Well, once again I welcome you to the other side 
of sanity; the wonderful world from which I cannot 
escape.  Don't worry, I'm practically harmless. . . *grin*
	Off we go, into the depths of the messy and 
disorganized place I like to call. . . my mind.  Hope you 
don't get lost!  


Cure for a Broken Heart
chapter two
by Sailor Elysia
[julcie@juno.com]





	Serena and Ami stood in the middle of the 
hospital wing, one clad in a white lab coat, and the other 
in everyday street clothes.  The elevator faced them on the 
right side of the hallway.
	"So, Serena, where would you like to go first?" 
Ami questioned, ready to lead the way.  She thought about 
for a moment, then knew her answer.  "The nursery.  I 
love looking in at all the newborns.  The last time I was 
there was when I was five years old after my brother was 
born."
	Ami grinned broadly.  "All right, the nursery it 
is." She pushed the button for the elevator, and they both 
stepped in, their next destination the maternity ward.

		*  *  *  *  *  *  *

	"Ohhh," Serena breathed softly, as she pressed 
her fingers to the glass window of the nursery, trying to 
take it all in.  "They're so *tiny*," she sighed.
	Ami leaned against the wall, smiling at Serena's 
astonishment.  "Aren't they adorable?  I come here a lot, 
mostly when I'm aggravated or just need time to myself.  
When I look in at these little ones, so fresh and new, 
without a care in the world, it's impossible for me not to 
smile."
	"I agree.  Do you ever think about what could be 
running through their minds?  I wonder what they could 
say if they could talk," Serena replied quietly, as she 
traced the glass pattern on the window.  Ami was 
thoughtful.  "Sometimes I've wondered that too.  I'm sure 
they'd have plenty to tell us if--" She was interrupted by 
her beeper suddenly going off.  "Oh dear," she sighed, "I 
knew this would go off sooner or later."
	Serena glanced at her friend, startled by the 
beeper as well.  "What's the matter, Ami?"
	"Right now, I'm on call in the pediatrics ward, 
and some of the regulars haven't come in yet, or they're on 
vacation.  So it's up to me to check on a few patients." She 
shook her head in exasperation.  "C'mon, Serena," she 
said, pulling her friend away from the nursery window, 
"Let's go see what the big fuss is all about."

