<\/p>\n
Justin Timberlake woke up to a pitch-black room. He glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed and groaned. It was only 5:02 AM, and his alarm was set for 6:00 AM. He tried to go back to sleep, but couldn\u2019t. In all honesty, Justin was both nervous and excited. It was a new year, meaning that he would now be assigned to a new doctor. Not that he hated working with Dr. Parker \u2013 she was great. He just was dead sure that she hated him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough, I haven\u2019t been that great of a student myself,\u201d he admitted to himself.<\/p>\n
Justin stared at the darkness for a moment, reflecting on all the mistakes he had made in the past semester. Looking back at the clock, Justin decided that he might as well get up and make himself something to eat. After all, he didn\u2019t want to be late, like he had been last semester. He stretched his arms and looked back at his bed, where Britney was sleeping.<\/p>\n
She looks so peaceful when she sleeps<\/em>, he thought. After giving Britney one last look, Justin walked out of the room and quietly closed the door.<\/p>\n Elizabeth O\u2019Brien gave the apartment one final glance: everything was neat, in perfect order. She nodded, satisfied. It was the way she preferred things.<\/p>\n Stepping around her small suitcase, she reached in the closet for her coat. For a split second, she wondered why it seemed so empty. Then her jaw clenched.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s for the best,\u201d she said, pushing back the threatening twinge of pain. \u201cNow we\u2019re both free to find real happiness.\u201d Grabbing her coat, she ignored the sudden waft of cologne that drifted past. Kevin\u2019s favorite… but why did her coat smell of it? He must have hugged her at some point, the fragrance transferring to the wool. She drew the garment closer to her face, inhaling deeply.<\/p>\n A second later, she pulled back. Angry at herself for her emotionality, she donned the coat and fastened it with fervor. After placing her suitcases out in the hallway, she turned and locked the apartment.<\/p>\n As soon as this conference is over<\/em>, she thought to herself, I\u2019m getting this coat dry-cleaned<\/em>. It wouldn\u2019t do to have unnecessary reminders of that which was firmly in the past.<\/p>\n Kevin finished going through his email and turned off his computer. With the week\u2019s schedule in hand, he left his office and walked down the hallway. He was so engrossed in what he was reading he made the turn into the lounge without conscious thought.<\/p>\n \u201cWant a cup?\u201d<\/p>\n Startled, he looked up from the papers and blinked. \u201cOh, Hayley… hi. Um, sure, I could use a boost.\u201d<\/p>\n The redhead nodded and reached for Kevin\u2019s mug from the wall hook. \u201cRough night?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t sleep very well,\u201d he said elusively. \u201cI\u2019ll take that with-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTwo sugars, one creamer,\u201d Hayley finished. \u201cI know. I\u2019ve been fixing you coffee for years now.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled. \u201cI guess you have,\u201d he said, taking the offered cup gratefully. \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo wanna tell me what\u2019s been on your mind lately?\u201d<\/p>\n He quickly raised the coffee to his lips and took a long sip.<\/p>\n \u201cDelay tactics won\u2019t help,\u201d she said, smiling. \u201cSpill.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHay…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, we\u2019re alone here, you can talk. It\u2019s been obvious that you\u2019ve been out of sorts. What\u2019s up? Or is it really none of my business?\u201d<\/p>\n Knowing his long-time friend would find out eventually, he sighed. Nodding at the small table, he sat down; she joined him a moment later.<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth and I broke up,\u201d he said, shoulders slumping.<\/p>\n Hayley\u2019s eyes grew wide. \u201cWhat? When did this happen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChristmas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut didn\u2019t you go to the New Year\u2019s Eve gala at the Carlton?\u201d<\/p>\n He toyed with the rim of his cup. \u201cIt was a last ditch effort. One final try.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhich obviously didn\u2019t work,\u201d she said, voice full of sympathy. \u201cI thought you two were happy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was,\u201d he said, then paused. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Kev,\u201d Hayley said, taking his hand. He returned her squeeze and gave her a wry smile.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s strange,\u201d he said. \u201cGetting used to being alone. I haven\u2019t been single for two years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrust me,\u201d she replied, \u201cyou haven\u2019t missed much.\u201d She drank from her cup. \u201cSo where are you staying?\u201d<\/p>\n He grimaced. \u201cThe Cavalier Apartments.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat! That\u2019s a total dive! You\u2019re a doctor; surely you can afford-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s only temporary,\u201d he quickly reassured her. \u201cAnd it was the only place I could find on really short notice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not in the best part of town,\u201d she said. \u201cI bet our residents wouldn\u2019t even live there.\u201d<\/p>\n He gave her a grin. \u201cWell, the paper thin walls make for interesting entertainment,\u201d he said, leaning back. \u201cAnd most of my stuff is safely locked away in storage. Besides, it\u2019s kind of nostalgic; reminds me of my salad days.\u201d<\/p>\n She rolled her eyes. \u201cYou could always crash at my place,\u201d she offered. \u201cI can guarantee there\u2019s not nightly cockroach races there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate it,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I only have thirteen days left there. I can make do; I have a place at the Addison lined up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow, that\u2019s more like it,\u201d she said. \u201cWow, it\u2019ll really be going from rags to riches. From filth to fab. From awful to awesome. From-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHayley…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c-prison to penthouse,\u201d she continued, eyes sparkling.<\/p>\n Kevin laughed at her teasing expression. \u201cAll right, all right… enough.\u201d He drained the last of his coffee and smiled at her. \u201cYou always know how to make me laugh,\u201d he said. \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny time,\u201d she said, standing up. \u201cBut seriously, we\u2019ll have to go have dinner or something soon. And definitely not at your place, until you move.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDeal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d she said as she reached the doorway, \u201cdon\u2019t forget. Today you get your new shadow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShadow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMed student.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin groaned as he remembered. \u201cCartwright? Carson?…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCarter,\u201d she corrected. \u201cHave fun!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d he said, gathering his papers and steeling himself for the day.<\/p>\n It was 6:50 AM when Justin arrived at the hospital, a full ten minutes early for his first day on his new rotation. He was assigned to Dr. Amory Cannon in surgery. Being in the ER his first semester, Justin didn\u2019t really know Dr. Cannon too well, which he was partly glad for. He didn\u2019t want Dr. Cannon to judge him based on his mistakes in the ER.<\/p>\n Walking towards the surgery ward, Justin suddenly saw Isabel napping on a chair in the waiting room.<\/p>\n \u201cHey\u2026 Isabel\u2026 wake up,\u201d he said, shaking her shoulder. Isabel moved a bit, and then looked straight at Justin.<\/p>\n \u201cJustin?? What time is it?\u201d she asked, looking for a nearby clock.<\/p>\n \u201cRelax\u2026 it\u2019s only 6:52 AM. Did you spend the night here so you won\u2019t be late?\u201d he asked. Though they weren\u2019t really close to each other, Justin and Isabel were friends. Isabel had helped him throughout med school, and they had chatted a few times this past semester.<\/p>\n \u201cNah\u2026 I couldn\u2019t sleep last night. I\u2019m excited, you know?\u201d Justin nodded his head. \u201cAnd if I slept here, at least I wouldn\u2019t be late like you were last semester\u2026\u201d Justin groaned as Isabel giggled.<\/p>\n \u201cHa ha\u2026 not funny. Am I ever gonna live that down?\u201d Justin ran his fingers in his hair, remembering the disaster his first day last semester had been.<\/p>\n \u201cNope! Anyways, where are you assigned?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in surgery with Dr. Cannon. You?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCardiology with Dr. Chung. By the way, what time is it now?\u201d<\/p>\n Justin looked at his watch. \u201c6:55, which means I have five minutes to check in and find Dr. Cannon. Good luck in cardiology!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks! And good luck to you in surgery!\u201d<\/p>\n Justin gave one last smile and walked upstairs to the surgery ward. Finally, he was having a good day at the hospital.<\/p>\n Isabel was flustered as she set off for the cardiology ward. She thought she\u2019d been smart, spending the night at the hospital to make absolutely sure she was there on time for her first shift of her new rotation. But her plan had almost backfired; somehow, she\u2019d slept through the alarm she thought she had set, and if Justin hadn\u2019t woken her up\u2026<\/p>\n She shuddered at the thought of being late; it made her break out in a cold sweat. What a horrible first impression to make.<\/p>\n As she waited anxiously for the elevator, she reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out her cell phone. She had promised Nick she would give him a wake-up call to make sure he didn\u2019t oversleep; she hoped to God he had gotten up on his own. He was starting his surgical rotation today, and if he was late, Dr. Brunson would surely know. She was, after all, the Head of Surgery.<\/p>\n As the phone began to ring in her ear, she checked her watch; only four minutes now. Where was the elevator??<\/p>\n Starting to feel panicked now, Isabel gave up and darted into the stairwell, jogging up the steps as fast as she could, her phone still pressed tightly to the side of her head.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Lo?\u201d she heard Nick\u2019s voice answer finally, through a crackle of static.<\/p>\n \u201cNick!\u201d she shouted. \u201cPlease tell me you\u2019re here!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt \u2013 \u2018spital? Ye- -\u2018ere.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel blinked; he was cutting out badly. \u201cSorry, I\u2019m in the stairwell! You\u2019re here??\u201d she asked breathlessly, just as she reached the fourth floor landing. Thank God<\/em>, she thought, sighing with relief as she opened the door marked Cardiology<\/em>.<\/p>\n Nick\u2019s voice came back in, \u201cYeah, I just got off the elevator. Listen, I gotta go find Dr. Richardson. Catch ya later?\u201d<\/p>\n Now the elevator comes!<\/em> Isabel thought in exasperation. She must have just missed it \u2013 and him.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d she sighed, feeling relieved again at the knowledge that he had made it on time. \u201cGood luck; I\u2019ll see you later!\u201d<\/p>\n Before he could even respond, she hurriedly snapped the phone shut, knowing she shouldn\u2019t be caught using her cell phone in the middle of a hospital, on the cardiology floor, nonetheless. She shut off the phone and dropped it into her bag as she strode towards the nurses station in the center of the ward, walking with much more confidence than she felt.<\/p>\n Clearing her throat, she stepped up to the counter. \u201cHi, I\u2019m Isabel Rivera, third-year med student. I\u2019m starting my cardiology rotation with Dr. Chung today.\u201d<\/p>\n A curly-haired, blonde nurse whose name tag said Maggie smiled and replied, \u201cWell, you\u2019re in luck. Here comes Dr. Chung now.\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed, and Isabel turned to see her mentor doctor walking towards her. She had seen Dr. Shannon Chung in the ER for consults on the cardiology patients, but they had never been formally introduced.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Chung?\u201d she asked, holding out her hand to the other woman, who appeared to be in her early thirties. \u201cI\u2019m your new student, Isabel Rivera.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNice to meet you, Miss Rivera,\u201d said Dr. Chung with a professional smile and firm handshake. Though she was slightly shorter than Isabel \u2013 a difficult feat, as Isabel was only five-foot-three herself \u2013 Dr. Chung had a manner about her that was slightly intimidating.