The rest of the night shift flew by in a split second. Melody busied herself with mundane tasks of re stocking the unit and working on the next staffing grid. Finally, the morning shift arrived and relieved Mel of her duties. Grabbing her purse out of her locker and her lunch bag out of the fridge, Mel headed to the employee parking lot. Getting in her CRV, she started the car and groaned as “Father Time” blasted from the speakers. Reaching for the car stereo she switched it to the local Jersey shore rock station. She sighed happily as the news report was in progress. Easing her car out of the parking lot, she started her drive home. Short time later she pulled into her garage and walked up the four steps to her front door. Before she could even pull her keys out, the door swung open and she was pulled into a crushing embrace. Dropping her bags on the floor of the wrap-around porch Melody returned the hug.
“Mom! You’re home!!! I missed you!”
Green eyes met hazel and sparkled with unconditional love. Placing a kiss on her daughter’s forehead, Melody struggled to free herself from the eager teen.
“Nic…Nicole! Let me go please pumpkin! You are crushing me!” she laughed.
Nicole released her mom and stepped aside so she could enter. Grabbing her bags, Melody went inside and headed for the kitchen. Dropping her bags on the counter, she surveyed the controlled chaos.
“Mom, you want tea or juice with your breakfast?” she heard.
“Juice please pumpkin, and thank you! And what do I owe for this treat?’ she asked shaking her head in disbelieve.
“Well, you were so upset last night at missing the concert, I thought I’d make you pancakes to cheer you up….and remind you that you did promise that I can go to Sandy’s house for the weekend!”
“Ahhh, and here I thought this was out of pure love for your mother!” she gently teased Nicole.
“Remind me again why I said yes?”
“Because they have the huge new pool, that’s why! And because her mom invited me!”
“OK, OK, just please clean up the kitchen before you go” laughed Mel sitting down in front a of a plate of slightly burnt pancakes.
Soon, the breakfast was finished, kitchen was cleaned, and Nicole was picked up by Sandy’s mom. Sighing at the welcomed peace and quiet, Mel headed for her bedroom. Slipping out of her scrubs and undergarments she pulled on her favorite sleep shirt and passed out in the comfort of cool sheets.
She woke up about 5 hours later. Stretching and yawning, she set up and focused her bleary eyes on the nearest object and groaned. Standing on her bedside stand was the framed 8x10 picture of Bon Jovi with four silver signatures that she won last year in the Hospital’s fund raiser. Memories of last night flooded her mind. Shaking her head Melody climbed out of bed and headed for her bathroom. Half an hour later, shower and all the morning rituals taken care of, she settled in front of her computer with a mug full of steaming hazelnut coffee and a legal pad. For the next hour she surfed through the Birch Tree and Rose Mountain Herbs data bases, reading and writing down the information that might help her patient. Before turning off the computer, she couldn’t resist logging into the Back Stage and checking out the review of last nights concert, wincing at the pictures of Jon in pain and being helped off the stage. After reviewing her notes, Melody reached for her dog-eared copy of Essential Oils Encyclopedia and checked and cross referenced every ingredient. Satisfied that the information was confirmed and that the components were safe, reached for the card that Dorothea gave her and froze.
Jesus, I’m about to call Jon Bon Jovi’s house! Wait a second, I HAVE Jon Bon Jovi’s home phone number. The girls on the boards would kill for those numbers! O my God, which number should I call? What if they’re still sleeping? No, wait, Dorothea is probably up. With four kids how can she not be awake!
Shaking her head she reached for her cell and dialed the number for Dorothea’s cell phone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He was having a fantastic dream. Melody was in his arms, moaning as he kissed every inch of her skin showing from under the pink scrubs. Moving to her neck, he licked and kissed his way down to the V of her scrub top. Looking into her emerald eyes he saw no objection. Grinning he reached for the bottom hem of the garment and slowly pulled it over her head. Melody raised her arms to aid him and smiled seductively. He growled and kissed the smile off her face. Feeling her lips give in and open for him, he sent his tongue in to explore the cavern of her delicious mouth. Her tongue met his and joined in the timeless dance. She pressed her body into his and looped her arms around his neck. Encouraged by her reaction, he reached down and slowly untied the scrub pants, pushing them gently down over her hips. She stepped out of the pile of pink cotton at her feet and stood in front of him. All that stood between him an her skin was two scraps of pink lace. Melody looked in to his eyes as she unhooked her bra behind her back and let it fall to the floor. He groaned and reached down to capture the pink pearl at the tip of her breast into his mouth. She moaned and cupped him through the denim. He moved over to her other breast and lavished it with the same attention. She was trembling in his arms. He bent down to pick her up and placed her gently in the middle of his bed. Stretching alongside of her body he reached for her lacy bikini and started to pull it off. Suddenly a very loud and annoying sound went off in his left ear.
Richie opened his eyes, looked at his cell phone and cringed.
Four fucking pm! Damn it! What the fuck does he want now?
“What!” he groaned
“Wake up asshole! We have things to do!” he heard Jon’s voice coming through the cell.
“Listen Frank, just because you’re in pain and can’t sleep, doesn’t mean that I have to suffer!” he barked back.
“Sure it does!” came back through the phone before Jon hung up.
Slamming the phone on his bed, Richie stretched and groaned at the aching and cracking that caused. Looking down at his “morning wood”, he grinned remembering the dream that caused it. Then his anger at Jon flared up again.
Damn Frank! He just had to ruin the best dream I had lately! Shit! Just look at me! Reduced to dreaming about it instead of getting it! Pathetic, that’s what I’ve become…
Running his hand through his hair, he got up and pulled his shorts and shirt on before leaving his room and heading downstairs.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Chapter 9
Melody carefully attached the scripts to the clipboard before placing it on the counter. Taking a deep breath she put a smile on her face and turned to face the other four people in the room.
“So, Mel, do you have a Voodoo spell to fix my leg?” smirked Jon.
“I wish it was that easy!” she sighed.
“Melody, what do you know about the Alternative Medicine?” asked Dorothea.
“Well, I am certified in Holistic Nursing, Essential Oils applications, and I am a Level One Reiki Practitioner. But I’m not a miracle worker, and I cannot promise you a cure or an instant recovery.”
“But is there something you can think of trying that might help expedite the recovery?” Dorothea gently probed.
“Actually there might be some essential oils that might help. I remember reading about it in my course work. But before I get your hope up, I’d like to do a bit of research on it.”
“Of course!” agreed Dorothea.
“In the mean time” Continued Mel “Let me get your leg wrapped up and set you up with a set of crutches. Fred will measure you up and teach you how to walk with them safely.”
Turning around, Melody looked through the supply bins on the shelves along the wall. She found what she was looking for and returned to her patient.
“OK Jon, I am going to wrap your leg with this Ace bandage. Pay attention to how I do it, so you will be able to do it yourself.”
Jon nodded and set up.
“OK, Fred is going to elevate your leg while I wrap it. This will probably hurt a bit, sorry about that.”
Seeing Jon’s nod of consent, Melody swiftly wrapped his leg up and gently set it back down on the stretcher.
“How does that feel?”
“Tight” said Jon through gritted teeth.
“Good, it supposed to be tight. Can you move your toes for me?” Melody smiled at him as he complied.
“Excellent, but if at any point they get tingly, you will have to remove the bandage and rewrap your leg.”
Both Dorothea and Jon nodded.
“This is part of the R.I.C.E. regimen that you will have to stick to for the next week or so”
“Rice?” laughed David “Mel, he is Italian! He lives on pasta, unless he is stuffing himself with Sushi!”
Melody laughed, shaking her head. “R.I.C.E. stands for Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation! And speaking of Elevation” she handed Jon a plastic package. “These are heel pads. Put them in your shoes when your are walking. It will shorten your calf muscles and minimize stress on them.”
“Dude, you didn’t have to bust your leg to become taller!” snickered Richie “All you had to do was buy the damned lifts!”
He was rewarded with a “Jersey salute”
Melody shook her head and handed Dorothea the prescriptions. “These are for Vicodin and Mobic. Mobic is like an industrial strength Advil. You will take it once a day for two weeks. The Vicodin is for pain. It is a narcotic, so do not drink alcoholic beverages if you are taking it! Not even a glass of wine to wash down a sleeping pill…which you should not be doing anyway!”
She smiled at Jon’s shocked face and went on. “Take one, or two pills at a time, depending on how bad the pain is. You can take Vicodin every 6-8 hours, as needed for pain. Any questions so far?”
Jon shook his head.
“Good, stay off your left leg as much as possible. When you are not moving around, keep your leg elevated and iced. When are you leaving for the Saratoga Springs?”
Rolling her eyes at their questioning expressions, she smiled “Aw come on! You already figured out that I’m a fan!”
“Actually, I’m glad that you’re a fan.” Smirked Dorothea. “That means you will really try to find something that might help Jon” She clarified to answer the puzzled looks directed at her.
Melody laughed and nodded her head “I’ll do my best. After all, it would be in my best interest to get the Humpty Dumpty back up on his wall! I have a ticket for the Gillette show!”
All three men smiled and nodded. A brief thoughtful expression behind Richie’s smile went unnoticed by almost everyone in the room, except for one brown eyed woman…
The next hour went by quickly. Jon entertained his friends with his clumsy attempts to walk with crutches, supervised by Fred. Melody was busy with computer, filing the discharge teaching and summary. Once Fred announced that he is satisfied with Jon’s progress, Mel handed the discharge paperwork to Dorothea along with her business card and a promise to call with the results of her research. Jon was bullied into a wheelchair and taken out by Fred to the rowdy welcome of the entourage in the waiting room.
When she was certain that the waiting room was empty, Mel came out of the trauma room so the cleaning crew could re set it back, and collapsed into an uncomfortable chair in the lounge. She tried to think and process the events of the shift. Everything felt unreal. The only solid proof of the encounter was the small business card in her pocket that had “Dorothea Bongiovi” printed on it in delicate font, followed by three phone numbers with 212, 732, and 609 area codes.
“So, Mel, do you have a Voodoo spell to fix my leg?” smirked Jon.
“I wish it was that easy!” she sighed.
“Melody, what do you know about the Alternative Medicine?” asked Dorothea.
“Well, I am certified in Holistic Nursing, Essential Oils applications, and I am a Level One Reiki Practitioner. But I’m not a miracle worker, and I cannot promise you a cure or an instant recovery.”
“But is there something you can think of trying that might help expedite the recovery?” Dorothea gently probed.
“Actually there might be some essential oils that might help. I remember reading about it in my course work. But before I get your hope up, I’d like to do a bit of research on it.”
“Of course!” agreed Dorothea.
“In the mean time” Continued Mel “Let me get your leg wrapped up and set you up with a set of crutches. Fred will measure you up and teach you how to walk with them safely.”
Turning around, Melody looked through the supply bins on the shelves along the wall. She found what she was looking for and returned to her patient.
“OK Jon, I am going to wrap your leg with this Ace bandage. Pay attention to how I do it, so you will be able to do it yourself.”
Jon nodded and set up.
“OK, Fred is going to elevate your leg while I wrap it. This will probably hurt a bit, sorry about that.”
Seeing Jon’s nod of consent, Melody swiftly wrapped his leg up and gently set it back down on the stretcher.
“How does that feel?”
“Tight” said Jon through gritted teeth.
“Good, it supposed to be tight. Can you move your toes for me?” Melody smiled at him as he complied.
“Excellent, but if at any point they get tingly, you will have to remove the bandage and rewrap your leg.”
Both Dorothea and Jon nodded.
“This is part of the R.I.C.E. regimen that you will have to stick to for the next week or so”
“Rice?” laughed David “Mel, he is Italian! He lives on pasta, unless he is stuffing himself with Sushi!”
Melody laughed, shaking her head. “R.I.C.E. stands for Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation! And speaking of Elevation” she handed Jon a plastic package. “These are heel pads. Put them in your shoes when your are walking. It will shorten your calf muscles and minimize stress on them.”
