<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Veers? Excuse me, Dr. Veers?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Risha Veers jumped, startled out of her daydreams by a deep male voice. Lifting her head from her desk, she looked up to find a tall, muscular, dark-haired man in a white coat standing in her doorway. \u201cOh, Dr\u2026\u201d she paused, struggling to remember his name. What was it? Something with an R\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cRichardson,\u201d the man supplied without a smile. \u201cKevin Richardson. We met yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d Risha said, blushing. \u201cI know who you are. I just\u2026 forgot your last name. I apologize; I\u2019m not the best with names.\u201d She glanced down at her desk, cheeks flaming.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Kevin said shortly. \u201cLook, I know it\u2019s only your second day, and your shift\u2019s almost over, but I need you to stick around and do one more surgery. It\u2019s an emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Risha looked back up. Without complaint or protest, she rose from her desk. \u201cWhat\u2019s the emergency?\u201d she asked, removing her white coat and leaving it draped over her chair, following Kevin out of her office in just her blue scrubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cA six-year-old girl with a cerebral aneurysm,\u201d Kevin said. \u201cCan you do it? I know you must be tired; you\u2019ve been here all day, but you\u2019re the only neurosurgeon on call, and I know you\u2019re good, and-\u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, I can do it,\u201d Risha said quickly. \u201cDo you have her films?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight here.\u201d Kevin handed her a manila envelope containing the scans of Danielle Dorough\u2019s brain.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. I\u2019ll just look these over, and then I need to get scrubbed in; I\u2019ll be ready to cut in ten minutes if she\u2019s prepped by then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin offered her a tight smile. \u201cThank you,\u201d he said gratefully. \u201cI, uh, know I don\u2019t need to tell you this, but\u2026 please\u2026 please do a good job. She\u2019s the daughter of one of my best friends; he\u2019s also a doctor at this hospital. If he lost her\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Risha pursed her lips in sympathy and gave a slight nod. \u201cI will,\u201d she promised. Then, without another word, she turned and went down the hallway to get ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowie!\u201d<\/p>\n
Howie Dorough spun around at the sound of his name. He found his good friend Kevin Richardson sprinting down the hall towards him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can do it,\u201d Kevin said breathlessly. \u201cShe\u2019s scrubbing in now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Howie sagged in relief. \u201cThank God. And you say she\u2019s good?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard she is. Brunson said she had excellent credentials. I haven\u2019t seen her operate yet, but I\u2019m sure she\u2019s very skilled. Brunson said so, and you know how hard it is to get a compliment from her<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Howie didn\u2019t firsthand, but he had heard enough from Kevin to know it was next to impossible. Kevin was a great surgeon, bright, talented, and serious about his work, and even he had to take crap from his superior, the chief of surgery and of staff, Dr. Holli Brunson.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d he said nervously. As a member of the medical community who knew many of the staff members at the hospital, he expected the very best for his family, and he was not comfortable with his daughter going under the knife in the hands of a newcomer he did not know. But he trusted Kevin. Kevin was his friend, Kevin was smart, and if Kevin said this woman was good, she must be. Besides, time was running out; he really didn\u2019t have a choice if he wanted to save Danielle\u2019s life.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come with me to pre-op and see her real quick before they take her to surgery?\u201d Kevin suggested, putting a hand on Howie\u2019s shoulder. \u201cCome on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Howie said gratefully, leaning slightly against Kevin as the taller man led him down the hall to the pre-op area.<\/p>\n He found Danielle there, lying small and scared on a gurney, sucking her thumb again. He could tell she was groggy from the medications she had been given, but she noticed him at once and popped the thumb out of her mouth. \u201cDaddy,\u201d she cried, her voice whimpering.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Dani,\u201d he greeted her, bending over to smooth her dark hair off her forehead and gently kiss her there. Tears stung his eyes, but he fought them. He couldn\u2019t cry in front of Dani; he would have plenty of time to do that later. \u201cThey\u2019re almost ready to take you into the operating room. I know you\u2019re scared, baby, but everything\u2019s going to be fine.\u201d He patted her hand, hoping his voice sounded more reassuring to her than it did to him.