6 months before the outbreak
Everything was tranquil.
Blake didn't have to see a patient. There were no traumas coming in, and she has done her paper work.
She is free at the moment, so she went to her on-call room to rest.
She got her phone and put some Nat King Cole. She wanted a moment to unwind, to relax. The woman laid on the bed, on her side. Her white coat hung on the back of a chair, and her bag was on a desk.
The room was not anything special. The walls were a soft yellow. An old, square television in the corner of the room. A twins size bed against the wall, and a desk with chair on the opposite side. The room was not big, but it was enough for a moment to rest.
It was around 12 in the afternoon. Blake had been on the clock since 6 pm. She is to do a 24 hour shift. This is her first break. The adrenaline induced night had began to take a toll on her. All that energy had gone. Now, all she felt was fatigue. Her body and mind ached. All she wanted was a moment of shut eye, enough to recharge her batteries and continue with her shift.
The honey-like-voice of Nat King Cole was luring Blake to sleep. She hummed the song Unforgettable lowly, slowly falling asleep. She had an alarm set up, so she should be fine. Her pager right next to her on the bed, ready to make noise if something were to happen. There was hope that there will be no need for her for the next hour or so. A nap was in dire need. Her sleeping schedule is already messed up, so this is nothing. Sometimes she has a morning shift, night shift, or a 24 hour shift. She is alright with it, although she does prefer the night shift far more than the rest.
Drifting off into sleep, all she could see was black and the music began to drone off.
Bzzz
Bzzz
The doctor in question sighed, rubbing her eyes. She barely had a second of shut-eye before she was paged.
With a huff, she pushed herself up from the bed and checked her pager. The device vibrated and vibrated until she picked it up to see the message.
It seems that there are a few traumas coming into the ER. Marvelous.
Looking around the on-call room, she stood up from the bed and grabbed her stethoscope, white coat, pager, phone and notebook. Patting herself down to make sure she had everything, she stepped out of the room.
Making sure she had the key to the room, she left her bag in the room before locking the door. With everything set, she began to run down to the ER. Instead of the elevator, she ran down the stairs, jumping down a few steps.
Why did they call me when I was on the 3rd floor?
Nonetheless, upon reaching the ground floor, she made her way to the ER. Her breathing was labored. People moved aside as they noticed the doctor running. Nurses and visitors moved as she ran, not wanting to get in her way.
Pushing the doors of the ER, she entered to see the paramedics bringing in the trauma patients.
"Grimes! Take him" Dr. Hayes ordered as he went to the other patient. From the looks of it, Blake assumed it was a car crash. A man and a woman. The woman was young, in her early twenties. The blood from her head made her hair look red than the blonde color she must have. She hoped it was nothing severe.
The man was a bit more beat up than her, most likely the driver.
"Matthew Kenner, 32 years old. Was hit by an SUV. Has a concussion. Lacerations on the head and his arms. --" the paramedic spat out all the information they gathered in the ambulance. Blake listened intently before taking matters into her own hands. Without hesitation, she got to work. She had gotten him stable enough for surgery. She was the one to fix his internal bleeding with an Exploratory laparotomy. Her attending, Dr. Gomez, was present to see how she did the surgery on her own.
AC/DC played in the background as Blake cut into Mr.Kenner's belly to tend to the internal bleeding. She tapped her foot to the beat of the song, Back in Black. She was in the zone. There was no need to overthink anything. Her actions were faster than her thoughts. Dr. Hayes had participated in the surgery, and watched as she operated on the man. The young woman, Ms. Newton, was treated with ease. She was in her own resting. The family of both parties were here, and a nurse would go out to update the family on Mr. Kenner.
Everything ran smoothly.
She closed up, stapling the area where she cut before she was done. Mr.Kenner was taken out to go to the ICU as Blake made her way to wash her hands and clean herself up in the scrub room.
Taking off her scrub cap, casting it aside, she began to wash her hands.
"Good work, Grimes", Dr. Gomez said in passing, patting the surgeon on the shoulder before stepping out of the room.
Dr.Hayes soon entered to wash his hands as well. He was there as an assistant, letting Blake take the lead. She just needed one more year to be an attending. So far, everything was going good.
"That was some good work, Grimes" Dr.Hayes commented as he glanced to the younger woman. A small smile grew on her face at the praise. It is always good to get some compliments. She knows she did a good job. After all, that is her profession. What type of doctor would she be if she sucked at her job?
