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.

Chapter 12: Vital Signs

"Still waiting for my peace of mind now
No strings attached to the
Promises given to the
Faces and places of those that I hate
Its the impossile way that I think"

Mrs. Saunders and Mr. Cartas had pulled through fine and Lucy was on her way out of County around 11:30 that night. She'd called Dave before she left and even though he offered to get her, he had to take care off Matt. It was fine though, she enjoyed the walk to the El, even though she hadn't ridden it in so long. People bumped into her randomly as she walked and, normally, she would've told them off but she was in too good of a mood today. She'd saved three lives with her old friends help and it felt great, even though the third had to have an amputation, the day was an overall success.

"Lucy?" She heard her name and turned to see Mark walking toward her.

"Hey, Mark!" She said hugging him before they walked up the stairs to the El. They hadn't gotten the chance to talk when she was there. "You off?"

"Yeah. You heading back to Mercy?" He asked as they waited for the El to arrive with about ten other people.

"No, home to Dave and Matt." Mark gave her and odd look when she said that, which didn't go unnoticed by her. "We're not dating if that's what you're thinking." She reassured him and he nodded, relieved; Lucy was like a third daughter to him. The last thing he wanted was to see her end up with Dave. Nice as he was, he wasn't all together.

"Since we're both off, want to go get a drink?" He asked as they finally boarded the late El.

"Sure! Where to?" She asked as they stood, hanging onto the bars above them.

"Ever been to the Lava Lounge?" He asked and Lucy just smiled and laughed at the silly name. "It's better than it sounds. Trust me."

"Okay, but I'm taking a lot on faith here." They continued to laugh as the El moved on toward their next stop where they'd have to walk the rest of the way to their destination.


"Got an eighteen year old kid, flatline." The EMT Morales informed teh crew as they pounded into the ER.

"All right, down how long?" Luka asked.

"Unknown, mother found him in his room, we've been working on him for 15, gave him two rounds of eppy, two of atrophine."

"Been any signs of life?"Carter asked as they entered a Trauma room.

"We got him back once then we lost him again."

"Right, let's get him on a monitor." Luka said as they went to work. "Carter ,you wanna check ventilation?"

"What can I do?" Gallant asked popping in.

"Rectal temp." Carter stated with mock entusiamsm.

"Great."

"All right, on my count, watch your hand there, 1,2,3, go." Luka said. "All right, any signs of drugs, suicide?"

"No, he told his mom he had a killer headache, went for a nap, never woke up."

"Sounds like a suberacnoid haemorrhage." Carter noted.

"Killer headache is right." Chuni said putting in her two cents.

"Monitor's up." Connie informed.

"No readable pulse." Chuny said.

"Asystole." Morales said.

"No spontaneous respiration." Carter stated heavily.

"No response to pain." Gallant pointed out.

"Anybody got any good news?" Luka asked.

"Pupils are… fixed and dilated." Carter announced and wrote it down on the chart quickly.

"No corneal reflex." Connie stated.

"He's only eighteen." Chuni pointed out.

"Well we got him back once, maybe we can do it again." Luka said confidently. "Let's have a high dose appy, a pulse ox and a title CO2 detector."


Lucy and Mark walked into the Lava Lounge adn Lucy couldn't help but laugh at the Hawaiian styled bar. If a bar was what you'd call it. They ordered a regular beer and sat down at a table close to the bar. After their drinks arrvied, the two began to make small talk. She'd told him about how her and Dave moved in together and how life at Mercy was just a bit slower. It was nice, as she put it. Mark did a complete 180 and told her about how he and Elizabeth had a "falling out." She tried to comfort him but he said he was fine. He was mad, of course, but he wasn't all that upset about it.

"Mark, I hate to ask this but..." She took a quick swig of her beer before continuing. "Do you think I should come back to County?"

"I thought you said you liked it at Mercy." he pointed out concerned.

"I do!" She assured him. "I do, really. It's just...I left on moral grounds, as you saw-"

"I think everyone did." He quipped taking a swig from his own beer with a small smile.

"Yeah, my point exactly. I left on moral grounds, when I didn't have to, and basically said I'd never come back." She lowered her head a bit and stared at her intoxicating liquid for a moment. "But, recent events, have been getting me thinking."

"Today? The Traumas?" He asked thinking he had some idea of what she meant by recent events.

"Actually, uh...you remember when Carter, Luka and Abby had to go to that Sexual Harassment Seminar?" She asked a bit embarassed to be talking about it with Mark.

"Yeah, Kerry had Susan and Gallant go, too." He added nodding. "How do you know about that?"

