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surgeonshands

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Aug 25, 2010 00:07

[For anyone who wants to grab him in the Oncology Unit while he waits]After his hectic string of long shifts during his first couple of weeks on Alpha trying to step into Chris' shoes, Dave really had gone on to sleep most of his days off away. Once he hit the sack, his body seemed determined to crash out and recharge. He knew he had the stamina ( Read more... )

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halfway2heaven August 25 2010, 03:06:09 UTC

Bella had been tied up all evening in a multi-disciplinary meeting with the transplant team in preparation of the operation the following morning. Best case scenario, the operation to implant Chris' kidney into Rick should take around five hours, give or take. Chris would be done sooner, while Rick remained in the OR to complete the procedure. She got go ahead for both her and Serena to be present, even if they would only be observing. She hoped it would be something that set Chris' mind at ease. Unfortunately he had been anxious and vomiting a little earlier in the evening, which was completely understandable. She had hooked him up to a fluid IV so he kept hydrated and gave him an injection that seemed to ease the nausea. Bella had noticed Rick just watching his brother in concern, and it took all her strength not to hug him again and reassure him that Chris was in good hands ( ... )

surgeonshands August 25 2010, 03:47:33 UTC

Dave smiled in return and gave her arm a soft squeeze. "I was just a name on a print-out, Bella. No matter who my best mate is, that wasn't my information to reveal. It's just a relief that you're okay. I know the mind of a cancer survivor, remember? You can't help that nervous bite in your gut that not feeling well could mean today might be the day it comes back. So, are you holding up okay? Is it okay to say congratulations, or..." He trailed off. He didn't want to disrespect her by asking if she was going to keep it. He was still her patient, and he still admired her for what she had done. Nothing could be easy about what she was going through. He didn't even know who the father was.

halfway2heaven August 25 2010, 03:52:07 UTC

Bella shook her head. "You weren't just a name on a print-out. You were a friend, and I really appreciate that. It's..." She paused and sighed, looking over his face. His sister knew, and he was Chris' best mate. Chris was going to need the support and there didn't need to be any more secrets between that group. "I didn't think I could fall pregnant. I was told I couldn't, so it's been more than a shock. The thing is, I did actually use protection, so two strikes there. The third strike is... Rick is the father," she revealed, lowering her voice so no one would overhear. "We- there was something there, I guess. He remembered what you had told him about the chemo, and had me emphasising the fact, so he wanted to have sex before he started..."

surgeonshands August 25 2010, 06:29:12 UTC

Okay, that was something Dave could never have expected. In fact, probably the only thing that would have shocked him more would be if she said Chris was the father. For a few moments, he just gaped at her in shock as his brain tried to process everything that meant all at once, but it was just impossible. "You--" he began, but it was still a struggle to find the right words. "Um... you slept with Rick? Now I'm just wondering what I did wrong. I never had an oncologist offer to sleep with me. I just... wow. That's... you like living in the fast lane, don't you?"

halfway2heaven August 25 2010, 06:40:38 UTC

Bella drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she sat her paperwork down beside her. "So it seems..." she replied quietly. "I wish I could say I regret it, but I just don't. As screwed up as it sounds, and yeah, I'm more than aware he is my patient, but he's somehow inadvertently given me something I never thought I could have. You want to know the worst part? I think I'm falling for him," she admitted, looking at the healthcare poster on the wall across from them. "And I have no idea what I'm supposed to do about it."

surgeonshands August 25 2010, 06:51:06 UTC

"I won't judge you, Bella. You know I won't. I can't. There's even a part of me that can't blame you for wanting to help him how you did, considering I know how..." Dave waved his hand a little and cleared his throat. He wasn't able to have children. He had such an intense regime of chemo, other medications and surgery that left him infertile, and considering he hadn't even reached a year in remission, his body was still very much healing internally from the onslaught in quite a few ways. It was why he was so susceptible to falling sick, yet falling sick could ring warning bells. It was just a vicious cycle he had to live with for a few years before he could breathe a little easier ( ... )

halfway2heaven August 25 2010, 07:05:41 UTC

Bella listened with a small frown, her head tilted as she contemplated what she knew of Dave, from his own admissions and from the referral letter from his oncologist in in LA. "Is this a new development or something that has been ever since the chemo?" she asked him. He seemed accepting of the situation, not concerned with it, so it couldn't really be a new thing. "Does Aimee know ( ... )

surgeonshands August 25 2010, 07:27:20 UTC

Dave smirked a little in amusement. "Yeah, she knows. I should have forewarned her, but after not seeing someone for so long, it just slipped my mind. Until it happened. Then we got a chance to talk about it and it was all fine. She's wonderful. She's been wonderful with the whole thing. Just makes for some really nice snuggling if it doesn't work. I've learnt to not get pissed off and frustrated when it happens, but hell, that was a hard lesson to learn... definitely no pun intended. It's natural to take it as an ego blow when you're a guy... so yeah, I can understand why Rick would've gotten worried about needing a metaphorical 'last supper', so to speak. It's not new. It's been like that since I started chemo, it got better when I stopped and it's continued to improve. Just not one hundred percent ( ... )

