To Expect The Unexpected

by Leesaa-x

Charlotte is called in to crack a difficult patient. However, the patient seems to have more to her story than she lets others believe.

Charlotte ran through the doors and threw her bag down on the desk with a heavy splatter. It was a busy day in the ED and she had been called in to replace a worried Steve, who was looking after an 'ill' Claire who had given no reasons to her absence today. Minds instantly jumped to the worst in thinking he had returned for Claire. He, who's name deserved no mention. He, who treated her like a rag doll. Nobody questioned Claire, and Charlotte jumped to her defence in covering for Steve today.
"BEAUMONT! In 'ere!" Frank's voice was unmistakable as it rumbled from one of the Resus cubicles around the corner. Charlotte knew her things had fallen from her bag, but ignored them in panic, running to Frank's side, unaware of what would greet her just around the corner. She didn't particularly enjoy treating Resus patients, preferring the random passer-bys that dropped through the waiting room, needing the assurance that their issue or problem was nothing to worry about. She liked it simple, with a sprinkle of challenge.
As she emerged through the curtain, a male aged in his 30's was unconscious on the stretcher, blood pouring from his abdomen. One word raced through her mind; Shit. Pulling her torch from her pocket, she immediately raced to the man's head to check the status of his pupils.
"What have we got?" She asked, flashing the light side to side through the patient's rolling eyes.
"Not here, Beaumont. There's a girl next door who needs seeing. Get going. We've got it covered in here." Charlotte held her torch, staring blankly at Frank's busy figure racing around the cubicle managing things. Typical of him. Charlotte smiled to herself and left, almost skipping along on her merry way.

Charlotte, realizing she was not demanded to be in a hurry, returned to place her things back in her bag. On cleaning up, Gabby approached the office door.
"You're covering Steve today?" She asked. Charlotte knew from her tone that the job lined up with the young girl was serious.
"Yep." She nodded, returning the last of her things to her bag. A broken perfume bottle lay scattered on the floor. "Shit." Charlotte muttered.
"Leave it, I'll have the cleaners on to it. There's a young girl who needs looking over from you. If you ask me, something's up." Gabby suggested, glancing to a cubicle down the corridor. Charlotte stood up and walked with Gabby.
"What's the story?" Charlotte refastened her stethoscope around her neck, hanging on to the end of it as she walked. They approached the young girl in the bed.
"This is Hannah." Gabrielle introduced the young girl to Charlotte.
"Hi, Hannah. I'm Dr. Beaumont." Charlotte quickly stroked the young girl's hand.
"Hannah fainted at school. They called the ambulance, on arrival she had a GCS of 15." Looking at Hannah, now, Gabby continued. "Dr. Beaumont will sort you out, Hannah." Then, turning her attention back to Charlotte, she smiled in a way to ensure Hannah would not become suspicious of anything. "Can I have a word, doctor?"
"Be back in a tic." Charlotte smiled down at Hannah, and wondered out, sealing the gap between the curtains.
"A teacher told the paramedics Hannah hadn't eaten since yesterday morning... Might want to consider that..." And with that, Gabby left the girl's file in Charlotte's waiting hands. Charlotte knew this would be a tricky patient to crack. Composing herself, she walked back in, closing the curtains behind her.
"Okay, Hannah. Can you recall what happened today?" Charlotte sat down on the end of the bed, holding her free hand across Hannah's feet. This was an unconscious decision. But that's how Charlotte performed with her patients. Caring and affectionate in a subtle way.
"Um. I passed out in class. That's really all I know." Hannah bit her bottom lip and smiled through it.
"Alrighty." Standing up, she continued. "Are you tired often? Do you sleep alot?" Charlotte began with the simple questions. Hannah nodded in a serious matter. "Do you mind if I listen to your stomach, sweetheart?" Charlotte asked again, as she tugged her stethoscope off her shoulders. Hannah looked shocked, then left out a light giggle.
"My stomach? Isn't that thing for listening to hearts with?" Charlotte smiled.
"You'd be surprised what you can hear with this little tool." Charlotte placed the stethoscope on Hannah's stomach. Hannah seemed a little squirmish.
"So, um, what do you hear?" Hannah tried to interrupt, sitting upwards unexpectedly.
"I hear a very hungry tummy, darl. When did you last eat?" Charlotte acted unaware to Gabby's earlier statement.
