Doctor, Doctor
Disclaimer: I own nothing that doesn't belong to me!
Sooooo,
this was honestly kind of a shot in the dark in terms of a fanfiction. I wrote this up during the summer and have since been debating on posting it...especially cause I'm not too sure how my other Yu Yu Hakusho fanfics (Of Angels and Demons, Seraphina and the Golden Seal) are doing on this site.
But hey, it's 2021, figured I'd take a chance.
Please let me know what you think!
Onward!
Sighing heavily I sat down on the couch in the staff room reserved for attendings, a bag of potato chips in hand. Letting my head fall back onto the couch my eyes slide closed, mentally praying that I could have a single moment of peace to eat. The hospital had been unusually busy today, but the heat wave that was currently hitting the city was a big part of that.
The door behind me swings open and closed, a now familiar voice speaking up smoothly.
"You look tired, Dr. Abrams. Long night?" I open my eyes, not bothering to lift my head as I simply let it flop towards the side that his voice had come from. I'm met with the most brilliant green eyes, far more vibrant than my own, and long, shockingly red hair.
Dr. Minamino, the hottest new addition to our humble hospital.
His handsome face had graced us only months ago, but he has made a huge impact on the success rates here at Tokyo General. It was clear from his first successful emergency surgery that this guy wasn't just looks. Dr. Minamino was incredibly intelligent, and worked well in high pressured situations. He could think on his feet, something I had come to admire about him.
Besides his looks, that is.
"I'm currently on my eighteenth hour, ten of which I spent on a man who had a piece of metal shoved through his forehead." I answer with a soft groan. Whilst Dr. Minamino worked with trauma and emergency surgeries, I had gone a different route long before he had been hired on during my residency here. Neurosurgery held a certain thrill I found I couldn't get from other specialties. I loved the constant challenges that it presented, and the delicate and precise work it took to be successful. I opened my bag of chips, before lifting it up in offer towards the red-headed doctor. He sits down, smiling gratefully before taking some chips from the bag.
"Ah, so you must have gotten the car crash victim from this morning that I had heard the residents talking about. How did that go?" He asked lightly.
"Didn't make it." I frown deeply, swallowing back the disappointment I felt once more, and the guilt that had overwhelmed me when I had to inform his family what had happened. It was never easy, no matter how much you convinced yourself you did everything you could. In this case the damage had been too great by the time I could finally get in there. The patient had hemorrhaged out right there on my operating table.
"I'm sorry." Minamino states sincerely. I nod, taking a chip and eating it, even though it tasted like ash the minute I bit down.
"It happens. Somethings there really is nothing you can do." I reply, Minamino sighing softly as he takes another chip from the bag I had left between us. "So, how are things with your residents going?" I ask, wanting to move onto a much lighter topic.
Making fun of the baby-doctors always seemed to do the trick.
"Well, the one is honestly completely insufferable. He keeps blaming his mistakes on the others." Minamino frowns.
"Ah, yes, I think I know which one you're talking about. Takahashi, right? He was on my rotation last week. I noticed the same thing." I laugh then. "Nakamura is still too enraptured by you to pay attention." Minamino's cheeks tinge slightly red at this. "Seriously. I was in the middle of trying to teach them how to properly preform a tracheotomy when you breezed through the ER, and she missed the entire thing!"
"I hope you gave her some redirection after that." He sighs heavily, rubbing his hand embarrassingly over the top of his head.
"Oh, I gave her redirection alright. They don't call me the 'The Witch' for nothing. She was lancing boils the next day instead of observing my surgery clipping a brain aneurysm." I smirk playfully, Minamino laughing lightly.
"Honestly, I don't remember making up such horrendous names for the attendings while I was in residency." He sighs, moving his left arm to rest over the back of the couch. He picks his right leg up, placing his ankle on top of his left knee and relaxing back even more.
"I do." I supply honestly, getting a surprised look from him. "We called her Hades, Ruler of the Underworld, because she would send you down to autopsy when you fucked up." I smirk, and Minamino lets out a true laugh, smiling widely.
