I started this a while ago, but it wasn't really working so I left it for a while, but for reasons which I'll go into later, I decided I needed to start posting it soon. I hope you enjoy it. I'll probably update on the same days as I Need You in future so there will be another update in two days' time, but it's my birthday so if ever I can break my own rules, it's now.
Ethan didn't usually notice if his patients were beautiful.
It just wasn't relevant. He was thinking of other things. He often didn't notice things like that in any case. It usually took him several weeks or even months to notice if a girl was attractive, and that was just one of the reasons why he always left it too late.
He couldn't see much of the patient because of the head restraints, but he could see a few wisps of blonde, curly hair. Her eyes were closed, though she was conscious, but she had long, dark lashes resting on her cheek and dark purple on her eyelids. This worried him momentarily, but although he wasn't an expert in eye make-up, he realised almost immediately that it wasn't bruising. She was wearing it because it looked beautiful. And it was working.
Ethan caught himself suddenly, appalled at what he was doing. A patient was on her way to Resus, and he'd been thinking about what she looked like. Even Cal usually waited at least until his patients were stable before he starting eyeing them up.
He tried to focus his attention on Dixie's recital of the girl's medical details, but at that point the girl's moans became sobs. Her hand seemed to be reaching out for something; anything. Ethan had seen it happen before and he usually left such hands alone unless he thought the flailing limb presented a danger either to the patient or to himself, but on this occasion, he caught it in his own and squeezed it reassuringly.
Almost immediately, he wished he hadn't done it. It was out of character for him and as Robyn was only a few metres away, ready to help Cal with the second casualty, there was every chance it would be all over the ED within a couple of hours that Ethan had held hands with a patient before he'd even been properly introduced to her. But after a moment or two, her sobs quietened and the hand in his relaxed slightly and Ethan knew that, unorthodox or not, he had done the right thing.
He just hoped he would be able to continue doing the right thing. He certainly hadn't been listening as closely as he should have done and he could only hope that Rita, who was working with him, had been paying better attention.
But as the patient was wheeled in Resus, Ethan discovered to his relief that he did seem to have absorbed the information Dixie had given him. Her name was Ariel Hennessey and she was twenty-three. She'd been involved in an accident whilst riding a bike. She was briefly KO-ed at the scene, but although she was conscious and responsive to voice and pain, she had been unable to answer any of their questions and the paramedics had discovered her identity from the contents of her purse. She'd sustained lacerations to her head and arm, had a suspected dislocated right shoulder and bruising to right leg.
Ethan had also taken in the most important piece of information, which would affect the treatment she was given: she was pregnant. A medical card in her bag revealed that she'd gone for her six-month check-up a few days before at St James's Hospital.
Ethan kept her condition in mind as he organised her treatment. As he gave instructions, he kept an eye on the patient, who was being comforted by Rita, but when she did start to show an interest in her surroundings, it was Ethan's eyes she sought.
"Where…?"
"You're in Holby City Hospital," said Ethan, speaking slowly and clearly. "My name's Dr Hardy: I'm one of the registrars. This is Rita."
Ariel's lips moved as she tried to say another word. Ethan bent closer to listen.
"Did you say baby?" he asked, and she nodded. "Early indications suggest that your baby is in good shape, though we won't know for certain until we've done a scan."
Her eyes filled with tears and she began to sob, almost silently.
"It's all right," said Ethan softly. He placed his hand on her arm. "You're safe. We're going to look after you."
All Cal knew about Ethan's patient was that she was female, but that was reason enough for him to be annoyed. They'd known there were two patients coming in and Cal had been poised to take the first that arrived, but then Connie had appeared and asked to speak to him for a moment. They were still discussing the very trivial matter of the necessity of making more detailed notes about patients when the first accident victim had arrived.
Connie had, of course, let Cal go in time for him to help the second patient, but although Cal didn't know much about Ethan's patient, he'd heard enough to be sure she was young and female.
Cal's patient, on the other hand, was a fifty-one-year-old overweight male.
Ethan had all the luck, Cal thought with more petulance than accuracy. He couldn't help wondering if Connie had known the girl was coming in first and had arranged matters accordingly, but Cal knew he would never dare ask. In any case, he had to think about his own patient, who was conscious and complaining loudly.
"She was riding on the wrong side of the road! That's the trouble with these cyclists. No respect for other road users. And this one doesn't even seem to know the rules! I slammed the breaks on, of course, but there was no way I could have avoided hitting her so she'd better not think of suing and you can tell her that from me."
"Let's just think about you for the moment, Mr Norris," said Cal as he, Iain and Robyn wheeled him into small Resus.
"Just don't let that girl leave till the police have spoken to her."
"It's unlikely that she'll be leaving very soon," said Cal. "So there's no need to worry about that for now."
Tim Norris tried to move his head, but the restraints made this impossible. "And get this thing off my head, would you?"
"We'll do that as soon as we've made sure there's no spinal injury," said Cal.
"There's nothing wrong with my-" began Tim, but then a light appeared in his eye. "Actually, now I think about it, my spine really hurts quite a lot. It wouldn't surprise me if it was broken. I did tell the paramedic here I didn't have any pain in my legs, but now I think about it, I can't feel my legs at all. I'm probably paralysed for life! I'll have to give up work. And it will be all that stupid girl's fault."