“Dude, you didn’t have to bust your leg to become taller!” snickered Richie “All you had to do was buy the damned lifts!”
He was rewarded with a “Jersey salute”
Melody shook her head and handed Dorothea the prescriptions. “These are for Vicodin and Mobic. Mobic is like an industrial strength Advil. You will take it once a day for two weeks. The Vicodin is for pain. It is a narcotic, so do not drink alcoholic beverages if you are taking it! Not even a glass of wine to wash down a sleeping pill…which you should not be doing anyway!”
She smiled at Jon’s shocked face and went on. “Take one, or two pills at a time, depending on how bad the pain is. You can take Vicodin every 6-8 hours, as needed for pain. Any questions so far?”
Jon shook his head.
“Good, stay off your left leg as much as possible. When you are not moving around, keep your leg elevated and iced. When are you leaving for the Saratoga Springs?”
Rolling her eyes at their questioning expressions, she smiled “Aw come on! You already figured out that I’m a fan!”
“Actually, I’m glad that you’re a fan.” Smirked Dorothea. “That means you will really try to find something that might help Jon” She clarified to answer the puzzled looks directed at her.
Melody laughed and nodded her head “I’ll do my best. After all, it would be in my best interest to get the Humpty Dumpty back up on his wall! I have a ticket for the Gillette show!”
All three men smiled and nodded. A brief thoughtful expression behind Richie’s smile went unnoticed by almost everyone in the room, except for one brown eyed woman…
The next hour went by quickly. Jon entertained his friends with his clumsy attempts to walk with crutches, supervised by Fred. Melody was busy with computer, filing the discharge teaching and summary. Once Fred announced that he is satisfied with Jon’s progress, Mel handed the discharge paperwork to Dorothea along with her business card and a promise to call with the results of her research. Jon was bullied into a wheelchair and taken out by Fred to the rowdy welcome of the entourage in the waiting room.
When she was certain that the waiting room was empty, Mel came out of the trauma room so the cleaning crew could re set it back, and collapsed into an uncomfortable chair in the lounge. She tried to think and process the events of the shift. Everything felt unreal. The only solid proof of the encounter was the small business card in her pocket that had “Dorothea Bongiovi” printed on it in delicate font, followed by three phone numbers with 212, 732, and 609 area codes.
Chapter 8
A knock on the door got everyone’s attention as Dr. Arroyo entered the room with a clipboard in his hands.
“Well, Mr. Bongiovi, it seems that you…” He stopped in mid sentence as he noticed Dorothea.
“O, hi Doc! This is my wife Dorothea.” Jon once again made the introduction.
“Well, then.” said Dr. Arroyo, shaking Dorothea’s hand “Where was I? O yes, here we are. Mr. Bongiovi, I’ve reviewed the MRI with Dr. Alonzo, our radiologist, and I’m certain that you’ve managed to tear most of your left Gastrocnemius muscle.” Noticing a blank stare from his patient, he smiled and went on. “What I’m trying to say is that you tore most of your left calf muscle.”
Jon winced and nodded. “OK, so now what? Do I need surgery or will it just heal by itself?”
“Well, your injury does not need surgery. But you will need to rest your leg for few weeks while it heals. Also, you need ice packs for the next 24 hours to keep the swelling down and a compression dressing. I‘ll give you a script for some pain medications and some anti inflammatory meds that will also help with reducing the inflammation in the tissue and decrease the swelling and pain. Melody will wrap your leg and give you discharge instructions. Also, you might want to follow up with a “sports medicine” specialist. This is the kind of injury that they deal with every day.”
“Uhmmm, doctor!” Dorothea chimed in “I think you will have to define the meaning of “resting the leg” for my husband! He is not familiar with that concept!”
“Well, Mr.Bongiovi, when I say rest that leg, I mean no weight bearing on it for few weeks. You will have to use crutches while walking, or a wheel chair if you prefer.” He smiled at his patient.
“Uhmm, Doc, do you know what I do for a living?” asked Jon.
“You are a singer. Right?”
“Yeah! I am.”
“Well, can’t you sing sitting down?”
Jon threw his head back and laughed at the older man briefly, then got serious. “No!”
Seeing his puzzled look, he smirked “No one is sitting down during our shows!”
“Oh, what about your audience?”
“They are all up on their feet, dancing, jumping, screaming, and singing with us!” Jon said proudly.
“I see. That must be some show!”
“You have no idea!” chuckled Mel. Then looked sheepishly at the three grinning men and shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, in that case, Mr. Bongiovi, you should take off about a month and let your leg heal.”
“Uhmm, Doc, we are in the middle of an 18 month long tour. I can’t just take a break!” Jon ran his right hand through his hair and went on “I got twelve more shows to play before I can take a break! You gotta understand Doc, I can’t just cancel twelve sold out shows! Hundreds of thousands of fans will be disappointed!”
“We are talking your health here! Surely Mr. Bongiovi, your health is more important to you then some disappointed fans! Don’t you have insurance for that sort of thing?”
“Yeah, sure! The insurance will cover most of the lost revenues, but it won’t do anything for the disappointment and fan dissatisfaction!” Pointed out Jon, as Dorothea took his hand, squeezed it, and looked at the doctor.
“Excuse me, Doctor Arroyo, was it?” she addressed the physician.
“Yes Mrs. Bongiovi?”
“Can we compromise somehow?” asked Dorothea.
“What do you mean “compromise”? “ asked the doctor.
“Well, if he stays off his leg between the shows, and only walks for the duration of the couple of hours on each show night, how much damage will he do to his leg?”
“Hey! I can’t stay off my leg between the shows! I have to travel, and I have work to do!” He objected sitting up abruptly and wincing in pain that the move caused.
“Shut up dear! I’m trying to help you here!” she glared at her husband. “If it allows you to prevent canceling the shows, you WILL walk on crutches! Don’t make me knock you out and make Matt wheel you around in a chair!”
He smile sheepishly at his wife an nodded. Then turned to snickering David and Richie and gave them the famous “stink eye”. “What are you laughing at assholes? I’ll just make you two do all the interviews!” he sneered.
“No you won’t!” said Richie “You’re too much of a control freak to do that!”
“No I’m NOT!”
“Yes YOU ARE!” came from both David and Richie.
“Quiet children!” Dorothea raised her voice above their quibbling, and stood up.
“Is there anything that we can do to speed up the recovery? You know, to enhance and promote the muscle healing? Some physical therapy? Exercises of some sorts?” she asked as she gently stretched her back before sitting down again. “Maybe some alternative medicine therapy? We have a chiropractor who travels with the band.”
“There is not that much that your chiropractor can do for you at this point. But if you are interested in alternative medicine, Melody here is your best bet! She is our resident authority on the complimentary therapies. And if you insist on walking during your shows, you most likely will not damage your leg any further…. As long as it’s wrapped. But you do understand that you will be in a considerable amount of pain?”
“I can handle the pain Doc!”
“If you insist Mr. Bongiovi!”
“I DO Doc!”
“Well, I’m not going to waste everyone’s time arguing with you Mr. Bongiovi! I gave you my recommendation and advice, what you decide to do is up to you!” He nodded to Melody and handed her two prescriptions. “Wrap him up and discharge him! And you have my blessing to try your Holistic Therapies if he is interested.”
He turned to leave the room, then stopped and nodded to his patient “Good luck with your tour Mr. Bongiovi! And have a good night!” He handed the clipboard to Mel and walked out of the room.
“Well, Mr. Bongiovi, it seems that you…” He stopped in mid sentence as he noticed Dorothea.
“O, hi Doc! This is my wife Dorothea.” Jon once again made the introduction.
“Well, then.” said Dr. Arroyo, shaking Dorothea’s hand “Where was I? O yes, here we are. Mr. Bongiovi, I’ve reviewed the MRI with Dr. Alonzo, our radiologist, and I’m certain that you’ve managed to tear most of your left Gastrocnemius muscle.” Noticing a blank stare from his patient, he smiled and went on. “What I’m trying to say is that you tore most of your left calf muscle.”
Jon winced and nodded. “OK, so now what? Do I need surgery or will it just heal by itself?”
“Well, your injury does not need surgery. But you will need to rest your leg for few weeks while it heals. Also, you need ice packs for the next 24 hours to keep the swelling down and a compression dressing. I‘ll give you a script for some pain medications and some anti inflammatory meds that will also help with reducing the inflammation in the tissue and decrease the swelling and pain. Melody will wrap your leg and give you discharge instructions. Also, you might want to follow up with a “sports medicine” specialist. This is the kind of injury that they deal with every day.”
“Uhmmm, doctor!” Dorothea chimed in “I think you will have to define the meaning of “resting the leg” for my husband! He is not familiar with that concept!”
“Well, Mr.Bongiovi, when I say rest that leg, I mean no weight bearing on it for few weeks. You will have to use crutches while walking, or a wheel chair if you prefer.” He smiled at his patient.
“Uhmm, Doc, do you know what I do for a living?” asked Jon.
“You are a singer. Right?”
“Yeah! I am.”
“Well, can’t you sing sitting down?”
Jon threw his head back and laughed at the older man briefly, then got serious. “No!”
Seeing his puzzled look, he smirked “No one is sitting down during our shows!”
“Oh, what about your audience?”
“They are all up on their feet, dancing, jumping, screaming, and singing with us!” Jon said proudly.
“I see. That must be some show!”
“You have no idea!” chuckled Mel. Then looked sheepishly at the three grinning men and shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, in that case, Mr. Bongiovi, you should take off about a month and let your leg heal.”
“Uhmm, Doc, we are in the middle of an 18 month long tour. I can’t just take a break!” Jon ran his right hand through his hair and went on “I got twelve more shows to play before I can take a break! You gotta understand Doc, I can’t just cancel twelve sold out shows! Hundreds of thousands of fans will be disappointed!”
“We are talking your health here! Surely Mr. Bongiovi, your health is more important to you then some disappointed fans! Don’t you have insurance for that sort of thing?”
“Yeah, sure! The insurance will cover most of the lost revenues, but it won’t do anything for the disappointment and fan dissatisfaction!” Pointed out Jon, as Dorothea took his hand, squeezed it, and looked at the doctor.
“Excuse me, Doctor Arroyo, was it?” she addressed the physician.
“Yes Mrs. Bongiovi?”
“Can we compromise somehow?” asked Dorothea.
“What do you mean “compromise”? “ asked the doctor.
“Well, if he stays off his leg between the shows, and only walks for the duration of the couple of hours on each show night, how much damage will he do to his leg?”
“Hey! I can’t stay off my leg between the shows! I have to travel, and I have work to do!” He objected sitting up abruptly and wincing in pain that the move caused.
“Shut up dear! I’m trying to help you here!” she glared at her husband. “If it allows you to prevent canceling the shows, you WILL walk on crutches! Don’t make me knock you out and make Matt wheel you around in a chair!”
He smile sheepishly at his wife an nodded. Then turned to snickering David and Richie and gave them the famous “stink eye”. “What are you laughing at assholes? I’ll just make you two do all the interviews!” he sneered.
“No you won’t!” said Richie “You’re too much of a control freak to do that!”
“No I’m NOT!”
“Yes YOU ARE!” came from both David and Richie.
“Quiet children!” Dorothea raised her voice above their quibbling, and stood up.
“Is there anything that we can do to speed up the recovery? You know, to enhance and promote the muscle healing? Some physical therapy? Exercises of some sorts?” she asked as she gently stretched her back before sitting down again. “Maybe some alternative medicine therapy? We have a chiropractor who travels with the band.”
“There is not that much that your chiropractor can do for you at this point. But if you are interested in alternative medicine, Melody here is your best bet! She is our resident authority on the complimentary therapies. And if you insist on walking during your shows, you most likely will not damage your leg any further…. As long as it’s wrapped. But you do understand that you will be in a considerable amount of pain?”
