<\/p>\n
According to the small, silver watch on her wrist, it was 6:50 in the morning when Susan Walker walked through the rotating glass doors that led into the lobby of Atlantic City Memorial Hospital. She had walked through this lobby twice recently, but both times, she had gone to the second floor, to the office of Dr. Holli Brunson, the chief of staff at Memorial. This time, she was heading for the ER.<\/p>\n
As she strode through the lobby, Susan held her head high, trying to seem confident. But it was all an act. At twenty-seven, she had just moved from her home state of Utah to North Carolina and secured herself her second ever nursing position, at Memorial. Although she had worked as a nurse for several years already at a hospital in Utah, she was still very nervous about starting this new job. Though she had never been a very shy person, she was uncomfortable coming into a place where she was all alone and knew no one.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t stress out about it<\/em>, Susan thought, giving herself a mental pep talk. After today, everything will be much better. By the end of today, you\u2019ll know a lot more people, and this won\u2019t be so new anymore. Everything will be fine.<\/em><\/p>\n Feeling slightly better, Susan took a deep breath and found the double doors marked \u201cEmergency Room\u201d. She was glad she had taken the time after her last interview to take a quick tour of the hospital and find the ER, in hopes she would soon have a job there. Now she had the job, and it was time to begin. Taking another deep breath to calm her nerves, Susan pushed open the doors and walked through.<\/p>\n Jack Palmer had just arrived in the ER for his seven o\u2019clock shift. Looking at the clock in the lounge, he saw that he was almost ten minutes early. Ten minutes \u2013 that was plenty of time for a quick game of Madden Football 2002. He checked to see that the Playstation 2 was plugged into the TV in the lounge and sat down on the floor in front of it, grabbing one of the controllers.<\/p>\n The door to the lounge swung open, and Jack turned around, hoping to see Chris, Justin, Bianca, or anyone else that would play a quick game with him, but instead, he found himself staring at a young, pretty woman.<\/p>\n \u201cHi there,\u201d Jack said, setting down the controller and jumping to his feet, watching the woman in interest. \u201cDo you work here?\u201d He had definitely never seen her before, but she was wearing a pair of purple scrubs, and no one but staff was allowed in the lounge.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s my first day,\u201d said the woman with a smile. Stepping forward, she held out her hand. \u201cI\u2019m Susan Walker. I was just hired as the new ER nurse.\u201d<\/p>\n Lance\u2019s replacement,<\/em> Jack thought. It was about time they hired one \u2013 it was now late November (the day before Thanksgiving, in fact) and Lance had tried to\u2026 well, he had been in the hospital since the end of September. For the past two months, the whole ER staff had been very overworked, with Lance\u2019s absence and Bianca\u2019s before that. Now Bianca had recovered totally and was working full-time again, and finally, they had hired another nurse to take on Lance\u2019s share of the work.<\/p>\n \u201cJack Palmer,\u201d Jack introduced himself, shaking her hand warmly and giving her his most charming smile. \u201cI\u2019m an ER physician.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat to meet you,\u201d Susan said, smiling again. She had a very nice smile, Jack noticed. It lit up her eyes and gave her a sparkle that enhanced her features. She was not a knock-out, but she was pretty and very friendly looking. Jack was glad they had hired a woman to replace Lance, instead of another guy. Guys were cool to hang out with, but Jack had always loved the ladies.<\/p>\n Remember, you\u2019re engaged,<\/em> he told himself sternly, before he let himself get too excited over the newest hospital employee.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if you need any help finding your way around or anything, don\u2019t hesitate to ask,\u201d Jack told Susan kindly.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks. I really appreciate that,\u201d Susan said genuinely. She found her locker (which happened to be Lance\u2019s old one \u2013 Jack noticed someone had finally removed his name from the front of it) and fumbled with the combination lock.<\/p>\n Jack glanced up at the clock \u2013 six minutes till seven. He still had some time. Quickly, he turned on the Playstation and grabbed his controller.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re late, Timberlake, aren\u2019t you?\u201d said Jack, half an hour later, as Justin Timberlake staggered into the ER, more than twenty minutes later for his seven a.m. shift.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d Justin mumbled. \u201cI overslept.\u201d Jack couldn\u2019t help but snicker at him. He had obviously jumped out of bed and come just as he was – his curly hair was standing on end, and there was still a red imprint on his cheek from sleeping on something. However, his skin looked pale, and there were circles under his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look like you haven\u2019t gotten enough sleep,\u201d Jack observed, studying his sallow face. \u201cYou feeling okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Justin shrugged. \u201cI dunno. I\u2019m just tired,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n \u201cYou better not be coming down with something. You shouldn\u2019t be here if you\u2019re sick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Justin said irritably. \u201cYou\u2019re right \u2013 I just haven\u2019t been getting enough sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack grinned devilishly and leaned close to his student. \u201cThat girlfriend of yours been keeping you up?\u201d he asked slyly. Justin blushed. \u201cWhere did you ever find her?\u201d Jack continued. \u201cShe\u2019s hot!\u201d<\/p>\n Now Justin grinned. \u201cI met her at Hooters,\u201d he replied. \u201cThat\u2019s where she works. I go there all the time \u2013 lotsa hot chicks there.<\/p>\n Jack raised his eyebrows. \u201cHooters girl, huh? I should have known.\u201d Justin grinned again. \u201cWell, Timberlake, tell Bianca to go easy on you today if you\u2019re tired. Start out with some simple patients. I think Bianca just went to look at one in Exam 2, if you\u2019re looking for her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Justin replied and walked off to find Bianca in Exam 2.<\/p>\n Jack went away to find a patient of his own, a picture of Justin\u2019s girlfriend in a skin-tight Hooters shirt and orange short-shorts flashing into his mind. Then, for the second time that morning, he remembered he was engaged.<\/p>\n Wonder if I could get Addie to get a boob job too\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Parker? I\u2019m here; sorry I\u2019m late. Dr. Palmer said you were in here.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca Parker looked away from her patient as Justin entered the exam room. \u201c\u201dMorning, Justin,\u201d she greeted him casually, thankfully not mentioning anything about his lateness. \u201cHere, you can finish taking her history.\u201d She handed Justin the chart she had started for her patient, a twenty-year-old girl with an ankle injury.<\/p>\n Justin glanced at the girl sitting up on the examining table, her feet propped up in front of her. She was red-haired and petite and dressed in a pair of shorts made of sweatpants material and a gray hooded sweatshirt. One of her feet was bare, and Justin could see that it was swollen and turning various shades of black and blue. On the other foot, she was wearing an ice skate.<\/p>\n \u201cI hurt my ankle skating,\u201d she explained to Justin when she saw him looking strangely at the ice skate, as if that wasn\u2019t obvious. Justin was wondering why she hadn\u2019t taken her skate off yet, but he didn\u2019t ask.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, um\u2026\u201d he glanced down at the chart and read that her name was Cortney Philips, \u201c\u2026 Cortney\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy partner and I \u2013 he\u2019s also my boyfriend \u2013 were practicing for a Christmas show that we\u2019re going to be in. We\u2019re pairs skaters. I used to skate solo, but now I skate pairs with him instead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Cool,\u201d said Justin. Glancing back down at the chart, he started to ask, \u201cSo, Cortney, do you have any aller-\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cHey, speaking of pairs skaters, you know the Canadian pair from this year\u2019s Olympics? The one that got the silver, when they should have gotten the gold, but then they ended up getting a gold after all with the Russian pair? Jamie and David, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I wrote them a letter, and I sent them one of my own skating medals, and they got my letter \u2013 I know because I saw it on TV \u2013 and then they wrote back to me! Cool, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, cool. Well, anyway, do you have any allerg-\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cHey, do you wanna see a picture of my niece? I have one in my wallet here.\u201d Before Justin could answer, Cortney was digging through her purse, which was sitting on the table beside her. A moment later, she was pulling something out of her wallet and handing it to him. \u201cIsn\u2019t she adorable?