<\/p>\n Danielle nodded. The look in her eyes nearly broke Howie\u2019s heart. It was a look of absolute trust. She was still scared, yes, but she trusted him. She believed him. He was her father; he would not lie to her. He was her daddy; he could make all the big, scary things go away and make everything all right again. He would not tell her everything was going to be fine if it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n But the reality was, Howie didn\u2019t know everything, and he couldn\u2019t just make all the bad things go away. He wanted to protect her, to keep her safe and warm and happy, but he couldn\u2019t. Not now. She was in God\u2019s hands; only he, with the help of this new surgeon, could protect Dani, protect her from death, which was slowly creeping up behind her. Howie, her father, could do nothing, nothing but make promises he wasn\u2019t sure he could keep. The helpless feeling was overpowering and very depressing.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Dorough?\u201d<\/p>\n A soft voice from a few feet away caused Howie to turn away from his daughter. A tall red-headed nurse had come up behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to take Danielle to the OR now; Dr. Veers is ready,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Howie said, trying to keep calm, but panic was rising within him. Panic at the thought that this could be the last time he would ever spend with his daughter.<\/p>\n Make it worthwhile<\/em>, he told himself quickly, bending over to kiss Danielle\u2019s baby-soft cheek. \u201cI love you, Dani,\u201d he whispered, hugging her as best he could with her lying there, tangled in IV tubes. \u201cI\u2019ll see you in a few hours, when your operation is all done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love you, too, Daddy,\u201d her tiny voice echoed shakily.<\/p>\n Howie kissed her one last time, gave her hand one last squeeze, and sadly stepped away, as the nurses and orderlies wheeled her gurney out of the room.<\/p>\n When they were gone, he found Kevin standing in the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything I can get you?\u201d he asked Howie. \u201cYou want something to eat? I can order something to be brought up here. You can hang around in the staff lounge or in my office.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not hungry,\u201d Howie said, his voice a husky whisper. He swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. \u201cI\u2026 I need to make some phone calls.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, of course. Well, come on, you can use the phone in my office,\u201d Kevin said, taking hold of Howie\u2019s arm. Together, the two men left the pre-op area and went down the hall to the lounge.<\/p>\n Kevin left Howie in his office to call his ex-wife, Sophie, Danielle\u2019s mother, who did not yet know what was going on with her daughter. He wandered down the hall towards the staff lounge, when he was stopped by a voice calling his name.<\/p>\n He turned to see a petite Asian woman hurrying towards him. It was Howie\u2019s girlfriend, Rita Sumari. \u201cKevin!\u201d she cried, her almond-shaped eyes wide with fright. \u201cI just heard! Where\u2019s Howie?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in my office,\u201d Kevin said, pointing to his closed door. \u201cHow did you find out?\u201d Rita, a cardiovascular surgeon, was evidently still on duty, for she was dressed in scrubs and a lab coat.<\/p>\n \u201cJC Chasez called up and told me. He said Howie had just run up here. Where\u2019s Dani; have they put her under yet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust did,\u201d Kevin replied. \u201cHowie\u2019s calling Sophie now; he should be done in a little bit. He\u2019ll be glad to see you. He\u2019s really upset.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, of course he is. I\u2019ll go wait outside your office for him to get done,\u201d Rita said, bustling back off in the direction she came.<\/p>\n Kevin smiled sadly, knowing that this was hurting Rita, too. She had been dating Howie for two years now and absolutely adored Danielle. If she and Howie ever got married, he knew she would be a perfect step-mother for the child.<\/p>\n Rita was a wonderful person, cute both inside and out, bright, spirited, and charming, full of personality. She was perky and fun-loving, the kind of person who loved to laugh and make others laugh. She was always there to help cheer someone up, a quality that made her an excellent doctor, for she had some of the best bedside manner Kevin had seen, always treating her patients like they were her friends, not just \u201cthings\u201d with diseases she had to treat. This quality was more often seen in nurses than doctors; to find a doctor who was both skilled and personable could be somewhat difficult. Rita was all that and more.<\/p>\n Glancing back once more at Rita, who had sunk down in a chair outside his office door, Kevin continued on his way to the lounge.<\/p>\n Raking a hand through his head of thick, dark hair, Howie left Kevin\u2019s office, feeling worse than he had when he had come in. Just as he had expected, Sophie hadn\u2019t taken the news well. She had shouted at him, told him it was his fault. Despite all the medical evidence he gave her to show her it wasn\u2019t, she had to blame someone, and he was it. That was the problem with Sophie \u2013 she was irrational and quick to jump to conclusions.<\/p>\n Deep down, Howie knew it wasn\u2019t his fault at all, but he couldn\u2019t help but feel guilty. What kind of father was he, making his little girl go to school when she had a blood vessel in her brain that was about to pop? Obviously, he couldn\u2019t have known, but he felt like he should have taken her to the hospital that morning. It could have been detected earlier, and she could have been in the OR before it got to this critical stage.