Author's note: This was a weird and yet fun chapter to write. You get Natalie and Jay bonding, tired Connor...so much going on it this chapter. It's the calm before the storm so to speak- I'm not going to elaborate beyond that or you'd know what the next chapter looks like! So enjoy, read, review...and wait patiently for the new episode of Med on the 8th!
The broken clock is a comfort
It helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow
From stealing all my time
And I am here still waiting
Though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best
Like you've already figured out
I'm falling apart
I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart
That's still beating
In the pain
There is healing
In your name
I find meaning
~Lifehouse~ Broken
Early the next morning Natalie awoke with a jolt. She and Jay had stayed awake for hours, talking about anything and everything. Natalie loved hearing stories about the brothers growing up and causing trouble. Jay laughed devilishly as he told her about the day he decided to give Will a haircut right before school pictures were taken. One summer they decided to mow lawns in the neighborhood to make some extra cash. Their business was so lucrative another neighborhood boy tried to steal their customers, so the brothers snuck out in the middle of the night and poured sugar in the gas tank of the mower. The neighbor had already spent all of his money earned so far on fast food and comic books. By the time he could afford a new mower, it was mid-fall and the brothers had not only regained all of their customers, but brought in a good chunk of change. Hearing about the two brothers growing up and causing trouble took her mind off of the situation at hand. Natalie sat up stretching, briefly glancing at a still sleeping Jay. She turned to look at the monitors, taking close note of all of Will's vitals. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw his blood pressure and heart rate. After a quick glance at the tablet, Natalie frantically grabbed for her phone and dialed Connor's number. It rang a handful of times before the call connected.
" Do you realize what time it is?" he asked sleepily. Natalie looked at the clock on the wall, feeling semi-guilty when she saw the time, 4:07a.m.
" Sorry…"
" What's going on?" he asked.
" His BP is up to 77/60 and his heart rate is decreasing as well."
" Have they started the lower dose of Dopamine yet?"
" Not yet. That's why I called actually."
" You want me to cancel the order, don't you?"
" Yes, please. It looks like his vitals have remained stable for several hours."
" Yes."
" Are you just saying that so you can go back to bed?"
" Mmmm...it's a possibility," replied Connor, letting out a long yawn.
My user name is CACRhodes. Password is 172417."
What's the AC stand for?" she asked curiously.
" Alexander-Cornelius. Tell anyone that and you're dead," he joked.
" Really poor choice of words," Natalie pointed out.
" I haven't slept in three days. I can barely string together a sentence. I'll call back later when my alarm goes off," he muttered.
" Thanks," she said, hanging up. Natalie quickly grabbed for the tablet and typed in Connor's information. A list of his patients popped up, allowing her to select Will's name easily. She brought up the long list of medications he was on, scrolling through them until she found the Dopamine order. With a quick tap of a finger, she clicked 'discontinue,' putting in Connor's password again. After signing out, Natalie fixated her gaze onto the monitors. There was no way she was falling asleep any time soon.
" Do you want anything for breakfast?" Jay offered hours later ashe awoke.
" I'd love one of the fruit parfaits from the cafeteria...and coffee. Lots of coffee."
" How did he do overnight?" he asked, looking at Will as he stood.
" His vitals are stabilizing. Rhodes agreed to take him off the Dopamine to see how he does."
" When did that happen?"
" I may or may not have called him at 4am."
" Is he coming in today?"
" I wouldn't blame him if he didn't. He hasn't slept in three days. He did say something about calling whenever he wakes up."
" Sounds good. I'll be back."
When Jay returned, he found Natalie watching a random morning talk show on low volume.
" What are you watching?" he asked, handing her the requested parfait, a spoon, and a large coffee.
" No clue. You can change it if you want. I just needed some background noise."
" You're fine. I've got a deck of cards in my bag. Fancy a game of poker?"
" Now that sounds better," Natalie responded, turning her chair just enough so she could keep an eye on Will.
" How come Will never mentioned you were a card shark?" asked Jay, shocked as Natalie won her fifth hand in a row.
" Because the last time we played poker together it was strip poker...and he lost miserably. I still had on all of my clothes except my socks. Your brother on the other hand wound up naked as a jailbird," Natalie recalled with a laugh.
" Some things I don't need to know. I'm just glad we're not playing for money," Jay admitted.
" Maybe another time," she offered. Before Jay could deal another hand, Natalie's phone began ringing, signaling Connor was sending a FaceTime request.
" Hey Sleeping Beauty," Jay said with a smirk.
" I would have been up earlier, but someone called me at 4 am and woke me up. As it stands, it's just past 10 am. How's everything going?"
" I'm beating his ass in poker," Natalie declared.
" Is she making you play for money? Don't let her trick you into it."
" How much have you lost to her?" questioned Jay.
" More than I care to admit. Nat, how are his vitals?"
" His heart rate is continuing to stabilize and his BP is up to 78/62."
" Have there been any signs of distress since the Dopamine was stopped?"
