THE LONG ROAD AHEAD
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the plot. The characters belong to Whoopi Goldberg and Lifetime Television.
Setting: This story takes place immediately following the episode "Recovery Time."
Summery: Lu returns to work and struggles to get her life back on track and put the past behind her.
Dr. Luisa Delgado poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at her desk. She had a few moments yet before her first patient was due, and she needed a few moments alone. A sudden knock on the door startled her. "Yeah?" The door opened and Dr. Robert Jackson, Chief of Staff at Rittenhouse Women's Health Center, came in.
"Good morning, Dr. Delgado. I just stopped by to see how you're doing."
"I think I'll be okay." Lu answered.
"You sure?" Lu nodded.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, life goes on, right?"
"Well, just let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks, Dr. Jackson. I will." Lu took a sip of her coffee as he exited her office. She knew everyone was asking themselves the same questions that were on her own mind. Was she up to the heavy demands of her job at the RWHC? She took a deep breath. "Well, I guess it's time to find out." She quickly finished her coffee, then hurried out to the reception area. "Lana, who's my first patient?" Lana Hawkins handed her a file folder. "Brooke Abrahams."
"Great." Lu quickly called the young woman into the examination room. "So how ya doin', Brooke?"
"Pretty good, I guess. I was surprised when I called the other day and Lana said that you were gone. I didn't think you ever took time off." Brooke answered.
"Yeah, well, that couldn't be helped." Lu replied, leaving it at that, as she didn't want to explain to her patient the real reason why she had had to take a leave of absence.
"Well, your lungs sound pretty good. At least much better than when you were here last week."
"I feel much better than I did then too." Brooke smiled.
"That's good to hear," Lu answered. "Then I won't need to see you here for awhile. But if you do have any more trouble, just give me a call."
"I will. Thanks, Lu." Lu smiled.
"Bye, Brooke." Lu followed the young woman out of the exam room, stopping at the reception desk. She handed Brooke's file to Lana. "Who or what do you have for me next, Lana?" Lana handed her another file.
"Emily Sue Ricks."
Dr. Dana Stowe approached the reception desk. "Hi Lana. Where's Lu?"
"With a patient." Lana answered. Lana immediately noticed the look of concern on the doctor's face.
"How is she?" Dana asked.
"She seems fine to me, Dr. Stowe. Or at least much better than she has been lately."
"Great. That's sure good to hear." Dana said. "Ask her to drop by my office when she gets a chance, will ya?"
"Sure thing, Dr. Stowe." Dana headed down the hall towards her own office.
Lu knocked on the door to Dana's office, then walked in without waiting for a reply. "Lana said you wanted to see me."
"I just wanted to know how you're doing. You know, coming back to all of this after..." Lu sat down in the chair across from her partner. "Sometimes I ask myself that same question, Dana. I'd like to think that I am ready. But then there are those times when I'm not so sure. Next to my son, RWHC and my patients are my life. And when I think about how I almost destroyed that..." Lu paused, lowering her gaze. Dana walked around her desk, sitting on the desk in front of Lu. "Lu, what happened to you was not your fault. You were dealing with it in a very real way. You were angry. Kilner didn't get punished for what he did to you so you tried to punish yourself. You were hurting, Lu. But you wouldn't..."
"I wouldn't admit it. I know." Lu said, interrupting. "And Dr. Jackson would have had every right to fire me. He was right, you know. I couldn't have cared for my patients in the state I was in. I should have seen that."
"Well, it's over now. And you're back on track. And if you need any help, we are all here for you. You know that, don't you?" Lu nodded as she stood to go.
"Yeah, I know that now. And thank you, Dana." Dana smiled. "We can talk again later. Right now we both have patients to tend to."
Lu opened the door to the supply room and glanced around, trying to locate the supply of latex gloves. A sudden touch on her shoulder, and a voice behind her made her jump. "Hey, Lu." Lu spun around, her breathing heavy and hand clutching her chest. Dr. Nick Biancavilla stepped back. "Sorry, Lu. I didn't mean to startle you." Lu waited until she could catch her breath before answering. "It's okay, Nick. I shouldn't be so jumpy. I just didn't hear you come in, that's all." Lu grabbed a box of gloves, than quickly left the room, leaving Nick staring after her.
Lu sighed as she sat down at her desk later that morning. It had been a busy morning, and she was glad for a few moments alone, although she knew it wouldn't last long. The days at RWHC were always busy, and a rare break was always welcome. She poured herself a glass of water, and dug into her purse, searching for the bottle of tylenol she had tossed into her purse that morning.
"Hey Lu, care to join us?" Lu carried her lunch tray to the table and sat down across from Dana. Lana glanced at Lu's tray, which consisted only of a small salad and an apple. "Is that all you're eating?" Lu looked at her plate, then at Lana. "Yeah. I'm not very hungry, that's all."
