starsgoblue
Blue Crack Addict
(Ok, I am not a nurse but go with it....also it might seem a little slow, as in little of U2, but wait...I'm just setting the tone!)
"Kay! Go on your lunch break already. Believe it or not we can manage without you for an hour!"
Kay smiled at the head nurse of Thompson Hospital's pediatric AIDS unit. She knew Mrs. Lovis was right but she wasn't quite ready to leave yet.
"I'll be out of your hair soon, don't worry," Kay responded playfully. "I just want to double check on Zach before I head out."
Mrs. Lovis raised her eyebrows and gave a look that seemed to say, Suit yourself,and Kay felt a prick of annoyance. Zach was one of the sickest patients on the unit and his prognosis wasn't good. Mrs. Lovis had been a nurse for a long time and was a big believer in not getting too emotionally attached to any patients, especially the ones that were really ill. Kay knew in her head that it might not be the best thing for her. But her heart went out to the boy. Zach was an six year old orphan....with AIDs. The fact that he had lived as long as he had was amazing and Kay couldn't help but admire the boy's spirit.
Kay squared her shoulders and turned around down the hall, trying to shake off Mrs. Thompson's negativity. As she walked down the hallway Kay was reminded of her real purpose as a pediatric nurse. As she passed every door, she saw so many in need...too many...but she was doing what she could.
Kay came to a stop at Room 24. She leaned against the doorway and watched the little boy in his bed, playing fondly with a stuffed teddy bear. He was nuzzling his small nose into the teddy bear's soft fur and smiling as if he hadn't a care in the world.
"Is that a new friend you got there, Zach?" Kay came into the room and with an almost maternal instinct began fixing the sheets on Zach's bed and checking his IV.
"I got him as a present from the man!" Zach held up his new possesion with great pride, although he did look very tired.
"What man?" Asked Kay as she sat down beside Zach's bed.
"He came to visit me and we talked about all kinds of stuff."
Kay knew Zach had an active imagination. He was always telling creative stories, and since she knew Zach hadn't had any family she figured he had just gotten the teddy bear from somewhere in the unit and didn't pursue the topic.
"Miss Kay?" Came the small, plaintive voice of a child about to ask a question.
"What is it Zach?" Kay leaned in closer.
"Are you still going to the zoo this weekend?"
Kay smiled at the boy. He had meant the ZOOTV concert. Zach had always enjoyed having Kay sing to him when he couldn't sleep and he knew Kay loved the band U2. Before Zach had gotten really ill, Kay would pick him up and dance around the room with him....singing and laughing together...
"Yes I am, Zach." Kay laughed at the thoughtfullness of the boy. "I promised you I'd get you a T-shirt, remember?"
"Yea, are you going with Jamie?"
Kay instinctivly reached for her engagement ring. Her boyfriend, Jamie had recently proposed...much to Kay's surprise since Jamie had always seemed to busy to even really date her, let alone marry...He was alway wrapped up in business it seemed...
"Yes, he said he'd be home for the show. For my birthday and all..."
"Hey Kay," Zach interrupted. "Can you sing me the song?"
"You sleepy?" Kay asked, feeling slightly guilty she was prattling on about herself.
"Yea."
Kay fixed the sheets one more time and began to sing as she stood up to close the blinds.
And so she woke up
from where she was lying still
Said we got to do something about where we’re going
Step on a steam train
Step out of the driving train
Maybe run from the darkness in the night
Singing ha la la la de day
Singing ha la la la de day
As she sang Kay thought it was too ironic...Zach loved the melody of the song and had no idea what it was really about. Zach's mother had been a drug addict...probably where she had contracted the virus that was now ravaging Zach's tiny, little body....
Kay turned around and saw how quickly Zach had dozed off, with his new teddy bear tucked under his small arm. He must have been really tired, thought Kay....I wish I could do more for him, he's such a sweet child . She stared at him for a moment and caressed his cheek softly with the back of her hand. She leaned over to give him a soft kiss on his forehead. Suddenly she realized she was not alone...
Kay's eyes darted up to the doorway and she saw a man with sunglasses and a sweatshirt with the hood pulled down low turning away from the door. Kay quickly walked around the bed and out in to the hallway, looking both ways and seeing the man heading to the exit door.
"Excuse me." Kay shouted at the man's back. "Do you have a visitor's pass?"
She was too late...the person never looked back and the exit door clicked shut. Kay felt kind of silly yelling at some stranger and she decided it was time she went on her break....
*************
When Kay returned from her lunch she saw there was much excitement buzzing around the nurse's station. And she quickly saw why.
There on top of the counter lay the most beautiful arrangement of flowers she had ever seen. Gerber daisys. There must have been at least 50 of them, in bright hues of orange, pink and yellow.
"They're for you, Kay!" Squealed one of the younger nurses on staff, who had clearly been waiting for Kay's arrival. "They just came! They must be from Jamie...isn't that sweet?!"
Kay's face flushed at all the attention but as she looked back at the bouquet she could understand why...it was breathtaking. She was surprised though, Jamie wasn't the type to send flowers at all. As Kay thought about it, she realized she hadn't ever gotten flowers from him before...
"Don't keep us waiting now. Open it!" Mrs. Lovis, clearly annoyed at the hubub around her station, thrust the card toward Kay.
