Prepare for attack
Your body will burn
Endless war
There's no return
Prepare for attack
Death will arrive
Your orders are clear
No way to hide
Fight till death.
-
The unremitting presence of the red and blue lights continued to flash outside of the hospital as doctors and nurses rushed through the doors to meet their newest houseguest. Tonight was a busy night, and they were already in Code Red - a black surely wouldn't be too far off for the specialized crew at Angels Memorial Hospital.
Placing his stethoscope around his shoulders Doctor Neal Hudson led the charge - with Leanne attending to another patient with a stab wound – their incoming was his patient. He had Jessie beside him as well as Doctors Leighton and Savetti ready to assist when required.
His usual right hand woman wasn't working today, much to his surprise. Christa has hardly ever requested a day off and once he even had to send her home after she came in with a severe case of the flu – her reaction to being ordered to take the day off was almost comical, it is true what they say doctors make the worst patients.
…
"Has anyone seen Christa?" Neal questioned as he closed his current patient file, they were already five minutes into their shift and bar a few hungover incidents it wasn't like the blonde to be tardy.
"I've messaged her a few times but she isn't responding and she cancelled our brunch yesterday," Malaya informed the attending.
"May someone please ca-"
"-I'm here, I'm here. Sorry I was late."
The group turns to look at Christa their eyes not believing what they saw.
Her usual pristine blonde hair was in disarray; her nose an aggressive red while beads of sweat blemished her forehead.
Mario was the first to speak, "Christa you look horrible."
The other three doctors turned to him and Angus slowly shook his head while Doctor Lorenson scoffed, "Thanks Mario, you really know how to make my day just a little brighter."
Her voice came out throaty as Neal approached her, "You need to go home Doctor Lorenson."
"I'm fine," she insisted and the attending waved the other three residents off.
"Your dripping like you are in the Arabian Desert Christa, you are far from fine."
Her eyes closed briefly, "I don't have a temperature Doctor Hudson."
His brow raised, "Okay. Humor me, let's go take your temperature."
She sighed seeing that he was unrelenting and made a gesture that he should lead the way, all the while muttering about being healthy enough to work and damn it she is a doctor, she would know if she was sick.
Doctor Hudson had to bite the inside of his lip to stop from laughing, this resident was unwell and she was the personified form of the catchphrase 'doctors make the worst patients'.
Nonetheless he led her to an unoccupied bed and watched as she hopped up while he retrieved a thermometer.
"Open wide."
He couldn't hide his grin any longer and the deadpanned look she gave him was enough of an indication. Nevertheless, she still placed her tongue out as the thermometer slid onto her tongue.
Neal's eyes sparkled with amusement as the pair waited for enough time to elapse to gather an accurate reading, neither of the two quite realizing how close they were with Christa's knees brushing against his thighs.
A beep sounded and Doctor Lorenson opened her mouth as Doctor Hudson extracted the thermometer.
"102. You're going home Christa," Neal moved back slightly as he gave her a serious look and when it looked like she was about to refuse he shook his head, "No Doctor Lorenson, you're out for the day."
At the determined look in his eye Christa nodded her head as she moved to stand, her feet were barely on the ground before she began to sway. Neal rushed to put a stabilizing hand on her arm and waist before the inevitability of her legs giving out on her became a reality.
Seeing Leanne walk past he called out to her, "I'm going to take Doctor Lorenson home – I'll be back in an hour."
…
But alas, they were a resident down close to a code black, but he really had no time to think about that. There was a life at stake. An individual who needs him at his best so that they have a shot of walking out of the hospital and resume their life.
He hadn't killed a houseguest yet today and he wasn't about to start now.
"Female, age forty, gunshot wound to the abdomen, BP rising and pulse is weak."
Doctor Sevatti's gasp barely registered to Neal instead a hysterical man with blood caked all over his arms and shirt did. The man wouldn't leave the side of the gurney.
"You have to fix her! She...she pushed me. It should be me there…not her. Fix her. Please."
Without giving him a chance to respond Sevatti called out, "She's crashing!"
Leighton took his place by the gurney and almost lost his step once he saw the woman lying in the bed while Mario began chest compressions on the patient.
