Challenge #3: Prompt #12 - Origins
Title: Everything Will Be Alright
Prompt: Origins
Word Count: 1080
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Original (Pictures in My Head 'verse)
Pairings (if any): Tony/ Emily, Mentions Brian/ Jordan
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/Underage): none
Summary: As an adult, Tony has an accident and just might find a new love.
“Anthony Cook?” The nurse looked around the waiting room impatiently.
I stood up slowly, sucking in a deep breath, trying not to move my arm. It was pretty obvious it was broken; it hang useless and it was hurting like crazy at my slightest movement. I looked up at the nurse. Finally, someone was willing to talk to me. Maybe I had been foolish to walk into the emergency room, I had been waiting for hours. On the other hand, I had seen all walks of life pass by while I waited. My journalistic instincts had told me to take careful notes, which is hard when your dominant arm is out of commission. I walked over to the nurse slowly. “It’s my arm,” I said, shaking my head.
She didn’t seem to care. “Follow me,” she said emotionlessly.
She led me back to a small examination room, right off the emergency room. She took down some general info about my injury and she picked up a blood pressure cuff and placed it around my good arm. She took the measurement, staying silent the whole time. Finally, she took it off and asked, “How would you rate the pain, on a scale of one to ten?”
“I don’t know, an eight?” It seemed like a totally useless scale, because pain is so subjective.
She nodded. “Someone will come take you down to x-ray in a while. You can go wait outside again.” As she dismissed me, I just sighed. I was getting really frustrated with this place. How long did it take to get a cast put on?
I sat down and took out my smartphone to continue reading this paper about interview techniques. Even though I have a degree in journalism, I feel like there's always more to learn. Some of it is instinct; I love finding new information about people and things. Some of it is definitely skill. You need to know how to approach someone who's usually upset at whatever is going on and when to lay off. Sure, I watch the news to keep myself up to date, but writing it is a whole different skill. You need detail.
I was lost in the article when a young doctor approached me. "Tony?"
I looked up. I knew her from somewhere. "Yes?"
"It's Emily Mitchell. I'm the x-ray technician." She must have seen the blank look on my face. "We went to high school together."
"Right! I didn't recognize you. You cut your hair."
She reached up to touch her short hair self-consciously. She nodded, her eyes falling on my lame arm. "Quite a number you did on your arm there. What happened? Actually, back up, how are you? What do you do now? How are your brothers?" I could hear that there were a few questions she wasn't going to ask. Hopefully she was asking if I was single, but I wasn't going to push it either. I knew she was really asking how was Brian, because John Cook was becoming a household name around here. It seemed that everyone had heard his restaurant was amazing. He was barely 25 years old and already a star chef.
I shook my head, I couldn't even manage a smile. "I'm doing ok, usually at least. I'm a journalist now, for the Post. My brothers are good. John's restaurant is doing great. Brian and Jordan are great... They have two kids." I had to smile at the thought of Brooklyn and Dylan. They were getting so big. The couple swore they didn't realize how all the names sounded the same until it was too late, but we always just laughed. Those kids had such personalities right from the start, but I guess I did too. "Oh, this actually happened while I was helping them move." Looking back, it had been foolish trying to carry that heavy box downstairs by myself. At least the books survived. As usual, I would have given anything just to help them out...
Emily looked around, as if expecting me to have company. "Where are they?"
"Oh, they couldn't come. It’s too late for the kids and anyway, I'm fine." I tried to act brave and suck it up, the same thing I'd done at Brian's. I think Brian had suspected something, but he didn't try to stop me. Anyway, he knew he couldn't help much at the hospital besides maybe keep me company.
Emily nodded, she seemed like she wanted to say something, but she kept quiet. "We better get you to x-ray."
I put away my stuff and let her lead the way. Soon enough, she told me to sit in a chair that looked a lot like something from the dentist's office and laid a thick lead apron over my chest. She smiled when she saw how nervous I was. "Don't worry, everything will be alright. I won't pull any teeth, I promise."
I nodded, trying to calm down a little. A different nurse came in, examined my arm and put a brace on it. I tried not to scream when Emily took a turn and placed my bum arm on a table that stood next to the chair. She smiled at me and went into the next room.
I sat there, trying to hold still, but my mind was racing. Why did I always tried to push myself to the limits, sometimes almost to terrible consequences? I would go without sleep, go to any distance to help out. I never really thought about it much, but I knew it was the same energy that had caused me to act out when I was a kid. I always used to get in trouble, in any number of ways designed to get attention. I just always felt so restless, like I had to be doing something. I think I knew why... I couldn't remember my real mom, I just thought of some vague warmth that might not even be real. For everything Lisa did for us, which continually amazed me, she wasn't my real mom. I think a part of me still missed my mom, still longed for her affection. I could go to any lengths and never reach her... It constantly made me want to strive to be better, want more.
I snuck a peek through the window at Emily, who was still heard at work. Maybe this was the start of something new to reach for... Only time and effort would tell.
