Dr Jack Roman is (estel_crowned) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2013-02-23 23:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | aragorn |
Who: Jack and Val
What: Getting Val out of the hospital
Where: Hospital, then Jack's car
When: Backdated to after Val's mugging
Warnings/Rating: Mentions of violence, drug use, and weird uncomfortable moments between half siblings
Val didn’t want to be in the hospital a moment longer than absolutely necessary. She’d been given her things once she’d woken up and after declining a phone call to her next of kin, she posted on the journals hoping against hope that Adam would bite. He hadn’t said a fucking word. Neither had Jim. Jack had replied though, and maybe that meant something. Who’s Jack? And Adam and Jim? This voice was fucking persistent and Val hated her already. She’d deal with it later though. Right now, she was about to meet her older half-brother for the first time and it had to be like this. She was grateful that she didn’t look too bad, a black eye, some scrapes and bruises along her arms, and more hidden beneath her clothes. She wondered, idly, if he would be allowed to look at her chart. Val told herself he wasn’t going to care enough to look. It’d be better that way, so it’d hurt less when he decided he didn’t actually want anything to do with her.
She started to doze off while she waited for him to show up and free her from the hospital. Maybe it was a good thing he was a doctor, able to free her from this ridiculous hell. A concussion. Who cared about a concussion? Val sure as hell didn’t. She just wanted to go home, fall into bed, and ignore the world for a little while. A nurse came and knocked lightly on her doorframe to get her attention. “Ms Moretti? There’s someone here to see you.” Val just nodded and pushed herself up into a sitting position, wincing but trying to hide it as Jack walked in.
Yes, Jack could have looked at her chart but didn't. Not for the reasons that Val suspected though. Like Winnie had told him, he wasn't Val's doctor, he wasn't the one responsible for her, and right now, he was strictly here as a relative, not a doctor. It was harder than he expected it to be, but he knew it to be the right thing to do. Taking a deep breath, he waited for the clearance from the nurse before he followed her back to Val's room, his loafers quiet on the floors.
His half sister. The first time he was going to meet her and it was going to be now, while she was in the hospital and apparently had to ask if he even might come to see her. He ran a hand through his hair, thanking the nurse before he stepped inside the room. "Hey," he said quietly as he got his first look at his half-sister.
He wasn’t really what she’d expected. Well, she hadn’t exactly given it much thought, but he was kind of hot. Not in an ‘I-might-be-attracted-to-you’ kind of way, that’d be gross, but in an objective kind of way. The kind of way people commented on the hotness of actors and actresses, or some random guy walking past on the street. Now she was glad for the DNA test because she didn’t really see any family resemblance. Maybe in the crinkles around his eyes. It took her a minute, but Val finally realized she was staring.
“Hey,” she greeted, and idiotically held her hand out. “Nice to meet you.” You’re a total idiot, you know that right? Val did everything she could to not let her irritation show at the annoyingly vocal teenager in her head. ‘Shut up and I promise to let you through ASAP,’ she bartered. Done! But you’re still an idiot. Kitty shut up though, and that was all that mattered. “Thanks for coming to spring me. It’s nothing, really,” she insisted. “Just got knocked out, but I’m mostly fine now. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” Val winced, realizing she was a total idiot. She shouldn’t have said anything.
She must take after her mother's side of the family, Jack realized as he looked at the woman on the bed. There wasn't a family resemblance to anyone on his father's side, but it was still strange to meet her and realize that here was his half-sister. Someone that he shared half of his genes with and yet, they were so wildly different. Maybe it had something to do with how she was raised -- but Jack quickly stopped that thought. He was here as a half-brother, not a doctor.
It was going to be his mantra for this entire visit.
"Likewise," he said as he crossed the room and shook her hand. If it was odd to be shaking her hand while she was in a hospital bed, he didn't show it. "It's nothing --" Jack started and pressed his lips together tightly. Not Doctor Jack. As soon as he was sure he could say something that wasn't going to sour this entirely, he licked his lips and tried again. "Let's hope to deal with it a little less now that you're here."
It was a little weird, shaking his hand when she was dressed only in a smock thingy. Thankfully, at least, she was wearing underwear otherwise this would’ve been even more awkward than it was already. At least she’d taken a shower before getting mugged so she wasn’t very smelly. Thank god for small miracles, she supposed. Val didn’t think it was very hard for him to separate being a doctor versus being a support person, but then, she didn’t know much of anything. Hopefully, he wouldn’t hold her stupidity against her.