“I can handle the pain Doc!”
“If you insist Mr. Bongiovi!”
“I DO Doc!”
“Well, I’m not going to waste everyone’s time arguing with you Mr. Bongiovi! I gave you my recommendation and advice, what you decide to do is up to you!” He nodded to Melody and handed her two prescriptions. “Wrap him up and discharge him! And you have my blessing to try your Holistic Therapies if he is interested.”
He turned to leave the room, then stopped and nodded to his patient “Good luck with your tour Mr. Bongiovi! And have a good night!” He handed the clipboard to Mel and walked out of the room.
Chapter 7
With Fred’s help, they were back in the ER in under five minutes. Passing the desk, Mel waved to Jane. Jane rolled her eyes and nodded towards the waiting area. There it seems that the crowd has tripled in size. Shaking her head Mel promptly brought the stretcher back to the Trauma room, immediately noting an extra person there too. Smiling to the familiar looking petite brunette, she parked the stretcher and locked the breaks.
The woman ran up to the stretcher and gave Jon a quick kiss. “Are you OK baby?” she asked.
Jon’s free arm immediately went up to hug her. “Yeah baby, the Humpty Dumpty is broken again.” he laughed. “But Mel and Fred here are doing their best to put me back together again.”
Turning slightly he made the introductions. “Mel, this is my wife Dorothea! Dottie, this is my nurse Melody.”
Mel smiled and shook Dorothea’s offered hand “Nice to meet you Mrs. Bongiovi!”
“Please call me Dottie! And I hope these three overgrown babies haven’t caused you any problems.”
“Hey, we’ve been on our best behavior here!” came Richie’s voice from behind her.
“Aha, and the hell is freezing over Sambora!” snorted Dorothea. “The three of you behaving, then I’m the Queen of England!”
“At your service Your Majesty!” Said Richie with a fake British accent and bowed to Dorothea, earning himself a punch on his bicep in the process.
“OUCH!!!” he screamed.
“Mel, I think you just got yourself another patient!” Richie moaned dramatically holding his injured arm.
Melody glanced his way. “You want me to admit you for overnight observation?”
“Yes please! I think I need very close observation and intensive nursing care!” He moaned again.
Melody snorted and moved over to the computer. She punched a few random keys, then turned to Richie.
“It seems like you’re in luck! We have two beds available! One in pediatric unit and another in the locked psych unit! Your choice!”
“Oh I think he needs the psychiatric bed!” chuckled David “Just make sure that the room is padded!”
“Aha, and the pediatric one is perfect for you!” snorted Dorothea.
“But I won’t fit into a pediatric bed!” whined David and pouted.
Melody could not hold back laughter. Shaking her head she turned to Dorothea “How do you deal with this circus for so many years?”
“I treat them like the spoiled children that they are: lots of spanking!”
“Well, for some of us that might be an incentive.” came a quiet mumble from the stretcher.
“What was that dear?” Dorothea raised an eyebrow at her husband.
“Nothing, my love!” he said, and quickly followed that with a smile.
“Right” snorted his wife.
“So, how is that arm?” asked Melody, turning her attention back to Richie.
“It’s a tiny bit better.” He said with a serious face. “Maybe I’ll be able to recover with just some home care after all”
“Sure thing! Lets see if I can make some arrangements.” Mel said with an evil smile and turned to Fred. “Hey Fred, you wanna pick up some private duty hours?”
“Nah Mel, you know I can’t risk Scott’s wrath. If he finds out I went to a rock star’s home, he’ll leave me! He is such a jealous bitch!” Fred dead panned with a straight face.
The look on Richie’s face was priceless.
Suddenly, a loud snort came from the stretcher “I think we all forgot who the is the REAL patient here!”
“Sure! Go ahead, take care of him! I’ll just suffer in silence…as always…upstaged by the front man…such is my fate as the side kick guitar player…” grumbled Richie.
“Aha, poor you! I’ll have Dean give you an adjustment before the next gig! Well, if he has any time left after adjusting me and David…that is!”
“Thanks, I think I’ll pass.” Came Richie’s reply.
“Suit yourself, asshole!” snorted Jon and shot him a “one finger salute”.
Melody raised an eyebrow at Dorothea, who just rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Smiling at the older woman, Mel said “ How unprofessional of me would it be to say that I keep waiting for cameras to show up and some obnoxious TV host to yell “SMILE! YOU’RE ON CANDID CAMERA!”
Dorothea laughed and came over to give Mel a hug.
“Sorry hun, this is real! And you’re stuck here with these Three Stooges! But I promise I’ll help you to keep them in line!”
“OK, but I’m still gonna go and check the circuit board for any Nitrous Oxide leaks!” whispered Mel
“Well, you do that hun, if it’ll make you feel better.” laughed Dorothea.
The woman ran up to the stretcher and gave Jon a quick kiss. “Are you OK baby?” she asked.
Jon’s free arm immediately went up to hug her. “Yeah baby, the Humpty Dumpty is broken again.” he laughed. “But Mel and Fred here are doing their best to put me back together again.”
Turning slightly he made the introductions. “Mel, this is my wife Dorothea! Dottie, this is my nurse Melody.”
Mel smiled and shook Dorothea’s offered hand “Nice to meet you Mrs. Bongiovi!”
“Please call me Dottie! And I hope these three overgrown babies haven’t caused you any problems.”
“Hey, we’ve been on our best behavior here!” came Richie’s voice from behind her.
“Aha, and the hell is freezing over Sambora!” snorted Dorothea. “The three of you behaving, then I’m the Queen of England!”
“At your service Your Majesty!” Said Richie with a fake British accent and bowed to Dorothea, earning himself a punch on his bicep in the process.
“OUCH!!!” he screamed.
“Mel, I think you just got yourself another patient!” Richie moaned dramatically holding his injured arm.
Melody glanced his way. “You want me to admit you for overnight observation?”
“Yes please! I think I need very close observation and intensive nursing care!” He moaned again.
Melody snorted and moved over to the computer. She punched a few random keys, then turned to Richie.
“It seems like you’re in luck! We have two beds available! One in pediatric unit and another in the locked psych unit! Your choice!”
“Oh I think he needs the psychiatric bed!” chuckled David “Just make sure that the room is padded!”
“Aha, and the pediatric one is perfect for you!” snorted Dorothea.
“But I won’t fit into a pediatric bed!” whined David and pouted.
Melody could not hold back laughter. Shaking her head she turned to Dorothea “How do you deal with this circus for so many years?”
“I treat them like the spoiled children that they are: lots of spanking!”
“Well, for some of us that might be an incentive.” came a quiet mumble from the stretcher.
“What was that dear?” Dorothea raised an eyebrow at her husband.
“Nothing, my love!” he said, and quickly followed that with a smile.
“Right” snorted his wife.
“So, how is that arm?” asked Melody, turning her attention back to Richie.
“It’s a tiny bit better.” He said with a serious face. “Maybe I’ll be able to recover with just some home care after all”
“Sure thing! Lets see if I can make some arrangements.” Mel said with an evil smile and turned to Fred. “Hey Fred, you wanna pick up some private duty hours?”
“Nah Mel, you know I can’t risk Scott’s wrath. If he finds out I went to a rock star’s home, he’ll leave me! He is such a jealous bitch!” Fred dead panned with a straight face.
The look on Richie’s face was priceless.
Suddenly, a loud snort came from the stretcher “I think we all forgot who the is the REAL patient here!”
“Sure! Go ahead, take care of him! I’ll just suffer in silence…as always…upstaged by the front man…such is my fate as the side kick guitar player…” grumbled Richie.
“Aha, poor you! I’ll have Dean give you an adjustment before the next gig! Well, if he has any time left after adjusting me and David…that is!”
“Thanks, I think I’ll pass.” Came Richie’s reply.
“Suit yourself, asshole!” snorted Jon and shot him a “one finger salute”.
Melody raised an eyebrow at Dorothea, who just rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Smiling at the older woman, Mel said “ How unprofessional of me would it be to say that I keep waiting for cameras to show up and some obnoxious TV host to yell “SMILE! YOU’RE ON CANDID CAMERA!”
Dorothea laughed and came over to give Mel a hug.
“Sorry hun, this is real! And you’re stuck here with these Three Stooges! But I promise I’ll help you to keep them in line!”
“OK, but I’m still gonna go and check the circuit board for any Nitrous Oxide leaks!” whispered Mel
“Well, you do that hun, if it’ll make you feel better.” laughed Dorothea.
Chapter 6
Melody looked at the tense man on the sliding table and sighed.
This is gonna take a miracle. He’s wound up as tight as a coil.
She grabbed a rolling stool and sat down next to the sliding table. Taking Jon’s right hand she gently massaged it.
“Jon, for this to work, I need you to close your eyes, relax and listen to my voice. I promise I’ll stay with you and talk you through this.”
He eyed her wearily and nodded.
“OK, tell me what is one place that makes you feel happy, relaxed, completely at peace and safe?”
He thought for a moment “The beach I guess”
“Perfect!”
Melody took the gauze square and placed it on Jon’s chest. Jon sniffed it and looked at her.
“This smells like a deodorant!”
“Yes, I told you, this is lavender oil. It will help you to relax. Now, I need you to take a deep breath, close your eyes and exhale slowly.”
Watching him as he followed her instructions, she smiled and went on.
“Good, continue to take slow deep breaths.”
She watched his chest rise and fall.
“Now imagine your self on the beach. The sun is shining and there are small fluffy white clouds floating above you. You are laying on warm golden sand and enjoying the beautiful day. Your wife is next to you, reading a book. Your kids are playing peacefully nearby, building a sand castle. No one is bothering you, and there are no cameras to be seen.”
She watched the man on the table visibly relax, a small gentle smile gracing his lips.
“You may feel the sand shift and move at times, but it does not bother you because you’re enjoying the sun and the gentle breeze that’s keeping you comfortable and relaxed. Just concentrate on your breathing and keep your arms above your head.”
Jon promptly followed her instruction and raised his hands to rest above his head on the pillow. Melody adjusted his IV tubing and continued to hold his right hand.
“Good, just keep on taking those slow deep breaths and enjoy the sun, the breeze and the sound of waves as they gently hit the shore.”
Seeing him completely relaxed, Melody waved to Jim in the control room to re start the scan. As the table slid into the magnet scanner, she slid her stool along and kept a gentle hold on his hand. Jon’s body disappeared completely into the scanner leaving only his head and hands outside. Melody continued to talk to him, gently stroking his hand. A short time later, as the table slid out of the machine, she looked up and saw grinning Jim with two thumbs up.
She leaned closer to her patient. “OK Jon, I’m going to count backwards form five. When I get to one, you will take another deep breath and open your eyes. Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Take a deep breath Jon and open your eyes!”
Jon exhaled slowly and opened his eyes and looked expectantly at Mel.
She smiled at him and gave his hand a final squeeze before moving away.
“You did great Jon! We are all done. Just hang in there for few more moments and I’ll take you back to the ER.”
Jim entered the room and helped Mel roll the sliding table out to the waiting area of the suite where Fred was waiting with the stretcher.
Jon slid over onto the stretcher with a sigh.
Melody couldn’t hold back a chuckle at his futile attempt to keep his flimsy gown from riding up again as she covered him with a sheet.
“See something you like Darlin’?” he gave her a lazy grin.
Just as she opened her mouth to reply, Jim walked out of his control room.
“Mel, forgetting something are ya?” he held up her bra.
Melody felt herself blush from the tips of her pedicured toes to the roots of her hair as she snatched the pink lacy garment from Jim and disappeared behind the door marked “dressing room” followed by a chorus of male laughter and offers to help.
She was still blushing when she reappeared few minutes later. Giving the three men a defiant stare, Melody grabbed the plastic bag with the rest of her stuff from Jim and steered Jon’s stretcher towards the exit.
This is gonna take a miracle. He’s wound up as tight as a coil.
