TWO

She walked to the nurse's station and tried to look like someone who had not cried out her eyes a few moments ago. She tapped on the counter to alert the attention of the nurse, who was writing something down. The young girl raised her head and frowned before standing up to attend to her.

"How can I help you?" 

"Hi, I am Vida Van Allen," she started and stopped because of the expression on the nurse's face. She did not need to speak for her to hear all of the unspoken words. The girl was judging her with all of her might and they had met for the first time. 

"How can I help you?" she asked again as if Vida was wasting her time introducing herself. Vida wanted to pick a fight with the girl and tell her how she could never think of starting a conversation with her but she swallowed down all of her words. She was the one in need and it would be wrong for her to pick a fight with the nurse in charge of her father on the first day she got there. 

"I am Mr. Van Allen's daughter and I was wondering who I could speak to regarding my father." The nurse's eyes went up and down, looking at her with some disgust in her eyes. The girl was still trying her best to be professional and not allow her personal feelings to shine through.

"Doctor Joe is not in now, so you can wait a few moments," she said and turned without a word back into the room. Vida stood there with a stunned expression on her face. She did not expect the nurse to act like that towards her. 

"Don't you think you are being a little too rude?" Vida could not let it go.

"Rude?" the girl asked as she sat down. "Why would you call me rude? The doctor is not yet in and once he is, I will let him know you are here." The girl sustained her earlier tone. It was obvious that she had beef with her. She bent her head and murmured, "Took you long enough to come to see your father." She pretended as if she were speaking to herself but it was obvious she wanted her to hear. 

Vida took a deep breath and turned and standing behind her was a middle-aged man in a doctor's coat. "Hi, you are a doctor." Vida closed the gap between them. 

"I am..." 

"Vida Van Allen," the man finished for her before a smile crossed his lips. "You are the daughter of Steve and Eve," he replied and she nodded. "Very nice to finally meet you. I am Joe," he said, stretching his hand to her. 

"You are Doctor Joe!" she exclaimed and he nodded. "Oh goodness," she continued and he smiled at her. She took his hand and wondered how he knew her mom but that was not the reason she was there, so she pushed the curiosity out of her mind for now. 

"You wanted to see me?" he asked and she nodded. "Well here I am." She knew that he must have overheard her talking with the nurse.

"My dad," she said, simply hoping he would tell her all she needed to know. "What is wrong with my dad?" she continued after he was not speaking immediately. 

"He was rushed here yesterday and we had to put him on life support," he began. Vida did not know how but she fell, tears falling from both cheeks. She was trying her best not to cry but it did not seem to work. Knowing that her father was so sick that he had to be put on life support and she did not know anything about it angered her but feeling sad about the situation topped it all.

She cleared her throat as she wanted to speak but the tears were not done falling from her. "I am sorry," she sniffled as she tried to wipe away the tears with the tissue she was still holding from earlier. "What is wrong? Why does he need to be placed on life support?"

"I told Mr. Van Allen that he needed to be admitted to the hospital but he went through every medical advice." The doctor stopped as if something was restraining him from speaking. "I don't know if I really should be saying this," he said, confirming her suspicion.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, knowing that there must be a reason he was saying that to her face.

"I can not discuss a patient without their consent."

"Even to their guardian?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows at him.

"You are not..." he trailed off as his eyes caught James walking in the distance towards them. "I think your father or his assistant would be in a better place to explain that to you; all I know is that your father was rushed here after a second heart attack." the doctor walked away before her brain could process what he meant to say and how dangerous it sounded.

"What?" She turned to him and her eyes caught James. "James, what does the doctor mean by a second heart attack?"