Valentine's Day. 2001.
Elizabeth Corday sat at Doc Magoos, sipping coffee as she fought to keep her exhaustion at bay. It was noisy today, more than usual, each sound drilling into her skull like the bone saw she had finished using several hours earlier.
"Can I get you anything?" the voice startled her out of her trance.
"Uhm, yeah, scrambled eggs." Elizabeth sighed, not feeling very hungry. She observed the chaos around her and pinched the bridge of her nose.
The waitress nodded her head and set off to her other tables.
Papers littered the counter where she sat, a few medical journals with innovations in surgery laid open, some of the pages crinkled and dog-eared. She poured herself into the captivating material, unaware that the waitress set down her plate of food.
"Funny seeing you here, Lizzie." He chuckled as his familiar voice pierced her concentration.
"I'd say the same about you, Robert." She replied, nose still deep in her reading.
Dr. Robert Romano sat down beside her dressed in purple scrubs and a black overcoat. His chiseled face took in every inch of her.
"Well, I figured the coffee here has to be better than that sludge in the surgeon's lounge." He retorted, ordering a plate of eggs.
Elizabeth giggled slightly, knowing that he was exactly right. The coffee at County General might as well have been raw sewage.
"What time are you on, today?" he wondered, shoving eggs into his mouth at quick speed.
"About twenty minutes." Elizabeth finally stopped reading, and picked up her fork, poking at the now cold food in front of her.
"You should eat, Lizzie." Robert looked her up and down, growing concerned at the color of her face. She looked pale, her beautiful tan skin, replaced with pallor. Her stunning blue eyes had deep bags under them.
"I'm not hungry." She admitted, deflated.
"Oh, really? Does Lizzie Corday suddenly have an appetite for a certain surgeon?" Robert teased, chuckling as he sipped his coffee.
"Honestly, Robert." Lizzie stifled back an exasperated laugh, happy to be sparing with him. That was one of the things she really enjoyed about their relationship. They could give it right back to each other and neither took it personally.
"Honestly." He smiled, his brown eyes, revealing a bit more than he wanted.
Dr. Corday noticed but said nothing as she decided to take a few bites of her food. God knows when she would be able to eat again. Elizabeth's cheeks pinked up a bit, and her eyes had a tint lost in the previous hours.
The exhaustion still held tightly to her, but something about suffering with him made it slightly more bearable.
Elizabeth's pager ruined their moment. "Damned thing! I don't start my shift for 3 minutes."
The pair stood. Robert threw a few crumpled bills on the counter, shooing Lizzie's attempt to pay for her own breakfast. She looked at him as if he had grown three heads.
"I can pay for my own breakfast, you know." She said matter-of-factly, brushing some of her messy red hair out of her face.
"Don't worry about it, Lizzie. Just buy me lunch later." He smirked mischievously as she playfully hit him on the arm.
They walked across the street to begin what would become a day from Hell.
The sun still slept behind the clouds when County's two best surgeons stepped through the ER doors. It seemed as if the whole damned city was here—patients lined every inch of the walls, spilling out of Chairs. Charts were piled messily on the corner of the admit desk where Jerry screamed into the phone, chomping on a bagel. Droves of nurses were standing around, spreading the latest gossip. Deb Chen and Dave Malucci laughed as they told each other childhood stories. Mark Greene made sure everything was running the way it was supposed to—that was his job as an Attending and he did a damned good job at it. Everyone loved him. Kerry Weaver picked up several charts, asking if anybody would take a few. She looked disgruntled at her co-workers, none of whom had volunteered. Over on the other side of the desk, Dr. Carter was in a heated discussion with 3rd year medical student Lucy Knight. Her blonde hair shook as she refused to let him win.
"Come on people, I pay you to work, not throw the biggest party in the city." Robert Romano remarked with his characteristic sarcasm. He smiled, victorious. He was the Chief of Staff, and he loved the power to do any damned thing with this job that he wanted and he planned on it.
Several groans were heard as everyone scattered to work. The mountain of charts was beginning to disappear.