"That's not enough to keep a bird alive," Lana insisted.
"Yeah, well, it's fine for me." Lu picked up her fork, but only pushed her food around on her plate.
"So how's it going today, Lu?" Dana asked. Lu shrugged.
"Okay, I guess. I mean, nothing out of the ordinary."
"And you're doing okay?"
"Yeah, I guess." Lu glanced around the table at her friends. She could read the questions in their eyes.
"Look, you guys. I know what you're thinking. And you need to stop. I'm fine. I'm back to work now, and I just want to put the past few weeks behind me. And I want all of you to do the same. Okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Nurse Peter Riggs answered.
"Anything you say, Lu." Dr. Nick Biancavilla replied.
"Good. Thank you." Lu put her fork down and took a drink of her coffee, not noticing the silence of her friends as they glanced at each other. Nick cleared his throat.
"Well, guess I'd better get back to ER. I'll see ya guys later."
"Yeah, see ya later, Biancavilla." Lana answered.
"See ya, Nick." Lu said. She glanced at her watch. "I'd better go too. Talk to you guys later." She got up, emptied her tray, and made a quick exit out of the cafeteria. Lana took a sip of her coffee, then looked at Dana. "So what do you make of that?"
"What do you mean?" Dana questioned.
"You mean you didn't notice how fast she ran out of here? She didn't eat anything at all. Or didn't you notice that either? You didn't notice how she hardly talked at all? Does that sound like the real Lu to you?"
"Lana, it is going to take her some time to get back to being the real Lu. She's been through a terrible time. Coming back to work so soon is a big step. But it will take her time to work through it. All we can do is to let her know that we are here for her, whenever she needs us."
"Biancavilla said that he saw her in the supply closet earlier, and when he came up behind her, he thought she was going to have a heart attack. She was breathing hard and holding her chest..."
"Yeah, he told me that too. But anyone would be startled if someone came up behind them like that." Dana answered.
"Yeah, I suppose so." Lana wasn't convinced. She had also noticed that Lu seemed to be a bit jumpy today. She quickly finished her coffee, than stood to go. "Well, time for Lana to get back to her post. I'll see ya later, Dr. Stowe."
"See ya, Lana." Dana said as she glanced at her watch and realized that she also needed to get back to her office to get ready for her next patient.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the plot. The characters belong to Whoopi Goldberg and Lifetime Television.
Setting: This story takes place immediately following the episode "Recovery Time."
Summery: Lu returns to work and struggles to get her life back on track and put the past behind her.
Dr. Luisa Delgado poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at her desk. She had a few moments yet before her first patient was due, and she needed a few moments alone. A sudden knock on the door startled her. "Yeah?" The door opened and Dr. Robert Jackson, Chief of Staff at Rittenhouse Women's Health Center, came in.
"Good morning, Dr. Delgado. I just stopped by to see how you're doing."
"I think I'll be okay." Lu answered.
"You sure?" Lu nodded.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, life goes on, right?"
"Well, just let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks, Dr. Jackson. I will." Lu took a sip of her coffee as he exited her office. She knew everyone was asking themselves the same questions that were on her own mind. Was she up to the heavy demands of her job at the RWHC? She took a deep breath. "Well, I guess it's time to find out." She quickly finished her coffee, then hurried out to the reception area. "Lana, who's my first patient?" Lana Hawkins handed her a file folder. "Brooke Abrahams."
"Great." Lu quickly called the young woman into the examination room. "So how ya doin', Brooke?"
"Pretty good, I guess. I was surprised when I called the other day and Lana said that you were gone. I didn't think you ever took time off." Brooke answered.
"Yeah, well, that couldn't be helped." Lu replied, leaving it at that, as she didn't want to explain to her patient the real reason why she had had to take a leave of absence.
"Well, your lungs sound pretty good. At least much better than when you were here last week."
"I feel much better than I did then too." Brooke smiled.
"That's good to hear," Lu answered. "Then I won't need to see you here for awhile. But if you do have any more trouble, just give me a call."
"I will. Thanks, Lu." Lu smiled.
"Bye, Brooke." Lu followed the young woman out of the exam room, stopping at the reception desk. She handed Brooke's file to Lana. "Who or what do you have for me next, Lana?" Lana handed her another file.
"Emily Sue Ricks."
Dr. Dana Stowe approached the reception desk. "Hi Lana. Where's Lu?"
"With a patient." Lana answered. Lana immediately noticed the look of concern on the doctor's face.
"How is she?" Dana asked.
"She seems fine to me, Dr. Stowe. Or at least much better than she has been lately."
