Columbia Mercy Hospital

Daniel

"Sydney?" Evan moved further into the room, his heavy footfalls scuffing against the floor as he shuffled forwards. Dan watched him apprehensively. The closer to the bed he came, the more conscious Daniel was of Sydney's soft, warm hand in his, her fingers draped across his knuckles.

"Evan," Sydney said warmly. Daniel tried to gauge the level of warmth in her voice but found it difficult and then scolded himself for even attempting it. She wasn't his anymore. And he had no right to interfere, not if she loved someone else. Reluctantly, Daniel took his hand away, drawing Evan's attention to where it had been. He didn't say anything.

"Well everything checks out," Roxanne said briskly. "Time I was in another patient's room." She smiled apologetically in Syd's direction before bustling for the door. Daniel stood, feeling dizzy and disorientated for a moment as his head caught up with his legs.

"Wait," he said. "I'm tired... could you take me to bed Roxy?" She was half way through nodding when she saw the lopsided, mischievous grin on his face and took in the full scope of his words. Roxanne shook her head in disbelief, even as Syd let out a low chuckle and Evan's eyes flew wide. He clearly wasn't used to anyone being quite so casual or downright out of order with his superior.

"Wouldn't you rather be asking Jer that?" Roxanne asked, taking Dan by the arm as he hobbled to the patient room door. He grinned wider if it were possible and nodded, saying:

"Yes but he's not around. However if he turns up, I've no objections to sharing..."

>>random side note...apologies for posting in first person on my last post. i have no idea what came over me haha.


Syndey Parker

She watched Daniel leave and Evan did too, dismissing the unfortunate circumstance as he dismissed Daniel.

Evan leaned over her bed a bit beside her, leaning on the edge of the backsection, "How you feeling?"

Sydney shrugged, smiling slightly, "Like new."

Evan paused a moment and shook his head with a smile, "Oh yea, I'm sure." He took a seat on the side of Sydney's bed, leaning in and dropping a quick kiss on her lips, "Sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. My surgery went a bit longer than expected."

Sydney shrugged again to signify a brushoff, "No worries. It's not like we're serious." She didn't really mean that, but it really hurt her that he wasn't there. Sydney was used to running away from things if she thought there was any chance she'd get hurt--this was no different. This was exactly why she didn't want to call the relationship anything.

Evan Kensington

I flinched back at Sydney's words. She recognized the motion, and touched my hand lightly. It was hard to read Syd, to tell if she was sorry she had said it.

"Syd, you know I care about you more than that," I murmured, hoping she really did know. She smiled slightly, nodding.

"I know," she agreed, her voice soft. It seemed like there was more she wanted to say, but I didn't push her. I was too worried as it was - she seemed close to that Daniel fellow...and he had been there when she woke up, from the looks of it.


**Hope this is all right**

Daniel

Leaning heavily on Roxanne, Daniel tottered to his room, his thoughts on nothing beyond the horrible effort of putting one foot in front of the other and thrusting his body forward. Roxy watched him apprehensively.

"You sure don't make things easy for yourself," she murmured.

"Oh?"

"You should forget about romance and get in your bed," Roxanne said.

"Ah but if I were to do that, who would I get in my bed with?" Daniel retorted but it was systematic and his expression was grim instead of the usual smile. His body really hurt and his vision was starting to capsize.

"Daniel, can't you be serious?" Roxanne asked. Daniel shook his head as he took another step and then realised she had stopped walking. They were outside his room.

"Roxy... if I were to be serious, I think it might kill me. No, I know it would. It would defeat every disease and illness I've ever had and stop my heart right now because if I were to be serious, I'd have to admit that..." Daniel paused, getting ahold of himself and pushing back the howls and screams that threatened to erupt. He scraped around in the dark for the remnants of his dignity and his reputation for dealing.

"What?" Roxanne searched his face for integrity.

"That I love you." Daniel grinned and managed a half bow before ducking inside his room and leaning heavily against the closed door. He sank to the floor and drew his knees to his chest, shaking uncontrollably.

Sydney Parker

They sat in silence for a few moments, both mulling over the status--or lackthereof--of their relationship. Evan seemed to find something interesting outside the window to stare at intently while Sydney fiddled with her IV tape. She had always been a fiddler.

She glanced up to Evan, "Oh, by the way, I'm blowing you off for tonight."

Evan raised a brow, "What?"

"Tonight. Seven o'clock. I have to cancel." She did her best to keep it light, throwing her smile at him fiercly.