"Um, Lunchtime." Charlotte picked up Hannah's refusal to look at her. Charlotte walked closer, placing her hand on Hannah's and wrapping it around her palm.
"Are you sure?" Charlotte smiled in a suggestive way. Hannah didn't answer, but bit heavily on her lower lip again.
"Um, when can I go home?" Hannah asked impatiently. Charlotte spoke calmly.
"When I find out what caused this fainting spell today. Are you sure you ate at lunch...?"
"Yeah. I think so..." Hannah seemed confused. Charlotte knew the situation already. Another classic case of young girls aspiring to look like their 'role models' in magazines.
"Well, how about I tell you what I think? Hmm?" Charlotte seemed comforting in such a way that Hannah couldn't say no to Dr. Beaumont's suggestion on what most likely occurred today.
"When you take in food, it contains all kinds of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, heaps of goodies that your body needs to function properly. Each little essential has a certain role it plays in your body, so it's important you try and get as much of them as possible. So when you go longer than usual without food, your body has a lot of trouble carrying on its daily tasks. And I believe this is what happened to you today, sweetheart. You resisted food for so long, you brain said, 'I can't work properly, I'm not getting the goodies I need to work properly' and your brain has reacted to the situation by causing this fainting episode." On discussing the part of the brain, Charlotte pointed to her own head to get the message through more strongly and to keep Hannah's interest up.
"Do you think that sounds about right, darl?" Charlotte patted Hannah's hand. Suddenly, Charlotte had not seen it coming, but a tear rolled from Hannah's eye and slipped down her cheek. Hannah tried to swipe it away, but it fell before she could reach it. Charlotte idled herself further up the bed. She was equal to Hannah's chest now, and in arm's reach of Hannah's forehead. Charlotte took advantage of that and swung her arm up and stroked Hannah at the hairline, comforting her as the tears fell heavier from her eyes.
"What's going on, Hannah? Talk to me, sweetheart. I want to help you, that's why I'm a doctor, so I can help people when they're sick. But you need to tell me what's going on, darl."
"I just want to be pretty and skinny! It's not too much to ask!" Hannah became frustrated. Not at Charlotte, just at her own obvious several failed attempts.
"Sometimes, it can be too much to ask. Especially if you are causing yourself physical problems because of your severe attempts, sweetheart." Charlotte had not stopped stroking Hannah's hairline. Hannah was now sitting up, her legs crossed under the blanket, still allowing Charlotte some room on her bed to share. Although she was frightened Charlotte had picked up on her eating patterns, she still wanted Charlotte to stay and talk to her. There was something about Dr. Beaumont's aura. Something that Hannah didn't want to part with at a time like this. Now that she was sitting up and at head level with Charlotte, she dropped her head towards the doctor and Charlotte pulled her in gently for a comforting hug. Wrapping her arm around Hannah's head and Hannah's hands tightly enclosed in her other hand, Gabby walked in. She assessed the situation quickly, and jumped straight to the point.
"Hannah's mum is here." Gabby nodded suggestively towards the young patient, who suddenly whipped her head from Charlotte's protective enclosure. Charlotte was surprised.
"No! No! I don't want to see her!" Hannah was suddenly frightened. Charlotte quickly attempted to relax her patient and calm her down, to no avail.
"Sweetheart. It's really important mum is aware of this. She can help you find a counsellor you trust and can talk to about this. It's very important." Charlotte began to worry, as Hannah didn't calm down. Gabby came to her side as Hannah reached down for her schoolbag and tried to whip on her shoes.
"Hang on a moment, darl. You can't go just yet." Gabby informed an unwilling Hannah.
"No. If mum has to know then I'm out of here!" Hannah yelled, trying to jump from Gabby's hands, which pinned her to the bed. Hannah looked pleadingly up towards Charlotte's face. Now Charlotte seemed to be the traitor, as she too pinned Hannah down.
"Hannah. We won't bring mum in, but you need to stay in the bed for me. Can you do that for me?" Charlotte had quickly cupped Hannah's face in her hands and looked straight through her eyes. Hannah nodded through Charlotte's hold, who still had her face in her hands.
"Gabby, Hannah's mum isn't to come in here, okay. Keep her in the waiting room until we're ready." Hannah pulled from Charlotte's grasp. Gabby stood waiting for further news.