<\/p>\n She was very smart; Isabel made that observation in less than five seconds. Of course, she had to be smart to be a cardiology resident, but everything about her, from her appearance to her mannerisms, conveyed intelligence. Her almond eyes were sharp, and while one was dark brown, almost black, the other was surprisingly blue.<\/p>\n Isabel blinked, caught off-guard by this peculiarity, and forced herself to respond, \u201cIt\u2019s nice to meet you, too. I\u2019m really excited to be working with you this semester.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Chung nodded. \u201cAnd I\u2019m glad to teach you. I hope you will learn a great plenty here in the Cardio ward.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel smiled, looking around. \u201cOh, I\u2019m sure I will.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin glanced at his watch as he saw the tall blond emerge from the elevator. Right on time… a good start, anyway. Lord, but they get younger every year…<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDr. Richardson?\u201d the newcomer asked tentatively. \u201cI\u2019m Nick, Nick Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded. They had met before; Carter had been Brian\u2019s student. And not a bad one at that, if he remembered last semester\u2019s conversations with his cousin correctly. That was a relief, though it was still a pain to have to be responsible for a med student, on top of all the other stresses of his job.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Carter,\u201d he said, holding out a hand. He was rewarded with a surprisingly firm handshake. \u201cLooking forward to your surgical rotation?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d the blond said, perhaps a bit eagerly.<\/p>\n Kevin smiled, remembering his own early days. \u201cWell, let me show you around the floor while things are quiet. I have no surgeries scheduled today because there\u2019s supposed to be a big ice storm heading our way \u2013 they canceled all the electives, so we\u2019ll have to take what comes in from the ER.\u201d<\/p>\n The younger man lost a good deal of his nervousness as Kevin familiarized him with the various areas of the surgical wing. When quizzed on various aspects of surgical prep procedure, Nick seemed to know his stuff… another plus. The pair ended up in the lounge.<\/p>\n \u201cNormally I\u2019d be in my office, doing paperwork or reading over case files and surgical journals,\u201d he explained. \u201cBut it\u2019s kind of small for two, so we\u2019ll just stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds good,\u201d the student said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of strange, all this quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI imagine after doing your ER rotation, it would be,\u201d Kevin said. \u201cBut believe me, things can get pretty chaotic up here. You\u2019ll learn to appreciate the quiet times when they come.\u201d<\/p>\n He settled at a table, spreading his paperwork across the surface. When Nick moved towards the bookshelves that lined one wall of the lounge, he suggested a well-used anatomy book to help pass the time. Once the student was settled, Kevin turned to his own work.<\/p>\n Nearly an hour and a half later, he put his paperwork in a neat stack, grateful it was finally finished. Glancing out the window, he saw that the predicted winter storm had already begun. Unfortunately, that meant an upswing in activity in both the ER and surgery. People never learned.<\/p>\n He knew Nick was restless and, no doubt, bored. One of Nick\u2019s friends, a young man whose name eluded him, came into the lounge, semi-complaining about the lack of action. Secretly, Kevin agreed.<\/p>\n Their rescue came from Holli Brunson, surprisingly enough. In her usual brusque way, she announced an incoming surgical case and did an impromptu interrogation on two somewhat startled med students. Kevin was rather proud that it was Nick who proved the most knowledgeable. As he followed Brunson out of the lounge, his focus narrowed as he mentally reviewed procedures, all thoughts of boredom gone.<\/p>\n Nick\u2019s first impression of the surgical department was that it was much less chaotic than the ER. This floor was sparse and sterile, not at all like the cramped and bustling halls and trauma rooms in the Emergency department.<\/p>\n At first, this came as a breath of fresh air, but as the day went on, he quickly started to get bored. He was itching to get into an OR to observe an operation, but all elective procedures had been canceled as a result of the ice storm that was due to hit the North Carolina coastline at any minute.<\/p>\n He couldn\u2019t keep himself from looking out the window every few seconds as he sat in the lounge with Dr. Richardson, an anatomy textbook open in front of him. \u201cHere, why don\u2019t you brush up on your A&P?\u201d his mentor surgeon had suggested, dropping the thick book down on the table in front of him before settling back to work on some of his own paperwork. \u201cYou never know when it will come in handy; if the roads get bad with this storm, we could have some emergencies coming in. There\u2019s always a lot of bad MVAs in a storm.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick had nodded agreeably and opened the book, but after flipping through a few pages, he had quickly lost interest in studying. The whole point of being a third-year, he thought, was that you got to get away<\/em> from the classroom, away<\/em> from the textbooks, and actually put your knowledge to use, actually do<\/em> something. He wanted to do something interesting, or at least watch<\/em> something interesting, but for now, the most interesting thing in the vicinity was the sleet that had started to come down outside.<\/p>\n He watched it for a few minutes, stealing glances in between pretending to study the diagrams in his book, but within minutes, the window was fogged up and iced over, and he could no longer see out of it.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like it\u2019s starting to get bad,\u201d he observed, pointing to the window.<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson looked up. \u201cYep. The MVAs should start rolling in any minute. Stupid people, out driving in this when they should just stay in\u2026\u201d he muttered, shaking his head as he went back to his work.<\/p>\n Was it wrong to secretly hope for some of those stupid people to wreck? Nick felt guilty for it, but he was really hoping for a surgery to happen soon. He didn\u2019t have the attention span to sit around like this, just waiting, not even sure what to study for because he didn\u2019t know what procedure he\u2019d be observing first, or even if he would get to observe a procedure at all.<\/p>\n Justin Timberlake apparently felt the same way. Nick looked up as his fellow-third year came banging into the lounge, his body slouched. \u201cMan, this sucks,\u201d he complained to Nick as he went to the refrigerator, pulling out a twenty-four ounce bottle of Mountain Dew. Twisting open the top, he took a long slurp and exhaled loudly. \u201cYou seen any procedures yet, Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope\u2026 you?\u201d Nick was afraid to complain about the lack of excitement around Dr. Richardson; the man seemed nice enough from the few occasions Nick had been around him, but he also had a seriousness about him that was intimidating. Nick didn\u2019t want to get on his bad side on the first day.<\/p>\n Justin snorted. \u201cNo\u2026 man, Dr. Cannon\u2019s got me practicing reading X-rays to classify bone fractures. I learned how to read a friggin\u2019 x-ray in the ER; I\u2019m ready for some action!\u201d<\/p>\n Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Dr. Richardson look up, but the older surgeon didn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n As if answering their prayers, Dr. Brunson, whom Nick never would have thought of as an answer to any<\/em> prayer, suddenly burst into the lounge.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a patient coming down with severe peritonitis. I\u2019ve booked OR 1 for emergency surgery. Richardson, would you like to assist?\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson jumped up, setting his charts aside. \u201cOf course.\u201d He looked over at Nick and started to add, \u201cCan-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAhh, Mr. Timberlake. And Mr. Carter,\u201d interrupted Dr. Brunson, who had followed Kevin\u2019s gaze and was now looking at each of the students in turn. \u201cI take it you\u2019re both on surgical rotation as of today?\u201d<\/p>\n The two students nodded, and Justin added a rather squeaky \u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n Suck-up, thought Nick, smirking over at him. He couldn\u2019t blame Justin for trying though; he\u2019d had more than his fair share of run-ins with the formidable Dr. Brunson during their fall semester.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, perhaps one of you would like to observe the procedure then?\u201d Brunson suggested, and they both nodded eagerly. \u201cAll right then, who can tell me what peritonitis is?\u201d<\/p>\n Nick and Justin exchanged looks, only to realize at the same time that they were being quizzed. Nick\u2019s mind started to race, but luckily, this was a fairly easy one. \u201cIt\u2019s an inflammation of the peritoneum, caused by infection?\u201d he managed to get out, while Justin was still on an \u201cUhh\u2026,\u201d his face all screwed up in concentration.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you asking me or telling me, Carter?\u201d barked Dr. Brunson<\/p>\n \u201cTelling you,\u201d Nick quickly replied.<\/p>\n \u201cGood. And I assume you know your anatomy \u2013 the peritoneum is what, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n Nick had already known that answer before today, but, by the hand of fate, the page of the anatomy textbook he had been staring at for the last half hour was the gastrointestinal system. \u201cIt\u2019s the membrane that lines the abdominal wall,\u201d he answered easily. \u201cIt covers most of the organs, especially the gastrointestinal ones.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCorrect \u2013 not that I would have expected any less from a third-year. That\u2019s basic anatomy,\u201d snapped Dr. Brunson, glaring over at Justin, whose mouth was gaping soundlessly. \u201cAnd what can you tell me about the presentation of peritonitis?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInfection!\u201d Justin blurted, so quickly and so loudly that, this time, Nick was rendered speechless, in order to stop and look at him. Blushing, Justin stammered, \u201cI-I mean, the patient will present with\u2026 with signs of an infection.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, of course, seeing as how Mr. Carter has already informed us that peritonitis is caused by infection,\u201d Brunson said irritably. \u201cCould you possibly grace us with some more specific<\/em> symptoms, Mr. Timberlake?\u201d<\/p>\n Justin opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally asking, \u201cHigh white blood count?\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Brunson made a tutting noise. \u201cNot if the patient has already become septic; then he or she would probably be leukopenic. Mr. Carter, do you know of any characteristic signs that present themselves upon physical<\/em> examination?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026 well, they\u2019d be tender to palpitation of the abdomen,\u201d said Nick, thinking back to the many physical examinations he\u2019d done in the ER. \u201cAnd the abdomen would be stiff, maybe even distended? They could be nauseous or vomiting, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Brunson nodded shortly. \u201cThat\u2019s a start anyway. This particular patient was admitted several days ago with a small bowel obstruction due to Crohn\u2019s disease. Dr. Emerson performed the surgery to remove the blockage. Today, three days post-op, the patient developed severe abdominal pain, high-grade fever, tachycardia, vomiting, and decreased urine output. I consulted with the physician; diagnosis is peritonitis. What would you suspect is the cause, Mr. Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n Nick thought quickly, trying to process all the information she had given him. \u201cWell, since he just had surgery, it could have been caused by a complication \u2013 maybe his intestines got punctured?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood hypothesis. We won\u2019t know until we open her up, but yes, a tear in the bowel is a definite possibility. Too bad Emerson isn\u2019t on call today to repair his mistake, if that\u2019s the case. As it is, Dr. Richardson is here to assist, and Mr. Carter, since you seem to have a solid understanding of the condition, why don\u2019t you tag along and learn the surgical remedy?\u201d<\/p>\n Nick\u2019s heart leapt. \u201cI can observe?\u201d he asked hopefully.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, if you\u2019re available to scrub in the next two minutes,\u201d replied Dr. Brunson. Nick nodded eagerly, and Dr. Richardson smiled at him over Dr. Brunson\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I\u2026 um, Dr. Brunson, would you mind if I came too?