An ER future fic. Set during Chicago City Marathon 2009.
Disclaimer: Most Characters in this story are the property of NBC and producers of ER. This particular story is however my own as is the character Jake.
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It was 9am on the day of the Chicago City Marathon.
Archie Morris hated the Chicago City Marathon and always tried to avoid working the day if he could. He thankfully was not working in 2007, when the race had to be called off because of the extreme conditions. There had been literally hundreds suffering from bouts of vomiting and dehydration. Archie could only hope that this year would be less eventful.
The ER had been inundated that day with people suffering from heat exhaustion and even the following day they were dealing with the backlash. Despite his intentions, he had left it too late this year to book the day off. So it was that he found himself slumped at the admin desk leaning on his elbows waiting for the first of the walking wounded. The chief was off so he was in charge at least until Brenner came on at twelve.
It had been a quiet morning but Archie knew well that this was the calm before the storm.
As the marathon was started in stages, Cook County ER and all other ERs across the city had to be prepared for twelve hours of possible mayhem. The walkers started at 8am, followed by various other graded groups until the serious athletes got under way at 11am. The first usually crossed the finish line about two hours later but the last could still be going at six that evening although the course officially closed earlier.
It usually started as a trickle at about 10.30am and continued late into the evening. First the walking wounded, blisters, shin splints, severe cramps and sprains. Then, as the day wore on, they would have more arriving with heat exhaustion and dehydration. The ER always had extra chairs, gurneys and drips on stand-by.
It never failed to amaze, just how many out of condition people thought that they could walk or jog the marathon route. These well-intentioned novices were usually representing a charity and as such pushed themselves way past their limits. Last year there had been one fatality, a fifty year old man who was overweight, had never exercised regularly and spent only four months in training for the big event. Thankfully, this year conditions were almost perfect so the number of casualties should be at a minimum.
Just then he spotted Neela rushing by "Hey Neela, you're running late."
"I'm not Archie, someone called in sick, they were a surgeon down and I'm the only person available to cover. I could do with some extra shifts as I want to take time off at the end of the month, so here I am."
"Time off, eh? Planning to get down and dirty with a certain rock star doctor at long last.??? About time, if you ask me. You guys are simply wasting time."
Neela threw him a withering look and kept going. Archie swung round the desk to follow her.
"Hey Neela, wait up!"
"Look Archie," she said exasperated, "I really am not talking about this with you."
"OK, change of subject. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I was just wondering if surgery would be interested in a bowling rematch. Everybody really enjoyed our last evening but this time the ER team want to trash you."
"Yes. It would be fun to make this a regular outing and of course it would give us no end of pleasure to thrash you once more."
"In your dreams."
"OK, I'll check with the guys and see who's interested. Incidentally, are we still good for our poker evening?"
Morris gave her a dubious look.
"Who's hosting this time?"
"You. That's why I'm asking. You have not confirmed yet."
"After the last wipe out by yours truly, I'm a little apprehensive."
"Please Morris, I need the distractions."
"Ah. So you and Ray are still shadow boxing. This, keeping each other at arms length is not going to work for much longer you know. You're both getting quite neurotic."
"Look. It's what he wanted."
"People can change their minds you know. He told me you cancelled your last two get-togethers."
Neela shrugged. "It's just easier to do the platonic thing at a distance. That weekend in Boston was just so awkward. Thankfully, I had Abby, Luca and Joe to distract me."
"How do you know he did not feel the same?"
"Archie, he's the one who made these stupid rules."
"That does not mean that you can't request a review. Have you plans to meet up any time soon?"
"He wants me to meet him after the New York City Marathon."
"Ray's taking part in the New York Marathon?"
"Yes. He's become very serious about long distance running this past year. He has a set of Cheetah prosthetics for running."
"I'm impressed."
"That was the aim of the past year that we broaden our interests."
"Like becoming an expert card shark and champion bowler?"
"Exactly." Neela laughed.
"But Neela."
"Yes Archie?"
"I think you need to take serial dating off your repertoire."
"Look Archie, I don't want to get involved with anybody right now."
"Not unless it's a certain Doc Rock you mean. Look Neela, you've both done this platonic thing to death and frankly I really don't enjoy being go-between any more. The amount of stupid questions I've had to answer over the last few months is ridiculous."
"You mean you've been updating Ray on what I've been up to?"
"Neela, I've given the man as little information as I can about you. But let me say this, the only people you are fooling is each other. It's been almost a year, how much longer can you keep this up? In the meantime, you've been having disastrous one night stands and no doubt, he's been doing the same thing."
She looked him square in the eye. "You're right Archie. Do me a favour, could you maybe have a similar conversation with Ray? He might actually listen to you."
Archie looked at her in surprise and responded with a very puzzled.
"Sure Neela."
With that the lift doors closed and she was gone. 'Strange' Archie thought, 'I always thought Neela was the one holding back. Obviously not any more.'
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As anticipated, from shortly after ten thirty the trickle of casualties from the early phase of the marathon started. By lunch-time, there was a steady stream, thankfully only the usual round of strains, sprains and blisters.
Archie and the rest of the ER team dealt with each minor incident and moved them on. Some time later, he was collecting a new chart from the desk he heard Sam, who was manning the radio exclaim. "This ancient contraption is playing up again. I wish they would simply switch to cell phones."
"What's up Sam?"
"The ambulance at one of the marathon field stations just radioed in. There's been a serious incident involving a delivery truck but the message was incomplete. The static was so bad I only got about every second word and now the reception has died completely. All I can be sure of is there are multiple injuries. Something about facial injuries and a possible amputation."
"How many casualties are we talking about?"
"I have no idea Archie but they're less than five minutes out."
"Frank, can you contact everybody on call and then please try and raise someone in the field and get some more details. Check the list of cell phone numbers for the Aid stations. Haleh can you get the team together and Sam can you take one of the other nurses and re-prioritise cases in triage. Until we hear otherwise, we're preparing for a major incident. I'll call ortho, we need a surgeon on stand-by to review this possible amputation."
As he lifted the phone he continued, "and can somebody please contact tech support or maintenance to see what can be done with that radio. If it can't be fixed, I'm dumping it before I leave this evening."
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Neela was just completing a surgery when her pager went. It was the ER. She asked the other registrar to close and she went to phone. Archie answered.
"Hey Archie. What's up?"
"Hi Neela, sorry I thought I paged ortho."
"Yes. I'm covering ortho today."
"Oh. Ri…ight."
"Look" she laughed, "I'm qualified to cover. So what's up?"
"We've a problem with the radio so details are sketchy but it looks like there's been an accident on the marathon course, one possible amputation and some facial injuries."
"How many casualties?"
"No idea, but we need you on stand-by to review the amputation."
"Arm, leg what??"
"No idea Neela. Look the first ambulance is arriving in the bay, can you get down here stat."
"On my way Archie."
As she was leaving, the theatre nurse called her to sign off on the last surgery. She quickly reviewed the patient and two minutes later was thumping the lift button.
When she arrived at reception she asked for Archie and Frank directed her to Trauma 1.
"But Neela …," he called after her but she just waved and was gone.
As she pushed the door to trauma, she viewed the tableau in front of her and she felt her legs wobble.
Archie and Sam were one side of a Gurney elevated to sitting position, Gates was on the other side taking instructions from the patient on the gurney who had a suction tube in his mouth and was spitting blood. Dear Lord this was like the first time she saw Greg after his accident, sitting up with a suction tube in his mouth, holding his jaw, lucid and issuing directives. But this time it was not Greg on the Gurney drooling with a suction tube in his mouth. It was Ray!
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