Just The Way You Like It - Under Construction

Chapter Two

 After walking into Jane Doe's room, Dr. Hansen saw the pain and confusion in her face. He had already forgotten about Nurse Tess' warning about the light. Jane Doe had turned her head away quickly to shelter herself from the light, and Dr. Hansen shut the door as quickly as he could and apologized. She then turned her face back towards him with a look of what he could only assume was hatred. He made a mental note to go talk to Dr. Nuardi later, and find out what happened when Jane Doe had woken up.

Dr. Hansen couldn't help but smile as he approached Jane's hospital bed. She looked pretty good for having been in a coma for almost four years. Pale and pretty thin, her eyes were sunk deep into their sockets. She almost looked like a ghost, or maybe the living dead. But there was also a fire slowing burning behind those blue eyes that Blake found almost mesmerizing. The hospital's barber had done a good job. Her hair was short as all coma patients' were, but hers still looked feminie. Golden blond curls that he knew would glow in the sunshine. But that would require getting her outside, and he was sure by the way she so obviously did not like the light, that it would be hard to get her out there to check.

She still looked angry towards him, but he still couldn't help but smile down at her. Dr. Hansen had almost forgotten why he had come in the first place. The looks she was giving him were upsetting him to no end. How she was trying so hard to look in control of herself, but underneath was a sign of pure terror. She hadn't said one word yet, which was fine. But he was looking forward to getting to know St. Micheal's Jane Doe. Blake was still astounded that Dr. Willub, the Chief of Staff at St. Micheal's, had given her case over to him. He could easily think of three doctors that were better qualified to treat her. Not that Blake was incompetent, but there were a few at St. Micheal's with a lot more experience than he. He felt honored to be the one chosen.

Dr. Willub was an ancient man, with enough medical knowledge to make Blake's head spin. It was just last spring when Dr. Willub announced his impending retirement. He was taking a year to find a replacement, hopefully another St. Micheal's doctor. Being in such a small town, it was difficult to outsource, so the job hunt began. Almost every doctor at St. Micheal's applied for it, including Blake. He was possitive he wouldn't get the job, but still wanted Dr. Willub to give him a chance. Maybe that was why Dr. Willub had given this case to Blake. Maybe it was a test to prove his medical skills. If so, he had a huge task ahead of him.

Dr. Hansen walked around to the other side of Jane Doe's bed and began reading the computer monitors that were hooked up to her. He checked her heart rate, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. They all looked amazingly good for such a recent coma patient. She was still going to need a lot of rehab if she was expecting to lead a normal and productive life. He now wished he had brought down her medical records, but he was already planning on pulling an all-nighter to catch up on her case work. There would be plenty of time to study her files. For now, he just wanted to make sure she was comfortable and in decent health.

He reached down and put his fingers to her wrist. Only to confirm the monitor's read outs for her pulse. Her hand was ice cold, and as soon as he touched her skin he regretted it. Jane's whole body stiffened, and her heart rate shot upwards at an alarming rate. Her breathing quickened, and the look of hate turned to complete fear. Damn, why hadn't he told her what he was about to do before he did it? Idiot! Bedside manners 101: Always tell the patient your intent before acting. “Sorry, shit, sorry!” Dr. Hansen said, letting go of her and almost taking a step back. “I was just checking your pulse. I should have said something first, sorry.” Ugh, this was not going well. “I um, have some paperwork to do in my office. Um, this button here will bring a nurse to help you if you need anything.” He said quickly. “I uh, I'll come back in a while and check on you again.” Blake was already backing away from her and towards the door. “Get some rest, it's going to be a busy day tomorrow.” He went to the door, grabbed the knob, and froze. Turning his head, he saw she had hers turned away from him already. He opened the door and ran out, shutting it behind him as quickly as he could.

Dr. Hansen half jogged back to his office, which was five stories up, and two wings over. Usually he took the elevator, but this time he knew he wanted to burn off some frustration. It was that look on her face when he had touched her. It had broken his heart. Actual terror. She was afraid of him, and he hadn't helped the matter any. He hadn't even told her his name! No wonder she was scared. Time to go regroup. Maybe Nurse Tess would help him sort out Jane's files before going home for the night. It would be nice to have her around for support on this. Not to mention her organizational skills would be helpful.

He got back to his office. The boxes were still where he had left them in the hall by his door. Upon entering, he saw his desk and frowned. A pile of notes covered his computer monitor. Each one from a different doctor in the hospital, requesting a schedule change, observation time, scan, consult, or phone call about his newest patient. Tomorrow, was indeed, going to be a very busy day.