Wednesday Day 11
After starting his day off relaxed, getting his coffee, some food, and a couple of cigarettes, John felt ready to handle the day. He signed out, got his wallet and keys, and left the center. As John began to drive away, he opened an envelope from Dijana, given to him by the security guard. It had the address and directions of where he was going. Reading the note, he began to laugh. This place was only supposed to be 11 miles away and it appeared to take half the roads in the city to get there.
Edward Hospital, 130 Weber Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60440
Start out going northwest on Timberline Drive towards Old Quarry Road.
Timberline Drive becomes Boza Drive. Turn right onto East New Avenue then turn right onto Lockport Street. Turn left onto East Illinois Street then left onto State Street. State Street becomes Stephen Street. Stephen Street becomes Lemont Road. Take the I-55 S ramp to the IL-53 exit, exit number 267, towards Bolingbrook. Turn right onto South Bolingbrook Drive. Turn left onto Lily Cache Lane then turn right onto South Naperville Road. Turn left onto Weber Road.130 North Weber Road
'The directions seemed easy enough.' He thought as he saw the sign Boza Drive. 'Okay that's good; now turn right on East New Avenue. So far so good.' He thought.
John sipped his coffee thankful that Matt had given him the travel mug.
He finally arrived at his destination. Looking around, he picked up the paper bag that Abby had put his lab coat and stethoscope in. Pulling them out of the bag, he got out and put them on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dijana sat in her office finishing up the night reports. She had a new patient coming in for an orientation in about an hour and had to get updated on everyone before that meeting. The incident with Nick weighed heavily on her mind as she picked up the phone to try and call him again. Wanting to get some coffee and a little fresh air, she decided to personally make sure that the front desk was aware of the new arrival. Stepping out of her office and into the front lobby, she poured herself a cup of coffee and approached Nancy.
"I have a new patient arriving in about an hour. I don't think I've entered her in your book as of yet." She sipped the hot liquid as she glanced over the sign in and out sheet for employees. "Do you know what time Nick left?" She asked, wondering why she wasn't able to contact him. She couldn't seem to find his name on the list either.
Just then, one of the security guards entered to make his rounds of the front grounds. As he came near, he heard Dijana ask about Nick.
"He's still here ma'am," he reported. "According to the night crew, he spent the entire night in his room and he's still asleep in there."
"That's odd," Dijana commented. "I wonder what's up with him? Thank you Hank." Dijana filled a second cup with coffee and headed towards Nick's therapy room.
Dijana knocked lightly on the door and entered cautiously. She laughed quietly to herself at seeing him curled up on the floor amongst the many pillows.
"Nick?" She kicked gently at his thigh with her foot. "Got some coffee for you." She temped him to awaken.
"Oh God," Nick groaned as Dijana went over and opened the blinds. Nick sat up and started to reach out for the coffee but the throbbing in his hand would not allow it. "Damn," he sucked in his breath drawing it to himself.
Dijana could clearly see that he was in a lot of pain as she set the cup down and knelt to examine it.
"It's fine, please don't touch it." Nick groaned as he reached with his left hand for the coffee.
"What did you do?" Dijana asked.
"I'm sorry Dijana. I really fucked up last night. I don't have any excuse. I just know that it was bad and John most likely is never going trust me again. I certainly wouldn't blame him." He sat on the floor rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Dijana had been ready to rip into him but seeing him sitting there on the floor, in pain, rambling on about how badly he felt melted her.
"Nick, what the hell happened?" She asked softly but sternly.
"I don't know. I just lost it. I don't know why." Nick sipped at the hot coffee.
Dijana couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. Nick was rather cute with his hair messed and his clothes rumbled. He looked like a schoolboy whom had been sent to the principal's office and was waiting for his punishment. He still had not explained what he had done to his hand. She still needed to find out what exactly happened.