"Jerry? Somebody paged me for a consult? Elizabeth Corday studied the scene around here, wondering where the page had come from.
His grubby hand pointed towards Trauma Two and she turned.
"See you later, Lizzie." Dr. Romano acknowledged as she walked away. He reached the pair, still in the middle of their argument.
"He needs a Psych consult." Lucy demanded, shoving the chart in the perfect face of John Carter. "Paul Sobriki. He fits the criteria in the DSM-V for paranoid schizophrenia."
"Then call Psych down here, and move onto your patients that have actual medical emergencies." John Cater had no time for his persistent med student that had been annoying him all week. Something had changed between the two of them, and he was starting to wonder if being her Resident was a good idea.
"Having a little lover's quarrel, are we?" the Chief of Staff asked the fuming Blonde, his hands stuffed into his pockets.
"Dr. Romano." Lucy Knight acknowledged the accomplished doctor.
"Handle it Lucy." John Carter demanded as he stormed away.
"Just forget it, Carter!" she yelled to the air, as Robert clucked his tongue.
"Is this the part where the two lovers make up?"
"If you'll excuse me, Dr. Romano." Lucy gathered a handful of supplies and began to waddle towards her work when Robert caught her attention.
"Oh, Ms. Knight, come by my office today at 3. I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
She nodded. He turned on his heels and headed towards the elevator, ready to be where he truly belonged.
—
Several hours had passed and everything was running smoothly. Only one critical patient died today so far, and it certainly wasn't at the hands of competent surgeons. Edson had been the lead on that one, and Robert snorted, knowing that Dale Edson couldn't handle a paper bag if he had wanted to. Meetings kept Rocket Romano tied up for much of the day, and Dr. Corday was on call in the ER and was in the middle of a major, but simple surgery.
He had faith in her abilities, never worrying if she could do the job. Hell, she'll probably be done any minute. Checking his watch, he reviewed the necessary paperwork that came with the Chief of Staff job. Medical journals sorted on his desk by subject.
A sudden knock startled him. "Come in." he closed the files, and threw them into the drawer.
"Ahh, Ms. Knight. I was wondering when you'd get here." It was exactly 3 o'clock. She hadn't made him wait like Kerry Weaver often did.
"You wanted to see me, Dr. Romano?" she inquired as she sat down in one of the over-sized chairs in his office.
He paused for a second gathering his thoughts. "Have you given any thought to what we talked about a few days ago?"
She nodded. "I have. John is getting on my last nerve." she huffed, pulling out a pen and paper. Sunshine poured onto her soft, angelic face as she recalled the incident at Robert's house several weeks ago. Lucy Knight had shown up on his doorstep in the middle of the night to demand an organ transplant for a dying patient of hers.
After Robert had finished ringing her out, he had agreed to the procedure. He was impressed with the young med student's resolve to fight for what she wanted. She wouldn't take no for an answer, much like himself.
Over the next few weeks, Lucy would meet up with the bald surgeon, learning a few basics when it came to surgery. She asked lots of questions about the favorite object of Romano's heart and he saw the curiosity build in her. She wrote down everything he had said, giving her input when he asked her questions. She was so quick, he almost couldn't keep up.
"So, what is your decision?" He asked, snapping her out of the memory.
"I'll do it. Thank you for allowing me to become your student." she smiled as she ran her hand over her notebook, her white lab coat tucked gracefully under her body.
"It's been years since I've found anybody worth teaching." He told her, thinking about the first time he had met Lizzie Corday, and decided she was worthy of sponsorship to the US. "It won't be easy, Ms. Knight, but it will be worth it. With hard work, you can shine." he stood, walking to the door, and opening it. "Welcome to surgery, Ms. Knight."
"I guess all I have to do now is tell Dr. Carter." she giggled a bit, looking like had discovered some secret she wasn't supposed to know.
"Robert Romano forcing lovers to make up since forever." he laughed, shooing her out of his office.
Lucy, long gone, he laid down on the couch in his office and dozed.
