<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, back to work,\u201d said Elizabeth O\u2019Brien, sighing. Lunch was over, and Elizabeth and her boyfriend Kevin Richardson had just gotten back to Atlantic City Memorial Hospital, where they were both employed, Elizabeth as a physician in the ER and Kevin as a surgeon.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly a few hours to go,\u201d Kevin told her, giving her a quick kiss. \u201cSee you at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right. Bye, honey,\u201d Elizabeth said and watched as her boyfriend went to the elevators to head back up to the surgical floor. She waited until he had gotten in the elevator, and then she went back to the ER.<\/p>\n
As soon as the elevator doors opened on the second floor, Kevin wanted to go back downstairs again. There, standing at the nurses\u2019 station right outside the elevator bay, was Dr. Holli Brunson, chief of staff, head surgeon, and the most dreaded woman of Atlantic City Memorial.<\/p>\n
\u201cKevin,\u201d Holli greeted. \u201cSo nice to see you.\u201d The fake warmth immediately left her voice, and her eyes narrowed. \u201cWhere have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn my lunch break,\u201d Kevin replied through clenched teeth. \u201cWe mere mortals do have to eat occasionally, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holli ignored his last comment. \u201cI heard you lost another patient today,\u201d she said, raising an eyebrow sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Kevin said slowly. \u201cIt happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the second this week. Are you losing your touch, Dr. Richardson?\u201d she asked, smirking.<\/p>\n
Shove it, Holli,<\/em> Kevin wanted to say, but he couldn\u2019t. \u201cWho knows,\u201d he just mumbled instead.<\/p>\n Kevin\u2019s head turned towards one of the OR rooms, as the double doors banged open, and several nurses came through, pushing a gurney with a patient on it. Hayley, one of the nurses, saw Kevin and flashed him a smile. He managed a weak smile back, suddenly in a bad mood as a result of Holli.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Veers, come here!\u201d Holli called suddenly, pulling Kevin\u2019s attention away from Hayley. He looked back towards the OR to see a woman walk out. The woman was all gowned up from surgery, her petite figure lost in the baggy scrubs she was wearing. She pulled off her surgical cap, exposing a head of red hair, and pulled down her mask to reveal the pretty face of a woman in her mid-thirties.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Dr. Brunson?\u201d she asked, looking from Holli to Kevin.<\/p>\n \u201cAllow me to introduce Dr. Kevin Richardson, one of our general surgeons. Kevin, this is Dr. Risha Veers, our new neurosurgeon,\u201d Holli introduced quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cPleasure to meet you,\u201d Kevin said, holding out his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou too,\u201d Risha said, shaking his hand lightly. \u201cDr. Brunson, may I take my lunch break now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Holli said. \u201cGo.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin frowned; Holli was never that nice to him. He figured she must be on her best behavior for the new surgeon. But he was sure Risha would see Holli\u2019s turbo-bitch side soon enough.<\/p>\n The double doors to the ER burst open, and Dr. Bianca Parker looked up, startled. In came paramedics AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, and Josh McCartney, wheeling a stretcher.<\/p>\n \u201cI got this,\u201d Bianca announced and hurried over to them. \u201cWhat do we got?\u201d she asked the paramedics.<\/p>\n \u201cSeventeen-year-old male involved in MVA. He wasn\u2019t wearing his seatbelt and was thrown from the car. Complains of back and neck pain and numbness in lower region of body. BP 140\/70,\u201d AJ fired off expertly.<\/p>\n \u201cMel, what\u2019s open?\u201d Bianca yelled to nurse Melissa Ruffino, hurrying alongside the paramedics.<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2026 try Trauma 3,\u201d Melissa shouted back from the nurses\u2019 station.<\/p>\n \u201cThis way, guys,\u201d Bianca directed, leading them to the empty trauma room.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do we got?\u201d Dr. Jack Palmer asked, pulling on his latex gloves as he swept into the room, followed by his med student, Isabel Rivera, who was looking rather excited, for it was her first trauma.<\/p>\n AJ repeated the information he had given Bianca minutes earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cJack, have you seen Justin, my student?\u201d Bianca asked. She had just gotten back from lunch minutes earlier and hadn\u2019t seen him yet.<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2026 I\u2019m not sure. Sorry,\u201d he said, bending over the patient. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d he asked, looking into the teenage boy\u2019s scared blue eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cCaleb,\u201d the kid whispered hoarsely.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Caleb, I\u2019m Dr. Palmer. You just relax and don\u2019t worry; we\u2019re going to take good care of you,\u201d Jack said, with a reassuring smile.<\/p>\n \u201cYou guys need some help in here?\u201d asked nurse Lance Bass, coming into the room.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, we do,\u201d Bianca said. \u201cHave you seen Justin around here? You know, my med student?