"I've talked with two of the security guards and they said that John was clearly upset from the moment he arrived and that you just ripped into him. You didn't even give him a chance to explain and when he tried to, you just lashed out at him. Nick? That's not like you? I've never even known you to raise your voice." Dijana watched as Nick finished his coffee, picked himself up off the floor and began pacing.
"I know, and I knew he was upset even before that. I called him about 8pm, after he still hadn't gotten here. He wouldn't even take my call. His girlfriend was so sweet and very apologetic." Nick opened the bathroom door and ran the water. He continued talking as he washed his face. "She said that he had had a pretty good day, but was tired when he got home. She said he fell asleep. I even heard him telling her to tell me that and that he was busy trying to get dressed and out of there." Nick kicked the door closed.
Dijana sat in one of the beanbag chairs as she waited for him to finish his business. She just couldn't imagine what would have caused Nick to act so irrationally. He was the senior therapist on staff and basically her right hand man. John had taken to him right away and had found it very easy to talk with Nick about things that he didn't like to discuss with anyone else.
"God, I can't believe some of the things I said to him." Nick stepped out of the bathroom and joined Dijana in a beanbag. "He's gonna hate me, Dijana." Nick sat back as far as he could and stared up at the ceiling. "I came in here last night to cool off and I wanted to go apologize to him but I was afraid of upsetting him any farther. I had already pushed him way too far."
"Okay, Nick, I can see that you at least realize your mistake. Now we have to figure out how to fix it and hopefully get things back on track. I think I'm going to call Dr. Hansen and have him come in this evening. I'm not sure how John's going to feel tonight. He may just come back and crash. I've asked Mike to keep an eye on him for me and I want to let the staff know that he's to be left alone. I don't want a repeat of last night. I'm sure that yesterday was very emotionally draining for him, even if it did turn out better than he expected. I also need to tell you that Mike said that John made a pass at him, even kissed him on the lips, while in his altered state. I'm not quite sure how to approach that subject yet. I'm thinking that I may have to speak with Veronica on that." Dijana looked perplexed.
"I assume that I won't be handling his case any more." Nick sounded almost hurt.
"I hope that's not the case." Dijana assured him. "John is not like most patients who's been through a single trauma or a serious of related events. He is about the most complex person I think I have ever come across. The multitude of events that have occurred to him in his lifetime would have sent the average person out of their mind years ago. I'm really amazed at his strength to endure all he's been through." Dijana sat forward and placed her hand on Nick's knee. "Nick you have been a 'God send' to him. You have reached him in areas that he can't even talk to anyone else about, anyone beside Veronica. He needs us all working together to help pull him through this. I just hope that he can put what happened between the two of you aside for his own sake." Dijana sighed.
"Maybe I should stick around this evening and see if I can't talk to him after his session with Dr. Hansen even if it's only for a few minutes. I need to at least tell him how sorry I am that things got so out of control. I've never had a patient affect me the way he has. I can't explain it." Nick said.
"I do understand that! He definitely has a way with people. I have also seen how he interacts with Tasha and I'm thinking of doing some duel therapy with the two of them. She trusts him and they have the sexual abuse in common. He's the first male that she's even allowed to get near her. I think he can be a big help in that area." Dijana explained.
"I think that's a good idea. She even began telling John what happened to her when he told her that he had also experienced the same thing. Her and Pam have gotten rather close but I think she needs to see that all guys are not like the ones who have hurt her." Nick offered his take on the subject.
"You should go home and get some rest, Nick. I need to call Veronica and Dr. Hansen." Dijana stood and headed out towards her office. "And you need to fill out an accident report and get that hand looked at before you come back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hello. I'm John Carter. I'm looking for Dr. Ramsey." John announced, walking up to the registration desk in the emergency room. This hospital seemed very quiet compared to County.
"You're the temp?" The older woman asked, smiling.
"Yes, I am." John smiled. It felt so good to be able to use his real name again.
"Why don't you have a seat, Dr. Carter and I'll page Dr. Ramsey."
