Shattered on the Ground

Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has plans…until they get hit.”

People always tell you to make plans. Make plans for the day. Make plans for your week. Make plans for your future.

“Morning Jess.” Reese greeted as she passed her on the stairs. It was 5:30 in the morning and they had to be at work in a half hour.

“mmhmm morning.” Jess mumbled her hair a haystack; she wasn’t a morning person. Reese made her way down the hall to the small kitchen. “Morning Connor,” He was situated beside her at the table mutely. “Emily, Regan.” She acknowledged them all in turn. Regan wordlessly handed her a cup of coffee, her hazel eyes flickering worriedly to Connor. Reese followed her gaze and noticed that it was unlike Connor to be quiet in the morning, he was always the most animate of them all in the morning.

“What’s the matter, Connor?” Reese questioned curiously and Emily’s eyes darted to Reese in warning. Connor sat hunched over a bowl of oatmeal, giving the goop the occasional jab with his spoon.

“Jamie broke up with me.” He mumbled miserably and Reese’s heart sank.

“Aww I’m sorry, Connor.” Reese told him as moved toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug.

“’s alright.” He mumbled giving his breakfast another useless jab. A heavy set of feet descended the stairs and a man with short wavy hair and dark brown eyes entered the room, a playful smile evident on his face. It was silent for a moment and Reese internal cringed as she waited for the reprimand from her roommates.

“You stayed the night.” Emily stated before turning to Reese. “He stayed the night.”

“Ewww.” Regan groaned as she gazed at, what all the women would agree, a handsome man. Her hazel eyes landed on Reese. “We have rules, Reese.” She whined. “Careful and considerate rules.”

“Like don’t bring your lover home when everyone else is home.” Connor spoke up as he gave his oatmeal one final jab and tossed the uneaten breakfast into the trash. The man’s smile lay unfaltering and Reese walked into his waiting arms.

“Sorry,” Was all she could manage before the man crashed his lips to hers.

“Michael get out of here!” Emily shrieked. “You make Reese sexually frustrated then she’s impossible to live with!” But the couple ignored their friend.

“I could fix that,” Michael stated coyly.

“Out!” Regan shrieked pointing to the door.

“Guys, its 5:37 in the morning.” Jessica mumbled passing them unphased. “It’s way too early for that.” Reese grinned and pulled away.

“I’m driving with Michael today so I’ll meet you all at the hospital.” Reese stated reaching for her purse and intertwining her fingers with Michaels.

“Yeah you do that.” Emily grunted in response.

_______________________________________________________________________

9:27 pm

“So about your musician friend…” Reese rolled her eyes as she sat down her tray in the cafeteria.

“Hugo isn’t my musician friend, Jess.”

“Oh so its first name bases huh?” Jessica nodded as though she understood, a smile working its way across her lips. “Is he famous?”

“You’re appalling, you know that?”

“Not appalling. Bored. There is a distinct difference there.” Jessica took a bite of rice and between chews said, “You know you almost had that whole ‘average joe’ thing perfected and then words like ‘appalling’ leave your mouth.”

“I can think of other, bigger words to describe you, Jessica, words that would take you a week to define.” Reese joked.

“What are we talking about?” Regan plopped down into a chair beside Reese.

“About Reese saying things like ‘appalling’.”

“There is nothing wrong with the word appalling.” Reese scuffed.

“The fact that you say appalling is appalling.” Jessica teased laughing.

“Have you all really been sitting here talking about Reese’s speech for the past ten minutes?” Connor questioned as he took a seat beside Jessica, who in turn, immediately stole his Hershey bar.

“Hey, that’s mine!”

“Hey, I’m PMSing!” Jessica mocked.

“That explains a lot.” Reese laughed.

“We were talking about Reese’s musician friend.” Jessica stated while throwing Reese a playful glare as though the recurring topic was Reese’s own fault for laughing at her.

“Musician friend?” Regan stated clearly interested, “Is he in a band or is he like one of those band nerds?”

“I resent that.” Connor said around a mouthful of bologna sandwich.

“Oh come on, Connor,” Reese snickered. “The song ‘White & Nerdy’ comes to mind every time your mother showes us your high school pictures.”