\u201d<\/p>\n Justin looked briefly at a photo of a grinning baby. \u201cYeah, she\u2019s cute,\u201d he replied, glancing over his shoulder at Bianca, who was sitting on a stool on one side of the room, snickering silently. She beamed at him, and he glared in return. Turning back to Cortney, he tried to again ask, \u201cBut really, do you have any aller-\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cHer name is-\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cDO YOU HAVE ANY ALLERGIES?\u201d Justin shouted, his voice rising over hers.<\/p>\n Cortney stopped and looked up at him, blinking. Then, after just a moment\u2019s hesitation, she replied, \u201cOh yeah, I\u2019m allergic to tons<\/em> of things. Chocolate, strawberries, bees, dust\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny medications<\/em>?\u201d Justin asked, as Cortney continued to list the things she was allergic to.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, penicillin. I\u2019m also allergic to cat dander, weeds, nuts\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, that\u2019s enough,\u201d Justin said quickly, setting down the chart . \u201cSo, um\u2026 could you tell me how you hurt your ankle?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, duh! I already told you \u2013 I was ice skating!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I know, but I mean, did you twist it or fall or what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was doing a jump \u2013 a double axle \u2013 and I landed wrong and twisted my ankle, and it gave out on me, and I fell right on my ass. And then my boyfriend laughed at me! I was like, \u2018Oh, some boyfriend you are, laughing at me when I\u2019m hurt! Can\u2019t you show some sympathy? Jeez!\u2019, and so then he came over to look at it, and he tried to help me up, but I couldn\u2019t put any weight on it, it hurt so bad, so he just picked me up and carried me off the ice. It was throbbing something awful by then, so we only stopped to get the skate off that foot (that hurt like a bitch!) and put the blade cover on my other skate \u2013 I didn\u2019t want to bother with shoes, I just wanted to get here \u2013 and then he brought me here, and I had to wait like over a freaking hour for someone to get in here, and it\u2019s still throbbing! You\u2019d think someone would have given me some pain meds by now! Jeez!\u201d<\/p>\n She said this all very fast, and Justin just blinked at her. \u201cUm\u2026 okay, thanks\u2026\u201d he said, still watching her warily. \u201cDr. Parker, could you go get one of the nurses to bring her some painkillers?\u201d he asked, turning around to face Bianca.<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d replied Bianca, slowly rising and backing out of the room, staring strangely at Cortney the whole time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about time!\u201d Cortney snapped. \u201cJeez!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I need to examine your ankle now,\u201d Justin said, pulling a pair of latex gloves on. He gently started to lift up her ankle. Cortney gasped out in pain, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw something jerk. Before he had time to dodge it, Cortney\u2019s other foot \u2013 the one with the skate on it \u2013 came swiftly up and connected with the left side of Justin\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cOW!\u201d he shrieked, roughly letting go of Cortney\u2019s injured ankle as he reached up to clutch his face in pain. He stumbled backwards, tripped over the stool he had been sitting on, and tumbled over it, landing hard on the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cYou bastard! That hurt!\u201d Cortney screamed angrily. Justin just lay on the floor, moaning in agony, his left cheek burning from the impact of the skate blade, his back and butt throbbing from the impact of the tiled floor.<\/p>\n Bianca ran into the room, skidding to a stop when she caught sight of Justin on the floor. \u201cJustin! What happened?\u201d she cried, looking from him to Cortney. Cortney looked mad; Justin looked about ready to cry.<\/p>\n \u201cShe kicked me!\u201d Justin moaned, his hands still clamped tightly over the left side of his face.<\/p>\n \u201cHe grabbed my ankle, and then he dropped it!\u201d Cortney screeched, angry pink streaks rising in her cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cYou kicked him? With your ice skate?\u201d Bianca asked, eyeing the skate in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cNot on purpose! Jeez!\u201d<\/p>\n Shaking her head, Bianca knelt down beside Justin. \u201cHere, Justin, let me see,\u201d she said tenderly, gently trying to pry his hands away from his face. When she did, she saw an angry red mark going across his left cheek. There was no blood, but she could tell it was going to leave a bad bruise. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Justin, it\u2019s not bleeding,\u201d she told him. \u201cLuckily she had a cover on that blade \u2013 otherwise it probably would have slashed your cheek open!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt hurts,\u201d Justin moaned. He blinked furiously, and Bianca looked away, pretending not to notice him trying not to cry. She felt bad for him.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Justin,\u201d she said, offering him her hand. \u201cGet up and go put some ice on it. That\u2019ll make it feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n He reluctantly accepted her hand, and she struggled to pull him to his feet. Finally, he got up, tenderly rubbing his backside, and hobbled out of the room, gingerly running his hand over his cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, let\u2019s take a look at your ankle,\u201d Bianca said, turning her attention back to Cortney. Touching it as little as possible, Bianca inspected Cortney\u2019s ankle. \u201cI\u2019d like to get some x-rays, to make sure it\u2019s not broken. It looks like just a bad sprain to me, but I want to be sure. I\u2019ll order the x-rays, and someone will be here to take you to radiology soon,\u201d she told Cortney and left the room as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n Around noon that day, Kevin Richardson led his girlfriend Elizabeth O\u2019Brien through the brand new door of Sully\u2019s. The door and front window of the small caf\u00e9 had both been replaced since the hurricane that had ravaged Atlantic City over a month earlier. Sully\u2019s old, hand-painted sign had also been knocked down and had been replaced with a neon, light-up sign. It seemed to be a good thing that the restaurant had suffered so much damage, for it now looked better than it had in years.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Kev, Elizabeth, over here!\u201d called Jack Palmer, who was sitting with his new fianc\u00e9e, Addie Burke, and their best friends, Josh and Kylie McCartney.<\/p>\n Kevin grinned at the four of them, and he and Elizabeth walked over. He sat down next to Addie, and Elizabeth took the empty seat across from him, next to Jack.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long have you guys been here?\u201d Kevin asked, pulling one of the laminated menus out from the slot that sat in the middle of the table. He absently skimmed over it, not sure why he was even bothering to look. He had been coming to Sully\u2019s on a regular basis since he had been hired at Memorial five years earlier, and he had the menu practically memorized by now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just got here a few minutes before you did,\u201d Addie replied.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, how is everyone\u2019s day going?\u201d Kylie asked.<\/p>\n \u201cPretty boring. All I\u2019ve done so far is remove an old lady\u2019s gallbladder,\u201d Kevin said. \u201cI\u2019ve got a quadruple bypass scheduled for this afternoon though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, the ER\u2019s been pretty low-key today, too,\u201d Elizabeth chimed in. \u201cThat new nurse, Susan, is a godsend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah, she\u2019s wonderful<\/em>,\u201d Jack agreed, his eyes lighting up. Addie raised her eyebrows suspiciously at him from across the table. \u201cNot as wonderful as you are though, of course, babe,\u201d he added, grinning. Addie just rolled her eyes, unable to stop herself from returning his playful smile. Looking at Addie, he suddenly remembered his conversation with Justin that morning.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Addie,\u201d he said suddenly.<\/p>\n \u201cHey what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou ever considered getting a boob job?\u201d<\/p>\n In a flash, Addie\u2019s hand whipped up and slapped him lightly across the cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cOw!\u201d Jack cried exaggeratedly, rubbing his cheek.<\/p>\n Addie glared at him, half amused, half offended. \u201cYou ever say anything like that to me again, mister, and you won\u2019t have a girlfriend to ask to get a boob job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJustin\u2019s girlfriend gets boob jobs for him,\u201d he muttered poutily, the corner of his mouth turning up in a sly half-smile to let her know he was just playing.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, she\u2019s obviously got some body image issues then. For your information, I\u2019m comfortable with my body as it is, thunder thighs and all, thank you very much,\u201d Addie retorted.