"T got a second?"
"Sure what's up?"
Drew rubs his hands over his face. "I need help on a case. I fucked up and I know I did but I don't know how."
They all missed things and screwed up because they were human but Drew seemed to be particularly upset with this one. "Ok, let's go see the patient."
"No," he shook his head. "Patient has been handed over to another doctor. I just want to know what I missed that was so obvious. Show me what it is so it doesn't happen again?"
"Sure kid but relax ok?"
"DREW!" Topher yelled from trauma 2. Drew ran into the room. The air was tense and everyone was uneasy even the nurses. "Dr. Alister would you care to tell me how you fucked up and almost let this man drown?"
Drew cringed, "I didn't check his airways for water but he wasn't near water when he was found. Are we always supposed to check every possibility before something happens? He wasn't presenting with any symptoms of drowning." He honestly didn't know what happened.
"It's called dry drowning and you should have caught it!" he yelled shoving Drew backwards.
"Whoa," Kenny stepped between them. "Everything ok here doctors?"
Topher stepped back but shoved the chart against Drew's chest. "Do you think you can be a doctor and keep him from dying now that I fixed your mistake?"
"Yes Sir," he said, his jaw clinched tight. Everyone looked on in shock.
The rest of his night didn't go much better after being reamed publicly by Topher several more times and getting put on 'punishment' (taking care of drug seekers and nuisance patients) he started second guessing everything he did. Molly and some of the other nurses had been leaving pacifiers and diapers laying around because he was being treated like a child and ice packs with a loving note that said 'had your ass spanked so many times tonight thought you might need this.' His head was pounding and it didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon.
He had just called Jordan in for a consult wanting to verify a procedure before he did it so he didn't screw up again and she didn't look happy. "Can I see you outside?" she asked angrily.
"Sure," he followed her into the hall.
"What the hell Drew?" she was exasperated and yelling. "This is first year stuff and you want me to hold your hand? I don't have time for this. Be a doctor and do your job or hand off to Paul and go home!" Everyone was watching the exchange. It was one hell of an insult to Drew, not that Paul was a bad kid but he was first year and Drew was so far ahead of him that it basically said that Drew was incompetent and needed to hand off to a student.
Kenny watched for a few minutes after Jordan stormed off and Drew just stood there like he was frozen. "Hey, your patient is waiting for his stitches," he prompted.
He pulled the stethoscope from around his neck and tossed it to him, "then get Paul to do it."
"Drew," Kenny started to protest but his friend was already storming into the locker room. "Damn it."
He stepped out back for some fresh air seriously considering just getting into his truck and going home but it just wasn't in his nature to quit. "You look like hell," T frowned.
"Thanks you're beautiful too."
"Sorry it took me so long but I finally got to go over that file you gave me."
It had been a crazy night and T.C. had been tied up either with life flight or field calls. "No problem, been hectic tonight. How did the surgery with the hit and run go?"
"Much better than expected," he smiled. "They were able to pin her spine so she will walk again with a lot of therapy."
Medicine was a beautiful art that they were sometimes blessed to be able to witness. A sixteen year old girl talking on a cell phone to her boyfriend and a drunk driver coming around a corner going too fast and you realize how fragile life can be. ""That's wonderful."
"Look Drew I read that chart even looked at the labs and I don't know of anything you missed."
"Well I missed something."
"How would you have known to check for drowning? He was in a car accident in the middle of the desert. When he started showing signs of distress you found out what was wrong. You couldn't have known before that I don't care who said you should've."
Drew nodded and started to walk back into the hospital but T grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Talk to me kid. What's wrong?"
"Did you mean what you said when you offered to put me in touch with the Rangers?" He could apply for the Rangers himself but T could put in a good word for him with the right people.
He was confused, "I thought you weren't going to focus on Rangers right now with the Center opening soon and finishing your residency here at the hospital?"
"Having second thoughts," he said then walked back inside and back to work.
"What the fuck is going on here tonight?" T asked himself out loud.
"T.C. got a second?" Jordan asked, Molly had told her where he had gone.
"Yeah," he hugged her.
"I need you to talk to Topher."
"Why? What's wrong?" he was concerned.
She shrugged, "Nothing I can put my finger on but something is off. Something has been off all night and not just with him, with everyone." She rested her head on his shoulder. "The cases tonight have been full-moon type crazy, everything that could go wrong has. The nurses are crazy tonight messing with the doctors and pranking them. Paul let a lady have a major heart attack so he could take the time to watch Toph do a procedure he'd never seen before and Drew," she said exasperatedly, "Drew has turned into a first year student. I have never had to hold his hand as much as I have tonight."
"It's just a crazy night in the ER, it happens," he shrugged. "But I will talk to Toph and see if he's ok and," he turned her toward him and gave her a kiss, "go easy on Drew something is going on with him tonight."
Drew took a deep breath before pushing the door open to the doctor's lounge and walking inside. He held a clip board out to Topher. "I'm sorry to bother you but you're my attending and I need you to sign off on these before I can leave."
Topher looked upset and ashamed especially when Drew kept his gaze down at his feet and waited standing at parade rest. "Of course," he took the clipboard and signed all the charts. He hadn't realized how many people Drew had seen that night, over thirty five, that was a lot in an ER setting. He handed the signed charts back to him. "Listen Drew about tonight."
"Don't. I fucked up I get it. If you decided to revoke my residency I understand." He turned and walked out only stopping at the desk to drop the papers off and grab his bag before going straight to his truck and driving.
"Care to tell me what that was about?" T.C. asked having witnessed what happened from just outside the door.
"When you were over there did you ever do anything you regretted?"
"We all did Toph. It was war and we had to make decisions and do things that we wouldn't normally do." It hit him suddenly that this was triggered because of the dry drowning and he understood. "It's ok man."
"No it's not. None of it is ok." He hugged his friend.
Rick was still out on the obstacle course surveying the damage. He'd had a meeting with several other instructors trying to figure out why the wall had collapsed during training a few nights before and wasn't satisfied with the answers they were finding. His shift had ended a couple hours ago but he just couldn't let it go. He was knelt down looking at a break in a wooden beam when he heard a voice.
"Captain Lincoln?" Marsden asked. He was a kid doing grunt work to learn as much as he could before he was old enough to go through the police academy. He was eager and willing to learn so everyone was making a great effort to help him out.
"Marsden? Shouldn't you be home already? Shift ended two hours ago," he said bending closer to look at something.
"He should but his pain in the ass CO won't go home."
"Drew?" he got to his feet quickly in surprise. Marsden tried not to laugh but Drew laughed anyway. "You ok?" he didn't like the way Drew looked.
He nodded, "Rough night. You weren't home so I called and Sarah said you were here."