“Hey th-“

“Hell-o can we please get back to Reese’s musician friend?” Regan complained. If Reese’s friends were anything, it was their unhealthy draw to musicians. Reese didn’t understand it really, I mean when it comes right down to it they are all a bunch of whiny, cheating, ditching, self-pitying assholes, Reese thought to herself; she didn’t see the attraction.

“He’s not my freaking friend!” Reese complained. “Was he a musician? Yes. Are we friends? No. He was a patient for crying out loud.”

“Did he invite you to a show?” Regan demanded and Reese pursed her lips. “Oh my god he did, didn’t he?!”

“It’s not like I’m going.” Reese shrugged picking apart her biscuit into tiny pieces. “He’s not my flavor of eye candy.”

“Well, I don’t know about Mr. Hugo, but his friend was definitely making eyes at you.” Jessica stated matter-o-factly.

“How the hell would you know that? You were supposed to be taking X-rays of Stupid Teenage Boys’ foot.”

“I have my ways.” Jessica replied mysteriously with a grin. “Anyway, the dude was definitely staring at you the entire time…in fact now that I think about it, it was more ‘creepy stalker’ staring then ‘let’s have a go in the storage supply closet’ staring.”

“Well that’s…reassuring.” Reese commented dully, before her beeper went off, closely followed by a chorus of beeps as every beeper at Reese’s table went off.

The thing about plans is...they don't take into account the unexpected.

“Must be your lucking day, Regan,” Connor remarked as they all rose to their feet and threw out their trays of food. “Seems like an emergency. Why else would they need us all?”

“Maybe we’re all getting fired.” Jessica thought pessimistically.

Reese snickered in response, “One can only hope.” The group of roommates made their way down one of many corridors in John Hopkins’s Hospital until they made their way to the ER’s front desk. A man named Pierre Simon, a resident at the hospital was there waiting for them.

“Where is Anne?” Not that Jessica was complaining, no one was fond of Anne.

“She’s in the middle of a solo surgery at the moment.” He informed while glancing down at a clip board in his hand. It was then that the interns realized that all hell was breaking loose. “Basically a bar fight broke out at Tommy’s down town.” Reese stared at the rowdy crowd before them, partially shocked but mostly impressed. There had to be at least fifteen people, mostly sweaty drunk guys, causing mayhem in the ER. “Some of them are drunk and disoriented so I suggest caution.” With that Dr. Simon handed them each a clipboard and made his way into the crowd and retrieved a young man in his early twenty’s, a much older fatherly figure with the expression of an angry boss trailed behind as they disappeared behind double doors. Jessica glanced down at her clipboard,

“Erik Leonhardt?” She questioned loudly and after several moments a man with tattoos up his arms and long brown hair stumbled up to her. Jessica took one look at him, she liked musicians but even she had her limits, mumbled a ‘follow me’ and headed toward the double doors.

“Rick Schmidt?” a man in a green hat stepped forward before whirling around on the crowd behind him.

“All of you asses calm down!” He barked at them and the yelling instantly went silent. “If I hear one bad thing from any of you, I’m throwing you off the damn label.” Seeming satisfied he followed Connor through the double doors. By now ten other doctors and interns had arrived.

So, when we're thrown a curve ball, whether it's in the hospital or in life.

“Chris Vest?” Reese’s blood pressure went through the roof in a split second as her head snapped to Regan’s unconcerned direction. Panic began to fill Reese, as her heart began to race in competition with her thoughts.

We have to improvise.

Reese turned away from the crowd, hiding herself from the group. A figure approached and disappeared through the double doors with Regan. Reese sighed, her blood pressure dropping and her level head returning. Reese felt high with relief and slightly giddy, she’d manage to dodge her past by inches.

Of course, some of us are better at it than others.

Reese gazed down at her clipboard, the name flew from her lips before she could even process its meaning.

“Kenneth Nixon.” Reese nearly went into cardiac arrest as she gazed down at the clipboard only to find that she had read the paper correctly. Reese ducked her head and prayed like hell as a medium built man with wispy black hair approached her, unaware of Reese. Reese had changed in the years since she had left. Dressed in doctor scrubs, her now chestnut hair was tied up into a tight bun and her lip piercings were gone. “Come with me, sir.” She mumbled turning toward the double doors. But a large warm hand fell upon her shoulder and spun her around. Eyes as wide as saucers, mouth slightly parted,

“Reese?”

Sometimes what we need is a new plan.