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you got a boob job though, you could have thunder boobs to match your thunder-\u201c Jack stopped as Addie playfully raised her hand, threatening to slap him again. But suddenly, her attention was diverted to the door, as the little bells overhead jingled, and two people walked in. She let her hand fall absently and cocked her head to one side. \u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d she asked Kevin.<\/p>\n Kevin turned around. Following her gaze, he saw that Hayley had just walked in, accompanied by a tall man he did not recognize. The man had tousled brown hair and green eyes framed with a pair of glasses. His eyes narrowed as he watched them look around the caf\u00e9. Hayley spotted Kevin and the others and grinned, waving. She took hold of the man\u2019s hand and marched him over to their table.<\/p>\n \u201cHeya, Kev!\u201d she said brightly. \u201cThis is Tyler. Tyler, this is Kevin. We work together \u2013 he\u2019s a surgeon.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin just stared at Tyler and didn\u2019t say a word. After a pause, Tyler said, \u201cGood to meet you\u201d and held out his hand. Kevin looked down at it for a moment and then reluctantly shook it.<\/p>\n \u201cSame,\u201d he grunted.<\/p>\n Addie noticed Hayley\u2019s eyes narrow as she looked from Kevin to Tyler. But then she just shrugged and introduced the others to Tyler. When they had all said their hellos, she said, \u201cWell, talk to you guys later,\u201d and led Tyler off to a two-person table. Addie watched as Kevin continued to stare at the two of them. From across the table, she saw Elizabeth look up at Kevin, then over at Hayley and Tyler. She frowned.<\/p>\n Sensing some tension, Addie cleared her throat loudly, finally causing Kevin to look away from the couple. Elizabeth looked down, and Addie, sneaking a quick peek at Tyler, commented, \u201cIs it just me, or does he look kinda like an adult Harry Potter?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack snorted loudly and muttered something under his breath, but Kylie looked over at Tyler, tilting her head to one side. \u201cActually,\u201d she said, \u201cHe kinda does\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Justin entered Exam 2 hesitantly, not knowing what would be waiting for him behind the door. Last time he had been in the room, a skate had not so gently hit him on the left side of his face, resulting in a swollen and bruised left cheek along with a sore backside.<\/p>\n With the manila folder clasped tightly in his hand, Justin entered the room, shooting a distasteful glance over at Cortney. Cortney, oblivious to Justin\u2019s presence, just kept on talking to a figure that was sitting at her side, his back turned to Justin. Justin sighed in relief to himself and cleared his throat, ready to give Cortney her diagnosis.<\/p>\n \u201cCortney\u2026\u201d Justin started to say as he looked down at the notes about the x-rays written in the folder. Out of the corner of his eye, Justin saw a flash of pink coming straight for him and before he could react, he was knocked to the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cYou bastard!\u201d a shrill voice screamed.<\/p>\n Justin forced his eyes open, and if the situation hadn\u2019t been so serious, he would have laughed. The shrill voice yelling at him belonged to no other than a young man clothed in a pink frilly shirt, which looked like a blouse in Justin\u2019s eyes, and tight, sparkly, white spandex pants.<\/p>\n \u201cHow dare you hurt the love of my life? You hurt her, you hurt her!\u201d the young man again screeched as he tried to get a few good punches in as Justin thrashed around with his hands shielding his face. If anything his mother had told him had gone through his thick skull, it was not to fight with patients, no matter what happened, for he knew it would probably terminate his short medical career at Memorial, and his mother would kick his ass if that happened.<\/p>\n \u201cLionell!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUmph!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLIONELL! Listen to me!!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLIONELL!\u201d<\/p>\n Suddenly, the punches stopped, and Justin relaxed, thinking it was over. Without warning, his hands were jerked away from his face, and a fist came straight for him, hitting him on the left side. The small man that attacked the med student got up from the floor and sashayed over to where his girlfriend lay, propping a jewelry clad arm protectively around her shoulders as Justin lay flat on his back, moaning loudly in pain.<\/p>\n \u201cJustin, are you finished yet?\u201d a voice called from outside the doorway, the owner of the voice entering the room seconds later.<\/p>\n \u201cJustin!\u201d Bianca cried as she bent down at Justin\u2019s side and tried to help him up into the sitting position. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Justin didn\u2019t answer, just looked over at the couple in front of him and pointed at the young man. Bianca bit back a laugh as she got a good look at Justin\u2019s attacker. The man looked like he wouldn\u2019t hurt a fly, his face cherubic and innocent.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Justin, go to the restroom and get yourself cleaned up. You poor thing,\u201d Bianca said, as she helped Justin rise unsteadily to his feet. After assisting him with taking the first few steps, Bianca turned and pulled a seat up to Cortney\u2019s bedside.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Cortney, you have what is called a malleolar fracture.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Cortney, let me finish, and then you can talk all you want to,\u201d Bianca said as she turned her head to look at the opposite wall to hide the rolling of her eyes. \u201cWhat we will do is set your ankle in a cast, and you will wear this cast for approximately six to eight weeks, possibly longer depending on your progress. And don\u2019t worry, there is a good chance you won\u2019t have any long-term complications from this injury.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut what about the Christmas show?\u201d Cortney asked in a panicked voice, her face turning as red as her hair.<\/p>\n \u201cUnless the Christmas show will be postponed until after Christmas, you will not be able to participate in it. As I said before, you will be wearing the cast six to eight weeks and Christmas is in four weeks. I\u2019m sorry. I will be back in about ten minutes to start putting on the cast.\u201d<\/p>\n As Bianca walked towards the door the voice of Cortney had turned from panicked to demanding and she was letting out on her boyfriend. Bianca felt sorry for the guy, almost.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to call David, Jamie, Thomas, Andrea, Kathy, Tony, Tonya, Stephie, Bryna, John, Paul, Tyler, Matt, Lauren, Mary, Tammy, Barry, Heather\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, what\u2019s up with that Tyler guy?\u201d Kevin asked Hayley that afternoon during his scheduled bypass, trying to make his tone sound casual. \u201cScalpel, please.\u201d<\/p>\n Hayley handed him the scalpel. \u201cTyler? He\u2019s one of my old friends from high school. His parents live near Wilson, and he flew out here to spend Thanksgiving with them. He came to visit me first, and we had lunch,\u201d she replied nonchalantly. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she watched him cut carefully into their patient\u2019s abdomen for a moment, then asked, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin paused and glanced quickly at her. Then he shrugged. \u201cJust wondering, that\u2019s all.\u201d He continued to cut and purposely did not look at her again.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe you were scheduled to work on Thanksgiving,\u201d Addie grumbled as she kissed Jack goodbye the next morning.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, babe, but you know how it is. We measly second-year residents don\u2019t exactly get first pick at what shift we want. It\u2019s only for a few hours. I\u2019ll be done at ten, and you can pick me up, and we\u2019ll go to the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n It was Thanksgiving Day, and as soon as Jack finished his shift at the hospital that morning, he and Addie were catching a flight to Iowa, where Jack\u2019s family lived. They had spent Thanksgiving at Addie\u2019s parents\u2019 house in Illinois the year before.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Jack,\u201d said Alexandra Sterling, one of the hospital\u2019s oncologists, smiling at him as she came into the foyer to say goodbye. Addie and Jack had been staying with Alexandra and her husband Roger for over a month, while their apartment was being repaired and treated for water damage from the hurricane. Addie had always looked up to Alexandra, ever since she had worked under her as a nurse in the oncology ward for her first two years at Atlantic City Memorial, and when Alexandra had heard that Addie and Jack\u2019s apartment was damaged, she had graciously accepted her former colleague and her fianc\u00e9e into her home. She and Roger, who was a lawyer, had a nice, large home with plenty of room, since it was just the two of them living there, but still, Addie was taken aback by her generosity. And grateful, too, for she and Jack weren\u2019t sure where else they would have gone. Most of their friends, like Kylie and Josh, also lived in apartments or small houses which simply were not large enough to accommodate two extra people.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, you too, Alexandra,\u201d replied Jack. \u201cWhat time is your company coming?\u201d Alexandra had spent all week getting ready for Thanksgiving; she and Roger\u2019s family were all coming to their house for dinner.