<\/p>\n
Joey Fatone stepped out of the lounge, his girlfriend Melissa Ruffino right alongside him. He liked the days when the two worked the same hours \u2013 they could ride in to work together, eat lunch together, and go home together. But that morning, he suddenly wished Melissa weren\u2019t with him, for he spotted Mariah Johnson waggling up the hall towards him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, Joey,\u201d she cooed, smiling and winking at him. Joey could sense Melissa\u2019s eyes boring into him and felt his face grow hot.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, Mariah, wassup?\u201d he muttered in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, nothing. Just about to start my shift. See you later.\u201d She grinned again and made sure she brushed against Joey as she went past him.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod, I hate her,\u201d Melissa growled at his side. \u201cWhy Brunson hired her is beyond me. If she could only see what that tramp acts like up here!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAw, you\u2019re just jealous, Mel,\u201d Joey chided, grinning at her. He had only meant it as a joke, but Melissa looked as if she had been slapped. She stared up at him for a moment, a wounded expression on her face, then stalked off past him without looking back.<\/p>\n
Joey sighed and shook his head. He was a horrible boyfriend. Why was he always messing up, doing and saying the complete wrong things? He should have known how self-conscious Melissa was about her weight, and indicating that she had a reason to be jealous of beautiful Mariah, with her perfect body, was probably more offensive than he realized.<\/p>\n
As Joey thought about Mariah, he felt even more like a horrible boyfriend. It had been a month since the day of the hurricane, when he had accidentally ended up almost on top of her, and they had kissed without really meaning to. Well, he hadn\u2019t meant to anyway. He wasn\u2019t sure about her. If it had just been one kiss, Joey wouldn\u2019t have felt so bad about it, but it wasn\u2019t just one kiss. Sparks had flown between the two \u2013 kissing Mariah was unlike kissing anyone else. Melissa was cute enough, but she was no Mariah. And so, the two of them had hooked up and had been secretly seeing each other for a month. Joey wasn\u2019t sure whether \u201cseeing each other\u201d was really the right term for it \u2013 they didn\u2019t really go out together, for fear of someone seeing them and ratting Joey out, but he had been over to her apartment many times. Joey felt bad about it; he had been trying to make himself break it off with her almost since it had started. But with every kiss, he wanted her more and more and regretted it less and less.<\/p>\n
Raking a hand through his thick brown hair, Joey sighed as he watched Melissa disappear around a corner. Then he slowly followed her to the staff lounge to get ready to start his shift.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning, Risha!\u201d<\/p>\n
Risha Veers jumped at the sudden voice behind her. She spun around to find Chris Kirkpatrick standing in the doorway of her office, a wide grin on his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh\u2026 Chris,\u201d Risha breathed. \u201cYou scared me!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d Chris said, still smiling. \u201cSo, how are you this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine, thanks. How about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m great,\u201d said Chris. His endless smile was beginning to unnerve her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good,\u201d Risha said, shifting uncomfortably. \u201cSo\u2026 uh\u2026 did you need anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just came up to say hi,\u201d Chris replied. \u201cDid you have a good time last night?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure\u2026 it was nice,\u201d said Risha. She had gone out with Chris the night before to a nice restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. It had been a spur of the moment thing, and doing something like that was completely out of the ordinary for Risha, who was anything but impulsive or spontaneous. They had had an okay time, but she didn\u2019t know Chris very well and had been rather uncomfortable the whole night. Thanksgiving was supposed to be a time for family, not random, unfamiliar men.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad you had fun. I know I did,\u201d Chris said. \u201cIt was great getting to know you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Risha raised her eyebrows in surprise. \u201cYeah, same here,\u201d she replied automatically, all the while feeling as though she had barely gotten to know Chris at all. She knew nothing about him, except for that he repeatedly cracked bad jokes and thought he was funny when he was not. And that he was a nurse in the ER. That was it. She didn\u2019t see how he could have gotten to know her either, for she hadn\u2019t told him much about herself, only that she was not married or engaged (he had asked when he saw the ring on her left hand). Although<\/em>, Risha thought now, maybe I should have told him I was married. Then he would have left me alone.<\/em> She didn\u2019t want to be antisocial, but there was just something about him that she found slightly annoying.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I have to get ready to scrub in for a surgery at eight,\u201d said Risha, starting for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, okay, I\u2019d better let you go then,\u201d Chris said, stepping back to let her out of the office. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to cut into your operating time.\u201d He began to laugh hysterically. \u201cGet it?\u201d he snorted through wild giggles. \u201cCut<\/em>? Get it?\u201d<\/p>\n Risha stared at him for a moment, then forced a laugh. \u201cI get it. Good one,\u201d she said with a weak smile. \u201cSee you later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, you have any plans for lunch? Maybe we could go for a slice<\/em> of pizza together,\u201d Chris suggested. Then he began to laugh again. \u201cGet it? Slice<\/em>? You get it, Risha?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh,\u201d Risha replied. \u201cBut no, I don\u2019t think I can today. I have a surgery scheduled for noon. But maybe another time.\u201d It was a lie, but she didn\u2019t think she could sit through lunch with him making lame surgical puns every few minutes. She made a mental note to grab something from the vending machines and lock herself in her office for lunch.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. Well, maybe I\u2019ll see you tonight then. Or should I say to-knife<\/em>?\u201d He began to crack up again, slapping his knee and gasping for breath.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Risha said through gritted teeth, turning and hurrying away.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Dr. Parker, can you take a patient right now?\u201d asked Susan Walker, the new ER nurse, her arms full of charts. \u201cThe waiting room\u2019s filled with people waiting to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026 I\u2019m pretty swamped myself, but maybe I can take another one. What are the symptoms?\u201d Bianca Parker asked.<\/p>\n \u201cEight-year-old boy with shortness of breath,\u201d said Susan.<\/p>\n \u201cFind Siara Reily; she\u2019s the ER pediatrician,\u201d said Bianca. \u201cShe can take him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Susan replied, looking around the ER, wondering where she was supposed to find this Siara Reily. It was only her third day, and there were a lot of staff members she hadn\u2019t met yet. Siara was one of them. Luckily, she spotted Natalie Spade, one of the nurses she had<\/em> met, and hurried up to her.<\/p>\n \u201cNatalie, do you know where Dr. Reily is?\u201d Susan asked.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, she\u2019s not working today. Try Dr. Harnett,\u201d Natalie replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere can I find her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2026 try Exam 4, I think she went in there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Susan said, and went down the hall to the exam room. She got there just as a young, dark-haired woman was walking out. Glancing at the gold name tag pinned to the woman\u2019s lab coat, she read, Dr. Ivory Harnett<\/em>. \u201cExcuse me, Dr. Harnett?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cHi there, are you the new nurse down here?\u201d asked Ivory.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019m Susan Walker,\u201d Susan replied.<\/p>\n \u201cIvory Harnett, nice to meet you. So what do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an eight-year-old boy in Exam 2 with shortness of breath. Do you think you could take him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d said Ivory.