<\/p>\n \u201cHowie, are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Howie jumped, startled, and realized that his girlfriend, Rita, was sitting in a chair in the hall outside Kevin\u2019s office. \u201cRita,\u201d he murmured. Rita jumped up from her seat and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close to her petite body. \u201cI heard about Danielle,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n A lump rose in Howie\u2019s throat, and, embracing Rita, he felt overcome with emotion. Finally, the dam holding his river of tears back broke, and they came flooding from his eyes. Holding Rita, he sobbed, terrified of what was going to happen, terrified that Danielle was not going to make it. That little girl was the most important thing to him; he loved her more than life itself, and he had only had six years with her. She couldn\u2019t die now; it was too soon. She still had years and years of growing up to do. She had a whole life ahead of her.<\/p>\n \u201cHowie,\u201d Rita murmured, stroking his hair. He felt her back begin to tremble beneath his fingertips and pulled her back from him to see that she too was crying. She loves Danielle like she was her daughter, too,<\/em> Howie reminded himself. It was something he had always been grateful for, for if he ever decided to propose to Rita, he knew she would make a wonderful step-mother for Danielle.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on,\u201d Rita said, looking up at him with tear-filled brown eyes. \u201cLet\u2019s go find somewhere to sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe lounge,\u201d Howie said, putting his arm around her waist. They walked very slowly down the hall, their bodies close together, leaned up against one another for support, both physically and emotionally.<\/p>\n Risha Veers entered the lounge on the surgical floor, exhausted both mentally and physically after the grueling brain surgery she had just finished.<\/p>\n She had been told Howie Dorough, the father of her patient, was waiting for her in the lounge. When she got there, there were several people sitting around, but she recognized Howie at once, for although she had not met him, he looked just like his daughter, with the same dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin, although his was quite pale looking at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Dorough?\u201d she asked for confirmation.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Howie said, jumping up. A petite Asian woman at his side stood up with him.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you Dr. Veers?\u201d Howie asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Risha said, extending her hand in greeting.<\/p>\n Howie shook it quickly, then asked, \u201cHow\u2019s Danielle?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just finished the surgery, and it was a success,\u201d Risha told him. \u201cI repaired the blood vessel in her brain before it ruptured, and she\u2019s going to be just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, thank God,\u201d Howie gasped, grabbing the hand of the woman next to him. \u201cWhen can I see her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s just been taken to recovery and won\u2019t wake up for a while yet. I\u2019ll have you notified when she does so you can go see her,\u201d Risha said.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Dr. Veers,\u201d Howie replied gratefully, shaking her hand again. \u201cIt\u2019s good to meet you, by the way. Welcome to Atlantic City. Do you like it here so far?\u201d<\/p>\n Risha\u2019s eyes widened slightly, taken back by Howie\u2019s friendliness. She barely knew anyone on the staff yet, except the few doctors and nurses she had met on the surgical floor so far, and while everyone had been kind, no one had made an effort to make her feel especially welcome. But now here was a paramedic, shaken up and stressed out over the near loss of his daughter, taking the time to welcome her. She smiled genuinely for the first time that day.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d she replied. \u201cYes, I like it just fine here so far.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood,\u201d Howie said. \u201cI\u2019ve heard wonderful things about your surgical skills, and now I know they were true. Thank you so much for saving my daughter\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Risha said. \u201cThank you for your kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick Carter hummed to himself as he strolled down the hall of the Emergency Room. It was almost six o\u2019clock in the evening, and that meant he only had a little over an hour left of his shift. Then he could go home. The day had been good though, not as stressful or as nerve-wracking as the previous one. He was getting used to his work and the people who worked with him, and he felt more at ease.<\/p>\n And then, of course, there was Isabel. Nick couldn\u2019t help but like her \u2013 she was sweet, smart, and funny, not to mention beautiful. He had only known her for two days, but he could already feel a serious crush coming on. He knew it was only wishful thinking to think he could actually have some kind of relationship with her though. After all, he barely knew her. He knew nothing about her. She probably already had a boyfriend. Besides, even if she didn\u2019t, that didn\u2019t mean she was going to fall for him. She had been nice to him, but it was only because they were both med students and were experiencing the same things.