<\/p>\n \u201cAround one,\u201d said Alexandra. \u201cOh, I hope everything goes okay. This is the first time I\u2019ve done Thanksgiving dinner on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverything\u2019s going to be fine,\u201d Addie assured her. \u201cTrust me, you\u2019re an excellent cook. The food will be perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, thanks, hon,\u201d Alexandra beamed. \u201cI just hope my relatives will think so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrust me, if they\u2019re used to anything like Addie\u2019s cooking, this will be heaven for them,\u201d Jack said, shooting Addie a devilish grin.<\/p>\n \u201cUh!\u201d she gasped in mock offense, giving him a playful shove. \u201cMy cooking\u2019s getting better!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have to admit, you can whip up a mean box of Kraft macaroni and cheese,\u201d Jack teased. Then he leaned over, pecked her on the cheek, and darted out the door before she could smack him.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, happy Thanksgiving, Bean,\u201d Jack said as he entered the staff lounge and found Bianca closing her locker.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, you too, Jack,\u201d she replied. \u201cSo, how long do you have to work today?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust till ten luckily, and then Addie and I are flying to my parents\u2019 house in Iowa. How about you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNoon. AJ gets off then, too, and we\u2019re heading to my parents\u2019 house. They only live a couple hours away, so it\u2019s not a long drive,\u201d said Bianca.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s cool. Well, ya ready?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup. Let\u2019s get this morning over with,\u201d said Bianca determinedly, and the two doctors left the lounge. On their way out, they practically ran into Justin, who was slowly slouching his way in, his face glum.<\/p>\n \u201cDude, they really got you, didn\u2019t they?\u201d Jack asked, noticing Justin\u2019s left cheek, which was a lovely mix of black, blue, purple, and red and was swollen to nearly twice the size of his other cheek, making his face look oddly lopsided and misshapen. His left eye was black and swelled nearly shut from Lionell\u2019s punches.<\/p>\n Justin didn\u2019t reply.<\/p>\n \u201cDude, what\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d Jack asked.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, nothing,\u201d Justin muttered. \u201cI\u2019m only working the entire day. It\u2019s Thanksgiving, for crying out loud!\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca shrugged. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean people don\u2019t get hurt,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n He glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting. \u201cIt\u2019s not fair,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cBelieve me, we know,\u201d Jack said. \u201cWe were both med students once, too, remember. We\u2019ve worked our share of holiday shifts.\u201d Rolling his eyes at Bianca, he continued down the hall, and she followed, leaving Justin behind to stew.<\/p>\n Passing the nurses station, Jack grinned widely when he saw the new nurse, Susan, jotting down something on a chart. \u201cHey there,\u201d he said, coming up to her. \u201cI see they\u2019re making you work on Thanksgiving, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d she said, \u201cbut it\u2019s okay. I\u2019m the new girl, after all. Besides, all my family\u2019s back in Utah, and I don\u2019t have the money to make it up there anyway, so I don\u2019t mind working all day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI admire your optimistic attitude about it,\u201d Jack said with a chuckle. \u201cI can\u2019t say I wouldn\u2019t be complaining if it was me.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled. \u201cSo, you don\u2019t have to work all day?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope, just till ten,\u201d he replied. \u201cThen my girl and I are flying to Iowa, to my parents\u2019 house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019ve got a girlfriend?\u201d Susan asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026 Addie,\u201d he said casually, shrugging.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Addie<\/em>. His fianc\u00e9e<\/em>,\u201d added Bianca from behind him, giving Jack a stern look.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, really? Congratulations!\u201d Susan said genuinely.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Jack said, blushing and glancing sheepishly at Bianca, who just laughed and went to check the patient board.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Jack, Susan!\u201d called nurse Chris Kirkpatrick suddenly.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d Jack asked, turning around to see him standing next to the radio.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a big trauma coming in. Bad accident on the interstate \u2013 a semi plowed into a car with a family of four in it. Two of the family members are being life-flighted in, and the other two and the semi driver are being transported by ambulance. ETA for the life flight is five minutes,\u201d Chris said.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, I\u2019ll get on it,\u201d Jack said. \u201cSusan, you wanna come with me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d said Susan.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go with Bianca, and we\u2019ll take one of the criticals. Natalie and Elizabeth can take the two other family members, and Timberlake can take the truck driver. He\u2019s not too badly hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Elizabeth\u2019s here this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, she worked the night shift. She\u2019s supposed to be off at eight, but I don\u2019t know if she\u2019ll be leaving then or not. We need her,\u201d said Chris.<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d said Jack. \u201cWell, come on, Susan, let\u2019s go up to the roof and wait for the copter to get here.\u201d<\/p>\n He led her towards the elevators, while Chris went to find the others that were on call that morning.<\/p>\n \u201cThirty-four-year-old male, name\u2019s Ken, unconscious on scene, absent breath sounds in both lungs, pulse is crashing,\u201d said Kym Jennings as she and her team lifted a stretcher out of the helicopter, ducking under its propeller.<\/p>\n Bianca looked down at the patient and found a young man lying lifelessly on the stretcher, covered in blood. \u201cLet\u2019s get him inside,\u201d she said, she and Chris both taking hold of the sides of the stretcher. Jack and Susan hung back, waiting for the second patient to be brought out of the helicopter.<\/p>\n \u201cSix-year-old female, drifting in and out of consciousness. She\u2019s in respiratory distress, pulse is weak and thready,\u201d said AJ, helping lower a second stretcher. A sweet-faced blonde little girl lay on it. Looking down at her, Jack saw that she was awake. Her hazel eyes shifted back and forth nervously, and her face scrunched up in pain.<\/p>\n \u201cMy name\u2019s Jack, sweetheart, what\u2019s yours?\u201d Jack asked over the sound of the helicopter\u2019s whirling blades, as he and Chris grabbed hold of the stretcher and pushed her away from the copter.<\/p>\n \u201cKelsie,\u201d came her shaky reply. \u201cWhere\u2019s my mommy? I want my mommy! It hurts!\u201d<\/p>\n Jack glanced at AJ and mouthed, \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour mommy\u2019s coming to the hospital in an ambulance,\u201d AJ told Kelsie. \u201cShe\u2019ll be here soon, and you can see her once we\u2019re done helping both you and her, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Kelsie whimpered. \u201cIt hurts!\u201d she cried out again.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere do you hurt, sweetie?\u201d Jack asked.<\/p>\n \u201cEverywhere!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, honey, we\u2019ll get you something for the pain as soon as we get into the hospital. We\u2019re going to take very good care of you,\u201d Chris assured her, as they rushed her into the hospital and towards the nearest elevator bank.<\/p>\n A short while later, three ambulances pulled up in front of the ER, and more paramedics jumped out, pushing three stretchers. On the first one was a man who appeared to be in his early fifties. He had bloody gauze taped over his forehead, but was awake and alert and seemed otherwise fine.<\/p>\n \u201cYou take this one, Timberlake,\u201d Elizabeth O\u2019Brien said to Justin, who was standing with her, JC Chasez, and nurse Natalie Spade, waiting for the accident victims to arrive.<\/p>\n \u201cFrank Black, age fifty-three,\u201d said Amelia Caston to Justin, as he helped her wheel the man into an exam room. \u201cHe was driving the semi that hit the family\u2019s car. He bumped his head on the steering wheel, but there was no LOC on the scene, and he doesn\u2019t complain of any other pain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t even see them,\u201d Frank murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. \u201cTh-they were in the merge lane\u2026 they just came out of nowhere\u2026 I didn\u2019t even see them\u2026 ran right into them\u2026 sideswiped them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like he might be going into shock,\u201d Justin observed. \u201cMr. Black? Mr. Black, do you know where you are?