Meteors: Chapter Three - The Waiting Room

Doctor's Office - Credit to smallbox on UnSplash

Read Chapter Two here.

Read Chapter Four here.

It didn’t feel like it should be the same day. The sun was shining, the rain from before had cleared up, and for once they had blue skies, but the faint tint of smoke on the air was a constant reminder of the morning’s events. No one was talking about it. Bread Ed wouldn’t look at Owain. Owain’s dad wouldn’t look at Bread Ed. That was about the only difference.

That and the presence of Ruth and her family. Apparently, his parents knew them. Mrs Jane Ash had been a Sobetween girl, a true Harrand, until she went on a camping trip, and met Mark Ash, with his plans to go to Ohlendia and teach people about the Ehldono. To many townspeople’s dismay, she went along with this, marrying him and bringing him into Sobetween. They had hoped they’d forget this foolish travelling idea after they’d settled into a house and had their three children. Ruth was the youngest with two elder brothers, Moses and John. Three years after Ruth’s birth, they had left, and hadn’t been seen since.

               “That’s why David didn’t recognise her,” His Dad had said, “None of us have seen those kids since they were tiny tots. I wonder what brought them back now," The phrase ‘not particularly safe’ came to mind, but he kept quiet, checking he had everything he needed in his pockets. Phone, wallet, keys, and chocolate buttons. He panicked when he couldn’t’ feel his phone, until he realised.

               “It must have fallen out at the pier,” He mumbled to himself

               “What was that?”

               “Nothing, Dad. I’m taking Ivona with me. She needs to go through with it this time,”

               “Good luck!” Owain laughed somewhat. He didn’t believe in luck, but he would definitely need help. Ivona had a phobia of needles, and she was a very vocal kid about it.

               “Ivona!” He yelled down their hall, “It’s time to go,” No response, “I’ve got chocolate buttons!” A little head poked out of her bedroom.

               “You promise?”

               Owain dug the chocolate buttons out of his back pocket, holding them up so Ivona could see them clearly. Reluctantly, the rest of her followed her head out of her room. She had been born with the same difference that Owain had, her white hair tied back into plaits by their mum that morning.

               “C’mon, it’s not that bad,” He tried to comfort her.

               “That’s easy for you to say, you’re old,” Owain raised his eyebrows.

               “Well, if I’m so old, surely I can’t give you a piggyback ride to the Doctor’s”

               “No, no, no, you’re not that old,” Owain wanted to ask her how old she though he was but refrained. Nothing good came from asking kids that question. He crouched down, picked Ivona up, and charged towards the door. Ivona momentarily forgot about the Doctors. After this morning, it was nice to hear her laugh.

               She was not laughing when they got to the Doctors. Or happy with the piggy-back ride. She was wriggling and squirming and doing everything she could to get Owain to put her down so she could run back home. He’d made that mistake in the past, her sense of direction was absolutely miserable, and somehow that made her harder to chase down. She slumped forwards as Owain ducked inside the Doctor’s and signed them in on the tablet for their appointment.

“I don’t wanna. Dad doesn’t make me! Dad was supposed to take me today!”

               “That’s because you have Dad wrapped around your pinkie, Ivona,”

               “And he was supposed to take me, why is it you?!” Owain sighed. He checked to see that the doors were closed, and knelt down to let Ivona dismount. As predicted, she went straight for the doors. The doors labelled pull, that Ivona was too short to reach the handles on. He stood up, stretching his back and neck before going to grab her.

“Because I don’t have work today, cause of – everything,” He took her hand, and half pulled her to the chairs in the waiting room. People would have given them odd looks, except Ivona’s fear of needles was known around Sobetween, ever since a particular incident a few years ago.

               “You mean, that thing-y last night,”

               “Yeah,” He lifted her onto a chair, and sat down next to her.

               “What was that? The sky was all streaky,” Owain couldn’t look at his sister. He didn’t want to be the one to tell her of war, to tell her that those streaks were bombs falling on their coast. So, he lied

               “It was a meteor shower,”

               “What-,” Mercifully, Ivona was cut off by Larry walking through at that moment, a friend of Owain’s who was learning to one day inherit his Dad’s position as Doctor. He joked about calling himself Med Ed.

               “Hey, Owain, how’re you holding up after last night,” Owain wanted to correct him, to tell him it was this morning, and not that long ago, but kept his mouth shut on that.

