh... do you and him have a thing?" The woman laughed, confusing Dani.
"No, he and I certainly do not."
Dani nodded awkwardly, not sure what to make of that, and turned around to rest her back against the desk. She heard footsteps behind her, and was about to turn around, but then she heard another woman's voice. It wasn't for her, so she stayed where she was, waiting for this Doctor Lopez.
"Well hello, Miss Fabray. How are we this fine Sunday afternoon?"
"Much better now that you're here." Dani could hear the smile in the woman's voice. She smiled to herself at this unexpected turn of events.
"Such a sweet talker. How's the studying going?"
"It's frustrating, but I wouldn't expect anything else from preparing for the LSAT's."
"You're going to do just fine. We'll miss you around here, Quinn."
"You're not getting rid of me that easily," the woman named Quinn responded.
"I should hope not." Dani was beginning to wonder where this Doctor Lopez was. "Well it was lovely as always chatting with you, Miss Fabray, but I have some work that apparently needs tending to. Where is-" the other woman stopped suddenly. "Ah yes, thank you." Dani heard a shuffling of feet, then a throat clearing. "Hi, you must be Dani. I'm Doctor Santana Lopez."
Dani turned around, surprised. The way the woman behind the desk, Quinn, had spoken on the phone, Dani was expecting Doctor Lopez to be a man. Instead, standing in front of her was a young, beautiful Latina woman with long, dark hair and very bright brown eyes. Dani couldn't lie, the woman had an attractive face. A face she felt like she had seen before...
"Oh...wow. You," the doctor said flatly. There it is.
"...Great," Dani bit back.
Two weeks ago
Dani stood in front of the huge bookshelf, looking around desperately for the book she needed. It was the only one left in the store, and she couldn't wait for the next shipment. The young man she had asked for help had directed her here, but she didn't know where in the shelves it was. She was stuck.
She noticed a woman standing off to her right. Dani looked over at her discreetly, appreciating the woman's looks. She was incredibly attractive, but she didn't look like she belonged in the section of the bookstore dedicated mythology. She shook her head and went back to her search.
She scanned the titles from top to bottom, looking for the one she needed. She moved over to the next section, searching from top to bottom. About halfway down, she found the one she was looking for. Internally cheering, she reached for the book, but a tanned hand beat her to it, pulling the book out. Following the hand with her eyes, she looked up at the other woman.
"Excuse me, but I really need that book," Dani said.
"So do I," the taller woman said, turning to walk away.
"For what?"
"Why is it any of your business?" the brunette questioned.
"Look, it's for a birthday present for my nephew. Please."
"Sorry, but I need this," the woman said, walking away.
"Thanks a lot, asshole," Dani muttered under her breath. Apparently, she wasn't quiet enough; the woman stormed back up to her, a quiet fury in her eyes.
"What did you just call me?" Dani debated saying nothing, but she was pissed.
"I called you an asshole. I need that book for a little boy's birthday present. What could you possibly need it for? Looking at the pretty pictures?"
"Can't I enjoy a mythology book?"
"I highly doubt that you would. You don't look like the type of person who would enjoy mythology, much less understand it."
"You don't know me. You don't know why I need this. And I don't have to explain myself to your judgmental ass. But I can guarantee you, it's way more important than a stupid birthday," the woman growled, narrowing her eyes at Dani.
She turned on her heels and walked away quickly. Dani clenched her jaw and walked the other way, absolutely furious.
"Well, let's get this over with," Santana grimaced, motioning for Dani to follow her. They walked in strenuous silence, stopping in front of a door with colorful pictures on it, and an sign reading "Hudson Room" next to it. The doctor turned to face Dani, all anger fading as seriousness took over her features.
"Some of the kids are a little shy, so try not to be too brash with them." Dani scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"I don't think I'm the one that needs to worry about that," she said, reaching for the door handle. Santana moved directly in front of her.
"I'm serious, Dani Harper. You make one wrong move with these kids and I will have you banned from this hospital, do you understand me?" Dani nodded, a little intimidated but determined not to let it show. "Good." Santana opened the door and walked inside.