\u201d<\/p>\n Frank looked up at Justin as if he had grown a second head. \u201cWell, of course I know that<\/em>, kid. I\u2019m in a hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin chuckled and nodded. \u201cOkay then. So you say you aren\u2019t having any pain anywhere besides your head?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no, I\u2019m fine. What about the people in the other car though? How bad are they?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know yet, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI swear, I didn\u2019t even see them. They just came out of nowhere,\u201d Frank said again.<\/p>\n \u201cI know. It\u2019s not your fault,\u201d said Justin. \u201cThe driver of the other car should have looked. It\u2019s his fault, not yours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill\u2026 I hit them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou couldn\u2019t have stopped. It\u2019s not your fault,\u201d Justin assured him. \u201cNow, I need to take off this gauze so I can check out your head. You probably need suturing.\u201d<\/p>\n But Frank didn\u2019t seem to be paying a bit of attention to what he was saying. He kept shaking his head, looking shocked and terrified. \u201cI hit them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are my children and my husband?\u201d the woman lying on the table in Trauma 1 was crying frantically, as doctors and nurses bustled around her, hooking her up to monitors and examining her.<\/p>\n \u201cMa\u2019am, we need to examine you first, and then someone will go find out about your family,\u201d JC Chasez told her. \u201cNow, can you tell me your name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTammy. Tammy Lupin. Please, I\u2019m all right, can you just go find out how the others are? My husband, Ken, he was unconscious. And my daughter, Kelsie, they put her in the helicopter, too. She was bad\u2026 and Kyle, my son, how is he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll find out soon for you, I promise,\u201d JC said. \u201cThe other doctors are working on them now. They\u2019re in very good hands, I assure you. Now, I\u2019m going to feel your stomach, and you tell me if you feel any pain, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Tammy said with a sigh, resigning herself to the fact that she was going to have to cooperate before she could find out how the rest of her family was doing. JC watched her face, creased with worry, and felt a wave of pity rush through him. If only she knew that her husband was in the room right next door, rapidly going downhill\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cLost his pulse! Starting chest compressions,\u201d said Bianca, cupping her hands over Ken Lupin\u2019s chest and pressing down. \u201cChris, get the paddles ready.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCharging paddles,\u201d Chris said obediently. \u201cHere.\u201d He handed them to her, and she took them, rubbing them together. \u201cSomebody get the ultrasound ready too; he probably has internal bleeding\u2026 clear!\u201d The staff backed away as Bianca pressed the paddles against Ken\u2019s chest. \u201cNo response. Chris, charge to 300\u2026 clear!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got the ultrasound ready,\u201d said another nurse.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Chris, resume chest compressions, and I\u2019ll check for internal bleeding,\u201d said Bianca, watching the ultrasound screen as she ran the ultrasound. \u201cThere\u2019s some blood in the belly, but it doesn\u2019t look like too much. There\u2019s got to be something else that made his pressure crash like this. Let\u2019s check the chest.\u201d She moved the ultrasound equipment up to Ken\u2019s chest area and gasped. \u201cOh yeah, his chest cavity is filled with blood! Someone go get Dr. O\u2019Brien, stat, and page surgery! We\u2019re going to have to crack his chest.\u201d<\/p>\n Elizabeth came rushing in a few minutes later. \u201cBianca, I\u2019ve got this. You can take the son; he\u2019s in Trauma 3.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, I\u2019m on it,\u201d said Bianca, hurrying out of the room.<\/p>\n Bianca entered Trauma 3 to find a little boy who looked about nine or ten lying on the table, his face contorted in pain, his cheeks tearstained.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, honey, I\u2019m Dr. Parker. What\u2019s your name?\u201d she asked, leaning over him.<\/p>\n \u201cKyle,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Kyle, can you tell me where it hurts?\u201d Bianca asked. He looked all right, in much better condition than his father.<\/p>\n \u201cMy chest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth already ordered a chest x-ray,\u201d said Natalie, writing down something on Kyle\u2019s chart. \u201cHis lungs are all right, but he probably has some bruised ribs.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca nodded. \u201cAll right. Has anyone checked the belly?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, belly\u2019s clear. Just take him down to radiology and get the x-ray done. Everything else seems to be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n Just then, the door to the adjoining trauma room burst open, and Susan stuck her head in. \u201cExcuse me, Natalie, are you busy? We really could use another nurse in here.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca looked past her to see Jack leaning over the patient in the other room. It was the little girl, Kyle\u2019s sister.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, we\u2019ve got things under control in here, right, Bianca?\u201d asked Natalie.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Oh, yeah, yeah, go ahead,\u201d Bianca said, and Natalie followed Susan into the other room.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that my sister?\u201d Kyle asked suddenly, trying to sit up. He gasped out in pain, and Bianca eased him back down again.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, your sister\u2019s in there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIs she hurt bad? Can I see her?\u201d he asked anxiously.<\/p>\n Bianca glanced through the window of the door separating the two rooms. Susan was off to one side of the room, on the phone, while Jack and Natalie examined the girl. Bianca was relieved to see that she was awake and seemed to be talking to them. She went over and opened the door and stuck her head in. \u201cHey, Jack, I\u2019ve got her brother in here,\u201d she said. \u201cCan we open the door so he can see her?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack glanced over at her. \u201cSure, for a few minutes,\u201d he said. \u201cThen we have to get her up to surgery. She\u2019s got internal bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, great,\u201d said Bianca, and she opened the door wider, stepping back so Kyle could see into the other room. \u201cThere\u2019s your sister,\u201d she said to him. \u201cThey\u2019re going to take her upstairs in a few minutes for an operation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKelsie?\u201d Kyle called.<\/p>\n The little girl\u2019s head turned towards the other room. \u201cKyle?\u201d she cried, her voice shrill and frightened-sounding.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m right here, Kels!\u201d he called. \u201cI\u2019m okay! How do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n But Kelsie did not answer him. All of a sudden, the monitors around her began to beep wildly. \u201cShe\u2019s crashing!\u201d Bianca heard Jack cry.<\/p>\n \u201cKelsie?!\u201d Kyle called wildly. \u201cKelsie, answer me!\u201d Looking up at Bianca, he asked hysterically, \u201cWhy won\u2019t she answer me? What\u2019s happening to her?\u201d<\/p>\n Susan suddenly appeared at the door and quickly shut it, blocking Kelsie from Kyle\u2019s view. Through the window, she met Bianca\u2019s eyes and shook her head once. Bianca bit her lip and looked down at Kyle. \u201cThey\u2019re working on her, honey,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIs she going to die?\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca watched as Natalie pushed up and down on Kelsie\u2019s chest, giving her CPR, while Susan squeezed a bag over her mouth, giving her oxygen.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re doing everything they can for her,\u201d Bianca told Kyle, avoiding his eyes. \u201cShe\u2019s in good hands.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis aorta\u2019s shredded. There\u2019s no way we\u2019re going to get him back. I\u2019m going to call it,\u201d Elizabeth said heavily, pulling her hands out of Ken\u2019s open chest. \u201cTime of death: 9:16.\u201d She let out a sigh and slowly peeled off her bloody gloves, dropping them in a disposal bin on her way out of the trauma room.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s his wife?\u201d Chris asked, following her out.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Trauma 1, I believe,\u201d Elizabeth said. \u201cI\u2019ll go talk to her. Get him cleaned up.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris nodded shortly and went back into the room..<\/p>\n \u201cGod, I can\u2019t believe this is happening,\u201d moaned Tammy Lupin, letting out a shuddering breath. \u201cWe were on our way to Ken\u2019s parents\u2019 house. We were merging onto the interstate, and this semi just came out of nowhere. Ken looked back, I\u2019m sure he did, but he didn\u2019t see it. We left the merge lane, and it slammed right into us. Ken and Kelsie, they were on that side of the car. God, I hope they\u2019re okay.