Title: Stronger Together, Chapter 6/?
Spoilers: Up to 1x08 ~ Save Me; AU afterward
Warning1: This story involves a character with a leg amputation.
Warning2: This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!
Disclaimer1: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.
A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
...
A/N3 - SPOILERS: Chapter 6 and 7 will focus on events from episodes '1x07 - Blood Brothers' and '1x08 - Save Me' of The Night Shift. Since most of us have seen these episodes, or may be soon seeing them, if you live in other countries where it's airing, I'm not going to focus too much on things that didn't involve Drew, but I will mention some important scenes or things that may be needed to follow along with the episodes.
Disclaimer2: Any similarities to cases and scenes from The Night Shift Episodes '1x07 - Blood Brothers' or '1x08 - Save Me' are purposely borrowed for this work of fiction. I do not own.
Underlined text: Quotes from The Night Shift Episodes '1x07 - Blood Brothers' or '1x08 - Save Me'. I don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.
...
True to their words, Drew and Rick stayed up the rest of Saturday night with Gabby, watching sappy romantic comedies on Drew's XBox, since he had a Netflix account. Eventually, the three fell asleep during the early Sunday morning hours, with the guys laying together on one couch and Gabby stretched out on the other.
Because it was a weekend, Wendy and Terry expected their kids to sleep late, but when they arrived around eight-am, they were surprised to find they were all in the living room sound asleep. Not waking them up, the two women returned to Rick's apartment to gather up the first few boxes of Rick's stuff to move. When they returned to Drew and Rick's a little later, they found Gabby, Drew and Rick just getting up, so they all sat down for brunch.
Rick was surprised they were already moving things, but he appreciated that they were willing to get started and help him out. He also explained why they'd all slept in the living room and Gabby told them about breaking up with her boyfriend. She admitted she was glad the guys were willing to stay up with her and watch movies; it helped her deal a little, but she knew she wouldn't be completely 'okay' for a while.
After brunch, Gabby got ready for the day and she went back to Rick's place with their moms, leaving the guys to go through some of the boxes they'd brought over earlier in the day. Inside the boxes were things they didn't need immediately, so Drew put them in the garage, so they didn't take up too much room in the small living room and then he and Rick sat down to just talk, something they'd missed doing since they'd been apart for so long.
With a few trips to and from Drew and Rick's place, the moms and Gabby brought quite a bit more over. Most of it went into the garage, since it didn't all have to be gone through immediately, while some stayed in the living room so they could go through it slowly.
They had pizza for dinner that night and after one final trip with things that night, the moms returned to Rick's for some sleep, leaving Gabby and the guys at their place. Gabby claimed one of the guys' couches to sleep, having not slept much the night before, leaving Rick and Drew to relax in their room.
...
Monday, July 28, 2014
Drew and Rick tried to stay up as far into the early hours of Monday as possible to talk and relax together, before they fell asleep, so Drew didn't get his schedule messed up too much. Working the night shift had some benefits, but one of the drawbacks was the times he slept were different than most people. Rick was open to following Drew's sleep schedule as best he could, but since Wendy, Gabby and Terry were used to daytime hours, the three weren't able to follow his schedule as much. They all understood why he was sleeping during the day and never asked him to change his schedule while they were there.
With the weekend off, Drew felt like he'd recharged a lot after such an emotional week, but it also made him not really want to go back to work, having enjoyed his time with Rick and their family.
When the moms arrived back at Drew and Rick's, the guys and Gabby got up and after breakfast, Drew went over to Rick's place with them to help them move some furniture, before returning home to go to bed for a few more hours before he had to get ready for work. He didn't want to take a nap, but he knew he'd have a twelve hour night shift, so he wanted to sleep a few more hours, hoping it'd be enough to get him through the long shift.
...
It was a little after four when Drew woke up again, finding dinner being made by their moms and Gabby, while Rick watched TV on the couch; the women insisting he didn't have to help and he wasn't going to argue with them. Getting showered and ready for work, Drew joined his fiancé in the living room a short while later.
As soon as Drew appeared, Rick turned off the TV and turned to him, "damn, no scrubs?"
Drew laughed lightly and sat next to him, "I change at work, usually."
"Probably better that way, anyway. Every time I see you in them, I remember being in the hospital as a patient," Rick muttered.
Immediately, Drew knew what Rick meant and put his arm around him, "hopefully some day I can change that," Drew kissed him, "I don't want to you to be scared of me dressed in them."
"I'm not scared, it just brings back foggy memories I'd rather forget," Rick shrugged, "but I'd like that," he winked, kissing Drew again, this time deepening it for a moment.
"I don't wanna go to work," Drew muttered after they pulled from their kiss, "wanna stay here with you."
Rick settled against his fiancé, "I know, but I'll be here when you get home and you can always call or text during the night. I'll try to stay awake."
Drew smiled, "sounds like a plan."
...
Monday Night
After dinner, Wendy, Terry and Gabby went back over to Rick's apartment to bring back another load of belongings, letting the guys have some time to themselves before Drew went to work; both guys appreciating their family was giving them some space as often as possible.
Drew found himself in the kitchen, watching his coffee pot, one of the few appliances he used on a regular basis. He knew caffeine wasn't the greatest for his body, but it helped keep him going through some of the night and he'd probably go through a few more coffees before his shift was over.
"A watched pot never boils and all that," Rick smirked, coming into the kitchen.
"I know, but force of habit," Drew admitted, shrugging as he turned to look at his fiancé, "usually I don't have anything else to look at," he added, smiling at him, "how's the leg?"
