Category ~ Challenge
Disclaimer ~ I own nothing, okay?
Feedback ~ I love mail! Send me some! greeneblob707@yahoo.com is awaiting, tell me what you think about any story!
Author’s Notes ~ I would just like to state that I am in no way a Jinucci in any way, shape, or form. This is a response to the challenge placed before my by Bridget. I worked very hard, so please enjoy the fruits of my labor.
Susan was awoken from her dream with a loud beeping sound. She jumped at the loud, shrieking noise. Rolling over she glanced at the blurred letters on the clock. It couldn't possibly be six already. She groaned and looked over to the empty side of her bed. The sheets were almost perfectly made. She never slept on that side. And looking at the perfectly made sheets every morning just kept reminding her how alone she really was. She sighed and rose from her bed.
She took her time getting ready. She wasn't in a rush to get to work. She took a nice long, hot shower, and made herself breakfast, which she rarely ever did. When she finally stepped outside to go to work she felt like all the energy had been sucked from her. She had no desire to go to work that day. She rarely had a bursting desire to go to work anymore. Her life felt empty. She kept herself busy during the day and didn't feel as bad when she was working, but as soon as she came home she felt alone all over again. She wanted more than anything for that feeling to go away.
Jing-Mei was stirred from her sleep by the sound of whimpering two-year-old. A few seconds after she woke up her alarm went off. The loud, screeching sound startled her and she jumped. After a few minutes of preparing herself she slowly rose from her warm bed and made her way to her son's bedroom. As she opened his door the door creaked and her son looked up. His eyes became wide and he threw his arms up, signaling for his mother to pick him up.
She smiled as she picked him up rustled his hair. He giggled and she walked out of the room and into the kitchen. "Okay Ben, what would you like for breakfast this morning?" she asked with a grin. Ben looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "Frosted flakes?" she asked. Ben shook his head. "Cheerios?" Ben once again shook his head. "Strawberries?" she asked once more, pointing to a container of strawberries in the refrigerator.
The little boy nodded his head frantically and smiled, saying, "awberries!" Jing-Mei smiled and took the strawberries out of the fridge. She placed Ben in his high chair and put several strawberries on a plate and placed it in from of him. He immediately began eating the strawberries and mumbling to himself. "Slow down, Biz." She chuckled a bit when she realized she had called him by the nickname his father gave him. She always hated it, but eventually it grew on her. He laughed and said something his mother couldn't understand. She sat down with a bowl of cheerios and watched her son eat happily.
Susan pushed the double doors leading into the ER open and stepped inside. She entered the doctor’s lounge to find the very pregnant Abby talking to Kerry. They were both sitting at the table and they looked up when Susan came in. "Sorry," Susan said, turning to leave the room.
"No, no, it's okay, we are just about done here." Kerry stated. Susan nodded her head and walked over to her locker. "Okay, so, you can work shorter shifts for the next 2 weeks, and take your leave from there. And after the baby is born you can take an extra two weeks off." Kerry said, handing Abby some papers to sign.
"Okay, sounds good." Abby said. She quickly scribbled her name on several sheets of paper and then the two woman rose from their sheets. Kerry smiled at Susan and then left the room. "Morning Dr. Lewis." Abby smiled opening her locker.
"Morning," she smiled back. "Working out your maternity leave?" Susan asked in reference to Abby's last conversation.
"Oh, yeah." Abby stated with a slight smile. "I just can't wait to get this show on the road. I feel like a beached whale." Abby joked, looking at her large stomach.
"Oh don't be silly, you don't look like that at all!" Susan laughed. Abby gave her an odd look and shut her locker door. "More like an elephant." Susan said, obviously joking.
"Oh, that’s much better!" Abby said heading towards the door.
"An elephants gestation period is two years!" Susan told her kiddingly.
"Oh god," Abby sighed as she walked out the door. She put her hand on her back in a lame attempt to relieve some of the pain. As she walked to admit she noticed that Kerry must have hired a new desk clerk, seeing as she didn't recognized the man typing away on the computer. She walked up next to Kerry and began sorting through some papers.