She grabbed a rolling stool and sat down next to the sliding table. Taking Jon’s right hand she gently massaged it.
“Jon, for this to work, I need you to close your eyes, relax and listen to my voice. I promise I’ll stay with you and talk you through this.”
He eyed her wearily and nodded.
“OK, tell me what is one place that makes you feel happy, relaxed, completely at peace and safe?”
He thought for a moment “The beach I guess”
“Perfect!”
Melody took the gauze square and placed it on Jon’s chest. Jon sniffed it and looked at her.
“This smells like a deodorant!”
“Yes, I told you, this is lavender oil. It will help you to relax. Now, I need you to take a deep breath, close your eyes and exhale slowly.”
Watching him as he followed her instructions, she smiled and went on.
“Good, continue to take slow deep breaths.”
She watched his chest rise and fall.
“Now imagine your self on the beach. The sun is shining and there are small fluffy white clouds floating above you. You are laying on warm golden sand and enjoying the beautiful day. Your wife is next to you, reading a book. Your kids are playing peacefully nearby, building a sand castle. No one is bothering you, and there are no cameras to be seen.”
She watched the man on the table visibly relax, a small gentle smile gracing his lips.
“You may feel the sand shift and move at times, but it does not bother you because you’re enjoying the sun and the gentle breeze that’s keeping you comfortable and relaxed. Just concentrate on your breathing and keep your arms above your head.”
Jon promptly followed her instruction and raised his hands to rest above his head on the pillow. Melody adjusted his IV tubing and continued to hold his right hand.
“Good, just keep on taking those slow deep breaths and enjoy the sun, the breeze and the sound of waves as they gently hit the shore.”
Seeing him completely relaxed, Melody waved to Jim in the control room to re start the scan. As the table slid into the magnet scanner, she slid her stool along and kept a gentle hold on his hand. Jon’s body disappeared completely into the scanner leaving only his head and hands outside. Melody continued to talk to him, gently stroking his hand. A short time later, as the table slid out of the machine, she looked up and saw grinning Jim with two thumbs up.
She leaned closer to her patient. “OK Jon, I’m going to count backwards form five. When I get to one, you will take another deep breath and open your eyes. Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Take a deep breath Jon and open your eyes!”
Jon exhaled slowly and opened his eyes and looked expectantly at Mel.
She smiled at him and gave his hand a final squeeze before moving away.
“You did great Jon! We are all done. Just hang in there for few more moments and I’ll take you back to the ER.”
Jim entered the room and helped Mel roll the sliding table out to the waiting area of the suite where Fred was waiting with the stretcher.
Jon slid over onto the stretcher with a sigh.
Melody couldn’t hold back a chuckle at his futile attempt to keep his flimsy gown from riding up again as she covered him with a sheet.
“See something you like Darlin’?” he gave her a lazy grin.
Just as she opened her mouth to reply, Jim walked out of his control room.
“Mel, forgetting something are ya?” he held up her bra.
Melody felt herself blush from the tips of her pedicured toes to the roots of her hair as she snatched the pink lacy garment from Jim and disappeared behind the door marked “dressing room” followed by a chorus of male laughter and offers to help.
She was still blushing when she reappeared few minutes later. Giving the three men a defiant stare, Melody grabbed the plastic bag with the rest of her stuff from Jim and steered Jon’s stretcher towards the exit.
Chapter 5
Shaking her head at their antics, Melody approached the pair.
“Can I get you anything while you’re waiting for your friend?” she asked them.
Seeing the naughty looks on their faces, she rolled her eyes and clarified
“Do you want something to eat or drink?”
“Sure, I could eat!” said David.
Richie snorted “Sure, you can! You’re breathing!” Seeing Mel’s puzzled look he explained “He eats 24/7!”
“Hey! I’m a growing boy!” complained David.
“Aha, sure! But you’re growing sideways!” snickered Richie
“I am NOT!” said David sucking in his slightly protruding belly.
Melody laughed and stepped out of the room. She went to the unit’s pantry and surveyed the contents of the refrigerator.
Hmmm, slim pickings again. O well.
She grabbed two ham and cheese sandwiches and two bottles of Poland Spring, then thought for a second and replaced one of the sandwiches with a roast beef one and added a couple of packets of mayo and mustard to her pile. Placing her findings on a cardboard tray, she hurried back to the trauma room. Once there, Melody pulled an over the bed table towards the guest chairs and placed the tray on it.
“Help yourselves!” she told the men and turned to leave.
“Thank you darlin!” murmured Richie grabbing the ham and cheese and unwrapping the sandwich. David was busy fixing his sandwich.
“You’re welcome guys. I’ll be back in a few. Bon Appetite!” She winked at them and stepped out.
Back in the room Richie finished his sandwich and grinned at David. “What do you thing Lemma?”
“It’s a bit dry, but will do in a pinch.”
“Not the sandwich, asshole, the girl! Melody!”
“Ahh, she’s sweet!” chuckled David “Nice package, sharp and witty. I like her!”
He was about to say more but his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled out his iPhone and glanced at the caller ID.
“Hi honey, yeah we’re still at the hospital with Kidd. Nope, no news yet. Thanks for taking the kids home by the way. Yep, I do remember we have an eleven am appointment with the wedding planner. Aha, love you too darlin.” He side glanced at Richie as he put away his phone.
“Shut up asshole! Not another word!”
Richie grinned and made another motion imitating a whip being snapped.
Mel sat down in the break lounge with a bottle of water. She took a sip and rested her head on wall behind her.
Wow, can this day get any stranger? Only this morning I was moaning and groaning that I couldn’t switch my shift and join the girls for the concert when they offered me that extra ticket. And now what? The fate, or should I say Sal and Vinnie, just dropped my favorite rock group into my lap. Man, they do look great up close. I swear if I look into those chocolate eyes again I’ll melt into a puddle.
“Melody, Diagnostic Imaging on line one” sputtered the intercom.
Mel got up, shook her head, took one last sip from her bottle and reached for the wall phone.
“This is Mel, how can I help you?” she listened intently to the fast chatter on the other end of the line.
“Pull him out! He is having a panic attack. He’s claustrophobic! I’ll be right there!” She hung up and punched in a four digit extension.
“Doctor Arroyo, its Mel. Our patient is having a panic attack in the MRI. I’m pretty sure its due to claustrophobia.”
She listened to the response and jotted down few notes on the scratch pad “OK, valium 10 migs IV push. Got it. Thank you.”
Hanging up the phone she ran out of the lounge. Grabbing a couple of syringes out of med cart, she unlocked the narcotic locker and pulled out a glass vial and checked the label. After locking the locker and checking the door, she put the vial, syringes, plastic needles and few alcohol swabs in her pocket and ran for the elevators. Punching the call button, she tapped her foot impatiently until the doors opened. Jumping in she pushed the basement button and waited for the doors to close and reopen at her destination. She once again ran following the signs directing her towards the MRI suite. Arriving at the entrance, Mel swiped her ID card and entered the door marked “Control Room”.
“OK Jim, I’m here and I got the “Vitamin V” she told the tech.
The scrawny bearded man in dark blue scrubs just waved his hand towards a large glass panel separating them from the rest of the suite. Peering through the glass, Mel saw Jon sitting up on the sliding table, rubbing his left calf and hyperventilating. Shaking her head she turned to Jim and mouthed “microphone”.
“Right here Mel” said Jim and pointed to the white plastic contraption with a switch next to it, currently set to “OFF”. She nodded and leaned closer to the microphone and flipped it on.
“Jon, Its Melody. Can you hear me?”
She heard a faint “Yes” and saw him nod.
“Good. I need you to do me a huge favor. Try to control your breathing, if you continue to hyperventilate, you will pass out! My rule is to keep it to one fainting rock star per shift and Richie already fulfilled that quota!”
He flashed her a faint smile and nodded. Then took a nice deep breath and slowly exhaled.
“That’s it Jon. You can do it!. I’m coming in with something that will help you relax and get through this, but I need few minutes to get cleared.”
She turned to Jim “I need to get in there and give him something.”
“Sure, you know the routine Melody. Take everything metal off your body and empty your pockets.”
She sighed and took off the lanyard with her ID, emptied her pockets and placed everything in the plastic bin offered to her by Jim. Then picked up the supplies and a small glass bottle and placed them in the plastic bag. Turning back to Jim she stood in front of him expectantly. The MRI tech picked up his portable metal detector wand and started sweeping her body. Melody jumped when the whistle sounded and looked at grinning Jim.
“Wearing an under wire are you?” he asked.
“Uhmmm, yeah, I think I am” Melody said blushing.
“Well, it needs to come off if you wanna go inside the magnet room! Need help?” he leered.
“Nope, perfectly capable of doing it myself.” she muttered and turned to face away as she quickly reached under her roomy scrubs, unhooked and removed her undergarment. Placing the pink lace bra into the bin with the rest of her stuff she turned back to Jim and let him finish his sweep. When no further sounds came from the wand, Jim nodded and pressed the buzzer to unlock the heavy door separating the control room from the rest of the suit.
Melody ran into the scan room and cringing at the loud clicking noise approached Jon.
“Hey, how are you hanging in there?”
“A bit better now that you’re here.” he grinned, still rubbing the back of his left calf.
“Leg still hurting pretty bad?”
“Actually it is getting better since you gave me that ‘industrial strength Advil” he grinned.
“Well, I got something else for you. It will help you relax inside the scanner.”
“Ahh, about that scanner… Is there any other way of checking my leg without pulling me into that coffin?”
“I’m afraid not. But the valium I’ll give you will help!”
“Mel, I’d rather not take anything that will make me loopy. Is there anything else?”
Melody thought for a moment then nodded. “Are you willing to let me try some Complementary Medicine Therapy on you?”
“As long as it does not involve drugs, I’m game” he sighed.
“OK, let me try some Essential Oil and Guided Imagery to help you relax.”
“Oil? Mmm sounds kinky!” He smirked.
“You wish!” she grinned and walked to the supply cart in the corner of the room to grab a small square of gauze.
Pulling out the glass bottle out of her bag with supplies she opened it up and placed three drops of the liquid contained inside on the gauze square. Turning back to Jon she smiled.
“OK, I need you to lay back and try to relax.” Seeing him eyeing her wearily she laughed “This is just lavender, would please trust me!”
Jon exhaled loudly and laid back down on the table. “OK, do your Voodoo!”
“Can I get you anything while you’re waiting for your friend?” she asked them.
Seeing the naughty looks on their faces, she rolled her eyes and clarified
“Do you want something to eat or drink?”
“Sure, I could eat!” said David.
Richie snorted “Sure, you can! You’re breathing!” Seeing Mel’s puzzled look he explained “He eats 24/7!”
“Hey! I’m a growing boy!” complained David.
“Aha, sure! But you’re growing sideways!” snickered Richie
“I am NOT!” said David sucking in his slightly protruding belly.
Melody laughed and stepped out of the room. She went to the unit’s pantry and surveyed the contents of the refrigerator.
Hmmm, slim pickings again. O well.
She grabbed two ham and cheese sandwiches and two bottles of Poland Spring, then thought for a second and replaced one of the sandwiches with a roast beef one and added a couple of packets of mayo and mustard to her pile. Placing her findings on a cardboard tray, she hurried back to the trauma room. Once there, Melody pulled an over the bed table towards the guest chairs and placed the tray on it.
“Help yourselves!” she told the men and turned to leave.
“Thank you darlin!” murmured Richie grabbing the ham and cheese and unwrapping the sandwich. David was busy fixing his sandwich.
“You’re welcome guys. I’ll be back in a few. Bon Appetite!” She winked at them and stepped out.
Back in the room Richie finished his sandwich and grinned at David. “What do you thing Lemma?”
“It’s a bit dry, but will do in a pinch.”
“Not the sandwich, asshole, the girl! Melody!”
“Ahh, she’s sweet!” chuckled David “Nice package, sharp and witty. I like her!”
He was about to say more but his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled out his iPhone and glanced at the caller ID.
