Chapter 38: Nightshift
Mark and Lexie had curled up on the couch near Derek's bed, Meredith as fast asleep on the bed near them. Derek was beginning to fidget, the meds were lapsing and his muscles were spasming. Lexie noticed Derek's leg jumping, she got up and started rubbing his foot. He tensed under her touch at first, but relaxed as she worked on his calf," I'll let Meredith sleep, just relax," she spoke softly just like Meredith, her voice smooth and soothing. He let his eyes close, his leg still throbbed but it was getting better.
The door opened slowly, disturbing Lexie for a moment. Peter, the new nurse stepped in," Mr. Shepherd?" he called softly.
"Y-yeah," Derek cleared his throat," Come on in."
"I'm Peter, the night nurse," the man explained as he pulled a cart in behind him," I have your meds, it says on your chart I need to check your bandages too," he looked over the paperwork in front of him.
"Bailey usually does that," Derek adjusted himself on the mattress," if you don't mind I'll..."
"Of course," he closed the drawer on the cart and pulled on the top one, it didn't open. He fiddled with it and mumbled under his breath.
"There's a lock on it," Lexie explained.
"Right...I don't seem to have a key," he looked embarrassed.
"The nurses always trade off keys in between shifts," she trailed off," I'll tell you what, you're new right?" he nodded," I'll get you a set, the other nurse probly didn't think about it."
"I'd really appreciate it," he rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's no problem, I'll be right back," Lexie stepped out.
"So Mr. Shepherd, I looked over your chart," he flipped the page in the chart again," you must have had a pretty bad accident."
"I...it's just..." Derek stammered, his words hung in the air for a moment," Can I get my meds, please."
"I'm sorry, I just wondered what had happened is all."
"It's okay," he fidgeted as his leg jumped again.
"I would like to give you a once over after I give you these though, it'd make me feel better," he pulled up meds out of several vials.
"I don't mean to be a stickler, but if you don't aspirate the next one you'll get too many bubbles in the syringe," Mark stood up and stretched," Here I'll help you out, I know how first days are."
"I got it," Peter removed the needle and aspirated the vial.
"Okay, but you need a new needle now," Mark began getting annoyed," Where'd you graduate son?"
Derek's knuckles were white from gripping the bedrail, his breathing had increased and his body burned.
"I didn't mean to offend you, I'm just nervous. Not only is it my first night but I've only got one patient and he's a VIP," he set out the syringes and took Derek's hand," I mean it's not every day I get to take care of a neurosurgeon," he pushed the first syringe.
"W-wait," Derek locked eyes with Peter as he pushed the second syringe.
"Just relax Dr. Shepherd," he started on the third.
"Too fast..." Derek tried to pull away, Peter held his wrist.
"Hey, slow down," Mark approached him.
"I know what I'm doing, man."
"Those are narcotics you're pushing," Mark grabbed his shoulder, Peter turned and elbowed him in the face. Mark staggered back and caught himself on the foot of the bed," What the hell?!" he lunged for Peter.
"Stop!" Peter raised his voice, waking Meredith.
"Mark?" she said sleepily.
"Move and I'll kill him!" Peter grabbed an syringe off the table and held it to Derek's chest," this one's full of Epinephrine."
Derek gasped and froze," M-Mark..."
"Fuckin' coward," Mark snarled, but took a step back.
"I was sent here to kill him anyway, but I want him to suffer," Peter pulled a knife out of his pocket," So I'll tell you what, we're going to make a deal."
"The fuck we are..." Mark growled.
"Mark what's..." Meredith put her hand over her mouth as she realized what was going on.
"If you don't want to play I'll just put this in his chest and it'll be all over," he flicked the cover off of the needle.
"What do you want then?" Mark demanded," Even if you kill him, I won't let you get out of here alive and you know it."
"Maybe not, but if I go back and he's not dead I don't get paid," Peter laughed and shook his head," I was supposed to do this over a few days, kill him slowly. No one would notice until he was dead, I know more about this man than half the people in this hospital!"
"But you didn't know anything about healthcare," Mark pointed out.
"No, that's why I told him this wasn't a good idea; but hell I'm going to kill him anyway might as well tell you everything right? Because clearly there's no getting away from this!"
"Listen, you didn't do anything yet," Mark put his hands up," I can't tell you that you're getting off but if you tell us who you're working for..."
"Don't you fucking get it?! I want this son of a bitch dead too!"
"No you don't," Mark took a small step forward.
"Why don't I?" he glanced at Derek.
"Because Derek didn't do anything to you, I'm guessing someone hired you and because you need the money and you're desperate you felt you had to get blood on your hands to fix your problems," Mark took another small step.
Derek tried holding it in, he coughed and winced. It distracted the man only for a moment before he had turned back to face Mark. His chest burned, his meds had lapsed and his body knew it. His forehead beaded with sweat, he almost didn't even feel scared of the needle in front of his chest as his mind flashed back to the attack. Cold chills ran up his spine as the realization that an Epi-pen wouldn't kill him instantly came to mind. His breathing came in short shallow gasps as he tried to stabilize himself. His vision was beginning to fade at the edges, whatever drugs the man had managed to get in him were working. His throat felt closed and it was becoming increasingly hard to catch his breath.
