Advance Directive

Disclaimer: Recognizable characters are used without permission. Don't sue. The inconvenience is just not worth it.

Summary: Circumstances force Ray to return to County.

Spoilers: Up through "The Honeymoon Is Over." From there it's all speculative and my imagination.

Content Warning: Strong language.

A/N: I tried to make this as accurate as possible. I am not 100 percent sure I am using correct terminology. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Also, I don't know if it chronologically works (what time of day was the rally??)

Ray-centric. This has a strong Rabby friendship, but it's totally platonic. Will ultimately be a RayNeela.

EDIT: I have reposted this chapter to correct some mistakes regarding the DPA. They bugged me and would create inconsistencies if I didn't change them. THANK YOU DubenkoJunkie for the info!


Chapter 1: Called Back

Abby's stomach knotted when the call came in. There was a trauma coming in 11 minutes out. Twenty nine year old woman with crush injuries after being trampled in a stampede. Her name was Neela Rasgotra. The paramedics suggested they get in touch with the next of kin. Abby called up to the surgical floor. A woman named Shirley answered the phone.

"I need emergency contact information for a doctor up there. Neela Rasgotra," Abby said hurriedly.

"Just a moment, let me check," the other woman said calmly.

"Quickly, please," Abby urged. A few moments later, Shirley returned to the phone.

"I'm sorry we don't have anything on Dr. Rasgotra."

"She works up there," Abby countered, "it's R-A-S," she started spelling.

"G-O-T-R-A, I know Abby. I checked twice. Maybe it didn't get transferred up here when she moved up from the ER. Check the files down there."

"Alright. Thanks," Abby said quickly before hanging up, replacing the phone in the cradle a little harder than necessary. She flipped through the staff medical records in the ER, while Morris and Pratt waited in the ambulance bay, Summers, Swartz, Sylvester, Ramamurthy, Ratnasami, Raven, Ryley. She went back, carefully separating each folder. There was nothing between Ramamurthy and Ratnasami.

"Greg," Abby said urgently, running over to him, "there is no file for her."

"What do you mean? She's a physician here!"

"Thanks, Greg I hadn't noticed," she said sarcastically. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I guess call her parents."

"I don't have that number."

"Would Ray?"

"Maybe but no one's seen him since my wedding."

"Try his cell." Abby ran back inside. She grabbed her cell phone from her locker and scrolled down her phone book until she got to the number she was looking for. Ray. She pressed send.

-o-

Ray had fallen asleep. Katey felt his cell phone buzzing on the seat next to her. She picked up and looked at the caller ID. Abby. She pushed a button on the side to stop the phone from vibrating and she put it back on the seat. A few seconds later, it beeped once, indicating a missed call. This sequence repeated twice more. On the fourth call, Katey pulled off her earphones and answered.

"What?" she said, not masking any hostility at all.

"Who is this?" Abby asked, a female voice catching her off guard.

"Katey. What do you want?" She sounded irritated, but Abby didn't care.

"I need to speak with Ray," Abby said calmly.

"He's not taking phone calls right now," she said shortly.

"I need to talk to him. Now." Abby's voice hardened.

"He's asleep," Katey countered.

"Wake him up." Abby was getting irritated.

"He needs his rest."

"Oh my fucking god Katey," Abby snapped. "Get over yourself. Wake him up NOW." Katey sighed and gently shook Ray's shoulder.

"Phone's for you." He looked back at her sleepily.

"Tell them I'm sleeping." He closed his eyes again.

"I did. Abby is very insistent on talking to you." Resigned, Ray took the phone. Katey didn't particularly want to hear what Abby had to say, so she put her headphones back on and continued people watching.

"What could possibly be so important that you need to wake me up, Abby?" he asked, groggily.

"Does Neela have," she started, but Ray cut her off.

"I don't know what she's said to you, but I'm not discussing her."

"Fuck you Ray. Listen to me. I don't know where you are. No one's seen or heard from you since my wedding, but I need you to stop fucking around and listen." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Does Neela have an advance directive?"

"I don't know, ask her."

"I can't Ray! That's why I'm asking you! I had to call you four times before anyone picked up. Do you think this isn't urgent?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Because she's on her way here in a fucking ambulance and the paramedics told us to contact her next of kin." Ray was suddenly very awake. He sat up a little straighter. "I thought you might be able to stop playing whatever little game is going on between the two of you long enough to help us out," Abby continued.

"Yeah," he said, swallowing a lump in his throat. "She does. A durable power of attorney." He paused. "There's a copy of it with her insurance information, which she has at home. It's the second folder from the back in her file box."

"I can't exactly go get it right now. Do you know what it says? Who's named in it?"

"She changed it to Michael right after her wedding, I believe."

"Changed it from who?"

"From…uhm…me."

"Where are you right now?"

"Gary-Chicago airport."

"You've got to come back Ray."

"I'm not on it anymore."

"Well, you were, and that's more than any of us can say. Please Ray. No questions asked. I don't care where you were, or what you were doing, or why the hell you are at the airport. It's melodramatic to say, but this could be life or death."

"Fuck." He closed his eyes and let his head fall back. "Fuck," he sighed again. Pulling the phone away from his mouth, Abby could hear him say, "We have to go." A female voice that didn't sound like Katey answered something about missing the flight, to which he answered, "yeah no shit, but I'm kind of legally and morally bound here. I…I have to go back." Returning to his conversation with Abby he said, "I'll be there in about an hour and a half. I'm already inside waiting to get my baggage checked and the traffic is pretty bad."

"Keep your cell phone on. Can she be intubated?"

"Yeah. CPR is ok too. No defibrillation. A vent is ok as long as it's temporary."

