The Chief of Staff at Riverview Clinic shook her dark blond haired head with a smile as she pushed open the door to the Recovery Ward. Hazel eyes looked around at the beds one by one from behind her platinum wireframed glasses lenses. A brief frown crossed her lips at the sight of a particular empty bed, but she quickly forced a smile to cover it up as she faced the pair of young patients there.
"I should've known when Brigitte told me that there was a commotion on the floor that I'd find you two hooligans at the center of it," Maranya mock scolded the two teenaged boys in turn.
"Aw, hey, Doc V, loudmouth here was just saying that Captain America was a pansy in the Avengers movie," Stevie grinned, and gave the dark haired teenager in the bed next to him a playful shove, careful not to dislodge either his own or Ernie's IV.
Ernie shoved back at the towheaded teen with a grin. "Well he was! Hulk kicked serious butt in it!" His voice cracked slightly, revealing his age of fourteen years.
"Da, he did," Maranya agreed, as she pulled a chair over to sit on while she conversed with her young patients. Stevie and Ernie came in periodically for treatment for their conditions, Hemolytic Anemia and Fanconi Anemia respectively, over the past three years. "But then again, so did Iron Man."
"Aw, I knew you were gonna say that!" Stevie laughed.
"Well, think on this, my favorite hooligans. How many movies have they made recently with Iron Man, the Hulk and Captain America?"
The Good Doctor listened to the teenagers as they puzzled this out. Her gaze drifted past them to the empty bed on the end of the row, and that frown flittered briefly across her lips again.
He had three good years, Vincent's parents had said to her. Three good years with his family, playing with his dog, going to school even. Even with this past admission, she felt that he was going to turn the corner with his Alpers Syndrome and go home again to enjoy life outside of Riverview. Vincent almost made it, too.
Maranya's eyes closed briefly to hold in the tears that threatened to spill forth with the memory of holding the twelve year old boy's hand while he passed from this world to the next.
"Doc" Hey Doc V!" Ernie's voice cut through her thoughts, and she looked over at the frail teen.
"Da, Ernie?"
"Three for your guy, three for mine, and only two for that wimpy Captain America!"
"Wimpy" Why I oughta—" The teens roughhoused as best that they could within the limitations of their treatments.
"You two behave or I'll turn this ward around, I swear," Maranya scolded in that tone of voice familiar to mothers everywhere. A smile graced her lips, however.
"Okay, okay, sheesh," Stevie grinned, and snuck in one last noogie to the top of Ernie's head before they ceased the roughhousing.
Maranya rose from her chair, and replaced it on the other side of the ward. "Now, I need to get back to work, taking care of really sick people. You two behave yourselves, and I'll see about getting autographed copies of the Avengers DVD for you two. But only if you hooligans don't give the nurses any more grief, got it?"
"Got it!" the teens chorused.
The Good Doctor shook her head with a smile as she opened the door.
"Hulk, smash!" Stevie shouted.
"Puny god!" Ernie shot back.
Heroes, these young men, not Ruffalo or Evans.
Maranya stepped out of the Recovery Ward, let the door close behind her, and headed for the next part of her rounds, the Neonatal ward.
"I should've known when Brigitte told me that there was a commotion on the floor that I'd find you two hooligans at the center of it," Maranya mock scolded the two teenaged boys in turn.
"Aw, hey, Doc V, loudmouth here was just saying that Captain America was a pansy in the Avengers movie," Stevie grinned, and gave the dark haired teenager in the bed next to him a playful shove, careful not to dislodge either his own or Ernie's IV.
Ernie shoved back at the towheaded teen with a grin. "Well he was! Hulk kicked serious butt in it!" His voice cracked slightly, revealing his age of fourteen years.
"Da, he did," Maranya agreed, as she pulled a chair over to sit on while she conversed with her young patients. Stevie and Ernie came in periodically for treatment for their conditions, Hemolytic Anemia and Fanconi Anemia respectively, over the past three years. "But then again, so did Iron Man."
"Aw, I knew you were gonna say that!" Stevie laughed.
"Well, think on this, my favorite hooligans. How many movies have they made recently with Iron Man, the Hulk and Captain America?"
The Good Doctor listened to the teenagers as they puzzled this out. Her gaze drifted past them to the empty bed on the end of the row, and that frown flittered briefly across her lips again.
He had three good years, Vincent's parents had said to her. Three good years with his family, playing with his dog, going to school even. Even with this past admission, she felt that he was going to turn the corner with his Alpers Syndrome and go home again to enjoy life outside of Riverview. Vincent almost made it, too.
Maranya's eyes closed briefly to hold in the tears that threatened to spill forth with the memory of holding the twelve year old boy's hand while he passed from this world to the next.
"Doc" Hey Doc V!" Ernie's voice cut through her thoughts, and she looked over at the frail teen.
"Da, Ernie?"
"Three for your guy, three for mine, and only two for that wimpy Captain America!"
"Wimpy" Why I oughta—" The teens roughhoused as best that they could within the limitations of their treatments.
"You two behave or I'll turn this ward around, I swear," Maranya scolded in that tone of voice familiar to mothers everywhere. A smile graced her lips, however.
"Okay, okay, sheesh," Stevie grinned, and snuck in one last noogie to the top of Ernie's head before they ceased the roughhousing.
Maranya rose from her chair, and replaced it on the other side of the ward. "Now, I need to get back to work, taking care of really sick people. You two behave yourselves, and I'll see about getting autographed copies of the Avengers DVD for you two. But only if you hooligans don't give the nurses any more grief, got it?"
"Got it!" the teens chorused.
The Good Doctor shook her head with a smile as she opened the door.
"Hulk, smash!" Stevie shouted.
"Puny god!" Ernie shot back.
Heroes, these young men, not Ruffalo or Evans.
Maranya stepped out of the Recovery Ward, let the door close behind her, and headed for the next part of her rounds, the Neonatal ward.