               “I’m alright. My arm hurts, but Ruth dealt with it,”

               “I bet she did. Mind if I have a look?”

               “Don’t you have a patient to get to?”

               “Nah, I’m on my break,” Larry sat down on the other side of Owain. Ivona had gone quiet. She wasn’t what Owain would call a shy child, but around people she hadn’t shared a conversation with she was as quiet as a mouse. Owain rolled up his sleeve, revealing his bandaged arm, wincing as Larry held his arm, moving it up. “That hurts?”

               “No,”

               “No sarcasm when I’m in Doctor mode. Did that hurt?”

               “Yes, ow!” Owain yelped as Larry poked him in the arm, “What sort of medical practice are you running?”

               “One where I know the patient won’t sue me,” Larry said, with a quick grin, before focusing again. Owain watched as he poked and prodded, unwrapping the bandage, asking Owain the occasional question. “Did this Ruth apply a cream?” Yes, Ailath, “When did you notice you were injured?” Some point after climbing back on to the pier. It was a chaotic time, he couldn’t quite remember, “Have you been carrying heavy things recently?” Other than Ivona, no. Ivona kicked him for that, swinging her leg in such a way anyone else might think it was an accident. He would look up every time he heard the ding of the screen, and an automated voice reading out Patient names, and the rooms that they had to go to.

               Ivona was swinging her legs harder and harder, a sure sign that she was getting more and more worried. She really did hate injections. Owain was completely and utterly distracted by the next person to walk into the reception area, dinging the bell as the door closed behind her.

               Straight black hair, unusually tanned skin, grey eyes as lovely as the moonlight dancing on the surface of a lake. It was Ruth, wearing a hoodie over an oversized jumper, and jeans that looked more like they were from the 80’s than the 2010s, with a satchel slung across her shoulders. She was shorter than he’d thought. He was brought back from the stars blazing in her eyes by a sharp pain in his arm.

               “Ow, Larry, what -,”

               “You were staring, mate,” Larry said with a smirk, “That Ruth?” She was over by the counter now. Owain prayed she hadn’t heard Larry.

               “Yeah,”

               “Well, maybe a pretty lady will make this sound better,”

               “Larry,” Owain hissed. Larry did not look one bit ashamed of himself, though he did look more serious than usual, “What is it?”

               “Your arm. If she hadn’t applied that Ailath, hadn’t bandaged you up, I might have had to advise an amputation,” Owain laughed, but quickly stopped when he realised that this wasn’t a joke.

               “You’re serious,”

               “It’s infected, it’d be pretty bad if you’d left it. It could still get pretty bad. I’ll schedule you in for a proper appointment this week. Need to get that arm looked at properly asap,”

               “Cheers, Larry,” Larry stood up, patted Owain on the back, and strode down the hallways towards wherever his office was.

               “What’s an amputation?” Ivona asked, and Owain closed his eyes. That would only freak Ivona out more, especially with an upcoming injection. He opened his eyes after taking a deep breath, and hoped he could throw her off track.

               “Don’t worry about it,”

               “Is it like an injection?” Ivona continued, louder, and more high pitched, “I don’t want an amputation,”

               “Ivona,”

               “I don’t want an amputation,” She all but yelled.

               “You aren’t going to get an amputation, just a flu injection,”

               Ivona started crying at the I word.

               “I don’t want a flu injection,” She cried. Owain tried to shush her, tell her that it would be fine, that it’s just a little thing and it’s really good for her. Logic was not something Ivona wanted to listen to. “I don’t want it” She kept screaming. “I don’t want it!”

Before he knew it, Ruth had appeared, kneeling in front of Ivona, talking to her softly, keeping eye contact with her.

               “Hey there, kiddo, can you breathe for me?”

               “I don’t want a amputation!” Ivona hiccoughed past her crying. Her nose was starting to run. Owain started patting himself down for tissues. How had he not grabbed tissues. He knew she’d freak out, he should have grabbed tissues! All he could find were the chocolate buttons, and they were for after the injection.

               “I know, I know. I don’t think you’ll be getting one. Can you do something for me?”

               “I don’t know you,”

               “Fair enough. How about your -,” Ruth paused looking at Owain, “How about your brother?” She looked back at Ivona. “He looks a bit scared, doesn’t he? Do you want to be a big girl and help him feel better?” Ivona nodded through her tears, wiping her nose. Magically, Ruth produced some tissues, and while Ivona blew her nose, Ruth looked to Owain, and signed a drink. Owain got the hint, and went to the desk to see if they would be able to get a cup of water for his sister.