		*  *  *  *  *  *  *

	Ami entered one of the first rooms in the 
pediatric ward, Serena following close behind.  She 
tapped a nurse on the shoulder.  "What seems to be the 
problem?"  The nurse turned to Ami, a look of joy on her 
face.  "Oh, Ami, thank goodness you're here.  It seems that 
one of the patients has to have a shot or two, and she's 
terrified of them.  No one knows what to do to calm her 
down."
	"Who's her regular pediatrician?"
	The nurse checked her chart.  "Dr. Chiba, but 
he's not scheduled to be in for another half hour.  We 
paged him, then you, since you were on call."  Ami took 
the clipboard from the nurse.  "Well, maybe I can do 
something until he gets here." Before she could make her 
way over to the patient, Serena whispered in her ear.  
"Ami, what's going on?"
	"The little girl crying over there has a severe case 
of strep throat, and she has to have regular shots of 
penicillin to keep it under control.  Problem is, she can't 
stand them, and she can throw a mean tantrum.  Her 
doctor, Dr. Chiba, is one of the few that can get her to sit 
still during the shot, but he won't be here for a while."
	Serena glanced over at the little girl, then back at 
Ami.  "Get the shot ready.  I want to try something my 
mother used on me when I used to go to the doctor's 
office."
	Leaving a puzzled Ami behind, she walked over 
to the bedside of the girl, and sat down on the edge of it.  
"Hi," she said brightly, "my name's Serena.  What's 
yours?"
	"S--Sara," she replied between sobs, big 
crocodile tears streaming down her face.
	Serena picked up a stuffed cat at the foot of the 
bed, and placed it on the girl's knees.  "Well, Sara," she 
said, mimicking the voice of the cat, "you know that the 
doctor has to give you a shot so you'll get better, right?"
	"Uh-huh, but it hurts!  " the little girl whimpered 
loudly.
	She motioned with a hand to Ami to get the shot 
ready, and pretend like nothing was going on, and 
continued her role-play with the toy.  "Yeah, I know, so 
how 'bout we sing a Christmas song to get your mind off 
the pain?"
	Sara scrunched up her face with a smile.  "Okay."
	Serena started into "Jingle Bells," pretending to 
make the cat sing along as well.  As Sara joined in, Ami 
gave her the shot without her noticing one bit.  Stepping 
away from the bed, Ami glanced over her shoulder and 
noticed a new person standing in the doorway, observing 
the commotion, and just smiled at him, saying nothing.
	When they came to the end of the song, Serena 
gave the little girl a knowing smile.  "Guess what, Sara?"
	"What?"
	"The doctor just gave you your shot."
	Sara's eyes widened in shock and surprise.  
"But. . . but I didn't feel it!"
	Serena stood up from the bed, and smiled warmly 
at the little girl.  "Exactly.  It wasn't all that bad, now 
was it?" she replied, giving Sara a quick hug.
	She walked back over to Ami standing in the 
doorway.  She just grinned, and crossed her arms in front 
of her.  "My mother always used that on me and my 
brother, from taking nasty medicine, to trips to the 
doctor's office.  And it always worked."
	"I'm amazed, to say the least.  Not many people 
can calm Sara down when it's time for her to get her 
shots," Ami replied.  She turned to the man standing next 
to her.  "Speaking of which, Serena, I'd like to introduce 
you to Dr. Darien Chiba, head of the pediatrics ward and 
Sara's doctor.  Darien, this is Serena Tsukino, one of my 
very good friends from high school."
	Serena stuck out her hand, and gave him a 
friendly smile.  "I'm pleased to meet you, Dr. Chiba."  He 
grasped her hand firmly.  "I'm pleased to meet you as 
well.  That was a nice little show you put on there for 
Sara; she doesn't take to strangers too easily.  I'm very 
impressed.  Do you work with kids often?"
	She blushed, and shook her head.  "I taught a 
preschool class my first year of college, but that was it."
	Darien nodded his head thoughtfully.  "So, what do 
you do now?"  Serena grinned bashfully.  "Still in 
college, I'm afraid.  But I'll be receiving my degree in 
April.  Then it's 'look out world, here I come!'"
	He chuckled lightly.  "Yes, I remember having 
that same feeling.  I--" His beeper went off suddenly.  
"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave.  Better go make the 
rounds and see who needs what.  It was very nice to meet 
you, Serena."
	"You too, Dr. Chiba."
	He held up his hand.  "Please, just Darien.  Only 
my patients have to be formal like that," he replied with a 
smile, as he went down the hallway towards the rest of the 
ward, his shoes squeaking on the tile floor faintly.
	Serena grinned.  "Well, Ami, it looks like you get 
to work with some interesting people around here.  
Squeaky shoes and all."
	Ami laughed merrily.  "Yes, it certainly has its 
high and low points." Her eyes suddenly lit up.  "Hey, 
Serena, I just had this wonderful idea.  Why don't you 
double with me and Greg some night?  I think you and 
Darien would really hit it off."  Serena's eyes widened, 
and she hesitated answering.  "I--I don't know, Ami.  I've 
just come out of a really bad breakup, and this seems 
awfully sudden for me.  I don't think I'm quite ready to 
start dating again."
	Ami placed a hand on Serena's arm, and looked 
at her imploringly.  "This is just what you need to get your 
mind off of your breakup.  It'll just be dinner or something 
simple like that.  Besides, you'll be with Greg and me, so 
it won't be too awkward."
	Serena shuffled her feet.  Maybe it wouldn't be 
too bad, since it wasn't like they would be by themselves 
or anything.  "Well. . . I guess so.  Just something simple, 
though."
	"Great!" Ami exclaimed.  "I'll talk to Darien 
later, and then I'll give you a call to let you know the 
details.  I really have to get to get back to work now, 
though, so maybe we can finish your tour some other day, 
all right?"
	"What in the world have I gotten myself into?" 
Serena thought to herself as she walked home from the 
hospital.