"Sore, not as bad, though," Rick replied, taking a seat at the table, "need anything done around here?"
"What do you mean?" Drew wondered, hearing his coffee began to drip into his thermos.
"I don't know. Are there projects you've been putting off?" Rick wondered, "I know we started unpacking some of the stuff they've been bringing over from my place, but it's not top on my priority list."
Drew shrugged, moving to sit facing him, "honestly, not really. I've been a little busy with work, but I'm sure you could find something to do. I was thinking of moving all of our uniforms into the closet in the second bedroom. The one I've got my workout equipment and desk in. The closet is mostly empty."
"I think that can be managed," Rick smiled, "hopefully we won't get them mixed up."
"Yeah, we'll have to be extra cautious with that," Drew agreed, returning his smile and taking Rick's hands in his, "but I think we'll be good."
Rick squeezed his hands gently, "yeah. Um," Rick took a deep breath, "I'd like to talk to you about what Landry and I discussed the other day."
"Oh yeah?" Drew raised a curious eyebrow, "you don't have to. I'm happy to listen, but that's between you two."
"I know," Rick nodded, "but I want you to know what I'm thinking. I know this is a hell of a time to bring it up, when you're getting ready for work, but sometime soon I'd like to, okay?"
"Of course," Drew leaned in and kissed him, "anytime. I'm here," he paused and looked at him, "should I be worried?"
"No," Rick shook his head, "nothing like that, I swear. Just, this has given me a different outlook on life," he motioned to his leg, "and when I was talking with Landry, it came up. I'm pretty sure she won't tell you anything, because I know about the doctor-patient confidentiality, but I want you to know. I want to hear what you have to say."
"Okay, do you want to give me a hint?" Drew wondered, trying to figure out exactly what Rick was talking about.
Rick glanced at the clock and could see Drew still had some time before he had to leave, "well, an idea I've had is resigning my commission," he said softly.
"What?" Drew gasped, his eyes widening in shock, "is this because you don't think anyone's going to take your seriously anymore? Because they will."
"It's not that... I know at first I was concerned about it, but I just... I always figured I'd be career military and retire with twenty or more years, but this," Rick motioned to his leg, "has been an eye-opener. Don't get me wrong, I love the Army, but I don't know if I want to continue on that path anymore... Even if I can or they want me to."
Drew took a moment to soak in what Rick was saying. They'd always shared similar views about continuing their military careers, so it was a big shock to hear he was truly thinking about leaving the Army. Drew also knew he didn't know exactly what was going on in Rick's mind with everything that happened and as much as it surprised him to think that Rick may resign, he completely understood this experience being eye-opening.
Scooting his chair forward, Drew leaned in and pressed a kiss to Rick's lips while still holding onto his hands, "I can't imagine everything that's going on in your head, but I get that you're thinking about things. What I can tell you is I'm here. It'd be weird to not have you in the Army, but if that's what you choose to do, then I'll support you one-hundred-percent. Just promise me you won't go making this decision anytime soon, okay?"
Rick smiled and nodded at him, "I promise. I'm not going to make any big decisions for a while, well, maybe a few, but not that one. I just... I wanted to tell you. There's more, but that can wait until later," he explained, relieved that Drew wasn't against the idea of him leaving the Army and decided to keep the rest of his thought to himself; he wanted save that conversation until they had more time to talk.
"I appreciate you telling me," Drew admitted, squeezing his hands, and leaned in to kiss his fiancé, "I'll always love you, no matter what."
"I'll always love you, too," Rick replied with a smile, "now, you better go before you're late."
"It's just after six," Drew replied, shifting closer to him, "and our moms and Gabby aren't back yet," he reached up to rest his hands on Rick's cheeks, "maybe we could find something to do for a little bit."
"Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?" Rick wondered curiously.
Drew leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, his arms moving to wrap around Rick's shoulders, "maybe this?"
Rick smirked, the position they were in wasn't the easiest, but he had an idea and pushed himself up and then moved to sit on Drew's lap, "now, I'm not quite sure I figured it out. You wanna show me again?" He smiled, slipping his arms around Drew's neck.
Easily Drew wrapped his arms around his fiancé and kissed him again, loving the opportunity to just be with Rick. Both of them were reacting to being so close to each other, but before they could truly continue their kiss, the front door opened and the guys knew their moms and Gabby had returned, "seriously?" Drew muttered, pressing his forehead against Rick's.
"It was probably a good thing," Rick whispered, "I don't want you to be late."
"Oh yeah. Work," Drew nodded, tightening his arms around him, "you mean I can't stay here with you?"
"Not right now, but we can pick this back up when you get home," Rick promised, kissing him just as the women entered the kitchen.
"Well aren't you two cozy," Terry grinned, walking towards them with an envelope in her hand, "Drew, this is for you."
"Me?" Drew raised a curious eyebrow as he reluctantly let go of Rick to take the item from her, "what is it?"
"We're not sure. We found it when we were cleaning out Rick's desk. It's addressed to you," Wendy replied.
Drew glanced at it, immediately recognizing the handwriting as Rick's, "you were going to send me a letter?" He asked, seeing it already had a stamp on it.
Rick glanced at it, "why would I do that when I can text, email or call you?" He asked, "I don't know what that is," he admitted, not remembering the contents.
With a shrug, Drew tapped the envelope on the table so the letter moved to an end and then tore the edge off, pulled out the handwritten letter on baby blue paper and began to read.
