Susan stepped out the elevator and bee-lined for admittance. The place was virtually deserted. "Where's Mark?"
Carter spun around idly on his chair, "You just missed him."
"Oh." She couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice.
"He's not coming back is he?" Carter watched her face, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. He knew Mark's condition was serious and most likely fatal. But no one was spelling anything out.
"No. But he will be right upstairs."
Carter nodded. "Look, why don't you go home. This place is dead quiet."
"That's quite the insensitive metaphor for an ER." She smiled at him, "But I'll stay." She headed to the lounge and the privacy it gave her to use a phone.
Six rings later… "Hi, you've reached Mark, Rachel and Susan. You know what to do."
Tone.
"Hey. I guess you're not home yet. Um, just call me when you get this. Okay… Love you. Bye." She hung up and headed back to admittance.
"Carter, give me someone to fix."
He looked at her puzzled, "You're sounding remarkably chipper."
"I don't think this is quite 'chipper'." She flicked through the charts.
"Under these circumstances it is."
"Just give me something to do."
Mark pressed the flashing red button as he let himself fall back into the sinking couch.
"Hey, I guess you're not home yet. Um, just call me when you get this. Okay… Love you. Bye."
He smiled and summed up the energy to reach over and pick up the portable phone, dialling the number almost automatically. "Hey, can I speak to Susan Lewis?"
"Um, hold on." Haleh asked someone else where she was then came back to the phone, "Dr. Greene is that you?"
"Yeah, hi, Haleh."
"Yeah, she's asleep in five but…"
"No, don't wake her. Um… oh, just let her know I called. She was trying to get hold of me, so…"
"I'll tell her."
"Thanks Haleh."
Susan heard her watch alarm ring. Then she realised it was in her dream. Then she realised she was dreaming and her watch alarm was sounding in the real world.
She forced weary eyes open and pulled herself off the bed with dramatic yawn.
Pushing the exam room door open she blinked in the fluorescent lights and headed for admittance, still yawning.
"You look like you're ready to go home."
"Yep." She nodded once and signed a couple of dotted lines Chuny thrust in front of her.
"Oh, Mark called." Chuny yelled back as she headed to the drug lock up.
"Oh. Thanks." Susan picked up the phone. She still had an hour to go but rules went that if the night shift was slow then the day shift got slammed and it just wasn't fair to leave them extra stuff. It really did suck being a decent person sometimes, she rubbed her head waiting for Mark to pick up. Answer machine again.
"Hey, I guess we're playing phone tag. But, I'm off in an hour, so I'll just talk to you when I get home. Hope you're okay." She thought for a moment then hung up. It was six am. He was probably, and justifiably, asleep. And so was Rachel.
Carter came up beside her as she hung up the phone with a sigh, closely chased by another yawn. "Only one hour to go."
"Yeah, seems like a lot longer doesn't it?" she leant on the desk
"It certainly does. Look. You should go. You're exhausted and you're gonna need all the energy you can muster in the next little while… so you should go. I'll cover you."
She hesitated for a moment. "Thanks Carter." She headed for the lounge and was soon out the door.
"Have you got hold of her?" Carter asked Chuny, exiting exam one with a sigh.
"No. I'm still trying." She pressed redial… again. Then the phone picked up.
"Hello?" Susan was breathing heavily. She'd run to get the phone when she realised Mark wasn't there.
"Oh, Hey. Is that Dr. Lewis?"
"Yeah." She tried to calm her breathing.
"It's Chuny. Mark came in about half an hour ago."
"Oh. Why? He's not on today"
"He collapsed. His daughter called the ambulance. He's okay, but…"
"Oh my... I'll be right there." She threw the phone in the general direction of the hanger and flew out the door.
"Where is he?"
Chuny looked up from triage and stood when she saw Susan. "He's in trauma 3."
Susan turned and forced herself NOT to run.
Carter came out of exam three as she approached. "Susan."
She went to walk past him but he stopped her.
"Wait. He's okay." Carter started to rifle off a list of details about Mark's condition. Susan listened but was preoccupied watching Rachel sitting at Mark's bedside, holding his hand.