		*  *  *  *  *  *

	She stared blankly into her closet, having not a 
clue as to what she wanted to wear tonight.  After Ami's 
phone call last night, Serena was somewhat nervous for 
this evening.  And yet, a small part of her was also filled 
with excitement.
	The plan Ami relayed to her over the phone was 
simple: the four of them were going to attend the 
hospital's annual Christmas ball.  As she glanced further 
into her clothes closet, she sighed as she realized the last 
time she had last gone to a fancy dance was when . . . 
well, she knew exactly when and who she had been with, 
but that was a painful memory she longed to put behind 
her.
	Her eye caught an piece of clothing at the very 
back of her closet.  Serena pulled it out, held the dress up 
to her, and glanced in the full-length mirror, a smile 
crossing her lips.  Yes, this was the perfect dress for 
tonight.

		*  *  *  *  *  *  *

	Serena stood against the wall in the hallway of 
the banquet room, the designated place where to she 
agreed to meet Ami, Greg, and Dr. Chiba--no, Darien, her 
date.  She smiled inwardly at that fact.  This was certainly 
the last place she expected to find herself during vacation, 
and with a date, no less.  As hard as it was for her to 
forget Ben, being in this place seemed to help, if only a 
little.
	She was extremely nervous, since there were so 
many new people around her that she didn't know.  More 
than anything she wanted to create a good impression of 
herself, especially for her date.  At first glance, Darien 
seemed to be pleasant and definitely very nice looking, 
but that was only on the outside.  Serena had absolutely no 
idea what kind of a person he was on the inside.  Of 
course, she would very soon find out.
	"Serena, there you are!  Have you been waiting 
long?" Ami, with her arm linked with her husband's, 
approached her, with an unusually quiet Darien following 
closely behind.  Serena put on her best smile, shoving 
down all her negative thoughts.  "Not really, Ami," she 
replied with a grin, and stepped away from the wall.
	Ami removed her hand from Greg's, and pulled 
Darien forward to face Serena.  "You remember Darien, 
don't you, Serena?"
	"Of course.  But I'm pleased to meet you again, 
Darien."  A small smile formed on his lips, signifying to 
both of them that everything would be fine tonight.  
"Serena, I must say, you look absolutely beautiful this 
evening." He took her delicate hand in his, brought it to 
his lips, and gently kissed it.  Serena blushed lightly, and 
she glanced into his eyes, her hand reluctantly released 
from his, her fingers slowly falling away from his palm.
	Ami glanced at both of her friends, a sly grin 
flickering on her face.  She tugged on her husband's arm.  
"C'mon, Greg," she whispered, "let's leave these two alone 
so they can get to know each other better."  The two of 
them walked off, leaving Darien and a very dazed Serena 
still standing in the corner.
	Darien watched them walk away, then leaned 
over to her again.  "So. . . would you like to dance?" he 
said in a low whisper.  She looked down at her feet.  
"Well. . . to be honest, I don't dance very well.  I hope 
that's not too much of a problem for you," she admitted.
	He grinned again, sheepishly this time.  "If it's 
honesty we're dealing with, I can't dance very good either.  
So what do you say we just do what we can and fake the 
rest?"
	Serena was slightly surprised, not expecting such 
a candid reply from him.  She giggled, and held out her 
hand to him again.  "Well then, I'd love to dance."
	He took her hand eagerly, and led her out onto 
the floor, just as a slow song was beginning.  Serena 
placed her hand on his shoulder, and marveled at his 
warm touch as he gently put his hand on her waist.  Never 
had she ever felt this comfortable around anyone, other 
than her family.  Not even Ben.  She smiled inwardly at 
that.
	As she listened to the song that was playing, the 
words hit her suddenly, and she chuckled softly.  Darien 
leaned down to look at her.  "What's so funny?"
	"The song.  Have you been listening to it?" 
	"No, not really.  What song is it?"
	"'Lady in Red,'" she giggled again.
	Darien stared her for a moment, then finally 
realized why she was laughing so much.  "Oh, now I get 
it," motioning to her dress.  "So you want to be the lady in 
red, do you?" He twirled her around suddenly, then pulled 
her slightly closer to him.  Serena tensed up somewhat, 
but relaxed as Darien began to hum along with the tune, 
then started to whisper the words to her as they slowly 
danced around the room.  For once in a very long time, 
she wasn't wishing to escape.  So what was it that she 
*was* feeling?  

