Mark stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes in the morning light, and grabbing for his glasses. He rummaged around in a cupboard, reaching to the back and pulling out a cereal box, then getting a bowl from the sink and some milk from the fridge. He poured his breakfast out, and, taking a spoonful as he went, walked into the lounge. As he went to clear a space on the couch to sit down, he picked up a pizza box and stopped. He stood staring at it for a moment, before swallowing rapidly and putting down his cereal on the nearest surface. He looked around frantically, then rushed down the hallway and stuck his head around the door of the guest room, which was hanging open.
Doug? Doug, you there?
The room echoed back, and Mark turned around and went back to the lounge, going to the phone. Unfortunately, the phone, being cordless, was not where he thought it was, and Mark spent several minutes digging down the sides of chairs and looking under journals, until it rang from the kitchen. He ran in there.
Jenn can I talk to you later? I'm kinda
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine, I just have toI'm dealing with a situation here, and I need to use the phone.
Oh. Okay, I'll speak to you later. But I'm not going to be in this evening, so if you can call sometime during the day..
Sure, fine. Speak later. He hung up, then pressed speed dial and put the phone to his ear. It rang several times before a sleepy voice answered.
Mark? Oh, hi, sorry, I was
Were you asleep? I am so sorry. But I have to tell you something, it's about Doug
Doug? Well, he's here if you want to talk to him?
? He's with you?
I'll just put him on
No, wait a secCarol? Carol
"Hi Douganything happen last night I should know about?"
"Mark...."
"Relax Doug, it was a joke."
"Not funny."
"So...ahem...you still gonna talk to Romano today?"
"Yep."
"Does Carol know?"
"Not yet."
"What? She doesn't know? You have to tell her."
"Relax Mark, I'm going to – you don't need to tell me what to do ALL the time...I'll see you there."
"Ok, bye."
"Carol....I'm going to County today, and I'm gonna talk to Romano about getting my job back."
Carol started laughing.
"Something funny?"
"Oh my god you're serious."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Doug...."
"I don't believe this, you're gonna be just like Mark about it, I came here because I thought you would understand."
"Doug, calm down, I do understand, I understand that you want your old job back, but Doug...is it really realistic to think that Romano will hire you back?"
"See, you and Mark seem to be forgetting one thing, I wasn't fired, I quit...remember?"
"Oh, I remember."
"So, are you coming with me or not?"
"Yes, of course...oh, but, the twins."
What about them?
I have today off – I only work four days a week at the moment, got my contract reduced to five shifts so I can spend more time with the girls. So unless I can find a sitter, I can't really come with you.
Just bring them.
What? To the hospital? With all those germs?
Relax. Kids meet enough germs from you alone everyday. The likelihood of them catching anything while they're there is tiny. I'm a paediatrician, remember?!
Yeah...well, how long are we going to be? I'm still not staying there for more than an hour.
Well, I'll be as quick as I can.
Some time later they arrived at County. After battling their way through all the patients, they made it up to Romano's office on the top floor. Carol had a huge baby bag on one shoulder, and carried one twin on the other, and Doug has the other baby draped across his right shoulder. He still seemed a little daunted by the presence of the babies, knowing that they are his own. Just as Doug was about to knock on the office door, they heard a voice behind them.
Ah, excuse me? Are you here to see Dr. Romano?
Uh, yeah. Just a quick talk is all.
Well, he's not there. He's in the ER today, monitoring something or other, I can't remember what. But if you want to see him, I suggest you try and catch him down there.
Oh, thanks.
They went back to the elevators, Doug relieving Carol of the bag as she tried to switch it to the other shoulder and juggle a baby.
When they reached the ER, Romano could not be seen anywhere. But none of the staff failed to see Doug, or the twins. Immediately a crowd of nurses surrounded them, with passing doctors and patients also peering in to see what the fuss was about. The crowd cleared to reveal Haleh holding one baby, cooing at it, and Carter holding the other one up in the air, while Malik shook hands with Doug, offering him a game of basketball. However, after this initial reaction, it wasn't long before everyone got called away to various traumas and sutures, leaving Doug and Carol holding their children once again. Carol wrinkled her nose and hands Doug Kate at a distance.
Ugh, here, go change her.
She needs a new diaper. I'll wait at the desk with Tess, you go change her in a spare room or something.
Doug's eyes widened, and then fell into a grimace as he took Kate. He looked at her.
You see that? You see what your mother is making me do on my very first day knowing you? Huh? He wandered off, still talking to her, into exam one, where he saw an empty gurney. Carol watched him go, with a smirk on her face.
Doug laid Kate down on the gurney but just before he started changing her, he heard a kid screaming from the next room.
What the...
He picked Kate up and went over to the next room and saw a female doctor standing by the bed of a patient, about five years old, and the kid's mother looking worriedly at the doctor.
Do you have to? I mean, he really hates needles
Sorry, but yes I do have to.
