La Façade des Plumes

Chapter XX - Deadlines

8:26 pm

Allison lied on the foot of Isley's bed, kicking her feet behind her while reading through the pages in her patient's chart. The small clap of thunder turned her attention to pitch black outside. She squinted her eyes, trying to see even the slightest silhouette of a tree branch, but instead, was only met with the reflection of her and the rest of the room. In defeat, she looked down at her old, scratched-up cell phone, remembering her strange neighbor from this morning. His limp intrigued her mind as she pondered, coming up with any backstory that explained the reasoning for his knee brace.

Suddenly, she was torn away from her thoughts as the humid, fruity-scented air from the bathroom flooded the room. Isley walked around her, letting the towel fall from her hair, "Are staring at your patient's charts your equivalent to a teenage girl reading fashion magazines or like what?" Isley asked, tossing the towel on a nearby chair. Allison shook her head, "No, I'm just pondering."

"About?"

"Uh...HIPAA?"

"Ay, I'm a fellow doctor and we are in the privacy of my house." Allison sighed, "Well, this patient is a firefighter who got his legs crushed. And when I say crushed, I mean...crushed. This man came in pretzel-crushed." Isley cringed at the thought, massaging her legs. Allison nodded, "At first glance, they don't seem salvageable, but Dr. Caddel and I believe we can save them. We just can't figure out how."

"Do y'all plan to stick metal rods in his legs or..."

"No-... Well, yes...I-... Caddel and I want to rebuild them, but with something other than metal rods so he can live more comfortably and have more flexibility," Allison explained, returning her gaze to the chart.

Isley shrugged, "I'm so glad I never joined Ortho," she whispered under her breath. "What's that supposed to mean!" Allison whined. "Nothing! It's just...so much thinking and stuff. In Cardio, you just tell the heart to stop being mean, and usually, it resolves or we just get a new one," Isley laughed. "Obviously, there's more to that, but you get my point," Isley added. "Mhmm," Allison hummed, flipping to the next page.

Rolling her eyes, Isley turned toward her desk, grabbing the bottle of lotion before her lips tingled, reminiscing the feeling of his lips against hers. The sweet taste of his tongue while his arms desperately held her close. Allison looked up to see Isley tracing her fingers over the lining of her lips, smiling ear to ear. Flipping the chart closed, she sat herself up, "So...you ever going to fill me in about what happened with Stitch-Guy Nelson, or are going to keep me in the dark while you smile giddily in the corner?"

"I'm not smiling giddily!" Isley stated defensively.

Allison hugged her knees, waiting. Looking away from her persistent stare, Isley sat on the bed, facing away from her. "Have you ever met someone for the first time, yet feel like you've known them forever?" Isley asked. Allison looked up, pondering the question before shaking her head. "I know it sounds...strange considering I've only known him for what? 2-3 weeks maybe?"

"Three I believe," Allison commented. "Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I don't know. I was just so easy for him to interpret and he wasn't at all...bothered by it."

Isley's eyes wandered off, becoming lost in thought. "What are you thinking?" Allison asked. Closing her eyes, Isley turned to her friend, dreading the question that hung on the tip of her tongue. "Did you, by any chance, get to know his birthday when he first came into the ER?" Allison giggled mischievously, nodding. "Oh, oh, don't say it," Isley whispered. "He's a Gemini."

"NO!" Isley shouted, jumping from the bed, and slamming her forehead against a nearby wall. Allison laughed, "So much for...what was it again? 'Never going to date another Gemini ever again-'" Isley slapped her hand over Allison's giggling mouth, shushing her. "I never said that," Isley stated. "Yeah...sure."