"Sir I need you to move," Doctor Hudson called out.
The man closed his eyes in despair, obviously not wanting to abandon the woman's bedside.
"Sir please, let me help her."
Finally the man stood aside, but not before reaching for Doctor Hudsons arm, "fix her. Fix my wife."
"I'll tr- Christa?" Neal breathed as he saw her. Her pallor was a stark white - a change from her usual brilliant hue. Everything about her looked ashen, from her brow line to her chapped lips. She...well she didn't look like the Christa they knew and loved.
Though right now she can't be that Christa.
She is just a patient.
He can't put stock on what she means to him when he is the one responsible to save her life, it's up to him to fix her.
Just a patient.
Medical jargon was spit at him faster and faster. He stopped to absorb all of the information, his brain metabolizing what he knew.
"Get her centre stage!" He called as he ran next to the gurney and with a simple look over his shoulder, "she is one of ours. We will do everything we can," to her frazzled ex-husband as they pushed the gurney into the centre of the room.
"Angus clear an airway." Seeing the young mans hesitation he proceeded, "you can do this Doctor Leighton. She needs you to be her doctor now. You can do this," he reaffirmed.
With a nod the younger doctor began to intubate on his friend.
"Doctor Sevatti I need you to perform a tube thoracotomy, why Doctor Leighton?" Hudson asked as his eyes drew to the blood surrounding her. Mario proceeded to have the necessary tools handed to him.
"She has too much blood and air pooling inside of her. It will kill her if we don't get it out."
"Mama, look at her record and get a six pack of blood down here," Neal instructed the man who was uncharacteristically silent by the blondes bedside.
With a nod the seasoned nurse went to retrieve the blood as Doctor Sevatti began the procedure.
"Exactly... Easy Mario."
"What's going on here?" Doctor Rorish approached the gurney. "Christa?"
"Gunshot to the abdomen," Neal called as his own hands were caked in Christa's blood. "Is she stable enough to roll over?" Doctor Hudson asked Angus.
The man shook his head.
"What do you need Neal?" Leanne asked as she took in the scene in front of her, examining the procedures everyone was undertaking to ensure it was all going to help produce a successful outcome.
"I've got this Leanne, go-" he started as the broadcast system announced an arrival of three ambulances.
With a nod Leanne hurried off, but not before sparing on last look at Neal, "do you want me to take this one?"
She wasn't stupid, she was aware of the attraction between the eldest resident and her fellow attending.
At his look of despair she understood why he would want to help her, she of all people understood. There is nothing worse than not being able to save the ones you love.
His eyes closed as he shook his head, "Let me know if you need anything," with those last words Leanne was off.
Jessie started to hook the blood up to Christa's IV - in the hope of replacing some of the blood she lost until an OR cleared to patch her up.
Turning to Christa's ex-husband Hudson asked, "How did the bullet enter Christa?"
A phrase, god help him, he never thought he would have to say.
The man closed his eyes, his facial features growing taut while he obviously relived that horrible moment.
Running a hand over his face almost absent minded - seemingly forgetting the blood of the woman who was once his love plastered all over it - he opened his eyes, "through her back. She turned to try... To try and push me to the ground."
"Doctor Hudson!" A nurse called out, "she is regaining consciousness."
Christa began to fight the tube lodged in her throat before she realized what was happening and completely stilled.
In that moment all that was heard was silence. The nurses, attending's, medical students and even her fellow residents stilled as her eyes fluttered open and her fingers began to flex by her side.
Neal moved towards her line of sight. "Christa, can you understand me?"
She blinked her response.
"Do you know what happened to you?"
Once again she blinked before her eyes widened. She moved her mouth as if to speak and that's when another voice decided to pitch in. "I'm fine Christ. You saved my life."
Her eyes fluttered as the man approached her bedside. He leant over her head with his lips barely over her forehead, "you saved me. Now I need you to fight for yourself, because there isn't a higher power cruel enough to take both of you on the same date - no one is that cruel."
His lips pressed against her clammy skin just as Doctor Guthrie Jr. approached with a medical team. Jessie was informing Cole of Christa's condition as the team began to move her away. Before she got out of reach she grasped onto Neal's hand that was still clasped onto the side of the gurney. He placed his other gloved hand over hers, the blood on it not fazing either of them. "Fight Christa."