               By the time he got back, Ivona wasn’t crying anymore, though her eyes were still watery. Ruth had sat down on Owain’s seat, jumping up when she saw Owain walking back, and seeming to tell Ivona to wait a second, she dashed over to her bag that she had left on the desk, hair streaming behind her like a comet’s trail.

               He gave Ivona her water. She was still sniffling, and before taking a drink spoke.

               “I don’t want you to have your arm cut off,” Ruth must have explained amputation. She did a lot in a short time.

               “I won’t, don’t worry. Larry was just being silly,”

               “It wasn’t funny,” Was all Ivona said before almost upending the drink in her thirst. How none of the water spilt was beyond Owain.

               “Here you go, Ivy,” Ruth was back, with something in her hands. Owain went to say hi, but Ruth had gone straight to kneeling in front of Ivona again. “I’ve got my music app here, and these are my earphones,” She dangled them in front of Ivona, so that she could reach out and grab them. They were plugged into her phone. “These help me when I have to have injections. I choose my favourite music and focus on that instead, now, what music do you like?”

               Ruth may as well have grown two extra heads for the way Owain was staring. She had just used the word injection in front of his sister, and she hadn’t burst into tears. What was this magical ability she possessed? He stood there, feeling somewhat useless as he watched her make a playlist for Ivona of her favourite music, mostly from animated musicals. When the time came for Ivona to go in for her injection, she didn’t protest, grasping Ruth’s phone in her hands, and marching with the nurse without crying.

A miracle. He sat down. Ruth stood up.

“You must be a magician,” Owain said, once Ivona was out of earshot, “She hates injections with a passion, I’ve never seen her that calm about them. Ever. Except for when mum takes her, but she’s always working,”

“What about your dad?” Owain laughed, and Ruth smiled in a confused manner. It was a nice smile.

“He hates hospitals. We can barely get him through the doors for an injection himself. He’s almost worst than Ivona. Those rodeos must have given you powers or something,” Owain laughed. Ruth’s smile became tight.

“You learn a thing or two when you’ve moved about as much as I have,” He’d definitely said something wrong. That was the tone of someone who did not want to talk anymore. A tone he didn’t want to hear, especially from her. He wanted to talk to her for days. He couldn’t work out what it was he’d said. Maybe a question would help her chill.

“How much have you moved? I’ve never seen you around here before,”

“A lot,” For a moment he thought that that might be it, “It can feel like I’ve been everywhere sometimes. Scattered, y’know?” He didn’t.

“That sounds wonderful,”

“Sometimes,” Her eyes had taken on a distant look, like she was seeing a different place to him, reliving one of those other places like it was another life. “Sometimes not. Not every where’s safe. I’m sure you know that,” Of course he knew that. Everyone knew that, especially after last night. How many other places across Race dealt with nights like that? How many had to live with that day after day after day with no respite? He had a horrid feeling in the pit of his stomach that they might become one of those places soon. He did have a little hope, just some that maybe they would be spared. Sobetween had always felt so safe. Nothing bad could happen in Sobetween. He’d believed that until the night before.

“Miss Ash?” That was the newest receptionist, Jared. He’d been in the same year as Owain. They’d never got on.

“That’s me,” Ruth said. She had never sat down, she went over to the desk, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Owain tried not to watch, but the combination of Ruth and Jared was a fascinating concept, and despite all his best intentions, he ended up watching the interaction.

Jared’s face said everything he needed to know. He didn’t recognise Ruth, therefore he wasn’t going to be polite, which was already a struggle when he knew someone. He tried concentrating on his phone, but he could hear her asking about any jobs, and Jared’s responses were definitely less than courteous. Just polite enough to fly under the radar.

Owain was bouncing his leg now. Ivona was taking a while. Maybe he should have gone in with her? Ruth was having more trouble with Jared, but that would be weird if he helped out. Would it? Should he stand up? No. Not unless she looked like she was in trouble. Everyone struggled with Jared. That was just Jared. He only got this job because his Dad had asserted his influence over it. Everyone knew it, Jared just didn’t care.

“What do you mean?” Ruth’s voice was getting louder, higher pitched than before. “I put in my order a week ago,” Surely, this gave Owain an excuse to eavesdrop. Right?