\u201d Justin asked tentatively. \u201cI haven\u2019t seen a procedure yet, and-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you won\u2019t, until you can prove you have a solid understanding of the cause for the procedure,\u201d snapped Dr. Brunson, rounding on him, her sharp, hawkish eyes flashing dangerously. \u201cI\u2019m sure Dr. Cannon can provide you with some reading material to help enlighten you, Mr. Timberlake. Or there\u2019s always chart work to be done.\u201d With that, she stalked away, calling over her shoulder, \u201cRichardson, Carter, we need to scrub in now<\/em>, or we\u2019ll have a septic patient on our table!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Nick,\u201d said Dr. Richardson, putting a hand on his shoulder as he steered Nick out of the room. Nick felt a rush of excitement that was only curbed slightly when he glanced back to see the dejected look on Justin\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d Brian sat back and watched the little girl examine the row of neat, dark stitches on her palm.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t hurt,\u201d she announced after a few moments.<\/p>\n Brian smiled at the little girl\u2019s mother, who watched her daughter nervously. \u201cGood. Now, I won\u2019t have to give you any medicine if you follow my directions. How\u2019s that sound?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAwesome!\u201d She grinned, showing off a missing tooth.<\/p>\n \u201cI can assure you, Stella\u2019s going to do everything you tell her, Dr. Littrell. She\u2019s certainly not going near the ice from now on. I don\u2019t ever want her to have to go through this again,\u201d the mother spoke anxiously, her gaze darting from her daughter\u2019s face to the stitches.<\/p>\n Brian nodded. \u201cI don\u2019t want Stella to have to go through it either, but I don\u2019t think she has to be banned from ice skating. You can relax, Mrs. Matthews. All Stella has to do when she gets home is change into warm clothes, drink hot chocolate, and not go outside for the rest of the day. It\u2019s getting dangerous out there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s all?\u201d Stella asked, in wonder at the fact that she could just have fun and get better easily.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d Brian assured her. \u201cOh, and remember to clean the stitches and change the bandage every day. I think your mom can help you with that, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Matthews nodded, a relieved smile forming on her face. \u201cI absolutely will help. Anything it takes to fix this.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian jotted down his notes on the chart. \u201cGreat! Well, you\u2019re all set here. Remember to come back in ten days to have the stitches removed. And drive carefully on your way home. It\u2019s getting icy outside.\u201d<\/p>\n Ruffling Stella\u2019s hair and hearing her giggle, Brian smiled to himself and headed back into the fray of chaos that the ER had been all morning.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026and there\u2019s number eleven. Damn Howie, guess I owe you twenty bucks,\u201d AJ grumbled as they passed their tenth abandoned car on the side of the road.<\/p>\n Howie chuckled as he won their little bet. \u201cSorry man, but you were the stupid one to think there wouldn\u2019t be more then ten cars on the side of the road. But now you can buy me dinner.\u201d Howie smirked as he made sure to glance into the car to just be sure no one was sitting it in.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hell if I\u2019m buying you dinner; I\u2019ll give you your twenty bucks for you to buy your own dinner. And I just figured these backroads hillbillies would be stupid enough to be out on the road.\u201d AJ carefully turned down a road, slowing down enough to keep from spinning or sliding on the newly-forming ice.<\/p>\n Howie glanced at his friend with a smirk. \u201cUm, AJ\u2026 in case you didn\u2019t realize, you\u2019re<\/em> one of those \u2018backroads hillbillies,\u2019 as you so blatantly put it. May I remind you that you live on Billy Joe Road? Now if that\u2019s not a backroads street name, I don\u2019t know what is.\u201d Howie laughed so hard at his own joke that he was grasping his stomach.<\/p>\n AJ rolled his eyes. \u201cYou\u2019re lucky you already have yourself a woman, D, cause with that sense of humor, you\u2019d never get another one.\u201d He momentarily took his eyes off the road to get Howie a good sneer.<\/p>\n Howie was just about to flip his friend off when suddenly he saw a car coming around the next corner rather out of control. \u201cAJ, LOOK OUT!\u201d<\/p>\n AJ swiftly took his foot off of the gas pedal, fighting not to act on instinct and hit the breaks. Luckily for the two paramedics, the out of control car slid across the pavement a few feet away. Unluckily for them, as their rig came to a slow halt, they witnessed the car bounce harshly against the side of the nearby ditch.<\/p>\n \u201cSon of a\u2026\u201d AJ mumbled.<\/p>\n Howie\u2019s eyes went wide as he saw the passenger sail right through the windshield. After sitting there for a moment in complete shock, he snapped into action. \u201cAJ, radio this in. I\u2019ll get the passenger; you check the driver.\u201d After barking out the orders, he grabbed his bag and a backboard and slid out onto the slick street, making his way to the person that was sprawled out on the cold, hard ground.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t often that they witnessed the actual accident, especially one to this extent. All too soon, he found himself crouched down next to the young woman who was laid out on her side. \u201cMiss? Miss? Can you hear me??\u201d Howie began unzipping his medical bag.<\/p>\n The girl let out a moan; tears were streaming down her face. \u201cOh no\u2026 oh no, oh no.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan you tell me your name, Miss?\u201d Howie asked as he quickly worked to strap a neck brace on her.<\/p>\n The girl visibly swallowed hard, her voice shaking. \u201cA-Anna\u2026 Anna Spencer. James?? Where\u2019s James???!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need you to stay as still as possible, Anna; I\u2019m worried about your injuries. Were you not wearing your seatbelt?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t answer me, WHERE\u2019S JAMES?!! JAMES! JAMES!\u201d She tried yelling out for her boyfriend.<\/p>\n \u201cCalm down, dear, he\u2019s still in the car. My partner is tending to him. Now can you tell me if anything hurts? Does it hurt to breathe?\u201d<\/p>\n Her teeth chattered a little. \u201cUm… actually, not much is hurting; is that bad?\u201d<\/p>\n Howie bit his lip briefly, trying to not show his worry. \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s just the shock, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n Her whole body had started to quiver, her rapid breath coming in small clouds. \u201cIt\u2019s so icy\u2026\u201d she murmured, her teeth chattering harder. \u201cTh-they let us out of sc-school early, be-because of the s-storm\u2026 J-James is a good driver, but he\u2026 he lost control. The road was so s-slippery\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Howie looked at her in sympathy and wondered how the boy was doing. \u201cDo you think you can just stay very still for me while I go check on your friend and get some help from my partner?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJ-just make sure James is okay, please?\u201d<\/p>\n Howie nodded and gave her hand a slight squeeze before hopping up to his feet and heading towards the mangled car. He noticed that AJ had been able to get the car door open and had also placed a neck brace on the victim. \u201cHey J, give me his stats.\u201d<\/p>\n AJ was quick to ramble off the information Howie had asked for. \u201cMale driver, late teens maybe early twenties, unconscious from the get go. He has severe trauma to his chest and abdomen from the impact of the steering wheel. BP is way low; I started an IV, but I think we\u2019re gonna have to tube him once we get him on the stretcher. We need to get him to the hospital fast!\u201d AJ had managed to rush over to the ambulance during his exchange and pull the stretcher out.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, let\u2019s do this; the girl isn\u2019t faring much better either. I\u2019m worried about some kinda spinal injury and she\u2019s losing a lot of blood from her abdomen and legs.\u201d<\/p>\n Both men worked together quickly, loading both of their patients into the awaiting ambulance just as the police cars began to pull up. With the sirens blaring, Howie began tending to them in the back, while AJ carefully made his way through the icy streets, hoping to get to the hospital in time to save these two.<\/p>\n Half an hour later, still reeling from the horrific accident scene that he and Howie had just witnessed, AJ stood just outside of the ambulance bay smoking a cigarette in an attempt to calm his nerves. Howie exited the hospital and handed him a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d he said, taking a draw off the cigarette and slowly exhaling the smoke.<\/p>\n \u201cDani make it home okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Howie nodded. \u201cI had to listen to Sophie rant for a few minutes though. Apparently, she took it as a direct insult to her parenting skills that I was checking up on our daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n The sudden crackle of static over the ambulance radio interrupted the conversation, and both AJ and Howie ran to the ambulance\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWe have just received reports of a missing eight-year-old male, Luke Carlton, sandy brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen leaving Cannon Elementary school at around eleven-thirty this morning. Apparently, he decided to walk home from school because no one was available to pick him up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDear Lord, a kid\u2019s lost in this weather?\u201d AJ asked in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cHe goes to Dani\u2019s school,\u201d Howie stated worriedly.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know him?\u201d AJ asked.<\/p>\n Howie shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cStill, AJ\u2026 that\u2019s someone\u2019s child out there. The police are going to need all the help they can get.\u201d<\/p>\n AJ nodded in agreement as he looked up at the quickly darkening sky.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, either way, it would be good to have medical personnel around when the little boy is found.\u201d<\/p>\n Howie smiled, knowing that was AJ\u2019s way of saying he was all for helping find Luke. With the decision made, AJ and Howie quickly got into the ambulance, both praying that Luke would be found soon and return home safely.<\/p>\n Nick Carter had proved himself eager to learn and fairly capable in the OR, despite his lack of prior experience. Kevin had caught Holli\u2019s look of approval – when the younger man wasn\u2019t aware, of course – and his estimation of the student hitched up a degree. With time and training, and a lot of experience, Carter had a real chance of being a sound doctor.<\/p>\n Once Holli had gone, and Nick was observing proper closure procedures, Kevin spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was an easy one,\u201d he said. \u201cFairly cut and dried, if you\u2019ll excuse the expression. But you can learn from every case if you pay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s amazing how small that laceration was; I almost missed it even when you pointed it out,\u201d Nick admitted.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Brunson is one of the best,\u201d Kevin acknowledged. \u201cEyes of an eagle. Not much gets by her, as you\u2019ll come to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can believe it,\u201d Nick muttered, causing Kevin to smile<\/p>\n Turning back to the task at hand, he continued his demonstration.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, Carter, what did you think?\u201d asked Dr. Richardson as he and Nick walked out of the OR.<\/p>\n Nick grinned. \u201cThat was cool,\u201d he admitted, not caring how young he sounded for saying so.<\/p>\n Though he had done nothing more than hold tools and, occasionally, suction during the surgery, it had still been fascinating to have stood there, all gowned up and sterilized, like a real surgeon, and watched as Drs. Brunson and Richardson had cut into the middle-aged woman on the operating table, draining the infection that had spread throughout her abdomen, and repairing the small tear in her large intestine that had caused it. The surgery had gone well, and Brunson had even let Dr. Richardson take extra time in closing to show Nick the proper way to apply the sutures and steri-strips that would help seal the woman\u2019s incision.<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson laughed, crinkles appearing at the corners of his green eyes. \u201cWell, if you thought that was \u2018cool,\u2019 just wait. You\u2019ll see a lot more interesting surgical cases than peritonitis this semester.