"You still manage to surprise me, Dr. Abrams."
"Sometimes I even surprise myself." I shrug my shoulders easily, before looking towards the window. "I can't believe this heat wave we're in right now. Makes me miss home."
"Canada, right?" Minamino clarifies, and I nod my head. "Would it be snowing there right now?" I can't help snorting lightly in amusement at the common stereotype.
"No, no. We're in the middle of summer there too." I shake my head, smiling a bit more. "My Mom actually texted me the other day saying we were breaking records there as well."
"I hope your parents are staying cool." Minamino states, frowning slightly as he looks out the window past me as well.
"I think they're doing alright. How about your Mother and Step-Father?" I ask politely, and he smiles, shrugging his shoulders.
"They are as well as can be expected."
"So, do you have any plans after you're done your shift?" I ask lightly, knowing he usually didn't partake in the nearby bar like most of the Doctors typically do after their shift. I wasn't much of a drinker myself, but some days you needed a stiff one before you go home, and badly. Today felt like it was turning into one of those days.
"I wasn't thinking of much. Probably going home. Why?" Minamino asks, tilting his head curiously at me.
'He looks so cute like that.' I can't help thinking, forcing back a blush. "I'm going to head to Tanakshi's Tankard after my shift and get a drink. Wouldn't mind a buddy to go with?" I ask, hoping he didn't misinterpret this as me hitting on him. I mean, come on, a guy like him interested in a girl like me? That's so laughable it actually isn't funny at all.
I wasn't terrible to look at by any means, but I definitely wasn't movie star gorgeous like Minamino either. Standing at five foot six I was a little heftier than I honestly should be, especially considering I work in the health profession. I was obviously westernized in my looks, with large dark green eyes and long, light brown hair that fell in waves down to my lower back when I actually had it out of it's usual ponytail. I had freckles all over my face and arms, thanks to my Scottish ancestry. Where I came from I was average, overweight, but average.
'And here I'm probably considered obese.' I think dryly to myself, easily able to see Minamino's strong physic even under his buttoned shirt and slacks, his lab coat opened fully down the middle.
"That sounds agreeable to me, especially in this heat." Minamino agrees, and I try not to look too surprised.
Or absolutely fucking ecstatic.
"Awesome!" My phone goes off, and I look down to see 9-1-1-ER on it. My feet were already protesting, and I hadn't even gotten up off of the couch yet. I hand my unfinished bag of chips to Minamino, who gives me a look of sympathy as I stand. "Alright, meet you there for six?" I ask lightly, and he nods. "Cool. I'll see you there, Dr. Minamino." I salute him jokingly, before heading around the couch to the door.
"Shuichi." I pause, my hand on the handle, turning to look at him curiously as he stared at me over his shoulder from the couch. "My name is Shuichi. If we're going to be drinking buddies tonight, I feel some informality may be in order."
Shuichi…I liked the way it sounded. It suited him.
"Shuichi…" I let the name roll off of my tongue for testing, before nodding. "Alright, well then you might as well call me Lisa. It's better than having to call me Elizabeth, at least."
"Alright, Lisa." Shuichi smiled kindly, and I can't help the shiver that rushes down my spine when he says my name so smoothly. I give another smile, my hand shaking slightly as I turn the handle and step out into the busy hallway.
Since when had the name Lisa ever sounded so sexy?
Walking into the bar at six it was hardly in high gear. This was the time to be here, long before the kids got out and started to party. The sweet spot for a peaceful environment to just sit back and enjoy some wine was from between five to eight in the evening. Looking around I spot familiar red hair, my anxiety settling once I saw him.
'So he didn't forget…or ditch.' I think to myself happily, rationalizing that this was just a friend thing to begin with. I think with our jobs we could both silently and mutually agree that we were in dire need of some.
"Ah, Lisa! Glad to see you survived the rest of your shift." Shuichi greeted me with a million dollar smile that had me weak at the knees.
