Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Grace
“Thirty-five-year-old female with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. I need an abdominal CT, blood count, creatine, electrolytes, calcium level, lactic acid, and blood gases. Call the O.R. and let them know we’ll be coming up.”
“I’m sorry, but who are you?” a woman with short black hair in burgundy scrubs asked from the doorway.
“I’m your new trauma attending. Any other questions you’d like to ask before this patient bleeds to death?” I cocked my head.
“Umm. No. I’ll call the O.R.”
“No surgery.” Carla grabbed hold of my arm.
“You don’t have a choice. I need to stop the bleeding in your belly, or you’ll die.”
“My head,” she slurred and began to seize.
“She’s seizing. Push ten milligrams of Diazepam. I need a portable head CT now and page neuro, stat.”
I got the head CT and looked at the computer image as soon as it loaded on the screen. “Where’s neuro?” I shouted.
“What do we—” He stopped when he walked into the room and looked at me with a shocked expression on his face.
I stood there for a second, unable to speak as our eyes locked onto each other. There was no time for reacting to the man staring back at me.
“Gunshot wound to the abdomen and an intracranial bleed.” I pointed to the CT scan.
“Let’s get her up to the O.R. I’ll let you know how she does,” he spoke.
“Excuse me? I need to remove the bullet from her abdomen, stop the bleeding, and repair any residual damage. She’s already lost a lot of blood.”
“You’re a surgeon?” he asked with a shocked tone.
“Trauma surgeon. You’re neuro?” I raised my brow at him.
“Yeah.” He smiled. “Let’s go. You take the abdomen, and I’ll take the head.”
The patient was the number one priority, and I didn’t have time to process the fact that Jamieson, the man I slept with my last night in New York City, was a neurosurgeon at the hospital I was now working at and going to be operating with. Oh my God, this wasn’t happening.
As we were scrubbing in, he wouldn’t stop staring at me.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” he asked.
“What’s there to say? I think I’m just as shocked as you are.”
“You bet I am. You failed to mention that you were moving to L.A. and that you were a doctor that night,” he spoke.
“Me? Remember I asked you what you did, and you said it wasn’t important?” I arched my brow. “Plus, why would I tell you I was moving to L.A.? We barely talked if you remember.”
“We can discuss this later after we save this woman’s life,” he spoke.
I entered the operating room, and he followed behind, cracking Carla’s skull open while I made an incision into her abdomen.
“I need to repair the small bowel, and there’s a tear in her liver. I need an x-ray over here to try and locate the bullet.”
“Are you sure there’s no exit wound?” Jamieson asked as he operated on her brain.
“I’m one hundred percent sure,” I spoke as I narrowed my eye at him.
“First day?” he asked.
“Yes, and first patient. I was in the parking garage of my apartment building when I heard screaming from across the street.”
“And where is your apartment?”
“West Hollywood.”
“That explains it,” he spoke.
I sighed as I finished repairing the small bowel and moved on to the liver.
“Vessels repaired, and the bleeding has stopped,” he spoke.
I was working on repairing her liver, and as soon as Jamieson closed up Carla’s head, he stood next to me.
“Nice work.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” he asked as he stared at the x-ray.
“If you’re talking about the bullet against the renal artery, I see it.”
“That’s really risky to remove. You could do some serious damage to this poor woman.”
“I know that. What would you do in my situation?” I asked as I glanced over at him.
He stared at me for a moment.
“I’d remove it.”
“Good. Glad to hear we’re on the same page.” I smirked.
“Do you need some help?” he asked.
“No. I’ve got this. Don’t you think I do?” I asked.
“I didn’t say that. It looks to me like you’re very good at your job. I was just offering my assistance.”
“I appreciate it, Dr.—” I glanced over at him.
“Finn,” he replied.
“Like I said, Dr. Finn. I appreciate it, but I’ve got this.”
“Okay. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to stand here and watch.”
“Suit yourself.”
I carefully and with extremely steady hands, snared out the bullet, being extra careful not to tear the renal artery. I dropped the bullet into the steel bowl and let out a breath.
“Bullet is out. She’s going to be okay,” I spoke as I closed her up. “Thank you, everyone, for helping and assisting Dr. Finn and me today. You all did a great job.”
Jamieson and I walked out of the operating room and scrubbed out.
“I never did get your last name,” he spoke.
“It’s Harper. Dr. Grace Harper.” I smiled as I walked away.
I took in a deep breath as I stepped into the elevator and took it up to the fifth floor.
Placing my hand on my belly, I tried to calm the fluttering inside.
Shit. This was not good. Not good at all.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, I walked down the hallway and stepped inside the office of Renata Sinclair, Chief of Staff and Medical Director.
“Dr. Harper, how’s your patient?” she asked. “I walked down to the ER, and Jackie told me you were already in the operating room.”
“She’s going to be fine. It’s good to see you again, Renata.” I smiled as we hugged.
“Welcome to Cedars-Sinai, Grace. What a way to start your first day. I heard you operated with our Chief Neurosurgeon, Dr. Finn.”
“I did.”
“And?” she smirked.
“And what?”
“No swooning, tripping over your feet when he’s around, heart palpitations, mild sweating?”
“He seems nice.” I grinned.
“He’s arrogant, cocky, and a womanizer, but he’s the best neurosurgeon in the country and a great asset to this hospital. Don’t let him get to you, and don’t take anything personally. As long as you remember those two things, you’ll do just fine.”
“I can handle men like Dr. Finn.” I smirked.
“I know you can, and I was beyond thrilled when I got your call. I never thought you’d leave New York.”
“It was time for a change.”
“I thought you were happy at the hospital.”
“I was. It’s more of a personal change,” I spoke.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” She smiled. “You are another great asset to this hospital, my dear.”