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick nodded, half-eager, half-worried. He had learned a lot just from this operation alone, yet he didn\u2019t see how he would ever be able to master as much as the two elder surgeons obviously had. The inside of the human body looked very little like the colorful diagrams in his anatomy textbooks; most of the organs were similar in color, and with all of the connective tissue to prod through, he\u2019d found it hard to tell what was what at first. How would he ever learn to spot the smallest of holes, as Dr. Brunson had, and skillfully repair them without tearing anything else?<\/p>\n Nick had always had good hand-eye coordination, and it had served him well in the ER, especially with the smaller proportions of the pediatric patients he had treated under Dr. Littrell, but surgical procedures were much more intense and invasive than the procedures he\u2019d learned to do in the ER. It made him nervous to think that one small knick could result in a patient getting very sick, possibly even dying.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, why don\u2019t you take a break, grab some lunch,\u201d Dr. Richardson suggested. \u201cJust like in the ER, you never know when there might be an emergency, so it\u2019s always good to grab something to eat when you can.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick nodded obediently; he really wasn\u2019t hungry, after observing the operation, but a semester in the ER had demonstrated how right Kevin was. They could be called for a consult or whisked away to scrub in for an unscheduled surgery at any time.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be in the lounge if you need me,\u201d Dr. Richardson added. \u201cI brown-bagged it today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, okay. Well, I think I\u2019m just gonna grab something from the vending machine,\u201d said Nick, motioning towards a waiting area, where there were two of them. He didn\u2019t feel like a big lunch; a bag of chips or a candy bar would serve him fine for now.<\/p>\n \u201cSuit yourself,\u201d said Dr. Richardson, turning to head back to the lounge.<\/p>\n Nick had just started towards the vending machines, when he heard someone call, \u201cKevin!\u201d He turned at the same time Dr. Richardson did; the tall, red-haired head nurse of the surgery, Hayley, was bustling out from the nurses station. \u201cChris Kirkpatrick just called from the ER; they had a major MVA come in, and there are two patients in need of a surgical consult down there. He said one\u2019s critical,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson nodded. \u201cThanks, Hayley; I\u2019ll head down right now.\u201d Turning, he noticed Nick and called, \u201cSo, Nick, you wanna see some action?\u201d<\/p>\n Abandoning all thoughts of a candy bar, Nick nodded. \u201cYeah, totally!\u201d he exclaimed, jogging over to fall in step with his mentor.<\/p>\n Together, the two men ducked into the stairwell and followed the flight of stairs down to the ER.<\/p>\n \u201cIn here,\u201d said Chris Kirkpatrick when he saw Kevin and Nick in the ER, beckoning them into one of the trauma rooms. JC Chasez and two other nurses surrounded the patient, a teenage boy, Nick realized, as he followed Kevin to the foot of the gurney.<\/p>\n \u201cPatient is James Buckley, eighteen years old, victim of a single-car MVA,\u201d Chris filled them in. \u201cHe was smashed against the steering wheel in the collision and has trauma to the chest and abdomen from the impact.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick could see the bruises already starting to form on the unconscious boy\u2019s torso. Other than the contusions and a few scratches on his face, he looked unharmed, but Nick knew from experience that his insides could look a lot worse.<\/p>\n \u201cWe suspect internal hemorrhaging,\u201d added Dr. Chasez, confirming Nick\u2019s suspicions. Dr. Richardson seemed to have guessed the same, for he gave a short nod and came around to one side of the gurney, motioning for Nick to follow.<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson looked at the monitors keeping track of James\u2019s vital signs; his heart rate was high, his blood pressure low. The trauma team had already started him on oxygen and blood transfusions.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are his breath sounds like?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDecreased on the left; he had a tension pneumo when he was brought in, but I already did a thoracostomy and placed a chest tube,\u201d said Dr. Chasez promptly, motioning to the thin tubing that snaked out of the side of the boy\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n \u201cSet up for ultrasound,\u201d Dr. Richardson directed. \u201cNick, examine the belly; check for tenderness or distention.\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding, Nick carefully pressed his fingers into the boy\u2019s abdomen, as he had learned to do during his ER rotation. Though unconscious, James moaned lightly as his touch. \u201cHis abdomen is tender,\u201d Nick observed, continuing to prod.<\/p>\n He was vaguely aware of the sound of doors crashing open and glanced up briefly to see nurse Natalie Spade stick her head through the doors that connected to the adjoining trauma room. \u201cDr. Richardson, Dr. O\u2019Brien said to tell you that we need a surgical consult in here as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson\u2019s voice sounded annoyed when he asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s the situation?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a female adolescent, victim of an MVA, with massive trauma to the lower half of her body, particularly the legs. She\u2019s going to need surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnother MVA?\u201d Nick asked curiously, looking up again.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s his girlfriend,\u201d Chris informed him, gesturing to the patient whose belly Nick was palpitating.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are her vitals? Is she critical?\u201d Dr. Richardson grilled Natalie.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, she\u2019s in shock, but stable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, this boy could be critical; he has chest and abdominal trauma. Yours sounds like it could be more of an orthopedic case. Call back up to surgery and get Amory Cannon to come down and take a look at her,\u201d said Dr. Richardson, dismissing her.<\/p>\n When Natalie had gone back into the other room, Nick spoke up, \u201cDr. Richardson? He\u2019s distended, especially on the left.\u201d He felt a place on the boy\u2019s belly which seemed swollen and firm.<\/p>\n \u201cGood. Step back,\u201d instructed Dr. Richardson, taking Nick\u2019s place. He repeated the exam briefly and nodded. \u201cYou\u2019re right; distention on the left. It could be the spleen. Let\u2019s look on the ultrasound.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the nurses handed him the probe that was connected to the ultrasound monitor; Dr. Richardson ran it slowly across James\u2019s torso, studying the images on the screen intensely. \u201cWhat do you see, Nick?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Nick squinted at the monitor. He still found ultrasounds hard to read at times, and this one was especially tough; he could barely distinguish the different organs because everything seemed to be blurred by\u2026 \u201cBlood? Is that blood?\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson nodded grimly. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely hemorrhaging; the spleen is probably lacerated, and based on the amount of blood in the belly, the injuries could be more intensive than that. I\u2019d like to get a CT of the chest, but there\u2019s no time; his pressure could bottom out at any minute. We need to get him up to the OR while he\u2019s still fairly stable. Chris, could you call ahead upstairs and tell them to book us an OR immediately?\u201d<\/p>\n Chris nodded, immediately reaching for the phone in the trauma room, while the other nurses got James ready to move.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I scrub in?\u201d Nick asked breathlessly as he ran alongside the gurney, helping Dr. Richardson and the nurses transport James to the elevator.<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson nodded. \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Nick felt bad for the teenage boy on the gurney, a faint smile shone on his distorted reflection as he stood in front of stainless steel doors, waiting for the elevator.<\/p>\n Back in the ER already<\/em>, thought Isabel with a rueful smile as the elevator dinged, announcing its arrival on the first floor. Standing alongside Dr. Chung, she waited anxiously for the doors to open. They were responding to a call for a cardiology consult that had come in just minutes ago.<\/p>\n As the steel doors slid open, Isabel caught sight of a group of doctors and nurses waiting with a patient a few feet from the elevator. She hurried out so that they could get in, but not before a familiar voice called her name.<\/p>\n Looking over her shoulder, she saw Nick waving at her as he helped back the gurney into the elevator. She smiled, feeling a rush of warmth travel through her, as if she\u2019d just downed a cup of hot cocoa (which sounded very good right about now, in the midst of the ice storm raging outside). She waved back, giving him a quick thumbs up, before the elevator doors started to close, and Dr. Chung said, \u201cMiss Rivera? Are you coming?\u201d<\/p>\n Fast on her mentor\u2019s heels, Isabel followed Dr. Chung\u2019s brisk pace to the correct examining room. There, she was surprised to find her former mentor, Dr. Jack Palmer, standing over the patient.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, well,\u201d Dr. Palmer said with a grin when he spotted Isabel. \u201cWelcome back, Isabel.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel smiled; it made her feel important to be coming to the ER as a consult now. Well, accompanying the consulting physician, in any case.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do we have here?\u201d asked Dr. Chung, stepping up to observe the patient in the bed, an elderly man. He was conscious and propped up in bed, his bare chest covered with white, sticky pads. Isabel\u2019s eyes followed the lead wires from the pads up to the heart monitor, which was beeping out an irregular rhythm.<\/p>\n \u201cWalter Marriott, age seventy-four, MI while attempting to scrape ice in his driveway,\u201d said Dr. Palmer. \u201cMr. Marriott experienced sudden angina and trouble breathing. Luckily, his wife looked out the window and called 911 as soon as she saw he was having trouble. You\u2019re lucky you have such an attentive wife, sir,\u201d he added to Mr. Marriott, smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I\u2019ll never live this down now,\u201d the old man said wheezily, giving a tired smile in return. \u201cShe\u2019s always worrying about me, and now I\u2019ve given her an actual reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel and Dr. Palmer both chuckled, but Dr. Chung was more serious. \u201cHave you done an ECG?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight here,\u201d said Dr. Palmer, handing her a long strip of paper that had recorded Mr. Marriott\u2019s heart rhythm. \u201cHe showed all the classic signs of an MI, so we gave him aspirin, heparin, beta blockers, and nitroglycerin. We got his heart rate down, but he\u2019s still experiencing arrhythmia with ST elevation.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Chung spent a few minutes reviewing the patient\u2019s chart and looking over the ECG, pointing out certain distinguishing characteristics to Isabel. \u201cWhat further treatment would you recommend, Miss Rivera?\u201d she asked finally.<\/p>\n \u201cHe seems like a good candidate for PTCA,\u201d said Isabel, suspecting that Mr. Marriott needed an angioplasty procedure to widen the narrowed coronary arteries that had caused his heart attack. During her ER rotation, she had seen many patients come in with the same situation, though she had never observed an actual angioplasty.<\/p>\n Dr. Chung nodded. \u201cI agree. Call up to the cath lab. We\u2019ll need to get him upstairs right away.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel nodded and immediately picked up the phone.<\/p>\n After half a day of doing nothing but charts, Justin was pretty bored. But he didn\u2019t complain much. He would rather be doing charts than be quizzed by Dr. Brunson again. He felt even more foolish hours later than he had when he was being quizzed.<\/p>\n And, of course, Nick had to be Mr. Perfect\u2026 again<\/em>, he thought. Justin couldn\u2019t help but feel like an idiot compared to him. That\u2019s how it had always been, ever since their first year of med school. The professors would praise Nick, while Justin would get scolded for making one simple mistake.<\/p>\n He was about to sink further into a sea of despair when he heard Dr. Cannon yell at him. \u201cTimberlake! Scrub in! We have a young girl who needs our help!\u201d she said, rushing to the nearby sink.<\/p>\n Justin didn\u2019t hesitate for one second. He quickly stood up and ran to the sink. After scrubbing in, Justin rushed to Dr. Cannon\u2019s side as the patient was wheeled in. As the young girl was getting prepared for the surgery, Justin turned pale.