'Oh stop it, you're not desperate.' I think to myself irritably, sitting down a little heavier due to the weakness in my knees. I smile, setting my purse down by my feet. "Just barely. I was on ER rotation for the rest of the afternoon." I sigh heavily. "It was rather boring. Just cases of heat stroke and dehydration."
"How thrilling." Shuichi agreed dryly, sarcasm very clear in his voice. I take a moment to take him in, having very rarely seen him in anything other than the outfits he wore under his lab coat. He had forgone the green button down shirt in favor of a red, loose muscle shirt that somehow complimented rather than clashed with his hair.
'Or maybe I'm just too focused on the bulging muscles in his shoulders and arms?' I think to myself, trying my best not to stare too long at his tanned skin and embarrass myself. "I'm not used to seeing you in street clothes." I comment lightly, sitting back casually in my chair.
At least, I hope it all sounded and looked casual.
"Neither am I used to seeing you in anything other than business causal." Shuichi remarks lightly, sitting back in his own chair as he throws a muscled arm over the back of it, crossing one of his legs over the other. I note that he's wearing the same black slacks from work. Quickly redirecting my gaze down to my own outfit, I shrug. I was wearing a plain green t-shirt and jeans. "Aren't you warm?" He asks lightly, nodding towards said jeans. Truth be told I was, but there was no way in hell my pasty thunder thighs were being seen in public in shorts.
"Not so much. I went from air conditioned building to air conditioned building. Then from here I go to my air conditioned car, and from there to my air conditioned apartment." I quip easily, shrugging my shoulders.
"True enough." Shuichi comments, before looking to the waiter as she came over to our table. "I'll have whatever is on tap." He turns his gaze towards me. "What about you Lisa?"
"Glass of red wine please." I smile pleasantly at the girl, and she smiles back, nodding before heading back towards the bar.
"Red wine?" Shuichi asks lightly, lifting an eyebrow.
"I could never drink beer. Whiskey and rum, yes, but beer no." I wrinkle my nose in disgust. "I don't exactly feel like getting into the hard stuff this afternoon."
"Fair enough."
The girl brings our drinks, and for a moment we sit in comfortable silence, taking a few sips. Shuichi is the first to break the silence.
"So what made you decide to become a doctor?" He asks, and I blink slightly in surprise. Well, that seemed like a pretty heavy topic coming right out of the gate. After all, most people became Doctors for one of two reasons. Either it was something they found interest in, or it was something they were passionate about doing due to some sort of traumatic event in their life.
Mine was the latter.
"Uh, wow, um, okay." I laugh a little, having honestly not talked about it for a while. "My Grandmother passed away when I was young from breast cancer." I began, Shuichi frowning slightly then. "At first I thought I wanted to be a surgical oncologist, but during my residency I did a rotation with the head of Neurology and I was hooked." I shrug my shoulders. "So here I am."
"I'm sorry to hear about your Grandmother." Shuichi states gently, and I wave him off, smiling softly.
"It was honestly a very long time ago. I was just a kid." I reply, before tilting my head curiously. "Now you're turn."
"My Mother was very ill during my teenage years. She almost died from her disease before having a miraculous recovery." Shuichi smiles some. "After watching how hard the doctors had worked to save my Mother's life, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue. I didn't realize I would take so well to trauma and emergency surgery until my second year of residency. Being able to constantly encounter new things, be brought new challenges…it's something that keeps me on my toes and I enjoy it."
"That's one of the reasons I chose neurosurgery as well." I agree, tipping my glass of wine towards him. "No two surgeries are alike." He tips his glass of beer towards me as well, before we both take a drink once again. "So what made you agree to come out here with me this afternoon? I don't think I've ever seen you here?" I ask lightly, genuinely curious.
"I enjoy your company at work." I was taken aback by the blunt honesty of his words. "There are very few people I have been able to connect with at the hospital since I started. I don't have many friends here." He adds, his voice sounding almost forlorn.