<\/p>\n But still, Nick couldn\u2019t help but wonder if there was a possibility of the two of them hooking up. With the stress of med school, Nick hadn\u2019t had a serious girlfriend in over a year. He missed being in a relationship, missed having a companion like that, someone he could talk to, someone who would understand him. He wished Isabel would be that someone.<\/p>\n As Nick passed by a patient\u2019s room, his thoughts were interrupted by a shrill beeping sound. Startled, he realized it was coming from the room he had just passed. The door was ajar, and he went back and looked inside to see an elderly man lying motionless in his bed, the heart monitor beside the bed registering a flat line.<\/p>\n Nick\u2019s eyes went wide. The man was dying. What was he supposed to do? To his relief, a door down the hall opened, and out walked Brian Littrell.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Littrell!\u201d he shouted. \u201cDr. Littrell!\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly dropping the chart she was holding in surprise, Brian looked up in confusion at Nick.<\/p>\n \u201cCome here, Dr. Littrell, hurry!\u201d Nick cried, beckoning furiously to him. Not waiting for him to catch up, he ran into the old man\u2019s room and prepared to start doing CPR, which he had been trained in during medical school.<\/p>\n \u201cNick, wait!\u201d Brian cried, bursting into the room as Nick cupped his hands over the man\u2019s chest. \u201cHe\u2019s a DNR.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d Nick spun around to look at him.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Olsen has end-stage pancreatic cancer. He didn\u2019t want us to try to resuscitate him when he went into cardiac arrest. We just have to let him go now; it\u2019s his time,\u201d Brian said gently.<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d Nick whispered, his shoulders slumping.<\/p>\n With a solemn face, Brian shut off the wailing heart monitor. Silence filled the room. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he said, \u201cTime of death \u2013 17:53. I\u2019ll go mark it on his chart.\u201d<\/p>\n He went into the hall to get his chart from the slot outside his door. Nick remained in the room, staring in pity at the old man. He looked very weak and frail, very sick. But he also looked at peace. Still, Nick felt uncomfortable. He had never seen someone die before. Even though it was probably a blessing in disguise that the man had finally passed, it was very depressing, too. He looked like someone\u2019s grandfather; he surely had a family that loved him very much and would be very upset to find out he had died while they were not with him.<\/p>\n A lump rose in Nick\u2019s throat at the thought of it, but he swallowed it back. If he wanted to be a doctor someday, he was going to have to learn not to get emotionally attached to his patients, for many of them, especially in cases like this, did not make it.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you okay, Nick?\u201d Brian asked softly, coming back into the room.<\/p>\n Nick nodded quickly. \u201cI\u2019ve just\u2026 never seen someone die before,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n Brian nodded. \u201cI know. It\u2019s a hard thing to watch. It\u2019s even harder when it\u2019s someone you\u2019ve known and treated before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo this was one of your patients?\u201d Nick asked, looking at him in sympathy.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you could say that. I\u2019ve treated him before anyway,\u201d Brian said. \u201cHe\u2019s been into this ER several times. He was diagnosed with cancer three years ago and just relapsed a few months ago. By then, his cancer had spread throughout his body. The docs up in Oncology did what they could, but it was just too advanced. He and his family were prepared though; they knew it was coming. And he was in so much pain towards the end that it\u2019s almost a relief he\u2019s gone. He\u2019s in a better place now. He isn\u2019t suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Nick said dully. \u201cSo, I guess it doesn\u2019t get any easier, does it?\u201d He watched Brian\u2019s face. It looked calm, but in his eyes, he could see the sorrow and knew that he wasn\u2019t some emotionless doctor who didn\u2019t care. He did care, and he wanted nothing more than to give his patient\u2019s a happy ending. But as Nick had seen, that didn\u2019t always happen.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it never gets any easier,\u201d Brian replied, smiling sadly at him. \u201cThat\u2019s something you\u2019ll learn as you get older and more experienced. Even if you don\u2019t really know your patient on a personal level, it\u2019s always sad when one dies.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick nodded. Part of him wished her answer had been different, that eventually, doctors got used to seeing people die, and it didn\u2019t bother them anymore. But really, he was glad it still did. What kind of person would he be if he could watch a patient die without feeling any kind of sadness or sorrow? He wouldn\u2019t be human. This job might be emotionally tumultuous on him, but at least it wouldn\u2019t dull his senses and make him not care any more. No matter what happened, he would always care.