I decided that, since Charlotte is my favourite character on the show and seeing as she doesn't seem to get to have much fun, I'd write her a story and give her a life outside of Ward 17. I hope you enjoy. I'd appreciate any constructive feedback.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from All Saints. I'm poor though so please don't sue me!
Rating: There's some rude words and the suggestion of a relationship between to women at first, leading to and eventual relationship.
Author's Notes: please read!! Basically, in terms of a time line, I guess this fits in somewhere in the sixth season but I'm going to take some artistic licence in how I arrange things so basically- Mitch is dead, there's no Dr. Hughes and Rebecca and Scott are still together. It's before the whole Greg incident. If anything sticks out as being really wrong in terms of continuity then ignore-it's meant to be that way :OP Also I'm not a medical professional so any descriptions of medical procedures are products of my own research and at times imagination.
Chapter One
The hospital seemed to glow in the early morning sunshine, giving it a strange beauty that had not occurred to Charlotte before. She paused on her way through the car park to take it in for a moment before continuing on into the building for the start of her shift.Ward 17 was in its usual state of carefully controlled chaos when she stepped off the elevator and she knew before even looking at the board that it was going to be a long day. She threw Nelson a quick wave and a nod before heading to the tea room. Before she did anything, she would need caffeine and sugar.
Expecting the room to be empty, she was surprised to see an unfamiliar dark haired person sitting with their back towards the door. Whoever it was seemed to be engrossed in a magazine and didn't hear Charlotte enter. She cleared her throat causing the person to jump slightly and turn to face her. The stranger was a young woman with insanely curly hair that was cut short so that it almost looked like an afro. Her blue eyes were wide with surprise. Her cheeks were bulging with, noting the box of Corn Flakes on the table Charlotte assumed to be cereal. Dry cereal judging by the crunching sounds. Charlotte smiled and waited for the woman to finish chewing. Finally she finished and swallowed, wincing as the dry flakes went down.
"There's no milk." The woman rasped sheepishly, her voice softly accented.
"Lucky for me I take my caffeine in black form." Charlotte declared happily and made her way to the sink; grinning at the mournful look the stranger was giving her own mug.
"I take milk in my tea. I had to have orange juice instead." She sighed. Charlotte stirred the appropriate amount of sugar into her coffee and sat down opposite the younger woman.
"Ah well....look at this way, your day couldn't possibly get any worse right?" Charlotte pointed out helpfully. The stranger laughed softly and held up her hand, its fingers crossed.
"Here's hoping Doctor?" The woman extended her hand.
"Beaumont, Charlotte Beaumont." Charlotte took the proffered hand and gave it a friendly shake. "And you are?"
"Isabella. But call me Izzy. Or Doctor O' Neil or Hey you! Which ever works best for you." Izzy grinned. Charlotte nearly choked on her mouthful of coffee.
"You're a doctor?" she asked incredulously.
"Well....yes." Izzy answered, slightly hurt.
"Sorry, I mean, it's just you look so young."
"Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm twenty five. I finished high school when I was fifteen and started pre-med in college when I was sixteen" the young doctor looked down, embarrassed "I was one of those obnoxious gifted types" Izzy finished.
"Wow, will you help me with my homework sometime?" Charlotte joked.
"Only if you're good" Isabella joked back, throwing in a cheeky wink as she brought her dishes to the sink. Charlotte took the opportunity to give the young doctor a quick once over. The woman was tall, tanned, toned and altogether one of the most strikingly beautiful women Charlotte had ever seen. She quickly averted her gaze as Izzy turned back to face her.
"Well, I better get back to it. I'll see you around Doctor Charlotte." Charlotte watched as the newcomer disappeared through the door and back onto the ward, a small smile on her face. Things on Ward 17 had just gotten very interesting.
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Isabella flipped through the chart making note of the change in treatment she had ordered. Behind her she could here Doctor Beaumont talking with another patient. Isabella smiled to herself as she thought back to their earlier meeting.
"Doctor? Did you hear me?" Isabella's head snapped up in surprise, she hadn't realised someone was talking to her.
"I'm sorry Sister, could you repeat that?" she tried to sound nonchalant.
"I said Mrs. Patterson's obs are stable, the new course of medication seems to be doing the trick" Paula repeated herself.
"Good stuff! Ok Mrs Patterson we'll continue to monitor your condition through the night and if all goes well, hopefully we'll be able to discharge you by this time tomorrow" she smiled at the elderly lady in the bed who looked relieved to hear the good news.