Dani took a moment to look at her surroundings. They were in a fairly large room, filled with kids and teens of all ages. There was a large TV at one end of the room, with a couch, a table, and a couple of bean bag chairs. The rest of the room was littered with toys, and one portion of a wall had shelves for books, toys, and arts and crafts materials. There were stacks of chairs in one corner, and a couple tables in the middle of the room.
The thing that caught Dani's eye was the last thing she expected to pay attention to: Santana. The second they entered the Hudson Room, her entire demeanor changed. The doctor looked around the room with a huge smile on her face, watching the kids inside.
"Doctor Lopez!" Santana turned to face two girls who were coming towards her, one with an eyepatch and the other on crutches. The one with the eyepatch spoke first. "Will you please explain to Kaitlin that the words are "one four three, el-le-le-le-leven", not "one four three, I lo-lo-lo-love you". That's just dumb."
"You're dumb!" the one on crutches laughed. Santana put her hands on the first girl's shoulder.
"Tricia, you know I love you and your weird brain, but it's most definitely the second one," she laughed. Kaitlin reached up to give the doctor a high five, then the two girls walked away, bickering again.
Dani watched the interaction curiously. The Santana she was seeing here was so different than the Santana she had seen before, but maybe it was all just an act. Put on a good face for the patients and their parents, be a jerk to everyone else. That was probably it.
"Dani?" The blonde turned towards Santana, seeing her standing hand in hand with a little boy. "You're welcome to play music for the kids in here for as long as you want. Just keep it PG, and remember what I said," Santana reminded her, raising an eyebrow.
Dani nodded. This was going to be an interesting experience.
For a month and a half, Dani came in every Sunday to play guitar and sing with the kids in the hospital. She loved it so much, seeing the looks on the kids' faces as she played their favorite songs and sang with them. Her favorite days were the ones that some kids would come up to her and ask her to teach them how to play. She loved going to see the kids as much as they loved seeing her.
Santana was a different story. She wasn't exactly cold towards the blonde, but she didn't pay much attention to her. That didn't stop Dani from watching her when she came in. The doctor seemed so animated and excited to see the kids, Dani began believing that her happiness was a genuine one. Santana looked honestly content spending her time in there with the kids, playing with them and talking to them until she had to go back to work. She was entirely confusing to Dani, and the blonde wasn't sure what to do.
As she was packing up her guitar after a thoroughly entertaining day, Santana popped in.
"How did the kids do today? Everyone fine?"
"Well Tricia still has a thing for messing up the lyrics, but other than that everything was fine." Santana grinned, shaking her head.
"That girl is hilarious. Okay, I was just stopping by for a minute. See you next week, Dani."
The blonde nodded. As Santana opened the door to leave, Dani decided to ask something that had been bothering her for a couple weeks.
"Hey Santana? Can I ask you something?" The doctor turned around to face her, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Sure."
"Um..." Dani was suddenly nervous. "Why...why did you need that book so bad that day? I've been trying to figure it out and it's driving me crazy." Santana gave Dani a small smile, and motioned her forward.
"Follow me."
The two women walked down the hallway for a couple minutes, then Santana stopped at a door that was propped open. She gestured for Dani to look inside. The blonde cautiously peeked her head in, her breath catching in her throat at what she found.
Dani had expected the room to be a small library or something, but instead she found herself looking in an actual hospital room. The room was occupied by a sleeping boy laying in the bed. Dani looked closer at his resting form and noticed something on his chest; the book.
The singer pulled her head back out and looked at Santana with wide eyes.
"That's Andrew. His condition doesn't leave him with a lot of energy, so he spends his days reading and watching movies. A few days before I went to the bookstore, he had just watched Thor for the first time and I was talking to him about it. He was interested in learning more about Norse mythology. His family doesn't have a lot of money, spending everything on his medical bills, so I went out and got it for him. He's read it at least four times since I gave it to him. He loves that book."
Dani found herself wiping her eyes. She had really misjudged the Latina.
