A/N: Hey, there! So glad to be back! here it is, the sequel to State of Mind. This picks up right where that left off so you should definately read that first. I started to write this as just a 2 part series and it's develpoed into a 3 part! So, look out for that too. When it's more develpoed, I'll let you know. Ass you know, I don't own anyone. I wish I did, but I don't. Also, all of the opening quotes are Peace of Mind by Nonpoint.
LucyBethFan: Lucy is gonna be incorporated into many more of my fave eps. Look out!
Cartergal131: The whole dancing scene came to me in a dream I had, only with me and my current crush...coughs Anyway! Lucy always showed strength, in some small way, on the show, one way or another. I'm writing her the way I think she should be but keep some of that same girlish charm.The ending refers to...well, I'm following episodes and changing some Carbiness to Carciness, look at the future eps and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Chapter 10: Mercy
"You shouldve been satisfied
You should have been full inside
You could have been happy
Simply with your peace of mind"
Susan walked into the hustle and bustle of the ER that she remembered and learned to love again. Jerry and Frank were arguing per-usual while answering phones. Chuny and Haleh were gossiping with Lydia as Carter went over a chart with Gallant. Luka was half asleep in the Lounge as she entered. She slammed her locker shut to wake him up and he nodded looking down at the chart in his hands. Abby rushed with a Trauma and Susan immediately jumped in with Mark close by. She worried about him a lot now that he'd told her about his brain tumor. As they worked to save the man's life, Frank popped in and warned them that Mercy was sending about 3 Traumas their way.
"Why is Mercy sending us their patients? Suction." Susan asked as she tried to seperated the conversation and the job at hand.
"Heavy car accident in their area and they're overloaded. ETAs about 5 minutes."
"Thanks, Jerry." Mark said as they finished up. "Let's get him up to Romano and prepare for Mercy."
"Should I tell Carter? He and Gallant might want to assist." Susan suggested as they replaced their scrubs for new ones.
"Yeah. Tell Carter, Luka and Kerry." He said as they stopped at Admit desk. "Jerry, any of Mercy's doctor's coming in?"
"Hold on, ma'am." Jerry said to the pancing woman on the phone and placed it on his shoulder. "Yeah, but I don't how many."
"Probably three, one for each Trauma." Susan noted.
"Most likely." They waited for another 2 minutes before 3 ambulances pulled in and they rushed out to meet the patients and the doctors. "What have we got?"
"Female, 36, Acute MI, Pulse Ox is low at 82 and BP is 90/50." Dave informed as he jumped out of the back and helped Mark push the woman inside. "How's it going, Dr. Greene?" He asked casually.
"It's going, Dave, it's going." He relpied not even shocked to see Dave. "On my count! One, two, three!" They pulled the man from the gurney to the bed and went to work.
"What have we-Lucy?" Carter asked with a smile as he saw her working on a Trauma next door to Mark and Dave. "What are you doing here?"
"What's it look like, Carter? I told you I work at Mercy. Say "Hello" to my patients." She said pushing past him with a large man to go to a monitor. "Male, 43, Pulse Ox is 82, BPs 130/50. Jump in any time, Carter." She said as Luka walked in. "Hey, Luka. Wanna give me a hand with this BAT since Carter seems permently glued to the floor?" She quipped.
"Why not? Come on, Carter." He said patting Carter's back and they both put on scrubs. Carter glanced up at Lucy as she worked. He hadn't noticed until that fateful night, since they were still on bad terms, that her hair was still short and brown but, now,pulled back into a ponytail. She looked happy and healthy, too. She seemed different, not just the way she worked or talked, everything. The little devil in his mind told him he had something to do with that.
"Pulse is weak." Luka informed everyone. "Let's spin a Crit right away." He said moving his stethoscope back around his neck. "What happened?"
"Car accident; truck stopped in the middle of the road and caused a chain reaction. Airway's blocked." Lucy said as she tried to Intubate the man. "Number 8 ET tube. What's his BP?"
"Hold on..." Haleh said from a monitor as she was figuring out the man's BP. "Pulse Ox is still at 82."
"That's why I'm tubing him." Lucy said trying again as Haleh moved to another monitor and around Gallant who came to see if he could help Carter.
"Get me a Blood Pressure." Carter ordered quickly.
"Chest Tube Tray?" Gallant asked again with his hopeful tone.
"No, start a Central Line." Carter corrected him and Gallant went to work.
"I see you've brought a "black cloud" with you, Carter." She said refering to Gallant. Carter chuckled, as did Luka, understanding the term "black cloud," but Gallant looked offended.
"BPs holding at 92/50." Haleh said a rather late.
"Give me 4 units of O neg, hang two on the Rapid Infuser." Luka said.
"How's going in here?" Kerry asked as she walked into the Trauma.
"Fine, Kerry. Why don't you go help Mark?" Carter suggested.
"Yeah, we don't you looking over our shoulder." Lucy muttered coldly getting her a look from everyone but Kerry who had left. No sooner had she'd gone, they heard her shouting.
"What the hell are you doing here!" She screeched at Dave.
"I'm working! What are you doing?" He replied handing some tubing to Mark.