"Or send her home." Hannah muttered, curling back under her blankets. Charlotte turned towards the stats monitor and drew out the blood pressure cuff.
"We're right in here, thanks Gabby." Charlotte smiled genuinely at her staff member. Gabby smiled in return and closed the curtains back up on her way out.
"Mind if I take your pressure, Han?" Charlotte now called her patient by a nickname in hopes it would have Hannah trust her more. Hannah nodded, glaring straight down at her blankets.
"So, tell me a bit about yourself, darl?" Charlotte smiled contently down at her patient. Hannah was surprised at the sudden change of topic, and gladly shot straight into this new conversation.
"Well. I'm eighteen. I go to Sydney Co-Ed Grammar..." Charlotte kept the conversation flowing as the cuff tightened around Hannah's arm.
"Oh, a Grammar school student, hmm? What are you planning to study after school?" Charlotte retrieved the thermometer and tossed Hannah's hair over the other side of her pillow, and slid the nozzle in her ear.
"Sport and Rec. Long dream of mine. It was actually mum's, too. But she didn't quite get there..." Hannah seemed somewhat withdrawn for a minute moment.
"I have no doubt you will make it, sweetheart." A smile creeping across her face again. It had been there for a while, but simply broadened with every supportive statement she made. "Well, you don't have a temperature. So, can we talk a little more?" Charlotte brushed her hair back and rested a patient arm on her hip.
"I actually think I need to get out of this bed for a bit. Am I right to go for a walk.?" Hannah wouldn't give up. Charlotte couldn't be frustrated; she empathised for the young girl. In compromise, she continued.
"How about we go for a walk, see how you're feeling, and we'll talk on the way, darl?" Charlotte grasped Hannah's legs and swung them round the edge of the bed. "Just take it easy, Han. We don't want any more passing out, do we?" An anxious Hannah took hold of Charlotte's arm for support as she stood on her feet.
"Dizzy?" Charlotte asked. Hannah shook her head. Charlotte didn't want to risk Hannah going down and injuring herself in the fall, so she maintained a tight supportive arm around behind the patient's lower back. It literally felt like Charlotte was holding her up. "It's okay, Hannah. We can try again-" She began.
"No. No. I'm fine, really. Let's go." Hannah smiled.

Walking through the emergency doors, Charlotte and her patient, together in a tight enclosure, approached the outdoors of All Saints Hospital. It had been silence, no words, on the way here, the single focus being on Hannah and keeping her upright.
"So what else do you need to know, Dr. Beaumont?" Hannah's tone spoke more words than she did. She was anxious of the questions to follow. They approached a park bench, and Hannah slipped down, Charlotte close behind her.
"Where did this 'pretty and skinny' phase come from?" Charlotte swept Hannah's soft curls away from her face and took the patient's hand in her own.
"Isn't it every girl's dream to be like that?" Hannah spoke gently, twiddling her fingers against Charlotte's soft hygienic skin. The hand wash Dr. Beaumont had adapted to frequently had softened her hands almost to the point of silk.
"Sure, Hannah. A dream. Most likely, it's never a realistic occurrence. There's a lot of photoshopping involved. A lot of dangerous diets and end exercise regimes. You're a beautiful woman, now. Why would you think any different?" Hannah was blown away by Charlotte's genuine honest tone.
"There's a lot in my past. Some things you wouldn't want to know, but they influenced this, I guess..." Charlotte could sense that there was more to this girl than a borderline eating disorder.
"You'll be surprised what sort of help I can organise for you with information about your past. It does help, darl. It really does. So, I have as long as I need to talk with you. No better time than now to start telling me about your past experiences!" Charlotte was keen. Almost so keen it frightened Hannah. But Hannah knew nothing in her past was more difficult for Charlotte to deal with than knowing she had a patient with a possible eating disorder. So she let her trust fall in Charlotte's open and willing heart and began.
"I was pregnant." This statement, straight out of the blue shocked Charlotte. She composed herself with a few simple private words. Expect the unexpected, she told herself.
"You 'was' pregnant?" Charlotte realized at that moment how stupid she sounded, and quickly backed it up. "Not 'am' pregnant. 'Was' pregnant? What happened, sweetheart?" Charlotte hoped it didn't end with something along the lines of a miscarriage, or this would become highly personal for Charlotte. She wanted to help her patient, but with an ending like that, she knew she would not be able to perform her job to the best of her ability.