"Uh, Abby Carter?" the new clerk said, taping Abby on the shoulder.
Abby swung around to face the man. She smiled and said, "Yes, good guess."
He laughed and said, "You are the only pregnant nurse I have seen today, so it wasn't that hard. Jerry Malkovich" Jerry said extending his hand.
Abby shook his hand and smiled. "Abby Carter, obviously." she chuckled.
"Ah, Dr. Carter is a lucky man." Jerry said. Abby smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Anyway, Dr. Carter told me to tell you that he had to go home, but he will be back in time for your OB appointment this evening."
"Okay thanks," Abby said, taking the small piece of paper from his hand and placing it in her pocket.
Just then Dave walked by, chart in hand, and asked, "Hey, has Jing-Mei come in yet?"
"No, I haven't seen her." Abby answered.
"Her shift starts in a half an hour." Kerry told him.
Jing-Mei shifted Ben from one hip to the other in an attempt to stop the rising pain. She used her body to push open the ambulance bay doors and stepped inside. As she approached admit she looked around for any sign of Dave. Not seeing him in the direct vicinity she asked, "Hey, has anyone seen Dave?"
Randi looked up from the keyboard and said, "Yeah, he's with a patient."
Jing-Mei sighed and said, "Okay, can you tell him that I went ahead and took Ben up to day care."
"Sure thing." Randi replied. She then smiled and waved at two year old Ben. "Hey Ben! How are you today?"
"Good," the little boy replied quietly.
"God, he is getting so big." Randi stated.
"Tell me about it." Jing-Mei said turning to walk away.
"Mommy, I want to see Daddy." Ben said.
Jing-Mei brushed the hair from his eyes, making a mental note to take him to get a haircut. "I know you do sweetie, but we are just going to have to wait until later, okay?" The little boy nodded his head and then sighed. He fiddled with the little toy airplane in his hands and made flying noises as they waited for the elevator. Jing-Mei laughed as he pretended to fly the plane around.
Just then she heard a ding and she snapped he head up and saw the elevator doors opening. She stepped inside and pressed the floor that she wanted to go on. As the doors started to close she heard a voice say, "Hold the elevator!" Jing-Mei stepped forward and pushed her hand to stop the elevator. Sticking her head out to see who was coming she saw that Abby was quickly making her way towards the doors. She chuckled at the site of the very pregnant woman waddling her way over to the elevator.
"Thanks," Abby smiled, stepping inside the elevator.
"Sure thing," Jing-Mei smiled back. Abby sighed and leaned against the elevator wall. "What floor?" Jing-Mei asked. Abby replied that she wanted to go to the six floor and Jing-Mei quickly pressed the button. "How are you holding up?" Jing-Mei asked.
"Okay. My ankles are about to explode. I don't think I can take much more." Abby sighed.
"Ah, that happens." Jing-Mei laughed.
"He's getting big!" Abby stated, gesturing towards young Ben. "Hey Ben! Do you know who I am?"
"Baby!" Ben shrieked, pointing towards Abby large stomach. Jing-Mei laughed and so did Abby.
"Yes, there is a baby in there. That's Aunt Abby. She is married to Uncle Carter." Jing-Mei told her son.
"Uncle Carter? I know him!" Ben said, proud of himself.
"Yes, we all know Uncle Carter." Abby said, tickling the little boy who began laughing incessantly. "What do you think I should name the baby?"
Ben pondered the question for a second then replied, "Hercules!"
Abby and Jing-Mei laughed and Jing-Mei kissed him on the forehead. "Hercules? Well, I don't know if Uncle Carter will like that. I was thinking something more along the lines of Colleen. Do you like that name?" Abby asked grinning.
"That's a girls name." Ben stated.
"Yes it is. Usually girls are named names like that." Abby told him. Just then the doors opened and Abby realized she needed to get off. She said a quick goodbye to both Jing-Mei and Ben and stepped off the elevator. Jing-Mei sighed as the doors closed and once again shifted Ben to her other hip. They were both quiet the rest of the ride.