As soon as Rick saw the color of the paper, he recognized it, "NO! Don't read that!" Rick reached for it, tugging the sheets from him, but not before Drew had a chance to read the first few lines.
"What's that all about?" Gabby asked, confused, "I thought you didn't know what it was."
"I didn't until I saw the color of the paper," Rick looked at Drew, "you never should have to read that."
"But it was addressed to him. You meant to send it, right?" Terry asked.
Drew turned his eyes away from them and took a moment to gather his thoughts, before looking back at his fiancé, "let me read what I just read and they'll understand."
"Okay," Rick sighed, handing him the papers and biting his lip.
Taking it back, Drew opened it to read the first few lines, "My Dearest Drew, I love you with all my heart. If you're reading this letter, I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep my promise of coming back to you. My hope is you found this letter, but if not, whoever did, I'm glad they got it to you..." Drew stopped and folded the letter, fighting tears in his eyes as he looked at Rick, "I know what we should do with this," he said softly and at Rick's nod, Drew began ripping the paper to pieces, "you came home to me, so I don't need to read anymore. Anything in here, you can tell me yourself."
Rick nodded, relieved that Drew didn't continue reading. It wasn't because of what was in it, it was the reason for writing it in the first place. It wasn't uncommon for soldiers to write a goodbye letter to their spouse or family, in case they didn't return from deployment. Rick had written it just before he got deployed the last time. By then, Drew was out of medical school and about to start his first year at San Antonio Memorial Hospital. He knew he'd be working at the hospital for a few years and in case something happened, Rick wanted to make sure Drew got a personal letter from him; not just let him hear 'sorry for you loss' from someone.
"You already know most of it," Rick admitted, shifting to move back to his own chair.
Drew dropped the torn up pieces of paper on the table and grabbed onto Rick, "where are you going?"
Rick smiled lightly at his arms around him, but he shook his head, "you've gotta go or you're gonna be late," he replied, kissing him.
Drew sighed, knowing he was right and reluctantly let him move back to his seat, "yeah, alright," he took a deep breath, "not exactly in the best mind to go, though," he added, standing up and getting his coffee.
"I'm so sorry," Terry admitted, "we wouldn't have given it to you if we had realized what it was."
"It's okay," Drew waved off her apology, "you didn't know. It's emotional, but we knew he might not come back and this was his way of saying 'goodbye' if he didn't. Thankfully, I didn't have to read it for the reasons he wrote it," Drew explained, resting his hand on Rick's shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm glad I could come home to you," Rick agreed, shifting to push himself up to face Drew, "come here," he smiled, pulling Drew towards him, the two wrapping their arms around each other in a tight hug, "I love you," Rick murmured.
Drew smiled, "I love you, too. I'll see you in the morning."
...
On his drive to the hospital, Drew did his best to shake the eerie letter he'd started to read. He completely understood the reason Rick wrote it, but it still shook him. Every day he worried he'd get that call and he was glad he never did; he was extremely relieved and thankful when he got that text from Rick saying he was coming home. The message never prepared them for what would happen when Rick did get back, but through it all, no matter how hard Rick's recovery would be, Drew was gonna be by his side and he was thankful to have Rick home with him; he knew they could face it all together.
Telling himself he'd be seeing Rick after his shift, Drew parked his SUV in the employee parking lot and got out. Grabbing his coffee and his bag, he was startled from his thoughts at the sound of a motorcycle and glanced up to see TC arriving and parked near him, so he waited for him to climb off his bike.
"Hey, TC," Drew waved, walking towards him.
"Hey, Drew. How was your weekend?" TC asked, hanging his helmet on the handlebar of his bike and walked to meet him, patting him on the shoulder, "how's Rick?"
"I'm doing alright, so is Rick. His leg doesn't hurt as bad as it did. Just taking it one day at a time. Weekend was great," Drew replied, "thanks for asking."
TC put his arm around his shoulders as they walked, "I'm glad things are going well and I bet there's some added benefits to having your fiancé home, eh?" TC grinned, nudging him with his shoulder.
Drew blushed a little and nodded, "yeah. Though, with our moms and sister here, we don't get as much time alone, though they do give us some space."
"How long are they staying?" TC asked as they began to walk into the hospital.
"Not sure. No one has really talked about it. They're helping pack Rick's apartment and moving what they can over to our place, but after that. I don't know. We love them and appreciate them coming, but," he paused trying to figure out the right words, "Rick's on crutches, so he's getting around really well and other than a concern of falling, there's not much going on they can do."
"I'm sure once they see you guys have things under control they'll go home. They can always visit later," TC replied.
"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking," Drew agreed, sipping his coffee.
"Well, if you ever need someone to help move furniture let me know. I'd be happy to help," TC replied.
"Thanks," Drew smiled, "you sure?"
"Definitely," TC nodded, "that's what friends are for."
...
Monday Night ('1x07 - Blood Brothers')
The shift started like a normal night; a quick meeting by the nurse's station before the staff moved on to taking care of patients, some having been there a few hours, while others were just arriving.
A little after nine, TC and Topher headed out to a plane crash in a nearby park. They had go in the helicopter, because there was no road access, leaving Jordan as the only senior doctor in the ER, Drew being 'next in line'.