“That was kinda what I was hoping. It’s funny that this happens after I’ve quit dealing,” Val mused. She really did have pretty shitty timing all around. “Oh well. Just my luck mostly. Not to worry. Honestly.” Why she was trying to reassure him was beyond her, but she guessed it was just what she was supposed to do. That had to count for something. Didn’t it? “So, what’s the deal? Can I just skedaddle?” Val was entirely too hopeful, possibly, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to stay here.
Dealing. Great. Jack tried not to wince when she said that, but he had to tuck his chin down to keep his expression from being seen by her. "Ironic. It's ironic." Just like it was ironic that he was a psychiatrist that dealt with addiction and his half-sister was addicted to -- whatever it was that she was on. And dealing. One hand scrubbed over his face. "You don't need to comfort me," he said quietly as he looked back towards the door.
"I can check with the nurse. They probably want to make sure that you're not going to be alone tonight, release you into the care of a family member." Especially if she had a concussion. If she needed a doctor to sign her out, it wasn't going to be him. He couldn't -- he wasn't her doctor and he wasn't going to take medical authority over her.
Val grinned. “Right, ironic,” she repeated, agreeing fairly easily with his sentiment. She was never very good at keeping things from the people who cared or were supposed to care. Her parents pretended not to notice the drugs or the booze or the general bad behavior. She could never do anything wrong in their eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same for everyone else. Val offered him a weak smile. “Sorry. Force of habit, I guess. At least, for my parents. No one else really cares enough to need reassuring.” And wasn’t that the sad truth of things.
He offered to check with the nurse and she winced. “Look, I get it if you don’t want to take responsibility for me or whatever. I’m sure your doctor ethics wouldn’t let you just sign me out and then drop me off somewhere. I mean, doesn’t hurt to ask and stuff, right? But don’t feel like you have to do anything.” Not that she thought he might, exactly. She just wanted to cover her bases. That was what people with families did, right? They felt obligated to do stuff for each other. She always felt obligated to call her mom every couple weeks. It had to be a little similar, right?
It wasn't that Jack didn't care, it was that he knew too much already. Not worrying wasn't going to happen and while he might not worry over her like he might over his father or his late aunt, it was still there. Nothing she could say would make it otherwise.
He paused, hand sliding through his hair. Was she the type that wanted bold faced honesty? Did she want it softened and sweetened? His hand fell down, but he didn't automatically reach for the door. "I can't sign you out because it would be a conflict of interest. I can't be your doctor." What he could, and would, do was sign her out as a family member. "I'm not going to drop you off someplace. There's a reason why they want someone with you."
With Val, she flip flopped so much when it came to what she wanted. At the slightest hint that anything might go wrong, she’s all too willing to flee and forget the whole thing even happened. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to do that with Jack and she wasn’t sure yet if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Her most pressing concern, however, was that she needed out. She didn’t like hospitals at all.
She snorted just slightly when he said he couldn’t sign her out as her doctor. “I don’t think either one of us wants you as my doctor, Jack. No offense.” Not that she thought he might take offense to that, but he might’ve taken offense to the snort. “I’m not exactly the best patient, as I’m sure the doc out there, or the nurses, can tell you. Hospitals wig me out like crazy,” which was putting it mildly, but she didn’t exactly want to scare him off either. “Just- Don’t sign me out unless you’re sure, kay? Because you don’t owe me anything.” Despite the pounding in her head, Val managed to hold a steady gaze, trying to convey how absolutely serious she was about this. He wasn’t responsible for her period, no matter what some stupid form said.
It was almost a relief to hear that she didn't want him as her doctor anymore than he wanted to fill that role. "Okay," he said amiably enough. It wasn't a complication that they needed. Too much honesty was required between patient and physician and it could strain even the best of relationships, not to mention what it could do to a nascent one like theirs.
"Most people don't like hospitals. And Val? Families don't owe, they do," he said quietly before he stepped out of the room to find Val's nurse and see what needed to be done for her release. She was his half sister, right? He could do this for her. It took him a few minutes to locate her nurse and another few minutes before she had the discharge forms ready and signed by Val's doctor. All that was left was for her to sign the triplicates, get dressed, and then they could go.
Val gave him a feeble smile. Okay, so maybe having a half-brother wouldn't be so bad. As soon as he went out to see about getting her discharged, she got herself mostly dressed. That IV was a pain in the ass so all she was able to manage was her pants, socks and shoes, but there she was, sitting on her bed, when he came back. She grinned when the nurse followed with the paperwork and gave her a firm look. "You just can't wait to get out of here, can you?" she tsked. Val just have her a cheeky smile and held her hand out. The nurse just gave her an indulgent smile and removed the IV for her. "Now, sign these and you can go with your brother."