"Thank you." John went to chairs where a few people sat waiting. There was an elderly couple sitting against the wall and the woman looked to be having trouble breathing. Behind him was a woman with a young child who seemed to have a hurt arm. Another man sat holding a bloody towel to his arm and yet another who looked to be passed out. He could see a few nurses and a doctor here and there but it was just so quiet.
"Dr. Carter?" A statuesque woman came out in a lab coat.
John stood to meet her. "Dr. Ramsey, nice to meet you." John smiled, checking her nametag quickly, making sure this was the Director.
"I'm very pleased to meet you, Dr. Carter. Why don't you follow me to my office and we'll get the paperwork out of the way." She said. "So, you come to us from Cook County?"
"Yes, ma'am," he stated. "I've spent the last year as Chief Resident in the ER. I'm just up here taking care of some personal business and I heard you were short a few doctors and thought I could lend a hand." He explained. John and Dijana had decided days ago what they would use as his 'story'. This way, he could be honest and the hospital could verify John's work references by contacting County.
"You've been there a while, correct?" She asked, leading him into a small but nice office.
"Yes, eight years, beginning as a Med Student. I'm going to apply for an Attending position next," he said proudly.
"So, you like County?" She asked, sitting behind her desk. "What do you like best?"
"I believe I like the fact that you never know what to expect," he smiled.
"Well, I have received many positive references on your abilities so I'm looking forward to working with you." She smiled, handing John many forms that he needed to complete.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Well, as I'm sure you noticed, we are a bit different than an urban hospital. We do get our share of patients but you'll be dealing with the standard ear aches, urinary tract infections, stomach aches, all the stuff you probably find boring."
"Boring sounds pretty good about now," he sighed.
"We do get an occasion trauma, so we'll need your skills then. Why don't we wait a moment on those forms and we'll just head across the hall and I'll introduce you to the staff. They're in our daily briefing meeting right now so it's a perfect opportunity." She said, standing. She led John across the hall and they entered the lounge, instantly drawing the attentions of everyone in the room.
"Well, we didn't mean to interrupt but while I have everyone's attention, I'd like to introduce you all to Dr. John Carter. He will be working here a few days a week for a couple of weeks until we can hire a permanent replacement for Dr. Lampert." She explained, looking around the room. "Where is Malucci?" She asked.
"Dave Malucci?" John laughed. He whispered to the pretty nurse he was standing next to.
"Yeah, why? Do you know him?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes for him.
Just then, the door flew open and Dave ran in, looking winded and like he threw on his clothes in the hallway.
"Dr. Ramsey, I'm so sorry. I had a flat on my bike and I had to run all the way here." Dave tried to explain, not realizing he was standing next to John.
"I told you years ago you should have bought a car." John leaned over and whispered to Dave.
"Carter? Damn, man, how ya doin'?" Dave yanked John into a bear hug.
"Well, it's nice to know that you two know one another. Welcome, John." Dr. Ramsey left the room as the meeting broke up.
"How long have you been here?" John asked, feeling a huge relief to know that Dave was also here. Sure, John and Dave disagreed on some patient care but he was still thankful to see a face he knew.
Several of the female staff members wanted to get a chance to introduce themselves to the handsome new guy to see if he was single but John seemed more interested in catching up with Dave.
"I started out stayin' in Chicago after the Chief fired me, ya know, doin' the temp thing, mostly clinics but that didn't pay the rent, ya know?" Dave explained, putting his arm over John's shoulder and leading him down the hall. "I came across this gig a few months ago. I didn't say anything about it when I last saw ya 'cause ya seemed pretty busy with Abby at the time. It's pretty cool here. How 'bout you? You finally fly the coup? Everything okay with Abby?" he asked.
"Uh, yeah we're engaged, no immediate plans though. I'm just up here taking care of some personal business and a friend of mine arranged for me to do a few days a week here while I'm in town. So, who should I avoid?" John smiled, looking around.
