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Francesca Soriano had seen all types wander into her little clinic, its location near the Rockies landing her with inexperienced hikers and overeager tourists on a fairly regular basis, but none quite like these girls.
They looked like a startled pack of animals. Except, that wasn’t quite right. A pack would imply a similarity easily identifiable between all of them. That they were the same breed. This was more like a menagerie of all different sorts. Physically, they were in the same condition. Dirtied, bruised, bleeding, and packed with every form of trauma that came from surviving a plane crash and living in the wilderness. Their individual reactions, however? Those varied greatly.
One quietly looking at the ground, refusing eye contact, while another met every gaze head-on in a silent challenge. One tugging at her sleeves with glossy eyes trying not to shed tears while the girl next to her had her arms crossed tightly with a blank expression, in either defiance or self-comfort she was unsure. A disparate cluster formed under pressure, then?
But maybe that wasn’t quite right, either. Observing the individual body language of each girl separately gave incredibly varied results, but observing them as a group they seemed to blend together. Less of a dissonant clatter of keys and more of a medley. The girl close to tears was leaning heavily on both the brunette in a torn flannel and the one glaring at the cameras, who in turn was holding the hand of a nervously shifting redhead. A curly-haired girl was muttering to herself, which Fran assumed would have annoyed the grumpy looking one, yet instead seemed to be keeping her from simply collapsing, giving her something to stay grounded. Their drastically different displays seemed to feed into each other.
Hearing flashes of cameras, Fran jumped into action, quick to get the girls into private rooms and out of the open. Whether someone had leaked their landing location or there were paparazzi staked out at several hospitals, she didn’t know or care. She just wanted to get the group away from them. Or sic a bear on the assholes bothering them. Preferably both.
Ordering her staff while still being mindful to not startle the team further, Fran prepared for what was sure to be an interesting patient experience.
-
As was to be expected when treating a group of teenagers who had been isolated from society for almost two years, things immediately started out rough.
Because none of the girls had any immediate intensive operations needed, they wanted to do some basic checks first. Eyesight, hearing, memory, and simple steps to get them full and hydrated.
They could speed the process up a bit by examining one girl while asking another for information on her name, age, and contact information, swapping until all of them had been checked up and checked in. They had started to lead one girl, the red-head with the most apparent injuries to check for infection, into the exam room only for 7 of the other girls to try and quickly follow.
“I’m sorry but we can’t allow more than one of you in at a time” One of her newer nurses, Monica, explained gently.
“Like hell you can’t” It was no surprise that this immediate interjection came from the girl who had been staring defiantly at the cameras.
“It’s hospital policy, I’m sorry” Monica repeated.
“It’s a hospital policy for privacy, which I can assure you is not an issue for us. We had to keep watch over each other while bathing and huddle naked for warmth. I think we can handle hearing if someone here has a UTI” The frizzy one stated matter of fact. From anyone else, it would have seemed like a shock tactic, but the little teen sounded completely serious.
“That may be true, but we need to keep confidentiality rules in place for everyone. We want to make sure that the patient feels fully comfortable enough to divulge information. We can’t make exceptions” Monica insisted.
“What if we don’t feel comfortable with you, huh? What then?” Piped up the brunette.
“If you don’t feel comfortable answering questions for us, you don’t need to. But we would still need to review your current physical state”
“Our current physical state is shit. Done”
“Looks, guys, maybe we should just-“ The tallest blonde in the group started to gently reason with the others, but her voice got drowned out by the loud one.
“If we don’t feel comfortable answering your questions, why do you think we’d be comfortable being in a room with you alone? Isolating us to examine us without anyone else present doesn’t seem very comforting to me” The little poodle-looking one thoughtfully tapped her finger to her chin and gazed at Monica with wide eyes.
Monica seemed stunned for a moment by the audacity of the girl.
“I assure you, it’s just a simple checkup-“
“Then why can’t we all be there for it”
“I told you, it’s a matter of-”
“Confidentiality agreements can be extended to others with approval”
“Yes, but-“
“They can all go in” Fran cut in, deciding to save the nurse the trouble. “It’s just basic checkups anyway, no harm in having them in the room for it”
“Are you sure, Dr. Soriano?”
“I am. I don’t see any issue with it if they’re all okay with it. No different than allowing someone else into an ambulance with you” Fran assured.
“Well alright, then” Monica sighed.
The eight girls seemed to brighten at the acquiescence, one in particular looking pretty smug about the whole thing.