Are you sure? He's so scared, look at him
He's just going to have to deal with it for a moment. It won't take long.
She filled a syringe, facing her patient, who screamed even louder and tried to escape, attempting to jump off the bed. But the doctor grabbed him and twisted him round, holding him tight and still. Just as she touched the kid's back with the needle, and the kid took a deep breath to scream again, Doug came in. He looked mad, but was obviously trying to contain it.
Hi...umm...what on earth are you doing to this kid to make him scream so much?
Lumbar Puncture.
Ugh...an LP. Those are no fun.
Nope...Who are you?
Dr. Doug Ross, I used to work here. Peds attending.
Oh, I'm Cleo Finch, nice to meet you.
Same here, symptoms?
The patient, what are his symptoms
Sore throat, some nausea, fever, and this rash.
What?! And you're doing an LP on him?
I'm ruling everything out, make sure I didn't miss anything. I suspect it may be meningitis.
The mother stood up, horrified.
Cleo looked her way blankly, and then turned back to Doug, who is staring back at her aghast.
So, you are doing an unnecessary painful procedure just to cover your ass? He whispered dangerously. She didn't respond, continuing to start straight at him. Doug broke the glare and looked to the patient and his mother.
Ma'am, don't worry, I'm sure it isn't meningitis. Dr. Finch here is just doing this to be on the safe side. He turned away to leave the room, and glowered at Cleo again, before marching out. He went back to Carol, still at the desk.
Carol, change her for me? I have to sort something out.
Doug, don't think you can get out of diaper changing that easy!
No, this is serious. Please, I'll change them both later. I need to find Carter or someone, you know where he is?
Carol's eyes widened a little.
Uh, no, I don't. Cleo is in exam one, if you need someone.
She's the problem.
Carter walked up.
Did I hear someone say they need a doctor?
Yea, that med student in exam one is doing an LP on a five year old with symptoms of nothing more than the
"Med student?"
"Yeah, said her name was Finch."
"She isn't a med student, she's our new pedes doctor."
"Who hired her?"
Carter looked around, Carol interrupted.
"What are the symptoms Doug?"
"Sore throat, some nausea, fever, and a rash. C'mon, Carter."
Doug headed for the exam room with Carter on his heels. Doug crashed the door open into the room to see, and hear, that Cleo was about half way into the tap. The kid was screaming louder than ever, and his mother and Chuni were having problems keeping him still. Doug stopped, with Carter behind him, and Carol in the doorway. He looked at Cleo, who was reaching for a tube to collect the spinal fluid, and his anger boiled over. He turned to Carter.
"You gonna make her stop, Carter?"
"Umm."
"Look what she's doing. A kid with the flu. It's not fair on him, or his mother, or the insurance company! You have to stop her!"
"I really don't think I can, Doug."
"What?!"
"She's already started Doug, let her finish."
There was a pause as Doug stared at Carter.
"Fine, if you won't I will."
"What?"
Doug turned around and marched over to Cleo. He took the fluid tube from her and shoved her out of the way. He leant close to the needle in the patient's back and removed it slowly, talking to the kid as he did it. The kid's screaming quietened a little as Doug talked to him, but as he does so, Carol shouted from the doorway,
"What the hell are you doing Doug?"
He looked up at her, removing the drapes.
"It had to be done."
Carter whispered to Cleo, who looked mildly shell shocked, but fuming with rage as well.
"Dr. Finch, go get Dr. Greene...NOW!
Cleo gave Doug a long, hard stare and left, returning shortly with Mark.
"What's going on Carter?"
"Doug removed a partially done LP from this patient."
"What?"
"Look Mark, the kid has the flu, and Dr. Finch here decided to give him an LP. He"
"It doesn't matter Doug, it was her patient and you had no right to interfere. Now...you get Carol, and you go home."
"I've got to talk to Romano."
"Not anymore you don't. I can't believe you think you can waltz back in here and go ahead and do exactly the sort of thing that lost you your job last time. Get out.
Doug looked at him, ripped off his gloves, and marched out.
He caught up with Carol in the staff lounge, bumping into her by the doorway. She had her coat on, and was carrying both babies and the bag.
Whoa, Carol, where are you going?
Home? Wait a moment
No, Doug, I won't wait. I waited before, and I supported you before on an issue like this, and a fat lot of good it was then. You disappear off to the other side of the country, then return a year later, tail between your legs because nowhere else will take you. For some reason, you convinced yourself you could get your job back, and you convinced me that there might have been a chance too. And for a moment there, I believed you. And I was so happy, I thought you actually cared. But now you've just blown any chance you might have had of getting your job back and I am sick of standing by while you deliberately go against the book. You haven't just ruined my life this time, you've ruined their lives too. Don't you ever think about anyone else? She nodded at the twins and slams out of the room and the ER.
Doug was left standing in the lounge, alone, holding his coat.