A/N: I do not own anything. Just borrowing them. Also, thanks to my beta Brian (Boris Yeltsin). :)
Spring: County's allergy season. Not a single seat in the triage area was left unfilled as a multitude of coughing, sneezing, scratching patients continue to come in, with the occasional punctuation of people with headaches or open wounds. On the other side of the panel between triage and admit, racks were stocked with various antihistamines ranging from creams to injection vials.
"It's already nine thirty in the morning. Where the hell is everyone?"
The piercing tones of Kerry Weaver reached across the four walls of the entire ER while she limped around it looking for any sign of even a single doctor coming through any of the doors. Meanwhile, Frank and Jerry were arguing over who gets the last bagel on the desk while nurses Chuny, Malik and Conni were running around the curtain areas tending to open wounds and queasy patients.
"The board is full and there's another 30 lined up in the rack.", Kerry said. "Was there a sudden flu epidemic in County or some natural disaster I haven't heard anything about?"
"Kovac called. He said he has things to attend to so he'll be late.", Jerry said.
"Again? Tell him that I'll have his ass once he gets here.", Kerry snapped. "Add a docked paycheck and a week's worth of doubles to that too."
Jerry then proceeded to pick up the phone and called Luka Kovac for the second time that morning. Meanwhile, Susan entered through the ambulance bay with eyebags the size of suitcases and her usually radiant glowing skin as pale as the walls of the admit area.
"You're late. Your shift's supposed to start at nine.", Kerry told Susan.
"Sorry, Kerry.", Susan said softly as she approached the lounge. "The El train I was in stopped in the middle of two stations so I had to take the bus."
"I don't care if the El stopped or you missed the bus. We're still short of doctors, now go!"
Meanwhile outside the ambulance bay, Carol and Doug were taking a leisurely walk towards the ambulance entrance since their shifts start at ten and eleven in the morning, respectively. Carol was leaning on Doug's shoulder as they walked and laughed their way in.
"You liked that, didn't you?", Doug asked.
"No. I hated it.", Carol mock-angrily told him. She almost succeeded in convincing him that she "hated" whatever Doug was implying until she slowly gave him a smile. Doug simply dismissed Carol's words and kept on walking along
"You keep saying you hated it, but your face is saying otherwise.", Doug said. "I knew you couldn't resist a bubble bath like that."
"Doug, you know it was more than a bubble bath.", Carol said while giving him THAT look that meant only one thing to him. "If you know what I mean."
Soon, they reached the door to the ambulance bay, still playfully laughing and holding each other's hands as they went. They were met by the small, but powerful figure of Kerry Weaver when they went in.
"Save all the couple talk for later. You have patients to see.", Kerry snapped.
"But my shift's not until eleven.", Doug answered back. "Carol's not until ten."
"Your shift is going to start when I tell you to start, and I say your shift starts now, so move it!"
Doug and Carol muttered angrily before going inside the lounge.
"I see Weaver's still being a party pooper after all these years.", Doug said once he slammed the door leading outside.
"Come on, Doug. Cut her some slack.", Susan said, knowing that Kerry had just undergone a miscarriage last week. "She has been through a lot of stress these past few days."
"Since when have become a champion for Kerry Weaver?", Doug questioned. "Last time I saw you, you were ready to punch her in the guts. Did she pay you to be nice to her?"
"No, but I just think that after not seeing her for five years, I just thosught that you can't harbor any bad feelings about someone for that long.", Susan answered. "Okay, she still gets on my nerves sometimes. But still."
"You do not know the entire story about me and Kerry.", Doug interrupted.
"Susan's right, Doug.", Carol added. "Kerry's not the best person to work with, but you have to admit, she's good at what she's doing. Besides, four years is a plenty of time for a person to change. You just have to work with it."
Doug raised both of his arms and sighed in resignation, "All right, I'll try to be nice, but I will not promise anything."
The three were just about to finish up when Chuny suddenly popped in to tell them, "MVA two minutes out. One adult, two kids."
Doug and Susan hastily wore their lab coat and briskly walked out of the lounge, Carol trailing behind them. A line of three gurneys met them immediately after they stepped out.