"Santana, I-"
"It's okay," Santana smiled. "Come on, let's go back to the kids."
The two women made their way back, each lost in their own thoughts. They stopped by the front desk on the way.
"Miss Fabray?" The blonde behind the desk looked up at her, smiling.
"What can I do for you, Doctor Lopez?"
"Can we get new markers for the kids? A lot of them are dried up. And some of the kids would like to see The Lego Movie, can we make that happen?"
"For you Doctor, I'm sure we can work it all out."
"Thank you, Quinn. If you need any help, let me know." Santana gestured for Dani to follow her back into the Hudson Room.
"You seem to spend a lot of time in here," Dani stated.
"I love it here. The only break I take for myself is my lunch break, any other free time I have is spent in here, with the kids." Dani thought for a second, a realization dawning on her.
"You're the only doctor here who doesn't refer to them as patients."
"You mean me just calling them kids?" Santana questioned.
"Yeah. You're the only doctor I've come across who doesn't use the term "patients" around them."
"I don't use the word "patients" at all, unless it's for paperwork."
"But why?"
"Because calling them patients restricts them to being just that; a patient," Santana said seriously. "They're forced to be nothing but a patient, instead of a person. While every child or teenager in here may be a patient of this hospital, they're also so much more. They're kids who were just dealt a lousy hand. That shouldn't define who they are, or what they're worth as people. Referring to them as nothing but patients or case numbers limits their value as humans, and it gives them the impression that that's all they will ever amount to. I don't ever want anyone in this hospital to think that they aren't worth more, that they shouldn't strive to achieve more than what they were given."
Santana looked around the room and walked over to a boy about six years old with blonde hair and light brown eyes, one arm in a red cast from wrist to shoulder, playing on the floor with a dinosaur.
"Take little Mikey for example." She sat down next to him and picked up another dinosaur, playing with him as she continued to talk. "He has type one osteogenesis imperfecta." She looked up and saw the confused look on Dani's face and chuckled. "Sorry, doctor speak. He's got brittle bone disease." Dani nodded in recognition. "I don't want him to think that just because of his condition that he can't go out and have fun. Granted he'll need to be way more careful than most kids his age, but he's lucky; type one is the most mild and manageable form. When he learns how to take care of himself and learns what his limitations are, then there's no reason he can't be an active kid." She handed her dinosaur to the boy and stood up.
She made her way over to an older girl with dark brown hair and green eyes. She raised her left hand and the girl mirrored her. Santana went in for a high five, then both of them moved their hands past each other and down, catching the high five on the downswing. The girl grinned and hugged Santana, the doctor keeping her arm around the girl's shoulders as she addressed Dani.
"And Isabella; just because she has a tumor on one of her vocal cords shouldn't stop her from pursuing her dreams of being a singer in the future. Once we get that pesky thing removed," she smiled down at the girl. Isabella leaned her head against Santana's shoulder, then walked off to join a small group of other kids. Santana walked back to Dani and guided her to the wall by the doorway. They turned and looked out at the room, watching the kids in the room as Santana spoke again.
"And all of that starts with the most basic thing; letting them know that I see them as the kids they are, instead of the patients they have become for the time being. We should be more than their doctors. We should be their support systems, their mentors, their friends."
"You said it, Doc." Santana whipped around to find a young man in the doorway, a huge grin spread across his face. She laughed and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Dani took the small amount of time to look over this new person: he was a couple inches taller than Santana, with short dirty blonde hair, muscular arms, and blue eyes. He had on a white coat like Santana's; she figured he must be a doctor as well. Santana let go of him and turned to Dani.
"Dani, this is Jackson. He's quite possibly one of my favorite people in the entire world." Santana was suddenly hit in the knee with a soft plush ball. She looked up to find Isabella gesturing between herself and Santana wildly. "Oh relax, you know I got a special place in my heart for you, superstar." Isabella raised her eyebrows and pointed her finger at Santana, as if to say "You better!"
"So how do you two know each other? Med school?" Dani asked.
"Oh no I'm only twenty, I've still got a ways to go before I get to be a doctor," Jackson explained.