Not too long after TC and Topher left, around nine-forty-five, Drew got his next patient of the night. It was a twenty-four year old woman, named Candy, dressed in a very revealing outfit, being wheeled in on a gurney, with her neck wrapped in a brace. The paramedics explained her condition and she immediately said she was a stripper and had fallen off the pole during her routine. Drew, being the nearest doctor, and the only guy the ER not distracted by her appearance, introduced himself as they headed towards a room to check her out. Drew noticed Paul's sudden attention to her, and initially thinking Candy's case would be a simple one, Drew quickly asked Paul to assist and he jumped at the chance.
Moving Candy into an exam room, Drew watched Kenny and Paul have a brief conversation in the hallway, while Drew and one of the female nurses helped the paramedics get Candy off the gurney and onto the bed.
Once she was settled, the paramedics left with their gurney, for the moment leaving Drew and the female nurse alone with Candy, "alright, Candy, I'm gonna ask you some questions, probably ones you've already answered, but I need to know, alright?"
As best she could, the blond nodded, "okay."
"How exactly did this happen?" Drew asked, putting gloves on and beginning a simple physical exam.
"I was doing my routine and I went to spin around on the pole. I've done it a thousand times before without a problem, but this time, I slipped and landed on my side, jerking my neck hard, because when I landed it hurt," she explained, "it's better now. Can we take the brace off?" She asked, reaching up to brush her hand against the firm plastic collar.
"Not yet," Drew shook his head as he used a pen light to look into her eyes, "I want to get an x-ray and some blood work done. Until those results come back, I want to keep your neck and spine stable until I can rule some things out."
"Oh," she sighed, "alright. Do what you need to do."
Drew nodded, "okay," he replied, seeing Paul walk into the room, "Dr. Cummings, why don't you draw some blood from Candy and then send her to get an x-ray done," Drew suggested, "is there anyone you'd like me to call?" He asked, glancing back at the woman.
"No," Candy shook her head, "it's just me."
Again, Drew nodded and then noticed Paul had his eyes on Candy, "Paul!" Drew snapped lightly, trying to catch his attention.
"Uh, what?" Paul shook his head and looked up at Drew, "what?"
"I said, would you please draw some blood and send it to the lab and then have Candy taken for an x-ray of her neck?" Drew repeated.
"Oh yes, of course," Paul nodded moving towards the counter.
Drew eyed him for a moment as the nurse began to help Paul gather the supplies he'd need to draw blood. Drew could tell that Paul was trying not to look at Candy, but his eyes kept venturing towards her body and Drew rolled his eyes, "maybe this wasn't such a good idea," he silently told himself, shaking from his thoughts to return his focus to continuing a physical exam to make sure she didn't have any additional injuries that went unnoticed by her or the paramedics.
Kenny joined them moments later, as Drew was examining her and Paul had successfully accessed a vein to draw blood from. Kenny quickly noticed Paul's attention continually drifting towards Candy, "dude, if you let that vial fill up any more it's gonna overflow," Kenny commented, reaching out to snap his fingers in front of Paul's face.
"Oh, uh, sorry," Paul quickly pulled the first vial away and replaced it with another one to draw some more blood, needing a few vials full.
Drew and Kenny exchanged silent smirks, both men getting tons of ideas on pranks they could pull on the intern in the future.
Finally focusing on his task, Paul filled up the necessary vials and then removed everything from her arm and placed a cotton ball on the tiny spot where the needle had been, using a piece of tape to secure it snugly, so she wouldn't continue to bleed.
"Okay, Candy, I don't see or feel any additional injuries we're missing, so you're going to go for an x-ray of your neck and once I have a chance to review it, we'll see about getting that brace off," Drew explained, looking at her.
"Thanks," Candy nodded carefully.
Drew returned her nod and stepped out with her chart to write the orders, while the female nurse and Paul wheeled her out of the exam room, so they could go to x-ray.
"Dude," Kenny smirked, waiting for Paul to disappear down the hallway, before he continued, "he is totally out of it," he laughed, "I mean come on, she's hot, and I'm totally into her, but he's acting like he's never seen a woman before. What do you think?"
"She seems like a nice girl who got hurt at work and is here for our help," Drew replied, trying to remain professional and wondering if Kenny realized what he was asking. Drew felt bad that he used to 'talk' about women with Kenny, so he could keep his secret, but now that he was out, he refused to pretend he was interested or attracted to women, "as for how she looks. I wouldn't know, but Paul is going to have to get over his nerves, because that's no way to act around a patient."
Kenny eyed him for a moment, initially not realizing why Drew sounded different than he usually did when they talked about women, but quickly he figured it out, "oh, crap, Drew, sorry, man, I forgot."
"It's alright," Drew waved off his apology, "it's nice to know you still think of me the same way."
"You're still one of my best friends," Kenny assured him, patting him on the shoulder.
"Thanks and the feeling's mutual," Drew replied, pulling his phone out of his pocket, "I have a call to make."
"Oh, alright, later," Kenny nodded.
...
With Candy off to x-ray, Drew grabbed his coffee and headed down the hallway to an empty exam room and closed the door once he was inside. He wanted a break to call his fiancé and actually talk with him, without being interrupted by his coworkers, which is why he didn't go to the staff lounge.
Drew had done his best to stay professional around Candy, Paul and Kenny, even after Kenny's comments to him, but Drew needed a moment to laugh at how Paul was reacting around the blond. Drew knew if he would have continued his conversation with Kenny, they could have laughed over Paul, but there were things that Drew knew only his fiancé would understand, so he quickly called Rick's cell phone.
"Hey, sweetheart," Rick greeted, "everything alright?"