“I’m sorry,” Jared was not sorry, going by that voice, “We don’t sell toothpaste,”

“It’s not toothpaste, you -,” Ruth paused. Took a deep breath, looking anywhere but at Jared, “Look, I need this medication, could you at least tell me when you might have some in stock,”

“Nope,”

Ruth was rocking ever so slightly, and Owain was about to stand up and get involved, but that was when Ivona walked in, talking with Larry. She must have asked for him. She waved at Owain, and then caught sight of Ruth. Her little face lilt up, and then down again, frowning, eyes wide as she saw that Ruth was not comfortable. That Ruth herself was panicking. Everyone in the room jumped as she dropped Ruth’s phone, quickly followed by the earphones that Ivona stood on as she ran over to Ruth, nearly bowling her over as she crashed into her legs, wrapping her arms around her in an approximation of a hug and said in a volume louder than necessary

“Tell me five things you can smell!” There was a watery smile on Ruth’s face, “Wait, no, not smell. Taste!”

“Ivy,” Ruth began, trying to squat to her level but failing, as Ivona was still latched on to her legs. She appeared to think better of it as she nearly fell over.

“No, see! That was what you said! Tell me five things you can see!” Larry and Owain shared a look. Larry shrugged. Owain nodded his head towards Jared, and that was all the explanation needed for Larry. He held up a finger for Owain to wait and disappeared back into the hallway. Owain made his way over to try and detach Ivona from where she clung like a limpet to Ruth. Ruth was trying to convince Ivona that she was okay, definitely now that Ivona had come to the rescue.

Finally, Ivona was convinced to let go, and Owain picked her up to prevent her from running anywhere else. Larry still hadn’t reappeared.

“Sorry about that,” he said “She means well,”

“She’s lovely,” Ruth replied, “And very kind, thank you for cheering me up,”

“You’re welcome,” Owain winced. Her volume was turned up high, and she was right by his eardrum. If he wasn’t careful, he’d need to see Larry about a broken eardrum too. He turned to the receptionist, who had been studiously ignoring the commotion around him, as well as phone ringing at his left. What he was doing, no one could guess.

“Jared, why are you causing trouble for Ruth?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,”

"Yes, you do. Even your memory’s not that bad. What is it you needed, Ruth?”

Ruth hesitated. She looked about to speak, but closed her mouth again. She clearly didn’t want to say.

“Fair enough. I doubt it’s so uncommon that we don’t have it. This pharmacy is kept pretty well stocked from what Larry tells me,”

“Larry doesn’t know what it’s like behind the desk,”

“Larry worked as a receptionist before you did, now cough up what she needs,”

"She’s a foreigner,” Larry hissed, as if Ruth couldn’t hear him, “You heard Bread Ed last night, she could be a spy,”

“Spy or not, she isn’t deaf,” A new voice said. It was Larry, behind the desk, holding a white paper bag with his already perfected Doctor’s scribbles on it. “Miss Ash, I believe this is yours? Do you have a pre-payment certificate?”

“Uh, yes. Yes, I do,” Ruth said, seemingly relieved that whatever was going on was almost done.

“Great, show it to Jared and he can do his job and pass on your prescription that we have plenty of, as you’re not the only one in the world who needs it,” Larry was smiling, but the look he gave Jared was withering enough that Jared did what he said. A rare phenomenon. A lot of those were happening recently. Owain had an idea. Some would say that was a phenomenon of its own.

“Miss Ruth, can I ask how your granddad doing after yesterday night?” He asked, looking directly at Ruth. She didn’t grasp his meaning, looking back rather confused.

“He’s fine, thanks, but why?”

“Well, it’s always good to check up on the Harrand family, am I right, Larry?”

“Perfectly right, what do you think, Jared? Only family you actually think is important, am I right?” Jared sullenly passed Ruth her paper bag. He understood loud and clear. Ruth might be foreign to Sobetween, that didn’t mean he could treat her worse than the average person, and anyway, she was from a powerful family around here. Messing with her could come with consequences.

Ruth took the bag, understanding what had just happened. She looked to Owain, finally. It was that same small smile that seemed to have made it’s way back onto her face. He smiled back. She had a nice smile.

It wasn’t until Ruth told him a few years later that he realised she was smiling because Ivona was pulling faces beside him.