Vacation and Maria

Well sorry I haven't been writing that much lately, I've been called to work a lot lately but now I'm on vacation. Fayt has been showering me with kisses and-Mmm some other things. Hes been happier then I've ever seen him. I can't count how many times he has showed off his ring to his students and friends. To tell the truth, I feel a little proud but embaressed about it. Though Fayt has the right to show off our love like this if it makes him happy.

For some reason I've been bring out my old violin and playing it for a little. My family is mostly Irish and some Germen as well so my sister had taught me irish folk songs to play. She even taught me how to pluck some songs too. Lately I've been transposing some Blackmore's Night songs to play for Fayt, and to play to myself in privet and dedication to my mother Angel. Always, when I play by myself I play the song The Old Hanging Tree in memory of her. That was the song I was playing when Cedric left me his charge to watch for three days, a little girl named Maria.

I was playing away in my office when I heard the door open slowly. "Ed?" It was Cedric, he had a smile on his face as he listened to me play. "You haven't gotten rusty at all. I remember when you played every evening in our room." I laughed and put my bow down. I remembered too. We were room mates back in med school.

"Yeah, but there are a few things I need to work on till it all comes back to me." I placed my instrament down in its case and sat down. "What can I do you for? I know your too busy to listen to me play again." He nodded and pulled up a chair next to me. "Yes, well I'm going away with Maddie for a few days. Something in New York mind you." I had a grin on my lips. Since House and Wilson, I've been questioning Maddie and Ced's relationship. I think I'm getting somewhere. "I need you to watch a little girl of mine, Maria Jackson. Shes dying and I've been staying with her so she isn't so afraid. Since I'm leaving, I would like you to stay with her for a while, as a favor to me." A dying child kinda struck my heart a little. I loved kids...I hated seeing them dying. "Mad said no clinic duty for a week if you do take on this. So..." He looked up at me. "Whats it gonna be?"

My eyes driffted over to my violin and I sighed softly. "Sure. You two have fun, I'll take care of her."

Cedric embrassed me from the side and burried his face in my hair. We had a bond, even though we joke a lot and fight. He knew seeing kids die would brake me someday and I knew it too. We stayed like that for a little while until I noticed Ced had already left my side and went out the door. I stood up and picked up my violin again and started playing. I don't know how long I was playing till I heard a snap and a sharp pain across my cheek. I had wore a string down and it snapped. The blood was flowing down my cheek onto my violin so I quickly pulled it away from me. "Ah well time to restring you." I smiled and wiped the blood away. "And get a bandage."

~ ~ ~

I told Fayt I would be staying at the hospital more because of Ced's request. He sounded worried about the job but didn't say anything about it. Though I knew what he would say, 'Don't get personal', but that was always hard for me.

I walked into Maria Jackson's room the next morning and saw her in person. She was a pretty girl, but very fragel looking. She was way too thin and sickly, and her skin was pasty white. Her brown hair was long, down past her shoulders a few inches and she had light eyes. I looked over next to her seeing a heart moniter on, her heart rate was pretty low but Ced said that was normal, there was nothing they could do for her. He was going to tell me what she had but I stopped him not wanting to know.

Maria looked up at me and smiled a little and looked back down at her hands. It was as if she didn't have anything left to smile about. I took my seat next to her and smiled back. "Hello I'm Dr. Marks. You can call me Edo." Edo was a nickname the kids would call me sometimes. "I'm here to watch you while Dr. McCarter is out." I chuckled at Ced's last name. His friends would call him Dr. Cedric, it was really Dr. McCarter.

I think he heard me laugh, because she looked up at me to see what was so funny. The little girl saw my bandage and he lifted her hand weakly to touch it. "What happened to you...?" Her voice was very soft, a little higher then a whisper. "Oh that. I was playing violin and the string snapped. I was playing too much you see." Her eyes lit up when I mentioned my violin. She told me she use to sing and play piano when she was in school. Maria was in 7th grade and went to a privet school. She was very musicly talented and she loved to sing to old songs. I guess we were a match made in heaven because she loved Irish folk songs and English ones as well.

"Dr. Marks-I mean Edo. Promise you'll bring your violin tomorrow..." She asked shyly, hiding her blushing face. I took her hand and nodded. "Sure, and I'll even play you a song I know from heart."

The nurse walked in holding a tray of needles. I went pale and a little dizzy. "Oh god..." Before I knew it I was looking up at the same nurse on the floor fanning me. Maria was on her bed giggling softly. At least I made her laugh at me too. But there has to be a better way then fainting from needles.