"Uh, let me give you the tour and I'll tell you as we meet people, 'kay? Man, it's great to see ya." Dave seemed very happy to have John around and John was much more comfortable right away. At least there was one person that he knew and could talk to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
John figured he'd get stuck with all the standard, easy cases but Dave was still a hotshot and he managed to get John assigned to several more interesting cases.
By his lunch break, John found himself exhausted. Not only had he not worked for over a week but his life had been anything but normal for over a month. Everyone he was working with seemed nice enough but it wasn't the same as with County. No one seemed to want to get to know him, probably because being a temp, what use would it be? He'd be gone in a few weeks and they'd never see him again.
After getting a sandwich from the cafeteria, which was much better than the food at County, he made his way out to a quiet, grassy patio for the staff, where he could smoke. He lit his cigarette and leaned over, cradling his face in his hands, trying to keep his mind in check.
"Hey, Hoss. They let you out for a while?" Dave came up, eating a hotdog with piles of onions and jalapeno peppers on top. John made a face.
"They let you back in after eating that stuff?" John looked away as all his taste buds rebelled from the site.
"They treatin' ya okay?" Dave sat down at the table with John.
"Everything is going fine, Dave. Thanks." John said. "So, you like it here?"
"Eh, it's okay." Dave shrugged. I got a pretty cool apartment a few miles from here that's cheaper than my place in Chicago. How about you? Where you stayin'?" Dave asked, just as he shoved the entire end of the hotdog into his mouth.
John looked away. "At a friend's place nearby. I've been there just over a week and I'm not sure how long I'll be there." John said, hoping Dave would leave it at that.
"So, what kinda personal business you handlin'? Family stuff?" Dave asked.
"Yeah, my grandmother broke her hip and she wanted me to handle this for her. I had some vacation time saved up so I figured why not?" John made light of it.
"Cool. Hey, you wanna come by my place after work? I got beer and pornos." Dave winked, knowing this would make Carter smile, which it did.
"Sorry, Dave. I'm pretty tied up with the family stuff when I'm not here but thanks for the offer. Maybe another time." John said, lighting another cigarette.
"Man, you filling those lungs of yours up pretty good there, Carter. Be careful, otherwise you'll never be able to keep up with me when we get a juicy trauma." Dave fanned away the smoke.
"Sorry. I guess I've been kind of chain-smoking these when I have the chance." John put his cigarette out. "Well," he stood. "I'd better get back. Don't want to get into trouble my first day."
"Ah, Sally's cool." Dave said, watching John.
"Sally?"
"Dr. Ramsey. Her name is Sally. She ain't nothin' like Weaver." Dave said following John back inside.
"I'm sure she has her moments. She's got a pretty nice office." John said as they entered the emergency room.
"That she does. Hey, I'll catch ya later, Carter." Dave went in one direction and John went in another.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time came for the end of his first shift. Even though he hadn't been involved in any major traumas, he still felt like he'd accomplished something. It had felt good when he was able to calm the hysterical little girl who had fallen and impaled herself in the stomach with a pencil, or the guy who'd been holding his bloody arm when he first came in.
An elderly woman with respiratory problems got his pulse racing a bit but it had turned out all right. She'd been experiencing chest pains for several hours and John had been able to get her medicated and she and her husband were up in the cardiac unit doing fine.
John signed out and walked out to his jeep feeling pretty good. He had been nervous when he'd first walked in but everyone seemed nice and treated him well. Sure, they treated him like a temp but that turned out to be fine. The fewer questions asked; the better John felt for the present time.
Running into Malucci was something very unexpected and although they didn't do much side by side, it was nice knowing that there was someone there who he knew. He and Dave had never been best buddies or anything but they'd had plenty of fun times together. Dave seemed to be well liked and not that different from how he'd been while at county.
John drove back to the center after stopping and getting his tire replaced. He was feeling more in control of himself and although he was tired, he could call the day a success. His next shift was not for a few days so he'd go back to being the patient for now.