"Oh thank you Doctor, I can't wait to get back to my Horace, he doesn't like to be away from me you see" she grasped at Isabella's hand. Isabella looked up at Paula questioningly. The nurse grinned and mouthed 'cat'. The young doctor nodded slightly and turned back to face her patient.
"Well Mrs. Patterson, hopefully you'll be seeing him very soon." Isabella gave the woman's hand a gentle squeeze before ducking from behind the privacy curtain. Regina was waiting on the other side with a brown envelope.
"Here you go Doctor O'Neil, Robert Wall's x-rays" Regina sing-songed.
"Cheers Regina, you're a star" she took the envelope and turned made her way out to the backlight cabinet. Regina watched her go, her head tilted slightly.
"Something wrong Reg?" Charlotte asked from behind the receptionist.
"Isn't she lovely? She's a lovely girl" Reg answered, her tone bordering on what Charlotte could only describe as 'dreamy'. The doctor rolled her eyes at and continued on her way, almost knocking Terri over as she rounded the corner. It was the first Charlotte had seen of the NUM all day.
"Hey Terri, where've you been hiding?" She asked the flustered woman.
"I've been at Budget Review meetings all day" Terri scowled "apparently unless every pencil and paper clip can be satisfactorily accounted for then the Ward is not being run efficiently enough" she finished, clearly exasperated with the whole process. "Actually I've been meaning to talk to you, have you been introduced to Doctor O'Neil yet?"
"Yes we've met. She seems....lovely" Charlotte grinned, mimicking the ward clerk.
"Uh, yes well I was hoping that if you get the chance you could, you know, have a chat to her, answer any questions she has and that kind of thing. The CEO is very anxious that she settles in well, it's not everyday you get a Harvard graduate working for you" Terri finished. Charlotte's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline.
"Harvard? What's she doing here?!" She half joked.
"I have no idea" Terri answered, glancing at her watch "ah, I have to be back upstairs, I'll leave you to it." The flustered NUM turned and fled in the direction of the elevators.
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"We have to stop meeting this way" Charlotte drawled as she came into the tea room to find Doctor O'Neil was again the only other occupant. The young doctor just smiled triumphantly and held up her mug.
"There's milk!" She crowed.
"I'm very happy for you" Charlotte laughed "so....Harvard?" She asked, settling into a chair opposite Isabella who ducked her head and blushed.
"Yeah, um I was offered a track scholarship so, you know I thought why not? I packed my bags and flew off into the great wide open."
"Impressive. So, how are you settling into Sydney?" Charlotte asked casually. She didn't want it to seem like she was being nosy or out to get the gossip.
"Well I landed on Friday, slept all day Saturday and started work on Sunday. So far all I've seen is my hotel room, the back of a taxi and All Saints. What day is it today?"
"Tuesday" Charlotte supplied.
"Wow, ok. I'm off on Thursday so I guess I'll look for a place to live then."
"Well if you need any help or a guide or anything like that, I'd be happy to be of service" Charlotte offered with a friendly smile.
"I'm going to hold you to that Beaumont now be a doll and pass the sugar" Izzy smiled back and batted her eyelashes.
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"Bet you're wishing you'd never offered to help right about now?" Izzy mocked and laughed as Charlotte, who was struggling with another heavy and awkward to carry box, shot her a deadly glare. It had taken nearly two weeks but the young doctor had finally found a house that measured up to her standards and signed a lease. Charlotte had made good on her promise to help and marshalled some extra troops to assist with moving all Isabella's stuff from a storage locker to her new house.
"Hey Izzy where do you want this one?" Scott asked as he hauled another box through the front door.
"What's written on the lid?" She called back.
"Um.... CD's etc" was the answering yell.
"Ok, living room. Thanks Scotty!" She grinned over at Charlotte who rolled her eyes in return. Scott, Alex and Sterlo had all jumped at the chance to help a beautiful woman in her hour of need and had been hauling boxes all day, trying to out do each other in the macho man stakes as Charlotte and Izzy looked on in amusement and at times exasperation.
"He's going to give himself a hernia" Charlotte snickered as Scott grunted and puffed in the other room. The two women looked up as Sterlo stumbled into the room and gracelessly dumped a box labelled 'text books' at Izzy's feet.
"That's the last one Izzy" He wheezed. Charlotte stifled a giggle. The nurse looked ready to collapse.
"That's brilliant! Why don't you grab a beer from the kitchen, you definitely look like you could use one" Izzy smiled. Charlotte waited for him to leave the room before she let loose the laughter she'd been holding in.
"Ever get the feeling that if he had a tail it would be wagging right now?" She chuckled.
