Ambivalence

Chapter 3

Calum Hood

"Patient is Madison Ledger, seventeen years old. She got her appendix removed yesterday by Doctor Hemmings and I," I spoke to my interns as we approached Madison's room for rounds. 

"You should have called the second you found out, Grace!" I heard a woman say, her voice elevated.

"She's my daughter, mum. Everything was happening so fast, I just wanted to be there for her." 

The same woman from before responded, "You live under our roof, Grace, how many times do I have to tell this to you. Who's gonna pay the hospital bills for this surgery? Obviously, we are. We had the right to know." 

I asked the interns to wait outside, deciding it was best to enter by myself for the time being. 

"Is everything okay here?"

Apart from Madison and Grace, there was al older woman in the room. Just by looking at her, you could tell she was wealthy. She had a pointed look on her face until she saw me, reaching out to shake my hand. 

"Hello doctor, I'm Madison's grandmother."

"Doctor Hood," I smiled at her. 

"Now that a person with good rational is here," she said, sending a look to Grace, "What does Madison's recovery look like?"

I heard Madison audibly groan at her grandmother's words.

"I just came to check on her, but she should be out of the hospital by tomorrow if everything is as it should be."

The older woman smiled at me, "That's great, everything went well with her surgery?"

I nodded, "No complications at all."

"No I meant with documents and everything, my daughter's never been good with paperwork."

I really didn't like this woman, but I played nice and explained to her that all paperwork is handed over at discharge. When she was done questioning me, I got a pair of gloves and headed over to Madison.

"Alright darling, I just need to have a look at your stitches." 

I lowered her bed parallel to the ground and with my help, she pushed the blankets off of herself. I couldn't help but notice how tired she was which surprised me because she should have slept off all the medicine from her surgery by now. 

"Did you sleep okay, Madison?" 

"Woke up early," she stated, cringing as I felt around her incision. If it were up to me she'd still be on morphine this morning, but her and I compromised and settled on her taking Tylenol instead for the next to days.

"Why's that?" 

"My grandmother knows how to make an entrance," she mumbled. 

I laughed and she smiled at me. It was nice to see her a little bit more relaxed today and she didn't seem to be in too much pain. 

"Well everything looks great," I told her, rebandaging her incision.

"Where are you going?" asked Madison's grandmother. I watched Grace freeze in the doorway, turning back to look at her mother, "To get a coffee from the machine and smoke a cigarette." 

"And you don't offer one to your mother?"

Grace looked absolutely done with her, "Mum, you don't drink coffee." 

"Maybe I want a tea." 

"The machine doesn't have any tea," she sighed. 

The machine definitely has tea.

"Oh, go ahead then and leave your daughter whilst a doctor is checking her out." 

I did not want to be dragged into this, "Actually I'm all done," I smiled politely at Madison's grandmother, "If you need anything Madison-"

She cut me off, "I'll press the button."

I gave her a wink, "Atta girl."

I exited the room, finding Grace resting against the wall, her hands rubbing her temples.

"Doctor Gale, can you check on Mr Jordan's labs for me? The rest of you head down to the ER and I'll page if I need you," I spoke to my inters who were still waiting outside Madison's room.  

When they left, Grace peeled herself off the wall, "I'm sorry for my mother."

I chuckled, "She's definitely something."

"A headache, that's what she is."

Both of us laughed for a little until silenced settled. I caught myself staring at her. She's a beautiful woman with big brown eyes and plump lips. Her hair reached halfway down her back and she had it parted down the middle. I noticed how whenever she was anxious, she'd run her fingers through it. 

"I really need that cigarette." 

I smiled at her, "So do I."

She tucked her hands in her pockets, her smile revealing a set of dimples I hadn't seen yet, "You wanna come have one with me?" 

Fuck it. 

"Yeah, come on."

Madison Ledger

Once it hit five o'clock, thank god almighty, my grandmother finally left the hospital. For the first time today, mum and I sat together, watching a movie on my phone. 

Towards the end, Doctor Hood came in. 

"My shift ends soon and I wanted to check in on you," he explained whilst he rubbed sanitizer onto his hands, "How are you feeling?" 

"I'm okay," I smiled.

"No pain?"

"No pain."

Next he looked at my mum, "How about you, Grace? Can I get you anything?" 

I watched as my mother flashed him her million dollar smile, "I'm all good, thank you Doctor Hood."

He said goodbye and left the room, making me turn to my mother, "Grace?"

"Excuse me?" 

"What happened to Ms Ledger?" 

She shrugged, "I just told him my name that's all, Ms Ledger makes me sound old."

Makes sense, but that doesn't explain the vibe when he came in here. She liked him and I have a feeling he liked her a little too. 

"Sure you don't wanna date my doctor?"

She got off my bed, rearranging my blankets, "Stop it Maddy, Calum's just a nice guy."

"CALUM?"

"What?"

I laughed, "He had his hands in my guts and still I didn't get to call him Calum."

"You're reading way too much into us literally just exchanging our names," she said as she turned off the light, "Now sleep."