Fran sent a quick message to the other nurses to prepare different rooming arrangements. Initially, they were planning on doubling the girls up at most to give them space and privacy, but now she figured they, or at least these eight, may like it better if they only had to be split into two groups of four. They probably still wouldn’t love it, but would hopefully accept the compromise since they didn’t exactly have a room with eight beds.
After that initial spat, things seemed to have settled. Having each other in their line of sight while they were each checked seemed to calm them, even if only slightly. A few of the girls were a little combative, but not in a way that impeded getting them help. The little curly one, Misty, questioned everything she was doing (which didn’t really surprise Fran given her earlier behavior), and the grumpy one, Natalie, just about barred her teeth at her when she tried to pull her sleeve down to check her wrist, but when it came to following necessary instructions, they complied. Most likely too tired to argue and desperate to feel better, the girls answered her questions, followed her orders, and let her do her job.
One by one, she got each girl onto the exam table. All things considered, most of them were shockingly healthy. Some minor throat inflammation here and a little bit of congestion there, but surprisingly curable for their conditions. The most concerning so far had been Natalie. When they told Fran that the punk had been repeatedly firing a rifle with only makeshift ear, shoulder, and wrist protection, she had immediately wanted to do a more thorough inspection. So far, all the girls had just had a flashlight shined in their ears, eyes, and mouth along with a quick reflex check, nothing too invasive for their first day out of the wild, but she wanted to check Natalie’s upper body for damage. The girl had resisted but they eventually compromised on her rolling up her sleeve to check her firing arm.
Upon inspection, nothing seemed too bad. (Though she did see a soulmate mark on Natalie’s wrist, a black and yellow snake of some kind, and the most likely reasons for the girl’s refusal. Fran had learned early on that people got touchy about showing off their marks). Natalie definitely had caused some minor spraining and tinnitus, and may be at risk for arthritis later down the line, but her arm and hearing hadn’t sustained too much damage and could get better with aid and time. Honestly, for someone who was regularly shooting a gun with only a pair of headphones she had brought padded with extra cloth, it was a wonder she wasn’t completely deaf.
Finally, there was only one girl left. The last one to go had clearly been putting it off but was now being called forward.
The brunette, Shauna, squeezed her hand in reassurance and several of the other girls patted her shoulder as she moved forward.
“What’s your full name?”
“Jaqueline Frances Taylor”
“Nice to meet you, Jaqueline”
Fran reached her hand out for a quick shake.
“Jackie’s fine” The girl mumbled shyly as she shook her hand.
“Alright, Jackie. I’m going to start by checking your vision, okay?”
Jackie nodded and Fran got started with her inspection.
Everything was fine until they got to looking into her ears. The cartilage inside her ear canal looked to be inflamed and had most likely had fluid buildup, a common effect of being out in the cold. Unfortunately, ear infections tend to be recurring if not completely treated, and it seemed like Jackie had been subject to that. One ear looked worse than the other, but the girl would certainly have partial hearing loss in both ears, if not full hearing loss in her left.
The damage looked old, which meant the chance of recovery was lessened and that Jackie was most likely aware of her state, hence the hesitation. It also explained why she seemed to be tilting her head to one side every time Fran spoke, clearly favoring her better ear.
“I’m sure you already know what I’m about to tell you, but unfortunately your inner ear has sustained repeated infection”
Jackie inhaled but nodded, having obviously anticipated this.
“We can get you on antibiotics to clear it up and prevent further damage, but I’m afraid your hearing may never fully return to what it was” Fran said gently, resting her hand lightly on Jackie’s shoulder.
“But there’s a chance that it will? Recover, I mean” Jackie looked at her nervously.
“You could notice a slight improvement when the fluid buildup is cleared, and we can help remove some of the hardened wax as well to see if it helps, but there are no guarantees that it will improve beyond where your hearing is at right now” Fran explained.
“Oh. Okay” Jackie fidgeted with her hands and looked at the floor.
“Besides that, though, everything else looks good. With some food, hydration, and rest you’ll make a full recovery”
“Right. Thank you”
Jackie hopped off the table and went to go sit with the others while Fran turned to her computer to finish typing up the final review. Out of the corner of her eye, Fran saw Taissa Turner pull the girl into a gentle hug. The other girls followed suit after.