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks. Here, I started a chart for him already and hooked him up to oxygen,\u201d said Susan, handing Ivory a clipboard from the top of the stack in her arms.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, great,\u201d Ivory replied. She took the chart and went up the hall to Exam 2. Inside she found a little boy lying on the exam table, his worried-looking mother hovered over him. \u201cGood morning, I\u2019m Dr. Harnett,\u201d she introduced herself quickly, going over to the little boy. Glancing at his name on the chart, she continued, \u201cSo, Brandon, you\u2019re having some trouble breathing?\u201d<\/p>\n Brandon nodded, his hazel eyes wide.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was outside playing football in the backyard with some of his friends,\u201d Brandon\u2019s mother said. \u201cHe got tackled and got the wind knocked out of him, but he hasn\u2019t been able to catch his breath since. I got worried and drove him in here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s completely understandable, Mrs. Levis,\u201d said Ivory. \u201cDoes Brandon suffer from asthma or any other kind of respiratory condition?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, nothing! He\u2019s always been perfectly healthy,\u201d Mrs. Levis said anxiously.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. Brandon, do you have any pain in your chest?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA little,\u201d Brandon replied, his voice slightly breathy, even with the oxygen cannula in his nostrils.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Mrs. Levis, if you could just step back for a minute, I\u2019m going to listen to Brandon\u2019s heart and lungs,\u201d Ivory said, putting her stethoscope in her ears.<\/p>\n Brandon\u2019s mother moved out of the way, and Ivory slid the other end of her stethoscope down Brandon\u2019s mud-stained sweatshirt. She listened, pursing her lips in concentration, then removed the stethoscope.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to get a chest x-ray, just to make sure there wasn\u2019t any damage done,\u201d she said to the mother. \u201cFrom what you said, it sounds like he got knocked around pretty hard. There\u2019s a possibility he could have bruised or cracked a rib.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Levis nodded. \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrandon, what we\u2019re going to do is get an x-ray of your chest, just to make sure you didn\u2019t get hurt too bad when you got tackled,\u201d Ivory explained to Brandon. \u201cAll it is is just a picture of the inside of your chest; it won\u2019t hurt at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Brandon nodded. \u201cI know what an x-ray is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, great. Well, I need to go see some other patients right now, but I\u2019ll order the x-ray, and someone will be down here to take you to x-ray soon. I\u2019ll be back later to check up on you,\u201d said Ivory. She gave him a reassuring smile and left the room.<\/p>\n \u201cYo, Kev, what\u2019s up?\u201d Nurse Hayley Aldworth burst into the surgical lounge, where Kevin Richardson was sitting, sipping coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cMorning, Hay,\u201d he greeted her. \u201cDid you have a good Thanksgiving?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it was fine. How about you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMine was good. Liz and I got back from Lexington last night,\u201d Kevin replied. \u201cAnd she managed to get the morning off today, so she\u2019s probably still in bed right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLucky her,\u201d said Hayley. \u201cSo, you got any lunch plans? I mean, if you\u2019re not meeting her, maybe we could grab something together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, you\u2019re not meeting Tyler<\/em> again?\u201d Kevin asked derisively.<\/p>\n Hayley frowned. \u201cNo, he\u2019s at his parents house,\u201d she said stiffly. \u201cI told you already, he just stopped here on his way to visit me. Do you have some kind of problem with that?\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin could feel his face heating up. He hadn\u2019t meant to come across so\u2026 jealous-sounding. \u201cNo, sorry, Hay,\u201d he mumbled, not meeting her eyes. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean that the way it sounded.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, so anyway, what about lunch?\u201d Hayley asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds great,\u201d Kevin told her. \u201cI should be out of surgery by about 12:30 or one, so if you wanna meet then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds good to me,\u201d replied Hayley. \u201c\u2019Scuse me, I need a cup of coffee.\u201d She crossed the room to the coffeemaker, just as the door to the lounge opened again, and Risha Veers came in.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Kevin,\u201d she said, smiling shyly. \u201cThere you are. I was looking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, is there some kind of emergency?\u201d Kevin asked, jumping up.<\/p>\n \u201cNo! I just\u2026 wanted to thank you. For finding my ring.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin stared at her, confused for a moment, but then she held up her left hand, and he could see the gold ring gleaming on her ring finger. He remembered how he had found it in the scrub-in room, but that had been at least a month ago. He had assumed it wasn\u2019t hers, that she had put it in the lost and found box when she found it taped to a note on her desk.<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026 so that was yours then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d said Risha. \u201cI just found it the other night, actually.\u201d She gave a little laugh. \u201cMy desk\u2019s a mess; it got buried under stuff, and I didn\u2019t know it was there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. I\u2019m sorry, I should have made it more noticeable,\u201d said Kevin.<\/p>\n \u201cOh no, it\u2019s not your fault! I just need to get organized. But anyway, thank you so much. This ring\u2026 it means a lot to me\u2026\u201d Her voice trailed off, and she looked down, twisting the ring back and forth on her finger.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re welcome,\u201d Kevin said, frowning as he watched her. Risha was a mystery to him. He had known her for three months now, but he felt like he barely knew her at all. He knew nothing about her family, her social life, or anything else outside her career. She didn\u2019t seem to like to talk much, unless it was about a patient. She was always very polite to everyone, unlike Holli, but she wasn\u2019t exactly friendly. She spoke when she was spoken to and asked questions when she needed to, but rarely struck up a conversation with anyone. He wasn\u2019t sure if she was anti-social or just shy, but he could sense that it was something more than either of those things. It was as if she was afraid to get to know people, afraid to get close. Something had happened to her, something had made her this way. But what?<\/p>\n \u201cIvory, there\u2019s a nine-year-old with a wrist injury in Exam 3. Can you see her?\u201d Melissa Ruffino asked, tracking down Ivory in the hall later that morning.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, sure,\u201d said Ivory, taking the patient\u2019s chart from Melissa. She went into the exam room and found a small, skinny little girl with stringy blonde hair sitting on the examining table, her legs dangling off one side. She glanced down at her chart and read the name. Alicia Rivers.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Alicia,\u201d Ivory said warmly. \u201cI\u2019m Dr. Harnett. Is anyone here with you?\u201d She had noticed that Alicia was all alone; there was no one else in the room with her.<\/p>\n \u201cMy daddy\u2019s here,\u201d Alicia replied shyly. She had a soft, whispery voice. \u201cHe went to the cafeteria.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh okay. Well, I hear you hurt your wrist,\u201d said Ivory. \u201cCan you tell me how that happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was playing outside, and I fell,\u201d she said quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cAww, I\u2019m sure that hurt. Well, I need to look at your wrist now; it might be broken or fractured. Can you wiggle your fingers for me?\u201d<\/p>\n Alicia did, and Ivory carefully examined her wrist, then said, \u201cWell, I need to get an x-ray of your wrist to see if it\u2019s broken or not. I\u2019ll call x-ray, and someone will be here to take you in a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTake her where?\u201d came a deep voice behind Ivory. She spun around, startled, to find a tall man standing in the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you Alicia\u2019s father?\u201d Ivory asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d the man said. \u201cWhere are you taking my daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo x-ray,\u201d Ivory replied. \u201cShe might have a broken wrist.