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long are you going to be working night shift like this, Justin?\u201d whined Justin Timberlake\u2019s girlfriend, Britney.<\/p>\n Justin sighed heavily, as he pulled on his green scrub pants. \u201cBrit, I told you, I don\u2019t know! Now that Dr. Parker is laid up from her car accident, I\u2019m with Dr. Palmer, and I work whatever shift he works. If he\u2019s stuck with the night shift, so am I. But he\u2019s a third-year resident, so hopefully he won\u2019t have to work the night shift too often. He just has to now cause we\u2019re short doctors, with Dr. Parker being gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Britney stuck out her bottom lip. \u201cBut, Justy, what about us? If I work all day, and you work all night, when will we ever have time together?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll work it out, Brit,\u201d Justin said. \u201cI\u2019m off tomorrow, so we can do something then, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Britney replied sullenly. With a sigh, she slid off the bed. \u201cWell, I\u2019m going to change into something more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin nodded, tying the waist of his pants. He stopped to watch Britney as she pulled off her work \u201cuniform\u201d, the white Hooters t-shirt and orange short-shorts that all the Hooters waitresses wore. Now in just her black lacy thong and bra, Britney turned sideways to examine herself in the mirror. Cupping her breasts in her hands, Britney asked, \u201cJusty, do you think I should get more implants? Go up a few cup sizes?\u201d<\/p>\n A slow grin spread over Justin\u2019s face. \u201cSure, babe, that would look great!\u201d he said enthusiastically, trying to picture Britney\u2019s boobs any larger than they already were. She had gone from an A cup to a C with her last implant surgery in 1999, but it was Justin\u2019s opinion that bigger was better.<\/p>\n Britney continued to study herself in the mirror. She nodded, smiling. \u201cYeah, I think you\u2019re right. Maybe I\u2019ll go to an E\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAddie!\u201d<\/p>\n Addie Burke was just climbing into her car when the familiar voice called to her. Stopping, she turned to find her boyfriend, Jack Palmer, jogging towards her. He was just arriving at the hospital for his shift, which started at seven. He was early though; it was only six-thirty.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Jack,\u201d she said, as they hugged each other. Looking into his blue eyes, she asked, \u201cHow are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n He could tell by her voice that she had heard about Bianca and about what he had done. His Addie, she knew how upset he was, without even talking about it with him.<\/p>\n He gave a half-hearted shrug and sighed. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I take it you\u2019ve heard about Bianca.\u201d<\/p>\n Addie nodded. \u201cYeah, the other nurses filled me in. Do you know how she\u2019s doing? I thought about going up to see her, but I didn\u2019t know if she would feel up to visitors yet; I didn\u2019t want to bug her.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded. \u201cI don\u2019t know; I haven\u2019t been to see her yet either. I think I\u2019m gonna stop by before my shift starts though; that\u2019s why I came early.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca nodded. \u201cSo\u2026 what did Brunson have to say about all this?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack grimaced. \u201cI haven\u2019t heard anything from her yet, surprisingly, just O\u2019Brien.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did she say? Are you going to get in trouble for this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think so. I got a lecture, of course, but Bianca\u2019s going to be all right, thank God, and I don\u2019t think she\u2019s going to press charges or anything. I\u2019m going to go see her now; that\u2019s why I came early.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. Well, I\u2019ll let you go then. Are you working tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019m off,\u201d Jack replied.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. I\u2019m working a regular schedule tomorrow, so maybe we can do something when I get off. I\u2019ll call you when I get home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Jack said, leaning down to kiss her quickly. \u201cNight, Addie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight,\u201d Addie replied, turning to get back into her car, while Jack continued on his way to the building.<\/p>\n Brianna Chambers shifted painfully in her wheelchair.<\/p>\n \u201cYou okay?\u201d her best friend Bianca Parker asked from the bed she was lying in.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, fine,\u201d Brianna said through gritted teeth. \u201cJust sore. Probably not as sore as you, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca chuckled, which she quickly found to be a huge mistake. A ball of fire sizzled through her stomach, which was freshly sutured from the surgery she had had the night before to fix her internal bleeding from the car accident. She was on a morphine drip to control the pain, but it still hurt something awful.