"Ah leave the poor guy alone" Izzy admonished but she was smiling "do you want a beer?" Charlotte nodded and watched as the other woman disappeared into the kitchen. She had spent the last couple of weeks helping her new friend look for a place to live and had enjoyed every moment she spent with the woman. Izzy was smart, beautiful and an incredible flirt and Charlotte wasn't surprised to find herself falling for the young doctor. A bottle of beer appeared in front of her and she looked up to see that Izzy had returned with her 'three musketeers' in tow. They all plonked down onto the floor and enjoyed the cool air from the fan and their cold drinks. The day had been hot and all five were sticky and uncomfortable.
"Thanks a million for all your help everyone, I'd never have been able to do this without you guys." Izzy raised her bottle in a toast and the others followed.
"Cheers!" They each took a long drink.
"It was our pleasure Izzy" Alex gushed. Scott and Sterlo nodded vigorously on either side of him.
"I was thinking of maybe having a house party when it's all unpacked. You know, get to know people better?"
"Hey that's a great idea! Why don't you make it a pool party, you can put on a barbecue!?" Scott suggested enthusiastically. There was a fair size pool in Izzy's back yard and a large patio off the kitchen with a built in barbecue. Charlotte had been surprised that the young doctor had been able to afford such a substantial property but had been careful not to pry. Over the last two weeks she had found that Izzy could be quite guarded about things and had learnt to respect her privacy, waiting for her to bring up topics rather than delving in herself. She still knew very little about the woman except that she was from Dublin but had lived in America for the last nine years, which explained the hard-to-place accent.
"Well I suppose there's be no sense in letting all the space out there go to waste" Izzy thought out loud. She turned to face Charlotte. "Hey Beaumont, pool party - Yea or nay?" Charlotte pretended to think seriously for a few moments before answering, taking the time to picture Izzy in a bikini.
"Yea!" She answered finally. Scott high fived Alex leading Charlotte to believe that all three guys had been picturing the same thing. They spent some time going over what supplies would be needed and who should be invited. When Alex suggested there should be a set music list Izzy decided she'd had enough and ushered the three men to the door.
"I am way too tired to be discussing music lists" she yawned as they mock sulked at being uprooted from their cushions and beer. After bidding them all goodbye and thanking them once again for their help she returned to the den where Charlotte was now sprawled ungracefully across the cushions.
"I'm not looking forward to what my muscles will feel like tomorrow" she groaned as she stretched and shifted into a more comfortable position.
"A good run will work all the kinks out!" Izzy suggested. Charlotte just groaned louder. "Do you want to stay for dinner? I'm cooking Chinese take- out" Izzy offered.
"Sounds good to me" Charlotte agreed. Twenty minutes later they were sitting out on the patio eating their dinner and watching the night sky.
"So why did you come to Australia?" Charlotte asked out of the blue.
"I really wanted to see a kangaroo" Izzy answered, taking another bite of her spring roll "and perhaps a koala" she finished.
"You're not much of 'sharer' are you?" Charlotte said seriously, turning to face Izzy. The young doctor just sighed and looked up at the stars.
"It's nothing personal or anything. I just......I'm not a very good....I just can't open up to people easily." Izzy turned and gave Charlotte a sad smile. Charlotte gave her an understanding smile in return and turned back to face the sky.
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"Good afternoon Mr Garcia I'm Doctor O'Neil, I see you've been having some trouble passing water recently" Izzy read down through the man's chart noting the various notations and test results that had been made by the staff in emergency.
"You're my doctor?" the man asked loudly and incredulously, causing a few heads to look up at the disturbance. Izzy rolled her eyes and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to the patient.
"Well actually I'm the janitor but we're a bit short staffed today so I'll be taking care of you" Izzy deadpanned. She turned to Jared and held up her stethoscope "which bit goes in my ear again Jared?"
"You're a bloody nutter! I'm not having you near me. I want a proper doctor" the man demanded loudly. Terri hurried over from the desk.
"Is everything alright over here?" She asked.
"No it is not! I want a proper doctor." Mr Garcia huffed.
"Well sir, you have a proper doctor. You have one of the best doctors at All Saints in charge of your treatment" Terri indicated Izzy who was trying valiantly to look serious and responsible now that Terri had arrived on the scene.
"You're telling me that she's a real doctor? I have milk in my fridge older than she is!"
"Mr Garcia...." Terri started again but was cut off by the irate man.