\u201d<\/p>\n The young mother was near tears with worry, and JC didn\u2019t blame her a bit. This waiting, not knowing if her husband and children were all right, was probably more tortuous than the accident itself and any of the physical pain that went with it.<\/p>\n \u201cWould you like me to go check on them?\u201d he offered. \u201cThe doctors might still be working on them, but I can check and see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you?\u201d Tammy asked gratefully, and JC nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll be right back.\u201d He left the room and went out into the hall, where he met up with a grim-faced Elizabeth.<\/p>\n \u201cIs the mother in there?\u201d she asked. \u201cMrs. Lupin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d said JC. \u201cHow\u2019s the rest of the family?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know about the children, but her husband\u2019s dead,\u201d Elizabeth said shortly. \u201cHe must have smashed into the steering wheel \u2013 there\u2019s an imprint of it across his chest. No airbags, I guess. He broke several ribs, and they punctured both his lungs and hit his aorta. He arrested, and there was nothing we could have done to save him.\u201d<\/p>\n JC sighed. \u201cAre you going to tell Mrs. Lupin, or do you want me to?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell her,\u201d said Elizabeth. \u201cMaybe I should wait and find out about the children first though. I suppose if I have to give her bad news, I should give it to her all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t have to wait long. Jack suddenly came out of Trauma 4 and walked slowly towards them. The two women could tell right away by his face that whoever he had had did not make it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe little girl\u2019s dead,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cToo much internal bleeding. We tried to get her back, but we couldn\u2019t. I just called it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe father\u2019s dead, too,\u201d said Elizabeth. \u201cAnyone know about the boy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s all right,\u201d Jack replied. \u201cHe was in the room next door, and he was alert and talking and everything. I think Bianca took him for a chest x-ray.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt least one of them made it,\u201d Elizabeth said.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, at least the mother has something<\/em> to be thankful for,\u201d JC said sadly.<\/p>\n Jack sighed and raked a hand through his short brown hair. \u201cWhy do things like this have to happen? It\u2019s Thanksgiving, and this poor woman just lost her husband and daughter. Her son lost his sister and father. Yeah, I bet they\u2019re real thankful.\u201d His voice was laden with sarcasm.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, come on, Jack,\u201d said Elizabeth. \u201cWe need to go tell her.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded, a feeling of dread growing in his stomach. It was bad enough to lose a patient, especially a little six-year-old. But it was worse having to tell the family. And this was going to be doubly hard.<\/p>\n At ten o\u2019clock, Jack slowly trudged out of the hospital, looking around the staff parking lot for Addie\u2019s car. Ahead of him, he saw Howie Dorough walking out to his own car, an old Corvette that he had restored and painted purple.<\/p>\n Howie spotted Jack as he was unlocking his car door and waved. \u201cYou getting off, too, Jack?\u201d he called.<\/p>\n Jack walked over to talk to him. \u201cYeah,\u201d he said. \u201cYou too?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup. We\u2019re doing Thanksgiving dinner at my place this year. Rita\u2019s been up since five in the morning getting the turkey ready. My family\u2019s coming up from Florida, and Dani spent last Thanksgiving with Sophie, so she\u2019ll be with us this year, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s great,\u201d said Jack. \u201cDo me a favor, Howie, and make sure you give Danielle a hug when you get home.\u201d Howie stared at him strangely, and Jack explained, \u201cI just lost a six-year-old girl. She and her family got in an accident on their way to her grandparents\u2019 house. She and her father are both dead, and I just had to tell the mother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, God,\u201d Howie said sadly, his forehead creasing in sorrow. \u201cThat\u2019s awful.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded and sighed. \u201cWell, Addie\u2019s waiting for me somewhere around here. I\u2019m going to go find her, and then we\u2019re headed to the airport. You have a great holiday, Howie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou too, Jack, thanks,\u201d Howie replied. He got in his car, and Jack spotted Addie\u2019s silver Beetle and walked off toward it.<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy!\u201d<\/p>\n Howie arrived home to the pattering of feet running to greet him. His six-year-old daughter Danielle flung herself into his arms. \u201cHappy Thanksgiving, Daddy!\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n \u201cHappy Thanksgiving, baby,\u201d he replied, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head. It had been over two months since Danielle had undergone the operation to fix the aneurysm in her brain, and she was now completely recovered. That\u2019s really something to be thankful for<\/em>, he thought, reluctantly letting her go.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Rita?\u201d he asked Dani. \u201cIn the kitchen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup,\u201d Dani replied, grabbing his hand and tugging him toward the kitchen. \u201cShe\u2019s making whipped cream for the pie, and I get to lick the beaters when she\u2019s done!\u201d<\/p>\n Howie followed Dani into the kitchen, where he found his girlfriend of two years, Rita Sumari, blending a small bowl of white liquid with the mixer. Glancing back over her shoulder, she smiled at Howie and shut off the mixer. \u201cHey, you!\u201d she said cheerfully, removing one of the beaters from the mixer. She tapped it on the side of the bowl and handed it to Dani, who took it gleefully and began to lick the whipped cream off of it.<\/p>\n \u201cHey,\u201d Howie replied, grinning at her. He sniffed the air. \u201cTurkey\u2019s starting to smell good. So, what time did Dani get here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSophie dropped her off about half an hour ago,\u201d answered Rita. \u201cAnd your family\u2019s flight gets in at noon, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup. I\u2019ll leave in about an hour to go pick them up,\u201d said Howie.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I go with, Daddy? I wanna see Grandma and Grandpa, too. And Uncle John and Aunt Polly and Aunt Angie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, Dani,\u201d Howie replied with a smile. He was excited to have his whole family coming for Thanksgiving. Usually they all gathered at his parents\u2019 house in Florida. But this year, he and Rita had volunteered to have the festivities at their house. Rita\u2019s family lived in Hawaii, and there was no way they would be able to come, nor would she be able to go there for Thanksgiving. But she loved Howie\u2019s big, close family and liked the idea of being domestic and preparing a Thanksgiving meal all by herself for them all.<\/p>\n And so far,<\/em> Howie thought, opening the refrigerator to find a perfect-looking pumpkin pie sitting on the top shelf, she\u2019s done a great job.<\/em><\/p>\n It was dinnertime at Harold and Jackie Littrell\u2019s home in Lexington, Kentucky, and the dining room table was more crowded than it had ever been. Harold sat at one end of the long table, Jackie at the other. Their sons, Brian and Harry, sat on one side, their girlfriends Ivory and Siara next to them. Jackie and Harold\u2019s youngest nephew, Kevin, and his girlfriend Elizabeth, sat there as well. On the other side was Kevin\u2019s mother, Anne Richardson, who also happened to be Harold\u2019s sister. With her sat her two older sons, Jerald and Tim, and their wives. The only one absent from the table was Kevin\u2019s father, Jerald Sr., who had passed away over a decade earlier from colon cancer.<\/p>\n As they bowed their heads to say grace, Harold leading, Kevin could not help but think of his late father and all the past Thanksgivings his family had spent together when he was younger. But he forced himself to push his thoughts of his father out of his mind and concentrate on all the wonderful things he had, all the things he was thankful for. His wonderful family, his friends, Elizabeth, his health, and a successful career.<\/p>\n \u201cAmen,\u201d they all murmured as Harold closed off the prayer, and when everyone had raised their heads, platters of food were passed around the long table.<\/p>\n \u201cIf only Lily could see all this,\u201d Elizabeth commented, chuckling slightly as she helped herself to some turkey. \u201cShe\u2019d be in heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin laughed and rolled his eyes. \u201cYou and that dog.\u201d<\/p>\n Lily was Elizabeth\u2019s cocker spaniel and was more like her daughter than her pet. Elizabeth doted on that dog, and sometimes it seemed she paid more attention to Lily than she did to Kevin. It had been torturous for her to have to leave Lily in a kennel while she went to Kentucky with Kevin for Thanksgiving weekend.