"Tristan Reeves, 35, with a history of diabetes. BP is 90 over 50, pulse 60. Seizure on route.", Morales the paramedic darted. "His kids are behind me."
"Susan, you take this one.", Doug said, rolling the gurney towards the blonde doctor. "I'll take the kids."
Susan then led the gurney to Trauma Two. Just as they were halfway down, Tristan started to convulse yet again.
"Let's get him to Trauma Two quickly. Get him a CBC, Chem 7, blood gas, chest X-Ray and a head and abdominal CT.", Susan quickly said. "We need to intubate and stop the seizing."
Behind them, Zadro was busy bringing in a girl of around six, who was hyperventilating and moaning incoherently the whole time she was rolled in the ER. Behind him was her brother, James who was still conscious apart from a broken arm, a broken leg and some deep gashes to the head.
"Julia Reeves, restrained passenger with broken ribs, legs and possible internal bleeding. Altered mental status. BP 80 over 50, pulse tachy at 140, resps 24."
"All right, let's bring her to Trauma One.", Doug commanded. "Bring the brother to Curtain Area 1."
Meanwhile in Trauma Two, Susan, Chuny and Malik were struggling to stop Tristan's seizing. She had already pushed two of Ativan, and it still had no effect.
"Glucose is low at 68.", Malik said to everyone.
"I need 25 grams of glucose. We need to get his blood sugar up.", Susan said. Upon saying those words, the monitors started to beep erratically, the lines on the monitor just as erratic.
"V-Fib!", Chuny suddenly shouted just as Malik came back with the glucose injection.
"Give him the glucose first."
After pushing the glucose, they resumed with reviving him. Luckily the paddles worked on the first try
Back in Trauma One, Doug struggled to get Julia's pulse up. She crashed two minutes ago and despite doing CPR, her heart rate and blood pressure kept falling dangerously low. Eventually, the monitor uttered a flat beeping tone, a straight line appearing on it.
"Asystole.", Conni declared.
In Curtain Area One, Carol was busy putting a cast on James Reeves' left leg when the boy suddenly asked something to her.
"Will my dad and my sister be okay?", James asked.
"I can't really say anything, but the doctors and the nurses are doing everything they can to get them better.", Carol softly whispered. "I'll try ask once I finish putting your cast, okay?"
With that, James simply nodded.
Five minutes later...
"What do we have here?", Elizabeth asked as she walked in Trauma Two.
"Left upper quadrant tenderness upon exam.", Susan said. "He was hypoglycemic when he came in but we managed to get his blood sugar up to normal."
Elizabeth then proceeded to do her own exam on Tristan, feeling her way on his abdomen. Just then, Malik came back with his CT scan results, which he gave to Elizabeth. She then placed the film on the viewer and observed the film.
"Damaged liver and a ruptured spleen.", Elizabeth finally spoke. "Let's get him to the OR.
Ten minutes later...
"Charge to 300 and clear!", Doug commanded as he attempted to shock Julia's heart for the seventh time. Alas, the flatline remained. "How long has it been?"
"Twenty-eight minutes.", Conni answered.
"I'm calling it.", Doug sighed and reluctantly put the paddles down as he looked at the wall clock. "Time of death: 14:38."
The flat sound of the heart monitor was finally turned off, and the yellow room has enveloped itself in complete, total silence.
Over at the admit area, Luka's tall, dark-haired figure emerged from the ambulance bay, walking casually through the doors. Unfortunately Kerry was the first person he met on the way, leaving him on the receiving end of Kerry's tirade.
"Kovac, this is the fifth time you were this late for your shift.", Kerry suddenly snapped.
"I told you I had things to do.", Luka answered back, continuing to walk himself in.
"For five times?", Kerry asked angrily. "I'm getting tired of covering your ass and having others cover your shifts. I'll have your paycheck docked and you'll receive a week's worth of doubles. Understand?"
"Okay, just let me get my coat on first.", Luka said.
Carol was running towards the trauma rooms to get some news on Tristan and Julia when she suddenly bumped into Luka on the way, causing all her charts to fall off. Carol proceeded to pick up the charts and when she looked back up, her eyes suddenly widened upon seeing who she bumped into.