The door burst open and police entered with Lexie on their heels. The man looked from Mark to them, Mark saw him take a few seconds to weigh his options. The officer pulled his gun on Peter.
"Stop!" Mark yelled," Don't shoot, he hasn't done anything!"
"Freeze! Hands in the air!" the officer shouted.
"Don't!" Mark saw a flash in Peter's eyes.
Derek noticed the commotion and felt himself slipping, his chin sank into his shoulder and his sight faded. He tried staying awake, he looked at Meredith who was frozen in fear and crying. His mind wandered as he tried to calm his breathing.
==FLASHBACK==
Prom night. They each had dates. Derek with Addison, Meredith with Finn. They locked eyes, the longing stare between them was lonely and harsh. She looked away first, he excused himself from Addison. Some random bullshit excuse about checking on a patient, anything to get him away so he could see her again. Meredith was running down the hallway, away from him as always.
"Meredith!"
"Leave me alone!"
"Meredith!"
"No," she retreated into an exam room and shut the door almost on his hand as he followed," Leave me alone!"
"I just wanted to make sure you were all right," it sounded weak even to him.
"No! I'm not all right! Okay?! I'm not all right!" she yelled at him," Are you satisfied? I'm not all right, because you have a wife and you call me a whore! And our dog died and our dog died! And you're looking at me!" she paused," Stop looking at me," she growled at him.
"I'm not looking at you," he closed his eyes and shifted his gaze downward," Okay, I am not looking at you!"
"You are looking at me, and you watch me and Finn has plans and I like Finn he's perfect for me! I'm really trying here to be happy and I can't breathe, I can't breathe so just stop!"
"You think I want to look at you? That I wouldn't rather be looking at my wife?! I have responsibilities! She doesn't drive me crazy, she doesn't make it impossible for me to think, she doesn't make me sick to my stomach to think about my veterinarian touching her with his hands!" he let the anger flow," I would give anything to stop looking at you!"
She had her back to him, she turned and he couldn't stop himself. He grabbed her and kissed her deep, pushing her back onto the exam table. Her dress bunched in his hands as he slid it up and slid off what was beneath, all that separated their bodies. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and he let it fall to the floor. Her hands had his belt off and he was free, they paused and locked eyes again as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Both let out a sigh and a smile as they connected.
He loved her, he couldn't help it, he couldn't stop it, he didn't want to...
==END FLASHBACK==
The yelling had gotten louder, some voices he recognized others he didn't. Meredith had gotten blurry while his mind had taken a vacation," I love you," he whispered to her, she nodded and choked on her words. He knew. His eyes closed for a brief moment, then a sharp stab and an explosion in his chest. He couldn't scream, his body jerked upright and his mouth opened but no sound came out. He coughed violently as he tried to suck air into his lungs, but he couldn't get enough. He looked down to see what had happened. A hypodermic needle was embedded into his chest as far as it'd go, the end sticking straight out and the plunger pushed all the way in.
The policemen hadn't lowered their guns, they didn't have time. Mark lunged and tried to stop Peter before he pushed the plunger on that syringe and couldn't close the distance fast enough. Meredith screamed, time seemed to slow down. Derek's body jerked upright and he gasped for air, sweat poured from his temples and had slicked his hair.
"Lexie get me some Labetalol, hurry!" Mark pushed Peter away from Derek. The police officers grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground, cuffing him and dragging him from the room," Shit Derek," Mark pushed him back onto the blankets," stay with me!" Derek's eyes were wild, his pupils dangerously close to being blown.
"You've gone through too much," Mark slapped his cheek," Don't give up on me, fight it!"
Derek started to convulse, Mark turned him to his side and held his head," Breathe Derek, you're gonna be okay," he didn't believe a word of that for a minute. Derek couldn't stop shaking, his head felt like it was splitting and his heart pounded in his ears. His stomach heaved, he vomited on Mark's pant leg it burned his already raw throat. He coughed after the first wave, small drops of blood spattered the floor and Mark.
His stomach wretched again as Lexie ran back in," I pulled it already and Bailey's spiking an IV bag," she moved in next to Mark. Derek saw her shoes step in the dinner he'd had only two hours before, shame now mixed with the nausea. Another sharp stab, this one to his shoulder. He screamed as he realized his weight was on the shoulder he'd had surgery on and Lexie was kneeling on his thigh. His body was suddenly hypersensitive, he felt every scratch and suture all at once.
Lexie moved off of him and Mark turned him onto his back," Derek!" he yelled at his friend," Derek!"
"Mmmph..." he tried to respond. The drugs clashed inside him, his throat felt like it was closing and he still couldn't breathe. He wheezed as he tried to suck in enough air to tell Mark what was wrong.
