Helping Hands

[lafeae]

"Hm, sounds pretty typical around here," and while Jacques perceived her as being competent for now, he was watching as she seemed to float between realities.


Stabbing into the roast beef, taking a bite, he thought about it for a moment. "I love to read, movies. Especially cheesy romantic comedies. Um...well, you know, been so wrapped up in work I haven't really met anyone. I mean, as long as someone's got a good sense of humour," he laughed, because he realised how not picky he was. "what kind of music you like?"

 

[DisneyGirl]

"Rock and roll, baby." Anna said, a huge grin painted on her face. Before all the glitz and glamour, when she was just a little girl in a southern town, her father would take the family fishing and bring that little beat up radio of his he loved so much. So many summer nights were spent listening to the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, while feasting on Dad's catch. It seemed so long since those days were hers, almost like a lifetime ago.


"You?" She asked, knowing you could tell everything you needed to know about a person, especially a man, by their taste in music.

 

[lafeae]

Her fervor was shared with a nod, and Jacques leaned back in his seat. "Hell yeah, finally. I feel like everyone's into rap anymore. Nothing better than good old rock," said Jacques. "I mean, more old school like AC/DC, Van Halen, the Monkees." It reminded him of times when he had the chance to see them in concert, usually way in the back where the band were ants.


He wasn't as old as he felt sometimes, though his tastes often said otherwise. Then again, just the fact that Anna liked rock, or at least he hoped it was her and not her character, then there was something to talk about.

 

[DisneyGirl]

"Daddy loved Van Halen! They were his favorite.." Anna replied, after taking a sip from her glass of water.


Embarrassed by the fact that she might be talking to a character instead of the man himself, she leaned in with a smile and whispered, "You can break character, if you want, because I sure as hell am not a method actor."

 

[lafeae]

Jacques laughed a little bit, not sure how to react to that statement. He'd been trying to prove it to her for so long that he wasn't acting, and he figured she would be able to tell. It seemed like actors knew actors.


"I wish I were an actor," said Jacques, putting the lid back on his lunch and snapping it closed. "Like I've said, I'm your doctor. Probably your new friend for a while. I'm sure it's hard to process." And he paused, getting a good look at Anna. "Any way I can prove it to you? That I'm not an actor?"


If her delusion was strong, Anna's mind could have made up anything, and a reason for anything being the way it was.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Somewhere inside, Anna knew he was telling the truth, but her mind would not accept the facts, so she just kept that winning smile on her face and replied, "Okay, doctor. Prove it."


What was he going to do? Give her a shot and a lollipop afterwards? Perhaps perform a little surgery? Oooh, was he going to show off his degree? That would really be taking his role to the next level.

 

[lafeae]

"You remember me telling you my name, right? I'm Dr. Jacques Fields, and while I'm sure that my hospital badge isn't enough," he said, unclipping it from his coat and setting it beside her tray, pulled a wallet from his pocket.


"Here's my California drivers license, my Amex card, my insurance...all with the same name,"he mentioned, laying them out on the bed. "Also, dioxyribonucelic acid." He shrugged, saying the first thing to his mind that was, actually, fairly common, but medical sounding.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Shit. He went above and beyond for this part, didn't he?


Unless...


Slowly looking up at him, Anna was dumbfounded. This guy really was a doctor, which meant she really was in the hospital. This wasn't fiction; this was fact. This was real life.


"Oh my God." She said, and she tried to get out of bed, but she couldn't.


"Oh my God, you were telling the truth. Oh my God." Anna whispered, tears making their way down her cheek.

 

[lafeae]

At first it felt like he was a bad guy, making this actress start to cry. For the second time, she was crying.


"Anna, I'm sorry. I've been trying to tell you...And I know this is hard," he grabbed a tissue and began dabbing at her cheeks. Suddenly their jovial conversation went sour. And he promoted it. And...suddenly, Jacques had no idea how to handle this. Even of he was trained for it. He wished they could still talk about Van Halen. "I'm sorry, Anna."

 

[DisneyGirl]

What would become of her now? If she couldn't be an actress, then she would have to move back to Alabama and be normal again; which, oddly enough, is what she had daydreamed about constantly, but now it would actually happen. At least before she had a choice, but now she didn't.


What the hell was she doing worrying about her career? That should have been the last of her worries. She couldn't walk!


"Where is everybody?" She asked, noticing the empty room. "Where are my friends?"

 

[lafeae]

Where were they indeed? Because someone as big as her ought to have had at least one person show up. Maybe they were afraid. If what, he really didn't know.


The security would let through anyone that was actually there to see her for her health, not just her story. Then again, maybe friends were only as shallow as beauty where they were.


"It's...its late," Jacques replied. "They're likely asleep. I'm sure they'll be here tomorrow." He prayed that wasn't a bald-faced lie.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Anna nodded, hoping for that to be true.


The night was quiet and lonely, an endless wait for morning, but somewhere in the middle of the night, sleep found her.


When morning came, it was the paparazzi outside her window that woke her.


"Anna! Anna!" They called to her, like she was Rapunzel in her tower. "Anna Marie!"

 

[lafeae]

Having come in a little early just to mentally prepare himself, Jacques wasn't surprised as everyone began to tell him the mess around his patient.


With a sigh, collecting his thins, Jacques walked behind a nurse who went in and, without much fuss, closed the blinds to the room. She looked over her shoulder to Jacques, who then walked in and was left be as the nurse exited.


Jacques worked through the basics, changing IVs, marking his charts. "How are you feeling?"

 

[DisneyGirl]

"Afraid," Anna replied, honestly. Paparazzi always made her anxious, and she began to shake like a chihuahua, still hearing their voices scream for her attention.


