Jeanine Boulet pushed the ten-year old girl to Curtain Area 1 for examination. She smiled softly, her black curly hair pulled neatly behind her. Nurse Yosh helped to get Kate on the bed while her father followed behind her.
"We're gonna fix your leg right up." Jeanine listened with her stethoscope. "Let's get ortho down here." She wrote orders for various tests on Kate's chart. Yosh smiled gently at the patient, and walked off with Jeanie.
"Let's pull her medical records." she told Yosh, who nodded in agreence.
Yosh set off to gather her chart and Jeanine walked to the admit desk, picking up more charts.
"Morning Jeanine." The computer clicked away.
"Morning, Jerry." She laughed as Jerry shoved a breakfast burrito in his mouth.
Dr. Romano shook his head in disgust as he sipped a coke and ate a crueller.
"Jerry, don't talk with your mouth full. It's rude." Romano said after he swallowed and flipped through a chart.
"Dr. Romano giving me a lesson on manners." Jerry rolled his eyes.
Jeanie said nothing as she reviewed and signed other charts. "Dr. Romano?"
Robert looked at the PA with approachable eyes. Jeanine motioned for him to follow, and he did, his dark navy scrubs dancing against the backdrop of the ER.
They walked into an empty room.
"What's up, Dr. Boulet?"
She explained the case to the seasoned doctor. "I was going to call social services."
Robert nodded in agreement. "Her father is using her to try to break World Records?" He had to make sure he'd heard her right.
"I couldn't seem to get a straight answer. Kate is trying to get her dad to love her, and just wants to make him happy."
"You thinking abuse?" Robert's voice was heavy. He played with his gold stethoscope. She handed him the young girl's medical record and showed him the films.
"Comminuted fracture of the tibia. Looks like bone spurs." she pointed to the pictures, pushing the sadness deep in her throat as she traced the edges of the fracture.
"Probably not the first time. Doesn't look like it properly healed the last time." He sighed, gripping the film a little tighter than he meant to. The warm PA noticed, but didn't say anything.
"Should i call ortho to fix it?"
"No. I can do it in the OR."
Jeanine nodded, collecting the files and writing her orders on the chart.
"How's your HIV?" Robert asked after a few minutes of silence.
Jeanine gasped, trying to keep the files in her hands. She sat down on the empty gurney. "How do you know about that?"
"I'm Chief of Staff. It's my job to know everything about everyone." He chuckled. "Plus, the rumor mill here is always full."
The curly-haired PA gave a little laugh. "I'm feeling okay. My counts have been normal considering the circumstances."
He nodded, walking to the door of the empty room. He stopped before walking out of it. "Consider your medical expenses paid in full."
"What? I don't understand." She shook her head, wondering if he was screwing with her. "You're not firing me?"
"No. You're the only decent one in the ER. You're fast with workups, and the patients really respect you. That makes a great doctor. You're the best PA here. As long as you follow the proper protocol then you should be fine."
"Dr. Romano, i don't know what to say."
"You'll always have a place here at County." He said gently, walking out of the room.
The caterpillar had shed its cocoon, giving way to a butterfly with a mighty set of wings in breathtaking colors. Ready for the day when it could finally fly.