Late Night at the Hospital
Apr. 11th, 2015 12:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gregorioThe doctor who padded down the hallway from a lounge towards the pediatrics wing looked nothing at all like any of the doctors on staff. His long hair was pulled neatly back into a ponytail. The white lab coat was new, as was the nametag on it, proclaiming him to be "Doctor D'Ambrosio". The ID pinned to his coat proclaimed him to be a doctor from the Alberici Group research center in Venice, Italy. It was late and most of the children were asleep, but he stopped at one particular door and smiled it its occupant.
"Clara, you should be sleeping." Gregorio's English was good, but his Italian accent was strong, and she smiled at him wanly, as she usually did.
She sat up in bed, reading a book. Harry Potter, the title said. He smiled. When Gregorio had learned it was one of her favorites, but she didn't have them in the hospital, he'd bought them for her to read. She was more tired today, he noted, but she still sighed at him. "I can't sleep, I've tried. I'm too restless." Her arms bore fading marks from when she'd been more energetic, clawing at herself when she couldn't move around. Her neck was dotted with strange marks that most of the doctors thought were needle marks. The race was on to identify the poison she was given and save her life.
Gregorio knew the truth, that a vampire had been using her to feed upon and the only reason she'd been spared worse was because her parents grew alarmed and demanded their doctor do something for her. He cupped her cheek in one of his cold hands. "Shall I sing you to sleep again?"
She laid her book down, but bowed her head. A tear fell down her cheek to the blanket. "What's the point?"
"Bella." His nickname for her, spoken in a reproachful, cajoling tone, made her look up at him. He stroked her hair back from her face. "We always fight, even when it seems hopeless. I've seen your results. You feel worse, but I think you're going to get better soon."
"But...they don't even know what's wrong with me." She sniffed, and Gregorio reached behind him to hand her a kleenex.
Gregorio smiled. "Trust me, bella. You'll be back home in no time. But you do need rest." He reached over to close her book and set it carefully with the others, then held her hands in his. His singing was more of a chant, in a language that was neither Italian nor English. For a moment, her skin shone with health, even as her eyes closed and she surrendered to sleep. As long as he continued to chant, she appeared perfectly healthy. His voice faded away after a few minutes, when he was sure she was asleep, and he turned to leave the room.
And nearly smacked straight into one of the hospital staff. He bowed his head. "Ah, sorry. I was just checking on her."
"Clara, you should be sleeping." Gregorio's English was good, but his Italian accent was strong, and she smiled at him wanly, as she usually did.
She sat up in bed, reading a book. Harry Potter, the title said. He smiled. When Gregorio had learned it was one of her favorites, but she didn't have them in the hospital, he'd bought them for her to read. She was more tired today, he noted, but she still sighed at him. "I can't sleep, I've tried. I'm too restless." Her arms bore fading marks from when she'd been more energetic, clawing at herself when she couldn't move around. Her neck was dotted with strange marks that most of the doctors thought were needle marks. The race was on to identify the poison she was given and save her life.
Gregorio knew the truth, that a vampire had been using her to feed upon and the only reason she'd been spared worse was because her parents grew alarmed and demanded their doctor do something for her. He cupped her cheek in one of his cold hands. "Shall I sing you to sleep again?"
She laid her book down, but bowed her head. A tear fell down her cheek to the blanket. "What's the point?"
"Bella." His nickname for her, spoken in a reproachful, cajoling tone, made her look up at him. He stroked her hair back from her face. "We always fight, even when it seems hopeless. I've seen your results. You feel worse, but I think you're going to get better soon."
"But...they don't even know what's wrong with me." She sniffed, and Gregorio reached behind him to hand her a kleenex.
Gregorio smiled. "Trust me, bella. You'll be back home in no time. But you do need rest." He reached over to close her book and set it carefully with the others, then held her hands in his. His singing was more of a chant, in a language that was neither Italian nor English. For a moment, her skin shone with health, even as her eyes closed and she surrendered to sleep. As long as he continued to chant, she appeared perfectly healthy. His voice faded away after a few minutes, when he was sure she was asleep, and he turned to leave the room.
And nearly smacked straight into one of the hospital staff. He bowed his head. "Ah, sorry. I was just checking on her."
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Date: 2015-04-15 12:36 am (UTC)After pausing to talk to Pam at the desk, Anika strolled through the wing, gloved hands in the pockets of her lab coat, checking the monitors in each room, giving a smile and a kind word to those that were still awake. And occasionally just standing in the doorway, looking at each sleeping child and trying to figure out why she couldn't help them. It was beyond frustrating in some cases, it was almost agonizing.
Like that one, the child in room W404. Clara. Test after test had been run, even ones Anika was certain had nothing to do with her strange illness. But she couldn't fault either the mother, or the father. They were watching their child fade away. Just as she was.
Ani paused just before she got to the door. Was someone speaking? Standing in the doorway, she observed a man in a doctor's coat and ponytail bent over the bed and saying - something - in a language she couldn't understand. From this angle Ani couldn't see the patient, but she had a decent enough view of the backside of the man. The only thing that kept her from forcefully striding in there? Clara seemed to know him, and he sounded like either he was singing - or praying.
So this was the mysterious doctor D'Ambrosio, the one from Venice, visiting the states. The doctor she'd been hearing so much about from literally everyone. Everyone. How personable he was, how charming. How intelligent and knowledgeable. How handsome.
She herself had spoken to him via phone conference a few times, and they'd emailed back and forth about certain cases that had come up in the hospital once he arrived in the States. And she hadn't - exactly - gone out of her way to avoid meeting Dr D'Amgrosio in person, not really. Her schedule was just so varied, and she was so often out of the area. She would always apologize profusely in her emails however, and supply him with clear, concise, and exacting work; test results, and whatever research he required.
Ani was just beginning to back out of the room silently, when suddenly he straightened up and spun around, almost walking into her.
"Ah, I see that. Um, so was I." His badge was obvious. Her badge was obvious. All she could do was to stick out a glove, make introductions, and get out of there so Clara could keep sleeping.
"Dr D'Ambrosio, Hi. I'm Dr Nuttal. We've spoken."