Distance

I'm sure I was terrible company that night. The young doctor, whose name turned out to be Alex, bought me dinner in the cafeteria. If he wanted anything other than a dinner companion, he didn't let on, although there were moments when I caught him looking at me with something far beyond friendship in his eye.

"So basically, we're chalking all of this up to a freak thing."

I jerked out of my reverie to glare at him.

"Excuse me?"
"We can't find a specific cause, and it doesn't look like there is one. So we're just chalking it up to stress."
"But she hasn't been under any stress!" I snapped, pushing my plate away.

Alex looked distressed, and leaned forward, his elbows on the table, face inches from mine. The only thing that kept me from jerking away from him was the fact that if I did, I'd cause a massive scene, and probably get myself thrown out of the hospital. And if I was thrown out, I couldn't go see Danica.

"Look, there's nothing wrong with your girlfriend," He told me, his voice low and serious, "At least, nothing that we can find. Maybe she has been under a lot of stress. Maybe there are things that she isn't telling you. Whatever it is, we've run a thousand tests, and she's come through them fine."

I bit my lip, and then glared at him.

"What if this happens again? Are you going to cut another hole in her chest and say you've done all you can do?"
"Look, we're keeping her over the weekend for observation, and after we release her, we're going to ask her to come in once a month for an examination."
"But-"

Alex's eyes sparked fire, and his voice turned to ice as he said, "Do you bloody want her to stay here? Do you want us to stick her full of IV's and tubes and keep her for months while we monitor her for a disease we aren't even sure exists?"

"But you said before-"
"We were inches from the nurses station, with sick people all around. I lied. I had to."

I stood up, wishing I had some cash I could throw down on the table so I wouldn't owe him anything when I left.

"You're a crap doctor." I growled.
"And you're a crap boyfriend, aren't you?"

I wish I hadn't decked him. Out all the people to get into a brawl with, I pick Danica's doctor. But I grabbed him by the collar and smashed my fist into his face. Then I threw him to the ground, straddling him, almost choking him to death as I screamed obscenities into his face.

The security guards must have nothing to do all day, because their excitement was almost pathetic as they hauled me to my feet, fingers digging into my arms as I struggled against their grip.

"Want us to throw him out?" The older one asked gruffly. Alex smiled.
"Nah. He's had a hard day."

He patted my cheek suggestively, and then walked off. I shuddered, and shook their hands off my arms.

"Later, boys." I said, saluting them cheekily as I exited the cafeteria, heading for the elevators, trying to remember which room Danica was on.