—
A frantic knock made Robert jump, and he clung to the couch to keep from falling off. He stretched, reaching towards the sky as he cursed. He stomped to the door and flung it open. "What the hell do you want?"
"Robert." his favorite voice floated towards him. Elizabeth's red hair swung messily as she giggled at his disheveled appearance.
"Oh, Lizzie, it's you." he calmed. Her blue eyes had a tint of mischievous life and loud determination.
"Must have been some dream. I was knocking for 30 minutes." The fiery Siren, dressed in light blue scrubs, walked into his office, swinging a bag of greasy Chinese food.
"Ahh, admit it, Elizabeth. You're just jealous of my dreams that involve delicate procedures." he chuckled, sitting down on the couch. He flirted hard, allowing her a small glimpse into himself.
"Honestly!" she shook her head, distributing the food. She threw him a carton of Chicken Low Mien and he caught it with Surgeon's hands.
"Honestly." He smiled as he picked up a pair of chopsticks. They ate in sync, each using the utensils so percisely it seemed as if their four hands turned into two.
"Dr. Romano, you may just have to resuscitate me," she feigned shock, clutching her chest and pretending to have a hard time breathing.
"I did promise you lunch, even though it's 12:30 in the morning. I didn't think you'd mind." He agreed with her and he was grateful for her gesture, unsure of when he'd be able to eat again.
He laughed, a smirk painting his chiseled physique. "What is this, like the fourth Tuesday in a row that we've had Chinese food?" He chewed noisily between bites. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
"If you're going to complain, I can take the food back." she reminded him, snorting. She pressed her back into the comfy chair, fighting to keep her eyes from drooping. Robert had always helped to keep her awake—their verbal sparring kept her mind sharp most of the time.
Robert clutched the food as if it were his favorite toy. "I really like this." he admitted, his brown eyes shining against his skin. The bald doctor stared at the goddess sitting before him, and he decided right then and there to do this with her every Tuesday. His walls were briefly transparent, and Elizabeth noted the way his usual hard voice took on a hint of gentle passion.
"Me too." she smiled, her eyes full of life. A strand of hair hit her face and she tucked it behind her. She noticed the way his grin pulled the corners of his lips tight, exposing his high cheek bones. A nice frame hid under his scrubs.
They talked about how much Kerry Weaver annoyed them with her mismanagement of the ER. About Elizabeth's busy day; about Robert's boring meetings.
"So, what's the deal with Edson killing a guy with a compound Tib-Fib fracture? It's a simple surgery." Romano snickered, stretching his legs in front of him.
"It's Edson. He's hopeless." Elizabeth laughed, her eyes watering at her fellow surgeon's incompetence. She stood up. "Be right back."
She ran down the hall and reappeared in less than a minute, holding two cups in her hand. Robert grabbed one, and gulped down the insidious liquid. He would drink this crap everyday if it meant he could spend a few more minutes with her. Elizabeth sipped her coffee and went back to her food, the grease comforting her exhausted frame. She had been able to nap for a few hours, but her mind was still heavy.
Both of their pagers broke the comfortable silence that had formed between them. They checked them, and looked at each other worried. They were never paged to the ER for a surgical consult at the same time even if there were multiple Traumas. They raced out of the office and down the stairs, the last bites of their food and coffee, long forgotten.
—
The ER was in a state of panic. Time stopped for the two patients in the Trauma rooms. Dr. John Carter and med student Lucy Knight were in the fight of their lives. Kerry Weaver was trying to forget the image she had just seen. One bloody footprint leading to Curtain Area 3 and two of her friends lying in a massive pool of blood. The smell was enough to make her want to vomit, and Kerry had an iron stomach.
"Get a gurney!" Kerry yelled as she checked the vitals on the two. Malek and another nurse hoisted Lucy onto a gurney first, running down the hall at dizzying speed to the Trauma room.
Lucy was brought into a trauma room, and everyone gulped. Her injuries were massive and major, and just plain scary. They all shuddered at the thought of what could have befallen anyone of them if they had decided to pick up that chart.