Val was done signing them by the time the woman was done taking. She got up and turned her back before sliding off the gown, letting it fall to the bed before she grabbed her bra. It took a minute for her to turn back around, presentable finally. "I don't know about you, but I could really use a shower." Val paused thoughtfully, grabbing her phone. "Maybe some ice cream too. That'd be good. Mint chocolate chip, that's my favorite. With rainbow sprinkles too." She was getting hungry just thinking about it. "How long do you have to look after me for?"
Though she turned her back to him, Jack did the same for her, his head ducked down and waited for her to speak before he turned and looked up. "We can stop at the store." His mouth opened to ask her if she was coming back to his place or if they were going to hers when he stopped. There was so little he knew about her, he didn't even know if she had someplace to stay, if she had roommates, anything.
Closing his mouth, he scrubbed a hand through his hair again. "Do you," he paused to lick his lips and consider what he was going to say, "have a place to stay? Do you need to come back with me?" There wasn't really a guest room in his trailer, but he could make room for her even if it'd be tight.
Stop at the store? He was definitely her favorite brother. Of course, then he went and asked if she was homeless and Val just rolled her eyes. “I’ve got a place,” she replied. “Nothing too fancy but I mean, I was kind of a big deal up until a few weeks ago,” she teased. “I’ve got a spare room and everything.” Val led the way out of her hospital room and to the exit she’d been wanting to just sneak out through if she could. “If you can stand being back in the city for the night, that is?” It was an honest and genuine question because he must’ve left for a reason.
"Yeah, I just need to go home and take care of Spot." If he could bring Spot back with him, it'd be better, but he was sure that the dog could handle the night alone in his trailer if he couldn't. "We can do that and then go to the store so the ice cream isn't soup by the time we get back." That was supposing that Val didn't want her ice cream to be that way inside the carton. Some people liked it that way, but Jack preferred his only slightly soft.
"That's right, you've got a dog right? He can come too if you're attached," she teased. It might be good for her to have the kind of unconditional love a pet could give, but she wasn't thinking about that. She was thinking about being as convenient as possible so that she wasn't a burden to Jack. He deserved better. "That works, getting ice cream on the way back. Do you like rainbow sprinkles in your ice cream?" she asked as they made their way out into the parking lot.
"I -- a bit. I don't want to leave him alone all night if I don't have to," he said honestly. Jack didn't think Spot would tear up the place or anything, he was too well behaved for that, but they lived out far enough that there were sometimes coyotes and Spot always seemed to know when they were there, even from inside the trailer. Yeah, better if Spot was with him. "He's well behaved, won't bark or anything," he said with a small smile. "And no, I haven't." He rarely ate ice cream and even less when it had sprinkles on top. His aunt had tried to ply him with trips to the ice cream store when he was little, but it never quite worked out.
"So... are you okay?" He asked as he clicked the button on his key to unlock the doors to his car.
“Awwwww, that’s adorable. It’s no problem. I haven’t been around a dog in forever. Dad - My adoptive parents, he wanted one but she didn’t want to be the one taking care of it. I didn’t really care either way,” she explained. “Too busy being the kid that could do no wrong.” Maybe she was a little bitter about it, but mostly cause things kinda sucked around here and Val liked having someone to blame. Her parents were convenient. “No rainbow sprinkles?!?!?” She was shocked. “Okay, you’re getting rainbow sprinkles on your ice cream and you’re so not allowed to order anything plain, got it?” Val arched an eyebrow to make sure he realized how serious she was.
He unlocked the door and she slid in the passenger’s seat before answering him. “I’ll be fine,” she chose to reply. “Just gotta heal up and then I’ll figure my shit out. Kinda hard, breaking twenty some odd years of habit.” It was a whole lifestyle change and she was terrified of what that was going to be like. She’d muddle her way through like she always did though and maybe, if she was lucky, she’d come out on the other side.
"Breaking habits is rarely easy," Jack noted as he slid into the driver's seat and got the car started. There was so much that he didn't know about her, but now he knew that she'd been doing drugs for the past twenty years. Or pot, perhaps some mix of both, he didn't know and didn't ask. He wasn't her doctor.
Licking his lips as he reminded himself of that yet again, he pulled out the parking space and got them on the road. "How about I just try yours? If I like them, I'll get them, if I don't then I can have my ice cream in peace." It seemed like a reasonable compromise.