"Great. That's sure good to hear." Dana said. "Ask her to drop by my office when she gets a chance, will ya?"
"Sure thing, Dr. Stowe." Dana headed down the hall towards her own office.
Lu knocked on the door to Dana's office, then walked in without waiting for a reply. "Lana said you wanted to see me."
"I just wanted to know how you're doing. You know, coming back to all of this after..." Lu sat down in the chair across from her partner. "Sometimes I ask myself that same question, Dana. I'd like to think that I am ready. But then there are those times when I'm not so sure. Next to my son, RWHC and my patients are my life. And when I think about how I almost destroyed that..." Lu paused, lowering her gaze. Dana walked around her desk, sitting on the desk in front of Lu. "Lu, what happened to you was not your fault. You were dealing with it in a very real way. You were angry. Kilner didn't get punished for what he did to you so you tried to punish yourself. You were hurting, Lu. But you wouldn't..."
"I wouldn't admit it. I know." Lu said, interrupting. "And Dr. Jackson would have had every right to fire me. He was right, you know. I couldn't have cared for my patients in the state I was in. I should have seen that."
"Well, it's over now. And you're back on track. And if you need any help, we are all here for you. You know that, don't you?" Lu nodded as she stood to go.
"Yeah, I know that now. And thank you, Dana." Dana smiled. "We can talk again later. Right now we both have patients to tend to."
Lu opened the door to the supply room and glanced around, trying to locate the supply of latex gloves. A sudden touch on her shoulder, and a voice behind her made her jump. "Hey, Lu." Lu spun around, her breathing heavy and hand clutching her chest. Dr. Nick Biancavilla stepped back. "Sorry, Lu. I didn't mean to startle you." Lu waited until she could catch her breath before answering. "It's okay, Nick. I shouldn't be so jumpy. I just didn't hear you come in, that's all." Lu grabbed a box of gloves, than quickly left the room, leaving Nick staring after her.
Lu sighed as she sat down at her desk later that morning. It had been a busy morning, and she was glad for a few moments alone, although she knew it wouldn't last long. The days at RWHC were always busy, and a rare break was always welcome. She poured herself a glass of water, and dug into her purse, searching for the bottle of tylenol she had tossed into her purse that morning.
"Hey Lu, care to join us?" Lu carried her lunch tray to the table and sat down across from Dana. Lana glanced at Lu's tray, which consisted only of a small salad and an apple. "Is that all you're eating?" Lu looked at her plate, then at Lana. "Yeah. I'm not very hungry, that's all."
"That's not enough to keep a bird alive," Lana insisted.
"Yeah, well, it's fine for me." Lu picked up her fork, but only pushed her food around on her plate.
"So how's it going today, Lu?" Dana asked. Lu shrugged.
"Okay, I guess. I mean, nothing out of the ordinary."
"And you're doing okay?"
"Yeah, I guess." Lu glanced around the table at her friends. She could read the questions in their eyes.
"Look, you guys. I know what you're thinking. And you need to stop. I'm fine. I'm back to work now, and I just want to put the past few weeks behind me. And I want all of you to do the same. Okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Nurse Peter Riggs answered.
"Anything you say, Lu." Dr. Nick Biancavilla replied.
"Good. Thank you." Lu put her fork down and took a drink of her coffee, not noticing the silence of her friends as they glanced at each other. Nick cleared his throat.
"Well, guess I'd better get back to ER. I'll see ya guys later."
"Yeah, see ya later, Biancavilla." Lana answered.
"See ya, Nick." Lu said. She glanced at her watch. "I'd better go too. Talk to you guys later." She got up, emptied her tray, and made a quick exit out of the cafeteria. Lana took a sip of her coffee, then looked at Dana. "So what do you make of that?"
"What do you mean?" Dana questioned.
"You mean you didn't notice how fast she ran out of here? She didn't eat anything at all. Or didn't you notice that either? You didn't notice how she hardly talked at all? Does that sound like the real Lu to you?"
"Lana, it is going to take her some time to get back to being the real Lu. She's been through a terrible time. Coming back to work so soon is a big step. But it will take her time to work through it. All we can do is to let her know that we are here for her, whenever she needs us."
"Biancavilla said that he saw her in the supply closet earlier, and when he came up behind her, he thought she was going to have a heart attack. She was breathing hard and holding her chest..."
"Yeah, he told me that too. But anyone would be startled if someone came up behind them like that." Dana answered.
"Yeah, I suppose so." Lana wasn't convinced. She had also noticed that Lu seemed to be a bit jumpy today. She quickly finished her coffee, than stood to go. "Well, time for Lana to get back to her post. I'll see ya later, Dr. Stowe."
"See ya, Lana." Dana said as she glanced at her watch and realized that she also needed to get back to her office to get ready for her next patient.