Kay looked at the card and then up at the group of faces anxiously waiting. She slowly turned the envelope over and ripped the seal, removing a small card:
"To the mother of the disappeared ...thank you. -B "
"Kay! Go on your lunch break already. Believe it or not we can manage without you for an hour!"
Kay smiled at the head nurse of Thompson Hospital's pediatric AIDS unit. She knew Mrs. Lovis was right but she wasn't quite ready to leave yet.
"I'll be out of your hair soon, don't worry," Kay responded playfully. "I just want to double check on Zach before I head out."
Mrs. Lovis raised her eyebrows and gave a look that seemed to say, Suit yourself,and Kay felt a prick of annoyance. Zach was one of the sickest patients on the unit and his prognosis wasn't good. Mrs. Lovis had been a nurse for a long time and was a big believer in not getting too emotionally attached to any patients, especially the ones that were really ill. Kay knew in her head that it might not be the best thing for her. But her heart went out to the boy. Zach was an six year old orphan....with AIDs. The fact that he had lived as long as he had was amazing and Kay couldn't help but admire the boy's spirit.
Kay squared her shoulders and turned around down the hall, trying to shake off Mrs. Thompson's negativity. As she walked down the hallway Kay was reminded of her real purpose as a pediatric nurse. As she passed every door, she saw so many in need...too many...but she was doing what she could.
Kay came to a stop at Room 24. She leaned against the doorway and watched the little boy in his bed, playing fondly with a stuffed teddy bear. He was nuzzling his small nose into the teddy bear's soft fur and smiling as if he hadn't a care in the world.
"Is that a new friend you got there, Zach?" Kay came into the room and with an almost maternal instinct began fixing the sheets on Zach's bed and checking his IV.
"I got him as a present from the man!" Zach held up his new possesion with great pride, although he did look very tired.
"What man?" Asked Kay as she sat down beside Zach's bed.
"He came to visit me and we talked about all kinds of stuff."
Kay knew Zach had an active imagination. He was always telling creative stories, and since she knew Zach hadn't had any family she figured he had just gotten the teddy bear from somewhere in the unit and didn't pursue the topic.
"Miss Kay?" Came the small, plaintive voice of a child about to ask a question.
"What is it Zach?" Kay leaned in closer.
"Are you still going to the zoo this weekend?"
Kay smiled at the boy. He had meant the ZOOTV concert. Zach had always enjoyed having Kay sing to him when he couldn't sleep and he knew Kay loved the band U2. Before Zach had gotten really ill, Kay would pick him up and dance around the room with him....singing and laughing together...
"Yes I am, Zach." Kay laughed at the thoughtfullness of the boy. "I promised you I'd get you a T-shirt, remember?"
"Yea, are you going with Jamie?"
Kay instinctivly reached for her engagement ring. Her boyfriend, Jamie had recently proposed...much to Kay's surprise since Jamie had always seemed to busy to even really date her, let alone marry...He was alway wrapped up in business it seemed...
"Yes, he said he'd be home for the show. For my birthday and all..."
"Hey Kay," Zach interrupted. "Can you sing me the song?"
"You sleepy?" Kay asked, feeling slightly guilty she was prattling on about herself.
"Yea."
Kay fixed the sheets one more time and began to sing as she stood up to close the blinds.
And so she woke up
from where she was lying still
Said we got to do something about where we’re going
Step on a steam train
Step out of the driving train
Maybe run from the darkness in the night
Singing ha la la la de day
Singing ha la la la de day
As she sang Kay thought it was too ironic...Zach loved the melody of the song and had no idea what it was really about. Zach's mother had been a drug addict...probably where she had contracted the virus that was now ravaging Zach's tiny, little body....
Kay turned around and saw how quickly Zach had dozed off, with his new teddy bear tucked under his small arm. He must have been really tired, thought Kay....I wish I could do more for him, he's such a sweet child . She stared at him for a moment and caressed his cheek softly with the back of her hand. She leaned over to give him a soft kiss on his forehead. Suddenly she realized she was not alone...
Kay's eyes darted up to the doorway and she saw a man with sunglasses and a sweatshirt with the hood pulled down low turning away from the door. Kay quickly walked around the bed and out in to the hallway, looking both ways and seeing the man heading to the exit door.
"Excuse me." Kay shouted at the man's back. "Do you have a visitor's pass?"
She was too late...the person never looked back and the exit door clicked shut. Kay felt kind of silly yelling at some stranger and she decided it was time she went on her break....
*************
When Kay returned from her lunch she saw there was much excitement buzzing around the nurse's station. And she quickly saw why.
There on top of the counter lay the most beautiful arrangement of flowers she had ever seen. Gerber daisys. There must have been at least 50 of them, in bright hues of orange, pink and yellow.
"They're for you, Kay!" Squealed one of the younger nurses on staff, who had clearly been waiting for Kay's arrival. "They just came! They must be from Jamie...isn't that sweet?!"
Kay's face flushed at all the attention but as she looked back at the bouquet she could understand why...it was breathtaking. She was surprised though, Jamie wasn't the type to send flowers at all. As Kay thought about it, she realized she hadn't ever gotten flowers from him before...
"Don't keep us waiting now. Open it!" Mrs. Lovis, clearly annoyed at the hubub around her station, thrust the card toward Kay.
Kay looked at the card and then up at the group of faces anxiously waiting. She slowly turned the envelope over and ripped the seal, removing a small card:
"To the mother of the disappeared ...thank you. -B "
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Carry on 