Val snorted. “That’s putting it way mildly,” she replied, remembering belatedly to buckle up. She looked out the window as they got on the road, more interested in the scenery passing by then talking to him about her issues. He didn’t need to know all the nitty gritty, did he? It was bad enough that she was putting him through all this. He didn’t need to know that pot had just been there and she hadn’t had a good reason not to do it. That she’d dabbled in hard drugs on occasion was definitely something he didn’t need to know. She’d figure shit out on her own because that was how she felt. She felt like she was alone. Maybe that’d change, over time.
“Sharing ice cream? Only if you can stomach mint chocolate chip ice cream. It’s kind of the best ever,” Val replied, turning to give him a charming, childlike smile. She could fake happy pretty damn well, she thought. Talking about ice cream was easy though. No pressure, nothing serious. She liked those topics of conversation because of how innocent they were. They could stay right on the surface and everything would be hunky dory. She liked hunky dory. “What’s Spot like? That’s your dog right? I remember seeing his name on the journals somewhere.” The way she said it, it sounded like maybe she wasn’t so sure it was okay she was asking.
Maybe she had intended that smile to be charming, but it was downright creepy to see such a childlike smile on the face of an adult. Really, he didn't want to think of his half-sister that was nearly as old as he was as childlike. Not ever. Clearing his throat, he likewise buckled up and focused his eyes on the road ahead of them. "I think I can handle mint chocolate chip ice cream," he said quietly, reaching forward so he could make sure the radio was turned down.
"He's pretty dog like," Jack said and laughed quietly. "He's a good boy, quiet, friendly. I take him to work with me usually and he stays in my office. Sometimes comes in, if my patient doesn't mind him." Pet therapy was something they didn't fully understand, but most understood that for whatever reason, it worked and while Spot wasn't a therapy dog, he still had an effect on people.
Quiet. She didn’t like quiet. It made her feel like she’d done something wrong, so Val just sank into the seat and lost her smile. Her hands twisted together in her lap and she did everything she could to keep herself from fidgeting. Being nervous wouldn’t help her with anything, she was sure that it would only strain her relationship with Jack if she kept doing whatever it was that he didn’t like. Being loud? Acting like nothing was wrong? Talking about stupid shit? Those were her coping mechanisms. She didn’t want to give them up, even if it would make him more comfortable. Maybe once they got back to her place, she could just hide in her room or something and he could do whatever he wanted. “Good,” was all she replied about the ice cream.
He was too quiet for her liking. He even laughed quietly. Who did that? “He sounds like a people dog. Sounds like a good match for a people person,” Val offered, not bothering to try being quiet herself, but she sounded tired now instead of full of energy. If he wanted quiet, he was going to get her at a low energy. It was the best she could do. “How far outside the city is your place?” she asked, glancing at him for a brief moment instead of looking at him directly.
"I guess?" Spot was the first dog that Jack had ever owned and he really didn't know if a doc was a people dog or something else. What he did know was that Spot was his, a calm, sweet dog that Jack had every intention of looking after. "It's about a half hour." Which meant it was going to make for a very long drive, especially if either one of them was feeling uncomfortable.
Jack himself was just trying to remember that she was not his responsibility, but he noticed when she went quiet. She never struck him as a particularly quiet person, but he doubted that she had ever been in this position before. "If you want to take a nap, I can wake you up when we get there," he said, just as quiet as he'd been earlier. It was only when he was loud that something was truly wrong.
This was painfully awkward and getting more awkward by the moment. She wasn’t exactly tired, but faking a nap was mildly less awkward than just being silent or having to force a conversation. Val didn’t feel like she could be herself and she wasn’t really up to pretending it didn’t bother her. so she just shrugged and nodded. “Sure, that’s cool. Thanks.” Val closed her eyes and shifted, leaning against the window so that she could try to pretend that she was on her side. Sleep was one of those finicky things that didn’t happen most of the time unless she was on something that sort of resembled a bed.
She felt a little bad, taking the easy way out, but that was what she did. When presented with two choices, Val would always take the easy road. Sometimes, like when Adam convinced her to go cold turkey, she’d try the hard road, but it would barely take any time at all for her to find her way back to the easy road. She’d proven that one, and that she was a huge mess. A quiet sigh escaped her as she tried to tune out her thoughts and forget about the world for a little while. It was easy to just focus on the hum of the engine and the vibrations of the car. Far easier than dealing with the awkwardness between them.