A smile crossed Evan's lips as well when he figured out when she was talking about, "Oh. Well, I'm sure there are at least 10 interns to take your place, no worries."

A small chuckle from Sydney's tired chest, "I'm sure they're good fun!" She knew that the last thing Evan would do would be to date an intern. Especially this early in the game. But Evan didn't really like needed people, and interns needed for everything.

Emily Jane Darcy

None of the calls had done any good, Emily was the Chief of Surgery and Des was nowhere to be found. At all. She looked around her office space, the folders and the files all waiting to be checked over and sorted. It would all have to wait until they got someone in for her position.

Sydney was still in the back of her mind and she wondered how she was. Looking at the papers and the blinking light on her phone she swore and stood up, collecting her clipboard and a flower from the vase on her desk.

When she got to Sydney’s door she saw Evan talking to her and watched as Sydney gave a chuckle, her chest rising in a rapid jerk. Noticing the tired line on her face and the way her eyes only sort of focused on Evan, Emily decided that Sydney was too tired for conversations. Rapping her knuckles on the door, she startled them both before striding in.

“Sydney! So glad to see you awake!” She didn’t give either a chance to respond. “Evan, I’ll be needing you to move and collect your interns now. Off you go.”

Sydney


She was startled a little by the opening of the door and Emily's chain of command. She was never really a person to take soft control over a situation--if she was going to, it was going to be loud and fast and, from her, that was respected.

Evan nodded to her, as he knew better than to argue with the woman when she told anyone to do anything. He turned to Sydney and grabbed her hand, squeezing gently, "I'll be back in a little while."

He kissed her cheek. Before that day, neither would dare have let anyone see them having any public displays of affection in the hospital. But, all of a sudden it was no longer important to hide it--though, Sydney almost wished it was even more hidden than it had been. She didn't know what she wanted out of it anymore, or if she even wanted in it.

Sydney was secretly glad Emily had interrupted them. The conversation had turned quickly awkward, and the pain in her stomach was growing by the minute as the medication wore off from the surgery.

They both watched as Evan made his way towards the door, Emily watching him the entire way like he might go astray and she'd have to drag him out herself. As the door shut behind him, she turned to Sydney as she leaned just slightly on her bed in a friendly manner.

Emily Jane Darcy

“Now, how are you?” Emily leant slightly on the bed, watching Sydney’s face carefully. “I know it was harsh back there. You did good work, staying calm like that.”

Sydney grimaced slightly, shaking her head. “Where’s my mother?” She looked surprised that the question came out, as though she was planning to ask something else.

“We don’t know. She’s not answering her phone or pager at all. I’m sure she’s okay but she’s not here.”

Sydney Parker

She sighed and shook her head, smiling in a you'd-never-believe-something-like-this-from-anyone-other-than-her kind of way...whatever that meant, "She won't be back."

Emily sat on the edge of Sydney's bed, looking at the floor beneath her. She had always tried hard to stay out of the personal lives of her residents, but she was close to Des and she knew the history between the mother and daughter so this one was particularly hard for her. She gave Sydney a sideways look.

Sydney raised a brow, "What? You know it's true. She runs away when things get hard and never comes back."

Emily turned her direction a bit, "I'm sure there's more to it than you think."

A shrug from Sydney, "I don't think so. She's done this my entire life, and I wouldn't expect her to change now. She didn't even want me here when I came as an intern--she rarely even said hi to me. There isn't much to say to the daughter you abandoned. Especially with this whole...situation. It was almost a repeat of Leah's death, and she ran from that too."

Syd wasn't usually this talkative about her relationships with...well, anyone. It must have been the drugs.

Evan Kensington

As I stepped out of Sydney's hospital room, I found both Brian and Tyson waiting in the hallway. They moved to follow me as I walked past.

"What are we doing next?" Tyson asked, falling into step beside me. I thought for a moment, trying to think of what my 'to do' list consisted of.

"I'm not quite certain. That means I go to the front desk and check my papers," I answered.

"So that means we follow," Brian said with a nod.

Emily Jane Darcy

Sydney looked embarrassed suddenly, before a determined grit came into her eyes. Emily knew that she and Des had never gotten on particularly well, but this was all new to her. She wasn’t sure if she should be avoiding the situation again, family problems weren’t really where she belonged and Sydney didn’t seem to like talking about it, though how anyone would like it she didn’t know.

She turned a little more, watching Sydney carefully, deciding that neither of them were totally comfortable with the conversation.

