Chapter 4

NB: Hey guys. I meant to put this up in the last chapter, but I forgot. I just want to give a big thankyou to R5KickAuslly29 and Daddysgirl11 for their help on this story. It means a lot you guys

When the itching started, he had thought of it only in vague annoyance. Once or twice it interrupted his games, or occupied his shoulder or hand for brief itch, but otherwise, he could live with it. But then the pain started…

Blurry eyed and unable to keep his jaw shut for more than 12 seconds, Austin stumbled into the cafeteria on Thursday afternoon, desperate for some rest. If there had ever been a time he regretted starting something or for having a dream, it would be now. Falling into an available seat with undeniable grace, he let his body slump across the table, ignoring the mixed looks from the other occupants. They could stuff it for all he cared. This week had been mentally and physically exhausting for him, and it wasn't even over yet. Before this, the most he had ever worked in his life was the odd job around the house and there was that one time he was the paper boy for the neighbourhood. Those two glorious weeks where he had risen with the sun and biked around in the cool dew had been shattered when that dog appeared out of nowhere, snipping at his tyres. He missed his bike. But these last three days? His appreciation for the hospital staff had risen to new extremes. People could be so rude when ill, and they seemed to believe that their instant cure was held in one of the thousands of vials and little colourful pills that the nurses and doctors had seemed to have memorised. Just the other day he had been helping with a particularly stubborn patient, the nurse had asked him to hand over the little blue and white capsules in the bottle by the bed. He had misinterpreted her signs, and handed over the wrong bottle. It wasn't until she had safely administrated the correct dosage and gotten the grumpy old builder to rest did she pull Austin aside and gently explain his mistake and the consequences that might have occurred.

Though she had been kind and understanding to his mistake, it stuck with him, bringing up those old fears. Was he really cut out to be a doctor? He had almost caused a patient to have an overdose, how could he be trusted with helping anyone else get better? What if next time no one was around to help or discretely prevent him from making a bigger mistake? What if a patient in his care went into cardiac arrest and he couldn't save them? Then he'd be responsible for their death. Did that make him a murderer? Maybe he should just resign…

He had expressed his concerns to his dad and Dez, both encouraging him not to give up just yet. It had only been three days after all. Who knows, maybe today would be different. Maybe he'd learn something or he'd help someone. It was his goal after all, to become someone people could rely on. And if he quit now, well, he could just see the gloating look on his mother's face when he returned home from school early. They hadn't talked in nearly a week, but each night without fail, she had been waiting at the door to greet him and offer him dinner, but he could tell she was just waiting for the day to dance around and scream 'I told you so'. He had seen this first hand after she had won an argument with his father, kicking up her skirts, brandishing a brandy and dancing around joyously around. But he had a feeling that it wouldn't so be great when aimed at him. Yawning he glanced around the café, trying to find Dez. He was meant to be bringing over both their lunches, and he was starting to get hungry. Instead of finding his tall, red haired friend, he spotted Missy and Douglas from Health class, both looking as trampled and exhausted as he felt. They had been placed in neighbouring wards and the three often bumped into each other during their shift. Catching their gaze, he smiled tiredly in hello, which they returned sadly. It was a silver lining. Even the other kids were tired.

Dez finally arrived at the table, sliding a tray of eatable looking food in front of him before settling down himself.

"Sorry for the wait. This one kid decided up to hold up the line because he couldn't decide between the fruit salad or the yoghurt. And then this chick couldn't find her wallet. Gah, why did I decide to chuck that Bologna last night? I could have scrapped off the mould…made a better sandwich than this mash…hey, you okay? You're poking that carrot stick with less enthusiasm than needed."

"Sorry, I'm just…over this week. All I want to do is go home and sleep."

"What? And deny the world the spectacular sight of Austin Moon in that gorgeous volunteer's uniform? Not happening."

"Not helping dude. And if you want to wear the uniform so badly-"

"I do."

"-Then just sign up."

"Nah, I'll just stick to borrowing yours on the weekends."

Snickering, Austin returned to nibbling at his food as Dez sighed and settled back in his chair, picking up his fork and knife in the process.