"Thank you, Dr. Hayes"
"Michael, please" he retorted as he shook off the water from his hands before grabbing a paper towel from the dispenser. Drying his hands, he stepped closer to the woman. Blake didn't move as she continued to wash her hands.
Michael sighed before taking off his face mask for her to look at him clearly.
Michael Hayes was good looking. He was older, in his early forties. A full head of black hair with some grey. Bright blue eyes with some wrinkles in the corners. A short beard that was well taken care of, salt and pepper colored. It was evident that he took care of himself. He was tall and toned. Those scrubs didn't do enough justice for him. He stood tall, six inches taller than her -- around 6'2 ft.
Exactly Blake's type: taller, older and handsome.
She turned her head towards him before grabbing a paper towel to dry her hands. "Yes?" She questioned before throwing away the paper towel and taking off her mask.
Michael grabbed her chin gently and moved her attention to be on him. She watched him with interest. Her blue eyes looked up at him, wanting to see what he would do. Both of them held their gaze. His gaze lowered to her lips, running his thumb lightly over her bottom lip.
Excitement is what Blake felt in that moment. A smirk grew on her lips before placing a hand on top of his. "I thought we agreed not to do it here", she murmured.
"So, we can't even call each other by our names?" He questioned with amusement as he dropped his hand from her chin, but held her hand. He ran his thumb over her knuckles mindlessly, while she leaned back on the sink. Blake shook her head at his words.
"Nope, this is new. Flirting and eye sex is forbidden" she stated dramatically before pushing herself off the sink to leave. However, as she was making her way out, Michael pulled her towards him. She huffed when she crashed on his chest, her hands placed on his chest and Michael's hands on her waist.
"Not even a kiss?" He pouted, leaning in towards her. Smiling slightly, she kissed him briefly. Michael hummed, pleased with the kiss. "Will I see you tonight?"
She bit her lip and pulled away slowly, her eyes on him as she thought about it. "I've been on shift for 18 hours. As soon as the clock strikes 6, I am going home to sleep" she stated and he shrugged, not caring.
"I'll drive you home. We will get dinner, a nice movie and watch it in bed", he suggested. That actually sounds nice, she thought. She wouldn't need to cook or anything else. She can eat, change into something comfortable and be in bed with a good movie. It also helps that she will be sharing her bed with someone. She liked the company.
With a loud and dramatic sigh, she nodded, "Fine". She put on an annoyed look on her face, but seeing him happy made her drop her facade. That smile made her feel this flutter in her chest. There is no doubt that she was beginning to fall in love. It has been a while since that had happened. For her, it was easy to fall in love. It could also be the fact that growing up with Disney films and romantic comedies had made her want that same love. That love that Cinderella and Prince Charming shared, it was something to envy. Michael is a good man, smart, handsome, funny, kind -- all the qualities that attracted Blake towards someone. However, she just wants to be sure that this was a stable and good relationship before coming out and telling people -- especially since he is older and somewhat her boss.
"Awesome, I'll see you in the lobby at 6" he said before giving her a peck on the lips and heading out. He left the room and went on with work. Blake lingered there for a moment, gathering her thoughts. After a long time, she has everything she could want: a good job, good place to live, money, and someone to share it with. She is not alone. She has someone. Blake is finally happy. When that thought crossed her mind, a soft look came upon her face with a smile lingering on her lips. Life is good.
With nothing else to think of right now, she left the room to go notify Mr. Kenner's family about his current state. The news that Mr. Kenner is going to make a speedy recovery spread relief and joy within the family. Some even approached Blake to hug her as a thank you, appreciating the work that they young surgeon had done. It lasted a while, the hugs and the gratitude that the family expressed.
Once that was settled and the family had gone to check in on Mr. Kenner, Blake began to make her way back to her on-call room to take a nap. That is all she wants right now. That spur of energy she had was lessening at every step she took. She knew that as soon as her head hits the pillow, she will be out like a light. Paper work for that surgery will be done when she wakes up. For now, her body and mind were begging for a moment to sleep. People took notice of the woman's tired expression, so they did not bother her as she walked through the hall towards the elevator. Stepping in, she pressed the button for the third floor before moving to the side of the wall and leaned against it, as the elevator began to rise to her designated floor. The elevator was empty, and she was thankful for it. As soon as those elevator doors slid open, she walked out and began to take out the key to the room. In a few minutes, she will be fast asleep. Just the thought of sleeping made her want to sleep right now, even if it was in the middle of the hallway.