"But you do in your home town?" I ask lightly, and he nods.
"I'd like to go back and visit them all very soon." He smiles lightly. "When was the last time you were home, Lisa?" I furrow my eyebrows, having to think about it.
"Last Christmas." I reply. "It was my niece's first Christmas, actually. I didn't want to miss it."
"No, certainly not. That's something you would want to cherish with your family." He agrees. "So how about you? Why did you ask me to come here?" Shuichi asked then, as I should have predicted, turning the tables on me.
'Because you're mysterious, and I'm curious? Because I honestly think you are so fucking attractive, and when I asked you it was a moment of deranged bravery from exhaustion?'
Because I don't have any friends in this entire country, let alone in this city, and I needed a friend too.
"I don't know anybody here. I've been on my own since I came to Japan for my residency five years ago. I'd like to have a good friend, and you seem like the most genuine person I have met since I moved here." I answer honestly, chewing on my lower lip as he seems to take pause. A dark look passes over his face, but it's gone so quickly I'm sure I imagined it.
"To making new friends, then." Shuichi smiles, lifting his nearly empty glass towards me, and I do the same. Our glasses meet with a light chime that seems to echo through the very empty bar.
It would be nice not to feel so lonely anymore.
A month down the line it became a Wednesday afternoon routine for Shuichi and I to go out for a drink at that same bar. Regardless if we were on call or not, we would meet up and just talk about anything and everything that came to mind. It was nice to feel that I finally had someone to look forward to seeing during my week.
'I wonder if he feels the same?' I can't help but thinking as I tried to read the chart in my hand for the third time in a row. 'Now I feel like some obsessive first year resident drooling over the hot attending.' I groan to myself, and on the fourth try I am finally able to focus enough on the words on the chart to actually take in the information.
"Mr. Sato, it says here you came in with a pretty high fever and a headache. Was there any nausea as well?" I ask as I look up to the pale man, easily able to see a sheen over his forehead from cold sweats.
"Y-yeah. Is there anything you can do for me?" He asks, and I set the chart down. There, on the bottom corner, was a yellow sticker. He was a frequent flyer here, and what he was no doubt experiencing right now was withdrawal.
"I can pump you full of saline to bring your hydration levels up, that should help with the headache." I reply, looking him in the eyes. "Also can give you some acetaminophen for the fever." As I predicted, Mr. Sato shook his head.
"Don't you have anything stronger you can give me?" He begs, his hands shaking as he crosses his arms over his chest and grips onto each opposite arm. "Maybe some morphine for the pain?"
"Pain?" I question, picking his chart back up. "I don't see anything here from your preliminary examination about pain, other than your headache." Lifting a questioning eyebrow, I settle him with a look. He hesitates, clearly understanding that he was being caught in a lie.
He was too desperate to give up, though.
"Oh, lots of pain in my back." He insists.
"Upper or lower?" I ask easily, and he once again hesitates.
"Lower. No, more like around the middle." He decides on.
"Well then, that is probably your kidneys since you're so dehydrated. The saline should help with that as well." I reply evenly, grabbing my pen from my lab coat pocket and scribbling down my orders onto it. "A nurse will be by to start you on the I.V. and get you some acetaminophen. We'll keep you to observe you overnight."
"No, I need more! Please, I really am sick!" The man whimpers, and I feel my heart soften some as I frown more gently.
"I know you are." I murmur back to him, hanging his clipboard back on the end of his bed. "What you're currently going through is withdrawal. It's going to suck. Your body is going to hurt and you're going to feel sick for a while. We're going to keep you overnight to ensure you don't go into shock, but with your permission, I could set you up for a program we run here to help you get clean." I offer. "I'll make sure the nurse leaves a pamphlet for you and we can discuss things further before you're discharged tomorrow." That shuts the man up as he turns his head away from me angrily, clearly understanding he wasn't going to get what he wanted. Sighing softly I turn away myself, going to Nurse Misao and pulling her to the side with me gently.