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d said Mr. Rivers. \u201cHow long will that take?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe x-ray itself will only take a few minutes, and then I\u2019ll have to set it in a cast if it\u2019s broken, which takes a little while. Otherwise she\u2019ll just get a brace for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Rivers just grunted in reply. He didn\u2019t seem like the friendliest person.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, like I was saying, I\u2019ll go call the radiology department and have someone come get Alicia when they\u2019re ready for her. I\u2019ll be back to talk to you later, Alicia, once I\u2019ve seen your x-rays.\u201d<\/p>\n She left the room and went to call the radiology department yet again.<\/p>\n Around eleven, the doors to the ER burst open and in rushed EMTs AJ McLean, Allison Brooks, and Amelia Caston. The three of them were pushing in a gurney, followed by a hysterical young woman who looked to be around the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight.<\/p>\n Ivory Harnett took the opportunity to hurry over to them. \u201cWhat do we have here?\u201d she asked as she pulled her stethoscope from around her neck. She looked down to see a baby girl on the gurney. The child was unconscious, her skin flushed and clammy.<\/p>\n \u201cEighteen-month-old female. Mother called in saying she found her daughter unresponsive in her crib. She was pulseless and apneic on the scene, but we achieved a return of spontaneous circulation after one round of CPR. She still wasn\u2019t breathing on her own, so we\u2019ve been bagging her,\u201d AJ explained before relaying the toddler\u2019s vital signs.<\/p>\n \u201cNatalie, what trauma room is free?\u201d Ivory called out to nurse Natalie Spade as they began to wheel the child down the hall.<\/p>\n \u201cThree and four are free,\u201d Natalie answered.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want you treating my daughter,\u201d the child\u2019s mother said, tugging on Ivory\u2019s arm in a frantic manner.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me?\u201d\u201d Ivory asked in confusion as they hurried along.<\/p>\n \u201cI want Dr. Siara Reily to help my daughter!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but Dr. Reily isn\u2019t on call today-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want anyone else but her working on my daughter! Please, I want Dr. Reily!\u201d the mother screamed out.<\/p>\n Ivory looked back at AJ and the other two paramedics with a questioning look, but only got three shrugs back in reply. Finally, she looked back over her shoulder and yelled out, Siara Reily directed her 2002 Volkswagen Jetta into the parking lot outside the Rescue Squad Station, where she had arrived to visit with her boyfriend, Harry Littrell, who was the squad leader of the station, and her good friend Kylie McCartney, who was one of the head paramedics there. Siara wasn\u2019t on call at the hospital that day, so she and Harry had made plans to head out to lunch when he got the chance and he was supposed to meet her somewhere. But Kylie had called Siara earlier that day and told her to just stop by the station and pick up Harry, because she had some big news to tell them. Siara could only wonder what it was. It didn\u2019t sound like bad news, for Kylie had sounded happy on the phone.<\/p>\n Stepping out of her car and making sure her sunglasses were securely fastened over her eyes, she shut the door and used the automatic lock feature on the key chain to lock the car and set the alarm. By the sound of the beep the car made in return when she pressed the correct button, Siara tossed the keys in her purse and headed towards the double glass doors. Reaching the doors, she pulled one open and stepped into the overly-air conditioned building. Why they always had the air conditioning up higher than it needed to be was beyond her, but she figured it was probably Harry\u2019s fault. He was always turning the air conditioning up extremely high at their apartment, and Siara was always having to turn it down. Sadly, the two of them had gotten into several heated arguments over the stupid thing, and usually, in the end, Siara would end up freezing because Harry would win. All she knew was that if she and Harry ever bought a house together, the air conditioning would never be set this high.<\/p>\n \u201cHello?\u201d Siara called out as she stepped further into the building, but all she got back in return was a whole bunch of nothing. Silence bounced back at her off the walls and she looked around in question. The place almost seemed abnormally quiet as the paramedics of the station were usually running amuck, goofing off when they had nothing to do or weren\u2019t called out to respond to a situation. But none of them were in sight. Where are you guys?<\/em> she wondered as she did a slow turn, taking in her surroundings. Surely they weren\u2019t all out on call. That only happened when there was a major accident, and still, at least one paramedic stayed back at the station.<\/p>\n Siara headed towards the door on the other side of the room that led out into the enormous garage of the station. \u201cHarry?\u201d she called out, listening as her voice echoed off the concrete walls when she opened the door. Looking around, she noticed that one of the two ambulances belonging to the station was gone. Well, that gave the answer to why the place was so quiet. But still, where were the others that stayed behind? \u201cKylie? Anyone?\u201d she mumbled, turning around to go check the other rooms of the building. But no sooner did she turn around, did she squeal out in surprise as she ran into the arms of someone.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking for me, babe?\u201d Harry chuckled, grinning as he stared into Siara\u2019s sapphire eyes. His lips curled up into even more amusement as the two of them stood there, Siara\u2019s face masked with shock at the sudden appearance of her boyfriend.<\/p>\n Siara stared at Harry for a moment before she finally reached out and smacked his left shoulder as hard as she could. She shot him a stern glare, placing her hands on her hips. \u201cDon\u2019t scare me like that,\u201d she scolded, but it wasn\u2019t long before she laughed out loud at the pouting look he was giving her as he gingerly rubbed the shoulder she had smacked. \u201cBut that\u2019s why you love me so much,\u201d Harry replied, returning the kiss.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe I do\u2026 heh, maybe I don\u2019t,\u201d Siara teased. \u201cSo, where is everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAJ, Allison, and Amelia are out responding to a call across town,\u201d Kylie answered as she stepped into the room. \u201cHey girl!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey Ky!\u201d Siara greeted with a smile and gave Kylie a friendly hug. \u201cI was beginning to think that this place had been deserted when I saw no one around. I was about to go haywire, thinking Harry had skipped out on our lunch date.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever babe, never,\u201d Harry was quick to assure Siara.<\/p>\n \u201cGeez, Har\u2026 Si\u2019s got you wrapped around her finger,\u201d Kylie giggled.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about,\u201d Harry grinned and kissed his girlfriend\u2019s cheek. \u201cI happen to love Siara very much. Our relationship is a fifty-fifty thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnyway,\u201d Siara interrupted with a wry grin. \u201cYou called me over here because you said there was some news you needed to tell Harry and I. So, well, what\u2019s the news?\u201d<\/p>\n Kylie felt a smile creeping up on her lips. She knew Siara would be ecstatic when she found out exactly what it was that Kylie had to tell, so she decided to drag it on for a while. \u201cWhat news?\u201d she asked innocently.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I would like to know,\u201d Siara answered.<\/p>\n \u201cI have no idea what you are talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou lie so bad, Ky! You do too know what I\u2019m talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, you do. You told me on the phone this morning that you had some news to tell Harry and I, and that\u2019s why I was supposed to come pick him up for lunch instead of him coming to meet me somewhere. So spill it before I get Harry to make you spill it!\u201d<\/p>\n Harry laughed at his girlfriend\u2019s antics and points of reasoning. \u201cYeah, Ky\u2026 I do remember you mentioning to me earlier that there was something you wanted to tell the two of us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell you what?\u201d fellow paramedic, Kym Jennings, asked as she walked through the doors, carrying a fresh bag of hot McDonald\u2019s food in one hand and a drink in the other.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Kym,\u201d Siara greeted her. \u201cWe\u2019re still trying to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a secret you haven\u2019t yet told me?