Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Grace
“Take him to the CCU and start the hypothermia protocol,” I spoke before leaving the operating room.
I took a long deep breath, took off my scrub cap and gown, and scrubbed out. When I was finished, I went up to Renata’s office.
“You paged me?” I asked.
“I did. I wanted to let you know that the little girl’s grandparents are on their way to the hospital. They’ll be here in about four hours. Meanwhile, a social worker is with her now.”
“Good.” I slowly nodded my head.
“Grace, what you did for that man was wonderful, but you do realize that he may never fully recover?”
“He’ll recover, Renata. He has to. He has a daughter he needs to take care of.”
“Do you think that maybe you got a little too personal in that room?”
“What?” I cocked my head. “I’m a doctor; my job is to save lives.”
“I know that. I’m saying that a little girl could still possibly lose her father. I don’t want to give her false hope. It could be more damaging. That man may never wake up.”
My pager went off, and when I checked it, Jamieson had paged me, asking me to come to the CT room.
“I have to go. I’m needed in the CT room.”
“Grace?”
“Yeah.” I turned around before walking out the door.
“I’m here if you need to talk.”
“Thanks, Renata. Also, can you tell my Aunt Cora that I’m fine?” I lightly smiled.
I walked to the CT room, and when I arrived, Jamieson sat in the chair, staring at the monitors.
“You paged me?”
“How’s your patient?” he asked.
“He’s stable. We’ll have to wait and see when he wakes up.”
“If he wakes up,” Jamieson spoke. “What happened in that room?”
“What do you mean?”
“Something happened to you in there.”
“Nothing happened to me. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“So, you’re sticking to that story, eh?” His eye narrowed at me.
“Yeah. That’s my story. Now, why did you page me?”
“No reason. If you’ll excuse me, I have to tell a patient that she’s dying of brain cancer.” He got up from his chair and walked out.
Rolling my eyes, I checked on my patient and found his little girl with the social worker sitting by her father’s side.”
“Hi there,” I spoke as I walked into the room. “Can you give us a moment?” I asked the social worker.
“Sure. I’ll be outside.”
“What’s your name?” I asked her with a smile.
“Sydney.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sydney. I’m Dr. Harper, but you can call me Grace. I heard your grandparents are on their way.”
“Yeah.” She looked down. “Is my dad going to be okay?”
I inhaled a sharp breath.
“I hope so. Right now, he’s stable, and we’re keeping a very close eye on him.”
“Is he going to have brain damage? I overheard one of the nurses talking.”
“There is a possibility. We’ll have to see when he wakes up.”
“When will he wake up?”
“I don’t know, sweetie.”
She began to cry as she laid her head on her father’s arm. I gently placed my hand on her back and slowly began to rub it.
“I know this is hard. When I was about your age, I lost my parents in a car accident.”
She lifted her head and looked at me with her teary eyes.
“You did?”
“Yeah. I did.”
“I don’t want my dad to die.”
“I know, and we’re doing everything we can to help him. I want you to do me a favor. Talk to your dad.”
“Can he hear me?”
“Some will tell you he can’t, but I know he can.” I lightly smiled.
My pager went off, and when I checked it, I was needed down in the ER.
“I have to go. I’ll come back later to check up on you.”
“Thank you, Grace. Thank you for not giving up on my dad.”
“You’re welcome, Sydney.”
I went to the ER, and Jackie told me a trauma was coming in. When I walked outside to wait for the ambulance, Dr. Rebecca Lasher was standing there.
“Aren’t you supposed to be up in neuro?” I asked.
“I’m on your service now.”
“Why?”
“Neuro wasn’t for me. I’m sorry about yesterday. I swear it won’t happen again.”
“It better not.”
The ambulance pulled up, and the paramedic opened the door.
“Twenty-nine-year-old female involved in an MVA. Thirty-seven weeks pregnant with abdominal bruising and pain.”
“Hi, I’m Dr. Harper. Can you tell me your name?” I asked as we wheeled her into trauma room five.
“Cassie. My baby. Is my baby okay?”
“We’re going to find out. I need you to stay calm. Ultrasound,” I spoke to Dr. Lasher.
She handed me the transducer, and I placed it on Cassie’s belly.
“Dr. Harper, she’s bleeding,” Dr. Lasher spoke as she lifted the sheet from her.
“Baby’s BP is dropping,” Jackie spoke.
“Damn it. The umbilical cord is prolapsed. We need to get this baby out now. Page OB and have them meet us in the O.R. Tell them we’re on our way.”
After my surgery, I went to the cafeteria and grabbed a salad for lunch. Instead of eating it there, I took it up to the rooftop and sat at a small round table.
“May I join you?” Jamieson asked as he stood there with his tray.
“I guess.” I glared at him. “What the hell happened between you and Rebecca? Yesterday, you were getting in her pants, and today she’s on my service.” I arched my brow.
“You can have her. Anyway, I want everything cleared up with us before we leave for Vegas in a couple of days.”
“Everything is cleared up, Jamieson. We’re colleagues, nothing more, and that’s how it will stay. We’re friends. Not friends with benefits. Just friends. There won’t be any more sex. I should never have broken my rule. From now on, I’m sticking with BOB.”
“Bob?” His brow raised.
“My boyfriend on batteries.”
The corners of his mouth curved up into a sly smile.
“That’s really hot. You just made my cock twitch.”
I took my fork and lightly stabbed his hand, which was resting on the table.
“Ouch. What was that for?”
“That was for being a pig.”
My pager went off, and CCU paged me 911.
“It’s Mr. McAllister, 911.”
I quickly got up from the table and pushed the button to the elevator. Jamieson followed me inside. As soon as the doors opened, I ran down the hall and into the room, where I found Mr. McAllister awake.
“Welcome back, Mr. McAllister.” I smiled as I walked over to him and checked his vitals. “Do you know where you are?”
“Hospital,” he sleepily spoke.
“Do you remember what happened?”
“Car accident. Where’s my wife and daughter?”
I swallowed hard and glanced over at Jamieson.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. McAllister. We did everything we could for your wife. Her injuries were just too bad.”
Tears filled Mr. McAllister’s eyes as he started to shake.
“My daughter?”
“She’s fine. I’ll go get her.” I placed my hand on his.
After bringing Sydney to her father, Jamieson and I walked out of the room.
“Thanks for telling him about his wife.”
“She was my patient,” he spoke.
“He woke up.” I smiled. “And he’s talking.”
“Yeah, he did.” Jamieson placed his hand on my shoulder before walking away.