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026 no, I haven\u2019t,\u201d Lance said, sliding on a pair of gloves and coming up beside Jack. While he explained the case to him, Bianca ran out into the hall, just in time to see Justin strolling down the hall, half a cheeseburger in his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cJustin!\u201d she yelled.<\/p>\n \u201cOh hey, doc,\u201d Justin greeted. \u201cWhat\u2019s up? We got a patient?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we \u2018got a patient!\u2019\u201d Bianca spat, glaring at Justin. \u201cWhere have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust finishing up lunch,\u201d Justin replied.<\/p>\n \u201cHate to break it to you, but lunchtime\u2019s over, buddy. You had at least half an hour. I told you to be back here by 12:30.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I-\u201c Justin started to sputter, but Bianca interrupted.<\/p>\n \u201cStop stammering, and get your butt in here right now; we\u2019ve got a trauma.\u201d She turned and hurried back to the trauma room, turning around once to shout back, \u201cAnd get rid of that burger!\u201d<\/p>\n Justin\u2019s shoulders sank in disappointment, and he halfheartedly tossed his burger into the nearest waste can and quickly followed after Dr. Parker.<\/p>\n He entered the trauma room to find Dr. Parker, Dr. Palmer, another med student named Isabel and two nurses hovering over a patient on a stretcher in the middle of the room. Three paramedics stood off to the side, watching.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can I do?\u201d Justin asked Dr. Parker.<\/p>\n \u201cJust watch,\u201d Dr. Parker said curtly and went back to her work, ignoring Justin.<\/p>\n Jack Palmer tried not to snicker at the spat going on between Bianca and Justin. He wasn\u2019t sure what exactly had happened, only that Justin had not been where he was supposed to be. And Bianca looked pissed<\/em>. Jack had worked alongside Bianca for three years, ever since she first came to the hospital as a med student, so he knew her well. Well enough to know that while Bianca was normally sweet, kind, and understanding, she liked things to run smoothly and people to be in the right place at the right time, and when they weren\u2019t, she got mad.<\/p>\n Jack couldn\u2019t really blame Justin, since this was only his first day, but he was glad Bianca was teaching him a lesson. He knew he would have done the same, for he didn\u2019t tolerate things like that either from his med students. (Luckily, it seemed he had gotten the cream of the crop with Isabel, who was nothing but enthusiastic, intelligent, and eager to learn). In this career, you had to be on the ball at all times. From now on, he was sure Justin would be.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, guys, we need to move him to the cot,\u201d said Jack, taking charge of the trauma. \u201cBe careful now; he might have a neck or spine injury. On my count \u2013 one… two… three.\u201d<\/p>\n The trauma team carefully lifted Caleb from the paramedics\u2019 stretcher to the cot in the room. Caleb moaned in discomfort.<\/p>\n \u201cYou doing okay, Caleb?\u201d Lance asked, doing his best to keep the boy calm.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Caleb said uncertainly, his blue eyes shifting around the room nervously.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there anyone you want us to call?\u201d Lance asked.<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2026 well, my parents are out of town for the weekend; they\u2019re visiting my older brother at college.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know the number?\u201d Lance asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Caleb said miserably.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay\u2026 what college does your brother go to? I\u2019m sure we could get a hold of him somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe goes to Duke,\u201d Caleb replied. \u201cHis name\u2019s Elijah Valiant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, thanks. I\u2019ll try to reach them as soon as possible,\u201d Lance said and hurried out of the room.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Caleb, I\u2019m going to feel your stomach now. Tell me if anything hurts, okay?\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack began to poke and probe at Caleb\u2019s stomach. \u201cAny pain?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026 I can\u2019t feel anything. Are you touching me?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack looked up and across the cot, his eyes meeting Bianca\u2019s. She bit her lip, worried that he was going paralyzed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d Caleb asked when Jack did not answer him, his voice rising in panic. \u201cI\u2026 I can\u2019t feel anything! Am I paralyzed?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShh, calm down, honey,\u201d Bianca said, taking his hand, not knowing if he could even feel it. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, it could just be temporary. That\u2019s often the case.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow long will it last?\u201d Caleb asked, as Jack continued to examine him.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. Once we\u2019re done examining you, we\u2019ll have a specialist come down and examine you, and he\u2019ll be able to tell you more,\u201d Bianca explained.