\u201d Kym glared playfully at Kylie, but upon receiving the look back from her friend, she nodded her head, a mysterious look washing over her face. \u201cAh, I get it. Yeah, proceed to tell them. I\u2019m gonna go eat my lunch. Bye!\u201d And she quickly hurried from the room.<\/p>\n \u201cEven she knows?\u201d Siara asked.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe\u2026\u201d Kylie shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cDangit, girl! Just tell me already!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right! I\u2019m\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pregnant!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re what?!\u201d Harry coughed out, his eyes wide and his mouth dropped open.<\/p>\n \u201cPregnant, Har. Pregnant. P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T,\u201d Kylie spelled out in amusement.<\/p>\n \u201cNah, you\u2019re joking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cActually, I\u2019m quite serious.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWow, pregnant?\u201d Siara asked in shock as she stared at her friend.<\/p>\n Kylie nodded. \u201cI\u2019m nearly three months along.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you\u2019re just now telling me?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m just now pretty much telling everybody,\u201d Kylie grinned impishly. \u201cSorry, I just didn\u2019t know how you all would react.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m ecstatic!\u2019 Siara grinned and pulled Kylie in for a tight hug. \u201cI\u2019m so happy for you and Josh! I bet he\u2019s excited that he\u2019s going to be a daddy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery much so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I get to be Auntie Siara, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course!\u201d<\/p>\n Siara turned to her boyfriend. \u201cSay something, Harry!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations, Ky!\u201d Harry grinned, also giving Kylie a hug and a small kiss on the cheek after he was prompted to by Siara. \u201cGive Josh my congrats.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will be sure to,\u201d Kylie nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that means pretty soon we won\u2019t be having you on the squad because you\u2019ll be on maternity leave?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, but you won\u2019t miss me,\u201d Kylie answered.<\/p>\n \u201cVery true,\u201d Harry teased and received a smack from both girls. \u201cOuch!\u201d he cried out, backing a few feet away.<\/p>\n \u201cWow, Kylie\u2019s gonna be a mommy,\u201d Siara drawled in amazement, but before she could say anything else, the pager which was attached to her belt loop began to beep like crazy and she quickly reached for it to find out who was paging her on her day off. She knew it had to be someone from the hospital, for that was basically the only reason why she had the pager. If the hospital needed her there on her day off and she wasn\u2019t at home, they could always get a hold of her by paging her. Very rarely would Harry ever call the paging number, and besides, she was with him at the moment. Sure enough, though, by looking at the little screen, she saw the hospital\u2019s number. Immediately, she reached back into her purse for her cell phone, but a look of dismay crossed her face when she came up with nothing. \u201cCrap, where is it?\u201d she muttered to herself.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s the page from?\u201d Harry asked.<\/p>\n \u201cHospital, and I can\u2019t find my cell,\u201d Siara answered distractedly, still digging in her purse.<\/p>\n \u201cUse the phone in the lounge,\u201d Kylie suggested.<\/p>\n Siara nodded her thanks and quickly ran off to the lounge. Kym, who was in there eating her lunch, said a hello as Siara rushed into the room, but Siara chose to ignore Kym\u2019s greeting as she hurried over to the phone. Siara grasped the receiver and quickly dialed the seven-digit number that took her straight to the ER.<\/p>\n \u201cAtlantic City Memorial Hospital-\u201d Nurse Natalie Spade answered.<\/p>\n \u201cNatalie, it\u2019s Siara Reily. I was just paged.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Dr. Harnett had me page you. There\u2019s a trauma going on and she needs you here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t she handle it?\u201d Siara asked in confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me transfer you to the trauma room Dr. Harnett is in.\u201d<\/p>\n Siara waited impatiently as she was put on quick hold. It was only a mere seconds that she had to wait before the line was picked up again and someone else spoke out to her. This time it was Dr. Harnett.<\/p>\n \u201cSiara, where are you at the moment?\u201d Dr. Harnett asked quickly.<\/p>\n Siara\u2019s mind grew fuzzy as she listened to the background noises. \u2018No heart rhythm or breath sounds! Quick, bag her!\u2019 What was going on? \u201cI\u2019m with Harry at the station. Why? What is going on?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow quickly can you get over here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTwo minutes at the most-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood, we need you over here!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, I\u2019m on my way!\u201d Siara slammed the phone down and hurried from the room, not giving an explanation to Kym\u2018s questioning stare. She ran back out to where Harry and Kylie were still standing, talking quietly amongst themselves. \u201cThere\u2019s an emergency at the hospital and they need my assistance,\u201d she told Harry. \u201cI\u2019m sorry babe, \u201cIt\u2019s all right,\u201d Harry told her, giving her a quick kiss. \u201cJust go.\u201d<\/p>\n Siara rushed through the ER doors approximately two and a half minutes later. She saw nurse Natalie Spade, the one who had answered the phone when Siara had called back and she hurried over to her. \u201cWhat trauma room is Dr. Harnett in?\u201d she quickly asked, gripping the edge of the counters with her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cTrauma room 7, and you need to hurry. The little girl\u2019s mother is in there and she\u2019s refusing to leave until you get there,\u201d Natalie answered.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Siara mumbled and she ran off down the hall. As she neared the correct trauma room, Siara could begin to hear the desperate cries and pleadings of help from a hysterical voice that she couldn\u2019t quite decipher as to who it belonged to. \u201cAll right, what\u2019s the situation?\u201d she called as she burst into the room. Immediately, she was bombarded by someone, but it wasn\u2019t a doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cOh God, Siara! You have to help her!\u201d the person cried out as she gripped Siara\u2019s shoulders tightly and shook her.<\/p>\n Siara squinted her eyes at the tears streaming down the person\u2019s face, and then her heart skipped a beat. \u201cSam?\u201d she gasped out in shock and confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to help her, Siara! You have to help Cassidy!\u201d the woman continued to cry.<\/p>\n Siara felt her mind whirl as she stared into one of her closest friend\u2019s panicked eyes for a slight moment. The woman\u2019s name was Samantha McGuire, and Samantha\u2019s one-year-old daughter\u2019s name was Cassidy McGuire. She and Samantha had been close friends ever since the two of them were in high school together, and Siara had grown especially close to little Cassidy.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Reily, we need you over here right now!\u201d Dr. Harnett ordered, looking back over her shoulder Siara.<\/p>\n Siara shook herself out of her daze and rushed over the gathering of nurses and ER physicians. She looked at the pediatrician on call in the ER that day, Dr. Harnett, and down at the little girl on the ER gurney. Amidst the hands that were reaching out to her and the tubes that were already hooked up to her little body, Siara could barely recognize who she saw. Little Cassidy\u2019s body was adorned with extremely pale skin, her head of blonde curls was matted to her forehead with a cold sweat. \u201cW-what\u2019s the situation?\u201d Siara asked again, taking a stethoscope from one of the nurses and pressing it to Cassidy\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n \u201cParamedics brought her in approximately five minutes ago in respiratory arrest. She\u2019s febrile, diaphoretic, and hypotensive with a weak pulse.\u201d Dr. Harnett rattled off Cassidy\u2019s vital signs as Siara listened to her faint, fluttering heartbeat. She didn\u2019t like what she was hearing or seeing on the monitor the little girl was hooked up to.<\/p>\n \u201cContinue bagging her!