“You realise there’s going to be a lot of work to do now?”
“What’s going to happen?”
“Well, everyone’s moving with partners and all; we’ve got the new kids being watched over carefully. You’re all going to see Gerty when we can organise it.”
“Who’s organising everything? You?”
“You’re looking at the new head. I’m not sure this is how it’s meant to go, but we’re going to see what happens.” She shrugged and patted Sydney’s leg lightly. “You’ll be helping.”

Sydney Parker

She shrugged, glad they were moving on a bit, "No offense but...I like what I'm doing now." She stopped for just a second and looked around the room with a smile, "Well, not right now. But, you know what I mean."

Emily laughed a little too long and a little too heartfelt for her norm, and it was easy to recognize by Sydney, "Well, you just do what you're comfortable doing."

It wasn't really that Sydney wouldn't be comfortable having a bit more control over things, but...she really hated to be in charge of more than interns and low-profile cases. She just wasn't ready for it. It somehow went along with her commitment issues, and she knew that, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it.

Sydney gave a sideways smile and raised a brow, "What I comfortable doing is basically anything besides laying in a hospital bed. When can I get back to work?"

She wasn't kidding. She was smiling like she was, but she certainly was not. She hated being laid up, hated having to be waited on, and hated having nothing to do. It left her alone with herself too much, and she couldn't do it--she'd go crazy.

Emily Jane Darcy

She laughed, glad for the reprieve in the seriousness. Knowing Sydney, she was serious and wanted back in the fold of things. She was still pale and she looked frail under the white covers.

“You can go back when you’re better.” Sydney made a face a started to speak again; Emile waved a hand to quiet her. “I know, it’s infuriating to be on this end of the job, laid up and waiting until you can go back to what you’re good at.” She looked sullen and almost pouty, a scowl on her lips. “Look, I know it’s horrible, but you’re stuck here until you get better.” Emily’s voice took on a hard edged tone, and she stood up from the bed, looking down at Sydney. “You’re on this end and I’m in charge. No, stop looking so defiant and rest.”

She nodded, watching Sydney as she fought with arguing.

Sydney Parker

She leaned back, feeling a little wave of light-headedness, but kept the smile on her face, "And when, exactly, will that be? Tomorrow?" Her eyebrow was still raised a bit, still thoroughly interested in the answer...hoping it was the one she wanted.

Emily shook her head, "You know better, we'll have to see how things go but it definitely won't be tomorrow. Deal?"

Sydney's face grew paler than it already was again, her smile faded and the focus of her eyes moved off Emily into space.

Emily moved a little closer and put her hand on Sydney's shoulder with pressure, "Sydney? Can you hear me?"

Her eyelids fell closed and her head to the side, her arms limb on the covers. The heart and pressure monitor alarm went off, a very fast beating flowing out of it. Emily's eyes shot up to it, nervously, "Shit."

She plopped the top of the bed back straight, and picked up the phone next to the bed--quickly punching in a page for Evan and Roxanne and hanging it back up.

Roxanne

For a moment, just a moment Roxy had almost thought Daniel was being serious but now she couldn't shake away the image of him crouched in a bow, his lips straining for a smile but his eyes lit up effortlessly like twin candle flames.

Even now, standing in front of another patient, doing routine checks and prescribing medication, she was wondering if Dan would ever tell Syd how he felt. But she wasn't about to get involved. If those two wanted to let happiness bypass them then more fool them. Her pager beeped. She almost dropped the chart in her hurry to be alert, staring at the short message in horror, her feet already in motion and all sense of dignity relinquished for the sake of speed.

Evan had beaten her to the patient room but he stood frozen with his assemblage of interns flanking him left and right, staring down at Sydney while Emily unfastened the bed restraints and swung it away from the wall. There was a reason they'd chosen this room: it had a bed that could be moved.

"Get that door open!" Roxanne barked at Evan who fell into movement, both of the interns copying him until all three of them were holding some part of the doors and Roxy and Emily wheeled Sydney out into the hallway. Roxanne took control of the steering, heading for the nearest surgery room that Sydney had left just moments before but she moved by instinct, her eyes glued to Sydney's pale face as she attempted a diagnosis.

"Internal bleeding," Roxanne decided. "It could be difficult to find. You two, what are your names?" The interns looked at one another as they walked brisquely behind Evan, behind the moving bed.

"Brian and Tyson," one answered.

"Okay, good. You're both assisting in surgery so I hope you know what a scalpal looks like because you're going to run ahead right now and get me one."