"What is it, Dr. Abrams?" She asks with a confused look.
"The gentleman in bed five is in the midst of withdrawal. I have left an order for saline and acetaminophen for his discomfort and dehydration. Please do not, under any circumstances, let him out of your sight. If you could bring him a pamphlet about the rehabilitation program here I would appreciate it. Maybe this time he'll reach out for help." I murmur, glancing towards the man as Misao nods in understanding. "Thank you."
"Any time." She responds pleasantly, before leaving to set to the task. This sort of thing was unfortunately an every day occurrence with various different drug addicts that walked through our emergency room doors looking for a fix. It was one of the aspects of the ER rotation I felt I failed at, because as horrible as it sounds I honestly couldn't sympathize very well with those patients in particular.
"I see Mr. Sato is back." A smooth voice comes from beside me as I step up to the nursing station to get my next chart. I sigh, turning to a now very familiar pair of vibrant green eyes.
"So you know the gentleman?" I ask, and Shuichi frowns solemnly, nodding.
"He's usually here during my rotations." He admits, sighing softly. "The poor man needs some serious help."
"They all do." I agree, frowning deeply. "Sometimes I wish there was a way to shut off that addiction switch at the neurological level. I mean, I am a firm believer that at a pure biological level some of these men and women never stood a chance."
"I've heard there is some research being done in Switzerland on that matter." Shuichi comments lightly.
"I have too." I admit, flipping my chart open to see what I had to deal with next. The telephone at the nursing station rings, the nurse there answering it. She frowns, looking up to the both of us.
"We have an incoming trauma. The guy ran out in front of a bus!" She exclaims in disbelief, and I look to Shuichi wide eyed. He looks to me, equally surprised, before we both go bounding towards ER bay. I grab a gown, Shuichi quickly following and doing the same, and just as we rushed out of the sliding doors the sirens could be heard coming around the corner. I shove on my gloves, standing next to Shuichi as my heart begins to race.
This was the fucking adrenaline rush I lived for.
"City bus verses pedestrian!" The paramedic inside the ambulance calls to us as he swings open the doors. "Man, age thirty, vitals very unstable. He's flat-lined twice on us on the way here." He goes on as we help to lower the gurney from the ambulance to the ground.
"We'll take him to Trauma Room Four." Shuichi shouts to the nurses as we rush through with the man on either side, the paramedics following closely behind with the monitors he was still attached to. As soon as we get in there I work to disengage him from their monitors, and reattach the victim to our own. Looking up I frown as I see his blood pressure and heart rate. It was low, dangerously low from the severe internal bleeding he no doubt had.
"The guy is hypovolemic!" I frown, Shuichi moving his hands over the man's body to check his pelvis along with his stomach to check for unusual bugling.
"There is fluid in the belly, but his pelvis is luckily still intact." Shuichi frowns, before taking the ultrasound that was rolled in at that moment and quickly directing it over the man's mid-section. "I'll have to get in there and take his spleen by the looks of things. Once I open him up I'll have a better look at the damage as well."
"You might want to hold on that." I murmur, having grabbed my flashlight and peeled open his eyes to gaze into them. "His pupils are blown." I frown deeply. "He's bleeding into his brain. If I don't take care of that first, the rest won't matter."
"So what do you suggest we do?" Shuichi asks, gazing at me.
"Let's get him up to the OR. I can drill some burr holes into his head to reduce the swelling long enough for you to get in there and take out his spleen." I strategize, and Shuichi nods, clearly on board with the idea. The nurse standing at the ready reaches for the phone, calling up to the OR to have them set it up for both my procedure, and Shuichi's. We both wheel him out to the elevator as fast as we both can, and as we get to the surgical floor the surgical nurses take over to prep him as Shuichi and I go into the side room to prep ourselves. After getting on our surgical gowns and masks we both set the same pace to clean our hands with antimicrobial soap. Looking up through into the operation room a I scrub each finger, ensuring to get under my nails as much as possible, I can see that the nurses have set him up with O negative blood. The anesthesiologist walks in briskly, and the patient is down just before Shuichi and I come through the doors and the nurses help us both with getting on our surgical gloves.