“Hi honey, yeah we’re still at the hospital with Kidd. Nope, no news yet. Thanks for taking the kids home by the way. Yep, I do remember we have an eleven am appointment with the wedding planner. Aha, love you too darlin.” He side glanced at Richie as he put away his phone.
“Shut up asshole! Not another word!”
Richie grinned and made another motion imitating a whip being snapped.
Mel sat down in the break lounge with a bottle of water. She took a sip and rested her head on wall behind her.
Wow, can this day get any stranger? Only this morning I was moaning and groaning that I couldn’t switch my shift and join the girls for the concert when they offered me that extra ticket. And now what? The fate, or should I say Sal and Vinnie, just dropped my favorite rock group into my lap. Man, they do look great up close. I swear if I look into those chocolate eyes again I’ll melt into a puddle.
“Melody, Diagnostic Imaging on line one” sputtered the intercom.
Mel got up, shook her head, took one last sip from her bottle and reached for the wall phone.
“This is Mel, how can I help you?” she listened intently to the fast chatter on the other end of the line.
“Pull him out! He is having a panic attack. He’s claustrophobic! I’ll be right there!” She hung up and punched in a four digit extension.
“Doctor Arroyo, its Mel. Our patient is having a panic attack in the MRI. I’m pretty sure its due to claustrophobia.”
She listened to the response and jotted down few notes on the scratch pad “OK, valium 10 migs IV push. Got it. Thank you.”
Hanging up the phone she ran out of the lounge. Grabbing a couple of syringes out of med cart, she unlocked the narcotic locker and pulled out a glass vial and checked the label. After locking the locker and checking the door, she put the vial, syringes, plastic needles and few alcohol swabs in her pocket and ran for the elevators. Punching the call button, she tapped her foot impatiently until the doors opened. Jumping in she pushed the basement button and waited for the doors to close and reopen at her destination. She once again ran following the signs directing her towards the MRI suite. Arriving at the entrance, Mel swiped her ID card and entered the door marked “Control Room”.
“OK Jim, I’m here and I got the “Vitamin V” she told the tech.
The scrawny bearded man in dark blue scrubs just waved his hand towards a large glass panel separating them from the rest of the suite. Peering through the glass, Mel saw Jon sitting up on the sliding table, rubbing his left calf and hyperventilating. Shaking her head she turned to Jim and mouthed “microphone”.
“Right here Mel” said Jim and pointed to the white plastic contraption with a switch next to it, currently set to “OFF”. She nodded and leaned closer to the microphone and flipped it on.
“Jon, Its Melody. Can you hear me?”
She heard a faint “Yes” and saw him nod.
“Good. I need you to do me a huge favor. Try to control your breathing, if you continue to hyperventilate, you will pass out! My rule is to keep it to one fainting rock star per shift and Richie already fulfilled that quota!”
He flashed her a faint smile and nodded. Then took a nice deep breath and slowly exhaled.
“That’s it Jon. You can do it!. I’m coming in with something that will help you relax and get through this, but I need few minutes to get cleared.”
She turned to Jim “I need to get in there and give him something.”
“Sure, you know the routine Melody. Take everything metal off your body and empty your pockets.”
She sighed and took off the lanyard with her ID, emptied her pockets and placed everything in the plastic bin offered to her by Jim. Then picked up the supplies and a small glass bottle and placed them in the plastic bag. Turning back to Jim she stood in front of him expectantly. The MRI tech picked up his portable metal detector wand and started sweeping her body. Melody jumped when the whistle sounded and looked at grinning Jim.
“Wearing an under wire are you?” he asked.
“Uhmmm, yeah, I think I am” Melody said blushing.
“Well, it needs to come off if you wanna go inside the magnet room! Need help?” he leered.
“Nope, perfectly capable of doing it myself.” she muttered and turned to face away as she quickly reached under her roomy scrubs, unhooked and removed her undergarment. Placing the pink lace bra into the bin with the rest of her stuff she turned back to Jim and let him finish his sweep. When no further sounds came from the wand, Jim nodded and pressed the buzzer to unlock the heavy door separating the control room from the rest of the suit.
Melody ran into the scan room and cringing at the loud clicking noise approached Jon.
“Hey, how are you hanging in there?”
“A bit better now that you’re here.” he grinned, still rubbing the back of his left calf.
“Leg still hurting pretty bad?”
“Actually it is getting better since you gave me that ‘industrial strength Advil” he grinned.
“Well, I got something else for you. It will help you relax inside the scanner.”
“Ahh, about that scanner… Is there any other way of checking my leg without pulling me into that coffin?”
“I’m afraid not. But the valium I’ll give you will help!”
“Mel, I’d rather not take anything that will make me loopy. Is there anything else?”
Melody thought for a moment then nodded. “Are you willing to let me try some Complementary Medicine Therapy on you?”
“As long as it does not involve drugs, I’m game” he sighed.
“OK, let me try some Essential Oil and Guided Imagery to help you relax.”
“Oil? Mmm sounds kinky!” He smirked.
“You wish!” she grinned and walked to the supply cart in the corner of the room to grab a small square of gauze.
Pulling out the glass bottle out of her bag with supplies she opened it up and placed three drops of the liquid contained inside on the gauze square. Turning back to Jon she smiled.
“OK, I need you to lay back and try to relax.” Seeing him eyeing her wearily she laughed “This is just lavender, would please trust me!”
Jon exhaled loudly and laid back down on the table. “OK, do your Voodoo!”
Chapter 4
Jon sighed with resignation and offered his left arm to Melody.
“Here, do your worst”
“Hmmm, usually patients want me to do my best!”
Mel grinned back at him as she settled on a rolling stool next to the stretcher and placed a protective pad under Jon’s arm. Snapping on a pair of gloves and grabbing all of her supplies she went to work.
“OK Jon this will be very tight, sorry about that” she said as she swiftly placed a tourniquet just bellow his elbow. She then gently ran her fingers over his muscular forearm looking for the best vein.
“Mmmm, someone been working out!” she said as she located her target area. After swabbing the site with an antiseptic, she picked up the angiocath and looked up at Jon.
“You will feel a really big pinch, try not to move please!”
After seeing his nod of consent she quickly inserted the guide needle, got the desired flash back and advanced the catheter into the vein. Putting pressure over the site, she withdrew the needle and attached the vacutainer hub and filled up three test tubes with blood. She placed the test tubes back on her tray, attached the IV tubing and dressed the site with a clear plastic dressing.
“OK, all done!” she said and looked up at Jon and chuckled.
“You can open your eyes now!”
Jon opened his eyes and surveyed his arm. Then seeing the blood filled test tubes he shook his head in disbelieve.
“Wow! You are good! That did not hurt as much as I expected!”
“So, does that mean I win the bet?” chuckled Mel as she was cleaning up the mess and labeling the blood tubes.
“You sure did!”
“Uh, Mel! I think I need your help here!‘’ came a worried voice from the other side of the stretcher.
She glanced and saw David supporting pale and clammy Richie with his shoulder.
“Lord have mercy!” she exclaimed as she swiftly moved around the stretcher and approached the other two men. She grabbed Richie’s wrist and felt for his pulse, reassuring herself that his vitals were strong, she turned to David.
“What the hell happened here?”
“Well, he was fine until he saw the needle and the blood” shrugged David.
Mel grabbed a wash cloth and ran to the sink. On her way back to Richie, she grabbed an ammonia popper and cracked it under his nose. As soon as he started struggling to get away from the offensive smell, she gently helped him to recline in his chair and mopped his forehead with a cold damp cloth.
“Easy big guy!” she said noting the return of his normal color. “Do you want to lay down? I can get Fred to bring another stretcher in here.”
“No,no…I’m fine!” protested Richie as he sat up straight in his chair and managed an almost convincing smile at Melody.
“Suit your self” she shrugged her shoulders at him and turned back to Jon.
Jon has turned on his side in an effort to see his friends and his gown rode up slightly exposing his left hip.
Melody cocked an eyebrow at the site of his exposed flesh, grabbed a sheet and covered her patient, mumbling under her breath.
“Go figure! The rumors were true…he does go commando!”
She was rewarded with laughter from all three men.
As she was shaking her head at them in disbelieve, the wall intercom came to life.
“Melody, the Diagnostic Imaging is ready for your patient” came through Jane’s voice.
“Thanks Janie! Can you please send Fred in!”
Turning to Jon she quickly surveyed him and handed him a plastic baggy “I need you to take off all metal objects and put them in this bag for me please! The MRI is a magnet, so you can’t have any metal objects in the room”
Jon nodded his understanding and removed his watch and jewelry.
“Where should I put this?” he asked holding the plastic bag.
“You can give it to your friends to hold it for you”
Jon nodded and handed the bag to David.
“Do you still want your Advil?” Melody asked him holding up a small glass vial.
“Depends” answered Jon eyeing the vial and the syringe next to it suspiciously.
I’ll put it into you IV” chuckled Mel.
“OK, but what is it?”
“This is called Toradol, and its like an industrial strength Ibuprofen. It will take an edge off your pain without making you drowsy.”
“OK, then drug me up please” he grinned at Mel.
Melody quickly checked the label for the last time, drew up and administered the medication through the IV port.
“It will take about five to ten minutes to kick in” she warned him.
"Thank you sweet…uhm, darling” he smiled at her.
Mel rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Fred chose that moment to enter the room, grabbed the clip board from Mel and wheeled Jon away for his test.
Seeing her patient taken care off, Melody turned her attention to Richie.
“How’re you feeling Big Guy?” she asked approaching him again.
“O… I think I need a sponge bath” he moaned dramatically.
“Sure! No problem! As soon as Fred gets back, I’ll have him give you one!” She smirked back at him.
David almost slid off his chair laughing.
“Here, do your worst”
“Hmmm, usually patients want me to do my best!”
Mel grinned back at him as she settled on a rolling stool next to the stretcher and placed a protective pad under Jon’s arm. Snapping on a pair of gloves and grabbing all of her supplies she went to work.
“OK Jon this will be very tight, sorry about that” she said as she swiftly placed a tourniquet just bellow his elbow. She then gently ran her fingers over his muscular forearm looking for the best vein.
“Mmmm, someone been working out!” she said as she located her target area. After swabbing the site with an antiseptic, she picked up the angiocath and looked up at Jon.
“You will feel a really big pinch, try not to move please!”
After seeing his nod of consent she quickly inserted the guide needle, got the desired flash back and advanced the catheter into the vein. Putting pressure over the site, she withdrew the needle and attached the vacutainer hub and filled up three test tubes with blood. She placed the test tubes back on her tray, attached the IV tubing and dressed the site with a clear plastic dressing.
“OK, all done!” she said and looked up at Jon and chuckled.
“You can open your eyes now!”
Jon opened his eyes and surveyed his arm. Then seeing the blood filled test tubes he shook his head in disbelieve.
“Wow! You are good! That did not hurt as much as I expected!”
“So, does that mean I win the bet?” chuckled Mel as she was cleaning up the mess and labeling the blood tubes.
“You sure did!”
“Uh, Mel! I think I need your help here!‘’ came a worried voice from the other side of the stretcher.
She glanced and saw David supporting pale and clammy Richie with his shoulder.
“Lord have mercy!” she exclaimed as she swiftly moved around the stretcher and approached the other two men. She grabbed Richie’s wrist and felt for his pulse, reassuring herself that his vitals were strong, she turned to David.
“What the hell happened here?”
“Well, he was fine until he saw the needle and the blood” shrugged David.
Mel grabbed a wash cloth and ran to the sink. On her way back to Richie, she grabbed an ammonia popper and cracked it under his nose. As soon as he started struggling to get away from the offensive smell, she gently helped him to recline in his chair and mopped his forehead with a cold damp cloth.
“Easy big guy!” she said noting the return of his normal color. “Do you want to lay down? I can get Fred to bring another stretcher in here.”
