Us Against the World

10. Pennsylvania's Dr. Myuir

EDITED

"This place is fucking crowded!"

"...It's Philadelphia, Eli," I sigh. I lean my elbow on the windowsill and knock my head to the side with a roll of my eyes. "Of course, it's going to be crowded. We're also by the emergency ward and children's hospital. What do you expect?"

"Better traffic," Eli grumbles. He switches the radio off and leans against the cushions of his chair. Hazelnut strands of rope-like hair brush his eyebrows. Eli's braids change every day, but today he hasn't gotten much of a chance to get them done, seeing as he had to wake up early to drive me.

"Imagine New York," I suggest. "Just with more hospitals as the center of attraction."

Eli scoffs. "Nobody would go there," he mutters. He slams his palm on the horn again, and this time, the car in front of him moves up. The light flickers to green and Eli quickly presses the acceleration pedal, weaving around the slower cars and turning under the bridge into the wider, more open streets of Philadelphia.

"That's Penn State University," I say, gesturing to the large cluster of buildings on Eli's side. "See those kids with backpacks?"

"Hm."

"They're students." I peer around his tense frame to get a better view of the bustling sidewalks. Students filter through the busy shops and tourist attractions like NPC characters, their eyes glued to their phones as they seamlessly avoid crashing into distracted children or adults that are too busy eating to look where they're going.

"Fancy," Eli comments. "What does Penn State teach again?"

"They mostly work in the STEM fields," I explain. "Those students are all probably training to become doctors or engineers."

"Lucky them," Eli mutters. He turns around a corner and under a final bridge before we're entering the medical section of Philadelphia. Through the windows, I can hear the blare of sirens and see many students and emergency professionals rushing around a plethora of blinking ambulances. My stomach tightens. Seeing the flashing red and blue lights gives me an acidic, nostalgic memory that seems to stick to my mind no matter how many times I try to wash it away.

We pass the emergency ward and enter the children's section of the hospital campus. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, or CHOP, as I like to call it, meets my blurry vision. It stands under the sun in all of its colorful glamors, rising above the clouds like the towers of heaven. Suddenly, my muscles loosen and a wave of relaxation washes through my stomach. It's like when I used to gargle mouthwash and it left that minty freshness on my tongue. Seeing CHOP again, I feel that minty mouthwash clear my tangled trepidation.

"I don't get it," Eli says as we pass the security guard and delve into the underground parking lot. "Why do you still come to a children's hospital? You're not a child anymore."

"Other places wouldn't be able to help me," I say. "CHOP already knows my medical history and can help me better than anywhere else - oh, park there." I point to an empty parking spot.

"Isn't it expensive?" Eli pulls into the parking space and cuts the engine.

"It is," I say slowly, "But they take care of me better than the other doctors that I've been to. My...my Mum trusts them with my life more than anyone else."

"What about you?"

"Sure." I shrug and begin to unbuckle my seatbelt. "I've been coming here since I was four. I've pretty much grown up here."

"Fascinating," Eli murmurs. He reaches under his seat and pulls a hidden rope. The back of his chair plummets and Eli tosses his arm over his eyes with a sigh. "I'll be here. Just knock when you finish, okay?"