“It’s not so bad, Jax. The doctor said you’re healthy”
“Permanent hearing damage doesn’t sound super healthy”
“I know it’s not what you wanted to find out, but you are healthy. Of all the things that you could’ve lost that night, I’m glad that it was just your hearing. I know that’s probably a selfish thing to say, given that it was my fault to begin with, but I mean it”
“It was not your fault. We’ve talked about this. We were both being stubborn and stupid. And you’re right. I’ll gladly take, well, okay, not gladly, but I’ll begrudgingly accept hearing damage to have gotten here”
“It won’t be so bad. If being forced to sit on opposite ends of classrooms has taught me anything, it’s that you’re a really good lip reader” Shauna teased.
“I was able to hide the hearing thing from you guys for so long because of it” Jackie mused.
“Speaking of which. Don’t fucking do that. Seriously, if any of these doctors even suggest you’ve been hiding any more serious damage from us to not be a burden, we are going to sit your ass down and reassure you so fucking hard. We’ll make a presentation on it, don’t even try us” Tai poked Jackie’s chest with her finger, half-joking but also not at all.
“That’s… is that supposed to be a threat? Because I’m not feeling very threatened” Jackie said as she playfully swatted Tai’s finger away, a grin now lighting up her face. An expression that, in Fran’s humble opinion, seemed much more suited for the young girl.
“It is” Lottie chimed in.
“Alright. You guys are all set. The nurses have finished prepping the room and beds for you all, so if you’ll follow Monica, she’ll show you where to go”
The girls stood up but hesitated, so Fran followed up, “We only have rooms with four beds maximum, so you will have to split into two groups. I apologize, but it was the best we could do to not completely separate you”
That seemed to bring them some relief. At least, they weren’t fighting it.
“That’s nice of you. Thank you” Natalie said appreciatively, seeming far less grumpy than she had initially.
“You’re welcome. If there’s anything else we can do to make your stay here better, don’t hesitate to ask”
The group nodded and thanked her, before heading out to follow Monica.
-
Physically, the girls were doing well. Some food, water, rest, and antibiotics would set them back on track to being healthy. It was only their third day, and she still wanted to do a more thorough examination of them, but none of the girls seemed quite ready for it. They had insisted on bathing themselves without assistance and so far, had only allowed her to look them over while fully clothed.
She assumed it had something to do with their soulmarks, as she was reminded of Natalie’s refusal to show her wrist, though she couldn’t understand why those eight girls were so secretive about it. Sure, some people were protective of their marks, but those were usually older folks who had lost their partner. For a group of young women to be so defensive about it was a bit confusing, but Fran decided she would be as respectful about it as she could. She would give them a bit more time before pushing further.
As for how the girls were mentally? Fran knew that journey would be much harder.
The second day of their stay had been slow. As promised, they had been split into groups, with Jackie, Shauna, Tai, and Van in one room while Nat, Lottie, Laura, and Misty took the other. (The other surviving girls seemed fine with being split up. In fact, Mari had requested a solo room which left Akilah, Crystal, Gen, and Melissa to double up. Fran didn’t fully understand why those five weren’t as clingy with each other, but chalked it up to some team dynamic she wasn’t aware of).
Despite being separated, the girls had all ditched their beds, against orders for the record, and had shoved several beds together to cram together. It was a little cute, if not incredibly depressing and also strongly ill-advised for them to be putting that much strain on their bodies by moving furniture. She was reminded of Misty’s comment about them huddling for warmth and figured it had become routine for them, so she didn’t reprimand them too hard. She did, however, make them promise that they’d sleep in their own beds, but she honestly didn’t know if she’d be able to enforce it.
The girls had spent the day cuddling and watching television, catching up with what they’d missed. Tai, Shauna, and Laura Lee’s parents had been given clearance to visit –which meant that five, FIVE, of these girls’ parents didn’t bother to fucking come see that their own child had survived after being missing for that long, Fran had noticed with distaste. She made a mental note to give stop by the gift shop later— and had tearful reunions with hugs and gifts. Tai and Shauna seemed a bit cagy around their parents, and she could only imagine the conversations that would come later, but for now, all parties were content to simply hug and be there.
The five who hadn’t received visitors looked both downtrodden but also resigned, which made Fran want to commit actual fucking murder against people she hadn’t even met. Thankfully, the parents who had bothered to show the fuck up took notice as well and tried to make conversation with each girl. Mrs. Shipman had hugged Jackie tightly, kissing the top of her head and before they left, Laura Lee’s parents had decided to order food for everyone, lightening the mood significantly.
She had to have several lengthy arguments about not being able to release them early with the Turners, but she was happy to have those arguments since it meant they cared.