"You know Austin, even if you don't realise it, you've made a good decision to do this volunteer work." He muttered as he tried to figure out where to start. "And your mum, well you're as stubborn as she is. But I can tell she's proud of you. It's just going to take some time for her to let that show. Just hang in there buddy."

"Thanks man. But I don't think it's going to be that easy."

"Well, if you really can't hack it, give it another week before deciding. It's too early to quit now."

"Yeah," Austin sighed shakily, "Yeah, you're right. One more week."

He wasn't sure what was worse; Tony Rogers laughing at his diarrhoea covered scrubs as he passed by, or the fact he was covered in said diarrhoea. Why had he decided to give this one more week? Choosing to ignore it, he continued to help the shaken patient into the bed, carefully not to get any of the faecal matter on the clean sheets as the nurse hunted for a clean set of clothes for him.

"I am so sorry young man, I…it's just…"

"It's okay." He soothed, letting her pull the covers up to her chin. "It's just your medication. The nurse explained it all to me."

"It's unfortunate isn't it?" She sighed, "All this medication to help get rid of one problem, and it causes something else instead."

"The joys of being human." Austin grinned, happy to see that it earned a small one in response.

"Here you go Mr Moon." The nurse in charge sighed as she handed over a clean bundle of clothing. "I suggest you wash up in the staff toilets down the corridor. Just place your unsanitary clothing in the plastic bag provided then put it out with the rest of the laundry. The staff will have it cleaned by the end of your shift. Stuff like this happens all the time." She smiled before ushering him out of the room.

When he finally caught sight of himself in the bathroom mirror, it was no surprise Tony had laughed at him. He was a mess. How had it gotten up into his hair? And…ew, behind his ears. Sighing he rubbed at his face in frustration before finally deciding to get in the shower. As he had a serious scrub down, he kept reminding himself, just one more week. One more, then he'd decide. Besides, next week he would be in a new ward. Who knew what exciting stuff he'd learn there? If he was serious about becoming a doctor, he had to do the grunt work now. Even if he wasn't fully qualified to work here, he was learning. And that's what important. Right?

After drying off and dressing in the nice clean scrubs, Austin stopped to fix his hair and check for any hidden or missed poop, pausing only to appreciate his reflection. With a degree, a nametag and a stethoscope, and he'd be living the dream. A smile broke out, banishing all the doubt and tiredness from his face. Yeah, the dream. As he returned to the Elderly ward, he felt unusually refreshed. If he kept thinking about his dream, his goal, then maybe he could get through this. He could do this. The patients all smiled and greeted him upon his return, continuing to make his heart swell. He hadn't realised they had come to know who he was in these few short days. The lady from earlier smiled widely and apologised once again for the incident, even offering him her cup of jelly as a peace offering. And that's when the next drama started.

"Jelly? You call this shite jelly?" It was the builder from earlier that week. He was frowning at the green jello sitting untouched on the foldout table in front on him, his distaste clear. "This is not jelly."

"Will, would like some of the heated apple instead Mr Claver?"

"No. I want jelly. Proper jelly. Like that stuff in the café!" he exclaimed, brightening suddenly, "Oi boy!"

Austin, too busy stacking away fresh blankets in a nearby cabinet didn't see him, causing Mr Claver to grumble. "I forgot, he's as deaf as one of us. Get him over here for me would ya?"

"I don't know Mr Claver…you're supposed to be on a strict diet with your surgery-"

"And jelly is in that diet. All I'm requesting is the proper stuff. I don't want to be taking any more of that nasty liquid medication I know you folks mix in with this, I want the stuff from the café. Sits better in my stomach. Now go get him."

If Austin had been aware that this seemingly daunting request would end up in his favour, he would have hurried out of the ward faster.

But instead, he reluctantly received his instructions and the dire threat of what will happen if he didn't complete his mission, and soon, before setting off towards the cafeteria, grumbling. He had just started to believe that maybe he was something more than errand boy to these people, but apparently not. But he wouldn't quit. Nope, it was too soon.

Turning around blind corner, head to his feet, he didn't notice the flash in the mirror above his head, or the panicked look on the approaching girl's face as she yelped, "Look out!"