When Jing-Mei arrived at day care she smiled and placed Ben on the floor. She mentioned something to the day care worker and left the room. Before going downstairs she stopped and watched her son through the window. He was playing with a toy train and making the noises that go with it. She smiled as she watched him play. She loved her son so much. So much she could hardly believe she had once given a child up for adoption. When she first found out she was pregnant with Ben she didn’t know what to do. She had had a short, meaningless relationship with Dave, and having a child was the last thing that she wanted. But she couldn’t force herself to give her child up again. So she decided to keep him. And here she was, a mother of a two-year-old. And Dave was the father. She had to admit he was a pretty good father to Ben. He loved spending time with him, and Ben just adored being around his dad. Jing-Mei never would have guessed in a million years that Dave could be such a good father. But he was. They both had equal custody of him, and so far things had been going okay with their situation. They both led separate love lives, and worked together in the hospital. They both didn’t have much in common, and often argued when they were together. But they had a bond. And that bond with Ben. And frankly, Jing-Mei liked that bond.
After a few moments she sighed and walked down the hallway and got on the elevator. She had no idea what awaited her in the ER, and at that moment, she didn’t care.
"Dr. Lewis? Dr. Lewis?" Connie said, trying to get Susan’s attention. Susan’s head snapped up and she was forced out of her daydream. "We have a major trauma coming in. A circus collapsed."
Susan swallowed her coffee quickly and said, "A circus?"
"Yes, the building collapsed." Connie said, walking off.
"Oh geez." Susan said, placing the chart she had in her hand on the desk.
Just then Weaver came in with Dave in tow, barking orders like always. She immediately began telling people where to go and what patients to treat. And a few minutes later, the criticals came in. Susan worked on two critical patients right after another and then moved onto the minors. She had to treat a young woman who had had a slight loss of consciousness. After assessing the young woman she said, "Okay ma’am, you appear to be okay. But we need to keep you hear for observation. Now, I am going to tell you three things, and you need to remember them because I am going to be asking you to tell me what they are later." The woman nodded her head, understanding. "Okay, remember caterpillar, tickle, and humungous." The woman smiled and Susan left the room.
Looking around her she realized that the trauma was basically taken care of. She sighed. That was a lot less hectic then she thought it would be, but a lot more hectic then she liked. Seeing Kerry walking by she asked, "Hey Kerry, is that it?"
Kerry looked up and responded, "Yes, the last two criticals were moved up to the OR, and most of the minors have been taken care of. We managed to avoid an all out disaster." Susan nodded her head and Kerry walked off to admitt. Susan soon followed. * * * * *
Jing-Mei walked down the hallway towards admitt, Ben on her hip. She had just gotten word that her grandfather had died, and she would have to fly out. She debated for a bit, but then decided that it was best she take Ben with her. There was no reason to burden Dave, and he probably had a bunch of night shifts anyway.
When she saw Dave sifting through charts she came up to him. "Hey Dave." She sighed.
Dave looked up. "Oh, hey Jing-Mei." He then looked at little Ben and said, "Hey Biz! What have you been up to?"
Ben smiled and thrust his toy airplane in his father’s face. "Flying!" He smiled. Dave smiled back and rustled his hair. Noticing that Jing-Mei had her coat on and her purse with her he asked, "What’s up? I thought you were on till seven?"
"Well, I was. And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. My grandfather died, and I have to fly out to New York tonight. So I thought that it would just be easier to take Ben with me." Jing-Mei said, trying to keep the very active Ben from falling out of her arms.
"Oh no, that’s okay, I’ll take him." Dave said.
"Are you sure? I mean, I just figured you would be busy since this is short notice. I don’t mind taking him with me."
"No, its fine. Biz and I will have a good time, won’t we Biz?" Dave grinned.
"Ben, do you want to stay with Daddy?" Jing-Mei asked her son.
Ben frantically nodded his head, saying, "Yes, stay with Daddy!"
Jing-Mei smiled and looked at Dave. "Well, then I guess it’s okay."