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Caleb said.<\/p>\n Just then, Lance came back. \u201cCaleb, the receptionist is working on trying to contact your parents, okay?<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Thanks,\u201d Caleb said.<\/p>\n \u201cLance, could you go page someone from neurology, please?\u201d Jack asked.<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d Lance said and left again.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Caleb, everything else looks fine. You don\u2019t have any internal bleeding, which is good. We\u2019re going to get a neurologist to come down here and check out your back and neck,\u201d Jack explained.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Caleb replied. \u201cDo I have to keep this neck brace on?\u201d He made a face of discomfort.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, unfortunately. I know it sucks, but if we take it off and you do have a neck injury, it could get worse. This is just a precaution,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand,\u201d Caleb said grimly.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right. Well, kiddo, we\u2019ll see you later, okay?\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Kay,\u201d Caleb mumbled.<\/p>\n Jack nodded, and he, Isabel, and Bianca left. Slowly and silently, Justin followed after them.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do we do now, Dr. Parker?\u201d he asked hesitantly, once they were in the hall.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m going to go find another patient to look at,\u201d said Bianca. \u201cHow about you go back in that room and keep Caleb company until someone from neurology comes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026 but isn\u2019t that like a nurse\u2019s job or something?\u201d Justin protested.<\/p>\n Bianca\u2019s eyes narrowed dangerously at him. \u201cNot today. Go on; you\u2019ve earned it. I\u2019ll find you later when I need you,\u201d she said and left before Justin could say anything else.<\/p>\n \u201cJeez, go take a Midol,\u201d Justin muttered under his breath as he watched her walk off. Turning to Jack, he asked, \u201cIs she always like this?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack gazed coolly at him. \u201cBe where you\u2019re supposed to be and do what you\u2019re supposed to do, and she won\u2019t be,\u201d he said matter-of-factly. \u201cCome on, Isabel, let\u2019s find you a patient to work on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Isabel said eagerly, and the two walked off together.<\/p>\n Justin remained behind, confused, disappointed, and overwhelmed.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Brian Littrell and his own med student, Nick Carter, put their lab coats on in the staff lounge, ready to get back to work. Dr. Littrell had found a stethoscope for Nick, which he slung around his neck now.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ready?\u201d Dr. Littrell asked.<\/p>\n Nick nodded. \u201cReady.\u201d<\/p>\n With that, they left the lounge and went to the nurses station to check in.<\/p>\n \u201cOh good, Brian, you\u2019re back,\u201d said nurse Addie Burke, looking up to find him standing there. \u201cThe results of the blood test on your patient in Exam 3 are back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh good. Thanks, Addie,\u201d Dr. Littrell said, taking the results. He stepped aside and stopped to look through them.<\/p>\n Nick watched a frown come over his face. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Dr. Littrell handed the paper to him. \u201cCan you tell what\u2019s wrong with that?\u201d<\/p>\n Nick\u2019s eyes scanned the paper, and he gasped. \u201cHer white count\u2019s two hundred thousand! Normal is ten thousand, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Littrell nodded grimly. \u201cSo\u2026 what kind of illnesses do you think would cause that to happen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026 a bad infection might, I guess. Like mono or something,\u201d Nick said slowly. But even as a beginner, he was fairly sure that wasn\u2019t what Bailey had. \u201cOr maybe\u2026\u201d He swallowed hard. \u201cIt could be cancer. Leukemia, Hodgkins, something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Littrell nodded. \u201cRight,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll need to do some more tests on her to find out. What would you order?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2026 a bone marrow?\u201d Nick suggested.<\/p>\n Dr. Littrell nodded again. \u201cThat\u2019s a good, conclusive one.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick grimaced, remembering what he had learned in med school. It\u2019s also a real painful one.<\/p>\n Thirty-year-old ER nurse Jaela Miller walked down the hall, her left hand massaging her forehead. She could feel one hell of a headache developing, and she hoped that she could get it under control in time.<\/p>\n \u201cJaela, you have a call on line one!\u201d a voice called out. Jaela turned in the general direction of the voice to see Joey Fatone waving to her from the receptionist\u2019s counter.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Joey.\u201d Jaela went behind the counter and picked up the phone. \u201cThis is Jaela, how may I help you?\u201d she asked, silently hoping this phone call would be a short one.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, babe.\u201d<\/p>\n Jaela\u2019s breathing stopped as she recognized the voice of her husband, Paul.