" None that I could see."
" I have a few things I need to do after squeezing in a much needed workout. I'll stop by when I'm finished. With all of his progress overnight I want to see what his labs are showing and possibly order a few tests."
" Like what?" asked Natalie.
" Honestly, I'm not 100% sure. I need to go for a long run to clear my head. I'll know more when I get there and have the results in my hands."
" Is there something you're not telling us?" Natalie questioned anxiously.
" I need to have everything in front of me- his labs, test results. The monitors. Will himself. I can't formulate a new treatment plan without any of that."
" Or you could give us an educated guess," demanded Natalie.
" Patience is not one of your better virtues. I'll try my best to be at Med by noon. That gives you plenty of time to beat Jay's ass in poker."
" Hey now. The Price is Right comes on at 11. There will be no poker then," Jay replied jokingly.
" See you guys soon," said Connor with a laugh, ending the FaceTime video.
" What do you think he's talking about as far as making changes?" questioned Jay, shuffling the cards.
" I could guess, but honestly it would be like a shot in the dark. There are so many variables that contribute to Will's care. Medications. The blood and plasma transfusions. Respiration levels. Drain outputs…" she said, her voice trailing off.
" So more waiting," replied a discouraged Jay.
" Unfortunately. Now are you going to deal the cards or do I need to?"
" Man. You really aren't a patient person."
" I need to stay busy. I need to be occupied, or my brain is going to wander and assume the worst with whatever Connor is planning."
" I thought you were off today," quipped Maggie as Connor entered the ED a few hours later.
" I am. Pretend you don't see me. I haven't a day off in weeks," he replied, not taking his sunglasses off as he headed for the lounge.
" What's going on?" the nurse asked, watching Connor pull his stethoscope out of his locker and stick it into the back pocket of his jeans.
" I came in to check up on Will actually."
" Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
" No," he replied, offering no other words.
" Come on. Tell me what's going on with Will," begged Maggie, following Connor to the elevators.
" Five little letters Mags. HIPAA."
" Bullshit. I plugged the hole in his spleen with my finger while you tied off all the bleeders before removing it." Connor sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle.
" I'm anxious to see all of his test results knowing he did so well overnight."
" No specifics?"
" Honestly I'm not quite sure."
" You could have just told me that instead of trying to avoid me," Maggie joked, smiling as Connor stepped off the elevator. Soon after he slipped quietly into Will's room only to find Jay and Natalie both staring at the television.
" $36,751," said Jay.
" No way. That's way off," replied Natalie.
" $48,672," commented Connor, joining the two in guessing the price of the showcase showdown.
" $48,772," the host declared. Natalie and Jay turned and looked at Connor in amazement.
" I test drove that exact type of BMW last year," he confessed sheepishly before taking off his sunglasses and leather jacket then placing them with his bag in a chair.
Natalie handed Connor the tablet she had been holding. Connor leaned against the counter and began carefully reading over each individual test result. Jay and Natalie waited anxiously, awaiting what would hopefully be good news. After what seemed like forever, Connor put the tablet down, not saying a word.
" What's wrong?" Jay asked, breaking the silence.
" These test results show remarkable progress for not even being three days after such a traumatic event. His blood volume is increasing slowly but surely with each transfusion. His kidneys appear healthy which means they weren't affected by the Dopamine…" Connor paused, grabbing his stethoscope to listen to Will's lungs.
Even his breath sounds are improving."
" I'm assuming this is all good news?" questioned Jay.
" It's great news," responded Natalie, wiping a stray tear away from her eye.
So what's the plan?" Natalie asked.
" I'm going to continue the transfusions for the next few days in order to bring his blood volume up to a more therapeutic level."
" And?" Natalie impatiently watched as Connor grabbed for the tablet again.
" I'm discontinuing the sedation meds," he said, tapping the screen several times.
" How long will it take for him to regain consciousness?" Jay asked.
" It's hard to say. It's going to be a few days at least. What's left of the medication will have to filter out of his system," explained Connor as he walked over to the ventilator
With his lungs sounding as good as they do, I think it's also time to start attempting to wean him off the respirator. There's no reason to keep him on it any longer than possible."
" What about extubation?" asked an optimistic Natalie, watching as Connor adjusted the ventilator settings.
" I don't want to cause any unnecessary trauma which is why I'm starting the wean off slowly. I'm going to stick around for awhile to see how he tolerates the changes before I do anything else."
" All of this...it sounds like a lot," replied a concerned Jay.
" It is," Connor confessed.
It sounds like a lot going on at once, but in reality the process could and may take several days or longer. As the sedation meds filter out of his system, it's likely that we'll begin to subtle signs of Will regaining consciousness. As far as the ventilator goes, if his lungs tolerate this initial trial, I'll continue turning down the settings. It's also 100% possible that he could randomly trigger the vent and begin breathing on his own. At that point, I'd extubate him obviously. Honestly, everything is still riding on Will. I can only do so much as a physician and a surgeon. It's up to him to fight."