halfway2heaven August 25 2010, 08:01:39 UTC

Bella put her arm around him and rubbed his shoulder. "You're one amazing lad, Dave. Don't even try denying it. I'm sorry you're having these ongoing issues. You might not get angry and pissed off, but it must still frustrate you sometimes. Does she know you can't... you know, have children ( ... )

surgeonshands August 25 2010, 08:15:02 UTC

Dave nodded slowly and glanced at her. "Yeah, you're right. It does frustrate me sometimes. I can't profess to be Superman. The lingering effects and damage just bother me sometimes, but I'm only human, right? It helps having an amazing girlfriend who gets it. But that's the thing. I haven't specifically told her I can't. We weren't really to that point, but I guess now we're getting there. I get worried I'll lose her if she knows. And I might. Some girls just want to have that option there. It's something I would probably have normally spoken to C about, but you know..."

He closed his eyes and rested his lips against his fingers with a nod. "I figured as much. I know it was stupid to keep thinking on it, but it was just bothering me. I'm glad he's getting the help he needs now. Things are looking up. Have you told him about the baby? Does C know?"

halfway2heaven August 25 2010, 11:02:15 UTC

Bella gave him another small squeeze and kept her arm around him. She wasn't going to be any substitute for a best mate, but she could listen. "You've been trying to find a bit of time to talk to him for awhile now, haven't you?" she guessed. "You can only be honest with her, Dave. If it turns out she doesn't want to stay with you because of that, then it's not meant to be. It will hurt, of course it will, but better that than a facade you cant offer her, right?"

"Chris found out off Serena, who I inadvertently told the day I found out. I was stressed out, and I guess I needed a friend. I'm not sure she was the right choice, though, considering she is Chris' girlfriend. I just ended up getting frustrated and upset. Then Chris gave me an ultimatum that I had to tell Rick or he would take him to another hospital."

surgeonshands August 25 2010, 14:30:33 UTC

Dave bit down on his lower lip and shook his head. "Hoping to, maybe, but I haven't really been trying. He has too much on his plate, and it's not like any of my crap is a pressing issue. I don't think it's going to rectify itself anytime soon, and Aims and me are still too soon into things to be thinking about settling down and families. We're dating, and we spend our spare time together, but it's still early days. I mean, with your turn of events and all, the subject might even come up by default. I know it sounds like I'm concealing things from her, but I'm not. We're good. Things are progressing at a pace we can both handle. She came out of a bad relationship before she met me, so she doesn't want to rush either ( ... )

halfway2heaven August 25 2010, 14:39:05 UTC

"It's actually refreshing to hear that someone is managing a mostly conventional relationship, to be honest. This place seems to be notorious for anything but. Even poor Chris and Serena had to hide their feelings because they knew they would be judged at work, and it's not like I can profess to be a pin-up girl for anything conventional in my situation. Things were conventional with Tuck, but our jobs just got in the way. It took a lot of guts for us to admit to each other that we both didn't want to ease off on our careers for the sake of a relationship. It just worked out better when we did. You and Aimee seem like you're really on the right track. I don't think you're trying to conceal anything from her at all, Dave. It sounds like you just want to do the right thing by her, from all angles. Guys like you are like you are an endangered species," Bella told him with a soft laugh ( ... )

surgeonshands August 25 2010, 14:46:26 UTC

Dave laughed a little at the compliment. "I've heard that a lot lately, but it makes me wonder why it is so hard for other guys. It doesn't feel hard to me. I love being in a relationship with Aimee. I love spending time with her and buying her gifts and cooking her meals. Which seems a little ironic, considering I really wasn't sure I was ready for a relationship when I got to Miami. I wasn't sure I was ready to share what I had been through with a girl, or expect them to understand that the going was still a bit tough sometimes. She just made it so easy for me. She's beautiful and she's a sweetheart. It feels surreal some days because it had been a long time since I dated ( ... )

halfway2heaven August 26 2010, 21:06:20 UTC

"I know it's easy for you to think you're a burden when you're recovering from an illness. It is an ongoing thing and you need to keep your finger on the pulse continuously for a few years, at least. It is also a big thing for someone to take that on in a relationship. To understand it and accept it. It sounds like you to more than have it going on, Dave. I'm so happy for you. I can tell you are taking things slow, and there is nothing wrong with that either. It's the best thing given the situation," Bella told him with an encouraging smile ( ... )

surgeonshands August 29 2010, 09:39:08 UTC

Dave narrowed his eyes a little in thought and leant forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he contemplated the nearby water cooler. "There's always that urge to go in quickly, though. Because you think things still might be on a ticking time bomb. You have the remission, but it might all get taken away from you again in a heartbeat. With the urge that you want to embrace life and not miss out on anything, some days it feels hard for me to fight off the temptation to get down on one knee to just seize the moment. I'd probably earn a firm knee in the bollocks, though, and they're function is already in question," he joked, indicating he could still find humour in it all now it was in the wake of the ordeal ( ... )

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