I go to the top of the table, where they have places the patient's head in a brace. Grabbing the sterilized drill from the table I quickly set to creating burr holes, having to work blindly since there wasn't time to do a scan to see exactly where the hematoma was located. There were strategic places to create burr holes that would allow pressure to be relieved, no matter where the hematoma was, and luckily I was trained by the best. Relief floods through me when I pull the drill back, and blood seeps out from the burr hole I had created. Looking up at his stats on the monitor, they seem to level out.
"Well done, Doctor." Shuichi compliments from where he stands next to the man's mid-section. "I have it from here." He adds, turning then and holding his hand out for the scalpels that the surgical nurse hands him.
"I would like to assist, if that is alright Dr. Minamino." I speak up then as I move to stand on the other side of the table. Shuichi looks up from where he is about to make the incision. His eyes are warm, and even with the mask on his face I can tell he is smiling.
"I would welcome the help." He replies kindly, before looking back down at the task at hand. I feel butterflies flutter in my stomach at his acceptance, stepping forward and grabbing a retractor.
Together, we both worked to save this man's life.
"See?! This is the high that I crave!" I can't help celebrating as I spin on the sidewalk playfully, the cool night air a relief against my warm face. Five hours later and the man was in stable condition in the ICU thanks to Shuichi's massive efforts once he had finally gotten in. Not only had the man ruptured his spleen, but his liver and right kidney had taken severely damaged as well. Shuichi had tackled both the unforeseen issues without hesitation, making me admire him even more as a surgeon.
"Yes, I know what you mean." Shuichi chuckled good-naturedly from behind me as I stop twirling to come into step with him.
"I can't honestly think of a single thing that I've ever experienced that is better than saving a life." I go on with a happy sigh, before blushing slightly realizing how cheesy that sounded. "I sound like one of those doctors off of those crappy medical shows."
"Only a little." Shuichi offers with a kind smile. "After all, saving lives really is why you typically become a doctor, cheesy or not." He shrugs his shoulders easily. "But I can think of something that feels just as good." He adds lowly.
Say what?
In my shock at the clear insinuation in his voice I fail to step up properly, the tip of my shoe hitting uneven pavement and sending me flying forward. With reflexes I had never even dreamed he would have, I feel strong arms wrap around me and pull me back against an equally strong chest.
When I say strong, I mean strong.
After all, I was a hefty girl, so for Shuichi to not only be able to catch me only inches from the ground, but to be able to pull me back up…that was a feat I had honestly never thought would be possible until now.
"You should be more careful, Lisa." Shuichi's voice rumbles in his chest that is still pressed against my back as the scent of roses wafts around me pleasantly.
'He smells so good.' I can't help thinking, as I nod, still in shock. Shuichi chuckles behind me, the muscles of his chest shifting against me as he does. I slowly step away, trying my best to keep the blush under control on my face. As I step away his hands seem to linger, drawing down along my waist slowly and gripping my hips ever so lightly before I step out of his hold altogether.
"Th-" I feel humiliation flood me as my voice cracks. Quickly clearing my throat I try again. "Thank you for catching me." I reply lightly, hoping it wouldn't sound as breathless as I felt in that moment.
When was the last time I had been held against a man like that? Five? Six? Maybe even seven years ago?
"No doubt you're exhausted. I know I am." Shuichi adds, and I know he's trying his best to come up with excuses for my clumsiness. I finally find the bravery to turn to look at him, and when I do I'm met with an expression I had never seen on his face before. He looked almost solemn, but something deep down in my gut pulled hard, telling me it wasn't that. His eyes looked darker for some reason, with flecks of gold I had never noticed before.
That or the light of the street lamp above us was playing tricks on me.
A tense silence comes over the both of us for a moment, before I swallow thickly and break it.