\u201d Siara instructed nurse Chris Kirkpatrick, who had the bag-valve mask positioned over the little girl\u2019s mouth. She reached for the pen with the little light on the end that she always kept in her purse and brought it up to Cassidy\u2019s closed eyes. Using two fingers, Siara carefully popped one of the eyelids open and shined the light into the eye. The pupil wasn\u2019t dilated, and when she checked the other eye, it was the same case and both eyes were nearly rolled into the back of the child\u2019s head. Siara felt her heart racing at that moment as Samantha seemed to become even more hysterical in the background.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with her?!\u201d Samantha cried out.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know,\u201d Dr. Harnett answered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe child is extremely dehydrated. Lack of fluids is possible cause for loss of consciousness,\u201d Siara explained thoughtfully with determination as she continued to check Cassidy\u2019s vitals. \u201cI want her started on a 35 ml saline IV right away. Has she been sick lately?\u201d When Siara got no answer from the mother, she quickly looked back over her shoulder. \u201cSamantha, has Cassidy been sick lately?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSh-she\u2026she\u2019s had a case of the flu for the past week,\u201d Samantha answered as best she could, stuttering over her words.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat have her symptoms been?\u201d Siara continued to ask. \u201cBP is dropping!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh God!\u201d Samantha cried.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of symptoms has she had?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s been throwing up since she became sick-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen was that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLast Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA really harsh cough, wheezing-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrouble breathing,\u201d Siara nodded. \u201cSomeone take Mrs. McGuire to the waiting area.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to leave my daughter!\u201d Samantha yelled out as Chris Kirkpatrick handed the bag-valve mask over to Dr. Harnett and began to lead her from the room.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t be in here any longer, ma\u2019am,\u201d Chris told her gently, directing her towards the door.<\/p>\n \u201cBut my daughter-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Reily and the rest of the team are working on her. We\u2019ll send someone out to speak with you soon. Now, if you\u2019ll follow me, I will take you to the waiting area,\u201d Chris answered, leading Samantha from the room.<\/p>\n But no sooner had she and Chris walked out of the room and the door was shut than the slow, unsteadily rising line on the heart monitor flattened, and a long, steady beep sounded, high and shrill.<\/p>\n \u201cStarting CPR,\u201d Siara cried out as she leaned over Cassidy\u2019s little body and placed her hands on the correct spot, in the correct position on her chest. \u201cOn my count\u2026 one\u2026 two\u2026 three… breath\u2026\u201d Siara stole a quick glance at the heart monitor, but the line hadn\u2019t changed, and the machine was still whining. C\u2019mon, Cassie!<\/em> Siara\u2019s mind begged as she continued giving gentle chest compressions to the little girl. \u201cOne\u2026 two\u2026 three\u2026 breath!\u201d Slowly, the line on the monitor rose and made a rhythmic beep. \u201cAll right, we have a steady heartbeat, but it\u2019s still weak. Let\u2019s also get her started on a 10mg IV of trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole, and after that a penicillin IV. Move her up to the ICU of the Pediatrics ward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrimethoprim sulfamethoxazole is for pneumococcal pneumonia,\u201d Dr. Harnett mentioned.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, but it\u2019s also used to prevent it,\u201d Siara answered. \u201cCassidy has always had a weak immune system since birth, and I\u2019m afraid she may already have pneumococcal pneumonia from her influenza infection.\u201d<\/p>\n At ten til noon, Elizabeth O\u2019Brien breezed into the lobby of the hospital, ready to get to the ER and start her afternoon shift. As she passed by the elevators, one of them dinged and opened, and two people stepped out, laughing. Elizabeth stopped and turned back as a deep, familiar-sounding chuckle greeted her ears.<\/p>\n \u201cKevin?\u201d<\/p>\n Her boyfriend, Kevin Richardson, stopped and spun around. \u201cLiz!\u201d he cried. \u201cI didn\u2019t even see you there!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Elizabeth!\u201d said the woman with Kevin, Hayley Aldworth. Hayley and Elizabeth didn\u2019t know each other well, only through Kevin. Hayley and Kevin had been friends for a few years, since they started working together, before he and Elizabeth had even become a couple.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Hayley,\u201d Elizabeth greeted her rather coolly, looking from her to Kevin. \u201cWhere are you two going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLunch,\u201d Kevin replied.<\/p>\n \u201cOh. I thought you told me you had a surgery scheduled and wouldn\u2019t be able to take your lunch break until later this afternoon,\u201d Elizabeth said, raising an eyebrow at Kevin. She was quite sure he had said he wouldn\u2019t be out of surgery until around one and wouldn\u2019t be able to meet her for lunch before her shift started.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I didn\u2019t think I would be, but my patient crashed and died in the middle of surgery,\u201d Kevin explained. \u201cI just got done talking to the family.\u201d<\/p>\n Elizabeth nodded, studying his face.<\/p>\n Kevin shifted his weight. \u201cWell, we better let you get to the ER. See you later, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave a good lunch,\u201d Elizabeth said briskly, turning on her heel and walking quickly away. She glanced back once to see Kevin and Hayley walking in the other direction. Hayley was talking animatedly to Kevin, her hands flying as she spoke, and he was laughing again. Elizabeth\u2019s eyes narrowed as she watched them. Then she forced herself to turn away and walked on to the ER without a second backward glance.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s your day been so far, sweetie?\u201d Ivory\u2019s boyfriend Brian Littrell asked, as the two of them walked down the street to Sully\u2019s for lunch.<\/p>\n \u201cHectic, but all right,\u201d Ivory replied.<\/p>\n \u201cSeen any good cases?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I just got done with a trauma about an hour ago. A baby came in in full arrest, but the mother was friends with Siara or something and insisted that she treat the baby. So I paged Siara, and she came right in. We got the little girl stabilized, but she\u2019s really sick. Pneumonia. Other than that, most patients I\u2019ve seen have been the run of the mill stuff. Girl with a broken wrist, kid with a football injury, stuff like that. I\u2019m basically just waiting on x-rays for a lot of them right now.\u201d<\/p>\n They reached the small restaurant. Brian pulled open the door and held it for Ivory. Inside, they saw Brian\u2019s cousin Kevin and his friend Hayley sitting at one of the tables.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, cuz!\u201d Kevin called, waving them over. \u201cYou wanna pull up a table?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d said Brian, and he and Ivory pushed another two-person table up to Kevin and Hayley\u2019s and sat down.<\/p>\n \u201cLiz working day?\u201d Brian asked Kevin, as he skimmed over the menu.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, she just got on,\u201d Kevin replied.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd she didn\u2019t look too happy to see us together,\u201d Hayley added.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think?\u201d Kevin asked in surprise. \u201cI thought she sounded sort of distant\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Hayley raised her eyebrows. \u201cWell, I dunno, maybe I was reading her wrong, but she didn\u2019t seem very thrilled to see me with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNah, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s it, Hay. Elizabeth isn\u2019t like that. I\u2019m sure she was just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n But what Elizabeth was, they never found out, for as Kevin trailed off, a waitress came up to take their orders, and the matter was forgotten.<\/p>\n Alana Hill walked briskly down the hall of the ICU ward of the hospital, studying over the file she had clutched in her hands as she made her way to the patient\u2019s room. It was her last check-up before she could finally leave for a lunch break, and she was really dying for a bite to eat since she had pretty much skipped breakfast that morning. This patient wouldn\u2019t be hard at all to check over, just a quick check of the vitals and then she was out of there. The patient she was going to see was Lance Bass. Ever since Lance had woken up on Thanksgiving day, the day before, Alana had been making more frequent visits to his room to check up on his condition. She was by far amazed that Lance had woken up at all, when she believed inside all along that the man never would wake up.