<\/p>\n She felt for poor Brianna, who had come all the way up from the first floor in a wheelchair to visit her. Brianna had to be just as sore, probably even worse, for she had suffered a broken rib, collapsed lung, and a torn artery in the crash. Both women were very lucky they were still alive after all they had been through. It could have been much worse.<\/p>\n A soft knock on Bianca\u2019s door interrupted their conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cCome in,\u201d Bianca called, her voice slightly hoarse from the breathing tube that had been inserted in her throat during her surgery.<\/p>\n The door opened, and a tall man in scrubs came walking slowly in. When he saw Bianca and Brianna, he gave them a tentative smile. \u201cHi, Bianca, Brianna,\u201d he said awkwardly.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Jack,\u201d Bianca said, breaking into a grin as she recognized Jack Palmer, who worked with her as a physician in the ER.<\/p>\n Brianna\u2019s gaze flicked between the two doctors, and she slowly wheeled herself backwards. \u201cI\u2019ll leave you guys alone to talk,\u201d she said knowingly, wheeling herself out the door.<\/p>\n When Brianna was gone, Bianca asked, \u201cSo, how are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow am I<\/em> doing?\u201d Jack laughed. \u201cWho cares about me? How are you<\/em> doing?\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca rolled her eyes. \u201cWell, you know, I\u2019ve had my better days. But I\u2019m gonna be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a relief. Look, Bianca, I\u2019m so sorry. This is all my fault.\u201d The smile had left Jack\u2019s lips, and his face was serious, his blue eyes pained.<\/p>\n Bianca smiled sympathetically. \u201cAJ told me you were feeling guilty. Look, Jack, it\u2019s just as much my fault as it is yours. I\u2019m the one who refused treatment. I should have realized that I was more injured than I thought or at least should have known I needed to be checked out better, just in case. It was my own stupidity that landed me in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI should have insisted you let someone examine you,\u201d Jack said, shaking his head regrettably. \u201cI know how stubborn you can be. I was the doctor; I should have been more forceful about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were just trying to be a friend and respect my wishes, not put me in an uncomfortable position. I don\u2019t blame you, Jack. I don\u2019t know what kind of crap other people have been giving you about this, but it\u2019s no more your fault than it is my own. I guess we both could have used better judgment. But whatever, it\u2019s over and done with now. There\u2019s no harm done; Dr. Brunson says I\u2019m going to be fine. I\u2019ll make sure you don\u2019t get in trouble for this.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack bit his lip. \u201cBianca, I deserve to get in trouble for this. I could have killed you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you didn\u2019t,\u201d Bianca said firmly. \u201cDon\u2019t beat yourself up over it. We all make mistakes. We\u2019re both young doctors, and we both made bad choices. But no one\u2019s going to punish me for it, and I won\u2019t let anyone punish you either. Like I said, it\u2019s my fault, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sighed. \u201cThanks, Bianca. If there\u2019s one good thing to come out of this, it\u2019s that I learned my lesson. I guess we\u2019ll both be better doctors after this.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled. \u201cYeah, I guess we will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, speaking of that, do you have any idea when you\u2019ll be ready to go back to work?\u201d Jack asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. Probably not for a few weeks. I\u2019m gonna be really sore,\u201d Bianca said.<\/p>\n Jack nodded. \u201cDon\u2019t be in any hurry to come back. Take your time and don\u2019t try to work again until you feel one hundred percent.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca snorted. \u201cHa, like Elizabeth will let me off the hook that easily. I\u2019ll be lucky if she gives me two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack rolled his eyes, grinning. \u201cAw, Elizabeth isn\u2019t that much of a bitch. She acts tough, but she\u2019s not that bad underneath. She likes you; she\u2019ll give you as much time as you need. I\u2019ll make sure of that.\u201d He winked, and Bianca smiled tiredly. Noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her skin, he said, \u201cWell, I better get going. It\u2019s almost time for my shift to start. I just wanted to come check on you and tell you how sorry I was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Jack,\u201d Bianca said. \u201cI\u2019ll see you later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSee you,\u201d Jack replied, patting her hand. He gave her a gentle smile and backed out of the room, feeling utterly relieved that Bianca was so forgiving.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Dr. Palmer.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack looked up to find his med student coming down the hall towards him, adjusting his stethoscope around his neck.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Justin,\u201d he said. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was exactly seven o\u2019clock. Justin was on time, just like he had promised.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, what are we going to do first, doc?\u201d Justin asked, looking around the ER.