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul,\u201d she greeted as coolly as possible. In the background, she could hear the babbling of her two-year-old daughter, Rayna, and the playful laughter of her five-year-old twins, Alexandra and Joshua.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to call and tell you that I\u2019m going out tonight. There is a company dinner in B-burg at six, and they want us all to attend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo who is going to watch the kids tonight Paul? I don\u2019t get off until 8:30,\u201d Jaela asked with a sigh, as tears welled up in her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cUm, I will drop them off at your sister\u2019s place. Is that okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, whatever, Paul. I have to go. There are patients I need to see,\u201d Jaela said without waiting for a response and slammed down the phone. She knew Paul wasn\u2019t going to a company dinner, but she didn\u2019t have the guts to speak up about it. The only thing his excuse accomplished was verifying her suspicions.<\/p>\n Paying no attention to the tears silently streaming down her face, she walked away, feeling completely void of any emotion.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, did somebody page me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Alana, I\u2019m glad to see you,\u201d said Dr. Palmer, turning around to face a young, African-American woman in a white lab coat. \u201cI have a seventeen-year-old boy, Caleb Valiant, who was involved in an MVA. He was thrown from the vehicle and complains of numbness from the chest down,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, show me the way,\u201d said the woman, Alana.<\/p>\n \u201cIsabel,\u201d Dr. Palmer said, turning to his med student, \u201cThis is Alana Hill, from Neurology. Will you take her to Caleb\u2019s room so she can examine him? You can stay and observe if it\u2019s okay with her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, that\u2019s fine,\u201d said Dr. Hill.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, great,\u201d Isabel said with a smile. \u201cCome with me; he\u2019s in Trauma 3.\u201d<\/p>\n They arrived at the right room and went inside. Lying on a cot in the middle of the room, right where they had left him before, was Caleb. Now that there were not so many doctors and nurses bustling around him, Isabel took a good look at him. Although he was pale and scraped up from the crash, she could see right away that he was very good looking, big and muscular, with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cGood afternoon, Caleb,\u201d Dr. Hill said professionally. \u201cI\u2019m Dr. Hill, from Neurology, and this is-\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cIsabel Rivera,\u201d said Isabel. \u201cI\u2019m a med student; I was in here when you were brought in, but you probably don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was kind of a blur,\u201d Caleb admitted, unable to raise his head to look at either of them, for he was strapped onto a backboard and wearing a neck brace.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to examine you now, Caleb,\u201d said Dr. Hill. \u201cJust relax.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel watched as the doctor carefully examined Caleb.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I\u2019m going to prick you with a needle, and I want you to tell me if you can feel it or not, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d Caleb said.<\/p>\n Dr. Hill started with one of his bare feet, gently sticking the needle into his big toe. \u201cAnything?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, nothing,\u201d Caleb said.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. How about this?\u201d Dr. Hill pricked him in the thigh.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel bit her lip, feeling sorry for poor Caleb. She prayed that he would say he felt something soon. But it just kept getting worse. Dr. Hill pricked his abdomen, but he felt nothing. Finally, when he got to his upper chest, Caleb gasped.<\/p>\n \u201cThere, I felt that,\u201d he said, sounding relieved and panicked at the same time.<\/p>\n Isabel felt the same way, not knowing if that was a good thing or not. For one thing, at least he could feel his chest and wasn\u2019t paralyzed from the neck down. But he still couldn\u2019t feel anything below his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cWill this get better, Dr. Hill?\u201d Caleb asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure yet,\u201d Dr. Hill replied. \u201cWe\u2019ll need to run some tests and see where exactly you\u2019re injured and how severe the injury is. Many patients with neck or spinal cord injuries regain full or at least partial use of their bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good,\u201d Caleb said, sounding uncertain.<\/p>\n \u201cRight. Well, I\u2019m going to go now and make some calls and get some things arranged. You\u2019ll be moved up to the neurology floor as soon as possible, and we\u2019ll continue from there, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d Caleb said. \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re welcome. I\u2019ll see you in a little bit,\u201d Dr. Hill said.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you,\u201d Isabel echoed and followed the neurologist out of the room, feeling completely helpless.<\/p>\n \u201cHow bad do you think it is?\u201d she whispered to Dr. Hill, once they were out of earshot.