Chapter Six

Doctor Huisman sat looking at the watch in his hands. It made him very sad. He felt like crying. It was a small watch with Mickey Mouse on the face and a pink wristband. He played with it in his fingers, turning it over and over. He sighed and stared at it for a solid thirty seconds. Then he opened his top draw and placed the watch gently down in the draw. He looked at it for a good ten seconds, sighed, and shut the draw. He sat back in his chair and looked over at the clock on the far wall. He sat staring at the clock for a minute. He counted the seconds in his mind to make sure it was a full sixty seconds. He reached for the draw again, but stopped. He was in two minds about whether to open it again or not. He started to pull his hand away from the draw, then suddenly locked it. He grabbed a file from his in tray and opened it on his desk. He stared at it and then held his head in his hands. Why? Why? He thought to himself. He unlocked the draw and opened it. He stared at the watch! Mickey Mouse on the face looked up at him. Mickeys second hand moved across the face. He sighed, picked up a pen and looked for something to write in the file he was reading. Who's file was this? Edmond McCarty's! The kid who had been hit by a llama. He looked. He read. He couldn't do this. He threw the pen down and sat back. He stared at the clock again. Then he looked down at the watch, slammed the draw and locked it. He roughly closed the folder and slammed it back in his in tray. He decided he needed more coffee. As he stood up, he grabbed a mug off the desk, but miss timed his movement. The mug crashed to the floor shattering. It wasn't even his mug. It was someone else's. 'Argh! Hansen, you are an idiot!' he said to himself. He picked up a piece of paper off his desk and scraped most of the shattered pieces into it. A small shard penetrated one of his fingers. He pulled back in pain, and pulled the piece out. His finger was bleeding. He began sucking on the finger, and threw the paper with the shattered mug into the bin next to his desk. He went to the kitchen, which was near the nurses station for that floor. One of the nurses Jane was already in the kitchen. 'Oh, Doctor Houseman, have you seen my mug?' Jane asked as he entered. 'It's Huisman,' Hansen replied. 'Sorry?' 'Huisman. Not Houseman. It's Dutch.' 'Oh, sorry. Huisman. You haven't seen a yellow mug around here have you? It has Garfield on it.' 'I'm afraid I accidentally broke that one earlier. Sorry. I will buy you another one.' Jane looked hurt. It was her favourite mug. 'It's Okay,' she said. 'I can afford another one.' 'No, I insist. I broke it, I should replace it.' Jane half smiled. There was something strange about Hansen Huisman, but she also saw something else in him. Something more than the Doctor's wallet that guaranteed a comfortable life in the future. Something more than the esteem of being married to a Doctor. There was a genuine caring nature. A nature that wasn't always present with many who entered the medical professions now. She stroked her hair, unaware that she was doing it. 'So, you seem to be working back a little late.' Hansen was making his coffee and was unaware of the way Jane was looking at him. In fact, she was unaware of the body language she was sending as well. 'I'm sorry, what?' 'You're working late, aren't you?' 'Oh, yes. Yes, I am,' he hesitated unsure whether he should tell Jane. 'There was this girl. Earlier today.' He stopped himself. Surely Jane wouldn't care. There were always patients. Always people suffering. It came with the job. 'And?' Jane asked. She could see his caring side was coming out even more. This man would make a great father. He seemed to live to help others. 'It's not important,' he said quickly. She reached over and touched his hand. 'You can tell me,' she said. 'It's not important,' he repeated. He gave her an embarrassed smile and left with his coffee. He was part way down the corridor when Jane called to him, 'Oh, Doctor! I forgot to mention, the patient in room six is awake.' 'Edmond?' 'Yes, that's the one.' 'Okay, I'll have a look in on him.'