"Ok. We'll call if there're more questions. Oh wait. Do you have her parents' number?"

"Not particularly accessible."

"See if you can dig it out. No one around here knows it."

"All that info is in that folder I told you about. We both know you are too close to her to be objective. Let someone else take the trauma. Go to your apartment and get the folder. And see if you can get in touch with the hospital attorney, about using an outdated copy, if that would be legal given the circumstances. Her name's Angela Gilliam, I think?"

"I am very familiar with her after Luka's malpractice suit."

"Oh right."

"Ok, I need to go. See you soon."

"See you," he said, down-trodden.

"What the hell is going on?" Katey asked, confused as to why Ray's mother was collecting their things and stepping out of the line to check their baggage.

"Neela is really injured," Ray said hesitantly.

"After all she's done to you, you're missing your flight just so you can go see her?" she asked, irritation clear in her voice.

"I have to," he answered calmly.

"No you don't. She's been horrible to you. She doesn't deserve it."

"Shut up Katey!" he said harshly. "I have to go, it's not that I particularly want to."

"That's what I'm saying, you don't," Katey started.

"Legally, Katey, I have to be there. It's in her advance directive." Katey scowled.

"I'll go get my car from short term parking," Katey conceded.

"Katey," Ray said, his voice cold with warning, "I know you don't like her, but don't screw around. Get the car quickly." She glared at him, but did walk away quickly.

-o-

Abby hurried to her locker to get her purse and quickly explained to the attendings that she was going to get Neela's paperwork, at the suggestion of Ray. She told them what he'd told her about her wishes, and that his cell phone was on and he'd be reachable until he got here in 90 minutes.

-o-

When Abby got to her apartment, she went straight to Neela's corner of stuff. Sure enough, there was a file box, and the second to last folder was marked 'insurance, etc." She flipped through it quickly, checking the needed information was there, and hurried back to the L. While she sat on the train, she read over the advance directive. There was a post-it note stuck to the front, which read, 'note to self, talk to attorney about changing this to Michael!!!' Abby flipped to the last page. She read the paragraph at the bottom.

I, Neela Rasgotra M.D. of 3990 Mallon Blvd. #3B, Chicago, IL 60680 hereby appoint: Raymond Barnett M.D. of 3990 Mallon Blvd. #3B, Chicago, IL 60680, as my attorney-in-fact (my "agent") to act for me and in my name (in any way I could act in person) to make any and all decisions for me concerning my personal care, medical treatment, hospitalization and health care and to require, withhold or withdraw any type of medical treatment or procedure, even though my death may ensue…(1)

The notarization stamp was at the bottom, along with the attorney's signature, Neela's signature, and finally, on the line that read Agent, Raymond Barnett M.D., dated May 18, 2005. Less than a year before she moved out of his apartment. Less than a year before Michael died.

-o-

"You don't have to do this Ray," Katey said once again, looking at Ray in the rear view mirror.

"You need to stop," Ray said fiercely. "I'm not particularly happy about it either, but the fact is I signed an agreement saying if anything happened to her, I would make medical decisions on her behalf."

"Fine," she scoffed.

Ray picked up his phone, went to the first entry of his phone book, Abby, took a deep breath and pressed send. Abby answered on the first ring.

"Something wrong?" Abby said immediately.

"No. I just have a request."

"Ok."

"Can you meet me out front? I don't want to come in through the ambulance bay."

"Uh, ok."

"You'll understand when I get there," he said, his stomach getting queasy at the thought of everyone seeing him in his current state.

"Ok."

"That's all."

"Wait, Ray." She paused. "I have Neela's file here. Just thought I'd let you know, there's a post-it on the front, reminding her to change the agent in her DPA to Michael, but she never did. Your signature is still there." He took another deep breath, straining his already painful ribs. "It's still officially you."

"I'll be there soon. Traffic isn't as bad in this direction. Thirty minutes, tops."

"Ok. See you soon." Ray hung up. He groaned.

"You ok, honey?" his mom asked. Katey had elected to drive, and Jacy sat in the back with her son.

"Yeah, just not looking forward to this." He refocused his attention to Katey's reflection in the rear view mirror. "But I am going to do it," he said sharply.

When they were pulling into the parking lot of the hospital, Ray called Abby again to let her know he was there. She met him in front, like she said she would. A look of shock crossed her face when she saw him, not immediately recognizing him without his normal swagger.

"Hi, Ray," she managed to get out.

"Hey." Katey stood next to Ray, possessively, while his mother hung back.

"What happ—," she started, but he cut her off.

"I'm not here for a social visit. I'm here because I signed a contract saying I would do this, nothing else. I'm not discussing what happened." Abby nodded.

"Sorry. I didn't mean…sorry. She's up in surgery right now. We can go to the observation room, or you can talk to Morris and Pratt about what happened with her in the ER."

"Like I said, this isn't a social visit. What happened there is done. I'm here to make decisions as needed." Abby nodded again.

"I have to go move the car, I'm not actually parked legally," Katey announced.

"You can go," he said calmly. "From the sound of it, I'm going to be here a while." Katey didn't argue, and she left. "Oh, and Abby, sorry, this is my mother, Jacy." Jacy stepped forward and the two women shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. "Let's go." The three of them went straight to the elevators, and headed up to the surgery floor. When they got there, Abby went ahead, while Jacy pushed Ray down the hall.


Please review...constructive criticism is always accepted too!

(1) This is taken from the Power of Attorney for Health Care, Illinois Statutory Short Form taken from the Illinois Department of Public Health website. (http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/books/advin.htm) No copyright infringement is intended.