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s too soon to say. Like I told Caleb, I need to run some tests first,\u201d Dr. Hill replied.<\/p>\n Isabel nodded sadly, making a mental note to include Caleb in her prayers that night.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Nick, I need you to get on the other side of her and hold her down, just like Addie is on this side,\u201d Dr. Littrell instructed Nick.<\/p>\n Nick nodded and moved around to the other side of the padded table that Bailey was laying on, facedown. It was time for the bone marrow exam.<\/p>\n \u201cYou doing okay, Bailey?\u201d Dr. Littrell asked.<\/p>\n Nick waited for some smartass comment from her, but none came, just a small, \u201cI guess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right. You just hold still and try to relax. First I\u2019m going to rub some iodine on your back to clean it off. It\u2019ll be a little cold.\u201d<\/p>\n He dabbed some of the brown liquid onto Bailey\u2019s back, and she winced from its coldness. Dr. Littrell rubbed it around in a circle, staining her lower back.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. Now I\u2019m going to give you a shot. This is the local anesthetic, which will numb your back so it won\u2019t be painful. The shot will hurt for a little bit, but after that, it shouldn\u2019t be too bad,\u201d Dr. Littrell said.<\/p>\n He prepared a syringe and inserted it into her back, right over the iodine stain. Bailey winced again, her face contorting in pain.<\/p>\n \u201dIt\u2019s all right,\u201d Nick whispered soothingly. \u201cOnly one part left, and then you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the last part was the worst.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Bailey, now comes the real thing. I\u2019m going to put a needle into your hip bone here, and it\u2019s going to collect some of the bone marrow that\u2019s inside. You\u2019re going to feel some pressure, but it shouldn\u2019t be too painful. All right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d Bailey replied slowly.<\/p>\n Addie got into position, holding down Bailey\u2019s left arm and leg. Nick held onto the right side of her body. He watched as Dr. Littrell prepared the needle, and when he saw him bring it over, he inwardly cringed. It was giant, and he could only imagine how much it would hurt to have it thrust into your back. He clenched his jaw and held Bailey tighter.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Bailey, here we go. Hold still,\u201d Dr. Littrell said, slowly inserting the needle.<\/p>\n Bailey flinched at first and then started to jerk, releasing a strangled moan. The sound of her painful cries made Nick want to cry himself.<\/p>\n \u201cHold her, Nick,\u201d Dr. Littrell snapped, as Bailey jerked.<\/p>\n Nick nodded quickly, pressing down firmly on Bailey\u2019s shoulder blade and thigh to keep her in position. \u201cLie still, honey, it\u2019s almost over,\u201d he whispered shakily.<\/p>\n Finally, the painful process ended, as Dr. Littrell took out the needle and bandaged the puncture wound.<\/p>\n \u201cAll done, Bailey,\u201d he announced.<\/p>\n Bailey burst into tears.<\/p>\n Bianca stifled back a yawn and glanced at her watch. It was five till seven, five minutes until her shift ended.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Justin,\u201d she said to her student, who was standing at the main desk, flirting with Mariah Johnson, the large-chested blonde receptionist that most men seemed to be incapable of not flirting with. Bianca rolled her eyes in disgust when Justin did not hear her the first time, and shouted, \u201cJustin!\u201d<\/p>\n Justin startled and scurried over to her. \u201cSorry, Dr. Parker,\u201d he said sheepishly.<\/p>\n Bianca chuckled. \u201cIt\u2019s about seven, so you can head home now. Unless, of course, you\u2019re planning on taking a certain someone out after your shift ends.\u201d Her eyes shifted to Mariah, and she winked at Justin, who blushed.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Dr. Parker,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll see you tomorrow. Oh yeah, and I\u2019m sorry about earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s okay. Now you know,\u201d said Bianca. \u201cGoodnight, Justin.\u201d She punched out behind the desk and headed off for the lounge to get her things. There she found Brian, sitting at the table and studying what looked like a patient\u2019s chart.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Brian,\u201d she said casually, as she went to her locker.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, hey, Bean,\u201d he replied, using her nickname, Bean (she still wasn\u2019t sure exactly why people called her that, but someone had called her it once, and it had stuck). Then, as if struck by sudden inspiration, he exclaimed, \u201cBianca! I need a second opinion. Can you take a look at this chart real quick?\u201d He looked at her hopefully.<\/p>\n Bianca smiled. \u201cSure, Bri,\u201d she said, then added teasingly, \u201cBut you owe me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Bianca,\u201d he said, as she came over to the table. \u201cHere it is. Patient presented with persistent flu-like symptoms. Original blood test showed a high white count, so I ordered a bone marrow and more blood work done. Here\u2019s the results.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca already had her suspicions, and the results of the patient\u2019s tests confirmed them. \u201cLooks like ALL,\u201d she diagnosed.