Putting the key into the key hole, she turned it and pushed the door open before stepping in. Making sure to lock the door, she sluggishly walked towards the bed before she let herself fall onto the bed. The bed was not soft. It was a bit hard, but that did not matter. Blake curled up, not even bothering to cover herself with a blanket. The darkness of the room and the silence helped greatly. Her mind has been officially turned off. Her body was soon following. It was not long before she had fallen asleep. The only thing that could be heard was Blake's soft breathing and the occasional footsteps outside the room.
1 Week before the Outbreak
"You have everything?" Blake called out as she roamed around her apartment in a hurry. She had slept in. She should not have stayed up watching Breakfast at Tiffany's, but it was her favorite film and Michael had brought a bunch of movies to watch. They may have also gotten a bit distracted that they haven't watched the ending of the film. She had to cover up the marks he left on her neck. It was a good thing that she had concealer, because it has been a while since she bought makeup. That reminds her, A trip to Sephora may sound fun.
Michael stepped out of the kitchen with two thermos at hand. "Keys, wallet, phone and--" he handed her her thermos. "--Coffee", she sighed happily as she took it and took a sip. The caffeine instantly relaxed her. She closed her eyes and let out a moan.
"Save it for later", he joked as he walked past her to get her bag from the bedroom. She chuckled at that quip before she patted herself down to make sure she had everything she needed on her. It wasn't long before Michael came out of the room with a large, brown, leather bag. He put it on , the bag hanging on his shoulder, "C'mon, let's go".
She nodded and began to make her way out the apartment. "So, we going to dinner tonight at La Mer?" Michael asked he closed the door after them. Taking another sip of her coffee, she nodded, "Yeah, I should be free at around 6. I can run back home quickly and get ready". She held her hand out for the purse, but he scoffed and placed a hand over it.
"What? It looks better on me", he popped his hip out and made a pose. "It goes with the outfit", he gestured to the black jeans, white tee, brown boots and a black jacket. She rolled her eyes fondly, "Sure".
He laughed lightly before placing a hand on her lower back and began to walk outside to the car. It was a black Ford Escape. Since it was his car, he unlocked the vehicle before opening the door for her. "Here" he said as he handed her the bag. "Thank you", she stepped in and placed it on her lap. Closing the door after her, he went to his side and got in. Both parties buckled in, he began to drive to work.
Blake leaned forward and turned on the radio.
"News outlets have reported of people becoming manic and attacking people, the police aren't sur--" was heard before she switched the station to something else. It wasn't long before she stumbled onto a station with Oldies playing.
"I'm still standing after all this time", Michael sang along to Elton John, drumming his thumbs against the steering wheel. He bopped his head at the beat. Both of them had a smile on their face. She stared at him as he sang, wondering if this is how her life has turned to be -- a movie. She has a bomb-ass job, a boyfriend and a pretty good life. There couldn't be anything that could change this.
Michael glanced at her to see Blake staring at him with a curious look in her eyes. "What?", he questioned-- once the song was over. She shrugged and took a sip of her thermos.
"I love you"
There it is. Those three words. After dating for more than 6 months, she said the words. She never wants to say those words, not when she doesn't mean them. She had said them too much, too often, to men that were not worth such words. However, this was worth it. He was worth it. No matter how scary it may be, admitting your feelings when there is a possibility of rejection, she had to take the risk to know.
The older man's expression soften at her words and a smirk grew on his face. "I love you, too", he said with ease. At the sound of his words, Blake smiled widely. All that gushy, lovey-dovey stuff wasn't something Blake was used to, but she was beginning to like it.
"It was my singing, right? My singing is what made you fall deeply in love with me", he teased with that same smirk on his face, glancing over at Blake with love in his eyes. She shook her head in amusement, "Yes, it was. Your voice allured me like a moth to flame. Such melodic voice could not be helped but admired. Such ardor burns within me at the sound of you speak"
Michael arched a brow at her words, clearly amused. "My, how poetic. Such description could make anyone joyous. A praise as high as yours could --um..." he trailed off, trying to think of how to finish. He furrowed his brows, thinking before he came up with something.
"My, how poetic. Such description could make anyone joyous. A praise as high as yours could make Zeus blush. For your words bring nothing but passion within me. All thy wish to be, has been accomplished. There nowhere I'd rather be than with my beloved"
He looked at her, clearly proud of his Shakespearean-like words. He wanted to play along with her word play. All there was on her face was adoration. There weren't many that would join along to her antics, and joined in with ease. "You are amazing", she stated with a smile. Michael puffed up his chest, clearly his ego has risen a bit at her words.
