avantgarde_muse - 1.3.B - In A Desperate Land
Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain//And all the children are insane//All the children are insane ~The Doors
He rubbed his palm to his jeans, against his thigh. His bottom lip was between his teeth and his feet were tapping the floor. God he wanted a smoke. He closed his eyes, his tongue brushing his lip and tasting blood. He felt the cut on his lip and it burned from his saliva.
"Oh God! Noah!" His eyes opened slowly and he looked up as his mother,Nancy Davidson, came rushing towards him. Her shrill voice bounced around the open emergency room and made Noah want to jump from the examination bed he was sitting on. Her husband Richard was close on her heel.
"Hey mom," he said softly, as her arms went around his neck tightly. He flinched, his sore muscles screaming out, but he kept quiet. His hand reached up to pat her back. "I'm okay," he assured her.
"Don't baby him," Richard spat. The 22 year old Noah slowly moved his gaze towards his stepfather, giving the man no emotion or reaction on his face. Richard shook his head and stepped forward, his finger out and pointing. "You're okay? You?! What about your sister, huh?! What about Jenny?!"
"Richard," Nancy said slowly.
"No!" The man shouted at his wife and she looked down and stepped back. Noah started to rise to his feet, a glare in his eyes.
"Don't talk to my mother like that."
Richard ignored him and went on. "How many brain cells do you have left?! Huh!? How could you let this happen?"
"I didn't let it happen," Noah retorted, his voice rising. "I..." he shook his head and looked away, sitting back down.
"You just weren't thinking," Richard said. "You never think, Noah. And if you think we're ever letting Jenny see you without competent supervision-"
"Let me? She's my sister, Richard. She's my family! And you aren't our father!"
"Oh? Where is your father, hmm?"
"He'll be here," Noah grumbled, uncertain if it was even true. "You have no say over my relationship with my sisters."
"Nance," Richard looked over at Noah's mother who kept her eyes to the floor, then carefully brought her head up to look Noah's way.
"Honey...we love you, we just...think...it would be best, okay? Jenny is still a child. She needs...better supervision."
"She's twelve," Noah said.
"And has a shitload more logic than you," Richard put in.
"Go to hell," Noah replied tightly.
"Grow up, son," the man replied in a harsh whisper. "We have to go be with Jenny now." He spun on his heel and started to walk off. "Come on, Nancy."
Noah looked over at his mother almost pleading for attention and comfort. "Mom...I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice shaking. "It...I didn't...I'm so sorry." But Nancy just shook her head slowly and looked down, before turning to go after her husband. Noah's jaw tightened and he gripped onto his jeans and looked down. He felt hot tears stinging his eyes, but he fought them. He wasn't going to cry, especially not in the middle of the damn hospital.
"How're those pain meds?"
Noah looked up at the young ER doctor who had looked him over earlier and nodded. "Working."
"Good. I checked your films and nothing looks broken. I'd like to put a splint on those fingers though," the doctor nodded to Noah's left hand that had been curled at his side.
"Kay," he said softly, turning his head to watch where his mother had gone.
The doctor sighed and quietly got to work. Noah flinched a bit here and there, but let the man do his job. "So, are you in school?"
"Yea."
"What's your major?"
"Haven't really figured that out," he said with the slightest of shrugs. "Just getting the basic shit out of the way. Doing some science."
The doctor nodded. "Well keep at it. I'll tell you, it's rewarding when you finally graduate. I thought I'd never get out, but when I did...it felt great. And my parents were thrilled."
"They were?" Noah looked over at the doctor who was focused down on Noah's hand.
"Oh yea. I don't think my parents were ever prouder of me than on the day I became a doctor."
"Huh.." Noah nodded slowly, bringing his eyes up to slowly scan the emergency room.
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He rubbed his palm to his jeans, against his thigh. His bottom lip was between his teeth and his feet were tapping the floor. God he wanted a smoke. He closed his eyes, his tongue brushing his lip and tasting blood. He felt the cut on his lip and it burned from his saliva.
"Oh God! Noah!" His eyes opened slowly and he looked up as his mother,Nancy Davidson, came rushing towards him. Her shrill voice bounced around the open emergency room and made Noah want to jump from the examination bed he was sitting on. Her husband Richard was close on her heel.
"Hey mom," he said softly, as her arms went around his neck tightly. He flinched, his sore muscles screaming out, but he kept quiet. His hand reached up to pat her back. "I'm okay," he assured her.
"Don't baby him," Richard spat. The 22 year old Noah slowly moved his gaze towards his stepfather, giving the man no emotion or reaction on his face. Richard shook his head and stepped forward, his finger out and pointing. "You're okay? You?! What about your sister, huh?! What about Jenny?!"
"Richard," Nancy said slowly.
"No!" The man shouted at his wife and she looked down and stepped back. Noah started to rise to his feet, a glare in his eyes.
"Don't talk to my mother like that."
Richard ignored him and went on. "How many brain cells do you have left?! Huh!? How could you let this happen?"
"I didn't let it happen," Noah retorted, his voice rising. "I..." he shook his head and looked away, sitting back down.
"You just weren't thinking," Richard said. "You never think, Noah. And if you think we're ever letting Jenny see you without competent supervision-"
"Let me? She's my sister, Richard. She's my family! And you aren't our father!"
"Oh? Where is your father, hmm?"
"He'll be here," Noah grumbled, uncertain if it was even true. "You have no say over my relationship with my sisters."
"Nance," Richard looked over at Noah's mother who kept her eyes to the floor, then carefully brought her head up to look Noah's way.
"Honey...we love you, we just...think...it would be best, okay? Jenny is still a child. She needs...better supervision."
"She's twelve," Noah said.
"And has a shitload more logic than you," Richard put in.
"Go to hell," Noah replied tightly.
"Grow up, son," the man replied in a harsh whisper. "We have to go be with Jenny now." He spun on his heel and started to walk off. "Come on, Nancy."
Noah looked over at his mother almost pleading for attention and comfort. "Mom...I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice shaking. "It...I didn't...I'm so sorry." But Nancy just shook her head slowly and looked down, before turning to go after her husband. Noah's jaw tightened and he gripped onto his jeans and looked down. He felt hot tears stinging his eyes, but he fought them. He wasn't going to cry, especially not in the middle of the damn hospital.
"How're those pain meds?"
Noah looked up at the young ER doctor who had looked him over earlier and nodded. "Working."
"Good. I checked your films and nothing looks broken. I'd like to put a splint on those fingers though," the doctor nodded to Noah's left hand that had been curled at his side.
"Kay," he said softly, turning his head to watch where his mother had gone.
The doctor sighed and quietly got to work. Noah flinched a bit here and there, but let the man do his job. "So, are you in school?"
"Yea."
"What's your major?"
"Haven't really figured that out," he said with the slightest of shrugs. "Just getting the basic shit out of the way. Doing some science."
The doctor nodded. "Well keep at it. I'll tell you, it's rewarding when you finally graduate. I thought I'd never get out, but when I did...it felt great. And my parents were thrilled."
"They were?" Noah looked over at the doctor who was focused down on Noah's hand.
"Oh yea. I don't think my parents were ever prouder of me than on the day I became a doctor."
"Huh.." Noah nodded slowly, bringing his eyes up to slowly scan the emergency room.
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