<\/p>\n Brian nodded sadly. \u201cThat\u2019s what I thought, too.\u201d<\/p>\n The two of them exchanged grim looks. Eleven-year-old Bailey Cole had just been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. Cancer.<\/p>\n Jack sat on a bench just outside the main entrance to the hospital, jiggling his foot and watching the revolving doors impatiently. Suddenly, the doors turned, and a woman stepped out.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Bean!\u201d he called to her.<\/p>\n Bianca smiled. \u201cHey, Jack! I thought you were off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am,\u201d replied Jack. \u201cJust waiting for Addie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I see. You guys doing anything tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEh, not really. We\u2019re just going back to the apartment to hang out, and then I think Josh and Kylie McCartney are coming over when they get off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCool beans,\u201d said Bianca.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about you? Going out with AJ tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, actually, I need to get home. My friend Brianna and I are leaving for Raleigh in about half an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRaleigh? Why are you \u2013 ohh, wait, your concert\u2019s tomorrow, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca grinned. \u201cYup.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWow, I\u2019d almost forgotten about that! Well, have fun!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, we will!\u201d said Bianca. \u201cSee you in a few days, Jack!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlrighty. \u2018Night, Bianca.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca walked off towards the parking lot to her car, and Jack went back to staring at the doors, waiting for his girlfriend to emerge.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, honey,\u201d Addie said, a couple of hours later, as she stepped out of the small kitchen and placed a bowl of freshly popped popcorn in Jack\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d was all that he said as he automatically grabbed a fistful of popcorn and put it in his mouth with his eyes glued to the TV the whole time.<\/p>\n Addie just rolled her eyes and scooted back against the couch, wishing that Kylie and Josh would hurry up so she wouldn\u2019t have to watch much more of what seemed to her a boring basketball game. She didn\u2019t have the heart to tell Jack to change the channel as soon as she saw his eyes light up when his team got the ball into the basket.<\/p>\n One look at the clock told her it was now after 9:30, and Kylie and Josh were supposed to be there at nine. When Josh and Kylie said 9 o\u2019clock, they meant 9 o\u2019clock, not a minute later. This somewhat sent Addie\u2019s nerves on edge. She knew that Josh had gotten off at seven, but had wanted to wait for Kylie, who got off at 7:30. She figured that two hours had been long enough for them both to make the usual fifteen-minute drive to the apartment. Now anger was slowly starting to replace her feelings of worry.<\/p>\n She got up from the couch and walked to the patio door, looking out and seeing the ocean, which calmed her somewhat down. When Addie had first laid her eyes on that apartment, she knew she had to live there and had been for three years now, with no plans to move out anytime soon if she could help it.<\/p>\n At first, she and Kylie had shared the apartment. But after Kylie married Josh that summer, she moved out, and Jack moved in. Addie and Jack had been dating for almost two years, but the decision to start living together was a tough one. Addie\u2019s mother hadn\u2019t approved \u2013 \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t live with a man until you\u2019re married to him!\u201d she had scolded when Addie told her the news \u2013 but she didn\u2019t care. She was twenty-seven and old enough to make her own decisions. If she wanted to live with Jack, which she did, she would. And besides, if she had it her way, she would eventually be married to him anyway, so what did it matter? They had now been living together for just over a month, and so far, things were going fine. The living arrangement had definitely taken some getting used to, but they had adjusted by now and were very happy together in that beautiful seaside abode.<\/p>\n As Addie turned away from the patio door and walked to the couch to sit down, a soft knock was heard at the door. She slowly walked over and opened the door, prepared to ask why in the hell Kylie and Josh were so late, but her words stopped in her throat as she saw what was before her.<\/p>\n \u201cMacKayla!\u201d she said as she took Josh\u2019s newborn niece out of Kylie\u2019s arms. \u201cHow\u2019s my girl doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNice to see you, too, Addie,\u201d Josh said as he walked through the doorway, holding a diaper bag and some toys in his arms. He threw them on the living room floor and sat down heavily beside Jack.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d Addie found herself asking as MacKayla squirmed in her arms.<\/p>\n \u201cDarrin got an emergency call, and Brandy had just gotten to work so they had no one to watch MacKayla so we said we would,\u201d Kylie explained as she walked into the living room to retrieve a bottle to feed MacKayla with.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of emergency?