It was not long before they arrived. They shared a brief kiss in the car before they got off to work.
She headed to the lockers to change. Like Michael, she just wore some jeans and a tee. She didn't bother with a jacket. She just needed to put on her scrubs and do her rounds on past patients, checking on how they are post operation.
As good as her day was, it all came to a stop when her phone rang. She did not hesitate to answer, not even checking the caller ID. "Grimes" she answered as she placed her phone between her ear and shoulder as she leaned down to tie her shoes. She glanced to her right to see some of her colleagues coming into the lockers. She gave them a nod in greeting, waiting for the person on the phone to talk.
"Blake", she heard Shane say. She paused when she heard his serious tone. Sitting up straight, giving all her attention to Shane. "What happened?", she asked immediately. Something happened, something bad to warrant such a tone from him.
Shane sighed, "Rick got shot".
Everything froze. For a moment, she stopped breathing. She couldn't hear or see anything right now. All she could think of was her brother.
Rick got shot.
Her brother got shot.
"When?"
"This morning"
Blake took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She can't cry. Crying doesn't solve anything. She needed a clear head to focus. "So... he is still alive?", she asked slowly.
"Yeah-yeah" he stammered. She can imagine him running his hand through his hair, a habit he has when he is stressed or frustrated. "He was just sent into surgery. I-I don't know when he will be out"
"Alright, relax. Right now, he is being handled by surgeons. At this moment, they are saving his life. Call Lori and make sure everyone is there when he gets out of the operation" she advised as she began to plan her way of getting some time off to be there for them. She hasn't taken any vacation days, so she can use those. She can't stay with Lori and Carl. She doesn't want to burden them. Getting a hotel sounds good.
Leaning forward and holding her phone against her ear with the right, she pinched the bridge of her nose with the left. "I'll be there soon. I'll just have to ask for some time off. Send me any updates if anything changes"
"Alright, I'll see you later"
The call ended. Taking a deep breath, she tried to keep her emotions at bay. Her throat felt like it was closing. All the emotions she was holding back. He eyes stung and her throat felt tight. Blake looked around, seeing her colleagues changing before heading out to work.
She hates this.
She wants Michael, but he is probably working already. She can't just unload her emotions on him. No, that's not fair.
Once everyone was gone from the locker room to work, she leaned forwards. Her elbows were on her knees and her face in her hands, and she let herself cry.
Her hands muffled her cries. Her shoulders shook, letting everything out. She was alone, so she could. She sobbed, feeling utterly helpless. She is a doctor, miles away from home, and she can't help her brother. Her big brother that would do anything for her. She doesn't want Rick to die. Blake wouldn't know how she would be if he died.
She can't even let herself think like that.
Blake needed to start planning her leave. After a while of of crying, she stopped. She needed to get to work.
Letting out a deep breath, she rubbed her eyes before standing up to check her reflection on one of the mirrors. She rubbed away the tear traces on her face. She is fine. Everything is good. She will work and go ask for some time off. Once that is settled, she will tell Michael that dinner is off. Well, it be best to tell him now. The last thing is to get Michael excited about dinner later the entire day and ruin it later when she tells him. He will be in the ER at this time.
Gathering her wits, she left the locker room to find her boyfriend. She walked past a few nurses, giving them smiles as greetings. There is no need for anyone to know what's happening in her life. She just needs to tell Michael.
"Blakey!" The brunette heard someone call her. She turned around to see Veronica Vazquez, one of Blake's friends in the hospital. She is a fellow resident focusing in orthopedics. She was shorter than Blake, standing at around 5'4 with shoulder length black hair and dark, brown eyes. She was pretty. Blake instantly smiled at her friends presence, "Hey, Ronnie".
Ronnie walked alongside Blake, "I am going to do an knee replacement later. All by myself!" Ronnie exclaimed, jumping a bit in excitement. She moved to walk backwards, facing Blake while doing so. Blake looked ahead to make sure her friend didn't crash with someone or something. "Kane finally let me do one. I know it is pretty basic and done often, but I get to do it by myself! I will be the one taking the lead while Kane watches. I have been memorizing the procedure the entire week", Ronnie rambled.
"That's great!", Blake placed her hands on the shorter woman's shoulders and moved her from crashing onto a nurse. "Maybe we can have lunch later? I'm in a bit of a hurry right now"
"Sure, I'll see you in the cafeteria at around 1" Ronnie quickly agreed before Blake went off to find her boyfriend. Right now, she just had one task in mind. So, she will settle with doing anything else later.
