Mr. Doe

September, 2009 Closing her eyes Hermione leaned over the trembling glass of the train window. It was an unseemly early hour and instead of clerks, sellers and other lucky people whose working day starts after 8 AM she found herself in the company of silent emotionless workers like loaders, cleaners and alike hurrying home after their night shifts. Granger sensed a motion nearby on one of the stations and slowly opened her eyes to look. A thin homeless man shyly nestled a seat away from her. He caught her looking and nervously smoothed down the hem of the coat which was simply too big for him. Then he fidgeted about. Finally, overly embarrassed by her accidently close attention he asked. — Am I a bother to you, Miss? Realizing what was she doing Hermione started and smiled disarmingly. — It is your coat, sir. It looks warm. Reminds me I still haven’t done shopping. Where have you bought it?.. The man stared at Hermione trying to see some hidden mockery under her friendliness. But she didn’t try to laugh at him. On the contrary, that was her awkward way of trying to smooth her embarrassment with politeness. The conversation clearly was leading in the wrong way. The homeless man seemed to be even more agitated while Hermione only wanted to show him that she was not seeing him as a… well Homeless. Perhaps she should have admitted that having no private life and endless shifts at the hospital made her somehow antisocial and homeless in her own way. The man had nowhere to go and she had nobody to go to. Except for Rachel… but it is not the same. Although she made the choice herself many years ago, right?.. Finding no mockery in the tired face of the young woman the homeless man smiled sadly. — I am afraid you will not be able to find anything similar, Miss. It is last year’s model. But I can point you to the shop I bought it from. Hermione made an appraisal of the delicacy used to hide the fact that he simply fished the coat out of the garbage can. She smiled again, involuntarily. — If you know the city so well, maybe you can point me to the shop that sells lost time. — I don’t know the city that well, I am afraid. I would have been happy to find this antique store myself. — said the man quietly after some time. — It is a pity. — Hermione lifter her head searching for the electronic board. The train started to call by slowly. — My stop. If you find the place please tell me the location, all right, sir? — As soon as we meet again. They smiled at each other as old acquaintances. Just like all those people who have shared some simple precious moments with a stranger. It always happens when you know you are unlikely to see the other again which makes this light unspoken sadness imprinted on another all the more valuable. Victoria station met Hermione with familiar concentrated liveliness. Train stations are rarely empty or silent. Life painted with hopes for the future, worries, premonitions and partings with dear old things is always buzzing here. Hermione has been well acquainted to the station but still sensed this foreign excitement and made the first step from the train with a sinking heart. She felt the familiar flutter even then. Lifting her head, she casted a look at the alluring red walls, and then looked not only at the building but also at the huge round ark leading from the station. Early autumn dawn, still tender and sensual, could be seen from the ark. Hermione caught a glance of the electronic display politely showing the date and time to the guests. She made a note that she was not being late, and then suddenly realized the message behind closely stuck together ‘one’ and ‘nine’. — Happy birthday to me. Although should I be happy turning thirty? — she asked herself in bewilderment and waved with the hand. The date was probably of no importance as Hermione herself managed to forget about it. She shook her head and went straight to the bus station — the beloved hospital was a couple of stops away. Granger involuntarily thought of how fleeting and ruthless the flight of time was. It felt like August sadly waved goodbye just yesterday, but here she was, in the end of September already. The summer still tried to fight spoiling the citizens of Foggy Albion with its last early dawns. Hospital hall was wrapped in drowsy silence. The reception desk seemed empty but Granger knew Emily was actually there. She just had a habit of hunching up while filling in the medical lists and endless documents. And due to her short height, the position made her almost invisible to the patients and personnel. Hermione came to the reception and peeked over the tall narrow counter. There was Emily — hunched up over the papers, oblivious to the surroundings. — Good morning, Emy! Would you give me the keys to the staff room? Emily lifted her head, mumbled something incoherent and stood up so abruptly that accidently turned on the microphone. Hospital dynamics made a piteous groan. — Hermione, you cannot sneak up on people like that! Her voice doubled by microphone resounded throughout the corridors. Emily squealed silently and carefully turned the microphone off. She started to pull out the drawers hastily looking for the keys. Granger just smiled apologetically. — Try looking on the housekeeper. It is that wooden thing which is right in front of you when you are filling in the papers. You can see strange crocked metal devices on it. We usually call them keys… — Hey! — Emily flushed and stared at jestful Hermione angrily. But she could not hold grudges, especially not under the gaze of Hermione’s warm brown eyes. Still she made a show of turning the stones of housekeeper. Granger watched her attentively and was just about to ask whether the keys could have