<\/p>\n Her legs were mangled, and her stomach was covered in blood. She had a few scratches on her face and her upper body, but her lower body was a mess, for a lack of better words.<\/p>\n \u201cAnna Spencer, age seventeen. Thrown out of the vehicle when she and her boyfriend wrecked on the way home from school. Her lower body was smashed against the dashboard as she was thrown out. Her legs are broken, her pelvic bone smashed, deep cuts on each leg and on her stomach, and both ACLs in her legs are torn. Looks like we have a long surgery ahead of us,\u201d Dr. Cannon said.<\/p>\n Justin stared at the poor girl again. He felt bile coming up his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cTimberlake, could you PLEASE act more mature with this? You\u2019re going to see more patients like this, perhaps even worse. And I pray that day won\u2019t come. Come on!\u201d Dr. Cannon said.<\/p>\n Justin swallowed whatever was in his throat and went to watch the surgeons do their jobs.<\/p>\n In the OR, Nick looked down into James Buckley\u2019s open belly with dismay. There was so much blood that he could barely tell the digestive organs apart. Dr. Richardson had already removed the lacerated spleen, and still, the blood kept coming.<\/p>\n \u201cNick, more suction,\u201d ordered Dr. Richardson, his voice unusually sharp. Nick had been suctioning the whole time, sending a steady stream of blood into a machine called the cell saver, which cleaned it and sent it pumping back into James\u2019s body. But the blood was leaking faster than the machine could suction it, and the patient\u2019s vital signs were getting progressively worse.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying,\u201d said Nick, his voice cracking. \u201cThere\u2019s just so much blood\u2026\u201d His throat felt tight; he swallowed hard, moving the suction hose around, to no effect.<\/p>\n Feeling slightly queasy by the sight of such massive hemorrhaging, Nick looked up and over the table. The strip of face he could see between Dr. Richardson\u2019s surgical mask and cap was covered in a sheen of perspiration.<\/p>\n The sight unnerved Nick; he had never seen the surgeon look anything but cool and composed. Yet as James\u2019s blood pressure steadily dropped, Dr. Richardson\u2019s stress skyrocketed.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t see a damn thing,\u201d he finally cursed, expelling a sigh of frustration beneath his mask. \u201cHow am I supposed to repair the colon when I can\u2019t even see what I\u2019m doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you want me to call Brunson?\u201d asked Hayley, the nurse who was assisting. Her eyes looked wary above her mask.<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson seemed to hesitate. \u201cNot yet,\u201d he said finally. \u201cGive me a few more minutes. Nick, more suction.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick dutifully moved the suction hose about, clearing as much blood as he could.<\/p>\n For a moment, things seemed to be going better; Hayley wiped the sweat from Dr. Richardson\u2019s forehead, and the surgeon dove back in, his thick eyebrows furrowed with determination.<\/p>\n Then, all hell broke loose. As Dr. Richardson lifted the colon, a geyser of blood gushed out at him, splattering the front of his surgical gown with a fresh splash of bright red. Seconds later, all of the monitors went haywire.<\/p>\n \u201cPressure\u2019s bottoming out\u2026 Lost his pressure!\u201d Hayley called out, staring fretfully at the monitor. The erratic beep that signified James\u2019s heartbeat became a shrill wail. \u201cFlatline.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet Brunson,\u201d Dr. Richardson barked. \u201cI\u2019m gonna crack his chest. Nick, hand me the sternal saw.\u201d<\/p>\n Abandoning the suction, Nick followed the surgeon\u2019s pointing finger and retrieved the saw that was meant to slice through ribs and sternum to open up a patient\u2019s chest. He passed it to Dr. Richardson, who didn\u2019t hesitate one moment before applying it expertly to the ashen teenager on the table. The mere sound of the saw made Nick cringe, but he kept his composure, admiring his mentor surgeon\u2019s quick work.<\/p>\n \u201cHayley, charge the defibrillator,\u201d Dr. Richardson commanded the nurse, who had just finished paging the chief of surgery. \u201cEver shocked anyone from inside the chest, Nick?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d said Nick, almost breathless.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter today, you will have. Internal paddles?\u201d Hayley passed a set of small, tong-like paddles to Dr. Richardson. Nick watched in wonder as he stuck them straight into James\u2019s open chest, placing them in position on either side of his unbeating heart. \u201cHere, Nick\u2026 take them,\u201d he ordered, and Nick put his hands over the older man\u2019s, taking command of the paddles.<\/p>\n \u201cCharge to fifty?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCharged,\u201d said Hayley.<\/p>\n \u201cThen whenever you\u2019re ready, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick hesitated not even a second. \u201cClear!\u201d his voice shook, and he closed his eyes as he delivered the shock straight into the boy\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n \u201cClear!\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel squeezed her eyes shut as the word was issued. She opened them in dismay when she heard the nurse\u2019s voice say, \u201cNo change. Still in V-fib.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCharge again. 250,\u201d came Dr. Chung\u2019s curt command.<\/p>\n \u201cCharging\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel watched, this time, as Dr. Chung pressed the paddles against Mr. Marriott\u2019s chest. His old, feeble body jumped on the table with the surge of electricity, but when her eyes flew to the heart monitor, the faltering line did not change.<\/p>\n Her own heart hurt with sorrow. The angioplasty was supposed to have been a routine procedure; though she had never observed one until now, Isabel had read all about them. They were a very common way of treating patients with blood clots and narrowed coronaries.<\/p>\n Mr. Marriott should have sailed through, but instead, he\u2019d suffered a second heart attack in the middle of the procedure. It had been over fifteen minutes, and his damaged heart had still not recovered a rhythm that would sustain life.<\/p>\n \u201cAsystole,\u201d the nurse said suddenly, and Isabel looked up again to see that the line on the heart monitor had flattened completely.<\/p>\n \u201cShould I do chest compressions?\u201d she asked Dr. Chung, moving forward. She stopped when the petite cardiologist shook her head, her mouth pressed into a narrow, firm line.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s too late,\u201d she said, her voice soft, but sure. \u201cHis heart has been unresponsive for nearly twenty minutes; we will not get him back. Too much damage has been done.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel let out a shaky breath, feeling helpless. She wanted to protest that they should at least try CPR, but the decision had already been made. Dr. Chung was stripping off her gloves and looking toward the clock. \u201cTime of death: 16:37.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTime of death: 16:45,\u201d murmured Dr. Richardson, staring up at the clock on the OR wall. Sighing, he looked across the table at Nick, who was staring down at the mutilated body of James Buckley. \u201cFor what it was worth, you did a good job assisting, Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick looked up. \u201cThanks,\u201d he muttered, feeling he didn\u2019t deserve any kind of praise. The patient had died.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll close and clean up, I assume?\u201d asked Dr. Brunson, her heavy, dark eyebrows arching above her mask. She had come in just to witness the last-ditch attempt to save the boy\u2019s life. It had been she who had declared it a lost cause and ordered Dr. Richardson to call his death.<\/p>\n Dr. Richardson nodded, and the head of surgery promptly left, tossing her clean surgical garb in the waste bin on her way out.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Nick, you can close if you want. Sad as it is to say, this is a good opportunity for you to get some practice at good suturing. It won\u2019t matter what this kid\u2019s scar looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n The thought of sewing the poor teenager\u2019s dead body back together made Nick feel sick, but he swallowed hard and nodded, listening closely as Dr. Richardson demonstrated how to do it.<\/p>\n Hayley Aldworth watched warily as Kevin called the time of death. Her sharp ears had no trouble detecting the pain in his voice; he had given his all, but it hadn\u2019t been enough. Normally, she knew, he wouldn\u2019t have lingered in the OR, faced with his so-called failure, but there was still work to be done. Sad as it was, it was still a learning opportunity for the young student under Kevin\u2019s care. As she began gathering bloodied instruments onto the rolling tray, she absently listened to him instructing Carter on technique. Although Nick looked a bit green, he went ahead with the poignant duty of stitching together the lifeless body on the table.<\/p>\n The job was quickly finished, and Nick was the first one out of the room. She waited for Kevin, silently accompanying him to the adjoining area and helping him strip off his blood-soaked gown.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d he said, his voice low and tired.<\/p>\n \u201cYou did what you could,\u201d she offered.<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n She gave his shoulder a squeeze. \u201cIt\u2019s hard when they\u2019re so young.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlways.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo home, get some rest, okay? We\u2019ll fight the good fight tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n He managed a small smile. \u201cThat we will.\u201d<\/p>\n She left, giving him the bit of solitude she knew he needed. Ten minutes later, purse and coat in hand, she watched the elevator doors close shut, putting the day behind her at last.<\/p>\n With each passing minute, Howie knew that Luke\u2019s chances were decreasing. The temperature was dropping steadily. As the sun set, it was well below freezing, and Luke\u2019s risk of developing hypothermia from the cold was rising steadily. What worried AJ and Howie the most was the fact that it was a rural area, meaning there were a lot of trees and other landscape that would conceal a scared and lost little boy in the darkness.<\/p>\n It had been AJ\u2019s idea to start at the elementary school where Luke was last seen and then move in the direction of his home. It had been a very logical choice, but so far had proved unsuccessful.<\/p>\n AJ drove along slowly. He and Howie were both looking around for any sign of Luke.<\/p>\n \u201cAJ, we\u2019re not really getting anywhere\u2026 and we\u2019re running out of time,\u201d he added worriedly. \u201cDo you want to try on foot?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere, D? I mean, did you have a particular area in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to think like a lost little boy,\u201d Howie said. \u201cAt this point, he\u2019s probably disoriented from the hypothermia and extremely scared, I\u2019m sure. He would probably seek shelter. Listen, there\u2019s wooded areas all around here. Why don\u2019t we grab the medical bag and flashlights and look around?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt can\u2019t hurt. No one else seems to be having any luck.\u201d<\/p>\n AJ and Howie chose a small cluster of forest that was about midway between the school and Luke\u2019s home. Grabbing medical supplies, blankets and flashlights, the two paramedics set out in search of Luke.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t easy going; the icy ground made walking a difficult task, and the flashlights provided little light to penetrate the winter darkness.<\/p>\n They trudged on, flashlights scanning everywhere as they called Luke\u2019s name. They were almost ready to give up hope, Howie questioning his reasons for setting out on foot. Suddenly, Howie\u2019s flashlight caught something red lying on the icy ground. Upon closer investigation, he realized it was a backpack\u2026 a Spiderman backpack. Moving the flashlight inches forward, Howie saw the little boy lying on his stomach, face down and apparently unconscious.<\/p>\n \u201cAJ, I found him!\u2019 Howie shouted<\/p>\n Howie\u2019s heart sank, his first thought being that Luke was dead. \u201cLuke,\u201d he said, leaning down to touch the little boy\u2019s back. He felt immensely relieved when he felt Luke stir beneath his touch.<\/p>\n \u201cLuke, can you hear me?\u201d he asked gently.<\/p>\n The little boy\u2019s reply was muffled and barely above a whisper, but it was there nonetheless.<\/p>\n \u201cLuke, listen to me, my name is Howie. I\u2019m here to help you. You just have to stay with me, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Luke mumbled weakly.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you hurt?