Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Grace
“There you are. I was looking for you,” Jamieson spoke as I walked out of room six.
“Why?” I asked while looking down at the patient’s chart.
“The offer still stands. We can drive together to the courthouse.”
“And my answer is still the same. I’m driving myself.” I handed the chart to Jackie.
“Suit yourself, and you better not be late,” he spoke with irritation as he walked away.
“You okay?” she asked.
“I’m great. I’ve already saved a life today, and my drunken marriage is getting annulled. Couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.” I smiled.
“Is your Aunt Cora still in town?”
“No. She flew back to New York this morning. She has patients she needs to see.”
I climbed into my car, punched the address to the courthouse into my GPS, and pulled out of the hospital parking lot.
I made sure to leave early enough to account for the L.A.
traffic. I wasn’t taking any chances of being late.
I was stopped at a light, waiting for it to turn green, when the crosswalk light turned for the pedestrian to walk.
I looked down at my phone for a split second and heard the screeching of tires and a loud thump.
When I looked up, the boy who had been crossing at the crosswalk was now lying in the middle of the road.
“Oh my God,” I yelled as I quickly grabbed my stethoscope from the passenger seat, got out of my car, and ran over to him.
“I need you to stay very still. Someone call 911,” I yelled as I looked around at the people gathering around us.
“I’m a doctor and will stay with you until the paramedics get here. Can you tell me your name?”
“Justin.” He trembled.
“How old are you, Justin?” I asked as I took off my suit coat and carefully placed it under his head.
“Sixteen. I can’t feel my legs.”
“You’re going to be okay.” I listened to his chest.
I could hear the siren of the ambulance approaching as I lifted Justin’s shirt and examined his abdomen.
“Dr. Harper?” Aiden, the paramedic, spoke as he ran over to us.
“Sixteen-year-old male hit by a vehicle. Muffled breath sounds on the left side, abdominal distention, broken leg, and potential spinal injury. He can’t feel his legs. Stabilize his neck and back and start him on oxygen stat.”
“I can’t breathe,” Justin mumbled.
“Dr. Harper, his pressure is dropping.”
I placed the stethoscope on his chest again.
“Damn it. He has fluid rising in his chest. I need to insert a chest tube. Get me the kit.”
Aiden ran to the ambulance and brought back the chest tube kit.
“Justin, this will hurt, but I have no choice.”
Screams emerged from him as I made the incision and inserted the chest tube.
“I have to be in court like five minutes ago. Get him to the ER now. I’ll make the call and let them know you’re coming,” I spoke to Aiden.
“Justin, the paramedics will take you to the hospital, and I’ll make sure a team of doctors is waiting for you.
When I get back there, I’ll check on you. ” I grabbed his hand.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
I stood up and looked down at my white shirt, that had blood splattered all over it.
“Excuse me, Dr. Harper?” an officer spoke. “I need you to make a statement.”
“I didn’t see anything. I was looking down at my phone. I will try to answer your questions at the hospital, but I have to go now. I was supposed to be in court, and I’m late.”
I climbed into my car and took off. My phone rang, and Jamieson was calling.
“Hello.”
“Where the hell are you?” he angrily spoke.
“I had to save someone’s life. I’m ten minutes away.”
He hung up without so much as saying a word.
“Asshole,” I spoke as I looked at the phone.
I dialed the ER, and Marjorie, one of the nurses, answered.
“This is Dr. Harper. An ambulance is on its way with a sixteen-year-old male who was struck by a vehicle: page ortho, cardio, and neuro. I want a trauma panel and CT of the head, spine, and abdomen. The patient can’t feel his legs.
He has multiple fractures and abdominal distention.
I had to insert a chest tube. Make sure everyone is ready, and that boy better be alive when I get back. ”
“Yes, Dr. Harper.”
I pulled into the parking garage, parked the car, and climbed out.
“Ma’am, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Park this for me. I’m so late and already in trouble,” I spoke as I ran to the building.
“Ma’am, you can’t—” he shouted.
I found the courtroom and ran through the doors. Everyone turned around and looked at me.
“Dr. Harper, I presume?” the judge spoke with irritation.
“I’m sorry, your Honor. A kid was hit by a car crossing the crosswalk in front of me. He had severe injuries.”
“Is that blood all over your clothing?” she asked.
“I’m so sorry. It was an emergency, and I didn’t have time to change.”
“Is the boy going to be okay?” she asked.
“I hope so.”
Jamieson glanced over at me, but I wouldn’t look at him.
“Dr. Grace Harper and Dr. Jamieson Finn, please approach,” the judge spoke. “This court has received your paperwork and request for the annulment of your recent marriage in Las Vegas. Correct?”
“Yes, your Honor,” Jamieson and I spoke at the same time.
“Let me ask you this. Why did the two of you get married in the first place?”
“It was a mistake, your Honor. We had too much to drink and weren’t thinking clearly,” Jamieson spoke.
“Do you agree, Dr. Harper?” She looked at me.
“Yes.” I nodded my head.
She stared at me for a moment and then at Jamieson.
“I am scheduling you to come back to this courtroom one week from today at ten a.m. for my decision.”
“Excuse me, your Honor?” Jamieson’s lawyer spoke up.
“Is there a problem, Mr. Riggs?” Her brow arched.
“It just seems unusual for my clients to have to come back here. This case is pretty much cut and dry. Both parties agree that a mistake was made, and they do not wish to be married.”
“It’s my decision and the decision of this court. I will see both of you one week from today. Dr. Harper, try to be on time.”
“Yes, your Honor.” I swallowed hard.
“Court is adjourned.”
She got up from her chair and went into her chambers.
“Tony, what the fuck is going on?” Jamieson asked through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know, Jamieson. This is highly unusual,” he spoke. “There’s nothing I can do. She made her decision. I’ll see you both back here next week.” He turned and walked away.
Jamieson looked at me and shook his head.
“This is your fault!” He pointed at me. “If you weren’t so damn late.”
“What did you want me to do? That boy’s life was at stake.”
“Yeah, well. You wouldn’t have been there if you had just driven with me!” He walked away.
I followed behind his dumb ass.
“He can’t feel his legs. So, you better hurry up and get to the hospital.”
He shook his head all the way out the door. I went to the parking garage and looked at the attendant, who stood there giving me dirty looks.
“Can I have my car, please?” I cocked my head.
“Yeah, and you can also have this parking ticket,” he spoke as he handed me my keys.
“Thanks a lot.” I narrowed my eye at him.
I rushed back to the hospital, changed into a pair of scrubs, and headed to the O.R.
“I’m here. What’s going on?”
“Just about to remove his spleen,” Dr. Collins spoke.
“I got it from here. Did you get the spinal x-rays yet?” I asked as I took over.
“They’re up, and we’ve already paged Dr. Finn.”
“Goodie,” I spoke with sarcasm.
The O.R. door opened, and Jamieson stepped in, holding a mask over his mouth and nose.
“Is this your patient, Dr. Harper?” he asked.
“Yep. His spinal x-rays are up. Can you take a look?”
“His L6 is completely obliterated. There’s no way I can fix that. Your patient is paralyzed from the waist down. He’ll never walk again.”
I turned my head, and our eyes locked onto each other.
“He’s sixteen,” I spoke.
“I wish there were something I could do, but there isn’t.” He walked out of the O.R.