"He's an intern. He's lucky I've got so much pull here, otherwise he'd have to wait a couple of years," Santana grinned, nudging him with her shoulder.
"I'm lucky for more than just that and you damn well know it, Doc," he responded seriously, staring Santana down. They broke their gaze to look over at Dani, who was once again confused. Santana nodded to Jackson, telling him to explain. "I came here as a patient when I was sixteen. There was a massive tumor over and around my stomach and intestines. I was diagnosed with cancer, and I thought my life was over." Santana smiled sadly up at him.
"But then Santana came along. She made me feel like more than a sick kid stuck in a hospital; she gave me hope, she gave me strength, she gave me support, she gave me something to fight for. Doctors are supposed to treat you and send you home, but Santana went above and beyond what was asked of her, just like she does for every person lucky enough to be under her care. She treated me like a doctor but didn't make me feel like a patient; she made me feel like a friend, like she was someone I could trust with anything. She was always supportive, always encouraging, and always gave it to me straight. Santana gave me my life back, and for that I will be forever grateful." Jackson wrapped his arm around Santana's shoulders and she leaned into his side.
"Even more than my life, she gave me something to do with it. It's because of her that I decided I want to be a doctor. The difference she makes in these kids' lives, not only medically but emotionally as well, is truly inspirational. I want to have that kind of impact on someone else's life. God knows the world needs more doctors like Santana Lopez."
"You're such a suck up," Santana laughed, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Yeah but you still love me." Dani watched the two of them and smiled softly, wiping quickly at her own eyes. "Alright, I gotta go do a couple things for Doctor Berry." He released Santana and extended his hand out to Dani. "It was nice to meet you, Dani. The kids really love it when you come play for them."
"It was nice to meet you too," Dani replied, shaking Jackson's hand. "I love coming down and seeing them, so it's a win for everybody."
"It sure is," Jackson grinned. He turned to Santana, wrapping her up in a hug. "We still doing lunch on Monday?"
"Of course. I want to hear all about Hannah and Karla." She let go of him and watched as he walked out the door and down the hall. Facing Dani, she answered the questions she knew were running through the blonde's mind. "Hannah's his sister, she's at UCLA and has a big soccer game this weekend, and Karla's his girlfriend."
Dani nodded, but didn't say anything. She had a lot to think about. After everything she had seen today, she knew she had to rethink everything she had previously thought about the Latina in front of her. The one who just removed her coat to give it to a little girl, allowing her to play doctor with her. The one who walked over to a sad looking boy in a wheelchair, holding his hand and talking to him until he mustered up a small but genuine smile. The one who deserved an apology.
"Santana?" The doctor looked over at her, then turned back to the boy in the wheelchair, ruffling his hair affectionately before walking towards Dani. On the way over, she picked up the little girl who was still wearing her coat, positioning her on her hip as she reached the blonde woman.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry," Dani said sincerely, looking into Santana's eyes.
"For what?"
"I was wrong to judge you so quickly. The things you do here, the passion you put into your work and these kids...you're amazing. Can you find it in your obviously massive heart to forgive me?"
Santana looked to the child in her arms. The small girl with long blonde hair and brilliantly blue eyes stared back at her while she played with Santana's shirt.
"What do you think, Ryan?" she asked, turning the girl to face Dani. She thought for a moment while studying the blonde.
"Pretty," she grinned. Santana chuckled.
"I know she is, I'm asking you if we should give the pretty lady a second chance." Ryan looked straight up at Santana.
"Everybody gets a second chance. That's what you say, Doctor 'Pez."
"You," Santana reached up and tapped the girl's nose, laughing at her giggle, "are so very right. Pretty lady Dani gets a second chance." She turned towards Dani. "Do you have anything to say about that?"
Dani leaned forward and gave Ryan a small kiss on the cheek.
"I think pretty lady Ryan is the best." She laughed as Ryan smiled and buried her head in Santana's neck.
"As much as I love our cuddle time RyRy, I gotta go back to work soon so I have to put you down now, okay?" Ryan nodded, allowing Santana to place her gently back on the floor. She quickly scampered off, leaving Dani and Santana alone.
