The Scars That Burn

Chapter 14

After a rough morning, we are finally dressed and ready to go to the hospital. The guys are going to go hit golf balls while we go. We will only be there for a couple hours to visit a little and then come home. Everyone is pretty hungover and Jess and Thomas have an early morning flight. 

"Alright we should be back around five, have fun playing with your balls." I lean down to Johnathan who is on the couch on his laptop.

"I'd rather you play with my balls." He grabs my arm and pulls me back to him, kissing me again.

"I'm sure you will. Come on, I gotta go." He kisses me one more time and I stand up. We had sex twice last night. High off adrenaline and drunk off wine and champagne, we attacked each other the minute we got back. I thought for sure we would have words about my run in with Travis but he didn't bring it up so I figure he must have let it go.

I meet Jess in parking garage and we walk to my car. We drive with the windows down, enjoying the beginning of fall air and I know I'm personally trying not to throw up. 

We arrive at the hospital and I glance over at Jess. She's looking at it and breathing a little heavy.

"Hey you alright? We don't have to go in if you don't want to."

"No, no I do...its just..."

"I know. I know." The hospital is another place that I feel differently about than Jess. For her, it's hell mixed with heaven. It was the place she stayed for two months, writhing in pain for most of it but it's also where she survived and decided she wanted to be a surgeon. It's where her life changed. For me, yes it is painful but it's where they saved my sister, saved me from losing the only person I had left. It's where I've gotten to meet and know amazing people. 

We walk in hand in hand and go to the burn unit. Heather is the first to greet us.

"Rebecca! And oh my goodness is that Jessica?" She comes around the nurses station to hug us. "Oh honey it's so good to see you." They hug put I can see she's a little tense. She doesn't love getting hugged by strangers. Not that Heather is a stranger but not someone who's close.

"You too."

"Is Dr. Hanson free?" I ask after we hug.

"Yes I think so. Let me page him." She goes over to the nurses station and picks up the phone, paging him over the loud speaker.

We wait for a few minutes when I see him come around the corner, with Travis.

"Rebecca! Jessica! Oh I'm so glad you could come visit!" They walk over to us and Dr. Hanson engulfs us both in giant hugs. Jessica is much more relaxed with him. "This is my son Travis. Travis you remember Rebecca? This is her sister Jessica." They shake hands and Travis takes mine. Obviously the hug last night was beer influenced.

"Yea I remember. We actually ran into each other last night at dinner."

"Oh really? What a small world. Well. We were just going to lunch would you ladies like to join us? I'd love to discuss your residency Jessica."

"Of course, I'd love that." 

"Yea sounds great." I say knowing full well Johnathan won't be happy about it but too bad. I wonder if Travis came here on purpose? No...no I bet it's just coincidence. He does live here now, he probably has lunch with his dad all the time.

***

"It's incredible. We are hoping to start clinical trials of our own sometime this year. Gene therapy. Can you imagine what this would do?" Jessica says hands flailing.

"It is. You will have to let me know how it goes. I'd love to come see it for myself if I could." Dr Hanson replies. The two of them having been talking for the past hour about Jessica's residency and now about how some surgeon in Europe successfully grafted skin using gene therapy and stem cells. Travis is able to chime in the conversation but I'm left out just listening. It is fascinating though. I can't help but wonder though how it could have changed Jessica's life had it been around back then.