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s actually pretty tame down here right now, so I thought we could get you started practicing IV\u2019s,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Justin replied. Leaning closer to Jack, he added, \u201cHow \u2018bout givin\u2019 me a fine girl to practice on?\u201d He winked.<\/p>\n Jack grinned. \u201cSure, Justin,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll give you a fine one all right. Follow me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay!\u201d Justin said eagerly, and the two men started off down the hall.<\/p>\n \u201cB-but\u2026 she\u2019s dead!\u201d Justin cried in horror, looking down on the pale, cold body of the \u201cfine girl\u201d Jack had promised him.<\/p>\n Jack grinned devilishly. \u201cI never said she was going to be a living fine girl,\u201d he replied, laughing. \u201cWe don\u2019t give live people to med students to practice things like this on. Did you honestly think some girl would want you poking her all over while you tried to find her vein for an IV?\u201d<\/p>\n Justin\u2019s cheeks reddened as he realized how na\u00efve he had been. \u201cSo I have to practice on\u2026 on this??\u201d He motioned to the body lying on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cSure do,\u201d Jack replied. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, she\u2019s not going to bite.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin shuddered, looking around him. The hospital morgue was not as dark and creepy as morgues were portrayed on TV, but it was still eerie to be there, surrounded by dead bodies. The thought of actually touching one was even more frightening. Justin began to think maybe being a doctor wasn\u2019t the right job for him.<\/p>\n Seeing how uncomfortable Justin was, Jack\u2019s playful tone softened. \u201cSeriously, Justin, I know it\u2019s not exactly fun, but try not to let it bother you. She\u2019s not rotting or anything yet; she\u2019s only been dead a few hours. And the good thing is, you can screw up royally and not hurt her. Now, let\u2019s get started so we can get out of here, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Justin nodded. \u201cSo\u2026 what do I do first?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, you clean off the area with antiseptic.\u201d Jack handed him a cotton ball and a bottle of antiseptic and motioned the back of the girl\u2019s hand. Gingerly, Justin wet the cotton ball and lightly wiped it over the motionless hand, without touching the girl.<\/p>\n \u201cGood. Now you need to find a vein. There\u2019s one right here, see?\u201d Jack pointed to a faint blue line beneath the girl\u2019s pasty skin. Justin nodded again. \u201cOkay, now you just slide this needle under her skin and into the vein.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin took the needle and very carefully did as Jack had told him, his tongue sticking slightly out of his mouth in concentration. It only took two tries, and he got the needle into her vein.<\/p>\n \u201cThere, you did it!\u201d Jack said. \u201cNow, we\u2019ll keep practicing until you\u2019re a pro at this, and then you can do it on live girls, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Justin grinned, feeling more at ease. \u201cOkay!\u201d<\/p>\n Lance Bass fumbled around with the keys to his apartment as he tried to insert the key into the keyhole, but only succeeded in dropping the keys on the floor. Before bending down to pick up the keys, Lance leaned his head against the wall and sighed deeply because his double shift at the hospital was finally over. A few minutes later, Lance unlocked the door and entered the small, but cozy apartment that he had been calling home since he left his home state of Mississippi four years ago.<\/p>\n After a hot shower and a change of clothes, Lance finally felt human again. Reminders of the past two days\u2019 events ran a course through Lance\u2019s over-exhausted mind, and the familiar feelings of forgotten depression reared its ugly head.<\/p>\n Shaking his head to get rid of the horrible thoughts, Lance flung open his medicine cabinet and pushed aside frequently used medication until he found the bottle he was looking for. Without a second thought, Lance struggled to pop open the lid, and once he did, he poured out two pills and swallowed them quickly.<\/p>\n Without even bothering to turn off the lights in the apartment, Lance walked into his bedroom and dropped down onto his bed, waiting for the effects of the pills to overtake his senses. Minutes later, as he was drifting off to sleep, he remembered the sweet effects the medication had on him years earlier, and he smiled.<\/p>\n Episode 6: Feelings of Depression \u201cDr. Veers? Excuse me, Dr. Veers?\u201d Dr. Risha Veers jumped, startled out of her daydreams by a deep male voice. Lifting her head from her desk, she looked up to find a tall, muscular, dark-haired man in a white coat standing in her doorway. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":66,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-190","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/190","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=190"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":197,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/190\/revisions\/197"}],"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=190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}+++<\/h4>\n
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Episode 7<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"