<\/p>\n It was a miracle.<\/p>\n Upon entering the room, Alana looked up from Lance\u2019s file to see both of Lance\u2019s parents sitting on both sides of his bed. He peered at the inferior man laying stationary on the bed between them and saw that Lance was indeed conscious at that moment, which she was thankful for. \u201cAfternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Bass,\u201d she greeted as she walked over to them.<\/p>\n \u201cHello Dr. Hill,\u201d Diane Bass said back in return with a small smile.<\/p>\n \u201cAfternoon,\u201d Jim Bass also greeted.<\/p>\n \u201cI see that Lance is awake?\u201d Alana nodded as she immediately went over to the machines that were hooked up to Lance\u2019s body.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he has been for about the past fifteen minutes, though he\u2019s starting to drift in and out,\u201d Jim answered.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Hill, how exactly is our son doing, now that he has woken up?\u201d Diane asked, pleading with Alana for an answer.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Lance,\u201d Alana told her patient as she lifted the bandage off his scalp to examine the site of surgery, causing Lance to close his eyes tightly. \u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d \u201cThe bullet did damage to the parietal lobe of Lance\u2019s brain which controls stimulation, touch, sensory, amongst other things. So far we have concluded that Lance is paralyzed on one side of his body, probably temporary and with a lot of physical therapy and determination on his side, he should overcome this with minimal problems.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnything else, Dr. Hill?\u201d Jim Bass questioned the young neurologist, knowing from the look in the doctor\u2019s eyes she wasn\u2019t done with giving the diagnosis.<\/p>\n \u201cWell…\u201d Alana sucked in a deep breath. \u201cThe parietal lobe also controls parts of speech, so there is a chance, a high chance, he will have trouble speaking. He may have to learn how to speak all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that for sure?\u201d came Diane\u2019s question.<\/p>\n \u201cWe won\u2019t know for sure until we run some more tests,\u201d Alana answered. \u201cI\u2019m going to be quite frank with you, Mr. and Mrs. Bass. Though Lance may seem to recover from his injury in many ways, there is a very high chance that he will never be the same person he used to be, that he won\u2019t be the same Lance as you used to know him as. His personality could be totally changed because of this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been shown in patients who have been in similar situations, that sometimes they come out of this ordeal as let\u2019s say a new person. They are different from the person their friends and family remember, sometimes it is minor and other times it is drastic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen will we know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell right now, it is a touch and go situation, Mr. and Mrs. Bass. Lance is unable to speak so until we can get him to succeed in speech therapy, we may not know until then. It could be weeks or even months; in some cases years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh God,\u201d the trembling voice of Diane echoed throughout the room. Alana watched in sympathy as her frail shoulders began to shake with suppressed sobs.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019re not going to give up on your son. Rest assured that we are going to do everything we can to help him recover in the best way possible,\u201d Alana told her softly.<\/p>\n \u201cAll you can do is be there for him with all of your love and support, it\u2019s the best thing for him coming from you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Dr. Hill,\u201d Jim nodded gratefully as he got up to embrace his wife in a tight hug.<\/p>\n \u201cI will leave you to have time alone with your son again, now. I\u2019m currently heading out for lunch, but I will be back in about an hour. So if you feel the need to speak with me, just have me paged.\u201d Alana waited until Lance\u2019s parents nodded in understanding, then he exited from the room.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Ivory, there you are!\u201d cried Bianca Parker as Ivory came back to the ER after lunch. \u201cSomeone from radiology has been looking for you. The x-rays are back on the kid in Exam 2.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, great, thanks, Bianca,\u201d said Ivory. She rounded up Brandon Levis\u2019s chest x-ray films and took them to the light board outside his room to read them. She put up one from the front view first and turned on the board. Ivory looked up at the film, prepared to see nothing more than a bruised rib or two. What she did see made her gasp aloud in horror.<\/p>\n \u201cOh man\u2026\u201d said a voice behind her. Ivory turned around to see Bianca standing behind her, her blue eyes fixed on the x-ray as well. Bianca shook her head sadly. \u201cThat\u2019s got to be at least a stage three.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory nodded numbly. \u201cThis is just an eight-year-old little boy,\u201d she said softly. \u201cHe was playing football with his friends, got tackled, and was having trouble breathing. I was thinking he had just gotten the wind knocked out of him and maybe had a bruised rib or something. I never suspected he had a tumor in his lung!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh god\u2026 so this isn\u2019t a recurring thing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think so. His records don\u2019t say anything about being treated for cancer. Nobody knew about it. And it\u2019s so big\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe probably hasn\u2019t got a chance,\u201d Bianca finished quietly.<\/p>\n Ivory bit her lip, staring at the dark shape that had invaded the little boy\u2019s left lung, and slowly nodded again.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Brandon,\u201d Ivory said, swallowing hard as she walked into Exam 2. \u201cMrs. Levis, could I talk to you outside?\u201d<\/p>\n Brandon\u2019s mother gave Ivory a puzzled expression. \u201cOf course,\u201d she said, standing up and following Ivory into the hall. \u201cIs something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory took a deep breath. \u201cI got back Brandon\u2019s chest x-rays,\u201d she began, \u201cand I\u2019m afraid there\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Did he break a rib or something?\u201d<\/p>\n I wish it was that simple<\/em>, Ivory thought, but she just shook her head. \u201cNo, his ribs look fine. But I know why he was having trouble breathing. Mrs. Levis, your son has a tumor in his lung.\u201d<\/p>\n The mother gasped, her eyes widening in horror. \u201cOh my God,\u201d she whispered. \u201cHow\u2026 how bad is it?\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory placed the first x-ray back on the light board and turned it on. \u201cThis is the tumor,\u201d she said grimly, circling the large, dark mass with her finger.<\/p>\n \u201cGod\u2026 it\u2019s huge!\u201d Mrs. Levis cried, clapping a hand over her mouth. \u201cH-how could we not know about this?\u201d Her voice was choked with tears, and Ivory could tell she was close to breaking down. She put a hand lightly on Mrs. Levis\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, things like this come without symptoms. It\u2019s probably been growing for months, and Brandon seemed perfectly fine until now. There was no way you could have known.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Levis\u2019s eyes filled. \u201cA tumor this size\u2026 is it treatable?\u201d she asked. \u201cWe\u2026 we have good insurance. We\u2019ll do whatever it takes \u2013 chemo, radiation, surgery\u2026 anything!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but I don\u2019t really know. This isn\u2019t my area of expertise. I\u2019m going to call an oncologist down here for a consult, and then you\u2019ll be able to find out more about your options,\u201d Ivory said.<\/p>\n Mrs. Levis nodded slowly. \u201cHow am I going to tell Brandon about this?\u201d she asked softly, blinking back tears.<\/p>\n \u201cI can talk to him if you want me to,\u201d Ivory offered.<\/p>\n \u201cWould you?\u201d Mrs. Levis asked, looking grateful. \u201cIt\u2019s just that\u2026 I wouldn\u2019t know what to say, how to explain it to him. And I don\u2019t want him to see me cry.\u201d With those words, she broke down, the tears escaping from the corners of her eyes and running down her cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Mrs. Levis, I know,\u201d said Ivory. \u201cI\u2019ll tell him. Why don\u2019t you come with me – I\u2019ll take you somewhere more private so you can be by yourself for a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d the woman whispered, allowing Ivory to lead her down the hall to a smaller waiting room with just a few chairs.