"Ah!" He held his hand up" I don't want to hear it, either get me a different doctor or I'm discharging myself." He sat back and crossed his arms. Izzy looked at Terri and shrugged. Jared looked at his shoes and grinned. Terri looked at Mr. Garcia and scowled.
"Fine!" The NUM sighed at last "Mr. Garcia I'll have your care transferred to another doctor. Doctor O'Neil may I speak with you a moment. Izzy nodded and turned to follow Terri to her office, fighting the urge to look back and stick her tongue out at the obstinate patient. They stepped into the NUM's office and Terri closed the door. She sat down in her chair and gestured for Izzy to take the spare seat.
"What happened with Mr. Garcia?" She asked, her expression neutral. Izzy shrugged.
"You saw it Sister, he didn't believe I was a doctor and refused to let me treat him."
"That's all?" Terri asked.
"That's all" Izzy answered sincerely.
"Ok then, you better page Doctor Beaumont and have her examine him. There's a Mr. Murphy on his way up from emergency, you take him instead."
"Yes ma'am!" Izzy stood and mock saluted the NUM who looked up in amusement. She turned to leave before remembering something "oh by the way Sister Sullivan I'm throwing a house-warming, barbecue, and pool-party this Saturday afternoon, I hope you'll be able to make it." She reached forward and grabbed Terri's hand from where it was resting on the table. Before the startled nurse could do or say anything, Izzy had written her address and phone number in pen on the back of Terri's hand and skipped out of the office.
Izzy shut the door behind her and hurried to reception. "Hey Reg, could you page Doctor Beaumont for me when you have a moment?" She asked sweetly.
"No need" a voice in her ear made her jump and yelp in surprise. She turned to see Charlotte grinning evilly.
"You scared the shit out of me! I'm not kidding, Reg page me some clean underwear instead" she called jokingly to the confused clerk. She turned back to Charlotte "Ah Doctor Evil, zee wery woman I neeeed." She said in a ridiculous accent, handing Charlotte Mr. Garcia's chart "happy birthday" she finished and, smiling sweetly, turned and headed towards the elevators. Charlotte looked down at the chart and frowned before calling after Izzy.
"Hey! My Birthday isn't for months and I prefer perfume or jewellery not..." she looked at the chart again "...polycystic kidney disease." Izzy continued on her way, but took the time to flip the bird over her shoulder.
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The day of the party arrived. Charlotte looked out her window, pleased to see that it was a gloriously sunny day out, perfect weather for a barbecue and pool party. She showered and got dressed, checking the clock every five minutes. The party wasn't due to start 'til four. It was only eleven am and Charlotte was beginning to get restless when her phone rang.
"Hello" she answered cheerfully, recognising the number on caller display.
"Morning Doctor Charlotte, how are you this fine day?" Izzy's familiar voice asked from the other end. Charlotte grinned.
"I'm just super. How are you?"
"Well, I'm considerably less than super. Actually I'm kind of stressed. More people than I thought RSVP'd I'm kinda overwhelmed here. Do you think you could come over a little earlier and help me set up?"
"Sure thing. Need me to bring anything?" Charlotte offered, delighted to be given something constructive to do rather than wait around all afternoon. Izzy thought a moment before answering.
"Bring as many chairs as you can fit in your car."
"No problem, I'll see you soon" Charlotte hung up and got busy. Forty minutes later she was pulling up outside Izzy's house. She grabbed as many as the chairs as she could carry and headed up the path. Hearing music coming from the back she decided to head straight around the side passage to the garden. Rounding the corner she set the chairs on the patio and poked her head through the open door.
"Hello?" she called.
"In the kitchen!" Izzy's voice replied. Charlotte made her way to the kitchen and found a very flustered looking Izzy manically peeling a potato.
"Well don't just stand there!" the young woman huffed upon seeing her friend "Grab a knife and get peeling!"
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Three hours and a refrigerator overflowing with salads later they were finished. Charlotte blinked dazedly as she surveyed the spread they had prepared.
"That has to be, without a doubt, the most domestic thing I've ever done" she remarked.
"Me too, I've never done anything like this before, entertained I mean" Izzy noted, looking rather bewildered with everything.
"Relax Doctor, everything will be fine. I know these people, they're not high maintenance" Charlotte reassured her friend.