“No,no…I’m fine!” protested Richie as he sat up straight in his chair and managed an almost convincing smile at Melody.
“Suit your self” she shrugged her shoulders at him and turned back to Jon.
Jon has turned on his side in an effort to see his friends and his gown rode up slightly exposing his left hip.
Melody cocked an eyebrow at the site of his exposed flesh, grabbed a sheet and covered her patient, mumbling under her breath.
“Go figure! The rumors were true…he does go commando!”
She was rewarded with laughter from all three men.
As she was shaking her head at them in disbelieve, the wall intercom came to life.
“Melody, the Diagnostic Imaging is ready for your patient” came through Jane’s voice.
“Thanks Janie! Can you please send Fred in!”
Turning to Jon she quickly surveyed him and handed him a plastic baggy “I need you to take off all metal objects and put them in this bag for me please! The MRI is a magnet, so you can’t have any metal objects in the room”
Jon nodded his understanding and removed his watch and jewelry.
“Where should I put this?” he asked holding the plastic bag.
“You can give it to your friends to hold it for you”
Jon nodded and handed the bag to David.
“Do you still want your Advil?” Melody asked him holding up a small glass vial.
“Depends” answered Jon eyeing the vial and the syringe next to it suspiciously.
I’ll put it into you IV” chuckled Mel.
“OK, but what is it?”
“This is called Toradol, and its like an industrial strength Ibuprofen. It will take an edge off your pain without making you drowsy.”
“OK, then drug me up please” he grinned at Mel.
Melody quickly checked the label for the last time, drew up and administered the medication through the IV port.
“It will take about five to ten minutes to kick in” she warned him.
"Thank you sweet…uhm, darling” he smiled at her.
Mel rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Fred chose that moment to enter the room, grabbed the clip board from Mel and wheeled Jon away for his test.
Seeing her patient taken care off, Melody turned her attention to Richie.
“How’re you feeling Big Guy?” she asked approaching him again.
“O… I think I need a sponge bath” he moaned dramatically.
“Sure! No problem! As soon as Fred gets back, I’ll have him give you one!” She smirked back at him.
David almost slid off his chair laughing.
Chapter 3
Melody returned to the room few minutes later accompanied by a distinguished looking older man in a white coat.
“This is Dr. Arroyo” she introduced him to the three men in the room.
Turning her attention to the doctor, she went on with her case work up.
“The patient is a 48 year old healthy male, with no known drug allergies, and no previous health concerns, complains of sudden onset sharp pain in his left calf, during a prolonged physical activity.”
The doctor nodded his thank you to Mel and approached Jon’s stretcher. After brief handshake and introduction to Jon’s friends he went on with a thorough physical examination. Melody provided the needed assistance and answered the inquiries as they went along. Just as Jon was getting to the end of his tolerance of the poking and prodding, the doctor stepped away from the stretcher and turned to Melody
“Ok, Mel, lets start with a CBC, Type and Screen, and a Complete Metabolic Panel, throw in an IV of Normal Saline at 100 per hour and lets get an MRI of that leg. Working diagnosis DVT versus a torn Gastrocnemius muscle. Keep the ice on in the mean time.” Then turning back to glance at his patient’s pained expression he added “And how about Morphine 10 milligrams IM to start with, and you can also give him 30 milligrams of Toradol IV or IM, which ever is easier for you.” Nodding to Melody and the men, he left the room.
Melody punched a few more keys in the computer and turned to look at Jon. Smiling at his puzzled expression, she approached the stretcher.
“Questions?”
“Yeah, you could say that. Could you please translate what he just said?”
“Well, I’m going to draw some blood from you and start an IV. Then we will set you up for a diagnostic test called an MRI. Hopefully that will tell us what is wrong with your leg. And in the mean time I can give you some Morphine for pain.”
“Whoa, wait a second! You gonna stick needles in me?”
“Yes, we do that to patients in our hospital!” Mel smirked at him “That is why I love my job!”
“I hate needles!”
“Uhmmm, and that ink has been sprayed on?” She pointed to his fading Superman Tattoo.
“Nope, they actually had to use a Sharpie for that!” Jon grinned.
“What’s the matter Jon? Afraid of a little prick?” laughed David.
“No, the needle pricks I can deal with, but the two of you are beginning to annoy me!”
“OK, how about I give you the Morphine first, then you won’t really care about the blood work and IV?” Mel asked.
“About that Morphine… I don’t want anything that will make my brain fuzzy.”
“Too late for that bro!” snickered Richie, then turning to Melody he said “Ah just give him a stick to bite on or something!”
“Shut up asshole!” mumbled Jon in Richie’s direction, then glancing at Melody he added “Can’t you just give me a couple of Advils or something?”
Melody laughed at their banter as she wheeled an IV cart over to Jon. Swiftly she spiked a bag of Saline and primed the tubing. Seeing Jon eyeing her set up wearily she chuckled.
“How about this, I’ll let you choose which arm you want this in?”
“His!” he grumbled and pointed to Richie.
“Hey!!! Why me? Stick it in David!”
“I think Lexi needs me at home.” said David and made a motion to escape from the room, while being firmly restrained by Richie’s muscular arm
“Didn’t think I signed up for pediatrics tonight.” mumbled Melody under her breath and rolled her eyes.
Facing David and Richie she gave them her version of a ‘stink eye’ “Sit down you two! I don’t need anyone passing out on me! One rock star patient at a time is my limit!”
Then she eyed squirming Jon “ OK, lets make a bet. If you hold still and not move for two minutes, I bet I can get this IV in on a first try, and also get the blood work drawn at the same time and save you a second stick! And if I fail, you can hit those two as hard as you want!” she pointed at David and Richie who were sitting in visitor’s chairs on his right side.
Jon threw his head back and laughed. “Wait, what do I have to give you if you succeed?” he grinned.
Melody shrugged her slim shoulders “I’ll let you know when I come up with something.”
“This is Dr. Arroyo” she introduced him to the three men in the room.
Turning her attention to the doctor, she went on with her case work up.
“The patient is a 48 year old healthy male, with no known drug allergies, and no previous health concerns, complains of sudden onset sharp pain in his left calf, during a prolonged physical activity.”
The doctor nodded his thank you to Mel and approached Jon’s stretcher. After brief handshake and introduction to Jon’s friends he went on with a thorough physical examination. Melody provided the needed assistance and answered the inquiries as they went along. Just as Jon was getting to the end of his tolerance of the poking and prodding, the doctor stepped away from the stretcher and turned to Melody
“Ok, Mel, lets start with a CBC, Type and Screen, and a Complete Metabolic Panel, throw in an IV of Normal Saline at 100 per hour and lets get an MRI of that leg. Working diagnosis DVT versus a torn Gastrocnemius muscle. Keep the ice on in the mean time.” Then turning back to glance at his patient’s pained expression he added “And how about Morphine 10 milligrams IM to start with, and you can also give him 30 milligrams of Toradol IV or IM, which ever is easier for you.” Nodding to Melody and the men, he left the room.
Melody punched a few more keys in the computer and turned to look at Jon. Smiling at his puzzled expression, she approached the stretcher.
“Questions?”
“Yeah, you could say that. Could you please translate what he just said?”
“Well, I’m going to draw some blood from you and start an IV. Then we will set you up for a diagnostic test called an MRI. Hopefully that will tell us what is wrong with your leg. And in the mean time I can give you some Morphine for pain.”
“Whoa, wait a second! You gonna stick needles in me?”
“Yes, we do that to patients in our hospital!” Mel smirked at him “That is why I love my job!”
“I hate needles!”
“Uhmmm, and that ink has been sprayed on?” She pointed to his fading Superman Tattoo.
“Nope, they actually had to use a Sharpie for that!” Jon grinned.
“What’s the matter Jon? Afraid of a little prick?” laughed David.
“No, the needle pricks I can deal with, but the two of you are beginning to annoy me!”
“OK, how about I give you the Morphine first, then you won’t really care about the blood work and IV?” Mel asked.
“About that Morphine… I don’t want anything that will make my brain fuzzy.”
“Too late for that bro!” snickered Richie, then turning to Melody he said “Ah just give him a stick to bite on or something!”
“Shut up asshole!” mumbled Jon in Richie’s direction, then glancing at Melody he added “Can’t you just give me a couple of Advils or something?”
Melody laughed at their banter as she wheeled an IV cart over to Jon. Swiftly she spiked a bag of Saline and primed the tubing. Seeing Jon eyeing her set up wearily she chuckled.
“How about this, I’ll let you choose which arm you want this in?”
“His!” he grumbled and pointed to Richie.
“Hey!!! Why me? Stick it in David!”
“I think Lexi needs me at home.” said David and made a motion to escape from the room, while being firmly restrained by Richie’s muscular arm
“Didn’t think I signed up for pediatrics tonight.” mumbled Melody under her breath and rolled her eyes.
Facing David and Richie she gave them her version of a ‘stink eye’ “Sit down you two! I don’t need anyone passing out on me! One rock star patient at a time is my limit!”
Then she eyed squirming Jon “ OK, lets make a bet. If you hold still and not move for two minutes, I bet I can get this IV in on a first try, and also get the blood work drawn at the same time and save you a second stick! And if I fail, you can hit those two as hard as you want!” she pointed at David and Richie who were sitting in visitor’s chairs on his right side.
Jon threw his head back and laughed. “Wait, what do I have to give you if you succeed?” he grinned.
Melody shrugged her slim shoulders “I’ll let you know when I come up with something.”
Chapter 2
Jon threw his head back and laughed, briefly forgetting about the pain in his leg.
A fire cracker indeed! And not too hard on the eyes. Young, petite, probably about five feet nothing, looks nice and toned even under those shapeless pink scrubs. Nice shiny chestnut waves for hair, and those sparkling green eyes. Yep, definitely not too hard on the eyes!
“Listen sweetheart, lets start over again! Please call me Jon. And those two goofballs over there are Richie and David, but you probably already know that!”
Melody cringed at the ‘sweetheart’ and nodded. “Yes, I know who you are. Please call me Melody or Mel if you want. Just ease off on the ‘sweet’ jokes and references” Seeing their puzzled expressions, she sighed and pointed to her ID tag that had her picture and name on it. All three men squinted at first as they looked and dissolved in quiet laughter as they read “Melody Sweet RNC” printed on her badge.
Shaking her head at their laughter, Mel booted up the wall mounted computer and pulled out the key board.
“OK, lets do this by the book, shall we?” she said and looked at Jon. “Have you ever been here as a patient before?”
“Yes”
“What name did you use? Your stage name or your legal name?”
“My legal name.”
“All right, lets see if I can find you in the computer.” she proceeded to type and navigate through a couple of screens. “Aha! Here you are! John F. Bongiovi Jr. Date of birth is March 2nd, 1962. Is that correct?”
“Yes”
“And your address is 158 Mercer Street, New York, New York, 10012-3212. Is that still correct?”
“Yes”
“Hey, Mel! Is his pants size in there too?” came the question from David’s side of the stretcher.
“Sure it is! Its 30 waist, 30 length, isn’t it?” She turned and grinned at the three stunned men and pointed to the label of the pants peaking out of the patient belongings bag under Jon’s stretcher, green sparks of laughter dancing in her eyes. Turning back to the screen she went on with her questions.
“Are you allergic to any medications, food, dyes, or latex?”
“He’s really allergic to latex!” came a reply from Richie’s side this time. “What?” he said in reply to Jon’s stare, “You got four kids! You must be allergic to latex!”
“Asshole” mumbled Jon in his direction “Please excuse my soon to be former friend here! The old age must be affecting his brain! Either that or the heat!” he smiled at Mel. “The only allergies I have are seasonal and environmental.”
Mel nodded and grinned and continued with her intake.
“Do you have any medical problems that I need to be aware of in order to take care of you safely?”
“Nope”
“OK, so, once again what happened?”
“Well, I was wrapping up the show and all of a sudden it felt like I was shot in the back of my leg!” He said pointing to his left calf.