Putting her hands on her head, she added, "When will they stop? When will they leave me alone? They did this to me. What more do they want?"

 

[lafeae]

The fact that she was placed by a window was nothing new. Maybe just for the fresh air, or the view. But the ICU was on the first floor, and it hadn't occurred to Jacques that maybe the paparazzi could get to her more.


"We'll get it taken care of," he mentioned, and he walked out the door briefly to talk to security, having them go and deal with it, before he came back inside. "I'm going to move you to a more private room--it won't have a view, but at least you'll be safe." Jacques said, and he touched her shoulder warmly, hoping to give her some form of comfort.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Anna had fallen in love so many times in her life that even the media made jokes about it. Countless of times she had been mocked at award shows and on sketch comedies, since she seemed to have a new man each month.


Sadly enough, the rumors were true. Well, most of them. She hadn't eloped with any of her costars (but she almost had), and she definitely wasn't dating the director of her latest movie (she was dating the producer).


Well, not anymore. They broke up last week when his wife found out about their relationship.


But though she had fallen so many times before, each time getting her heart broken, that still didn't stop her from being crazy attracted to this doctor. She had always had a thing for blondes.


"Will you be with me?" She asked him, eagerly.

 

[lafeae]

Taken aback by her comment, Jacques stood dumbfounded for a few seconds before gathering his thoughts. Was she still suffering from the same delusions as yesterday?


Before even answering he took a small light from his pocket and flashed it in her eyes, watching the dilation.


"Anna...."he let out a strong breath. "You don't even know me....just, why?"

 

[DisneyGirl]

Why, indeed?


It was pretty crazy, considering she hardly knew the man; but she couldn't help herself. When Anna saw a handsome man, taken or not, she wanted him, needed him.


There was a hole in her heart that longed to be filled with love, and any time an attractive (or even decent looking man) smiled at her, she would melt in his arms and give her heart to him. Some men would play with her heart like it was a toy; others would throw it in the trash. And some would tear it, step on it, and destroy it, leaving Anna to put it back together again with a little alcohol and a party where she would no doubt meet the next heart breaker.


Not that Anna was an angel either. She'd broken many men's hearts herself, usually because she couldn't be tied down. Anna would not give up her independence for a wedding ring, and she often got bored of one man and would forget to toss him before jumping to another.


But like any woman, like any person, she longed for love; and perhaps this doctor would finally be the one to give that to her.


"Why not?" Anna asked, smiling at him. "Don't you like me?"

 

[lafeae]

This was the sort of thing that boys dreamed about when they were teenagers, Jacques thought. He had to sit himself down and look at her, from head to toe. Her offer was...tempting, to say the least. Having a Hollywood actress throw themselves at you? It wasn't really an every day occurrence.


But he knew there were so many factors. She was alone, she had possible head trauma, she was scared, she was drugged. Any of these factors could have made her say what she said.


"I don't dislike you," Jacques said. In fact, he tried to be as impartial as he could with patients, but there were always exceptions. "But...I don't know you. We're going to be spending a lot of time together; I'll be with you that way. Let's...um...let's work it out from there." And Jacques was visibly flustered, knowing his feelings and his ethics were clashing.

 

[DisneyGirl]

But Anna wasn't that easy to stop.


"Oh, come on. Don't give me that bullshit." She replied, crossing her arms and giving him a smirk. "You've been checking me out the moment I got here, and you know that being with a Hollywood actress is every guy's dream, and you would totally go for it and make out with me right now; but you have to be professional and keep your boundaries, and I understand, but God, don't deny it."

 

[lafeae]

Anna getting a little more cross was surprising. Frowning, looking down at the floor for a moment, he huffed and squeezed his eyes closed.


"I'm 'checking you out' because it's my job," said Jacques, maybe just as cross as she was. And it was hard for him to hold back. "I would worry about myself first before worrying if I was in a relationship or not. But...yes, yes I will consider it." Because his libido couldn't tell him 'no'.

 

[DisneyGirl]

It was cute how these men always tried to deny their attraction to her, but Anna knew it was only a matter of time until he gave in.


She knew she should have been worrying about her health, but honestly, she was too scared to think of it, and the idea of having a romance with this doctor proved to be a great distraction.


Still, she worried.


"What do I got to do today, doc?" She asked.

 

[lafeae]

That was it. It was done. She wasn't going to talk about it anymore, and he wasn't able to deal with it anymore. They were on to bigger and more productive things.


"Well...like I said, I'm going to have you moved rooms so these people don't bother you anymore. After that...we're going to test you through a few motions and see how you're doing, but not push you too far." Jacques said. He was forcing himself into working, because there was no other way to deal with it, really. That was the best he had. "You've had injuries to your spinal cord, we're not about to go and make it worse."


As he said this, a transporter was coming in, pulling the bed rails and up and getting Anna ready for transport.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Not being able to walk was frustrating.


Anna was completely paralyzed and totally numb. It was if the lower part of her body was asleep, and no one could wake it up.


"It doesn't look good," she heard one of the nurses tell Jacques later on in her new room.


"What? What doesn't look good?!" Anna asked, trying to hide her fear, but miserably failing to do so. She wouldn't let them hide or sugar-coat her condition, even if it killed her.

 

[lafeae]

The doctor's lips thinned and he nodded, knowing very well now that he could see the x-Rays. There was little chance, but Jacques liked to remain an optimist as much as he could.


Once Anna was settled, Jacques put up a few of the x-Rays, seeing where the bone was somewhat feactured, likely into the cord. "It's the sort of injury you have, usually doesn't have a high chance of regaining motion...so that's the goal."