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA major traffic accident on the interstate. Something about a truck overturning and a few cars piled into each other. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if they call other squads from the area to help, so I dunno how long I will be here.\u201d<\/p>\n Addie nodded, knowing that Josh\u2019s brother and Kylie’s soon to be brother-in-law, Darrin, was a paramedic in the town of Indian Valley, which was approximately forty-five minutes away.<\/p>\n \u201cC\u2019mon, the movie is starting!\u201d Jack yelled from the living room, causing Kylie to jump and almost spill formula all over her. Kylie placed MacKayla in Addie\u2019s arms and ran into the living room to tell Jack what was on her mind about his little stunt.<\/p>\n As Addie listened to the playful arguing going on around her, she grinned slightly, knowing that this was just another crazy day in her crazy life. She then stood up and carried MacKayla into the living room to settle down and watch the movie.<\/p>\n Long after her shift had ended, long after Dr. Palmer had gone home, Isabel Rivera sat in the lounge, poring over a medical book Dr. Palmer had given her. She was looking up information on spinal cord injuries.<\/p>\n Caleb Valiant had been finally moved to the neurology floor towards the end of her shift, and Dr. Palmer had told her the neurologists would probably hold off on the tests until the next morning, since it was so late in the evening. So Isabel had decided to do some research of her own on Caleb\u2019s injuries, wanting to know as much as possible on the topic.<\/p>\n The door to the lounge suddenly opened, startling Isabel, who practically jumped a foot off the couch she was sprawled on.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, aren\u2019t you Jack\u2019s student?\u201d asked nurse Melissa Ruffino.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Isabel replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, what are you still doing here then? He left hours ago,\u201d Melissa said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just doing some research,\u201d Isabel explained.<\/p>\n Melissa chuckled. \u201cWell, it\u2019s good to see you\u2019re ambitious, but Dr. Palmer would rather have you come in refreshed and ready to work tomorrow, not exhausted from staying up studying all night,\u201d she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n Isabel smiled sheepishly. \u201cI know. I\u2019ll leave in a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. See you tomorrow,\u201d Melissa said, taking a sip of her coffee and leaving the lounge.<\/p>\n \u201cBye,\u201d Isabel said softly and reluctantly put down her book. She got her things from her locker and left the lounge, ready to go home and relax after her very first day working at the hospital. But before she could leave, there was something else she wanted to do.<\/p>\n Isabel took the elevator upstairs, to Floor 3, Neurology. She stopped briefly at the nurses station to question one of the nurses. Then she walked slowly down one of the hallways, stopping at the door of room 345. Quietly, she turned the knob and crept inside. The room was dim, and the patient lying in bed in the middle of the room was motionless. But he was not asleep.<\/p>\n \u201cHello? Who\u2019s there?\u201d he asked, unable to see her in the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Caleb,\u201d Isabel said softly. \u201cIt\u2019s Isabel Rivera, from earlier today, in the ER. The med student.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah, I remember you,\u201d Caleb replied. \u201cAre you still working? You\u2019ve been here all day, haven\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNah, my shift\u2019s over. I was just looking over some charts and researching some things. I thought I\u2019d check on you before I left, see if you needed anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Well, isn\u2019t that what nurses are supposed to do?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yeah. But\u2026 well, you\u2019re my first patient, kind of, and I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Sorry if I\u2019m intruding, but I just\u2026 I\u2026\u201d Isabel trailed off, unable to explain the reason for her visit.<\/p>\n Caleb chuckled. \u201cI think I understand,\u201d he said. \u201cWell, I\u2019m doing okay. Under the circumstances, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good. So, are you all alone here? Have your parents or anyone come to see you yet?\u201d Isabel frowned, realizing she hadn\u2019t seen his parents around at all.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026 they\u2019re in Durham, visiting my brother at Duke for the weekend,\u201d he said sadly. \u201cOne of the nurses in the Emergency Room said he would try to get a hold of them, but I haven\u2019t heard anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d Isabel said. Poor kid, all alone and scared in the hospital, without even his parents there to comfort him. \u201cDo\u2026 do you want me to stick around for a while and keep you company?\u201d<\/p>\n There was a slight hesitation, then came Caleb\u2019s voice, sounding more like a little boy\u2019s than a deep, masculine teenager\u2019s. \u201cWould you?\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel smiled tenderly. \u201cOf course I would,\u201d she replied. She pulled up a chair to the side of his bed and turned on his bedside lamp, lighting the room.