<\/p>\n Down the table, Kevin saw Brian pick off a tiny bit of his turkey with his fingers and lean over, ducking under the table. \u201cSpeaking of dogs,\u201d he said with another roll of his eyes, motioning to Brian, who was obviously feeding turkey to his tiny chihuahua, Tyk. If Lily was like a daughter to Elizabeth, Tyk was like Brian\u2019s son. He took that dog everywhere with him \u2013 even to work sometimes.<\/p>\n \u201cBrian, do you have to do that now? Sit up and eat,\u201d Jackie reprimanded in her motherly tone, smiling exasperatedly at her son. Brian just grinned, patted Tyk\u2019s little head, and picked up his fork.<\/p>\n Sitting next to Brian, Ivory Harnett couldn\u2019t help but smile. She knew how close Brian and his mother were. He was a total mama\u2019s boy, which she teased him about often, but really, she thought it was adorable. She loved being in the midst of the Littrell\/Richardson family for Thanksgiving. It was like the perfect family holiday.<\/p>\n While families enjoyed their Thanksgiving dinners in the comfort of their homes, Chris Kirkpatrick sat in his usual post beside Lance\u2019s bed. He was working all day and had chosen to spend his break with Lance, since no one else had come to see him on Thanksgiving. His parents, who had rented an apartment so they could stay in Atlantic City for however long they needed to, were eating in a restaurant.<\/p>\n \u201cI really need to get a girlfriend or something,\u201d Chris said out loud, feeling sorry for himself as he thought of his pathetic existence. He was spending Thanksgiving working and sitting with his vegetable-like friend, and if he hadn\u2019t had to work, he would have mostly been pondering his pathetic life in the comfort of his shabby apartment, eating a Hungryman TV dinner and watching the Cartoon Network. At least he was doing something productive, though sitting with Lance and talking to him didn\u2019t seem quite \u201cproductive\u201d. It was basically like talking to a wall, a parking meter, or any other inanimate object.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now I\u2019m talking to myself,\u201d he went on, chuckling. \u201cCause it\u2019s not like you\u2019re comprehending anything I say, buddy.\u201d As usual, Lance remained in his motionless state and did not reply.<\/p>\n Chris glanced at his watch. \u201cWell, I guess I should get back to the ER now. I\u2019ll see you later, Lance.\u201d He rose from his chair and started to slowly leave the room, when suddenly, the beeping of Lance\u2019s heart monitor began to speed up.<\/p>\n \u201cLance?\u201d Chris said, turning back and sitting down on the edge of the chair again. He checked the levels on Lance\u2019s monitors. Everything seemed fine, but there was a definite increase in Lance\u2019s heart rate. He frowned, not sure what would make that happen all of a sudden, but he shrugged and stood up again. He picked Lance\u2019s pale hand up from the bed and gave it a squeeze. \u201cSee ya, dude.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s when he felt it. A very slight squeeze back.<\/p>\n Risha Veers shuffled absently through the pile of papers that covered her desk. I really need to clean my office,<\/em> she thought, looking around her. Her organizational skills weren\u2019t usually that horrible, but, somehow, things had gotten away from her, and her office was in a state of disarray.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is that stupid pen?\u201d she asked aloud, continuing to search through the papers for her misplaced pen. Why do I keep losing things?<\/em> First her ring, now her pen. Not to mention John, but that was a whole other thing, and she didn\u2019t want to start thinking about it now. Still, it was hard not to on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was a family holiday, and she had no family. None that was close anyway. That was why she had offered to work all day on Thanksgiving, knowing that it would do her no good to sit at home and brood. She would rather be occupied at work.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the surgical ward was practically dead that day. There were no surgeries scheduled because of the holiday, and unless an emergency came up, it didn\u2019t look like she\u2019d be doing much except checking up on the patients that were already there recovering from surgeries and doing consults in the ER. Most of the other surgeons were off spending time with their families. Risha and Holli Brunson were among the few left there. From what Risha had seen so far, Holli was a workaholic and didn\u2019t seem to have any family either.<\/p>\n Deciding that since she didn\u2019t have any operations scheduled, she would take the down time to straighten up her office, Risha began to carefully sort through the heaps of paper on her desk, filing some away, pitching others. Toward the bottom of the stack, her fingers brushed across something small and hard. Looking down to see what it was, she gasped in astonishment. There, taped to a small piece of paper, was a ring, the very ring she had lost over a month earlier when she had taken it off to scrub in and forgotten about it. She pulled the ring off the paper, peeled the tape off of it, and slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand. Tilting her hand towards the light, she admired the way the stone, a cubic zircon, sparkled in its gold setting. Tears rose in her eyes, making them gleam just as much as the ring, and before she could stop herself, she had begun to cry silently, overwhelmed with emotion and relieved beyond words to find her ring after all this time.<\/p>\n Through her tears, she looked down at the paper the ring had been taped to. Scrawled across it in messy doctor\u2019s cursive was a note.<\/p>\n Risha,<\/em><\/p>\n Is this yours? I thought I\u2019ve seen you wearing a ring like this before, and I found it in the scrub-in room. If it\u2019s not yours, just take it to the lost and found box at the nurses station.<\/em><\/p>\n – Kevin<\/em><\/p>\n Risha blinked, the words blurring on the page. Her heart swelled with gratitude for Kevin. When did he leave this?<\/em> she wondered. Since it had been under the whole huge mound of papers, she figured it had been left there a while ago, probably right after she lost it. She must have set something down on top of it without even noticing it.<\/p>\n Suddenly, someone knocked on her closed office door.<\/p>\n \u201cVeers, are you in there?\u201d came the brisk, familiar voice of Holli Brunson.<\/p>\n Risha stood up, quickly wiped her eyes, and opened the door.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the-\u201c Holli started to say, then stopped. Narrowing her eyes, she studied Risha\u2019s face for a moment, then asked disdainfully, \u201cHave you been crying<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026 uh\u2026\u201d Risha took a swipe at her eyes again. \u201c\u2026 no, I\u2019m just\u2026 tired. I was yawning, and my eyes water when I yawn.\u201d<\/p>\n She could tell right away that Holli didn\u2019t believe her, but Holli didn\u2019t press the subject and continued saying, \u201cOne of the nurses from Neurology came down here and wants to talk to you right away. She said it\u2019s important. Why she didn\u2019t just page you, I don\u2019t know, but she\u2019s waiting by the nurses station.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d Risha frowned, slightly perplexed. \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n Holli went in one direction, and Risha went in the other, heading for the nurses station. There she found Nurse Katie McGraw standing there. When she saw Risha, she ran toward her.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Veers!\u201d she cried, her hazel eyes wide and excited behind her glasses. \u201cLance Bass woke up, Dr. Veers!\u201d<\/p>\n Risha\u2019s mouth opened in surprise. \u201cReally? When?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust a few minutes ago. His friend Chris was in the room with him, and Lance squeezed his hand. Chris called me, and by the time I got there, his eyes were open. He seems really disoriented, and he\u2019s not talking, but at least he\u2019s awake. Dr. McCartney\u2019s not here, and I know you operated on him, so I thought you\u2019d want to know. Maybe you\u2019d like to come examine him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d Risha replied. \u201cI\u2019ll go up right now. Do his parents know yet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Chris said they\u2019re out to dinner. They\u2019ll be so happy. His poor father still comes to visit him every day,\u201d Katie said, as they got into one of the elevators.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least someone was keeping the faith. I have to admit, I\u2019d pretty much given up on him,\u201d said Risha. \u201cIt\u2019s been a month since we tried to bring him out of the coma.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Katie said. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to see the look on his parents\u2019 face, especially with it being Thanksgiving and all. This is the miracle they\u2019ve been hoping for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope so,\u201d said Risha. \u201cBut it might not be all they expected. Now that he\u2019s finally woken up, he\u2019s out of the woods, but who knows how much brain damage he\u2019s going to have.