Before Drew could say anything, he burst out laughing. After a moment, he calmed down enough to explain Paul's distraction to the female patient, without breaking doctor-patient confidentiality, and chose to leave his and Kenny's conversation for another time, "I don't know what's up with Paul. I don't think I've ever seen him like this before."
Rick got a chance to laugh about Paul and understood why Drew couldn't tell him any more about her, though he'd told him plenty for Rick to figure out why his fiancé was laughing, "that's funny. I mean, I get how he could be distracted, but I definitely wouldn't be. Girls are not my cup of tea, so to speak."
"Which is why I called you. I knew you'd understand," Drew replied, smiling and taking his pager out to see if he had any messages about lab results being back yet.
"Yeah, I do," Rick agreed, "sounds like Paul is a little inexperienced at being around women."
"I'm definitely thinking the same thing," Drew admitted, "that's got to be the reason he's so distracted," he added, "okay, enough about him, what's up?"
"Not much, but now you have me wondering," Rick commented playfully.
"Oh no," Drew groaned, hearing the playfulness in his voice, "babe, I'm working."
"I know," Rick laughed lightly, "and now I'm curious just what you'd do if a hot guy came into the ER. Would you get distracted?"
Drew smirked, able to tell Rick was teasing him, "I don't know. I don't think so, but," he paused, "there was this one that came in last week."
"Oh yeah?" Rick grinned, thinking he knew where Drew was going with his comment.
"Yeah, he was dressed in Army camouflage. He'd had a rough night and I did my best to visit him a few times, but it was busy in the ER and at the time I wasn't out yet. Then, later, when he was going up for surgery, after someone helped me realize a few things, I knew I couldn't let him go without telling him how I felt. I came out in front of everyone to show him that he meant the world to me."
Rick smiled at the memory, "I remember this really hot ER doctor last week who did something very similar. We must be talking about each other, huh?"
"Yeah, I think we are," Drew replied, taking a deep breath, "in all honesty, I see people from all walks of life every shift. I swear, I only have eyes for you, but there have been times I've thought a guy was attractive. Sorry, babe."
"There's nothing to be sorry about," Rick commented, "I get it and I've had similar times. I don't have a problem with you looking, or even touching, as long as it's for medical reasons. I know you're faithful to me, just like I'm faithful to you."
Drew smiled, "how did I get so lucky to have you in my life?"
"I ask myself that same question everyday, because I'm so thankful for us to have each other," Rick explained, "we are definitely very lucky."
"We are," Drew agreed, taking a deep breath, "which makes me feel even worse for the way I treated you that night in the ER," he admitted, looking at the ring on his hand and nervously spinning it on his finger, "I've replayed that night a few times in my dreams and while I'm awake and there were so many times when you were mostly alone that I could have come in and sat with you, talked with you, there were tons of things I could have done without anyone suspecting anything, but I..."
Rick was surprised Drew was bringing that up, but figured their conversation stirred up his thoughts about it, "Drew, don't second guess what you did that night. I was out of it for a while, and we were both trying to hide, in some ways, and anything that happened before you stopped us in the hallway, as far as I'm concerned, is a distant memory and something we can forget. I'd rather focus on the good parts of that day," Rick explained, "I needed you more than anything and it took a bit, but you gave me that and so much more."
Drew cracked a light smile and blinked away tears forming in his eyes, "you are everything to me."
"And I feel the same way about you," Rick replied happily, "you okay?"
"Yeah. I love hearing your voice," Drew smiled, taking a calming breath.
"I love hearing yours, too," Rick smiled, "you know, getting a random phone call from you is really cool and hearing stories like what you just told me about Paul, are so much funnier when I can react with you, instead of waiting a few days to get your email about it."
Drew smiled, "I get what you mean," he agreed, "and having you at home, makes going home after work so much more enjoyable, though, it makes my shift seem so much longer."
"It'll go by fast," Rick replied, trying to stay positive.
"I hope so," Drew's pager beeped in his hand and he flipped it open to look at the message, "hey, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."
"Sounds like a plan. Later, babe. Love you," Rick replied.
Drew smiled again, "love you, too, sweetheart."
...
Drew returned to the ER to find the x-ray was ready for Candy, so he pulled Paul aside so they could look at it. Soon after, the two doctors moved back into Candy's exam room. Paul looked at the x-ray again and since Drew was happy to see no injuries, he removed the neck brace.
Immediately, she wanted to go back to work, but Drew didn't want her leaving without him seeing the lab results to make sure she was really okay. Drew was then paged for one of his other patients, so he couldn't stay with Candy to keep her there, and as much as he didn't want to, because of how distracted Paul had been, he didn't have a choice and had to put Paul in charge of keeping her there.
By this time, TC and Topher were back with the only survivor from the plane crash and Jordan and Krista were busy with their own emergency, so the ER's pace had picked up a little.
A little after eleven, Drew got an odd page from Paul.
Paul: Come to the supply closet quick! I need help!
Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Drew hoped Paul wasn't 'crying wolf' and took off to the supply closet nearby. Pushing the door open, Drew's eyes widened when he saw Candy laying on the floor, "what the hell?" Drew exclaimed, rushing inside, immediately using his pager to send Kenny a message asking him to bring a backboard.
Putting aside the location of where they were, Drew quickly set to work trying to figure out what was wrong with her, while they waited for Kenny to come with a backboard. From some of the symptoms that Drew was seeing, he thought she was having a stroke, and when Kenny arrived, even though he was confused, the three guys got her on the backboard and quickly took her back to the exam room she'd been in to figure out what was going on.