Mel nodded and approached the stretcher “I’m going to touch you and gently palpate the injury. Is that OK?” she asked Jon. Seeing his nod she put her hands on both of his legs to assess the temperature of both extremities. Then as gently as she could she palpated the bulge bellow the rear of his left knee. Hearing the hissing of a sharp air intake and noting his involuntary jump, she quickly moved her hands away.
“Sorry about that!” she said turning to Fred.
“Can you get me an ice pack please?”
Grabbing the offered plastic pouch, she put it on the counter and hit it with her fist to activate the chemicals inside. Shaking it she handed the pack to Jon.
“Put it behind your calf, right where it hurts the most!”
He took the ice pack and did as he was told. Closing his eyes and wincing at the initial shock of the cold. As the coolness started to bring on the numbness, he sighed at the welcomed relief.
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome” she said as she hit the print button. Reaching over to the small printer on the counter, Mel took the two printed pages and placing them on a wooden clip board offered them to Jon with a pen.
“I need your signature in two places please.”
“What? One autograph is not enough?”
“If I wanted an autograph, I would’ve given you a picture or a CD to sign! And for the record, I already have your autographs! I won them in the fundraising raffle last year! What I need is for you to sign these two consents, so we could treat you!”
“Sorry” he mumbled and reached for the clip board and pen. Squinting, he tried to read the paper, then gave up and just smiled at Melody “What am I signing away here? My house? My hot rod? Or my first born?”
“The first one is the HIPPAA notice. Basically it states that if you need us to release any information about this visit, either to your insurance or to your doctor, we will need your written permission. The second one is a blanket consent for medical treatment. It covers anything and everything we need to do to take care of you, basically all medical and nursing care, any diagnostic tests and treatments that you may require during your hospital visit.”
Jon nodded and signed in the indicated spots, then handed the clipboard and pen back to Mel.
“Can I Have Something For The Pain now?” he smirked.
“Aha, Something For the Blues” came from David’s side.
“Yeah, Bad Medicine Is What He Needs” mumbled Richie.
Shaking her head and laughing softly to herself, Melody headed for the door.
“I’m going to get Dr. Arroyo in here. He is our Emergency Medicine Doctor on call. I’ll be back in a few! Behave yourselves if you can please!”
As soon as she left the room, Jon turned to his two friends “What are you doing assholes?” he barked at his friends.
“Nothing.” mumbled David.
“Just having some fun, Bro!” laughed Richie.
“Well, would you PLEASE STOP flirting with MY nurse!!!” came the response and a finger salute.
A fire cracker indeed! And not too hard on the eyes. Young, petite, probably about five feet nothing, looks nice and toned even under those shapeless pink scrubs. Nice shiny chestnut waves for hair, and those sparkling green eyes. Yep, definitely not too hard on the eyes!
“Listen sweetheart, lets start over again! Please call me Jon. And those two goofballs over there are Richie and David, but you probably already know that!”
Melody cringed at the ‘sweetheart’ and nodded. “Yes, I know who you are. Please call me Melody or Mel if you want. Just ease off on the ‘sweet’ jokes and references” Seeing their puzzled expressions, she sighed and pointed to her ID tag that had her picture and name on it. All three men squinted at first as they looked and dissolved in quiet laughter as they read “Melody Sweet RNC” printed on her badge.
Shaking her head at their laughter, Mel booted up the wall mounted computer and pulled out the key board.
“OK, lets do this by the book, shall we?” she said and looked at Jon. “Have you ever been here as a patient before?”
“Yes”
“What name did you use? Your stage name or your legal name?”
“My legal name.”
“All right, lets see if I can find you in the computer.” she proceeded to type and navigate through a couple of screens. “Aha! Here you are! John F. Bongiovi Jr. Date of birth is March 2nd, 1962. Is that correct?”
“Yes”
“And your address is 158 Mercer Street, New York, New York, 10012-3212. Is that still correct?”
“Yes”
“Hey, Mel! Is his pants size in there too?” came the question from David’s side of the stretcher.
“Sure it is! Its 30 waist, 30 length, isn’t it?” She turned and grinned at the three stunned men and pointed to the label of the pants peaking out of the patient belongings bag under Jon’s stretcher, green sparks of laughter dancing in her eyes. Turning back to the screen she went on with her questions.
“Are you allergic to any medications, food, dyes, or latex?”
“He’s really allergic to latex!” came a reply from Richie’s side this time. “What?” he said in reply to Jon’s stare, “You got four kids! You must be allergic to latex!”
“Asshole” mumbled Jon in his direction “Please excuse my soon to be former friend here! The old age must be affecting his brain! Either that or the heat!” he smiled at Mel. “The only allergies I have are seasonal and environmental.”
Mel nodded and grinned and continued with her intake.
“Do you have any medical problems that I need to be aware of in order to take care of you safely?”
“Nope”
“OK, so, once again what happened?”
“Well, I was wrapping up the show and all of a sudden it felt like I was shot in the back of my leg!” He said pointing to his left calf.
Mel nodded and approached the stretcher “I’m going to touch you and gently palpate the injury. Is that OK?” she asked Jon. Seeing his nod she put her hands on both of his legs to assess the temperature of both extremities. Then as gently as she could she palpated the bulge bellow the rear of his left knee. Hearing the hissing of a sharp air intake and noting his involuntary jump, she quickly moved her hands away.
“Sorry about that!” she said turning to Fred.
“Can you get me an ice pack please?”
Grabbing the offered plastic pouch, she put it on the counter and hit it with her fist to activate the chemicals inside. Shaking it she handed the pack to Jon.
“Put it behind your calf, right where it hurts the most!”
He took the ice pack and did as he was told. Closing his eyes and wincing at the initial shock of the cold. As the coolness started to bring on the numbness, he sighed at the welcomed relief.
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome” she said as she hit the print button. Reaching over to the small printer on the counter, Mel took the two printed pages and placing them on a wooden clip board offered them to Jon with a pen.
“I need your signature in two places please.”
“What? One autograph is not enough?”
“If I wanted an autograph, I would’ve given you a picture or a CD to sign! And for the record, I already have your autographs! I won them in the fundraising raffle last year! What I need is for you to sign these two consents, so we could treat you!”
“Sorry” he mumbled and reached for the clip board and pen. Squinting, he tried to read the paper, then gave up and just smiled at Melody “What am I signing away here? My house? My hot rod? Or my first born?”
“The first one is the HIPPAA notice. Basically it states that if you need us to release any information about this visit, either to your insurance or to your doctor, we will need your written permission. The second one is a blanket consent for medical treatment. It covers anything and everything we need to do to take care of you, basically all medical and nursing care, any diagnostic tests and treatments that you may require during your hospital visit.”
Jon nodded and signed in the indicated spots, then handed the clipboard and pen back to Mel.
“Can I Have Something For The Pain now?” he smirked.
“Aha, Something For the Blues” came from David’s side.
“Yeah, Bad Medicine Is What He Needs” mumbled Richie.
Shaking her head and laughing softly to herself, Melody headed for the door.
“I’m going to get Dr. Arroyo in here. He is our Emergency Medicine Doctor on call. I’ll be back in a few! Behave yourselves if you can please!”
As soon as she left the room, Jon turned to his two friends “What are you doing assholes?” he barked at his friends.
“Nothing.” mumbled David.
“Just having some fun, Bro!” laughed Richie.
“Well, would you PLEASE STOP flirting with MY nurse!!!” came the response and a finger salute.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Melody took one more sip of her now cold coffee and cringed.
Yuck! Why was hospital coffee so vile?
She stretched as she got up from her seat in the nurses station. Nodding to Jane, their unit secretary, she walked down the silent hallway.
“Janie, I’m going to restock the trauma room” she yelled as she disappeared into the largest room of the ER.
Pardon Me! The Alton A. Hovnanian Emergency Care Center! Why is it that the Big Wigs had to rename everything? This used to be called ER, my position used to be called Head Nurse, not the Clinical Shift Coordinator. What a joke! Whom and what am I coordinating? Especially today, when the supervision decided to cancel the other two nurses and leave me with a tech and a secretary!
“Its OK Melody” said the 3-11 supervisor before she left for home “it’s a quiet Friday night! You’ll be fine!”
Right!
Well, it was a slow night even for Red Bank. Surprisingly, no drunks or screaming dehydrated children tonight. I guess miracle do still happen. Its almost 2 am, only 5 more hours to go. Well, actually if miracles existed, I’d be on my way home from the Bon Jovi concert at the New Meadowlands.
She thought as she quickly restocked the supply cabinets.
“Melody to the Front Desk please” came Janie’s voice through the static of their wall intercom, and broke her train of thought.
O well, here we go! I knew this was too good to last!
She thought as she approached the nurses station.
“What’s up Janie?”
“State troopers on line one. They want to speak to the “Nurse In Charge”!” smiled the secretary.
“I guess its time to earn that extra dollar an hour!” joked Melody as she reached for the phone.
“Riverview Emergency Care Center, Miss Sweet, how may I help you?” she answered in the required “pre scripted manner”.
“Hey Melody!” came through a friendly chuckle “Are you guys swamped?”
“Nope Sal, we are actually on the opposite side of the spectrum” she grinned into the receiver, recognizing the voice of one of the troopers that often hung around the ER on slower nights, trying to mooch some coffee, food and company.
“What can I do for you?”
“Well, in that case I have a gift for ya!” he laughed, “Don’t ever say I don’t bring you anything! We are escorting a large entourage that’s bringing you a leg injury. Meet us at the ambulance bay in 10 minutes, and you might want to have a stretcher ready sweetheart!”
“10-4 Sal, see you in 10 with a stretcher” Melody hung up the phone and turned to Jane “we got “in coming”! Can you please buzz the Diagnostic Imaging and Doctor Arroyo and give them ’the heads up’ for me?” She told the secretary. Sticking her head into the waiting area, she yelled to her tech who was lounging in the empty chairs, watching TV “Hey Fred, wake up sleepy head, we have ‘in coming‘!”
Ten minutes later Melody was standing outside of the Emergency Entrance with her big muscular assistant and watched the approaching lights of the State Trooper’s cruisers. Sandwiched in-between the two police cars were 4 large dark Navigators with tinted windows.
She smirked across the stretcher at Fred “So who is the Drama Queen of the night?”
“I guess we’re about to find out Mel” laughed the big man and tossed her a pair of gloves.
As the cars came to a screeching stop in front of them, Sal jumped out of the cruiser closest to them and gave Melody a bone crushing hug “You soooo owe me!” he whispered into her ear as he moved on to high-five Fred “Yo Mon! What’s up?
The passenger door of the first SUV opened and a tall skinny man with wire rimmed glasses jumped out and ran to open the rear door.
Melody was rooted to her spot. She watched with fascination as another tall man, with a full head of straw colored curls, jumped out and leaned back in to assist a smaller man in dark tight jeans and a red muscle shirt out of the vehicle. The second man was in obvious pain and was struggling to hobble on his right leg as his left was bent at the knee. Another large man with dark hair emerged from the Navigator behind the injured guy. As the two larger men offered their shoulders to support their injured brother, Melody’s professional training finally kicked in and she lowered the stretcher to assist them. She watched as the two men gently settled their brother onto the stretcher, nodded to Fred to raise the side rails and rolled the stretcher into the ER.
She turned to look at her patient, noting the piercing blue of his eyes, the brilliant white of his smile that was gracing his face even though it was clouded with pain.
“Hello, my name is Melody, and I will be taking care of you tonight” she started another scripted line “Can you tell me what happened?”
As her patient nodded and started to speak, his voice was overlapped by a dozen or so voices of the people that were crowding into the waiting room and trying to get close to the stretcher. Each one of the voices was trying to give her their version of the story.
“OK folks! We have a strict visitor policy here. Only two people per patient! The rest of you. Please take a seat and wait for us” She turned to her patient and smiled “Guess what? You get to pick who comes in with you!”