"Ok. I'm cool. It's all good. Right I'm going to jump in the shower. Grab a drink and I'll be down soon" Izzy disappeared leaving Charlotte to her own devices. It was the first time she had been in the house with everything unpacked and all the furniture arranged so she took the opportunity to have a look around the downstairs area. The dinning room was beside the kitchen and pretty standard- a good sized table surrounded by six chairs. Charlotte moved on to the den which Izzy had turned into a sort of study/office. There was a desk in one corner with a computer, phone and fax machine set up. Above the desk hung her framed Harvard degree that looked like it had just been thrown against the wall judging by the angle at which it was hanging. A battered looking leather couch that Izzy had been delighted to buy off one of the porters for $85 was along one wall and facing a plasma screen TV that had a jumble of games consoles set up in front of it. Charlotte did a double take. The TV was huge and extremely expensive looking. She wondered again how the young doctor could afford such luxuries. Taking one last glance around the den she headed on to the living room. The room was nearly bigger than Charlotte's kitchen, dining area and sitting room combined and was dominated by a large stone fireplace. There was a conspicuous lack of photographs on the mantelpiece or anywhere else in the house. She turned her attention to the two huge bookcases on either side of the fireplace and scanned some of the titles. There was a mixture of popular fiction, history texts, travelogues and science journals as well as a whole shelf devoted to various sports books and biographies. All the books looked well worn and read. Turning her attention to the back of the room, Charlotte noticed for the first time a tall glass, cabinet almost hidden in the corner, displaying a variety of medals and trophies for running, soccer, swimming, some equestrian rosettes and, rather impressively, triathlons. She was busy reading the inscriptions on the trophies when a loud ringing startled her back to reality.
"Can you get the door, I'll be down in a sec" Izzy's voice called from upstairs.
"Sure" she called back and made her way to the front hall. She pulled open the heavy wooden door to find Scott, Rebecca, Sterlo, Jared, Alex and Frances standing on the other side. Sterlo had a colourful inflatable beach ball under one arm and a six pack under the other. Alex and Scott also carried beer while Jared clutched at a bottle of wine and Frances held what looked suspiciously like her speciality green cake. Hellos were exchanged and they trouped out to the garden to set up camp by the pool. The door bell rang again so Charlotte got up to answer since Izzy hadn't come down yet. She opened the door to Paula and Luke and ushered them out to the garden. She was just beginning to wonder if Izzy had fallen asleep in the shower or something when the woman in question made her entrance, bounding out onto the patio with a cheerful 'hello' for everyone. She headed straight to the bin she had filled with ice and fished out a beer for herself, missing entirely the appreciative looks she was getting from practically everyone there. She was wearing the tightest, shortest pair of board shorts ever engineered, flip-flops and a white bikini top and she had managed to wrestle her unruly hair into neat cornrows. Wrap around sun glasses completed the ensemble. The doorbell rang again, snapping everyone out of their respective reveries.
"I'll get this one!" Izzy chirped and went to answer. She returned a few moments later with a slightly uncomfortable looking Nelson and a beaming Regina. Charlotte felt sorry for the guy and motioned for him to join her where she was sitting on the grass. The bell rang again and Izzy darted off, returning with Matt, Von and Terri. Everyone was surprised to see the NUM and downright shocked to see Von. They gave sheepish hellos and went to sit with Nelson and Charlotte while Matt headed over to Scott and Alex.
"Ok then everybody! Looks like we're all here so let's get this shindig started!!" Izzy declared from her position atop a patio chair to a few boisterous cheers and claps. "Alex I name thee DJ, break my stereo and I'll kill you" Alex grinned and darted into the house. "Scott and Sterlo, you have the grill. Everyone else, chill out and have fun!"
Rebecca, Frances, Paula all stripped down and jumped into the pool followed closely by Alex, Izzy, Luke, Jared and a dive bombing Matt as Sterlo set about lighting the grill. Scott appeared from the kitchen with the tray full of steaks and burgers. Charlotte scowled slightly as she watched as Alex pick Izzy up and slam dunk her back into the water, not liking how high his hands and gone, but couldn't help smiling as she saw Izzy re- emerge from the beneath the surface, spluttering and laughing.
It took Charlotte two more beers before she felt brave enough to strip down and join the others in the pool, ignoring the wolf whistle from Matt but the basking in the dazzling smile she got from Izzy. They splashed around and played an unruly game of pool tag before Scott and Sterlo summoned them to 'get their eat on'.
After dinner, the party was still in full swing and everyone, even Von, was enjoying themselves. Izzy stretched out in her lawn chair and took a few minutes to survey the collection of people around her from safely behind her tinted glasses. All the guys bar Nelson were engaged in a rather vigorous game of water volley ball. Frances, Regina, Paula and Rebecca were playing a drinking game involving a deck of cards and a flower pot. Von, Terri, Nelson and Charlotte were sitting at the patio table chatting about hospital politics and the latest gossip. Izzy let her gaze settle on Charlotte. The doctor looked relaxed and happy. If there was one thing that had made all the effort of throwing the party worthwhile it was the opportunity to see Charlotte in her red one piece swimsuit. She let her head drop back and closed her eyes, basking in the last few rays of sun.