She blinked her eyes in response as a lone tear rolled down her cheek.
Neal proceeded to extricate himself from her grasp and the gurney carrying a woman he knew he cared too deeply about continued its journey to the OR.
The doctor visibly swallowed while Jessie did what Jessie does best - rally the troops.
"I know we are all thinking of Christa. That woman has been through hell but she has fought her way here and she will continue to fight. Say a prayer for own little blondie and know that if you hurt anyone in Mama's house she isn't going to be a happy lady. Keep Christa in your minds but leave her at the back, your patients need you and you know that."
Several moments passed before the usual cacophony surrounding the ER returned to pollute the otherwise sterile atmosphere.
Tearing off his gloves Neal tried to school his mind for a few moments with the ring of his pager rattling him after he had done so.
Moving through the crowd he found his patient. It was Doctor Neal Hudson that his patients needed him to be, there was nothing he could do for Christa now.
-
As the hours drew by Leanne was the first to have a spare moment after their code red turned black, and then back to a red again.
She made her way to the observation deck of the surgical theatre watching Doctor Guthrie Jr. operate on her resident.
Her eyes welled at the sight in front of her. Of Christa with surgical garb covering her and a breathing tube inserted into her mouth.
Christa was right when she said that tragedy either hardens or softens a person, with Leanne she was a mix of both. A solid ninety percent of the time she was a hardened woman due to the tragedy she endured. However, it was those small moments – ones like these – that saw the softer side of the hardened doctor emerge.
No one was more deserving of a miracle - no one – but boy did Christa need one now.
"Fight Christa, you can do this. Make that little boy proud today."
Cole looked up from his precarious position and saw Doctor Rorish and nodded to her, and even from so far away he saw the watery nod she gave him in return.
Doctor Guthrie Sr. made his way towards the OR and after scrubbing in he watched the automatic door slide open.
"Doctor Guthie," his son noted his arrival and the elder doctor offered him a nod. "I was just called to the ER, I was hoping you wouldn't mind staying with her until I return?"
The senior surgeon walked closer to the operating table, "Go son. I've got Christa until you get back."
The younger doctor pulled away after inserting yet another pair of clamps as the other Doctor Guthrie moved to stand beside their patients' head.
"How you doing kiddo?" he asked her motionless form.
"That's what I thought," he continued, "you're one tough cookie blondie and you are going to be just fine. There is a hospital full of people needing you to be fine. So you have to fight Christa, and I won't accept anything else."
He continued to speak to her as if she will open her eyes and respond.
"I thought you were going to the break room," Angus said as he strolled to stand next to Malaya.
"And I thought you were going for a bathroom break."
The pair shared a smile.
They both knew why the other was there, and they both needed a moment to see for their own eyes that Christa was okay.
Currently she lay cocooned in several blankets within the hospital suite with various monitors sending out her vitals.
The pair continued to look through the glass door at their friend, "she is going to be okay Malaya," Angus wrapped an arm around his peer.
"I know, she better."
They stood there in silence for a few moments before Malaya whispered, "She had better fight."
Doctor Leighton turned to his friend, "It's Christa, of course she will.
"Hey Mama," Nurse Ratchet greeted the senior nurse.
"How's my girl doing Amy?"
Jessie offered her a tired grin, one that can only grace Jessie's face, yet manage to light people up like he was an ever glowing star. The nurse gestured to the door and Jessie made his way in. He saw her ex-husband sleeping on the chair next to her bed with his hand grasping her own smaller one.
Mama Sallander quietly made his way to the unoccupied side of her bed, brushing away some wisps of her blonde hair.
"I'm not the only Mama in here, Christa – so fight mama."
Andrew looked up from his place by Christa's bedside as the sliding door to her room opened.
"Sorry to interrupt."
Shifting back in his seat he gestured to the figure to further enter the room, "Mario, right?" He extended his hand to the doctor.
"Yeah. Sorry I didn't catch your name earlier…" Mario trailed off as he shook the older mans hand.
"Andrew. Andrew Lorenson."