<\/p>\n \u201cJust stay here for a while,\u201d said Ivory, \u201cand come back when you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Mrs. Levis said again.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re welcome,\u201d Ivory replied. Then she left Mrs. Levis alone and went back down the hall, trying to prepare herself for the dreaded task of telling an eight-year-old boy he was dying.<\/p>\n +++<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me, doc, but we\u2019ve been waiting here for hours! Haven\u2019t you gotten Ali\u2019s x-rays back yet?\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory rolled her eyes and turned to Alicia Rivers\u2019 father, who had come up behind her in the hall. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, sir, but I haven\u2019t had a chance to look at them yet,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll be back to talk to you soon, but I have another patient I need to see right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, what about us? We\u2019ve been here forever!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo has this patient, and he\u2019s in worse shape than your daughter, so if you\u2019d please just wait patiently, I\u2019ll get back to you as soon as I can,\u201d Ivory said through gritted teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is bullshit,\u201d Mr. Rivers muttered, stalking off.<\/p>\n Ivory rolled her eyes again, realizing what a wise decision Brian had made in specializing in pediatrics, treating children instead of adults \u2013 some adults could be much more obnoxious than any child. But as she reached Brandon\u2019s room, her irritation melted away and was replaced by a feeling of dismay. Taking a moment to collect herself, she slowly walked into the room.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s my mom?\u201d Brandon asked casually, as Ivory sat down in the chair Mrs. Levis had previously occupied.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s just down the hall. She\u2019ll be back soon,\u201d Ivory told him. \u201cBrandon, I need to talk to you about something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Brandon asked, looking at her. His large hazel eyes were questioning, but not fearful. He had no idea what she was about to tell him.<\/p>\n \u201cBrandon, there\u2019s a reason why you\u2019ve been having some trouble breathing lately, and it\u2019s not because of football,\u201d Ivory began slowly. \u201cYou have what\u2019s called a tumor in one of your lungs. Have you heard of a tumor before?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026\u201d Brandon said uncertainly, \u201cBut I don\u2019t really know what it is. Is it bad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, a tumor is like a big blob thing that grows inside your body,\u201d said Ivory. \u201cThere are different kinds of tumors, and they can grow in different places. Some of them are harmless; they don\u2019t do anything. But others are what we call malignant, and that means they have cancer in them. Do you know what cancer is?\u201d<\/p>\n Brandon nodded. \u201cMy grandma had cancer,\u201d he said, his expression serious. \u201cYou can die from it, can\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d said Ivory, \u201cbut not always. It depends on what kind of cancer and how bad it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo I have cancer?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026 I\u2019m not sure yet. Another doctor, one that takes care of people with cancer, is going to run some tests on you and figure out what kind of tumor you have. It might be cancer, but there\u2019s a chance it isn\u2019t,\u201d Ivory explained, though she was pretty certain the tumor was malignant. Still, she couldn\u2019t bear to leave him without hope.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if it is cancer? Am I going to die?\u201d Brandon asked. She could see the fear in his eyes now, but his voice was steady. Kids were surprising like that. If Ivory had just been told this news, she knew she would have been crying. But Brandon was not.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, sweetie,\u201d Ivory said, and at this point, her own voice trembled slightly. She swallowed hard and continued, \u201cYour new doctor will be able to explain some more to you, about how they can get rid of your tumor and make you better. I\u2019m not a cancer doctor, so I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Brandon nodded. \u201cSo I\u2019m going to get better?\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory managed what she hoped was a reassuring smile. \u201cWe have some very good doctors at this hospital, and they\u2019re going to do everything they can to make you get better.\u201d It wasn\u2019t exactly an answer to his question, but Brandon nodded again and accepted it.<\/p>\n \u201cHaven\u2019t you looked at her x-rays yet?\u201d a voice exploded in Ivory\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n Ivory spun around to find Mr. Rivers standing behind her again. She had just sent Brandon up to the Oncology Floor for further testing and was about to head to the lounge for a break. After all that, she needed one.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Mr. Rivers,\u201d she groaned, \u201cYes, I was just about to look at them. I\u2019ll be right back.\u201d Before he could say anything else, she turned and hurried away to find the x-rays of Alicia\u2019s wrist.<\/p>\n Knowing my luck, she\u2019ll probably have bone cancer or something<\/em>, Ivory thought to herself as she put the x-rays up on a light board. But all she saw there was a hairline fracture. Taking the x-rays down, Ivory went into Alicia\u2019s room, hoping to put her wrist in a brace and send her on her way before Mr. Rivers could pester her any further.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Alicia,\u201d Ivory said, smiling at the little girl as she entered the room. \u201cWhere\u2019d your dad go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI dunno. He left a few minutes ago to find you, and he hasn\u2019t come back yet,\u201d Alicia said softly, shrugging.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. Well, I have good news and bad news. I just took a look at your x-rays, and your wrist isn\u2019t broken. That\u2019s the good news.\u201d She smiled at Alicia again, but Alicia just nodded, her expression blank. \u201cThe bad news is that you do have a fracture, which means the bone is not broken, but cracked. I don\u2019t have to put your arm in a cast, but you will have to wear a wrist brace for a little while. I need to go find one of those for you, but I\u2019ll be right back, and then you can get out of this place, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n She gave Alicia\u2019s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, but Alicia winced and quickly jerked away.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry!\u201d Ivory apologized quickly, looking at Alicia in surprise. \u201cDid I hurt you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. No, I\u2019m okay,\u201d Alicia said hurriedly.<\/p>\n Ivory\u2019s eyes narrowed. \u201cHold still a minute. I\u2019m not going to hurt you, I just want to look at something,\u201d she said, gently reaching for Alicia\u2019s shoulder again. She pulled lightly on the neck of Alicia\u2019s t-shirt, exposing one of her shoulders. Ivory could see a large, severe-looking bruise on it. \u201cHow did you get this, honey?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n Alicia shrugged. \u201cI fell,\u201d she said simply, looking down.<\/p>\n \u201cYou fell? Do you fall and get hurt a lot?\u201d<\/p>\n Alicia nodded. \u201cMy daddy says I\u2019m a klutz.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see. Do you have other bruises like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Alicia just shrugged again and didn\u2019t answer. Very slowly and gently, Ivory lifted the back of her shirt up. Sure enough, Alicia\u2019s back was covered in black and blue marks.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 I fell down the stairs a few days ago,\u201d Alicia said. \u201cI hit my back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that really what happened?\u201d Ivory asked, sure that Alicia was lying. Alicia did not reply. \u201cAlicia, honey, did someone do this to you? Did someone hurt you?\u201d Again, Alicia did not answer, but Ivory could see that her shoulders had begun to shake. \u201cSweetie, don\u2019t be afraid, you can tell me. Is it your dad? Does he hit you?\u201d<\/p>\n Very slightly, Alicia nodded.<\/p>\n Ivory bit her lip. That\u2019s what she had suspected. \u201cDoes he do other things, too, Alicia? Does he\u2026 touch you in places? Private places?\u201d She closed her eyes momentarily, praying the answer would be no.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Alicia said.