\u201d Howie asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026 just c-cold,\u201d Luke said through chattering teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, son. We\u2019re gonna get you out of here,\u201d AJ spoke up reassuringly. He and Howie bundled Luke in blankets, and Howie carefully lifted the little boy\u2019s light frame into his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cLuke, keep talking to me, kiddo,\u201d Howie said, knowing it was important to keep Luke awake. \u201cTell me how you got lost.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was walking home from school after we got out. Mommy and Daddy work during the day and couldn\u2019t come and get me. I got turned around and got lost.\u201d<\/p>\n Howie continued asking Luke a variety of trivial questions in attempts to keep him awake, everything from who his favorite baseball team was, to which one of Spiderman\u2019s powers was his favorite.<\/p>\n After what seemed like forever, they reached the highway and the parked ambulance. They quickly alerted the hospital to inform them that Luke had been found. As AJ drove the speeding ambulance to the hospital, Howie checked Luke\u2019s vitals and hooked the little boy up to an IV of warm saline to bring his body temperature back up. He certainly wasn\u2019t out of the woods yet.<\/p>\n Howie removed Luke\u2019s shoes. \u201cLuke, can you feel your toes?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, they\u2019re numb,\u201d Luke replied.<\/p>\n Howie was saddened at the possibility that Luke could lose some toes. He tried to keep a positive attitude as he continued examining Luke.<\/p>\n They reached the hospital at last, and Luke was taken into the care of the awaiting staff of doctors and nurses. Howie and AJ hung back, both exhausted from their ordeal.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think he\u2019s gonna be okay?\u201d AJ asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Howie said. \u201cHe\u2019s been through a lot. He is obviously a tough kid, though. We\u2019ll just have to wait and pray.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Harnett, you\u2019ve got a call on line three,\u201d an exhausted Melissa at the nurses\u2019 station held a phone out to Ivory. \u201cI think it\u2019s your cousin, Tom. At least, I think that\u2019s what he said his name was.\u201d She smiled wearily. \u201cIt\u2019s been kind of a crazy day, so I\u2019m not too sharp at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory patted her hand. \u201cIt\u2019s okay. It has<\/em> been wild, what with the storm and all. I\u2019m glad we didn\u2019t lose power because you know how awful that generator is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me about it.\u201d Melissa rolled her eyes. \u201cYou\u2019d think being a hospital where people need electricity to operate the machines that help them live, we\u2019d get a decent generator. Of course not. Anyway, phone for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory took the receiver. \u201cThanks, Mel. Hello?\u201d she spoke into the phone.<\/p>\n \u201cIves! Hey, it\u2019s Tommy,\u201d a familiar male voice on the other end responded cheerily. \u201cRemember me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow could I forget?\u201d Ivory smiled. \u201cHow\u2019ve you been? How\u2019s your clinic running?\u201d she added, remembering the place he\u2019d opened in downtown Seattle two years earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m all right. The clinic\u2026 well, it\u2019s not too great.\u201d He sighed. \u201cActually, it\u2019s sort of why I called you. I know you\u2019re at work and all, but I had this idea and need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt couldn\u2019t wait another three hours until I got home?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIvory, you know I forget stuff like that. Sorry,\u201d he apologized. \u201cBesides, I wanted to find out how things are going with that investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n Awful<\/em>. She closed her eyes briefly as the humiliation swarmed through her again. \u201cIt sucks,\u201d she admitted. \u201cThey keep calling me in front of a panel, asking me the same questions, and letting me go. On top of that, they won\u2019t let me work more than thirty-five hours a week. Do you know how terrible that is?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly? I don\u2019t, but I can feel your pain. My partner quit last week,\u201d he told her. \u201cI\u2019m trying to run this clinic single-handedly, and I\u2019m in desperate need of some help.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWish I could help,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you know if you ever decide you\u2019re tired of the yo-yo sensation the hospital\u2019s giving you, you\u2019re absolutely welcome to come and help me out,\u201d Tom offered.<\/p>\n Ivory frowned, unsure whether he was joking or not. \u201cAre you serious?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, not really. I know how much you love Atlantic City, Ives. You\u2019d never want to move all the way across the country from it.\u201d He paused. \u201cAnyway, the idea I wanted to ask you about was: if you know of any doctor who\u2019d be willing to take the empty position at my clinic, let me know. Get me their number, and I\u2019ll definitely call them up. I need all the help I can get.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I\u2019ll help! I\u2019m sorry about the partner, and I\u2019ll let you know the second I run into anyone who might want to take the job. Good luck in the meantime.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you, too. Oh, and I like the DVDs you sent me for Christmas. Good stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory smiled. \u201cI\u2019m glad you liked them. Anyway, I have to get going. I\u2019ll call you later?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, absolutely. That is, if the clinic hasn\u2019t eaten my soul,\u201d he answered, jokingly.<\/p>\n \u201cFight that beast, Tommy. I\u2019ll talk to you later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBye, Ivory.\u201d<\/p>\n She hung up and stood thinking for a few moments. Who did she know who might want to uproot themselves three thousand miles for work? The only doctors she knew were the ones she worked with, or friends at other practices. None of them were unhappy with their positions\u2026 not like she was.<\/p>\n Tom had been joking when he\u2019d offered her the job, but what if she took it? What if she quit her job before they got around to dismissing her? She could start fresh in a new city where none of her past could really follow her. Certainly not Brunson. And no Brunson sounded like a great idea.<\/p>\n Wait a minute. Am I seriously considering calling Tom back and offering myself for the post?<\/em> Ivory frowned at the packed waiting room, not really seeing them as she was lost in thought. Could I really leave this hospital, my friends, Brian?<\/em><\/p>\n Brian.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d An arm slid around her waist, and she looked up into weary, but cheerful, blue eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cHi.\u201d She relaxed in his hold. \u201cNothing\u2019s wrong. Everything\u2019s fine.\u201d Of course, she couldn\u2019t leave this man. He made the whole mess worthwhile for her. She couldn\u2019t go.<\/p>\n Brian kissed her lightly. \u201cYou\u2019re sure everything\u2019s okay? You were frowning at the patients like they were the plague.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was talking to my cousin,\u201d she told him. \u201cHe\u2019s got a clinic in Seattle, but his partner walked out and left him swamped. He wanted to know if I could get him in touch with anyone that might want to take the job. I was just trying to think of people I know that might be interested. That\u2019s all.\u201d She smiled. \u201cHow\u2019s your day been?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost over. Thank God.\u201d Brian smiled back, glad that it hadn\u2019t been something about the investigation making her upset. \u201cThis storm has given me plenty of patients since I got in this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I know.\u201d She walked with him towards the lounge. \u201cI\u2019ve had nothing but broken bones and stitches all day. If I have to see another X-ray of a fracture, it\u2019ll be too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n In the lounge, Brian poured a mug of stale coffee and grimaced when he sipped. \u201cI know what you mean. I\u2019ve had kids come in who\u2019ve fallen on the ice and split skin. Others broke wrists, ankles, and a couple tailbones here and there.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivory grinned. \u201cI bet spending time with the good Dr. Littrell fixed them right up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know it.\u201d Smiling, he was leaning towards her when the door swung open.<\/p>\n \u201cBrian! There\u2019s a kid coming in with hypothermia,\u201d a rushed Susan told him. \u201cDorough and McLean called ahead to alert you. The little boy\u2019s been out in the storm all day, and they\u2019re not sure he\u2019ll make it.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian hurried out the door after her and reached the ER in time to see Howie and AJ roll in a gurney with a small child strapped into it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe found him wandering. He\u2019s been outside since this morning,\u201d Howie explained as he helped Brian get the child into a trauma room. \u201cHe\u2019s frozen to the bone. BP\u2019s not doing too well, his temp\u2019s dropped extremely low.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian noted the blue lips, the icy skin, and ordered one of the nurses to aid him in stripping off the boy\u2019s clothes. They seemed to be frozen to him, and ice clung to every inch of his clothing and hair.<\/p>\n When he moaned a little and opened his eyes halfway, Brian shone a light in his eyes. \u201cPupils are dilated,\u201d he muttered to himself before raising his voice. \u201cHey there, big guy. I hear you\u2019ve been out in the cold for quite some time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHurts,\u201d came the reply.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, buddy. We\u2019re going to try to fix you up good as new, okay?\u201d Brian checked the pulse and noted it was dipping dangerously low. \u201cCan you tell me your name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLuke,\u201d he whispered. \u201cI want my mom.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian glanced over at one of the nurses. \u201cCan you call his parents for me? I know they\u2019re probably really worried about him.\u201d He looked back down at the child. \u201cHang in there, okay? We\u2019re going to get your parents here and have you feeling better in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n Luke tried to nod, but his eyes drooped shut, and the heart rate monitor began wildly beeping.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s dropping rapidly!\u201d Susan called out.<\/p>\n Brian snapped out an order for the crash cart. \u201cAnd where are those heated blankets I asked for three minutes ago?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the waiting room,\u201d Susan answered. \u201cThey\u2019ve been handing them out to the homeless who\u2019ve gathered in there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, can you round some up for me? This little boy needs them more! And Addie, can you get a core temp?\u201d<\/p>\n The nurses sprang into action, Susan running for the supplies he had requested, while Addie tried to measure Luke\u2019s temperature. Brian turned back to the little boy.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has an arrhythmia,\u201d said Jaela, pointing to the heart monitor, which had registered the irregular heart rhythm.<\/p>\n Brian took a deep breath. \u201cAll right, let\u2019s be very gentle with him, everyone. He\u2019s in an advanced stage of hypothermia, and if we jostle him too much, he could arrest. Jaela, let\u2019s give him bretylium, 5 mgs per kilogram IV, and another round of warm saline. I\u2019m going to intubate him; then we can keep him oxygenated with heated O2.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian had just finished guiding the tube down the boy\u2019s narrow throat when the heart monitor changed its pattern. \u201cHe\u2019s in V-fib!\u201d cried Jaela. Brian jumped around from the head of the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cJaela, start chest compressions. Addie, you bag him. Susan, did you bring that crash cart?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight here, Dr. Littrell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood. Let\u2019s try shocking him. Charge to fifty.\u201d<\/p>\n Susan charged the defibrillator and slapped a couple of pads onto Luke\u2019s cold, pale chest, before handing Brian the paddles. \u201cClear!\u201d he called and put them against their targets, causing the boy\u2019s body to jump stiffly. There was no change on the monitors. He shocked again, two more times. Still no change.