Prompt: Origins
Word Count: 1080
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Original (Pictures in My Head 'verse)
Pairings (if any): Tony/ Emily, Mentions Brian/ Jordan
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/Underage): none
Summary: As an adult, Tony has an accident and just might find a new love.
“Anthony Cook?” The nurse looked around the waiting room impatiently.
I stood up slowly, sucking in a deep breath, trying not to move my arm. It was pretty obvious it was broken; it hang useless and it was hurting like crazy at my slightest movement. I looked up at the nurse. Finally, someone was willing to talk to me. Maybe I had been foolish to walk into the emergency room, I had been waiting for hours. On the other hand, I had seen all walks of life pass by while I waited. My journalistic instincts had told me to take careful notes, which is hard when your dominant arm is out of commission. I walked over to the nurse slowly. “It’s my arm,” I said, shaking my head.
She didn’t seem to care. “Follow me,” she said emotionlessly.
She led me back to a small examination room, right off the emergency room. She took down some general info about my injury and she picked up a blood pressure cuff and placed it around my good arm. She took the measurement, staying silent the whole time. Finally, she took it off and asked, “How would you rate the pain, on a scale of one to ten?”
“I don’t know, an eight?” It seemed like a totally useless scale, because pain is so subjective.
She nodded. “Someone will come take you down to x-ray in a while. You can go wait outside again.” As she dismissed me, I just sighed. I was getting really frustrated with this place. How long did it take to get a cast put on?
I sat down and took out my smartphone to continue reading this paper about interview techniques. Even though I have a degree in journalism, I feel like there's always more to learn. Some of it is instinct; I love finding new information about people and things. Some of it is definitely skill. You need to know how to approach someone who's usually upset at whatever is going on and when to lay off. Sure, I watch the news to keep myself up to date, but writing it is a whole different skill. You need detail.
I was lost in the article when a young doctor approached me. "Tony?"
I looked up. I knew her from somewhere. "Yes?"
"It's Emily Mitchell. I'm the x-ray technician." She must have seen the blank look on my face. "We went to high school together."
"Right! I didn't recognize you. You cut your hair."
She reached up to touch her short hair self-consciously. She nodded, her eyes falling on my lame arm. "Quite a number you did on your arm there. What happened? Actually, back up, how are you? What do you do now? How are your brothers?" I could hear that there were a few questions she wasn't going to ask. Hopefully she was asking if I was single, but I wasn't going to push it either. I knew she was really asking how was Brian, because John Cook was becoming a household name around here. It seemed that everyone had heard his restaurant was amazing. He was barely 25 years old and already a star chef.
I shook my head, I couldn't even manage a smile. "I'm doing ok, usually at least. I'm a journalist now, for the Post. My brothers are good. John's restaurant is doing great. Brian and Jordan are great... They have two kids." I had to smile at the thought of Brooklyn and Dylan. They were getting so big. The couple swore they didn't realize how all the names sounded the same until it was too late, but we always just laughed. Those kids had such personalities right from the start, but I guess I did too. "Oh, this actually happened while I was helping them move." Looking back, it had been foolish trying to carry that heavy box downstairs by myself. At least the books survived. As usual, I would have given anything just to help them out...
Emily looked around, as if expecting me to have company. "Where are they?"
"Oh, they couldn't come. It’s too late for the kids and anyway, I'm fine." I tried to act brave and suck it up, the same thing I'd done at Brian's. I think Brian had suspected something, but he didn't try to stop me. Anyway, he knew he couldn't help much at the hospital besides maybe keep me company.
Emily nodded, she seemed like she wanted to say something, but she kept quiet. "We better get you to x-ray."
I put away my stuff and let her lead the way. Soon enough, she told me to sit in a chair that looked a lot like something from the dentist's office and laid a thick lead apron over my chest. She smiled when she saw how nervous I was. "Don't worry, everything will be alright. I won't pull any teeth, I promise."
I nodded, trying to calm down a little. A different nurse came in, examined my arm and put a brace on it. I tried not to scream when Emily took a turn and placed my bum arm on a table that stood next to the chair. She smiled at me and went into the next room.
I sat there, trying to hold still, but my mind was racing. Why did I always tried to push myself to the limits, sometimes almost to terrible consequences? I would go without sleep, go to any distance to help out. I never really thought about it much, but I knew it was the same energy that had caused me to act out when I was a kid. I always used to get in trouble, in any number of ways designed to get attention. I just always felt so restless, like I had to be doing something. I think I knew why... I couldn't remember my real mom, I just thought of some vague warmth that might not even be real. For everything Lisa did for us, which continually amazed me, she wasn't my real mom. I think a part of me still missed my mom, still longed for her affection. I could go to any lengths and never reach her... It constantly made me want to strive to be better, want more.
I snuck a peek through the window at Emily, who was still heard at work. Maybe this was the start of something new to reach for... Only time and effort would tell.