"Surgery is on its way." Nurse Lilly told them, hanging up the phone. She rushed over, dressed in her trauma gown, ready to work.
"Pulse is weak. " Dave Malucci said as he checked it.
"Spin a crit right away." Dr. Weaver ordered, praying for a miracle.
Nurse Haleh rushed over to help with Lucy.
"Let's move her on my count. One, two, three." Lucy was placed onto another bed, blood everywhere on her body.
"Stab wounds to the left neck and chest, oh man, and two more to the belly." Malucci said. "Right and left upper quadrants." He looked her over, not sure he wanted to be a doctor anymore at that moment.
"Number 8 ET tube. What's her BP?" Kerry wondered."
"Hold on, pulse ox is low, 82." Haleh checked the monitors.
"That's why I'm tubing her. Get me a blood pressure." she spat, crankier than she'd meant to. The nurse looked at her in annoyance, but decided to discuss it later.
"Chest tube tray?" he wondered, looking to the Attending for the right answers.
"No, start a central line." Kerry stood at Lucy's head, holding the necessary instruments to restore her breathing. Malucci inserted the central line into Lucy's vein.
"BP is 90 over 50." Haleh rushed around, checking to make sure all the equipment was perfect. God, she hated psychos—especially when they did this to her beloved friends.
"Give me 4 units of O neg, hang two on the rapid infuser." Kerry struggled with intubating Lucy. "Give me some cricoid pressure."
They worked for what seems like hours on her, finally able to stabilize her.
Elizabeth ran into the room. "What have we got?" she suited up, holding her breath as she saw the two patients.
"Multiple stab wounds to the left neck and chest, right and left upper quadrants of the abdomen. We did a chest tube, central line and had to trach her." Dave Malucci told the surgoen as he prepared Lucy for transport.
"How much blood loss?" Elizabeth asked as her training kicked in.
"400 cc in the thoraseal, could have been another 2000 before we found her. " Kerry replied, unhooking all the monitors and plugging in the portable ones.
Suddenly Lucy threw a blood clot.
Elizabeth picked up a scalpel. She opened the young blonde's chest as Kerry used the bone saw. Kerry kept her finger on the proximal aorta until Dr. Corday could finish sowing it shut.
"We're moving her to the OR now." Elizabeth called as they rushed the blonde onto the elevator and up to the fourth floor where Rocket Romano waited.
The four people ran down the hall of the fourth floor. Peter Benton asked what happened, noticing Lucy's open chest.
"She tamponaded, we had to crack her." Elizabeth replied furiously as she held firmly to the bed, reaching the OR.
Robert pushed through the pair, his voice cocky but worried. "Move it Peter, I've got this."
"Who's on anesthesia?"
"I got her, Lizzie. Go scrub. Put her on a table supine and keep her chest covered with moist, sterile lap-pads."
—
Several hours went by. Lucy slept in the ICU, barely alive but holding on. Elizabeth and Robert had been able to save her—they stopped the bleeding but had to remove her spleen. Dr. Corday waited by the beside. After Lucy woke, she explained what happened. Lucy cried, thanking her for saving her life. Elizabeth nodded, checking the monitors. She looked good, and she might just make it.
The blonde winced, her chest on fire.
"Lucy?" The red headed surgeon noticed her distress. "Chest pain?"
The blonde nodded, unable to speak.
"Damn it! PEA! Get Romano now!" she yelled to Kit, the ICU Nurse, wheeling Lucy into the Angiography room.
Romano rushed in as Elizabeth finished up her X-ray. "There! Right lung!" she pointed to a gigantic clot. Romano took control. "Go get ready!"
Romano checked on his patient, explaining the simplicity of the procedure to the sacred med student.
He turned on an overhead light as Lucy lost consciousness. The monitor started going crazy.
"BP's down to 60, pulse ox 72."Kit told him as she began to work.
"Lucy, Lucy!"
"No carotid pulse."