<\/p>\n Then the line on the heart monitor went flat. \u201cAsystole,\u201d Jaela said quietly. \u201cNo pulse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cResume CPR,\u201d Brian urged, and the nurse went back to her chest compressions. \u201cCome on, buddy,\u201d he spoke quietly to his young patient, as the nurses tried diligently to bring him back. \u201cI know you\u2019ve been through a lot, I know you\u2019re cold, but we\u2019re warming you up\u2026 you\u2019ll be okay now; you just need to come back to us. Come back, Luke.\u201d He wrapped his warm hand around the boy\u2019s small, cold one, squeezing hard, willing some warmth back into the lifeless body in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Littrell\u2026 Brian,\u201d Jaela spoke after some time, her voice cracking. \u201cIt\u2019s been almost half an hour, he\u2019s been down\u2026 no pulse\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She was still diligently pushing on Luke\u2019s chest, but he could see that she was getting tired and had lost hope. When she looked up, meeting his gaze across the table, he saw there were tears in her eyes. Jaela was a mother, he knew; she didn\u2019t want to lose this little boy any more than he did. But she was right\u2026 he had been without a heartbeat for a long time\u2026<\/p>\n Suddenly, Susan spoke up. \u201cDon\u2019t give up yet. We could still get him back.\u201d When Jaela and Addie both looked at her like she was delusional, the newer nurse argued, \u201cI used to work at a trauma center in Utah. We saw a lot of hypothermia cases, mostly people up in the mountains. Severe hypothermia can mimic death, but the cold temperatures slow down metabolism and delay cell damage. I\u2019ve seen patients revived who had been down longer than this. As they say, \u2018You\u2019re not dead till you\u2019re warm and dead.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The other two women still looked skeptical, but Brian offered her a slight smile and a nod. \u201cI\u2019ve heard that, too.\u201d Checking a reading, he added, \u201cHis temp is still too low. If we can warm him up and get his heart beating again, we have a shot. Keep going with CPR, and Susan, call up to surgery and get someone down here; maybe we can set him up on bypass to warm his blood faster.\u201d<\/p>\n Susan nodded and got on the phone, while Brian took over chest compressions for the exhausted Jaela. After a few more minutes, the heart monitor suddenly registered it \u2013 a heartbeat. All heads in the room looked up as it beeped once\u2026 then twice\u2026 then again, slowly, hesitantly, again.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has a faint pulse,\u201d whispered Jaela in almost disbelief, as the heart monitor continued to beep, faster and faster, like an accelerating train. \u201cNormal sinus rhythm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were right, Susan,\u201d Brian smiled at the other nurse before looking back down at the boy. \u201cWelcome back, Luke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do we have here?\u201d asked another voice, and Brian looked to see Rita Sumari, the cardiothoracic surgeon, coming in. He explained quickly what had happened and assisted her in placing two catheters in Luke\u2019s body, which would be used to filter blood in and out of his body, through a bypass machine, warming it in the process.<\/p>\n Once Luke was stable on the bypass machine, Brian left Rita in charge and went to talk to the boy\u2019s parents, who had arrived. His mother was tearful, his father practically trembling. They both thanked him profusely, even when he told them that Luke wasn\u2019t quite out of the woods yet.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least he\u2019s here now. The police officer told us he probably would have died if he had been lost any longer,\u201d Luke\u2019s mother said tremulously. \u201cThank God those paramedics found him when they did.\u201d<\/p>\n His father jumped in with, \u201cDo you know how we could get in contact with them? The paramedics that saved Luke? We want to thank them.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian smiled. \u201cI should be able to get them over here for you.\u201d Going back into the trauma room, he said, \u201cHey, Rita, you think you can get a hold of that boyfriend of yours? I\u2019ve got two parents in the waiting room who are eager to thank him and his partner.\u201d<\/p>\n Rita smiled with pride. \u201cI think I could manage that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can never thank you enough. You went out on a limb to find him, and if it hadn\u2019t been for you, he probably would have died. You saved his life,\u201d gushed Luke\u2019s mother, speaking over her son\u2019s bedside.<\/p>\n Howie smiled down at the little boy, who was sleeping, but warm again and finally out of danger. It was a great relief to Howie to see that his and AJ\u2019s efforts had been worth it. Luke had survived, and that was all that mattered.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a dad myself,\u201d he told the boy\u2019s parents. \u201cI have a little girl, Danielle, who\u2019s close to Luke\u2019s age. I can\u2019t imagine how terrified I would have been if it had been her lost in the cold. It was just second nature to want to help find Luke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGod bless you both,\u201d said Luke\u2019s father, shaking Howie\u2019s hand and then AJ\u2019s.<\/p>\n The two paramedics left the room a few minutes later with smiles on their faces. \u201cWe did good, J,\u201d said Howie, putting his arm playfully around AJ\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was your idea, D,\u201d AJ pointed out. \u201cYou\u2019re the one who found him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but you\u2019re the one who got him here without sliding into a ditch,\u201d Howie replied, glancing out the ER doors, into the ambulance bay. The bright lights outside lit up the otherwise dark sky and illuminated the thick sheet of ice on the ground. \u201cThat in itself is a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n AJ smiled. \u201cAll in a day\u2019s work, my friend. All in a day\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n Glad that their trying shift had at least had a happy end, the two set out into the ice.<\/p>\n After her surgery, Anna Spencer was wheeled to the ICU, where she was hooked up to all sorts of machines. Justin sat in a chair on the other side of the room, deep in thought. Anna had survived, but she would be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of her life. The nerve damage was too intense to fully repair. Her legs were scarred from the cuts, and she was wrapped in casts and bandages from her stomach to her toes. To make matters worse, her boyfriend had died on the operating table, and Justin had to break the news to her. Dr. Cannon would be there, too, but Justin would be the one speaking.<\/p>\n What do I say? \u201cSorry, you\u2019re paralyzed for the rest of your life, your legs are horribly scarred, and oh, your boyfriend died?\u201d<\/em> he thought, running his fingers through his hair.<\/p>\n After a half an hour, Anna was waking up.<\/p>\n \u201cNow Justin, remember. This is a highly sensitive situation. Be as gentle and understanding as you can,\u201d Dr. Cannon whispered to the young medical student.<\/p>\n \u201cWha\u2026what happened? Where\u2019s James?\u201d Anna asked.<\/p>\n Justin swallowed excess saliva and stood up. \u201cMiss Spencer? My name\u2019s Justin Timberlake, and I watched over your surgery. You had major cuts on your stomach and your legs. Your legs were broken, and you tore both ACLs and severed many nerves in both legs. Your pelvic bone was smashed. The bones should heal nicely, but I\u2019m afraid that you will carry the scars and be paralyzed for the rest of your life. The nerve damage was too massive to fix. I\u2019m really sorry, Miss Spencer,\u201d Justin said.<\/p>\n Anna started to cry. \u201cAnd\u2026 what about James?\u201d she asked, looking straight at him. Justin looked at the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was admitted to the hospital and taken to surgery\u2026 but he didn\u2019t make it.\u201d Justin continued to look at the floor. He didn\u2019t want to see her cry.<\/p>\n \u201cOh God! James!!\u201d she sobbed. Justin started to tear up, too. This was the part of being a doctor that he really hated. \u201cNo one\u2019s going to love me now! Not when I\u2019m paralyzed and have ugly scars!\u201d Justin couldn\u2019t take it anymore. It broke his heart to see people crying. Justin ran to Anna\u2019s bed and held her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cShhhh\u2026 don\u2019t cry\u2026 listen, Anna. It\u2019s going to be okay. You\u2019re not ugly, and any guy would be lucky to be with you. You\u2019re going to get the best help you can get, and get better, all right? I promise,\u201d Justin said.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026 your parents are in the waiting room, and I bet they\u2019ll be excited to see you.\u201d Justin then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cWow\u2026 I didn\u2019t know you had that in you, Mr. Timberlake,\u201d Dr. Cannon said.<\/p>\n \u201cNeither did I\u2026\u201d he responded.<\/p>\n Justin stared at the floor as they walked to the waiting room. He kept quiet, reflecting on the past events of the day.<\/p>\n \u201cHey\u2026 why don\u2019t you just take a break? I\u2019ll deal with the family. It\u2019s been a hard day for you,\u201d Dr. Cannon said, sensing that Justin could break down at any moment.<\/p>\n \u201cReally? I mean, I need to learn\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJustin, no offense, but you look like you could use a break. Go. I\u2019ll take it from here.\u201d<\/p>\n He gave Dr. Cannon a thankful look as he nodded and headed towards the break room. As soon as he walked in, Justin closed the door and cried. He hated breaking bad news to people. Just hated it. He cried for Anna, her family, and even for James. But mostly he cried because he could do nothing else to help.<\/p>\n Isabel felt utterly drained as she plodded down the fourth floor staircase at the end of the day. Though she\u2019d seen many patients die after working over four months in the hospital, it hadn\u2019t gotten any easier to accept death. The death of Mr. Marriott had hit her just as hard as the first death she\u2019d witnessed in the ER. And accompanying Dr. Chung to break the news to his poor wife had been even harder.<\/p>\n She\u2019d been at the hospital for far more than twenty-four hours now and couldn\u2019t wait to get home to her own bed. She was glad her body felt as tired as it did, for even though her mind, too, felt thick with exhaustion, she was afraid she would lay awake, dwelling on the events of the day as she often did, if she did not first succumb to her physical weariness.<\/p>\n She stopped off at the second floor landing, entering the surgery ward in search of Nick. He should have been off then, too, if he had not gotten tied up in an emergency surgery. Looking around, she started to walk over to the nurse\u2019s station to ask about him, when she heard his voice call her name.<\/p>\n \u201cIsabel?\u201d<\/p>\n Turning, she found him coming out of the staff room, his jacket draped haphazardly over one shoulder. He looked as exhausted as she felt.<\/p>\n \u201cReady to go?\u201d she asked, forcing a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cNever been readier,\u201d he smiled back tiredly. He reached for her hand, and they walked back to the stairs together.<\/p>\n In the privacy of the stairwell, she brought his hand to her lips and gave it a gentle kiss. \u201cMmm,\u201d she sighed, inhaling the scent of antiseptic soap beneath his fingernails, \u201cyou smell\u2026 clean.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll that scrubbing will do that to a person,\u201d he remarked with a wry smile.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you got to scrub in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow was it?\u201d she asked eagerly.<\/p>\n He shrugged. \u201cYou win some, you lose some. We lost bad. A teenage kid who got into an accident on the way home from school with his girlfriend. She lived, according to Timberlake. He died on our table. Massive hemorrhaging. I felt like I was in a scene from The Shining<\/em>. You know that part with the waves of blood coming out from behind the doors?\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel shrugged. \u201cI don\u2019t really like scary movies. But I know what you mean. I\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said sympathetically, patting his arm. She knew just how he felt. \u201cI lost a patient, too,\u201d she told him. \u201cAn old man. He had an MI while he was out trying to scrape ice. He was doing pretty well after he was brought in, but he coded in the cath lab.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d Nick returned the sentiments, putting his arm around her and giving her a little squeeze.<\/p>\n They continued down the stairs slowly, their arms around each other. They barely broke their hold as they passed through the ER, still bustling with traumas in the aftermath of the ice storm; it was as if they almost needed to lean on each other, literally.