With the help of a few female aids, they changed Candy into a hospital gown and quickly took her up for an MRI. Drew went along with Kenny, so he could see the MRI immediately and not wait for results. When he and Kenny returned with Candy, Paul met them at the elevator and helped them wheel her back to the exam room.
Candy was groggy and semi-conscious, but could move her head around, even though she couldn't speak.
"Obviously she's gonna be out of it for a little while. What did the MRI say?" Paul asked, walking backwards as he guided the bed down the hallway.
"MRI's clean," Drew replied simply.
"That doesn't make any sense. What's wrong with her?" Paul wondered.
"I don't know," Drew told him honestly, "so Paul, give it up. What happened?" Drew asked, finally able to focus on exactly why she and Paul were in the supply closet together.
Paul nervously paused while someone was being wheeled out of a room the guys were about to pass and turned to Kenny and Drew, "uh, she was dancing."
"Dancing?" Kenny raised a curious eyebrow, "what were you doing in the... Oh... Oh... you paid her for a lap dance!" Kenny and Drew exchanged grins and laughed as they put the pieces together, "you paid her for a lap dance!"
At his comment, Paul got distracted and accidentally bumped into a passing nurse. Quickly wanting to change the subject so no one found out, Paul glared at Kenny and Drew, "could we just find out why she's stroking out?"
"Maybe it was all your built up virgin pressure," Kenny suggested with a grin.
"It's not funny, okay?" Paul hissed.
"Candy's condition's not funny! You getting a lap dance in the supply closet is hysterical," Drew retorted harshly, though he kept his voice low so it didn't travel far.
"Give us a heads up next time. I'd cover for you. God knows Drew can keep a secret, too," Kenny added, glancing at Drew.
Kenny's words hit Drew harder than he probably meant them to, but Drew suddenly felt like there was more to them than just giving Paul a hard time. Thus far, Kenny had been supportive of Drew's coming out and his relationship with Rick, so the words stung. Suddenly, Drew became concerned and wanted to confront Kenny to see what he was getting at, but he knew the middle of the ER hallway wasn't the place to talk about it, so he decided to wait until they could have some more privacy.
"There's not gonna be a next time, okay? You're not gonna tell Jordan about the lap dance, right?" Paul asked nervously.
Rolling his eyes, Drew looked at Paul, "I don't think her gyrating on you is related to her condition. Let's just get her in the room and run some [more] tests."
...
Quickly, Drew ordered some more tests to be done and once they got Candy comfortable, Paul said he'd stay to monitor her, which gave Drew a chance to follow Kenny and hoped he could talk with him. Kenny was carrying a load of dirty blankets down a quiet hallway, and paused at a soiled linen cart, so Drew knew he had a chance, "so what did you mean by 'God knows Drew can keep a secret'?" Drew asked him, "we cool?"
"Yeah, it was nothin', man. I was just kiddin'," Kenny replied, dropping the blankets off.
"Were ya?" Drew eyed him skeptically, "'cause I thought I heard a little edge in there. You know, had a little something to it," Drew replied as they walked towards the doctor's locker room.
Kenny sighed, "okay, I know it sounds..." He paused, rubbing his chin, "wow, I was about to say 'gay'... Look man, I just, uh, uh..." Kenny nervously pushed the door open, moving into the locker room and towards the supply closet, "I don't care, man. I really don't. Rick seems like a really cool guy and I'm glad he's feelin' better."
Drew was happy to hear that, but he knew he was holding something else back, "hey, spit it out."
The guys reached the shelves of supplies and Kenny turned to Drew, "alright, fine. I was pissed that you didn't think you could tell me. Quite honestly, I still am. I mean, come on, man. It's me. It's me, dude. I would never turn my back on you. Ever. And just knowing that you felt like you had to shoulder this whole thing by yourself and live a lie around me... Man, that kills me," Kenny paused, shrugging, "you're one of my best friends, and it made me feel like you couldn't trust me. I guess I just thought we were closer than that, that's all."
"You're right," Drew nodded as Kenny reached for some of the clean blankets, "it sounded a little gay," he agreed, trying to lighten the mood a little and both laughed at it, "come on, man. You are one of my best friends and I do trust you, but I needed to come out when I was ready and I wasn't until that moment, so you can't take it personal. It's not about you. It was about me. It was my thing, okay?" Drew admitted, hoping Kenny understood, "so we cool?"
Kenny took a moment to contemplate what Drew was saying and nodded, "yeah, we're good, man," he replied, giving him a quick hug and teased him a little, causing both of them to laugh, "anyways, about that Krista situation. Now that she's done beardin' for you, you gonna help me out with her or not, huh?" Kenny wondered, grabbing a stack of clean sheets in his arms.
Drew grabbed a stack himself and added them to Kenny's armload, "dude, I've been trying," Drew replied moving out of the closet and towards the exit, "if you stopped playing so much, maybe you'd get somewhere."
"Playing? I'm not a player," Kenny retorted, following Drew. Drew laughed, "I'm not a player, dude. I just crush a lot," Kenny added.
...
It was a little after eleven-thirty when Drew moved back into Candy's room. Paul was there checking her over and Kenny was documenting her vitals. Drew took her chart to look over what test results came back and after seeing them, he sighed and knew it was time to admit he needed help and moved off to find Jordan, hoping she'd have some ideas to what was going on.
Drew went over Candy's condition with Jordan and the two moved into the room as Drew explained. Jordan began doing a brief exam on Candy and she was surprised to find out she had 'collapsed' as she was leaving; Drew and Kenny both helped cover up just how it happened, so Jordan didn't find out about Paul and Candy.
