Chapter 2: Familiar Feelings
"Hey, stranger," Carter greeted Abby at the admit desk a few days later.
Abby turned around to face a bright, cheerful, smiling Carter. All the stress that she was feeling at that moment temporarily left her. How does he do that? She thought. How is it that his voice and smile instantly relax me and make me feel like everything is going to be all right? "Hey," she returned the greeting and the smile.
"What are you doing here? Weren't you here yesterday afternoon when I was on?"
"Yup, I had a nursing shift last night and today I'm playing doctor...err...med student..."
"You've been here since yesterday? Have you slept at all?" There was a note of concern in his voice.
"I got a few hours of sleep last night when it was slow." He didn't look convinced. "Carter, I'm fine, really. Don't worry."
"I'm still you're friend, Abby, and I still care about you."
"I know that."
"Are you sure you're okay to work today?" He put his hand on her shoulder. Abby hadn't realized just how much she missed his touch until that very moment, but she didn't dare let Carter know it.
"I'm fine, Carter, honestly," she tried to assure him. Still, he wasn't convinced...
* * *
A few hours later, Abby's lack of sleep had definitely begun to catch up with her. She couldn't understand it, though. This wasn't the first shift she had worked on little or no sleep. Between nursing shifts, med student shifts, and studying, she hadn't been getting much sleep for months now. She had always been able to handle it before; however, something was different today.
A trauma that she had just finished running had almost taken everything out of her. A boy with a GSW to the chest had come in. They had to intubate him and even crack his chest. They worked on him for close to forty-five minutes, but they hadn't been able to get him back...
Maybe if I went across the street and got something to eat I might feel better, she thought. She couldn't quite remember the last time she'd eaten...
"Hey, Abby, could you suture the scalp lac in three for me? I'm swamped," a frazzled Susan asked her from behind a stack of charts. She looked pretty tired and hungry herself.
"Sure," Abby answered. I can handle sutures, she thought to herself. Afterward, she decided, she'd take a break and get something to eat.
* * *
"He got a new pair of rollerblades for his birthday, and he was trying them out. I told him to wear his helmet..." The mother in three was relating to Abby the story of how her son had gotten injured. Abby was only half- listening. I seemed to be taking all of her concentration just to keep her sutures straight.
"I was skating across the garage to get it, Mom," the boy turned to face his mother.
"You have to keep your head still," Abby instructed.
The mother continued, "You could have really hurt yourself. You're lucky it's only a cut."
"I'm sorry, Mom," the boy apologized.
"If anything would have happened to you..." The mother's voice drifted off, but Abby was listening anymore anyway. She blinked a couple of times to clear her vision. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She felt a little dizzy. She tried to finish; she only had about two stitches to go, but suddenly everything went black...
* * *
"I need some help in here," the mother shouted out into the ER. Jing-Mei came running.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"The doctor that was stitching up my son's head passed out."
"What doctor—" but before she could get the words out, she saw Abby lying on the floor.
"I need a gurney in here!" Jing-Mei yelled as she rushed to Abby's side.
* * *
"Hey, Frank, where is everyone?" Carter asked. "Did you get slammed? You could have paged me; I was just in the cafeteria..."
"No, everyone keeps going in to check on Abby," Frank replied without even looking up.
"Abby? What happened?"
"She passed out while giving some kid sutures..."
"Where is she?"
"Exam 2."
Carter ran down the hall at top speed and almost collided with Jing-Mei, who was just leaving exam 2.
"How is she?" Carter asked wile frantically trying to peek in the window. It was dark inside.
"She's resting now. It would probably be best if you let her get some sleep."
"What happened?"
"She's exhausted—and dehydrated. She's just been doing way too much, and it's finally catching up with her. Once she gets some sleep and is re- hydrated, though, she should be fine. She's just got to take it a little easier." Jing-Mei walked away, but Carter remained by the door watching Abby sleep.
* * *
"Will she be all right?" a woman asked Carter about her mother, who was lying asleep in a bed beside where the two of them were standing.
"We'll know more when the test results come back," he tried not to worry her; although he didn't think the results were going to be good. He exited the room to check on another patient.
"How are you feeling, Megan?" he asked a little girl in curtain area 1. She was about 8 years old.
"My hand still hurts a little," she replied while holding up a bandaged hand.
"Well, we can take care of that. Connie?" he directed to the nurse who was passing by, "Could you give Megan here two more of morphine?"
"Sure," Connie replied.
"That should help you to feel better, sweetheart," he directed to Megan.
"Thanks, Dr. Carter," she answered. He winked in reply. Then he headed over to the admit desk. He sighed deeply and began to rub his eyes.
"Gotta love twelve-hour shifts," he said to Susan.
"You off?" she asked.
"Yup. Have you heard anything about Abby?"
"She was still sleeping the last time I checked."
"That's good. I'll see you later."
"See you later, Carter." Carter started to head to the lounge, but stopped and went down the hall to where Abby was instead. He went inside the room quietly and sat in a chair by her bed. He just sat and looked at her for a few minutes until she began to stir. She opened her eyes slowly.
"Hey," Carter said quietly with a smile.
"Hey," she answered with a yawn. "Sorry..."
"Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?"
"Like hell. How long was I asleep?"
"Over twelve hours."
"I don't remember ever sleeping that long without being hung over." Carter smiled at her comment. She yawned again.
"Is that mine?" she asked, looking over at the cafeteria tray by her bed.
"Yeah, are you hungry?"