Susan looked at Carter pointedly and he stepped aside.
Carter spun around idly on his chair, "You just missed him."
"Oh." She couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice.
"He's not coming back is he?" Carter watched her face, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. He knew Mark's condition was serious and most likely fatal. But no one was spelling anything out.
"No. But he will be right upstairs."
Carter nodded. "Look, why don't you go home. This place is dead quiet."
"That's quite the insensitive metaphor for an ER." She smiled at him, "But I'll stay." She headed to the lounge and the privacy it gave her to use a phone.
Six rings later… "Hi, you've reached Mark, Rachel and Susan. You know what to do."
Tone.
"Hey. I guess you're not home yet. Um, just call me when you get this. Okay… Love you. Bye." She hung up and headed back to admittance.
"Carter, give me someone to fix."
He looked at her puzzled, "You're sounding remarkably chipper."
"I don't think this is quite 'chipper'." She flicked through the charts.
"Under these circumstances it is."
"Just give me something to do."
Mark pressed the flashing red button as he let himself fall back into the sinking couch.
"Hey, I guess you're not home yet. Um, just call me when you get this. Okay… Love you. Bye."
He smiled and summed up the energy to reach over and pick up the portable phone, dialling the number almost automatically. "Hey, can I speak to Susan Lewis?"
"Um, hold on." Haleh asked someone else where she was then came back to the phone, "Dr. Greene is that you?"
"Yeah, hi, Haleh."
"Yeah, she's asleep in five but…"
"No, don't wake her. Um… oh, just let her know I called. She was trying to get hold of me, so…"
"I'll tell her."
"Thanks Haleh."
Susan heard her watch alarm ring. Then she realised it was in her dream. Then she realised she was dreaming and her watch alarm was sounding in the real world.
She forced weary eyes open and pulled herself off the bed with dramatic yawn.
Pushing the exam room door open she blinked in the fluorescent lights and headed for admittance, still yawning.
"You look like you're ready to go home."
"Yep." She nodded once and signed a couple of dotted lines Chuny thrust in front of her.
"Oh, Mark called." Chuny yelled back as she headed to the drug lock up.
"Oh. Thanks." Susan picked up the phone. She still had an hour to go but rules went that if the night shift was slow then the day shift got slammed and it just wasn't fair to leave them extra stuff. It really did suck being a decent person sometimes, she rubbed her head waiting for Mark to pick up. Answer machine again.
"Hey, I guess we're playing phone tag. But, I'm off in an hour, so I'll just talk to you when I get home. Hope you're okay." She thought for a moment then hung up. It was six am. He was probably, and justifiably, asleep. And so was Rachel.
Carter came up beside her as she hung up the phone with a sigh, closely chased by another yawn. "Only one hour to go."
"Yeah, seems like a lot longer doesn't it?" she leant on the desk
"It certainly does. Look. You should go. You're exhausted and you're gonna need all the energy you can muster in the next little while… so you should go. I'll cover you."
She hesitated for a moment. "Thanks Carter." She headed for the lounge and was soon out the door.
"Have you got hold of her?" Carter asked Chuny, exiting exam one with a sigh.
"No. I'm still trying." She pressed redial… again. Then the phone picked up.
"Hello?" Susan was breathing heavily. She'd run to get the phone when she realised Mark wasn't there.
"Oh, Hey. Is that Dr. Lewis?"
"Yeah." She tried to calm her breathing.
"It's Chuny. Mark came in about half an hour ago."
"Oh. Why? He's not on today"
"He collapsed. His daughter called the ambulance. He's okay, but…"
"Oh my... I'll be right there." She threw the phone in the general direction of the hanger and flew out the door.
"Where is he?"
Chuny looked up from triage and stood when she saw Susan. "He's in trauma 3."
Susan turned and forced herself NOT to run.
Carter came out of exam three as she approached. "Susan."
She went to walk past him but he stopped her.
"Wait. He's okay." Carter started to rifle off a list of details about Mark's condition. Susan listened but was preoccupied watching Rachel sitting at Mark's bedside, holding his hand.
Susan looked at Carter pointedly and he stepped aside.