Romano swore, putting on his yellow tarp and goggles. "Dammit, she's thrown another clot. Start chest compressions. Asystole!" He spotted a nurse outside the room. "You! Get in here and bag her. Lizzie, she's in PEA. I need you! Give me a staple remover. Come on, come on, come on! Right now! Pour some betadine on her chest." he demanded, his voice full of doubt. Elizabeth ran over with the internal paddles. Robert poured the orange substance on her chest, grabbing a scalpel. Rocket Romano had never been more scarred in his life. They had to save her.
"Are you gonna open her right here?" Kit asked horrified as she watched the surgeon in purple scrubs make calculated decision.
"She won't make it to the OR." It was a risk that he knew he had to take. He trusted his hands and Elizabeth's to make this whole shitty mess okay.
Elizabeth watched as her colleague and mentor struggled with his own emotions. She pushed hers deep in her chest, and handed him the wire cutters. Romano opened her chest as Lizzie began to massage her heart.
"Charge to 60." he waited for the machine. "Clear." Elizabeth moved her hand as Robert shocked Lucy's heart. Her body flopped from the electric current.
He took over compressions this time while Elizabeth charged the machine. Kit continued to bag Lucy form her Trach line.
"Charge to 120. Come on Lucy." He shook, hoping to God that know one noticed. "Clear!"
"Start another round of epi. 15mg, push 2000 of heparin."
They worked for fifteen minutes, but nothing happened. The monitor continued its steady sound of flat-line.
"Robert..." Lizzie's voice was soft and muffled in the loud room.
He looked at her, defeat painting his strong face. "Shit!" he flipped over a table of bloody surgical instruments, his efforts in vain. He wanted to vomit and cry simultaneously. Elizabeth put down the paddles, forcing back tears.
Dr. Romano prayed for something—what he didn't know. He had never lost a patient. God, what a waste of life...of talent. An idea suddenly struck him. "No! No! Kit, get me a bypass machine and 6 bags of cold saline and move your ass." he ordered, sure he had slipped into madness.
"Robert!" Elizabeth tired to stop him.
"Nobody dies on my table, Lizzie. Let's not start now." his signature sarcasm had returned slightly, and he set to work after Kit reappeared in no time at all. He passed her blood through the bypass machine as Kit filled her body with cold saline.
"Lizzie, I can't do this without you."
"She's been down 25 minutes. Do you really think this is going to work?" Kit asked as she monitored Lucy's body temperature very carefully, checking for signs of hypothermia.
"I'm not going to stop until I've done everything I can think of." They needed a miracle.
Elizabeth's will faltered—it always had, especially when he asked nicely. "Oh, bloody hell!" Dr. Corday stepped up to help him work, the two Surgeon's hands becoming one.
They found the clot. Robert provided suction as Elizabeth sliced through her bronchial tubes. He sucked out the clot, and they checked for more. Her pressure was holding steady. This just might work. Dr. Corday inserted a Greenfield filter into both of her lungs as Robert checked her vitals.
"Successful insertion." Elizabeth said behind her mask, and the room let out a collective breath. Kit pushed warm saline and charged the paddles.
"Alright, let's take this nice and easy. 60. Clear."
Lucy's body jumped. Nothing.
Robert massaged her heart.
Charging to 120!" Elizabeth screamed, as both doctor's prayed. "Clear!"
Lucy's body spasmed, the sound of life springing from the machine.
"Sinus-tach." Kit said, relieved.
"Good work. Let's close." Elizabeth and Robert sewed her back together.
"Welcome back, Ms. Knight." Robert told her, happy to have his new student back. What he had just witnessed was a true miracle, and he thought about what Lucy had said to him a few weeks earlier as they sent her down the hall to recovery. Her blood was still being filtered through the bypass, and she would be taken off of it tomorrow. If she could just make it through the wee hours of the morning into the night, then she would make it. Both doctors sat outside her room, hoping that their efforts had not been in vain.
"Dr. Romano, you should ask her out on a date. Dr. Corday."
Robert looked at her shocked.
"Just trust me." she smiled, leaving his house and setting out into the Chicago cold.
Just trust Lucy. He had trusted her...trusted her to fight like hell. And she had. Now all he had to do was wait.
.