What he did notice was the burning sensation of his shins hitting something metallic, causing him to lurch forward, his head hitting something hard, his hands scrambling across soft material and hair. Still unsteady, he wasn't expecting the sudden push against his abdomen from the pair of daintiest hands he had ever seen before he was on his butt on the cold lino floor, hitting his head once again.

"Oh ow, ow, oh I- I'm so sorry! I thought you would have heard me in time. I really am sorry!"

Rubbing his forehead, Austin winced, trying to figure out where he was most in pain. When he finally unscrewed his eyes, he caught sight of what he had run into. Sitting in one of the hospital issued wheelchairs, a girl of around the same age was frantically talking, her eyes wide with worry as she gestured in an over animated way, leaning towards him as far as she could.

"Oh man, oh man. I ran over a doctor…I ran over a doctor. What am I going to do. Are you okay? What am I saying, of course you're not okay. You're all blue in the face! Breath damnit, breath!"

Wheezing, he managed to sit up, waving a hand at her to calm down. She shushed immediately, hand fluttering worriedly around her mouth, as if she wanted to bite her nails. Regaining his breath was harder than he thought, as he realised the fall had jarred him. After a moment, he felt okay enough to fully assess the situation at hand, using the girl's offered hand and wheelchair to clamber to his feet. His shins stung and he felt wobbly, but he needed to focus on the distraught patient in front of him. How hadn't he noticed before? The hospital gown she was clad in, the medical band around her right wrist. He couldn't tell what she was in for, but she was pale. Very pale. And shivering.

"Hey, hey, calm down. Here, you look like you're freezing." He murmured, tugging at the blanket resting around her lap. She pushed his hands away, preferring to arrange the blanket herself, but offering a muttered 'thanks' in the process. "Now, are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked, relieved to see her shake her head slowly, but he did notice a bump appearing on her forehead. "Ohhh, sorry. Looks like I gave you a nice sized egg."

"Egg?"

"Oh, sorry," he blushed, realising he had used his mum's term for the boo boo, "Bump. On your forehead."

"Oh! Right." She gasped, hand flying to her sore head, "it's okay, though, it looks like we're going to have a matching set." She pointed towards his own red brow where sure enough, a large welt was starting to form. Chuckling he offered a hand.

"I'm Austin."

Smiling she accepted the extended hand, shaking it. "Ally."

"So what brings you to St. Margaret's Ally?" he asked, watching as she released his hand so she could adjust the blanket.

"Oh, you know, operations and all. What about you? Are you a doctor? Cause if you are, I'm so sorry. I really did think you would have heard or seen me."

"Ah, it's okay. And no. No. Just a volunteer. I'm here with my Health class from school."

"Oh cool. Volunteer work is really important. If I had more time, I would've volunteered as well." She smiled before frowning, glancing around her. "Hey, do you know where I am exactly?"

"Um, you're in the Care Block. Close to the Elderly Services Ward. Why?"

She swore under her breath, before looking around her, taking in all the signs. "Man, I should have listened to Trish. Trish! Of all people, she was right." She muttered to herself before turning back to the bemused boy. "How far away am I from the Surgical Inpatient Ward?"

"That's on the other side of the hospital, three floors up." Austin stuttered in disbelief, "How'd you get here?"

"Good question. I got hungry for some proper food, so I went down stairs to the café. But I must have taken the wrong turn for the elevators, and ended up here. I'm meant to be getting prepped in-" she grabbed for his wrist, looking for a watch, cursing when she saw his arms were clean. "What time is it? I'm meant to be back in my ward by seven so they can wheel me in."

Glancing around, Austin noticed an open room just up the hallway. "Hold on, I'll go check."

Jogging over to the open doorway, he smiled briefly at the occupants in the room before looking for a clock. Spotting a watch dangling from one of the nurse's breast pockets, he enquired about the time.

"It's a quarter to seven." He relayed back to Ally as she wheeled herself closer. "I don't think you're going to make it back to your ward without assistant in time. Do you want me to wheel you back there?"