~ ~ ~

When I came back tomorrow I brought my violin with me as I promised. "Hello Lady Maria." I bowed pulling out the instrament. "I would like to dedicat a peice from the master violinest Sir Edward James Marks." Again I bowed with bow in hand. She started to clap, she had such a large smile on her lips. I waxed my bow and started to play. I was a slow, but happy tune my mother written for my older sister that she played for her 16th birthday. When I was finished she clapped again and cheered.

"I liked that. You play very well...how long have you been playing...?"

I skrached my head with my bow and blinked. "How long have I? Mmm I think when I was seven. Not sure. My mother taught me when I was just a wee little lad." I imitated a Irish accent making her giggle. "She wrote songs for me to play and a few folk songs as well. And she taught me to dance." I put my left foot forward and smiled. "An Irish Dance of course."

Again, I started to play and when I stopped in between the songs I would dance for her. She loved it. The time flew as I played more for her, that I started to tier so I sat down next to her panting. "I haven't played like that in a while." I said and placed my violin down with the bow. "I think I need you around more so I can play a lot." Maria's eyes sadden and she looked away from me at a calender on the wall.

"I wish that too...but I'm going to die...so I can hope anymore..." I never knew a child could say that. "Dr. McCarter...he said...I won't make it...in a few weeks...maybe less...I will die..." Ced told her!

"Do you know why Dr. McCarter told you that?" She nodded. "Yes...I made him tell me..." I stared at her for a while and looked down. She wanted to know if she was going to live. All termenal children want to know that, some already knew their fate.

"You know its okay to be scared of death. Its natrual for a child of your age." A child she was, but kids here had to grow up fast. "Everyone is scared of death. I am too."

"Can you play that song you said you knew by heart." Maria quickly changed the subject, her face was still turned away from mine. I knew she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"Sure..." I picked up my bow and instrament and stood up in front of her bed. "Its a song from a band called Blackmore's Night." She nodded, showing she was listening. "A 10 years after my mother died...I played this song for her grave...Its called The Old Hanging Tree." I started to play the opening of the song. It was low, and sad, but just right for my mother. She told me it was her song. I started to sing along with my music.

"There have been many tales

Tainted by truth twisted by time…

Some choose to forget

Yet it still

Weaves webs in their minds....

And it seems like she's been here forever

Her branches as black as the seas

She's been through it all

By the luck of the draw

She became the old hanging tree...

She asked for nothing

Except maybe

A little rain...

They used her strength

To help them steal lives away..."

I heard a voice, small at first but started to become bolder, as Maria started to sing with me.

"And she witnessed the sadness and sorrow

To this day she still doesn't know why

And her heart broke

When they came with the rope

To declare her the old hanging tree..."

The song started to become faster as we both sang louder. Her voice was broken up a little. I knew she was holding back from crying.

"Life stranger than fiction

Can make you want to cry

Roots could never stop her

From reaching for the sky...

Life stranger than fiction

Can make you want to cry

Roots could never stop her

From reaching for the sky...

Those years have all past

Lucky for us lucky for her...

Now, children play at her feet

And in her arms she cradles birds...

And it seems she's been here forever

But these days are the best that she's seen

Still somewhere in the back

Of her mind

Is the time

She was known as the old hanging tree...

Yes, somewhere in the back

Of her mind

Is the time

She was known as the old hanging tree..."

I stopped playing and took a moment to compose myself. I was starting to get personal...this wasn't good. I looked up at Maria, her eyes were filled with tears and she was holding onto herself. When I saw this, I placed down my instrament and held her in my arms. "I'm scared..." Maria said over and over in my arms. "I'm so scared..."

"I know..." Was all I could say. I couldn't get personal, but it was too late now. I hated when this happened, but when it came to children I couldn't help it.

~ ~ ~

Ced came back sunday and took charge of Maria again, but that didn't stop me from coming to check up on her. She enjoyed when Cedric and I fought over her bed like we were her parents. She told me it was funny, and she doesn't mind at all. I even met her parents that day. Her mother didn't seem to have any life in her, and her father was a rough looking man. He gave me an evil look when I huged Maria before I left for my vacation.

Yes now I am on vacation. Fayt is also off from school for Christmas so I've been laying around in bed with him all this morning. He was glad for the sleep, and so was I. As I lay there I wondered if I should call up House sometime to talk. Its been a few days, but I bet he was glad you be rid of me that old bastered. I laughed at myself and held onto Fayt's warm body. I was just joking around so no one take that personally (HOUSE!). I guess I will call them sometime, maybe tomorrow to see how they are doing.

But for now I'm going back to sleep. I had a cold lately when I JUST got into vacation.