"Only since yesterday..."
"Hey, stranger," Carter greeted Abby at the admit desk a few days later.
Abby turned around to face a bright, cheerful, smiling Carter. All the stress that she was feeling at that moment temporarily left her. How does he do that? She thought. How is it that his voice and smile instantly relax me and make me feel like everything is going to be all right? "Hey," she returned the greeting and the smile.
"What are you doing here? Weren't you here yesterday afternoon when I was on?"
"Yup, I had a nursing shift last night and today I'm playing doctor...err...med student..."
"You've been here since yesterday? Have you slept at all?" There was a note of concern in his voice.
"I got a few hours of sleep last night when it was slow." He didn't look convinced. "Carter, I'm fine, really. Don't worry."
"I'm still you're friend, Abby, and I still care about you."
"I know that."
"Are you sure you're okay to work today?" He put his hand on her shoulder. Abby hadn't realized just how much she missed his touch until that very moment, but she didn't dare let Carter know it.
"I'm fine, Carter, honestly," she tried to assure him. Still, he wasn't convinced...
* * *
A few hours later, Abby's lack of sleep had definitely begun to catch up with her. She couldn't understand it, though. This wasn't the first shift she had worked on little or no sleep. Between nursing shifts, med student shifts, and studying, she hadn't been getting much sleep for months now. She had always been able to handle it before; however, something was different today.
A trauma that she had just finished running had almost taken everything out of her. A boy with a GSW to the chest had come in. They had to intubate him and even crack his chest. They worked on him for close to forty-five minutes, but they hadn't been able to get him back...
Maybe if I went across the street and got something to eat I might feel better, she thought. She couldn't quite remember the last time she'd eaten...
"Hey, Abby, could you suture the scalp lac in three for me? I'm swamped," a frazzled Susan asked her from behind a stack of charts. She looked pretty tired and hungry herself.
"Sure," Abby answered. I can handle sutures, she thought to herself. Afterward, she decided, she'd take a break and get something to eat.
* * *
"He got a new pair of rollerblades for his birthday, and he was trying them out. I told him to wear his helmet..." The mother in three was relating to Abby the story of how her son had gotten injured. Abby was only half- listening. I seemed to be taking all of her concentration just to keep her sutures straight.
"I was skating across the garage to get it, Mom," the boy turned to face his mother.
"You have to keep your head still," Abby instructed.
The mother continued, "You could have really hurt yourself. You're lucky it's only a cut."
"I'm sorry, Mom," the boy apologized.
"If anything would have happened to you..." The mother's voice drifted off, but Abby was listening anymore anyway. She blinked a couple of times to clear her vision. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She felt a little dizzy. She tried to finish; she only had about two stitches to go, but suddenly everything went black...
* * *
"I need some help in here," the mother shouted out into the ER. Jing-Mei came running.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"The doctor that was stitching up my son's head passed out."
"What doctor—" but before she could get the words out, she saw Abby lying on the floor.
"I need a gurney in here!" Jing-Mei yelled as she rushed to Abby's side.
* * *
"Hey, Frank, where is everyone?" Carter asked. "Did you get slammed? You could have paged me; I was just in the cafeteria..."
"No, everyone keeps going in to check on Abby," Frank replied without even looking up.
"Abby? What happened?"
"She passed out while giving some kid sutures..."
"Where is she?"
"Exam 2."
Carter ran down the hall at top speed and almost collided with Jing-Mei, who was just leaving exam 2.
"How is she?" Carter asked wile frantically trying to peek in the window. It was dark inside.
"She's resting now. It would probably be best if you let her get some sleep."
"What happened?"
"She's exhausted—and dehydrated. She's just been doing way too much, and it's finally catching up with her. Once she gets some sleep and is re- hydrated, though, she should be fine. She's just got to take it a little easier." Jing-Mei walked away, but Carter remained by the door watching Abby sleep.
* * *
"Will she be all right?" a woman asked Carter about her mother, who was lying asleep in a bed beside where the two of them were standing.
"We'll know more when the test results come back," he tried not to worry her; although he didn't think the results were going to be good. He exited the room to check on another patient.
"How are you feeling, Megan?" he asked a little girl in curtain area 1. She was about 8 years old.
"My hand still hurts a little," she replied while holding up a bandaged hand.
"Well, we can take care of that. Connie?" he directed to the nurse who was passing by, "Could you give Megan here two more of morphine?"
"Sure," Connie replied.
"That should help you to feel better, sweetheart," he directed to Megan.
"Thanks, Dr. Carter," she answered. He winked in reply. Then he headed over to the admit desk. He sighed deeply and began to rub his eyes.
"Gotta love twelve-hour shifts," he said to Susan.
"You off?" she asked.
"Yup. Have you heard anything about Abby?"
"She was still sleeping the last time I checked."
"That's good. I'll see you later."
"See you later, Carter." Carter started to head to the lounge, but stopped and went down the hall to where Abby was instead. He went inside the room quietly and sat in a chair by her bed. He just sat and looked at her for a few minutes until she began to stir. She opened her eyes slowly.
"Hey," Carter said quietly with a smile.
"Hey," she answered with a yawn. "Sorry..."
"Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?"
"Like hell. How long was I asleep?"
"Over twelve hours."
"I don't remember ever sleeping that long without being hung over." Carter smiled at her comment. She yawned again.
"Is that mine?" she asked, looking over at the cafeteria tray by her bed.
"Yeah, are you hungry?"
"Only since yesterday..."
