Oblivion [CURRENTLY EDITING]

Chapter Six

I had a wonderful night with Lisa and Ellie, it seemed like having to go back to work was a form of torture. I hadn't remembered the last time I had laughed, cried, danced like crazy and consumed a whole kettle of tea in one night. It was refreshing to let go of everything that had been consuming me as of late, and to have someone who cared so much about me to listen and advise me on where to go next with my life, my boys and my eerie neighbor was much appreciated.
I had mentioned David vaguely to Lisa and was met with the typical "ooh"'s and "ah"'s that were meant in a strictly teasing manner. But Lisa, however, did agree that he was worth trying to figure out and spend some time with-- if I ever saw him again.

It had been a few days since my visit with Lisa, and I had been working like crazy trying to keep my mind off of everything. I had been working long shifts, but I didn't mind. There was not much for me to do at home anyways, so I figured that my time was better spent here in the hospital.

It had been a quiet Monday morning and after my rounds were completed, I sat at my place behind the desk in the emergency room, opening up my worn copy of Pride and Prejudice. It had been one of my favourite novels for some years now and every time I read it, I seemed to be swept up in the magic of Jane Austen's world all over again. It was an enchanting story that found me often wishing for my own Mr. Darcy to find me one day.

Just as I had finished the last page of the book and closed the cover of it, I glanced up to see the automatic doors slide open and David step through. I was surprised and perplexed as I watched him walk through the doors of the hospital and made his way over to my desk.

"Hello there," I said aloud, resting my chin on my hand as I watched him approached me. It seemed that every time I had seen this man out of uniform, he was wearing a dark ensemble of clothing that seemed to fit him just the right way. Dark ensembles were not out of the ordinary for the residents of Conyers, but for David it seemed to be a reflection of himself. Minimalistic and mysterious.

"Good morning Rose," he replied with a quick nod. His eye twitched and he reached up to rub it; I assumed this was the same facial tic that I had noticed the first night we had met.

"How can I help you today, David?" My chin was still perched on my hand as I gazed up at him with a curious look in my eyes.

"I'm here to have my stitches removed. I was advised to come back in a week."

"Yes, I remember now. Just fill out this page here and I'll page one of the doctors to come down and assist you." I shifted my body to the left, grabbing a blue form for him to fill out and sign. I handed it to him over the counter and put a pen down on the surface beside him. I dropped my gaze to my pager as I began to page one of the ER doctors that were on call this morning.

"There are few people whom I really love and still fewer of whom I think well."

I looked up from the pager to watch David as he filled in his form, his eyes never leaving the page. My eyes were trained on him and my body still as he recited the quote from Pride and Prejudice.

"The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense," David recited calmly and gracefully, not once looking up from the form he was quickly filling out. His voice had sounded so peaceful and sure, I wished that he would read me the words from the pages of this book over and over again.

"You speak beautifully," I complemented in a hushed tone. "I didn't know that you had read Pride and Prejudice before." I slid my book over to the side and out of the way as David finally looked back to me, handing back the form. I took it and began filling out my small portion of the sheet before we could take him in.