been given to one of the interns when the doors of the central hall opened with a bang. The first thing Hermione saw was a bunch of golden balloons floating to the ceiling. They seemed unlikely to ever come down. Her colleague Justin started to yell congratulations at first and then squealed confusedly. He was the one making all the noise and making it seem that a whole group of people came through the doors. The hall became silent for a while and then Rachel’s high-pitched voice squeaked. — You cannot be trusted with anything, Justin! She poked embarrassed Justin in the shoulder, then smiled sweetly, made a couple of firm steps forward and hugged Hermione with all her might. Granger felt a sting to her eyes and hugged Rachel back. Hermione, Justin, Rachel and Elly graduated from Cambridge a year before. They thought they would never see each other again (apart for soapy-awkward reunions where you supposed to share your achievements and kids’ photos) but were luckily sent to practice into the same hospital and the friendship continued. Hermione loved these people. Gruffish, straightforward and unhealthy righteous Rachel was actually living with her for the fourth year. And kept breaking the breaking the silence of Granger’s home whenever their shifts were in strep. — Where is Elly? — asked Hermione with a smile. Justin and Rachel’s pagers beeped right at that moment. Granger’s pager answered them from Emily’s desk where it was left for keeping. And soon after Elly ran through the doors of central hall. She held her pager in one hand and balanced a chocolate cake in the other. She was out of breath; her cute round face was flushed and her curly hair stuck to her forehead. She surveyed the suddenly silent company with crazy look and throw up her arms. The cake flopped to the floor and was immediately decorated with Elly’s pager. — Mr. Dou has come to himself! — Will Hermione receive even a tiny bit of birthday blessings today?! Elly and Rachel spoke simultaneously. Elly immediately turned red upon seeing what happen to the cake. She crunched down fast and grabbed her pager without paying any attention to the fact that it was cover in cream. Then she started to spit out some incoherent words of apologies mixed with congratulations for the best women it the hospital — Hermione, that is. Granger waited a bit and then extended her hand firmly to Rachel. — Give me the keys, Rach. I need to change. We will celebrate in the evening. You can pick the cake. Rachel nodded, pulled the keys out of her pocket and tossed them to Hermione. A few moments later Hermione hurried to the doors of the ICU already wearing her lavender uniform. She expected to see doctors fussing around but there was no one. Justin, Elly and belated Rachel were standing at the patient’s bed staring on monitors. — El, the slight change in numbers does not indicate the coma patient to come to himself. — It was not a slight change in numbers, Rachel! He moved! By Jove! I was carrying the cake and decided to stop by and check on him, and he moved. He really moved! Justin, vouch for me! — I cannot. I was busy blowing off Hermione’s balloons. I have not seen anything. Hermione gave a disappointed sigh and sat on the edge of the patient’s bed with sudden liberty. She looked over his face thoughtfully. The scars have almost healed during the year leaving only white lines and ugly red stripes in their wake. — His hair has grown again. It almost reaches his ears. I will cut it today. Justin, please, put the razor back into the cabinet. — Hey! Why do you think I took it? — It is obvious. Your face is clean shaved and you keep forgetting your own razor. I know all your dirty little secrets. Granger smiled slyly, which made Rachel laughed. Justin’s tan cheeks turned pinkish red. — They do not love me, Elly! Let us leave! He dragged reluctant Elly out of the ICU. Rachel gave a sigh and run her knuckles on the monitor in frustration. She was disappointed, too. — This evening should be magnificent. Your birthday cannot be full of disappointments. I will take care of it. — she said with determination and shook her head. Her blond hair slapped her chin, a lock stuck to her lips. Rachel blew it away angrily. — You know what, I am actually sad he has not come to himself. He should have. At least just to relieve you of his tiresome presence. You have been glued to his bed for almost year, all because of… — Rachel, Mr. Zanetti is our sponsor. Asking to take care of Mr. Dou is the most harmless of his requests. It does not bother me. — If only we knew why that solemn prick has taken such interest in this one. Don’t we have other coma patients? It was evident on her face that Rachel would very much like to nag a little more but she only sighed. She skated around the bed and pecked Hermione on the cheek. — I am going home. I will take care of the cake, clean your library den and… well, you know. Don’t miss me, Bubbles. — ordered Rachel and disappeared into the hall. Hermione kept staring at Mr. Dou. Barely a minute passed since Rachel’s departure when the monitors started to sequel loudly. Mr. Dou suddenly sat upright on the bed making Hermione jump in surprise. He looked around the room distractedly and then started to pull the dropping tubes out furiously. Hermione watched him in bewilderment for a few seconds before reaching out and trying to grab him by the wrists. — Sir, you cannot pull out the needles. You could harm yourself in the process, sir. Nurse! — she yelled hastily pushing the emergency button over the bed. Upon hearing her voice, the patient stopped moving and listened closely. He turned his head to Hermione who kept saying some soothing words. — Granger? She lifted her gaze at him in confusion.