Fainting

Chapter 7 - Allison

On Saturday morning – my last day here; Doc Martin thinks I can leave this afternoon – I get a visitor.

"Come in," I say when I hear a knock.

A young man that I vaguely recognize comes in. "Are you Allison Parker?"

"Yes," I say, slightly confused that this good-looking man knows who I am. "Who are you?" I try to ask that politely.

"I'm Scott Clarke. I, uh, called 911 when I saw you fall the other day."
"Oh! Come in," I say. "Thank you so much."
He smiles and comes to sit in the chair next to me. "Of course. I take it you're feeling better?"

"Yes, I am. Well, as much better as one can be in a hospital for three days."

Scott chuckles. "Understandable. I have never been in a hospital before, so I can't really relate."
"Yeah, this is my first time. It's an experience. I mean, it's cool seeing how it works. There was a code blue yesterday, which was not cool that it happened, but it was cool to hear how it works."

"I hope the patient is okay."

"Me too."

We sit there in awkward silence.

"Are you often at Cade's?" I ask.

He nods. "Yeah, I go there a few times a week. Are you a regular?"
"Yes. I knew you looked familiar."

He smiles. "You did, too. You're always there, it seems like."
I shrug. "I hang out there a lot. One of the waitresses is a friend of mine and I live around there."

We talk for a few more minutes about the Café and get to know each other a little, and then he has to go.

"It was lovely finally meeting you," he says as he stands up.

"Lovely meeting you too. Have a good day."
"You too. Feel better."
I smile. "Thanks."

Later that afternoon I leave my room for the last time and go to the nurses' desk. I hand over the paperwork I just filled out. "This is all I have to do, right? I'm free to go?"

The nurse looks it over. "Yes, you're free to go. Have a good one, Miss Parker."
"Thank you, you too," I say as start to walk to the waiting room. Dodge came back in earlier and offered to drive me home, seeing as I don't have a car here.

"Hey," I hear behind me. I turn around as see a young man with brown hair and a few freckles standing there, with Dodge a little ways away pretending not to listen.

"Hi," I say.

"You're Allison Parker?"

What is it with cute boys asking my name today? "Yes." I see Dodge rolling her eyes.

"I'm Mark Hall. I meant to come say hi yesterday, but didn't get a chance. Dodge over there-" she quickly starts looking anywhere but us as Mark points to her "-told me that you like golf."

Just then, I remember that when Dodge came in yesterday, she mentioned a friend of hers who likes golf. "I do indeed. She told me about a friend of hers who also does. Is that you?"

He nods, his hair bouncing as he does so. "Assume so. Can't think of anyone else who likes golf."

I smile. "It's so rare, right?"
He smiles too, showing a dimple. "I know, it's crazy. The only people I know who like it – besides the professional competing players, and I don't know them – are my family."

"And my family doesn't even love it," I shake my head in mock despair.

Dodge comes over just then and definitely was not eavesdropping. "Hey, Allison. You ready?" As she asks that, her pager buzzes. "Dang it. Mark, you wanna take her home?" she asks, not subtly, as she pulls out her pager.

"Sure. And I'm not coming back later. Jenn's annoyed that I was here for so long yesterday and that I came in today. Tell Tracy I say hi."
"Will do," Dodge calls back as she walks away. Mark looks helplessly at the nurse behind the desk who sighs.

"I'll relay that to her when she comes back."

Mark nods. "Thanks. She didn't actually hear what I said," he adds to me. "C'mon, let's go."