After visiting hours were up and the families had left, she spoke with the girls a final time to see how they were doing. Shauna had brought up the topic of getting hearing aids for Jackie, and they had spent some time discussing choices for her. Jackie didn’t seem thrilled with the conversation but some gentle encouragement from her friends at least got her to participate in it instead of just sulking and tuning it out.
She brought up that hearing aids could take time to work, and offered to show Jackie some ASL, but was surprised to find out that they had already been learning some. Apparently, Laura Lee’s grandpa had gone deaf during military service, but she had learned sign to still be able to talk with him. She told Fran that with constant gun firing, she had decided to teach it to the group just in case they all wound up with shooter’s ear. Being trapped in the wilderness would give you the time to be taught something new, she supposed.
Later, Mari told her that Laura Lee had only taught them sign to help Jackie. According to their new resident gossip, Laura Lee was one of the first to notice Jackie showing signs of not being able to hear as well and had brought up the idea of learning ASL as a group. Mari suspected that Laura Lee didn’t want to single her out or force her to admit that something was wrong and even having only known Jackie for a few days, Fran figured she was correct. All of this was, of course, being told to her simply because she asked if Mari knew sign as well. Fran had to give it to her, she could certainly find something to say about everything.
With the girls seeming so calm throughout the day, it was easy to forget how traumatized they all were. It wasn’t until she was doing her nightly rounds that she was jolted back into the reality of why they were all being forced to stay longer.
Walking down the hall, she heard hysterical sobbing coming from one of the rooms. Worried for whichever girl it was, Fran opened the door and found Natalie kneeling beside her bed, sobbing and apologizing over and over. It seemed as if the girl was pleading with someone who wasn’t there, begging for forgiveness.
Before Fran could move to comfort her, Laura Lee had already sprung up from her bed and fallen to her knees beside Natalie. She didn’t immediately reach out for the girl, instead choosing to kneel beside her and whisper softly to her. Fran wondered if Natalie could even hear what she was saying above her own cries. She must have been able to, because she gave a slight nod at something Laura Lee had said, and the blonde moved forward to wrap her arms tightly around the distraught teen.
They stayed like that for a while, holding and being held, Laura Lee’s arms secure around Nat’s shoulders as she spoke calmly and quietly to her. Lottie and Misty had been woken up by the noise as well and joined them on the floor. The two were hovering slightly behind where Laura Lee and Nat were huddled together, waiting. Laura Lee asked Nat something again, this time Fran could just make out that she was seeking approval for the other two to join them. As soon as Nat gave her sign of approval, Lottie and Misty were on the floor as well, forming an almost protective barrier around the girl.
She watched for a moment longer until she was positive that Natalie was able to calm down and wasn’t having a panic attack. She knew she’d have to talk to her in the morning, but seeing that she had calmed down Fran decided letting her go back to bed was the better option.
She turned to walk out the door and almost ran face-first into four anxious-looking teenagers huddling outside the door behind her. Really, she should have seen this coming. If she could hear Natalie’s cries, of course her teammates with heightened survival instincts could as well.
“Dr. Soriano-“
“At least let me help you guys push the beds together this time”
-
The next morning, she got up early, before all of the girls and staff. She ordered waffles and pancakes from the local diner and set up a small buffet for them. She also dug out what she had gotten from the gift store and placed them on each of the girls’ usual seats.
Were they probably supposed to be on a healthier breakfast than chocolate and whipped cream with a side of pancakes? Yes. Did Fran have a soft spot for troubled teens and get ruthlessly teased by her co-workers for being a mom-friend? Also, yes.
Watching Van try to balance her little teddy bear on top of a napping Lottie’s head made up for it.
-
It was on their fifth day that Fran knew she would have to confront the girls about letting her do a physical exam without as much clothing in the way.
She had hoped that they had all warmed up to her, if only just enough to feel comfortable doing basic checks for any skin conditions. She had been buying them takeout for several days straight. The good kind, too, not just McDonalds but from an actual restaurant. Surely that had to count for something.
Her plan of attack was to ask Laura Lee first without the group present. She seemed the most willing to comply and then could hopefully tell the others that it wasn’t so bad. The rules on complete physical exams were much stricter, but if they asked, she figured she’d allow one other girl in the room during it.
She wasn’t able to catch Laura Lee alone, the girls always seemed to be in pairs of two at least, but she was with Van who also tended to be pretty agreeable. They were headed to the lunchroom to meet the others for breakfast when she intercepted them and requested their approval for physicals. They had both agreed after some light persuasion and even offered to bring it up with the other six girls, which was a bit of a relief for her. She told them to meet her in exam room 4 at noon.