"How is she doing?" Mario gestured to the unconscious woman lying in the bed while scanning the monitors around her.
Running a hand over his face Andrew smiled, "They think she is going make it."
A grin plastered itself on the doctors' face, "If anyone can beat the odds, it's Christa. She fights like no one I have ever seen."
"Christ really has found a family here with you guys…" Andrew trailed off turning to face his ex-wife.
Turning to leave Mario pivoted, "she really is the best of us."
It took Neal Hudson till after shift to check on his friend.
After checking to see which room was hers he made his way there and opened the sliding door. The first thing he noticed was that the blonde wasn't in bed. The second thing he noticed was her crumpled form on the floor. Hurriedly he made his way to her, "What the hell are you doing Christa?"
Curling a hand underneath her knees all the while supporting her head he carried her back to bed.
"Neal," she breathed gripping his shoulder with very little strength.
After carefully relocating her to the hospital bed Doctor Hudson sat on its edge.
"What were you doing out of bed Christa." He repeated.
"I was coming back from the bathroom, I didn't want to disturb the nurses," she answered his question before he even posed it.
An eyebrow quirked up as he moved his hand to cover her own, "you have no idea how glad I am that you are okay."
She looked down to her lap before shining a bright smile at him.
"So I met your husband."
"Ex," she interjected.
He continued on anyway, "he seems like a nice guy."
She softly nodded her head, "yeah he's the best."
"He seems to care about you," Neal noted while absentmindedly running his fingers over Christa's knuckles.
"That was never our issue."
Neal waited and she took it as a sign to continue.
Taking a deep breath she began, "Death well it changes us. My son… he was amazing with a personality that was the perfect blend of both of us. He had my kind heartened nature, and Andrews aptitude for well, everything. He would have grown up to be successful happy man and as a mother nothing would have made me happier.
The first moment when I had him in my arms I knew that he would grow up looking like Drew. Everything about him, from his nose to his crinkly little feet was a replica of his father," she used her free hand to wipe a tear from her eye, "which is why when he died it made it so hard to look at Andrew. All I saw was my little boy and that created a gut wrenching feeling inside of me that I thought would never go away."
She smiled up at Neal, "until now. Being here has been the first time I have felt close to happiness in a really long time."
Neal's lips turned upwards and he shifted to brush strands of hair behind her ear, "Thank you for sharing that. I…I couldn't even imagine what you have gone through. For the record, though, you have made my days brighter too."
She offered him a watery grin while he continued. "I was thinking that maybe when we spring you out of here we can have dinner sometime?"
Before Christa was able to respond the sliding door opened and Andrew walked in with two Styrofoam cups.
"I can't –"
"She can't have that."
Neal and Christa turned to each other and grinned.
They both knew that the cup would only have one type of liquid within it and caffeine was most certainly not on Christa's menu for the next twenty-four hours at least.
Doctor Hudson will swear till his last dying breath that Andrew's look of defeat didn't bring him a sense of pleasure that he knew something that would benefit Christa that her former husband didn't know.
Neal stood, drawing Andrew's attention to their joint hands and he brushed his hands against his scrub pants.
Turning to leave it was Christa's voice that stopped him.
"Yes."
He quirked an eye at Christa and nodded, a smile gracing his face as he closed the glass sliding door behind himself.
Andrew took his seat by Christa's bed.
"You seem happy," he noted.
Christa's eyes closed while she nodded.
Clearing her throat she responded, "I am. I never thought… I never thought I would be happy after his death but in the last few months I have been, and have done so without guilt gnawing at me."
Her eyes opened and she saw Andrew grinning next to her, "I'm glad. You deserve it Christa."
He bent to press a kiss to her forehead, "He would be proud of you."
-
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you.
A/N: Well my first Code Black and I am obviously a Neal/Christa fan so please review and get writing on your own because these two deserve a fandom! A fandom that is going to ignore a potential kiss that may sink this ship before she sails. What a cliffhanger though! I hope Christa is okay.
Onto another note, I actually named the nurse Amy before the latest episode came out which is pretty interesting.
Send me requests I am open to Neal/Christa requests.
This is a copy/paste from AO3.