<\/p>\n Caleb looked up at her, seeing her up close for the first time. \u201cWow\u2026 you\u2019re pretty,\u201d he commented.<\/p>\n Isabel blushed. \u201cThank you,\u201d she giggled.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got a boyfriend?\u201d Caleb asked, winking at her.<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet,\u201d Isabel replied, winking back. Oh my God, I\u2019m flirting with my seventeen-year-old patient. I doubt that\u2019s allowed,<\/em> Isabel thought, laughing inwardly.<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2026 was today your first day?\u201d Caleb asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYup,\u201d Isabel replied.<\/p>\n \u201cHow was it?\u201d<\/p>\n She thought for a moment before answering. \u201cWell\u2026 I don\u2019t know. It was nerve-wracking at first, but it wasn\u2019t so bad. I didn\u2019t do as many things as I would have liked, but I guess that\u2019s the way it goes at first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGuess your day didn\u2019t go so well, huh?\u201d Isabel asked sympathetically.<\/p>\n \u201dSure didn\u2019t.\u201d Caleb let out a rueful chuckle. \u201cI guess I won\u2019t be playing in the football game on Friday, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel smiled sadly at him. \u201cI guess not.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb was silent, and Isabel could sense how much that upset him. \u201cSo, you\u2019re a football player, huh?\u201d she asked, trying to take his mind off his injury.<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat position?\u201d Isabel asked.<\/p>\n \u201cFullback,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, are you a big football star?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb smiled. \u201cActually, football\u2019s the one thing I\u2019m good at. The one thing I can do better than my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel frowned, sensing some major sibling rivalry. She knew how it felt to be the baby of the family and have an older sibling who was better at everything. Her older sister Alicia was a skilled brain surgeon and had always excelled in everything from academics to sports. Isabel had always done well in school and was good at sports, especially volleyball and track, and dance, particularly ballet. But compared to her sister, she had always felt inferior, stupid, not good enough. Her parents had pushed her to go into medicine, as both her father and sister had, and that was why Isabel was there. She liked medicine, she really did, but she felt like there was so much pressure on her to succeed and become a great doctor, like her father, like Alicia. She had a feeling Caleb felt the same way. If his brother was going to Duke, he had to be a well-rounded, intelligent person, much like Alicia was. Isabel could definitely empathize with that, and she told him so.<\/p>\n After quite a while of talking, Isabel glanced at her watch, shocked to see it was after ten o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Caleb, but I need to get going now. I was supposed to be out of here like three hours ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb chuckled. \u201cWell, get going then,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n She smiled. \u201cAll right. I\u2019ll see you tomorrow morning. Get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll try to,\u201d Caleb said, making a face at the neck brace he was still forced to wear.<\/p>\n Isabel smiled sympathetically and turned to leave. But Caleb stopped her.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Dr. Rivera!\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel turned back around, her heart swelling with pride at what he had just called her. \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to thank you so much for coming to talk to me. That really means a lot,\u201d Caleb said sincerely.<\/p>\n Isabel smiled. \u201cIt was my pleasure,\u201d she replied. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not a doctor yet. This is only my first day as a third-year med student, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Caleb said, returning her smile. \u201cBut you will be a doctor someday. And you\u2019ll make a great one.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel could have cried right then. Here he was, a seventeen-year-old kid with his whole life in front of him, possibly permanently paralyzed from the chest down, telling her, an inexperienced med student, that she was going to make a good doctor.<\/p>\n Swallowing the lump that had risen in her throat, Isabel whispered, \u201cThank you, Caleb. That means more to me than you\u2019ll ever know. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n And with that, she turned and left the room, bringing an end to her first day at Memorial.<\/p>\n Episode 2: Welcome to Memorial (Part 2) \u201cWell, back to work,\u201d said Elizabeth O\u2019Brien, sighing. Lunch was over, and Elizabeth and her boyfriend Kevin Richardson had just gotten back to Atlantic City Memorial Hospital, where they were both employed, Elizabeth as a physician in the ER and Kevin as …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":66,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-134","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/134\/revisions\/189"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/66"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}+++<\/h4>\n
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Episode 3<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"