He signed back in, checked in his wallet and keys without incident, and was able to get completely back to his room without any interruptions. Dr. Sajak had arranged for him to have some decompressing time when he returned from doing a shift and on these days, his first session wasn't until 7pm. John stripped off his work clothes and stepped into a steaming hot shower, washing the smells off himself, smells that he'd grown so accustom to and smells he was surprised he'd missed.
About a half hour before dinnertime, John reemerged in his jeans and T-shirt, and went downstairs and out to the patio for a much needed cigarette.
"You mind if I sit here?" John asked, seeing Pam and Tasha sitting on the end of the deck.
"No, you're welcome, John. We haven't seen you around here for a couple days. Where have you been hiding yourself?" Pam asked flirtatiously. Tasha still wore a knee brace.
"Oh, I got a little field trip home and today I started this therapy thing in town that Dr. Sajak has for me a couple days a week. Did I miss anything?" John sat next to Tasha, motioning to her and getting half a nod giving him permission. He made sure he kept his respectable distance, just the same.
"New admit. Some chick named Melody. Don't know much about her yet. They've had her in sessions most of the day and getting her physical, you know, newbie stuff." Pam rattled. "So, I saw you sneak through here all dressed up. What kind of therapy does Dr. Sajak have you doing that you have to get all dressed up like that?" She asked.
John laughed. "That's actually how I dress most of the time. It wasn't dressing up for me." John shrugged. "So, are you ladies up for some horseback riding after dinner? We should have about an hour before our evening sessions." John suggested, pointing at the stables.
"I'd love to but Tasha doesn't ride." Pam said. John cocked his head toward Tasha.
"You don't ride? Does that mean you don't like to or you've never ridden?" He asked, smiling softly.
Tasha was avoiding eye contact but John could see her glance up at him every now and again.
"She's never been." Pam answered for her.
"I could teach you, if you want." John said, hoping Pam wouldn't answer for her friend again.
Slowly, Tasha managed to look up and she met John's eyes.
"I'd like that." She said, barely over a whisper.
"Good." John smiled and then clapped his hands against his thighs. "Then we will." He nodded, looking out at the horses in the stable. "We'll pick a nice calm horse for you and I think I know just the one."
"I can't..." Tasha blurted, looking terrified.
"What? What can't you do, Tasha?" John asked in a soothing voice.
She looked down. "I can't ride by myself," she admitted.
Pam smiled. "Think you could double up with her, John? I bet Tasha would feel more comfortable with that, wouldn't you, honey?" Pam asked her friend.
Tasha nodded slightly. "If you want me to, I will." She spoke ever so softly.
John smiled. "Sure, we can do that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dinnertime." Geneen announced to those sitting on the patio. John hopped off the edge of the deck and held out his hands to help Pam down, which she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and slid herself off, pressing herself against the front of John's body. John stepped back and he turned to Tasha, held out his hands, and smiled. Geneen watched closely.
Tasha looked up and hesitated. Slowly, timidly, she put her hands on his shoulders as John placed his hands gently on her hips. John nodded to her that he had her and she jumped down, careful not to stumble against his body. John felt her steady herself and he removed his hands, smiling.
"Shall we, ladies?" He led the way into the dining room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Geneen watched her tables, documented behaviors, and food intake. She was happy to see John in a good mood, talking with the other residents and seemingly enjoying himself. When Dr. Sajak informed the staff of the incident the night before and warned them all to monitor his behavior, Geneen had expected the worst. This was a nice change.
She watched John finish every morsel of food on his plate. When he got up, she expected him to ask to go out to the patio. The last thing she expected was to see him go back for another helping. John had not finished an entire meal since he'd arrived and she watched in amazement as he packed it away.
To be continued....
Copyright Footer', 'This site is not affiliated in any way with "ER", its writers or production company, or NBC, and makes no profit from the show. The ERROS skin is by Brihana. The script is eFiction version 3.4.2© Tammy Keefer, http://efiction.org\r\n