Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Jamieson
“Damn it.” I kicked the chair and went up to my office.
“I have time to finish what we started.” Rebecca smiled as she walked into my office. “That’s if you’re available.”
“No. Actually, I’m not available, and I won’t be anymore. I want you to finish post-op rounds. I’m leaving. Page me if anything comes up.”
I grabbed my briefcase and started walking toward the door.
“What’s the problem, Jamieson?” she asked with an attitude.
“It’s Dr. Finn, Dr. Lasher. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I walked to my car, climbed in, and drove home. When I arrived, I poured myself a scotch and took it up to the rooftop, where I stood against the railing and looked out into the ocean. I did nothing wrong. Fuck it. I didn’t need this shit, and I certainly didn’t need Grace.
The next morning, Renata called me into her office.
“You paged me?” I asked as I stepped inside.
She sat behind her desk with a scowl across her face.
“Dr. Lasher came to me this morning and requested to be off your service. She said she decided neuro wasn’t the path she wanted to take, but I don’t believe her. What the hell did you do?”
I sighed as I took a seat across from her desk.
“I didn’t do anything. If she wants off my service, fine. Put her somewhere else. I’m not going to force someone to stay if they don’t want to.”
“Dr. Finn?” Her brow raised.
“I rejected her advances. Okay?”
“And why the hell would you do that? Are you feeling okay?”
I took in a sharp breath.
“Renata, just put her somewhere else if that’s what she wants,” I sternly spoke.
“What’s going on with you, Jamieson?”
“Nothing. I’m just getting really tired of these women.”
“Damn. I never thought I’d hear you say those words.” She smirked. “Effective immediately, Dr. Jonathan Becker will be your new resident.”
“Good. He’s a good doctor. Is that all, Renata? I have rounds.”
“That’s all, Jamieson.” Her eye narrowed at me.
I got up from the chair and walked out of her office. I pushed the button to the elevator, and when the doors opened, I saw Grace standing there.
“Dr. Harper.” I nodded.
“Dr. Finn.”
We were both heading up to the rooftop for morning coffee. Once the elevator reached the top, the doors opened, and I motioned for her to go ahead of me. Neither of us spoke a word until we were paged.
“Pile up on the highway,” she spoke.
“We better get down there.”
We took the elevator down to the ER, and when we stepped out, we waited outside for the ambulances to pull up.
“What do we have?” Grace asked the paramedic.
“Thirty-six-year-old male. Driver of the car that flipped on the highway. Chest and abdominal injuries. Hypotensive end route. BP 80/50. Pulse is in the sixties.”
“Name?” she asked.”
“Carl McAllister.”
“Let’s get him to trauma room three,” Grace spoke.
The second ambulance pulled up, and I ran over to it.
“What do we have?” I asked as the paramedic opened the door.
“Thirty-six-year-old female. Passenger of flipped car. She was found lying outside the car. Multiple head and chest trauma. She was unresponsive in the field.”
“Get her into trauma room four. Type and cross six units and hang two units of O neg. She’s bleeding out.”
“Dr. Finn, her heart rate is tachycardic in the 130s,” Sara spoke.
I placed the stethoscope on her chest.
“No breath sounds on the right. Set up a chest tube now. She could have an aortic transection. Page cardio stat!”
“She’s going into AFIB,” Sara spoke.
“Get me the paddles and charge to 200,” I yelled. “Push one of epi. Clear.” I shocked her. “Charge to 250. Clear. Push another round of epi and charge to 300. Clear.” I shocked her again. We all stared at the monitor and nothing. She was gone, and there was nothing left I could do.
“Time of death, ten-fifteen.” I looked at the clock.
I slowly shook my head as I removed my gloves and went to see if Grace needed help.
Grace
“We have to stop this bleeding. Call the O.R. and tell them we’re on our way.”
“We lost his wife,” Jamieson spoke as he stepped into the room.
“His pressure is bottoming out, Dr. Harper,” Jackie spoke. “We’re losing him.”
“Start chest compressions,” I spoke. “Push one of epi and charge the paddles to 200.”
Jackie handed me the paddles while another nurse started compressions.
“Clear.” I shocked him. “Push another round of epi and charge to 300. Clear!”
Nothing.
“Charge to 300 again. Clear!” I shocked him again. “Come on.”
“Please don’t let my daddy die,” I heard a soft voice from the doorway.
Holding the paddles in my hand, I looked over and saw a little girl who was about ten years old standing there with tears in her eyes.
“Please save him,” she softly spoke. “Please.”
I froze as I stared into her eyes and swallowed hard. I felt paralyzed as my mind took me back to when I was ten years old.
“Dr. Harper?” Jackie spoke. “Dr. Harper!” she shouted.
I snapped back into reality and looked at Jackie.
“Get her out of here and push another round of epi,” I spoke.
I started chest compressions and carefully watched the monitor.
“Again,” I shouted.
“Grace, it’s been twenty minutes,” Jamieson spoke as he walked over to me.
“Another!” I shouted to the nurse as I continued chest compressions.
I stared at the monitor waiting for that rhythm to appear.
“Grace,” Jamieson spoke as he lightly placed his hand on my arm. “He’s gone.”
I turned as my teary eyes stared into his.
“Push 3 mgs of Atropine, Jackie!”
“Dr. Harper,” she spoke with a concerned look on her face.
“NOW!” I shouted as I continued chest compressions.
Staring at the monitor, he was still flatlined. All I kept seeing in my mind was that little girl who had already lost her mother.
“You are not going to die and leave your little girl alone!” I shouted as I took my fist and punched his heart as hard as I could.
Suddenly, the soft beeps of the machine changed their tone.
“We got a rhythm,” Jackie spoke.
I let out a deep breath.
“Let’s get him to the O.R. now.”
Jamieson
I stood there as they wheeled the patient out of the room.
Grace was determined to bring him back, and she did.
I couldn’t believe what I had witnessed with her.
The only problem with the whole situation was his neurological outcome.
When she looked at that little girl, all I saw was fear in her eyes.
She wanted to save him for her, but at what cost?
What good would it do that little girl if her father was in a coma for the rest of his life?