Francesca's point of view.
I tied my hair up in a bun and put on my coat before grabbing charts and hedging downstairs. The halls in the hospital were noisy as always. Nurses and doctors running around to make sure they can go home with a clear conscience. I was happy to be back to work officially. It was my personal escape. I thank my father, since the workaholic trait me and Giovanni got were from him. He would stay in office for days and never come out until a project was done.
As the elevator opened on the first floor, I took a deep breath and walked over to the crowded emergency side, where all the patients sat waiting to be treated. I pulled back the curtain on a brand new older lady who asked for me specifically. She was in the bed with her arm stretched over to hold her son's hand next to her. "Ms.Greene, how are you today?" I said looking through her chart. "She's been better." He said looking nervous, I only smiled and walked over to her bedside. "Well let's see what mom has to say." I told him before looking over to her. She frowned and pulled in his hand kissing it. "Dr. Romano, this is my fiance, we get married next week."
I looked over at him and back to her before apologizing. "You apologize yet you look like you've seen a ghost. It's okay, yes I am old enough to be his grandmother." He smiled proudly as he only held her hand tighter. I shook my head and disregarded the conversation. "So Ms.Greene what's the problem for today?" She lifted her hand to the back of her neck and let out a soft painful moan. "I've had this headache for two years. At first it was on and off but now it's unhinged. I've been to one doctor before and he recommended me to you." I looked through her chart again and didn't see anything about a recommendation. "Who was the doctor and did he say what was causing the pain?"
"Dr .Cash and he said it was Sjaastad syndrome." Dr. Cash was a good friend of mine, way older but had less experience and would always send over clients. Sjaastad syndrome sounded very familiar but I couldn't remember exactly. "Okay, Mrs. and Mr..?" I said looking over to him. "Mr. Greene, I'm taking Ruby's last name." He smiled at her. "Yes well, I'll have someone bring you over for some scans and then I'll be back with you." I walked out with the charts and went to a different side of the room pulling back another curtain to see a young girl holding a baby.
"Hi, I'm doctor Romano, where's mom?" I asked the young girl. "Right here." She looked tired and drained as she looked up to me. I looked down at the chart to see the patient was the baby girl. "Zena is a beautiful name, Ms. Zuri Riuz." I said walking over to see the baby. "What brings you in?" I picked up the baby from her arms and she laid back in the bed rubbing her eyes. She started laughing in my arms, and I smiled until she didn't stop. "She doesn't stop laughing. Instead of crying she laughs, I think she's mocking me but my boyfriend says there's something wrong with her."
Zena calmed down for two minutes before starting to laugh again. "Hypothalamic Hamartoma." I whispered. "Why do you look so worried?" She sat up and looked at me with terror. "Because the surgery for this only has a 35 percent survival rate for a baby at her age." Zuri scoffed and took the baby out of my hands. "So what? Either you tell me you'll save her or I'll go to someone who can." Her face turned pale as Zena laughed again in her hands. Talk about bad timing. "One of my doctors will come and move you guys to another room in a moment, okay. Don't worry." I walked out and pulled back the curtain. I sighed before walking to the elevator. I held both charts close to my chest as I watched the numbers rise and the elevator keep a steady pace.
Once the doors opened I made my way down the dimmed hallway in between the rooms of where we keep private patients. No cameras. I walked to the very end and leaned against the door frame. I looked around the room before walking in and placing the charts down on the chair and checked the morphine drip. It was fine so I sat down and crossed my legs underneath me with the charts now on my lap. "It's rude to watch people sleep, doc." A smile grew on my face as I sat up and straightened my posture.
"Well I get paid filthy amounts of money to do it, so I'll continue to do so." He smiled before blinking his eyes open and looking at me. "You straightened your hair?" I looked down and started playing with the rings on my hand. "You scared me there King." My smile faded before looking up at him. "I didn't want to come, I wouldn't have. I just couldn't drive any further." I looked at him and rolled my eyes. "Why were you driving anyway?" He chuckled looking up to the ceiling. "I couldn't ditch my truck, any other car, fine. Not that one."