"She's adorable," Dani grinned.
"She's come so far. I'm really proud of her, she's a little fighter." Dani looked over for an explanation. "Diabetes and iron deficiency anemia." The blonde quirked an eyebrow, needing more information on the last part. "Her body doesn't produce enough iron on its own, which in turn doesn't produce enough red blood cells. That coupled with the diabetes led to a lot of problems figuring out how to balance everything, but she's almost ready to go home. I'm gonna miss that kid." Dani smiled. She loved the look of pure devotion on the doctor's face as she talked about her charges.
"In all seriousness though, thank you for giving me a second chance."
"Like she said, everybody gets a second chance," Santana shrugged. She looked up at Dani and grinned. "But you're welcome."
"Do you think that we could grab coffee sometime? Start over?" Dani asked, hopeful.
"I wouldn't be completely opposed to it," Santana teased. Dani rolled her eyes, a smile tugging on her lips.
"Well if it pleases your majesty, just let me know when and where." Santana couldn't hold back her chuckle. She glanced down quickly at her watch.
"Shi-" she stopped herself, looking around at all the children in the room, "-ver me timbers, I need to get back to work."
"Was that seriously the best you could come up with?" Dani didn't even bother to hide her laughter.
"I mean, shit, Doc. That was pretty pathetic," a teenage boy grinned as he walked past the two women.
"You know what, Chris? I think maybe I'll play video games with Eric tonight instead of you." Dani chuckled as the boy scowled and trudged away. Santana turned back to Dani.
"I really do have to get back to work though."
"I understand," Dani smiled. Santana nodded, then began walking down the hall. Dani turned back to look over the room. Mikey was still playing with the dinosaurs, Ryan still had Santana's coat...oh no. Dani quickly walked over to the little girl.
"Hey Ryan, we forgot to give Santana her coat back. Do you want to come with me to give it to her?" Ryan nodded enthusiastically. Dani picked up a marker from a bin and wrote on a piece of paper, then stuck it in her pocket. She extended her hand to hold Ryan's and they walked out into the hallway, the singer careful to walk slow enough that Ryan wouldn't trip over Santana's coat.
"Doctor Lopez!" Dani said loudly, catching the retreating Latina's attention. She turned around and waited for the two blondes to catch up to her. "We have a couple things to give you."
"You do?" Santana smiled, looking down at Ryan. "Are you here to give me...a hug?" Ryan giggled and shook her head. "No? What is it then?" The little girl shrugged off Santana's large coat and handed it to her. Santana got down on one knee to accept it from her. "You know, I might just let you keep this one when you go home." Ryan squealed and rushed at Santana, wrapping her small arms around the doctor's neck. Santana hugged her back then stood up, Ryan retreating to take hold of Dani's hand again.
"Are you really going to let her keep it?"
"Yeah. You know that coat Jackson was wearing?" Dani nodded. "That was mine too."
"You're something else, Santana."
"Thanks, I think," Santana smiled. "You said you had a couple things to give me?"
"Yep."
"Well I got the coat, and I got the hug...what else could you give me?" Dani reached in her pocket and pulled out the paper, handing it to Santana.
"For when it pleases your majesty," she grinned. Santana looked down to find Dani's number written on the paper.
"Well I will definitely take good care of this," she smirked. "I'll see you around, Pretty Lady Dani."
"Bye Doctor 'Pez." Dani smiled and turned to walk Ryan back. Before she started walking, she managed to catch a glimpse of Santana giving the little girl a high five out of the corner of her eye. She began to head back, Ryan's hand finding hers.
"You two totally planned that out, didn't you."
Ryan just gave Dani a cheeky smile and made a locking motion with her hand by her mouth, tossing an imaginary key over her shoulder.
Ta-da! I had an idea and this all just came tumbling out…I was thinking of maybe turning it into a drabble series or something, I dunno. I'll have to see how much you guys liked it. Speaking of...
Leave a review, let me know what you think
Stay golden, lovelies :)