"Well, we should probably both head home then…being so tired and all." I murmur, nodding towards the parking garage we had been heading to together. Shuichi nods, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides before he steps with me in the direction of the parking garage entrance.
"You were amazing today, by the way." Shuichi compliments as we come to my car. I had come to find that he was truly an old fashioned gentleman through and through, and ever since we started hanging out he had taken it upon himself to see me safely to my car when he could.
'Though with that look he had given me just now…I wonder if he's a gentleman in all aspects of his life…' I can't help my dirty thought, fighting back a blush that I could at least pass as bashfulness at his praise just now.
"It was nothing. A burr hole was inconsequential compared to what you did to save that man's life today." I argue lightly, and it was true. I had operated for all of a few minutes, where Shuichi had, had to work for hours to stabilize the patient.
"But the fact that you somehow knew where to make that burr hole and how deep without a scanner up and running for visual, that was very impressive." He goes on, sounding so genuine in his praise.
"I had a very good teacher." I reply, shrugging my shoulders. "He taught me things beyond what the textbooks could. I mean, as he liked to point out, doctors used to have to do burr holes without scans all the time. Some still do in certain countries. He was a medic in the military, and knew first hand from his experiences that the less you feel you need to rely on technology, the better you are for it."
"It sounds like you have picked up on some of his skills." Shuichi reaches around after I use the key fob to unlock my door, opening it for me. The movement brings him nearly chest to chest with him, his breath fanning over my face and making me feel faint. I can't stop my eyes from drifting down to his full lips, so close to my own face, before he leans back slowly.
"I can only hope." I murmur in response, trying to calm my racing heart. Shuichi, meanwhile, looks calm and collected as ever.
"I shall see you in the morning, Lisa. Sleep well." He bids, before turning from me and walking towards his own car parked across the isle and facing my own. I wait till he has turned to face me as he opens his own door, waving at him.
"Have a good night, Shuichi. You deserve it!" I call over to him, and he waves in return with a handsome smile on his face before ducking into his car. I get into my own too, starting it and pulling out before he does, afraid the temptation to stalk him to his home may be too much if he got in front of me.
I needed to get laid…yesterday.
"So, you and Dr. Minamino have been spending a lot of time together. What's up with that?" The interrogation comes another few weeks after the close encounter with Shuichi. Luckily he had never made mention of it again, and I was all too happy to forget how hot and bothered I had been by the time I had reached my apartment. I turn to Nurse Misao, trying to look unimpressed.
"Nothing is going on. We're just friends." I insist, sighing softly as I look back down at the multiple charts in front of me. Five charts, that was all that stood between me and my ticket home for the night. I would grab my tub of ice cream and lounge on my sofa while binge watching my latest addiction.
"For being just friends, he's really went out of his way to make sure he's on the same shift as you for the past two months." Misao goes on, wiggling her eyebrows at me as I look to her in confusion.
"Say what?" I ask, wondering if I had heard her wrong.
"He's been switching shifts with other doctors. Haven't you wondered why he's always working when you are?" I blink at that.
No actually, I hadn't really thought about it.
My shift had rotated at least three times since we started to hang out…and it did seem a little weird that his would rotate exactly like mine…
No, it's coincidence. There was no way he'd go out of his way to make sure we'd be working together.
"Think what you will." I shrug, trying my best to brush it off, but to not sound suspiciously deflective either.
A high pitched scream cuts through the ER.
Standing quickly I rush out from behind the nurse's station to where patients and nurses alike were gathering. I could see the young woman laying on the floor motionless as one of the nurses on duty checks for vitals. By the grim expression on his face, I can tell that it wouldn't be good news.