"Can you breathe?" Mark shook him lightly as he saw Derek's lips turning blue," Lexie what vials are out on the table? What did Peter give him?"
"Demerol, Prontosil, Diazepam..."
"Prontosil?!" Mark looked back at her," Are you sure?!"
"Yeah, it's on its side I mean there's no way to know exactly..."
"He's allergic to Sulpha drugs," Mark clicked the head of the bed all the way back," that's why you can't breathe," he spoke as calmly as he could. Derek's eyes were drifting upwards," Don't," Mark slapped his cheek, rousing him," Lexie get me the crash cart fully loaded."
"Gotcha," she rushed out of the room.
"Derek, I need you to stay awake," Mark rubbed Derek's face with his thumb. His skin was clammy and slick with sweat," Derek!" the Pulsox monitor plummeted," Shit!" Derek choked and tried pushing Mark away, terrified and convinced if he could just sit up he could breathe. Mark held him down," Derek stop, don't use more energy, I'm gonna fix it."
"I've got respiratory on their way," Lexie pulled on a pair of gloves and popped open an intubation kit," they won't get here in time, we've gotta do this."
Mark grabbed the small pillow Derek usually used to keep his neck supported and shoved it between his shoulder and the bed. He didn't bother wasting time with gloves, Derek convulsed again and his stomach heaved. Mark pushed his head to the side, his mouth opened but nothing came out," Tube him before he aspirates," Lexie pushed Mark's hands out of the way," Hold him still," she pressed on his jawline hard enough to leave a nice-sized bruise, the muscle released and his mouth opened. She put two fingers on his chin to keep it that way and put a speculum that looked like a shoe horn down his throat. Air filled his lungs and he coughed, she held the metal against his jaw forcing his tongue down.
"What're you doing?" Mark was scared.
"Letting him vomit before I put a tube in, I don't want him fighting this," she turned his head again and pushed the speculum in further.
A convulsion hit him so hard his entire body jerked as his stomach emptied what was left in it onto Lexie, blood mixed with the emises and he felt dizzy," Finished?" Lexie didn't give him time to respond, not that he could, before resituating the pillow between his shoulder blades. She crawled onto the bed and put his head between her knees, forcing him to be still. He put his hand up to try and stop her, Mark took it and pushed the other onto the bed firmly.
"Can you breathe?" Mark asked, he could feel the intubation tube on his lip. He gasped and tried to take in air," Relax Derek, if you can breathe we don't have to..."
"Mark there's a piece of metal holding his airway open, don't traumatize him anymore," Lexie slid the tubing down his throat feeling for his lungs instead of his stomach. She closed her eyes as she navigated his body until she was sure she had the right placement.
His throat was raw and even though the tubing was pre-lubricated out of the package it felt too big and like it was made of sandpaper. He tried not to fight her or Mark as the feeling of suffocation grew, all at once he could breathe. His sight blurred as the oxygen high hit his brain, Lexie and Mark moved off of him slowly.
"What happens if he throws up again?" Mark was asking Lexie.
"I used the smallest tube I could find, it doesn't obstruct his throat entirely. I was planning to sedate him and see about pumping his stomach so he wouldn't aspirate," she was sweating and breathing heavily but still calm and collected.
Derek's teeth hit the plastic as the metal slid out of his mouth, he gave her a scared look when she mentioned pumping his stomach.
"You'll be sedated, Derek," she pulled her gloves off," besides the IV of Lebatolol should help with that, I'll give you a shot of Promethazine too. It'll stop the nausea," she had already started drawing the medicine off of the crash cart," Little pinch," Lexie rubbed the surface of his skin just like Meredith did before she'd given him an injection. He barely felt it, a stifled moan escaped his lips even around the tube. His eyes rolled and suddenly he was falling, he fought to stay conscious.
"It's okay," Lexie petted his hair," sleep so you don't feel this," his eyes darted to the side of the room where he'd seen Meredith," she's fine. Meredith?"
"Derek," Meredith wiped his forehead with a cloth, he blinked back at her. Mark taped the tubing to his chin," I'm okay," her voice was timid and still scared, he nodded.
"We'll fix this up for you," Lexie pushed the sedative in the IV port," I can't give you much because of the shock your body's just been through so make it count," his eyelids fluttered but didn't close.
Derek's body still shook from the aftermath, even after Lexie had given him all she could without anesthetizing him completely. Meredith held his hand, his grip was lax and his lips hadn't regained their full color. She sniffled softly and squeezed his hand," Thank you," she whispered to Lexie and Mark.
"Derek, she's all right," Lexie wiped his forehead around the still-healing gash, he winced.
He tried to speak and blood trickled from his mouth instead," Why's..." Mark started.
"The speculum cut his tongue and lip when I pressed it against his teeth," Lexie popped the needle off a syringe and filled it with saline," Once I rinse his mouth I'll put some Lidocaine on it for him."
Derek felt the drugs take hold of him, he couldn't hold his eyes open any longer. Meredith kissed his forehead as he went to sleep with an 'I love you' on her lips.