"Okay, yeah, we will have lots of fun, won’t we Biz?" Dave asked, taking the toddler from his mother’s arms. Ben nodded his head and continued to fiddle with his toy plane. Jing-Mei went on about how to reach her and all the things she usually does. Dave nodded his head, already knowing most of the things she was saying. She then leaned over and gave Ben a kiss on the forehead and turned to go. "Okay, you get to stay with Daddy!" Dave said, walking towards the elevator to take Ben back up to daycare.
Susan sat on a chair at admit, newspaper and pen in hand. It was oddly slow in the ER, and Susan had been working on a crossword puzzle for quite some time. She had completed most of it, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out one of the answers. She was sure it was something stupid she just couldn’t think of, but not being able to get it was killing her. Finally she broke down. "Hey Abby, what is a seven letter word for a river outside George Washington’s Home?"
Abby looked at Susan and thought for a moment. After a moment her face lit up and she said, "Oh, the Potomac!"
Susan laughed and thanked her, writing the word into the spot. "I can’t believe I couldn’t get that." She laughed again.
"It’s happens to the best of us." Abby said with a chuckle. She then went back to writing something on a chart.
Just then Carter came up behind Abby and put his arms around her waist. She jumped at first, but then relaxed. He kissed her quickly then pulled out a small bouquet of flowers. Abby laughed and kissed him thank you. "What are these for?" She inquired.
"Well," He said, then paused. "I missed you."
Abby looked at him like he was crazy and said, "Oh, you did not."
Carter pretended to look someone insulted and said, "What was that for? Why can’t you believe that I would miss you?"
Abby sighed, but didn’t reply. She just gave him a hug. "Thank you." She finally said, giving him another kiss.
Susan, who had been watching the whole exchange finally said, "Oh, I’m so jealous."
Abby laughed and Carter smiled. He then went up and gave Susan a quick kiss on the cheek. "I missed you too Susan."
Both women laughed again, and then Carter took Abby’s hand and said, "Should we go?"
"Yeah, we should." Abby stated, putting down what was in her hand. Then the couple turned to go. "Have a good night Dr. Lewis." Abby said cheerfully.
"You too." Susan said, before turning back to the newspaper in front of her. She scribbled something down then got up from her seat. She looked at the clock and realized her shift was over. As she walked to the lounge she threw the newspaper in the trash, then got her coat and bag and headed out the door.
When she reached the end of the ambulance bay she made a split second decision. She decided she didn’t want to go home just yet. So she began walking towards Doc Magoos. As she was walking there she saw Dave walking by with Ben. "What’s up Ben?" She asked as she neared.
"The sky!" he squealed.
"Op, you are right about that!" Susan grinned.
"Look Daddy, a plane!" Ben shouted, thrusting his chubby arm into the air. Both Dave and Susan looked up in the sky, and sure enough, a plane flew by.
"Yep, that’s a plane alright." Dave stated.
"You sure do like planes, don’t you Ben?" Susan asked. Ben nodded his head. "Do you want to be a pilot when you grow up?" Susan asked with enthusiasm.
"No." Ben said, shaking his head.
"No?" Dave asked curiously. "Well, what do you want to be then?"
"A doctor!" Ben shouted, throwing his arms in the air. Both Susan and Dave laughed. Susan and Dave talked for a moment, but Ben started to get ancy, so Dave said goodbye and left. Susan sighed as she watched the father and son walk away. Dave sure was a good father to that little boy, she had to admit.
Suddenly realizing how cold she was she quickly made her way into the warm Doc Magoos. Pushing the door open, she relaxed as the warm air thawed her frozen body. She sat down on a stool at the counter and began drumming her fingers on the counter. She ordered coffee, and then commenced staring into space. Suddenly she was snapped out of her gaze by Elizabeth saying, "Hey Susan."
Susan turned around at the voice and smiled. Elizabeth invited Susan to come sit with her, and Susan slowly made her way over to the booth. She slid into the seat and smiled. "Hey." She grinned. Elizabeth grinned back.
"Don’t feel like going home?" Elizabeth inquired.
"Yep, not quite sure why though." Susan stated. "Where’s Ella?" she asked.
