A Step Further
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"Nice to see you back" Carter said, passing Luka to wipe a name off the board.
"Thanks" Luka answered, intent on the clipboard Abby had handed him.
"How's Ria?" Carter persisted. Luka looked up, refocusing on his friend's question.
"Uh, she's good" he answered, "She's taking the kids to Central today to get them registered for school. Then she's going to look for a job"
"A job?" Carter repeated, surprised.
"Yeah. She's a certified pyschologist you know" Luka answered, still annoyed that she needed a job, despite the fact that she wanted one.
"Yeah I know" Carter replied, lowering his voice a little so that only Luka could hear him, "But I thought you didn't want her to get a job"
"Well, that changed. We need the money for a new house" Luka told him and returned his attention to his clipboard. Carter moved off and Luka swore under his breath as he read what he hadn't wanted to read. His paitent had lung cancer. He sighed and went to the room she was waiting in. He didn't understand how someone so young could have developed this kind of disease, she only looked to be about 18 or 19.
"Hi, Mary." he said as he pulled a chair up to her bedside. She had come in complaining of chest pains and difficulty breathing, no wonder he now realized. Her mother and father stood to the side, and Luka noticed a pack of cigarettes in her father's breast pocket, as well as her mother's see-through plastic purse.
"Mary, your tests came back, and they're conclusive" he paused, not wanting to reveal this travesty but realizing the pause was overly dramatic, "You have lung cancer" The shock was evident on the family's faces.
"Are you sure?" her mother gasped. Luka nodded.
"How long have you and your husband been smoking, Mrs. Davis?" he asked as gently as he could. The implications dawned on the parents then and the woman glanced at her purse where her pack of Salems was very visible.
"I....I don't know. Twenty years, longer." she stammered.
"Are you saying that our smoking gave Mary cancer?" her father demanded, somewhat defensive.
"It's hard to say right now, but it's very possible. If Mary has been living with second hand smoke since she was born, it's likely that's how her lung cancer developed" Luka answered, looking back at Mary who had tears in her eyes. Luka suddenly wished he had the empathy his wife had to deal with situations like this. Then a stroke of brilliance struck him, but it would have to wait for a moment.
"Well, there's something you can do, right?" Mary was asking, "You can operate or something?" Luka shook his head dismaly.
"No, it's too advanced for operation" he replied sadly, "There's always chemo and radiation, but that's something you're going to have to discuss with a cancer specialist" He knew it was time for him to leave and relinquish this scared young girl to different, if not better, hands. He pulled the pen out of his pocket and scribbled a number on the bottom of his paper and ripped it off. He rose and extended the scrap to Mary.
"I know this is going to be hard for you" he told her quietly, "This is someone I know. She'll help you if you need it" Mary took the paper and, with a furitive nod and smile, Luka left the room. As he walked through the hall, he heard his name called and turned to find a nurse with another clipboard in her hand.
"Girl in ops" the woman said, handing him the board, "Stab to the lower abdomen." Luka took the board and hurried off. The girl again looked to be about 18 or 19 and Luka wondered what it was that he was getting all these young girls today. In each one of their faces he could see Caroline or Ailleen and it worried him.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Kovac" he told her, "And I'll be your doctor for this evening"
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"Nice to see you back" Carter said, passing Luka to wipe a name off the board.
"Thanks" Luka answered, intent on the clipboard Abby had handed him.
"How's Ria?" Carter persisted. Luka looked up, refocusing on his friend's question.
"Uh, she's good" he answered, "She's taking the kids to Central today to get them registered for school. Then she's going to look for a job"
"A job?" Carter repeated, surprised.
"Yeah. She's a certified pyschologist you know" Luka answered, still annoyed that she needed a job, despite the fact that she wanted one.
"Yeah I know" Carter replied, lowering his voice a little so that only Luka could hear him, "But I thought you didn't want her to get a job"
"Well, that changed. We need the money for a new house" Luka told him and returned his attention to his clipboard. Carter moved off and Luka swore under his breath as he read what he hadn't wanted to read. His paitent had lung cancer. He sighed and went to the room she was waiting in. He didn't understand how someone so young could have developed this kind of disease, she only looked to be about 18 or 19.
"Hi, Mary." he said as he pulled a chair up to her bedside. She had come in complaining of chest pains and difficulty breathing, no wonder he now realized. Her mother and father stood to the side, and Luka noticed a pack of cigarettes in her father's breast pocket, as well as her mother's see-through plastic purse.
"Mary, your tests came back, and they're conclusive" he paused, not wanting to reveal this travesty but realizing the pause was overly dramatic, "You have lung cancer" The shock was evident on the family's faces.
"Are you sure?" her mother gasped. Luka nodded.
"How long have you and your husband been smoking, Mrs. Davis?" he asked as gently as he could. The implications dawned on the parents then and the woman glanced at her purse where her pack of Salems was very visible.
"I....I don't know. Twenty years, longer." she stammered.
"Are you saying that our smoking gave Mary cancer?" her father demanded, somewhat defensive.
"It's hard to say right now, but it's very possible. If Mary has been living with second hand smoke since she was born, it's likely that's how her lung cancer developed" Luka answered, looking back at Mary who had tears in her eyes. Luka suddenly wished he had the empathy his wife had to deal with situations like this. Then a stroke of brilliance struck him, but it would have to wait for a moment.
"Well, there's something you can do, right?" Mary was asking, "You can operate or something?" Luka shook his head dismaly.
"No, it's too advanced for operation" he replied sadly, "There's always chemo and radiation, but that's something you're going to have to discuss with a cancer specialist" He knew it was time for him to leave and relinquish this scared young girl to different, if not better, hands. He pulled the pen out of his pocket and scribbled a number on the bottom of his paper and ripped it off. He rose and extended the scrap to Mary.
"I know this is going to be hard for you" he told her quietly, "This is someone I know. She'll help you if you need it" Mary took the paper and, with a furitive nod and smile, Luka left the room. As he walked through the hall, he heard his name called and turned to find a nurse with another clipboard in her hand.
"Girl in ops" the woman said, handing him the board, "Stab to the lower abdomen." Luka took the board and hurried off. The girl again looked to be about 18 or 19 and Luka wondered what it was that he was getting all these young girls today. In each one of their faces he could see Caroline or Ailleen and it worried him.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Kovac" he told her, "And I'll be your doctor for this evening"