The time rolled around, and just like she expected, Laura Lee was the first to come in, Natalie trailing in behind her.
“Thank you for coming, Laura Lee, Natalie”
“Of course. Thank you for being patient with us”
“Not a problem at all. As your doctor, my main priority is to make sure you’re taken care of. I trust that you all would have told me if you needed urgent treatment” More like they were all so protective of each other that one would rat out another instantly if they needed more immediate care. “I just want to make sure none of you have any skin conditions that developed out there. I promise this will be as quick and painless as possible”
She gave Laura Lee privacy to get changed out of her clothes and into a paper gown before coming back in. As soon as she stepped back in, she was instantly glad that she pressed them more to allow for a physical. Both of Laura Lee’s legs had third-degree burn marks on them that looked relatively healed, but could still be susceptible to infection due to how long burns took to heal.
She quickly got to work.
“I’m just going to do a more thorough clean up of these and apply some cream. They don’t look infected but it can be harder to tell with burns like these” Fran explained as she worked. “This may sting a little”
Nat held out her hand for Laura Lee to take, which was accepted graciously.
Kneeling in front of Laura Lee, she noticed a mark on the top of her foot. A camel, golden with black accents. The black and gold matched the coloring of Natalie’s if she remembered correctly. That must be why they decided to go in together. It also explained the night she had comforted her. They must be soulmates.
“Your mark is beautiful. I love the coloring” Fran spoke, trying to distract Laura Lee with conversation.
“Mmm. It’s nice. I think it suits her well”
“Oh, really? Why’s that?”
“Camels have two pretty different meanings depending on how you look at them. Some people see a stubborn creature that can’t be moved. Others see humility and the desire to help, a creature that bears the burdens of others. From experience, both are completely true for her” Laura Lee clarified.
“The stubborn part especially” Nat added with a snort.
That made some sense. She hadn’t really seen Natalie as being stubborn, but then again, she had known the girl for all of five days. If the girl was willing to call herself on it, who was she to make judgment calls.
“True. You’re one to talk, though, since lions can mean courage and strength, but laziness as well. I think they all represent the many different sides of us”
They all represent different sides? What did that mean?
She looked up in confusion and suddenly noticed that the mark on Laura Lee’s foot wasn’t the only mark she bore. She had been so immediately drawn to the girl’s burns that she hadn’t even realized. She could see another mark on the top of her thigh, one on her shoulder, one slightly above her heart, and another on her wrist. If she had to guess, there were two more that she couldn’t see.
Were… Were all of them? All eight of them? In all her years being a doctor, she had never come across more than a triad. Eight? That was, well it was certainly something. Good for them, really. They all deserved it. Good for them.
Shaking herself from her shock, she remembered that she still needed to finish checking the rest of Laura Lee, not to mention the seven other girls she had to get through. She had Laura Lee turn around, spotting the sixth mark on the center of her back and seventh on her nape, and despite her intrigue over each mark did her best to remain professional.
“You’re all set, Laura. I’ll want to check back with you a couple more times to make sure your legs are healing properly, but that’ll be all for today”
“Thank you, doctor”
“Natalie, would you like to go next or would you prefer someone else did?”
“I’ll go”
-
It had been a little over two weeks since the girls had come into her clinic, and now they were all set to leave. They had been challenging at times, but Francesca was genuinely sad to see them leave. They were sweet girls and she hoped life treated them well. God knows they deserved it.
All 13 girls on the soccer team were standing in her waiting room, and she had a sudden flashback to how they looked when they first arrived. They were still a bit skittish, and she suspected they wouldn’t be completely okay for a long time, but they all looked cleaner and happier than they had. Instead of glaring at any cameras, Tai was now smiling and playfully joking with Lottie. Instead of crossing her arms tightly, Shauna was instead gently hugging a little plush owl she had been gifted. Misty was still rambling about something.
She said her final goodbyes to all of them, giving them each a final hug and well wishes. They set out, walking out of her clinic and hopefully into a happier future. She watched them from the window as they left. Jackie suddenly stopped and turned around to look at her one last time. Making a ‘K’ shape with both hands, Jackie held them in front of her, placing her non-dominant hand atop her dominant and tapping twice.
Fran repeated the gesture and smiled as she watched Jackie get tugged back into moving forward by Van.
‘Take care, girls’