After talking with the guys and checking Candy over, Jordan thought she knew what was wrong and immediately Drew knew what to do, so she left him to continue with her care. Drew was glad for the help and quickly ordered the tests and made a few phone calls.
The lab that would do one of the tests was free, so they came right away to do it and took it to get it loaded into the computer.
Drew, Kenny and Paul were still in Candy's room, keeping an eye on her and suddenly her oxygen levels and blood pressure dropped quickly. Jordan was nearby and heard the commotion as the guys began to work on Candy and Drew asked her if she'd seen the test results yet. Jordan admitted they were clean and now was just as baffled by what was going on with Candy as everyone else was.
Jordan knew they needed more help, so she had TC and Topher paged to come help. They'd been gone with their plane crash victim for quite a while and she figured they'd be able to figure out what was going on with Candy, but until then, she suggested they get Candy on oxygen and hoped that would help her out until they could figure it out.
...
At the same time the guys were trying to help Candy, the patient Krista had been working on had a major issue and Jordan was quickly pulled in to help Krista.
While Jordan was gone, Candy's condition worsened and she wasn't responding to what they were doing, so they had Kenny go get Jordan. When she came in, they told her what was going on and she was surprised TC and Topher hadn't joined them to help out. Trying to figure everything out, Jordan quickly ordered Kenny to get some blood for an arterial blood gas panel and when he did, it didn't look like it was supposed to. Drew thought he'd gotten the blood from the wrong spot, but Kenny assured him it was from the right place and Paul suddenly had an idea.
"Go get methylene blue... Now!" Paul snapped quickly.
"Why?" Jordan asked confused as Kenny dashed off to get the drug.
"Earlier, when Candy was giving me a lap dance, she kept mentioning redcurrant UTIs and having trouble getting in to see a doctor. If she was taking over-the-counter UTI meds, [...] and she kept taking too much, it would eventually cause..."
"Met-hemoglobin anemia," Drew jumped in, realizing what he was getting at.
"Yes, that would explain the altered mental status, the stroke symptoms and the unresponsive oxygen levels," Jordan agreed, setting Candy's chart aside.
"That's probably why she fell off the pole in the first place," Drew added.
Kenny returned with the drug and handed the syringe off to Jordan. Immediately, she added it to the IV and within moments, Candy began to positively respond to the medicine.
"I'm sorry, Paul, did you say lap dance?" Jordan asked, suddenly realizing what he'd said, "are you getting lap dances in my ER?"
"Uh, look I need to recheck her vitals... Excuse me" Paul commented, trying to pass off her question and slid past Jordan to do what he needed to.
"Jordan, I need you," Ragosa commented, stepping into the room.
Jordan looked at her boss and then turned to Paul, "we are not done with this," she commented, before moving out of the room.
As soon as Jordan was out of the room, Paul's phone began to ring and Drew smirked, "man, I gotta hand it to you. I did not think you had the balls to get a lap dance at work."
"Little boy's growing up, huh?" Kenny laughed lightly as Paul stepped out of the room. Once he was out of earshot, Kenny looked at Drew, "this is definitely going to be a night to remember."
Drew nodded in agreement and laughed with Kenny, "oh yeah! Definitely not one I'm gonna forget."
...
Tuesday, July 29, 2014 ('1x07 - Blood Brothers')
A little after midnight, news quickly traveled that there had just been a chemical explosion at a nearby fertilizer plant. Knowing they'd need more doctors, Jordan went up to radiology to find TC and Topher, because they still hadn't returned from their earlier trip.
Knowing they were the only major trauma center within ten counties, everyone began to scramble to get patients up to regular hospital floors and to clean up all the trauma and exam rooms, while Drew and some others helped stock the rooms with supplies they'd need for the burn victims they'd soon be getting.
Ragosa was at the nurses station and quickly found out that Jordan hadn't returned with TC and Topher and now he was even more curious what was going on. At the same time, Kenny answered the phone and handed it over to Ragosa, telling him it was security. Ragosa had them pull up a video replay of the security camera outside the radiology room and the administrator suddenly realized why TC, Topher and now Jordan had not returned and quickly made another phone call.
Drew thought it was a little odd that TC and Topher had been gone for so long, but with other things on his mind, he hadn't thought much of it. It wasn't until Jordan took off and didn't return right away, on top of hearing the first group of ambulances from the explosion would be there shortly, that Drew really began to worry about what was going on and went to the one person he figured would know something, Ragosa, who'd been at the nurses station making phone calls for the last little while.
Moving up to Ragosa, Drew put his hand on Ragosa's back to get his attention, "hey, what the hell is going on?" Drew asked simply.
"TC, Topher and Jordan are in a hostage situation," Ragosa explained softly.
Trying to stay calm, Drew stared at Ragosa, "what?" He asked as he stiffened nervously.
"Listen," the shorter man rested his hands on Drew's arms and looked up at him, "I need you to step up. Scott is on his way in and we have a lot of victims en route, so right now it is on you, because you're the most senior doctor in the ER, okay?"
Without another word, Drew nodded and took a calming breath, before turning towards the group of people scrambling to get ready for the arrivals, "uh, Krista! Paul! Here," he motioned towards him, "you're in Trauma 3," he motioned to Krista, then pointed to Paul, "you're in Trauma 4. Whatever comes in, you assist on. You're gonna see some scary things tonight. Know the patient is always more scared than you."