"Get out! Malik, call security!" She ordered and before Malike could leave Lucy came in.
"Get back to the patient, Malik. You too, Dave. As for you, Kerry, I suggest you go help Chen and whoever is with her on Mrs. Saunders' daughter, Julie. She was bleeding out when we left Mercy." Kerry was about to speak when Lucy was called back to her patient by Carter.
"Give me some Cricoid Pressure." Gallant said having as much trouble intubating as Lucy had.
"You ok over there, Gallant?" Carter asked from behind. He looked back momentarily at him but returned to the man's mouth. After a little more struggling, he succeeded in the Intubation. "I'm in." He informed moving aorund to check a monitor next to Haleh, but then to Carer's side.
"Ok, start the Central Line now." Carter said again to Gallant.
"Betadine and a Sterile Drape." Luka said moving around to the opposite side of Carter as they worked.
"BP's 70/50, Pulse is 120." Lydia alerted them as a monitor beeped.
"Squeeze in two liters and prepare for a Subclavian." Lucy rushed as the beeping continued rapidly.
"Send a Trauma Panel, type and cross for 4, and get X-ray in here for a chest. And a one shot IVP." Carter said to Lydia. She nodded and left to get everything. "We're gonna lose him." He said to Luka and Lucy who looked at each other and Carter nervously.
"Running two units." Lydia said from behind and the beeping stopped for a moment.
"He's responding to Fluid Resuscitation." Haleh said from a monitor.
"Pressure's up to 90 Palp." Lydia said moving arounf Haleh. "Pulse Ox is 83."
"Ten-Blade." Carter ordered as he looked around the body; he'd gotten glass all over him.
"Toes are down going, that means no Spinal injury." Gallant said to Carter and Luka.
"Hang the next two units on the Infuser." Lucy ordered. "Order an CBC and ABG! Get some Adenosine and Morphine, too!"
"Second Unit is in." Luka said as he moved calmly as the monitors weren't beeping rapidly anymore.
"Pressure's up to 100 Systolic." Lydia informed him.
"Give a gram of Cotetan." He told her.
"Right and left pupils blown." Gallant observed since the others hadn't bothered at that moment.
"BP's down to 81 Palp." Haleh informed over the now again beeping machines. Luka cursed under his breath as they brought out the paddles.
"He's crashing!" Luka said charging the paddles.
"No, he's circling the drain." Lucy said, just above a whisper, while starting chest compressions.
"Charged to 60! Clear!" Luka said and everyone took their hands off the body as he shocked him; the beeping didn't stop. "Charge to 70! Clear!" He shocked him again and the beeping went on. "What's the Pulse Ox?" He asked Haleh and she was about to respond when Carter jumped in.
"Doesn't matter right now! Hook up the Thoraseal!" She nodded and did as she was told as Carter ordered Gallant to get back to work. "Come people, let's move! We're losing him!"
"Dammit, he needs a Cardioversion." Lucy cursed silently.
"Lucy!" Dave called over the intercom. "Need you in here! Now!"
"You got this?" Carter and Luka nodded telling her to go. "Good. New kid, take over chest compressions." He came over and started allowing her to leave. She came into Dave's work place for about a minute when she heard herself being called back to her Trauma. "What happened?" She asked walking in.
"We got him stable but he started bleeding out." Carter said while Gallant continued with the chest compressions. Lucy cursed as she went to work ordering more tests and pushing an IV and tons of Eppy when Dave came over the intercom again.
"We could really use you in here, Luce!" He said slightly panicked.
"I'm a little busy, Dave." She said as Luka shocked the man again. "Didn't you read the chart?" She asked a little sarcastically.
"Yeah, but she's your patient." He said rudely but sincere.
"So is Mr. Cartas!" She shouted as she started compressions in place of Gallant. "Sorry." She sighed apologetically looking through the window door over the man's body. "Looks like we're gonna have to do this over the intercom." She finished regretingly. She really didn't want to perform to operations at the same time; it wasn't her strong suite.
"Sounds like fun." Dave said laughing as Lucy started shouting instructions over the monitors beeping and Luka calling out charges. Only one other time did Kerry come back into Lucy's Trauma and that was to steal Carter, but he sent Gallant to help her instead. Once Mr. Cartas and Mrs. Saunders were stablized and taken away, Dave came in as they started to take off their gloves and such. "Nice work, Luce. If you don't make Chief for that, I don't know what will." He said congratulating her on, basically, not losing her mind in all the noise and rush of two patients at the same time.
She told Dave he could go home to Matt since he was off anyway while she checked in on Julie, they'd brought her in with a broken leg. Chen greeted Lucy happily before telling her that Julie had to go up to the OR for Amputation. Lucy sighed and thanked Chen before going to check on the other two. Why did the child have to have an Amputation and not the adults? Just isn't fair. She walked in and saw Yosh refilling Mr. Cartas' IV and she picked up his chart.Taking down the notes from the surgery, she ordered more test for him and did the same for Mrs. Saunders. Yosh left and Lucy decided to call her superiors at Mercy and let them know how everything went. After that, she decided to wait for the results, at least 2 hours, in the Cafeteria.
Chapter 11: Today
Preview: A long overdue conversation occurs between old friends.