"It's a car, you were dying." His smile grew bigger. "Remy Martin, caramel and baby breath flowers. That's what my passenger seat smells like." I thought for a while, trying to see what he saw in that. Then it hit me. The night of the club with Beverly I was taking shots of Remy. "With everything going on, I don't see you often. That's the closest thing I have of you." After I didn't say anything and only looked at him with a blank expression he called over to me. I walked over and sat on the edge of his bed and only looked at him. "Can you promise me something?"
"Promise me everything will end. No binding papers. No more threats. No more showing up to my house hurt. No more Halston." He groaned as he slightly turned, grabbing my legs and lifting me to sit on his lap. He looked up into my eyes and bonded our hands together. "I don't know when or how this will end, but what I do know is that the only thing that will ever cause you a problem after all this is me, when I don't want you leaving for work so early again. I promise." He let go of one of my hands and ran his hand up my bare thigh.
"Early and late hours, It's a tough gig." I said, smiling down at him. "This gig calls for a short dress?" He tried to pull the mini dress down but the stretchy material only bounced back, even higher this time. He tried again and it did the same, causing him to look up at me with raised brows. "The coat covers it." He locked his jaw in pain as he sat up. "The coat? Okay." He pulled each side of the white coat in and buttoned each button up to my neck, covering the deep V-neck of the dress. "That looks good." He said resting his hands on my hips.
I laughed and leaned over to kiss him, making sure to keep my weight off of his stomach. I placed soft kisses on his lips, pulling away each time until he wrapped his arms around my waist and tugged me down on him. He kissed me and never let our lips part as his tongue met mine and my arms wrapped around his neck. I was ready to relax and set into this moment until my pager started to go off repeatedly. He sighed and let go, allowing me to sit up. I held his face for a second before jumping off. I unbuttoned my coat and kissed his forehead. "Don't make me get off this bed doc." He said as I grabbed the charts. "I'll have someone come check your bandages." I said as I pulled down my dress for him, though it did nothing.
When I made my way to the magnet room where I was paged, Jocelyn and a nurse were waiting for me. The nurse gave me a book with the title "Sjaastad Syndrome AKA Paroxysmal Hemicrania." She also gave the scans of Ruby. "Can you change Mr. De' Luca's bandages please." She nodded and I sat next to Jocelyn as the nurse walked away and I placed the things she gave me to the side. "How are you holding up?" She asked, leaning back in her chair. "Honestly Lyn?" I took my hair out of its bun and leaned back as well.
"King was shot three days ago, I've been sleeping here to miss Giovanni and Beverly because I don't know how to respond to their questions. My mom keeps calling and I don't have it in me to answer. King's parents keep coming here every night with flowers and 'thank you' cards that I have to accept. I got two new patients and I'm scared of how I'm going to help them. Worst of all I dumped everything on you and I can feel how worried you are for me."
She showed a hesitant upside down smile before getting up and sitting on my lap, hugging me tight. "This Halston guy scares me." I hugged her back and pushed my face into her chest as tears pushed through my eyes. "I'm scared one day I'm not gonna have a home to go back to. It feels like everyone in my world is going to get picked off one by one." I tried to stop before I was in shambles but I already couldn't catch my breath as tears kept falling. "Giovanni's nine-teen." She rubbed my back and only pulled me closer.
"And you are the best sister he could ever ask for. You are doing your best in a world of ruins. Don't be a part of that ruin. Not yet." She stood up and sat back in her seat wiping my face. She took deep breaths with me and smiled. "I can't believe you're such a pretty crier." She said, causing me to laugh at her. "Well let's feed that mad woman inside of you really quick."
She clicked on the remote, shutting off the lights and turning on the computer screens that covered the whole room around us. My eyes opened and my jaw dropped. "She's six months old. How is this tumor half her brain?" Jocelyn shrugged her shoulders. "You're going to try and remove it ain't you?" I grew a smile.
"You can't talk a mad woman out of being mad Lyn."