The ER was loud. There were a lot of coughing and some yelling. She looked around to see Michael holding a patient down. The patient was drenched with sweat and pale. "Let me go!" The man moaned as he tried to leave, but Michael held him down.
"Sir, you dropped in the middle of the sidewalk! I can't let you go", Michael said over the man before calling a nurse to give the sick man a light sedative. The sick man coughed and coughed, until blood came out. Some of the blood landed on Michael's face, a bit into his mouth. The doctor simply grimaced, using his arm to wipe away the blood.
Blake got a towel and walked towards him to wipe away the blood, and the nurse injected the man with a sedative. Michael let go of the man when he began to act a bit sluggish before turning to the brunette. "Thanks", he said as he got hold of the towel to wipe away some of the blood around his neck. Glancing back at the sick man, he was crossed eyed and his breathing had slowed down.
"You are going to have to do some tests, just to make sure he wasn't infected with anything", Blake stated as she looked at him with worry. He nodded, wiping off all the blood on him.
"Yeah, I know. Just when I was having a good day", he sighed as he threw away the towel before turning to the brunette with a curious gaze. "What's up? I usually page you when it's General"
Blake but her lip, glancing around before she grabbed his arm and lured him somewhere a bit more private. She led him outside, where the ambulances arrive. There wasn't anyone near. They were completely alone.
"Look, I am not the type to be intimidated by a talk, but this is making me feel like I'm in trouble. Which, it shouldn't because I haven't done anything --" Michael began to ramble, his hands moving as he spoke.
"No, no -- no thing like that", Blake shook her head at his words, and he took that as an answer. He wasn't in trouble.
"Woo" he sighed, wiping his forehead to show how relived he was. "Cool, because you had this serious look on your face, which looks really good on you, but I do not like it because it makes me feel like something is wrong". He smiled a bit, thinking that there wasn't anything wrong. Well, anything severe, like someone dying.
Blake dug her nails into the palm of her hand, twisting it as she averted her gaze to the wall. She needed to distance herself from what happened so she doesn't tear up and begin crying. "So, raincheck on tonight. I just got a call that Rick, my brother --who is the Sherriff's deputy-- I think I told you that. I am not sure if you would remember. I might have mentioned it in passing", she shook her head once she realized she was rambling. However, Michael did not interrupt her nor told her to hurry up. He gave her the time she needed to talk.
Taking a deep breath, she decided to just go out with it. " My brother got shot, and he is in surgery right now back home. I am going to ask for some time off, and I am going to stay with him for a few days".
Once she finished speaking, Michael walked towards her and pulled her in for a hug. She did not hesitate to wrap her arms around his waist and let herself be comforted by him. His face was on her neck, " Do what you need to do". He was not angry. Why would he? Dinner can take place some other day. Blake needs to be with her brother. "Do you want me to go with you? I can take some days off and --"
"No", she shook her head and began to pull away. She sniffled a bit, but she decided to not cry. "You are needed here. I can tell my attending to assign my cases to another resident", she smiled sadly at him. "But I appreciate the offer. I just wanted to tell you know, because I did not want you to be upset later when you have been looking forward for this date".
He scoffed, "Pfft, no. I was not looking forward for it. I was dreading it. I was thinking how boring it was going to be. Going to a fancy, Italian place with my beautiful girlfriend -- ew, no".
Blake couldn't help but laugh at his words. Seeing her laugh, he dropped the act and smiled at her. "I want you to text me updates. I want to know how you and your brother are".
"You just want to make a good impression on him when he wakes up", she laughed and he shrugged before nodding. "Okay, yes. The guy is a cop. That is a bit intimidating, and I am older than you and your brother, so I have to start off somewhere".
Blake leaned forwards and pressed her lips against his for a kiss. He hummed, pleased with her actions. It didn't last long, about 5 seconds before pulling away. "As long as I'm happy, he won't care", she smirked slightly.
"Do I make you happy?"
"I do not want to elevate your ego anymore than it is -- but yes"
As you have seen, I have wrote something from Blake's past. I'm on the fence on whether I should do more. This was just a spur of the moment type of thing than soon turned into 4900 words. Nonetheless, give me your thoughts on whether you guys would like me to write chapters like these, where Blake is in the moment, or Blake recalling the past during the Zombie apocalypse. I won't write too much on the past, though. I suppose I'll do it when it feels right. Next chapter, I'll follow the show and see how Blake reacts to going to the CDC. Thank you for reading, I hope you guys have a good week.
- Victoria