		*  *  *  *  *  *

	"So, Serena. . ." Ami trailed off, implying more 
than she was saying.  She didn't want to dig into her 
friend's personal life, but she couldn't help being curious 
about how she felt about Darien.  
	Serena glanced at Ami across the refreshment 
table.  "What?" Ami didn't reply, only raised her eyebrow.  
"What?!?  " she asked again.
	"Don't give me that, Serena.  I was watching you 
with Darien.  So, do you like him?"
	Serena blushed momentarily.  "He's. . . very 
nice." *And such a wonderful voice too.*
	"Is that all?  "
	She set her cup down on the edge of the table.  
"Give me a break, Ami.  I barely know him, so you can't 
really expect me to have an opinion of him already."
	Ami smiled easily.  "You're right, Serena.  I 
guess I just want to see two of my good friends happy." 
Her smile suddenly grew larger and Serena was about to 
ask her why she was smiling so when she felt a soft hand 
on her waist.  She whirled around, startled, and found 
herself staring at a pair of deep sapphire eyes and a gentle 
smile.
	"I didn't mean to startle you so, Serena.  I was 
just wondering if you'd like to dance again," Darien asked 
hopefully.  Serena's face softened, and knew she couldn't 
turn him down, since he was being so kind.  And he was 
really a good dancer, no matter how much he claimed he 
couldn't.  She slipped her hand in his, and let him lead her 
out onto the floor once again.  

		*  *  *  *  *  *  *

	"Serena, I had such a fun time with you tonight," 
Darien replied softly, taking her hand in his.  They stood 
beneath the streetlight in front of her parents' home, and 
had been there for the last half-hour, just talking.
	She smiled, blushing at the same time.  She had 
enjoyed tonight as much as he had, if not more.  "I was 
hoping. . ." he trailed off, not sure how to word his 
thoughts, ". . . if you'd like to do something with me again 
sometime.  Just the two of us this time."
	Her eyes widened.  Another date?  Alone?  With 
him?  Something like that was completely ridiculous, 
There way no way she'd do this to herself again.  Too 
many memories pained her; it was so out of the 
question. . .
	"I'd like that, Darien." Had she just said what she 
thought she just said?  Did she, Serena, just agree to go 
out with him a second time?  His grin widened, and he 
squeezed her hand.  "Wonderful.  I'll give you a call 
tomorrow night, is that all right?  "
	"Um-hmm," Serena mumbled, still dumbfounded 
at the words that had slipped from her mouth.  Oh, boy, 
what had she gotten herself into this time? 








	I know I know, I probably could've done 
better, but I've been in a hurry this week, so I did my 
best to finish up this chapter to get it in before 
Christmas.  I promise, that the next chapter will hold a 
few more surprises in it, and it will certainly go 
somewhere.  
	Until then, ja ne, and I hope everyone had a 
wonderful Christmas.  Now for the fun at New Year's!   
Party!!   *grin*


Elysia-chan
(julcie@juno.com)