All rights for Saving Hope are CTV's.
Prologue:
"It'll take some time for you to recover completely, and you're going to need to take these medications, but you're going to be just fine," Charlie promised her, smiling.
His patient, a twenty year old woman with compound elevated skull fracture, sighed in relief. "Thank you, Doctor Harris," She said, smiling back. "Thank you so much."
He smiled again for a brief moment. "I'll be back here tomorrow to make sure you're alright," was all he said before leaving. He closed the door behind him and then turned towards the cafeteria, where he was supposed to meet Alex.
Walking into the elevator, Charlie immediately noticed Joel inside. He was wearing his scrubs and holding a cup of coffee. The moment Charlie walked inside he turned towards him, and before Charlie could say or ask anything, he spoke.
"I've got an operation for you," He said.
"Yeah? What?" Charlie asked nonchalantly, turning to look at Joel.
"Forty-two-year-old with multiple fractures in her arms and legs. They're pressing major blood vessels," He added, "including the femoral and the brachial. Also, she might be suffering spinal trauma. She needs that surgery now." There was no need to mention the 'or'. They both knew her muscles would start dying soon with no blood brought to them.
"Okay." Charlie grabbed his cellphone, quickly texting Alex that he will meet her later that day.
"Operation room three. They're already taking her there," He added. "Maggie's going to assist on that surgery."
"Alright." The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Joel left, leaving Charlie alone. The surgeon quickly pressed the right button and then hurried to call his fiancée. "Hi," He said as she answered the phone. "Did you get my text?"
"Yeah. What happened?" He could hear people's voices coming from the background. He guessed she was already waiting for him at the cafeteria, getting coffee for them both.
"Joel's got a case. A woman who just came in with fractures in her arms and legs, and possibly with spinal trauma," He replied quietly. The elevator stopped and the doors opened, and he hurried to the operation room. "It'll take a while."
"Do you need me to assist?"
"I'd love that, but I already have an assistant. I'll be back home as soon as I can," He added, knowing her shift would end before his surgery would.
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you too."
He hung up and then hurried to scrub. He quickly cleaned his arms and hands, changed clothes and then walked into the operation room, noticing the entire staff and the patient were already present. He nodded briefly, satisfied. He loved it when everything worked according to his plan.
"Alright, this is how we're gonna do this."
As Charlie walked out of the operation room a few hours later, his pager beeped. He sighed, wishing he could go home to Alex, washed his hands and picked it up, ready for another case. He wasn't surprised when he got paged to another operation room.
"What's going on?" He asked as he walked in after rescrubbing.
"Jane Doe." One of the nurses informed him. "A woman in her thirties. She came in after a car crash. Got severe injuries all over her body, including the head and the back. She was unconscious when the medics found her." She paused. "You'll be operating along with Doctor Hamza and Doctor Reycraft."
"No identification?" He asked, coming near the woman on the operating table. Something about her looked familiar to him, but he couldn't tell what it was.
"No. They didn't manage to find a driving license, a credit card or an ID. The firemen reported that almost everything that was in the car was completely burned. They barely managed to get her out."
"Alright, we're here," Shahir said as he walked into the operation room. "What's going on?"
Charlie hurried to fill them in. They talked quietly for a few minutes, working on a plan that would fit all the needs of the patient, and then each turned to start operating- Shahir by the head, Charlie by her pelvis, and Reycraft by her stomach. Charlie was about to make his first cut when he stopped, shocked, and stared at a spot in front of him.
"Charlie?" Shahir asked, turning towards him. "Charlie!"
"What?" He muttered, not taking his eyes off that spot.
"Is everything okay?"
"It's Alex," He muttered in response, unfocused.
"What?" Both other doctors exchanged a glance. None of this made sense to them.
To Charlie, however, it did make sense. As he stared into his fiancée's eyes, looking at the confusion and fear that was written all over her face, he quietly said, "It's not a Jane Doe. It's Alex."