"You have no idea how it felt to be lying on a bed and feel those few sudden sharp pains..." Charlotte's heart began to thump inside her chest. Not a usual beating, but a serious thump. She could almost refer to it with medical terminology. Tachycardia. Just breathe. She told herself.
"I could honestly say I do." Charlotte stepped completely out of her comfort zone. But, being in the patient's best interests, she didn't mind. If she could support Hannah with her own experiences, she would. Hannah's eyes shot straight up to Charlotte's. Her eyes still in their connecting gaze, she continued.
"And glancing down and seeing the blood stain in the sheets..." Hannah was almost asking a question, and tears began rolling along her cheekbones for the second time today. Charlotte nodded in understanding.
"M-hmm. And knowing you couldn't do anything from that point on. Knowing it was over. There was no more. I understand, exactly, sweetheart." Charlotte was stroking Hannah's hairline again. It was soothing and gentle. A real motherly touch, and Hannah felt she could just crumble in Charlotte's arms. She needed more people like this in her life.
"After that moment, I did everything I could to try and get any guy's attention. Anything that would lead to something else, which may have brought a second chance for me. I didn't care if I did it with an absolute loser. If he gave me the opportunity to have a baby back in my tummy, I would love him forever. That's all I could see. I went completely blind. I lost my sense of reality. God, I was so stupid!" This part, however, Charlotte could not relate to.
"I think when we lose something so important, so significant in our lives, we yearn for it. And we do silly things, thinking, hoping, it might come back to us in some form or another. And it doesn't most of the time. And it's normal to feel that way. You were mourning over the baby you lost, Hannah, and that's completely what I would expect, no matter what age you are." Gee, did Charlotte have a way with words! Hannah continued, not holding back anymore.
"Much to my disappointment, I hardly got any. I snuck in a session with my best guy mate. He was more than willing to help when he found out. But I took a test the other day, and it was negative. It would have been perfect, to share genetics with a sweet natured kid like him." Hannah showed signs of disrespect to herself, looking down at her body in disgust and loathing every inch she glared at.
"So the lack of male attention is where the whole 'I want to be pretty and thin' part comes in, right? Sweetheart, have you spoken to anyone about losing the baby? In your womb, or outside in the world, it's still your baby that you lost. I don't think you're dealing well with it, darl."
"No. Nobody knew." Hannah began sobbing. "I was only around nine weeks. I found out the week before it happened, and I was considering how to tell mum. The father was long gone, just some stupid fling I had. Nothing was going anywhere fast, and I thought a baby would help keep things glued. Then he walked out, and I couldn't tell him. I knew he wouldn't come back. I swore I'd keep the baby so it wouldn't suffer from my own foolish mistakes!" Hannah was now a withering, crying, distraught mess. And Charlotte felt it was her job to get this young girl the help she needed. Out of nowhere, Hannah jumped from the bench quickly.
"I really should go, Dr. Beaumont. I'm just a stupid young girl who can't be helped. Just leave me, please." Hannah turned around to walk away forever, to leave the one person she had trusted in for a long time.
"Hannah, wait a moment. Sit back down, sweetheart. Let's talk some more." Suddenly, Charlotte's phone rang in her pocket.
"Excuse me, Hannah. Just wait here a moment." Charlotte stood and answered the phone a few metres away, as Hannah stood impatiently.
"Beaumont!" Frank's voice bellowed down the receiver into Charlotte's ear. "Where the bloody hell did you get to?!" Charlotte sighed. She was sick of being grilled by her boss.
"I have a patient I am dealing with, Frank." Charlotte grunted back. She was now whispering. "She's emotionally unstable, and is about to walk out on me, don't leave me talking to you if I don't have to, Frank. Is there chaos back in the ED?" Charlotte glanced back at Hannah. But to her surprise, there was no Hannah. Charlotte continued talking, glancing around in a panic.
"No, no, we're fine." Charlotte didn't even hear Frank's response.
"Shit!" She cracked into the phone.
"What? What's going on?" Frank now sounded panicked.
"Thanks Frank. She's gone." To this, Charlotte hung up on her boss and scanned the area, one hand combing through strands of her in stress mode, the other propped on her hip, fingers curling in dread. She noticed through the carpark a young Hannah making a run for her money, and with that, Charlotte catapulted after her patient.