Elizabeth took a sip of her coffee and said, "Oh, she’s at the neighbors. She likes it over there, so I figure she won’t mind staying there a little bit longer." Susan laughed at the comment.
"She sure is getting big." Susan said.
"Tell me about it! Sometimes I can’t believe that she isn’t a little baby anymore. And she is only four, I don’t even want to think about when she gets into high school!" Elizabeth chuckled.
Both women were quiet for a moment, and they each took a sip of their coffee. They both looked like they didn’t know what to say. Finally Susan said, "So, Carter is going to be a dad soon."
"Oh God, I know! I can’t believe it!"
"I know, it’s a tad odd. I mean, to me he will always be that innocent third year medical student who just couldn’t wait to become a surgeon." Susan sighed.
"And now he’s married and with a baby on the way." Elizabeth said, finishing Susan’s thought.
They both stopped talking right then. Susan swallowed the coffee in her mouth and said quickly, "I’m happy for him."
"Oh, yeah, me too. And Abby." Elizabeth agreed.
"Oh, definitely. She’s a really nice person. And it’s great that they have each other."
"Definitely. They are perfect for each other. I couldn’t be happier for them." Elizabeth stated.
"Me too." Susan said. Once again, both women stopped talking. Susan slowly nodded her head and looked around the room before finally saying, "I’m also kinda jealous too."
Elizabeth laughed and said, "Me too."
"Oh good, I’m glad it’s not just me!" Susan laughed. "Yeah, it’s just, I see all these people together who are totally in love and completely happy, and I just wonder, you know, if that’s ever going to happen for the rest of us."
"It is hard sometimes, to be alone."
"I don’t know, I mean, I know that I am lucky in the respects that I am doing a job that I love and I have such great friends, but at the end of the day, I just wonder, you know?"
"That is totally understandable and it’s normal to feel that way. I mean, after Mark died, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be happy again, but you never know what life is going to hand you, you know. I am sure that there is some guy out there for you. I’m sure that he’s somewhere out there, feeling almost the same way you do. You just have to be patient." Elizabeth said, trying to comfort her friend.
Susan sighed. "Life is so different from what you thought it would be as a child, isn’t it?" Susan asked.
"Oh, that’s true. This isn’t how I pictured my life going, having to raise a child on my own." Elizabeth stated.
"You always think that by this point in your life you will have some wonderful husband and three gorgeous kids and a house with a basketball hoop in front of it, and everything will be prefect. But things don’t go that way." Susan said, taking another sip of her coffee."
"It will be okay, trust me. Life is weird in a way that whenever things seem to look their worst, something happens and things turn out right in the end." Elizabeth said.
Susan looked at her friend and smiled, "I am pretty pathetic aren’t I? I’m sitting her complaining about my life when there are people who are far worse off then I am."
"Oh no, you aren’t pathetic at all! Trust me!" Elizabeth laughed. The two chatted more. They shared stories and talked about work. Sitting there with Elizabeth talking and laughing made Susan feel so much better. It was kinda funny how things had turned out. Elizabeth was absolutly right. One could never be sure what life was going to hand them. Her life may have been different then how she expected, but it wasn’t necessarily bad. At that moment, sitting there talking with Elizabeth, she was just glad to have such a good friend. And Elizabeth was a very good friend. Her friendship was something unexpected. It was something that had taken Susan by surprise. It was something life handed her during a very hard time. And she was grateful for that.
When she went home that night she didn’t feel as bad as when she had left. Life wasn’t perfect, but it sure as hell wasn’t horrible. And thinking about her conversation with Elizabeth made Susan smile a real smile for the first time that day.
~Title: "Don't Cry for Me"
~ you must have one scene taking place in an elevator
~ Dave and Deb must have a child whose nickname is Biz. They don't have to be married or even like each other, but you must include one scene with them and their child.
~ an airplane (real or fake) must appear three times in the story, and a train must appear once.
~ Jerry must be in the story
~ there must be a major trauma involving a mishap at the circus
~ Susan must come back (or already be back) in the story and must use the words love, jealous, caterpillar, elephant, river, humongous, husband, and tickle in her dialogue at least once at some point the story.