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Katie replied solemnly. \u201cBut he\u2019s come this far. Maybe he\u2019ll be all right after some therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope so,\u201d said Risha. \u201cI hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n Jim and Diane Bass sat in the small restaurant, waiting for the waitress to bring their meal. A small shudder ran through Diane\u2019s body as the chilly air of the restaurant hit her arms, and she glanced around to the other patrons to see if anyone else had this reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cYou all right, Diane?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d<\/p>\n Diane turned her attention to her husband and allowed a small smile to grace her features.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you say something, Jim?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI asked if you was all right,\u201d Jim said with a small smirk, trying his best to make this holiday as normal as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, yes I am all right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n After that, the conversation at the table died, and Diane silently wished this day would be over with. Even though it was Thanksgiving, this day wasn\u2019t much different than any other day. Her son was still fighting for his life at the hospital where he was formerly employed at, and it didn\u2019t look like he was going to make it. In a way, Diane just wished they would just let him die peacefully – that way he wouldn\u2019t have to suffer. On the other hand, she wanted him to fight this battle and win. She had already lost one child and was by no means interested in losing another.<\/p>\n The placement of a plate of steaming food on the table broke Diane out of her trance, and she smiled at the young waitress. Once the waitress left, Diane and Jim began to eat in silence. Without warning, Jim jumped in his seat and reached into his pants pocket, as Diane looked on in confusion. Her confusion was resolved as Jim placed a small cell phone to his ear and greeted the caller.<\/p>\n Diane watched as a range of emotions came over Jim\u2019s face, ranging from serious to shocked, and ending with tears filling his eyes. Diane felt her heart stop and a lump take residence in her throat as tears filled Jim\u2019s green eyes; from that one reaction, Diane knew the call must have been to tell them that their son was dead, that he would suffer no more.<\/p>\n \u201cLance is awake.\u201d<\/p>\n Diane looked up at her husband, ready to yell at him for playing such a cruel joke on her; she knew for a fact that Lance was dead.<\/p>\n Without waiting for a response from Diane, Jim waved the waitress over and asked for the check. Opening his wallet and whipping out a $20 bill, Jim gave it to the waitress and told her to keep the change. Next thing Diane knew, Jim was at her side, grasping her hand and gently tugging her to her feet.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t go, Jim.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLance is dead, Jim. No need to break the news to me gently by lying about it.\u201d<\/p>\n A strangled laugh escaped Jim\u2019s lips as the words his wife spoke registered in his brain. How could she think this was a joke?<\/p>\n \u201cDiane, trust me. Lance isn\u2019t dead. Chris was in his room earlier, and Lance squeezed his hand, and Chris just called to tell us he just woke up a few minutes ago. I would never lie about our son like this, never.\u201d<\/p>\n Once Diane realized Jim wasn\u2019t lying, hope soared within her. \u201cLet\u2019s go then. I want to see Lance.\u201d<\/p>\n Jim nodded in response, and they quickly walked to the black rental car, their source of transportation since most of their belongings, including their cars, were still in Mississippi. Since Jim had refused to leave his son\u2019s side since that fateful September day, and Diane was too stubborn and insecure in this situation to leave her husband behind, the couple had been renting a small apartment in the vicinity of the hospital and had bought all the clothes and supplies they would need. They never lost the hope that one day they would be able to leave the North Carolina city knowing that Lance would be all right without them and he had no last defects from his rash decision to try and end his life.<\/p>\n As they settled into the car and Jim began to drive to the hospital, Diane had a new perspective on this day. Not only was it Thanksgiving day but it was also the day Lance in a sense started a new life.<\/p>\n Chris was in a state of euphoria. His depressing Thanksgiving had suddenly become much better. After being in a coma for two long months, Lance was finally awake. Not that everything was suddenly perfect. Although Lance\u2019s life was no longer hanging in balance, it was not yet known how much damage had been done. Right now, he was unable to respond to people, except for the occasional hand squeeze, but for all Chris knew, that could have just been a reflex. The worst-case scenario now was that Lance was so brain damaged that he would stay like this for the rest of his life, awake, but unable to communicate. But Chris was determined not to think of the worst. He focused on the fact that Lance had already leaped two major hurdles. First of all, he had survived the gunshot wound and the surgery to remove the bullet against overwhelming odds. And now, he had finally regained consciousness after a two-month-long coma. As far as Chris was concerned, if Lance had made it that far, he could go all the way and recover. Maybe not totally, but he could recover to the point where he could function on his own again.<\/p>\n At seven o\u2019clock that evening, Chris walked through the lobby of Memorial, ready to go home, pull out that Hungryman TV dinner and turn on the Cartoon Network. It didn\u2019t seem quite as bad as before now that he was in a good mood, but still, he wished he had someone to be with that night. He wanted to celebrate, not sit by himself in his lonely little apartment.<\/p>\n Behind him, he heard the elevator doors slide open, and he subconsciously glanced back in time to see Risha Veers step out of the elevator. He stopped and waited as she came toward him, ready to leave the hospital as well.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Dr. Veers,\u201d he said, smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, hi, Mr. Kirkpatrick,\u201d Risha replied, giving him a tentative smile back.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can call me Chris,\u201d said Chris with a chuckle. \u201c \u2018Mr. Kirkpatrick\u2019 sounds way too formal.\u201d<\/p>\n Risha laughed slightly. \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you got any Thanksgiving plans for tonight?\u201d Chris asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Risha said, a little sadly. \u201cI\u2019m just going to go home and take a hot bath. How about you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHeat myself up a Hungryman dinner and turn on the Cartoon Network,\u201d Chris said matter-of-factly. The corners of Risha\u2019s mouth turned up. \u201cBut I\u2019d really rather go out to eat somewhere and celebrate, you know, about Lance waking up and everything. How about it?\u201d<\/p>\n Risha stared at him in surprise. \u201cYou\u2019re asking me to go with you?\u201d she asked uncertainly.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yeah,\u201d Chris said, laughing. \u201cThat is, if you want to. I just thought, since you aren\u2019t really doing anything else, and neither am I, that we could at least go have a nice Thanksgiving dinner somewhere. Just to celebrate, like I said.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026\u201d Risha hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, come on. You can go home and take a bath afterwards,\u201d Chris persuaded.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right\u2026\u201d Risha said slowly. \u201cI guess so.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris\u2019s face split into a grin. \u201cGreat,\u201d he said. \u201cGuess I won\u2019t be having Hungryman tonight after all. Um\u2026 how about we both go home and get changed and then meet somewhere? Where do you want to go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter to me. You probably know the town better. Where do you want to go?\u201d Risha said.<\/p>\n They decided on a nice restaurant which was sure to have a good turkey dinner and left the hospital together, splitting apart only to go to their separate cars. As Risha climbed into hers and pulled out of her parking space, she couldn\u2019t help but smile. Go out to dinner? With a guy? She hadn\u2019t done that in ten years.<\/p>\n Wow,<\/em> Chris thought, as he left the parking lot. I have Thanksgiving plans. Guess I\u2019m not such a loser after all<\/em>. And he headed home, glad that his Hungry-Man dinner would remain frozen, and he would not have to sit through another episode of Powerpuff Girls.<\/p>\n Episode 14: Something to Be Thankful For According to the small, silver watch on her wrist, it was 6:50 in the morning when Susan Walker walked through the rotating glass doors that led into the lobby of Atlantic City Memorial Hospital. She had walked through this lobby twice recently, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":66,"menu_order":14,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-225","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/225","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=225"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/225\/revisions\/233"}],"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=225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}+++<\/h4>\n
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Episode 15<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"