"If you wouldn't mind." She admitted guiltily. Grinning he let her wheel past him, grabbing hold of the handlebars as she went, so he could steer her down the correct corridor. Having strayed around this hospital for years now, he was pretty use to its weird layout. It wasn't a rare occurrence that someone got lost in this maze. But the fact that she had obviously ignored or not noticed all the signs pointing her in the right direction amused him. She seemed to be talking again, her hands waving around madly as she described something to him. She unknowingly signed a few things as she talked, that he was sure had no reference to what the topic she was on, but it made him chuckle. His laughter interrupted her as she turned to send him a blushing scowl over her shoulder, muttering about how it was rude to laugh, before turning around again, sulking. He tried to hide his smile, but it was no use. She was funny.

Upon finally reaching the elevators, he stood beside her, watching the illuminated numbers change.

"Thanks for helping me Austin." Ally murmured, him only catching his name from the corner of his eye. Turning to face her properly, he asked her kindly to repeat what she said. Blushing she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, fiddling with the hem of her blanket.

"I said, thanks. For helping me. You didn't have to escort me all the way back to my ward."

"Hey, it's all good. What kind of volunteer would I be if I didn't help those in need?" he grinned, stepping back around her as the doors opened, letting her wheel in. After selecting the right floor, he waited for the doors to slide close and the elevator to move before continuing. "Besides, I know this hospital like the back of my hand. It saves you time trying to find your way back."

"That's true." She smiled, before looking up at him curiously. "How long have you been a volunteer?"

"Since Monday."

"Really? I thought with your experience you would have been here longer."

"Experience?" he asked, surprised.

"You said you know this place like the back of your hand. I've been here…ten days? Now and then I get confused. And that's coming from someone who has explored this place as much as she possibly can. I just presumed…"

"Ah, no. I visit here a lot. This place is…special to me. They helped me when I was a kid. And the staff here also inspired my dream." He babbled before realising he had said too much. But she just hummed in acknowledgement.

"Dreams are good. And if they're inspired by the people here, then it's a good dream."

The elevator door beeped and slid open, revealing a cluster of nurses and one frazzled, and oddly familiar looking Latino.

"Ally! Where have you been?" the girl cried, launching herself at the wheelchair bound girl.

"Trish, settle down, I just took the wrong turn." Ally explained with a sigh, pushing the girl off her. "Austin helped me find my way back."

She turned to the still hovering blonde, who looked unsure as to what to do next. "Thanks for your help. But I'm afraid I have to cut our meeting short. These nurses are about to abduct me."

"Well, as it so happens, if I don't get my butt back to my ward soon, I might end up in the operating room myself." He grinned, earning a large smile from the brunette as the nurses and Trish ushered her out of the elevator. As the doors closed behind her, she shouted over her shoulder, "Thankyou again Austin!" But he didn't see it.

By the time he returned to the Elderly Services Ward, 'proper' jelly in hand, he realised he had forgotten to ask what exactly she was in for, and for how long. Mr Claver scolded him for taking so long, but ravenously pounced upon the jelly cup, all anger gone as he moaned over how delicious it was. Usually Austin would have felt uncomfortable about the situation, but for the first time in days, he was happy. The refreshed feeling from earlier was back, and as he looked around the ward, he felt as if he was where he was meant to be. He gladly listened to the patients' stories of when they were a kid, and their drug influenced hallucinations until it was finally time to go home.

Upon arriving, he was once again greeted with the same welcoming smile, but for the first time in days, the knowing look vanished at the sight of the smile on his face. They stood there, in an uncomfortable silence before he finally had enough.

"You know what Mum? Maybe this volunteer work isn't so bad after all."

NB: I made a promise a few months back that I would try to update at least one of my stories each Sunday/Monday, but so far, that's fallen to crap. But with this story, I feel like I might be able to stick to it. So to all of you who review by saying 'Update ASAP!' or 'please update!' or anything like that, as much as I love your reviews, it feels kind of pressuring. Don't be greedy. You just got an update. Wait. So, this is me saying that I will try to update every Sunday/Monday from now on. Well, apart from next week. I'm going to be away all weekend and on a bus all of Monday, so the next update will be late. But then it'll be like I promised. Also, I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are on the reason why Ally is in hospital. I still have two Health Class volunteers to name (preferably and girl and boy), and I need some names. So those who guess correctly (or at least close to) will be able to name them. Seem fair? Let me know.