On reaching the carpark, Charlotte discovered Hannah on the ground, her body almost lifeless. Propping her fingers to the girl's throat in a desperate bid to find a pulse, she was relieved. A faint pulse echoed against her fingertips. Out of nowhere, Bree, a trained paramedic, appeared.
"What happened Charlotte?" Bree tugged to her side a kit of medical props and Charlotte pulled at the oxygen mask.
"Her name's Hannah. Eighteen years of age. She passed out today at school. Lack of food, and I took her outside for a talk. She took off on me, and I've just found her now." The oxygen mask was whipped onto Hannah's face, and she began spluttering into the mask. Charlotte flashed her torch at Hannah's pupils.
"Hannah. Can you hear me? It's Dr. Beaumont." Hannah didn't reply, but continued coughing. Charlotte took her patient's hand.
"Can you squeeze my hand for me, sweetheart?" And with that question, Hannah took grasp of Charlotte's hand in a firm hold. Charlotte didn't dare let go. Hannah came to quite quickly, and Bree and Charlotte helped into a sitting position.
"I think I'm going to throw-" But Hannah was too late, and ripped her mask from her face to hurl her stomach contents into her lap. A disgusted look crept onto her face.
"Don't worry about that sweetheart. We'll get it cleaned up. Bree? Can we get a chair to wheel her back in?" Charlotte was back in command, taking control of the situation as she usually did. Bree took off to her ambulance in the ambo bay. Suddenly, Hannah slumped forwards, and Charlotte's skilled hands caught her patient around the chest in time.
"Ow." Hannah muttered.
"Are you sore?" Charlotte asked, worried Hannah may have fractured a bone during the fall. Brittle bones were an effect of starvation.
"No, my boobs hurt. And you wrapped your arm around them and now they hurt..." Hannah almost whined. Suddenly Charlotte clicked. The tiredness, the passing out, the tender breasts...
"Hannah, when did you last get your period?" Charlotte was smiling, and Hannah looked at her oddly through uneven strands of hair hovering over her face.
"Um, I'm due in about a week, I guess...?" Hannah was slightly suspicious. "Why?" Charlotte smiled down at her patient as Bree returned with a chair on wheels.
"We'll need a urine sample before I make the decision." Charlotte was all smiles.
"Why? What?... What for?" Hannah was scared, and Charlotte didn't answer the question. She simply helped her patient onto the chair and Bree wheeled her off, Charlotte trailing along behind, arms happily crossed across her chest.

Back in Hannah's cubicle, Charlotte gently pulled at the curtains, and closed them after her entrance. A smug little grin was tucked in under her shielded face. Hannah sat up.
"You're killing me! Tell me what you're thinking?!" Hannah stifled a laugh, and Charlotte joined in with a giggle.
"My suggestion is you don't rely on supermarket tests anymore, sweetheart..." Charlotte nodded in a suggestive way. A way that led Hannah to think for herself what Charlotte was getting at here.
"What? No way..." Hannah's hand flew up to her mouth and her eyes bulged from her shocked expression.
"You're only six weeks in, but you, darling, are definitely pregnant. I must say congratulations." Charlotte smiled and patted her patient on the leg. Hannah gazed down at her stomach in shock, her mouth still hanging open in surprise. Then, she glanced up at Charlotte.
"May I hug you?" She asked, her voice cracking, and tears falling again. For the first time today, Charlotte was pleased to see these tears in Hannah's eyes. And with a smile, she wrapped her arms around her patient, then presented a cordless phone to Hannah.
"You have someone to call. I believe he is a best friend of yours...?" Charlotte's smug little grin was still positioned on her glowing face. Hannah took the phone from her in excitement.
"Um, you can organise that appointment if you want..." Hannah suggested. Charlotte's eyebrows popped up in uncertainty.
"Uh. What appointment would that be?" She asked, confused.
"With the counsellor. And mum has probably left by now. But if she's still here, she's welcome to come in." Suddenly, her world seemed so perfect and if it were a picture, Hannah was sure it would be glistening like white pearly diamonds. Charlotte again stroked Hannah's hairline finally, and she whispered in Hannah's ear, "Good girl. I'm so very, very proud of you, sweetheart. I'll be back in a moment." And to that, Hannah punched in the number of her best friend to announce the news.