<\/p>\n Ivory nodded, relieved. \u201cBut he hits you,\u201d she went on seriously. \u201cWhat about your mom? Does he hurt her too?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy mommy\u2019s dead,\u201d Alicia replied. \u201cShe died when I was five.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. I\u2019m sorry,\u201d Ivory said. \u201cDid this start after your mommy died? Your dad hitting you?\u201d<\/p>\n Alicia nodded, her bottom lip quivering. \u201cI\u2019m bad,\u201d she whimpered. \u201cI\u2026 I\u2019m a bad girl, and he has to punish me.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory shook her head. \u201cNo,\u201d she said firmly. \u201cThat\u2019s not punishment. That\u2019s abuse. It\u2019s wrong. No one should ever hurt you like this.\u201d Alicia began to cry. \u201cShh,\u201d Ivory said soothingly, resting a hand on Alicia\u2019s head and lightly stroking her hair. \u201cIt\u2019s all right, sweetie. I\u2019m going to make sure your daddy can\u2019t do this to you anymore. Everything is going to be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is going on here?\u201d a sudden voice boomed. Alicia\u2019s father stormed into the room. \u201cWhat did you do to her?\u201d he demanded, glaring at Ivory. \u201cDid you hurt her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ivory said, standing up and glaring back at him. \u201cBut you did.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Rivers\u2019 eyes narrowed. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d he asked, his voice low and menacing.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw the bruises,\u201d Ivory said, gazing defiantly at him. \u201cI know the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat truth? That Alicia\u2019s clumsy? She falls a lot, gets hurt a lot. She\u2019s always climbing around on stuff. I don\u2019t have any control over her getting hurt; I can\u2019t watch her every minute of the day, you know!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou hit her,\u201d Ivory hissed. \u201cShe told me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?!\u201d he roared, and Ivory saw Alicia flinch. \u201cThat\u2019s bullshit!\u201d her father cried. \u201cShe\u2019s making it up! I\u2026 I\u2019m her father; I would never hit her!\u201d<\/p>\n He was lying through his teeth; it was obvious. Ivory saw red. \u201cYou bastard,\u201d she whispered. \u201cCome with me.\u201d She grabbed him by the arm and yanked him away, out into the hall. She slammed the door shut behind her and turned to face him. \u201cWhat do you get out of hitting your daughter? Does it make you feel good, inflicting pain on some poor defenseless little girl? Do you feel big when you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have no right to-\u201c Mr. Rivers started, but Ivory went on.<\/p>\n \u201cYou lying bastard, stop pretending it\u2019s not true! I suspected the truth, and Alicia confirmed it! You\u2019ve been abusing your daughter, and you\u2019re going to pay for it! There is no way that girl is going back to live with you; I\u2019ll make sure of that!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou bitch!\u201d Mr. Rivers spat, and Ivory could see the rage in his eyes. Was this how he looked when he struck Alicia?<\/p>\n Feeling some of her bravado fade, Ivory took a step back. And then Mr. Rivers lunged at her. Reacting just at the right moment, Ivory jumped out of the way, sending the large man into a wall. Before he could turn around, she grabbed him from behind and shoved him hard into the wall again with such force that she nearly went tumbling into him. He turned around, his hands clenched into fists. Acting on a rush of adrenaline, Ivory let out a shriek and sent her own fist flying into his face. He grabbed his eye and staggered back, and Ivory was all set to hit him again, when a shrill voice screamed, \u201cIvory!\u201d<\/p>\n A hand came from behind and grabbed her fist; then suddenly, two security guards were restraining Mr. Rivers while someone pulled her roughly away. Turning around, Ivory came face to face with Elizabeth O\u2019Brien, who was in charge of the ER. Her face was livid, her green eyes wide with disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cIvory!\u201d she cried angrily. \u201cWhat the\u2026 I\u2026 argh, come with me, right now!\u201d She grabbed Ivory\u2019s wrist, and before Ivory could protest, dragged her into the lounge. \u201cSusanna, get out,\u201d Elizabeth growled to Susanna Larson, who was sitting at the table, drinking a soda and doing paperwork.<\/p>\n Susanna\u2019s eyes widened in surprise, but she knew better than to question Elizabeth when she was angry and grabbed her things and left without a word.<\/p>\n \u201cIvory, what in the hell were you doing?!\u201d Elizabeth screamed.<\/p>\n \u201cDefending myself!\u201d Ivory shouted back. \u201cThat guy was about to attack me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you provoke him? What in the hell happened?\u201d Elizabeth demanded, her nostrils flaring.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a god-damn child abuser, and he\u2019s been hitting his daughter!\u201d Ivory cried.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you report him to social services, and let them take care of it! What, did you think you were going to cure him of his ways by lecturing him about it or something?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I wanted him to know he\u2019s not getting away with anything here, that I was on to him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that was a pretty dumb-ass thing to do! You can\u2019t just go accusing someone of abusing his daughter; of course he\u2019s going to get angry! And if he hits his daughter, he\u2019s not going to have much of a problem hitting you, is he?\u201d Ivory fell silent, not sure what to say to that. Elizabeth took the opportunity to continue with her rampage. \u201cAnd besides, Ivory, you\u2019re a doctor! You do not attack patients or their families, verbally or physically!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Ivory mumbled. \u201cI was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s evident. But you can\u2019t let yourself get out of control like this! You should have just reported it to social services and let it be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Elizabeth, you said that already,\u201d Ivory muttered, rolling her eyes. She knew Elizabeth was right, but she couldn\u2019t help but feel that the guy had deserved what he had gotten.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to have to report this to Dr. Brunson, Ivory,\u201d said Elizabeth. \u201cShe\u2019s going to hear about it whether I report it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory hung her head. She was afraid of that. Elizabeth was nothing compared to how angry Holli was going to be.<\/p>\n \u201cAm I going to get in serious trouble for this?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d said Elizabeth, her tone softening slightly. \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ll get some kind of punishment, but I doubt you\u2019ll get fired or anything that serious.\u201d Ivory started to relax, but Elizabeth continued, \u201cHowever, if you do something like this again, I can pretty much guarantee you\u2019ll be out a job.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory sighed and nodded. \u201cIt won\u2019t happen again,\u201d she said softly. \u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n Episode 15: Good News and Bad News Joey Fatone stepped out of the lounge, his girlfriend Melissa Ruffino right alongside him. He liked the days when the two worked the same hours \u2013 they could ride in to work together, eat lunch together, and go home together. But that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":66,"menu_order":15,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-231","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/231","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=231"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":236,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/231\/revisions\/236"}],"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=231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}+++<\/h4>\n
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\n\u201cNatalie, page Dr. Reily and get her in here! Stat!\u201d<\/p>\n+++<\/h4>\n
\n\u201cYou\u2019re such a big baby.\u201d She leaned in to peck him on the lips.<\/p>\n
\nbut I can\u2019t do lunch today.\u201d<\/p>\n+++<\/h4>\n
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\nTurning her attention back to the hopeful parents, Alana cleared her throat, a nervous habit developed over the years. \u201cHe is doing a lot better than we thought he would be at this point. Your son is very strong willed, any other patient and they probably would have given up at this point.\u201d Now comes the hard part, she thought to herself.<\/p>\n+++<\/h4>\n
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Episode 16<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"