<\/p>\n When they passed through the ambulance bay, Isabel straightened, but held onto Nick\u2019s arm even tighter. The maintenance workers had done a good job at keeping the bay clear of ice, but once they got past the path of clear, wet pavement, it was a mess. There was no snow, but nearly an inch of pure, solid ice coating everything.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish we had ice skates,\u201d Isabel managed to joke as she and Nick both slipped and slid, clinging to what little traction their shoes provided. His had more than hers, so he held onto her tightly, keeping her upright. They took short, quick steps, like a couple of penguins, as they made their way toward their cars.<\/p>\n Behind them, they heard a sudden shout, followed by the unmistakable sound of a pair of feet skidding across the ice. They both turned just in time to see Holli Brunson fall hard on her hip upon the icy ground.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, shit,\u201d Nick swore, letting go of Isabel so that he could hurry back to Dr. Brunson. Isabel shuffled after him, sliding with each step. \u201cAre you okay, Dr. Brunson?\u201d she heard him ask as he knelt down beside her, putting his knee against the wet, cold ice.<\/p>\n Dr. Brunson\u2019s reply was surprisingly sharp. \u201cI\u2019m fine!\u201d she snarled, looking rather like a turtle who had been turned over on its shell as she struggled to get up.<\/p>\n \u201cHang on, lemme help you,\u201d Nick said determinedly, gritting his teeth as he reached to put his arm around her, but she swatted his hand away.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you, I\u2019m fine, Carter! Go on; I can get up on my own,\u201d Brunson insisted with a ferociousness that was severe, even for her.<\/p>\n Isabel bit her lip as she watched the older woman struggle, in obvious frustration and humiliation. \u201cYou really shouldn\u2019t move!\u201d she called out, against her better judgment. \u201cYou might have hurt your hip.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not that old, Miss Rivera! My hip\u2019s fine; just a contusion, I\u2019m sure,\u201d spat Brunson. \u201cNow, if the two of you would just scram and let me have some dignity-\u201c<\/p>\n Nick and Isabel exchanged worried glances; Nick was still poised to help her, but she was steadfastly refusing to let him so much as touch her. Isabel was just beginning to wonder if the chief of staff had also struck her head during the fall and was possibly mentally altered when another voice joined the mix.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Brunson? Are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n Another woman was coming toward them; she was older than Isabel, but younger than Brunson, and she wore blue scrubs beneath her winter coat. Isabel did not know her, but Nick said, \u201cHey, Dr. Cannon. She just took a pretty bad fall, and she won\u2019t let us help her up.\u201d<\/p>\n Isabel fully expected the other doctor to insist that Brunson let Nick help her, but instead, Dr. Cannon looked between the two med students for a moment and then said, \u201cI can take it from here. You two go on home. Here, Holli.\u201d<\/p>\n Gently nudging Nick aside, the younger doctor bent down and put her arm around Brunson. To Isabel\u2019s surprise, Brunson did not recoil this time, but let her. Still on the ground, Dr. Cannon looked up, and when she saw that the two students were still standing there, staring at her, she added, \u201cDrive safely.\u201d<\/p>\n She was clearly insinuating that they should leave. Shrugging, Nick finally gave up and made his way back over to Isabel. She gave him a questioning look, and he returned it with one that was equally clueless. \u201cI guess we\u2019ll go,\u201d he muttered, taking her arm again.<\/p>\n She felt bad about leaving Dr. Brunson on the ground, no matter how spiteful the older doctor could be, but when she chanced a look back over her shoulder, Dr. Cannon had Brunson sitting up and was talking to her quietly. She appeared to be okay.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wanna come over to my place for awhile?\u201d asked Nick, when they finally reached her car.<\/p>\n Isabel really just wanted to sleep, but she hadn\u2019t seen her boyfriend all day, except for the brief few seconds they\u2019d crossed paths at the elevator, and she knew that with him working in surgery this semester, their time together might be scarce as it was. Besides, it would be good to talk to him for a while, get some of her feelings out before she tried to sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about you come over to my place?\u201d she suggested. \u201cI can make us some cocoa.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick smiled. \u201cCocoa sounds awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin walked towards the lounge, heading for a final half cup of coffee and reviewing the Buckley case in his head. Could he have done things differently? Acted faster, more decisively? Had he waited too long to call Brunson?<\/p>\n No, he concluded. He\u2019d done everything he knew of to save the boy. Even Brunson had told him there wasn\u2019t anything else to be done. Still, the loss hurt.<\/p>\n He opened the door to the lounge and was taken aback by the sound of muffled crying. There, head bowed and faced covered, was Nick\u2019s friend, the curly-haired student from earlier. Not knowing what to say, he simply walked over to the coffee machine and grabbed a Styrofoam cup. There was a hitch in the crying, and he turned.<\/p>\n The young man\u2019s eyes were red as he desperately tried to wipe the wetness from his cheeks. Sniffling loudly, he said, \u201cS-sorry, Doctor. I didn\u2019t mean to…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Kevin replied smoothly. \u201cI take it you had a rough day?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d came the miserable reply. Another sniffle.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s your name? I know you\u2019re Carter\u2019s friend, but-\u201d<\/p>\n After a fleetingly puzzled look, the young man said, \u201cMy name\u2019s Justin. Timberlake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJustin. Right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna- gonna report me or anything, are you?\u201d he said shakily.<\/p>\n \u201cReport you? For what?\u201d Kevin asked, surprised.<\/p>\n \u201cFor being… well… like this. I mean…\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin mixed sugar into his cup. \u201cWe all have bad days, Justin. It\u2019s part of the territory, something you have to learn to live with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut there was this girl\u2026 it was so unfair; she was in this accident, and now her whole life is messed up forever,\u201d he said tightly.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least she has<\/em> a life,\u201d Kevin replied flatly after a moment.<\/p>\n Justin sniffled once more. \u201cWell, yeah, I guess…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe hardest part of being a doctor is knowing that you can\u2019t save them all, you can\u2019t wave a magic wand and have happy endings all the time. You have to accept that, and find a way to cope.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see anyone else crying like some wimp,\u201d Justin said bitterly.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it just proves that you\u2019re human, that you care about other people. That\u2019s not a bad thing. Far from it. Without compassion, without true caring, we\u2019d be nothing more than robots or machines.\u201d He tested his coffee, finding it acceptable. \u201cTell me, when Dr. Brunson was quizzing you today, did you actually know the answers?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d he said, looking down. \u201cWell, most of them. But I got flustered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour emotions got the best of you, in other words. It\u2019s the same here. You\u2019re going to have to figure out how to channel your emotions into something productive. If you can\u2019t do it, or aren\u2019t willing to work at it, then you aren\u2019t cut out to be a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin remained silent.<\/p>\n \u201cThink about it,\u201d Kevin said, putting a lid on his cup and snapping it in place. \u201cBeing a doctor isn\u2019t something you can take on lightly. It\u2019s not a temporary job, it\u2019s a lifetime career. Be real sure it\u2019s something you truly want to commit to, because believe me, it\u2019s not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n He was almost to the door when Justin spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you glad you became a doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin didn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cEvery day, Justin. Every day.\u201d<\/p>\n All Risha Veers wanted was to go home. It had been a long, tiring day. Too many people slipping on the ice, or being reckless enough to drive in the dangerous icy weather. She headed outside. It was good to go home, even if it was cold and alone.<\/p>\n From her pocket, she took out a salt shaker with a smile. Remembering was easy; it was when she forgot he was gone that really killed her. Risha stared at the object in her hand wistfully. Some things, she just couldn\u2019t forget\u2026<\/p>\n The young redhead ran to her class hurriedly. Who cared about the snow? She was going to be so late. Again. Damn that alarm!<\/em><\/p>\n The cold nipped at her face, making her cheeks seem rosy. She tried to be careful, but she felt herself lose balance on the icy ground and fell flat on her behind as the students walking back laughed at her. She turned bright red.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cGreat start today, Risha,\u201d she scolded herself quietly.<\/em><\/p>\n A hand came into her view. \u201cWant some help?\u201d a kind voice offered. She looked up to see a gentle face, a sympathetic gaze that held no false pretenses. She smiled and took his hand, letting him help her up.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d she said shyly, hoping her cheeks would stop feeling so warm soon.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m John.\u201d He grinned.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMy name\u2019s Risha. Nice to meet you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWant to know a trick for not falling? I\u2019ve never tried it as I was racing somewhere though,\u201d he joked with a chuckle.<\/em><\/p>\n Risha couldn\u2019t help but smile. \u201cOh yeah? What?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He pulled out a salt shaker, waving a hand around it like it was a lump of gold in his hand. \u201cTa-da!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n She laughed. \u201cA salt shaker\u2026?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n John shook some on the sidewalk around them. \u201cYep, makes it less slippery.\u201d He handed the salt shaker to her. \u201cYou can have mine; I have spares at home.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the catch?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He laughed, his smile bright and full of life. \u201cWe meet for cocoa tomorrow afternoon. I\u2019d say morning, but I have Child Development then.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Risha nodded. \u201cI\u2019d like that.\u201d She caught sight of her watch with a groan. \u201cI am so late.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He wrote his number on her arm and smiled. \u201cWe\u2019ll talk,\u201d he winked and headed off to his own class. She watched him go, class forgotten again as she stared down at the salt shaker in her hand\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n \u2026the same one that was in her hand now. So many years later, and she still had it; she\u2019d kept it as her prized possession.<\/p>\n She was lost in the memory so much that she didn\u2019t hear Kevin approach her, as she shook some salt in front of her. Then she looked up. He smiled, his jade eyes dazzling in the winter night light.<\/p>\n \u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey. If you don\u2019t mind me asking\u2026 what\u2019s with the salt shaker?\u201d<\/p>\n Risha grinned as her red hair blew in the wind. \u201cJust a trick I learned for weather like this.\u201d<\/p>\n As Kevin looked after her in curiosity, she headed off into the cold, warmed by times before.<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Episode 20: Lost and Found Justin Timberlake woke up to a pitch-black room. He glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed and groaned. It was only 5:02 AM, and his alarm was set for 6:00 AM. He tried to go back to sleep, but couldn\u2019t. In all …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":66,"menu_order":20,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-248","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/248","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=248"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":334,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/codeblue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/248\/revisions\/334"}],"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=248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}+++<\/h4>\n
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Episode 21<\/a><\/h4>\n