Charlotte watched as Izzy settled into a deck chair by the pool. Terri and Von took their chance to escape inside and start the washing up even though Izzy had insisted it be left until morning.
"She's a little young don't you think?" Nelson asked, eyebrow raised as he observed his friend watching the young doctor.
"Huh?" Charlotte tried to sound innocent.
"You know exactly what I mean. Your eyes were practically glued to her ass all day" Nelson supplied helpfully.
"Well" Charlotte started "she's very attractive so, I mean....hey I caught you checking her out earlier when she was in the pool" she pointed accusingly at Nelson.
"I'm pretty sure even Terri was checking her out when she was in the pool" Nelson countered "and anyway, it's not just tonight, I've seen you at work, you can barely keep your eyes off her!" he finished.
"Ok so maybe I have a bit of a crush" Charlotte admitted sheepishly. Nelson gave a triumphant smirk and sipped his coke. She turned her attention back to Izzy who had since been joined by Regina. It had been so long since Charlotte had even considered dating anyone and she wasn't sure that a relationship with Izzy would work out. Nelson did have a point about the age thing; after all there was over ten years in the difference. Still, there was no harm in looking.
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As the sun went down the evening got cooler and the guests began to leave. Scott, Rebecca and Sterlo were the last to troupe out to a waiting taxi. Izzy watched from the door and waved them off as the car disappeared down the street.
"Well, I think it's fair to say that I am officially knackered tired" she sighed as she shuffled into the sitting room.
"Great party though- I think everyone needed the downtime" Charlotte mused thoughtfully from her position on the couch. Izzy made her way over and curled up on the opposite end, facing Charlotte. She dropped her head back to rest on a cushion and closed her eyes.
"I don't suppose I could talk you into carrying me up the stairs?" Izzy asked through another jaw-breaker of a yawn. Charlotte snorted and poked her with her foot in response. Izzy opened one eye and peered at the blonde doctor "You wanna crash in the spare room?" she offered.
"I think that's a good idea, I lost the capacity to operate machinery about five drinks ago" Charlotte accepted.
"Cool, I'll just get you some bed linen and what not then I think I'll turn in for the night. You're welcome to stay up and watch a movie or whatever" Izzy stood and stretched.
"No I think I'll hit the sheets too, no point in delaying the inevitable killer hangover" Charlotte decided, following her friend up the stairs.
Izzy lead the way to the spare room at the front of the house, stopping en route to get sheets and pillow cases from the airing cupboard. The spare room was bright and airy and between them, they had the bed made up in a matter of minutes. An awkward silence settled on the room as they stood surveying their handiwork.
"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it then. The bathroom's across the landing there and I'm the last door on the left if you need anything" Izzy finished and turned to leave walking a few steps before turning back and planting the softest of kisses on Charlotte's cheek. Blushing slightly she left the room.
"Thanks Iz" Charlotte answered belatedly, the room empty. She lifted her hand to touch her face where Izzy's lips had brushed her skin and smiled. That had been, without a doubt, the sweetest moment of her life.
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Charlotte turned over in bed in an attempt to escape the brightness of the sun's rays that were sneaking through the gap in the drapes and hitting her square in the face. Moving her head slowly from side to side, she was relieved to note the lack of pounding headache. She cracked her eyes open. A glance at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside locker informed her that it was 9:45am. Flopping onto her back, she enjoyed a long, languid stretch, feeling various muscles and joints pop and reorganise themselves. Hearing noises coming from downstairs, she threw back the covers and went to investigate. From the foot of the stairs, she could hear music coming from the kitchen. Charlotte didn't recognise the song but she could hear Izzy singing along, slightly off key. She arrived into the kitchen to find the young doctor chopping fruit and piling it into a blender, nodding her head in time with the music.
"Morning" Charlotte called over the noise of the radio. Izzy looked up and smiled warmly, reaching over to lower the volume.
"Ah so you're finally awake!" She teased good naturedly.
"What do you mean finally? It's not even ten! This is early for me!" Charlotte bantered back.
"I never sleep later than 7am" Izzy replied, shaking some sort of powder into the jug and hitting the 'on' switch on the blender, drowning out Charlotte's response. The blonde doctor rolled her eyes and waited for the noise to stop before speaking.