The man on the stretcher smiled back and nodded towards the two large men who helped him out of the car earlier “I’ll keep these two ass.. I mean friends… The rest of you..” He rose on his elbows to glance at his entourage and winced at the pain that the move caused him “Would you please chill and NOT cause any trouble here!”
Melody and Fred promptly wheeled the stretcher past the reception desk and down the ER hallway.
“Which room?” she heard Jane’s voice as they passed her.
“Trauma” Mel yelled back at the secretary without even looking back.
Mel and Fred smoothly brought the stretcher to a stop in the middle of a brightly lit room that resembled an OR. Glancing behind her, she noted that there were still two extra persons accompanying her patient. Turning around she faced them and smiled “The two of you need to go back to the waiting room please”
“But I am Mr. B’s chiropractor!” said the man with the short dark hair.
“And I’m his personal assistant!” came from the annoyed red haired woman who was trying to get past Fred to the stretcher.
“Excellent, as soon as Dr Arroyo determines that uhmm Mr. B needs an adjustment, I’ll call you in from the waiting room!” Mel told the man “And you can personally assist us all by going out to the front desk and providing Jane with the information that she will need to get uhmmm Mr. B registered” she told the redhead.
The other two large man were staring at her. The blond guy’s mouth was open and the dark haired guy had a shit eating grin spreading across his face. Melody just shook her head trying to bring herself out of the “Twilight Zone” episode that she seemed to have been transported to, back to reality. She turned her attention back to her patient. He was quietly rubbing the back of his left calf as he observed the scene playing out in front of him.
“OK, lets take a look at the damage” said Melody and reached in her scrub pocket for her scissors. As she leaned towards her patient’s leg with the scissors in her right hand she heard a loud gasp and screech behind her.
Now what? She turned and stared at the skinny redhead, that was still in the room.
“You can’t cut it!!!” shrieked the assistant “Those are $1000 designer originals!”
Lord have mercy! My weekly paycheck for a pair of jeans? No wonder they hug his ass like a latex glove!
Melody calmly put the scissors down, smiled at the redhead and walked out of the room. Looking down the hallway she spotted Sal and his partner Vinnie leaning over the front desk and flirting with Jane. She waved to get their attention and motioned for them to come over.
“What’s up Mel? Can’t handle the heat?” laughed Sal as he approached the petite brunette in the pink scrubs.
“Oh, I can deal with the hotness! I just need your help with the crowd control!” she winked at the troopers and led them back into the trauma room.
“Officers, would you please assist these two fine citizens in finding our waiting room” she said pointing to the personal assistant and the chiropractor “And can you please make sure they get settled there comfortably?”
“Fred” she turned to her tech, “Would you please help uhmm Mr. B remove his ‘designer originals’ and get him into a patient gown!”
As she watched the two reluctant visitors being escorted out of the room and down the hallway, she closed the door and faced the other men in the room. The curly, blond was shaking with silent laughter and the dark haired man was leaning toward his friend on the stretcher, patting his shoulder.
“Well we sure are in for some night Bro! You got your self a fire cracker here!” he chuckled.
Seeing that Fred was about to help her patient to undress, Melody discretely turned away to give him some privacy. Facing his friends she folded her arms across her chest and gave them an icy stare.
“Excuse me uhmmm Mr. S and uhmmm Mr. B, do I need to ask you to wait outside too, or are you gonna let me do my job here?” Satisfied with their shocked expressions, Melody spotted Fred moving away from the stretcher and turned to her patient once again. He was laying on the stretcher, covered with a drab patient gown that was held firmly in place above his knees with his hands. The shocked look on his face was priceless.
“So Mr. Bongiovi, would you like to tell me what brought you to our Emergency Care Center on this fine, albeit hot, Friday night?”
Melody took one more sip of her now cold coffee and cringed.
Yuck! Why was hospital coffee so vile?
She stretched as she got up from her seat in the nurses station. Nodding to Jane, their unit secretary, she walked down the silent hallway.
“Janie, I’m going to restock the trauma room” she yelled as she disappeared into the largest room of the ER.
Pardon Me! The Alton A. Hovnanian Emergency Care Center! Why is it that the Big Wigs had to rename everything? This used to be called ER, my position used to be called Head Nurse, not the Clinical Shift Coordinator. What a joke! Whom and what am I coordinating? Especially today, when the supervision decided to cancel the other two nurses and leave me with a tech and a secretary!
“Its OK Melody” said the 3-11 supervisor before she left for home “it’s a quiet Friday night! You’ll be fine!”
Right!
Well, it was a slow night even for Red Bank. Surprisingly, no drunks or screaming dehydrated children tonight. I guess miracle do still happen. Its almost 2 am, only 5 more hours to go. Well, actually if miracles existed, I’d be on my way home from the Bon Jovi concert at the New Meadowlands.
She thought as she quickly restocked the supply cabinets.
“Melody to the Front Desk please” came Janie’s voice through the static of their wall intercom, and broke her train of thought.
O well, here we go! I knew this was too good to last!
She thought as she approached the nurses station.
“What’s up Janie?”
“State troopers on line one. They want to speak to the “Nurse In Charge”!” smiled the secretary.
“I guess its time to earn that extra dollar an hour!” joked Melody as she reached for the phone.
“Riverview Emergency Care Center, Miss Sweet, how may I help you?” she answered in the required “pre scripted manner”.
“Hey Melody!” came through a friendly chuckle “Are you guys swamped?”
“Nope Sal, we are actually on the opposite side of the spectrum” she grinned into the receiver, recognizing the voice of one of the troopers that often hung around the ER on slower nights, trying to mooch some coffee, food and company.
“What can I do for you?”
“Well, in that case I have a gift for ya!” he laughed, “Don’t ever say I don’t bring you anything! We are escorting a large entourage that’s bringing you a leg injury. Meet us at the ambulance bay in 10 minutes, and you might want to have a stretcher ready sweetheart!”
“10-4 Sal, see you in 10 with a stretcher” Melody hung up the phone and turned to Jane “we got “in coming”! Can you please buzz the Diagnostic Imaging and Doctor Arroyo and give them ’the heads up’ for me?” She told the secretary. Sticking her head into the waiting area, she yelled to her tech who was lounging in the empty chairs, watching TV “Hey Fred, wake up sleepy head, we have ‘in coming‘!”
Ten minutes later Melody was standing outside of the Emergency Entrance with her big muscular assistant and watched the approaching lights of the State Trooper’s cruisers. Sandwiched in-between the two police cars were 4 large dark Navigators with tinted windows.
She smirked across the stretcher at Fred “So who is the Drama Queen of the night?”
“I guess we’re about to find out Mel” laughed the big man and tossed her a pair of gloves.
As the cars came to a screeching stop in front of them, Sal jumped out of the cruiser closest to them and gave Melody a bone crushing hug “You soooo owe me!” he whispered into her ear as he moved on to high-five Fred “Yo Mon! What’s up?
The passenger door of the first SUV opened and a tall skinny man with wire rimmed glasses jumped out and ran to open the rear door.
Melody was rooted to her spot. She watched with fascination as another tall man, with a full head of straw colored curls, jumped out and leaned back in to assist a smaller man in dark tight jeans and a red muscle shirt out of the vehicle. The second man was in obvious pain and was struggling to hobble on his right leg as his left was bent at the knee. Another large man with dark hair emerged from the Navigator behind the injured guy. As the two larger men offered their shoulders to support their injured brother, Melody’s professional training finally kicked in and she lowered the stretcher to assist them. She watched as the two men gently settled their brother onto the stretcher, nodded to Fred to raise the side rails and rolled the stretcher into the ER.
She turned to look at her patient, noting the piercing blue of his eyes, the brilliant white of his smile that was gracing his face even though it was clouded with pain.
“Hello, my name is Melody, and I will be taking care of you tonight” she started another scripted line “Can you tell me what happened?”
As her patient nodded and started to speak, his voice was overlapped by a dozen or so voices of the people that were crowding into the waiting room and trying to get close to the stretcher. Each one of the voices was trying to give her their version of the story.
“OK folks! We have a strict visitor policy here. Only two people per patient! The rest of you. Please take a seat and wait for us” She turned to her patient and smiled “Guess what? You get to pick who comes in with you!”
The man on the stretcher smiled back and nodded towards the two large men who helped him out of the car earlier “I’ll keep these two ass.. I mean friends… The rest of you..” He rose on his elbows to glance at his entourage and winced at the pain that the move caused him “Would you please chill and NOT cause any trouble here!”
Melody and Fred promptly wheeled the stretcher past the reception desk and down the ER hallway.
“Which room?” she heard Jane’s voice as they passed her.
“Trauma” Mel yelled back at the secretary without even looking back.
Mel and Fred smoothly brought the stretcher to a stop in the middle of a brightly lit room that resembled an OR. Glancing behind her, she noted that there were still two extra persons accompanying her patient. Turning around she faced them and smiled “The two of you need to go back to the waiting room please”
“But I am Mr. B’s chiropractor!” said the man with the short dark hair.
“And I’m his personal assistant!” came from the annoyed red haired woman who was trying to get past Fred to the stretcher.
“Excellent, as soon as Dr Arroyo determines that uhmm Mr. B needs an adjustment, I’ll call you in from the waiting room!” Mel told the man “And you can personally assist us all by going out to the front desk and providing Jane with the information that she will need to get uhmmm Mr. B registered” she told the redhead.
The other two large man were staring at her. The blond guy’s mouth was open and the dark haired guy had a shit eating grin spreading across his face. Melody just shook her head trying to bring herself out of the “Twilight Zone” episode that she seemed to have been transported to, back to reality. She turned her attention back to her patient. He was quietly rubbing the back of his left calf as he observed the scene playing out in front of him.
“OK, lets take a look at the damage” said Melody and reached in her scrub pocket for her scissors. As she leaned towards her patient’s leg with the scissors in her right hand she heard a loud gasp and screech behind her.
Now what? She turned and stared at the skinny redhead, that was still in the room.
“You can’t cut it!!!” shrieked the assistant “Those are $1000 designer originals!”
Lord have mercy! My weekly paycheck for a pair of jeans? No wonder they hug his ass like a latex glove!
Melody calmly put the scissors down, smiled at the redhead and walked out of the room. Looking down the hallway she spotted Sal and his partner Vinnie leaning over the front desk and flirting with Jane. She waved to get their attention and motioned for them to come over.
“What’s up Mel? Can’t handle the heat?” laughed Sal as he approached the petite brunette in the pink scrubs.
“Oh, I can deal with the hotness! I just need your help with the crowd control!” she winked at the troopers and led them back into the trauma room.
“Officers, would you please assist these two fine citizens in finding our waiting room” she said pointing to the personal assistant and the chiropractor “And can you please make sure they get settled there comfortably?”
“Fred” she turned to her tech, “Would you please help uhmm Mr. B remove his ‘designer originals’ and get him into a patient gown!”
As she watched the two reluctant visitors being escorted out of the room and down the hallway, she closed the door and faced the other men in the room. The curly, blond was shaking with silent laughter and the dark haired man was leaning toward his friend on the stretcher, patting his shoulder.
“Well we sure are in for some night Bro! You got your self a fire cracker here!” he chuckled.
Seeing that Fred was about to help her patient to undress, Melody discretely turned away to give him some privacy. Facing his friends she folded her arms across her chest and gave them an icy stare.
“Excuse me uhmmm Mr. S and uhmmm Mr. B, do I need to ask you to wait outside too, or are you gonna let me do my job here?” Satisfied with their shocked expressions, Melody spotted Fred moving away from the stretcher and turned to her patient once again. He was laying on the stretcher, covered with a drab patient gown that was held firmly in place above his knees with his hands. The shocked look on his face was priceless.
“So Mr. Bongiovi, would you like to tell me what brought you to our Emergency Care Center on this fine, albeit hot, Friday night?”
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