"Got it," Paul nodded.
"I'm ready," Krista replied.
"Go," Drew nodded at the two and then turned to the nurse near him, "Jocelyn, you're gonna be in [Trauma] 2 with me," he told her then moved around the nurse's station and saw Landry, "Landry, can you help with intake and assist with triage?"
Landry nodded, "whatever you need," she reached out and put her hand on his arm to calm him, "and Drew, you got this," she assured him, able to tell he was nervous to be 'in charge' at the moment, because Jordan, TC and Topher were nowhere in sight and victims were almost there.
Drew took a deep breath and nodded at her, "thanks."
Suddenly, a team of SWAT officers walked into the entrance of the emergency room, startling everyone standing around. Ragosa went up to meet them and he quickly explained the situation to them, without going into too many details so everyone could hear. The leader of the team wanted to close the hospital down, but Ragosa said they couldn't because of the victims coming there from the explosion, so they could have the second floor where radiology was. The team leader didn't like that answer, but Drew, having seen their arrival, joined Ragosa, "we're the only [major] trauma center in ten counties. Victims are coming here. You gotta figure something else out. Closing isn't an option."
Realizing they wouldn't be able to close down the hospital to deal with the hostage situation, the SWAT officers agreed to take only the second floor and moved off to the elevators, leaving Ragosa at the nurse's station for a moment. The SWAT team was an easy distraction and Drew realized people were a little freaked out by their arrival, so he moved to Ragosa and suggested he should tell everyone what was going on.
As much as Ragosa didn't want everyone to panic, he agreed with Drew, "okay... Oh, man..." Ragosa clapped his hands together and waited until he had most everyone's attention, "um, I'm not going to lie to you. There's a possible hostage situation with TC, Topher and Jordan," he started, hearing gasps from around the area, and continued, "the SWAT team is here to take care of it... Okay... okay... Just listen to me. No matter what you are feeling, no matter how much we are worried about them, we have a job to do. I know it's hard, but everybody is depending on us, so let's focus, dig deep and treat these people like we would our own families, okay?" He clapped his hands together just as the sirens stopped in the ambulance bay, "let's go!"
Within moments, paramedics rushed two burn victims in on gurneys, spouting off their vitals and Molly directed them into specific trauma rooms.
"Alright let's do this, people! We're on!" Drew called out, quickly asking Molly to set up a place for triage. At that same moment, Drew closed his eyes and took a calming breath, telling himself, "okay, you can do this. Just take it one step at a time. One patient at a time."
12:25am
...
Tuesday, July 29, 2014 ('1x08 - Save Me')
It seemed like 'all hell broke loose' just after the first patients arrived from the explosion. Not only was the ER getting busy from victims, the news was reporting that patients were going to San Antonio Memorial Hospital and other 'local area hospitals', so family members of people who could be injured were beginning to fill up the waiting room and overwhelm the people trying to get information from them about who they were looking for.
On top of the family members and patients from the explosion arriving, Drew soon heard that during the hostage situation, Dwayne had been killed and when SWAT stormed the room, the guy holding TC, Topher and Jordan hostage shot Topher and they were rushing him down to the ER.
Drew was saddened to hear about Dwayne and as much as Drew wanted to focus on him and Topher, Drew had to take care of the victims and chose to put his faith in Jordan and TC to take care of Topher. That didn't stop him from asking about Topher when Jordan appeared in one of the trauma rooms Drew was working in, to pull Paul out for something. She admitted it didn't look good, but TC was working on him and Scott was on his way in to help, so she implied to hope for the best and that's what Drew chose to do, putting his focus back on the patients needing his help at the moment, because he trusted TC and Scott.
The minutes blurred by and as Drew walked out of one of the trauma rooms to get something from the nurse's station, he saw Jordan, Kenny, Scott and TC pushing Topher's gurney out of the trauma room and down the hallway, screaming for people to move. Drew immediately grew concerned and asked what happened, with Krista and Paul right behind him, but no one answered as they rushed Topher down to the elevator.
Turning around, Drew looked at Krista and Paul. He could tell both of them were as worried as he was about Topher, but Drew knew they had others to take care of, so he rested his hands on their shoulders, "they'll take care of Topher, so let's just take a breath, relax and focus on the people we can help right now, okay?" He asked and at their nods, the two turned to walk away and Drew took a calming breath, as his mind raced with thoughts, "Topher's gonna be okay, so take your own advice and relax. There's plenty of people you can help right now, so focus on them. Topher would want you to keep working."
1:13am
...
A/N4: Please review and let me know what you think! I hope this chapter goes along with the episodes well, keeping with what happened, while adding some more Drew moments and putting my own twist on a few things, too.
A/N5: After looking at a map of San Antonio and the surrounding area, I realized there are a lot of hospitals there, so that's why I switched up Drew's comment to say it's the only 'major' trauma center. In our area, we have one major trauma center and a few 'sister' hospitals that have an ER, and we're a lot smaller than San Antonio, so I imagine there would be other emergency rooms around, but maybe not ones to handle the major cases like San Antonio Memorial does in the show.
Up Next: The rest of '1x08 - Save Me', including some scenes I think should have been in the episode and the aftermath of Drew's long night.
Personal Update: Sadly, my mom passed away Tuesday, September 30, 2014. I miss her so much, but she's no longer suffering, so I'm taking comfort in that and she'll always be in my heart. Thank you for your love, support, thoughts and prayers in this difficult time. It really means a lot to me and my family! Love you all!
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