"What have you been up to for the last three hours?" she asked.
"Well, I went for a quick swim, then a two hour run and now "she lifted the jug from the blender and poured its contents into a tall glass "I'm having my protein shake."
Charlotte made a face "you're one of those people" she joked "you make me sick."
Izzy stuck out her tongue in response then downed her shake. "There's cereal and toast and eggs and fruit if you're hungry, or I have aspirin if you'd prefer....how's your head?"
"My head is surprisingly clear thank you! I'll just stick with coffee for now though." Charlotte decided.
"Oh, you're one of those people" Izzy parroted and set about brewing a pot for her guest.
They spent the morning getting the garden and kitchen back in order after the previous night's revelry, enjoying the warm sunshine and each others company. After a quick lunch of leftovers, Charlotte reluctantly took her leave, needing to get back to walk her beloved dog. Izzy too had to get her act together and prepare for her late afternoon shift.
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Pulling into the staff car park, Izzy sent up a quick prayer for a quiet and easy day. She was covering a shift in Emergency and hoped it wouldn't be too incident packed. After stowing her bag in the locker room and clipping her ID onto the front of her shirt she headed out to face whatever the world had to throw at her. Seeing Rebecca doing paperwork at the desk, she went over to get the low down.
"Hey Rebecca, we slow today?" she asked, indicating the empty beds with a nod of her head.
"Oh hey Doc. Yeah so far it's been pretty quiet. There's a head wound in three that needs suturing and we're waiting on films for curtain five and that's it. Great party by the way" the nurse gave Izzy a playful nudge before making her way towards one of the equipment rooms "I'll get you a suture tray."
"Thanks Rebecca" Izzy called to the nurse and went to examine the head wound patient.
Four hours later and Izzy was counting down the minutes 'til the end of her shift. She only had to cover a half shift and was looking forward to getting out of the hospital. It had remained quiet in the ED, without any major traumas and so she had taken the opportunity to write up some of her notes and sign off on old charts that she had been neglecting. She was just finishing the last chart when Rebecca came breathlessly through the lounge door.
"That was dispatch, there's a trauma on its way, multiple stab-wounds. ETA: seven minutes. Doctor Singh is stuck on Ward 5 with a code and I've paged Doctor Roberts but he hasn't responded yet" she informed the doctor. Izzy dropped her pen and stood up, knocking over her carefully stacked pile of paperwork.
"Ok we need to prep. I want a crash cart, chest tube tray, portable x-ray, plenty of O Neg. Page the OR and have them standing by" she rattled off to the nurse who dashed off to set up. Izzy grabbed a gown, gloves and a pair of goggles and followed her. No sooner had she joined Rebecca and the other nurses that Scott and Alex arrived with the trauma on a trolley. Scott was covered with blood.
"Peter Richardson, 34. Multiple stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen. Bp 90 over 50. Decreased breath sounds on the left" Scott rattled off.
"OK, on my count – 1, 2, 3!" Izzy counted and pulled the man onto the gurney. The trauma nurses proceeded with hooking him up to various machines. "Mister Richardson can you hear me? Open your eyes sir" she called to the man, using her penlight to check his eyes. "No response: GCS 7. Pupils are fixed and pin-pointed." She listed off a number of standard tests and focused on the man's abdomen which was haemorrhaging badly.
"Pulse-ox is low, 82" a voice called. Izzy swore softly and grabbed a tube from the tray on her left. Alex stopped bagging and stood back to let her work. She flicked on her penlight and leaned in to peer down the man's throat, manoeuvring the tube with her other hand. "I can't see the chords, SUCTION" she yelled. One of the nurses quickly arrived with the suction and cleared the man's throat. Izzy finally got the tube in position "I'm in, bag him." Alex stepped back in and attached the bag.
One of the nurses used a surgical scissors to remove what was left of the man's shirt giving Izzy a good look at the damage. "Ok I have two entrance wounds in the upper left abdominal area" she declared "is there any sign of Doctor Roberts?" she asked.
"No he's still incommunicado" someone answered.
"Page him again! How's the neck?"
"Neck wound is superficial, no arterial damage, just a deep laceration" Rebecca called.
"I've another entrance wound, upper left chest" Izzy listened carefully with her stethoscope "he has a hemopneumothorax. Get me the chest tube tray. Hang 3 units of O Neg. Has anyone called Surgical?"
"Doctor Forlano is on his way" someone answered. Izzy grabbed the scalpel from the chest tube tray, making an incision between the man's ribs. Using her middle finger she pushed through and introduced the chest tube. Once it was in position she quickly sutured it to secure it.