"Move, people, give us room!" I bark out the order sharply, the crowd of patients finally dispersing as Misao, along with another nurse, rolls a gurney over. They lower it as much as possible as the male nurse and I work together to place a brace around her neck, and then to roll her onto a back board. The four of us work swiftly to lift the young woman up onto the gurney, rolling her into Trauma Room One. As the nurses work to hook her up to the machines, I take my stethoscope and place it on her chest to check for a heart beat. Frowning, I couldn't find one. I look to the machines, now hooked up, seeing that they hadn't registered a pulse either as Misao rolls in the crash cart. I start compressions immediately as she gets the defibrillator ready.
"Charge to 200!" I call to her as the male nurse squirts the jelly onto the paddles for her. I take the paddles just as Shuichi steps into the room with a concerned frown.
"What happened here?" He asks, looking over the young woman on the bed.
"She evidently collapsed in the ER." I reply, before placing the paddles down on her, one just above her heart, and the other on the opposite side, lower under her bra. "Clear!" I shout, before jolting the patient. Her body arches under the shock, before falling back to the bed. I look to the monitor.
Nothing.
I hand the paddles back to Misao and begin compressions once again. "Give her one mg of epi!" I call out, Shuichi coming in now and grabbing the pre-dosed epinephrine from the cart. He delivers the dose, a concerned frown still on his face. I look to the monitor as I continue compressions. Still nothing. "Charge to 250 this time. She's being stubborn." I comment breathlessly, taking the paddles once more and laying them in position. "Clear!" I shout again, administering the shock. Pausing, I hold my breath, watching the monitor intently before frowning deeply.
"She's still in VT." Shuichi frowns as he takes over compressions. "How many rounds so far?"
"Two rounds of CPR and two rounds of shock. One dose of epinephrine." I inform him solemnly, and his eyes grow troubled.
"Let's give her another dose of epi." Shuichi states, his eyes focused on the young woman's face as he continues compressions. I nod, grabbing another needle and administering it. I grab the paddles, waiting for Shuichi to move so I could place them down. "Clear!" I shout, Shuichi raising his hands up to show he wasn't touching the patient. I shock her one last time, begging softly under my breath.
"Come on…come on…" I murmur, watching the monitor intently.
Nothing.
I look towards Shuichi as he looks back towards me grimly.
"How long has she been down?" He asks softly, and I look to the clock in the room.
"Well over twenty minutes." I reply, sighing heavily as I know I'll have to call it. "Time of death, 15:30." I mutter, reluctantly stepping away from the young woman. "Misao, can you find out who she is, and get me her chart? I'll notify next of kin when I figure out what happened here." She nods sadly, frowning deeply.
"I'll be sure to get her personal items off of her before she heads down." She replies gently. I nod, glancing at her one last time, before turning and leaving the room. The sound of the flat line followed me out into the ER.
Air, I needed some air.
I turn to the left, heading for a rarely used entrance into the hospital. Pushing the door open I take in a huge gulp of the hot late afternoon air, finding I felt like I was suffocating even more because of it. Walking over on unsteady legs I brace my hands against the back of a nearby bench, leaning heavily forward.
This was the exact opposite of the high you felt when you saved a life. This was the bottom of the pit or remorse and guilt you felt when you couldn't do your job.
"Hey." His voice is unmistakable by now. I straighten up as Shuichi comes to stand beside me behind the bench. "You did everything you could."
"I know." I reply, and I knew that honestly had. I knew there had been absolutely nothing else I could have done. It didn't make me feel any sort of peace about what had just happened, however. "I think I'm going to wait around for the autopsy report." I add, glancing towards him in the late afternoon light. His red hair looked so vibrant with the orangish glow of the lowering sun, his eyes shining all the more brightly. I could see the sadness on his own face. Nobody took losing a patient easily, not even someone as calm and collected as him. Somehow I found comfort in that.
Suddenly screams could be heard from inside.
"What the…" I frown, turning sharply and rushing around Shuichi back inside. He was right behind me, before pulling me to a stop by my arm at the doorway that led back into the ER. My eyes widened in disbelief and horror.
There, standing in the middle of the ER, was my very deceased patient from moments ago.
Please let me know what you think!
Until next time!
T.O.T.