"Pulse-ox is up, 85" someone called. Izzy listened as the staff updated her on the man's obs. "Ok give him a gram of cotetan. She turned her attention back to the patient's abdomen. Peeling back the soaking pressure pads so she was able to see the exact position of each wound, she used some suction to get a closer look. "I need a portable ultra-sound" she called. A few seconds later one was thrust into arms. She ran the wand over his stomach and looked at the blurry image on the display screen. Luke arrived behind her.
"What have we got?" he demanded. Izzy rattled off the man's injuries and listed the tests and treatment she'd preformed "he's bleeding into his abdominal cavity, looks like whatever angle the knife went in it nicked the spleen" she finished, handing off the ultra-sound and reapplying pressure to the wounds.
"Ok lets get moving people, the OR is ready" Luke took over from Izzy and jogged alongside the trolley as it was wheeled to the elevators. Scott, Rebecca and Izzy watched as they trauma disappeared down the corridor and out of sight.
"Shit" Izzy swore softly.
"Yeah" Rebecca agreed. She turned to Scott "what happened?" Scott peeled off his gloves and flung them onto the pile of bloody gauze and other waste on the floor.
"His wife went at him with a butcher's knife 'cause he wouldn't leave the sofa and cut the grass" he answered incredulously. Izzy ripped off her gloves, gown and glasses.
"Just where the hell is Doctor Roberts?" She demanded angrily. Rebecca sighed and shrugged.
"I paged him three times. I'm sorry Doctor" she apologised. Izzy calmed down and addressed the nurse in a softer tone.
"Hey, look I didn't mean to snap. It's not your fault he's an irresponsible prick" she apologised before stalking off to the locker room. She stripped quickly out of her bloodstained clothes, cursing the inefficiency of the paper gown she'd been wearing. Pulling on a pair of scrubs and tossing her ruined outfit into her locker to deal with another day, she grabbed her bag and stormed back out to the ED. "I'm off!" she called to Rebecca and disappeared out the door. She was going to go home, run a long, hot bath and switch off, leaving the trials of the day behind her. Remembering that she had a day off coming up, she allowed herself to calm down a little. By the time she reached her car, she was almost back to her earlier good mood.
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Charlotte sighed and collapsed into an empty chair in the tea room. Nelson looked up from is newspaper at the mini-commotion.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, his tone unsympathetic but his warm brown eyes betraying his genuine concern for his friend.
"Nothing, it's just been a slow day and I'm bored and I want to go home and....and.....that's it" Charlotte replied, biting at a nail in frustration. Nelson put his paper down and levelled the blonde with a calculating stare.
"I see" he narrowed his eyes "and that fact that you've been practically climbing the walls all day has nothing to do with the fact that a certain young physician is off today?" He raised an eyebrow in question. Charlotte huffed and pretended not to hear him. "Yeah I thought so" he smirked and turned his attention back to his newspaper.
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Izzy looked squinted at the odometer mounted on her handlebars and she watched the numbers climb- 35, 40, 45..... She pedalled harder grinning as the figure levelled off at 67km/h. She was ripping down the hill at breakneck speed, enjoying the feel of the wind whipping through her hair after the long, sweaty climb to the top. Dropping her head back down, she concentrated on her cadence, watching as the smooth tarmac disappeared beneath her thin racing tyres. Cycling was a therapy for Izzy- she used the time in the saddle to sort out her demons and leave behind the pressures and frustrations of her job. But the most rewarding aspect was overcoming the immense physical challenge it posed, pushing herself right to the brink of collapse in order to overcome the pain and fatigue and finish the 'race'. It had been a long time since she had raced but she still tried to rack up at least 200 kilometres a week. The road levelled off and her speed slowed to 23km/h. She pedalled evenly and maintained the speed as she dodged in and out of traffic, noting idly that she was only a few blocks from All Saints. She turned into a residential area and left the gridlock behind, giving herself more freedom on the empty road to manoeuvre. A faint clicking noise coming from her derailleur began to grate on Izzy's nerves. Distracted, she bent low and tried to get a look at the mechanism, wondering if something had become lodged in it. In the split second she took her eyes off the road, she missed the small pothole in the otherwise smooth tarmac. Her front tyre buckled causing the bike to slide sideways into the path of an oncoming car. Unable to gain control of her bike and knowing she'd never be able to free her shoes from where they were cleated to her pedals in time she spent the last moments before impact wondering if her life would flash before her eyes.
Continued In Chapter 2