"Oh, they didn't tell you?" She asked him, shocked, her face becoming flushed. Mark shook his head but his eyes widdened soon when she gave him a knowing look. "It's not what you think." She said quickly putting her hand to his. "I was there strictly on business. I'm a new Resident and and my new boss, Dr. Strober, thought it would be a good idea if I went to a lecture. Apparently, Mercy gets a lot of rape and sexual abuse cases."

"Why didn't Dave go?" Mark asked as Lucy removed her hand and sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"He has Matt. Dr. Strober thought he knew all he needed whereas me, a single girl with no kids, wouldn't. Sexist pig." She muttered under her breath and raised her drink to her lips. "Anyway, I saw all of them there and we talked about things. Luka and I, mainly, talked with each other and about County. He was the one that implanted the idea in my head."


"Time?" Luka asked.

"12 minutes." Connie informed him a little sad.

"All right, let's check his rhythm." Luka ordered just as sad.

"Still no pulse." Chuni said.

"Asystole." Gallant added.

"Keep at it." Luka ordered.

"10 of Eppy on board." Carter informed Luka.

"Dr. Kovac?" Jerry called peeking inside. "The boy's mother's out in chairs, she'd like to talk to someone."

"All right. Carter, you wanna do that?" Carter nodded and headed out the door. "Don't get her hopes up. All right another Eppy, 7." milligrams.

"All right hold, hold the compressions. Any sign of a rhythm?" Luka asked more hopeful than he should've been.

"Flatline." Chuni said.

"Right, let's call it." Luka said pulling off his gloves and looking at the clock.

"Not yet, keep bagging." Carter said coming in.

"You got some reason to keep flogging this kid?" Luka asked confused.

"Yeah. He's eighteen, he's his mother's only child and it's almost Christmas."

"You hoping for a miracle?" Luka asked stunned at Carter. "He's been down for forty minutes."

"So what's five more?"

"Okay, doctor, let's go."

"I'm resuming chest compressions. Let's keep bagging, let's give another round of high dose Eppy, start a Dopamine Drip wide open. Get those paddles ready." Carter ordered.

"Paddles won't work, he's in Asystole." Gallant informed him.

"He could be in fine V-Fib." Carter replied wistfully. "Charge to 300-no, no, no, no, no, 360."

"Charging." Chuni said confused.

"All right everybody, let's hold a really, really positive thought."

"Ready." Chuni announced.

"Clear!" He shouted and they waited.

"Was that a beep?" Connie asked shocked at the faint sound.

"Oh my God." Gallant muttered with a smile at his teacher.

"Random beeps, there's not a rhythm yet." Luka told him.

"Slap signs of pacer pads on him right now." Carter ordered.

"All right, get them all. Can you roll him?" Luka asked.

"Set it at 80." Carter challenged.

"You're on." Luka countered with a smile.


"You should call Deb. She'll help you get your job back." Mark said as they walked out of the Lava Lounge, him paying for the first round of drinks, Lucy for the second.

"But I still don't know if I want it." She told him confused. "What if she gets me my job back and then I decide I don't want it?"

"Don't think about it too much, Lucy. Sleep on it." He offered with a kind smile as they entered the El.

"I don't think I can sleep. I've had insomnia for a while now." She told him rubbing her neck from exhaustion.

"You and me both." He told her less than amused. The tumor had taken it's toll this time. "Look, I'm not saying get your job back right this second, I'm saying that you need to decide what you want to do."

"Easy for you to say." She said laughing. "You already know what you want to do for the rest of your life." Mark smiled sadly as Lucy finished, looking at his reflection in the El window. What life?


"He's not capturing." Chuni informed them.

"He's down with the game, we just gotta get it to capture." Carter said.

"He's throwing PVCs." Luka told him.

"No, hold that Lidocaine." Carter ordered. "Maximum gain. Come on. Come on." He said and they soon heard a beep from a monitor. "We got it."

"He's got a rhythm!" Connie announced happy and shocked.

"Take a Corroted." Carter said sighing relieved at the success.

"Pulse?" Luka asked the surrounding nurses.

"Strong at 120." Chuni told him smiling.

"BP's 100." Connie said before Luka could ask.

"Okay, let's send him to CT find out where this bleeder's coming from." Carter ordered.

"Way to go, Carter." Connie congratulated him as she and Chuni took the teen to CT.

"Nice work, Carter." Luka said shaking his hand.


"Here's my stop." Lucy said as the El neared the station.

"Lucy, whatever you choose, I'll be here for you." He said giving her a quick hug.

"Thanks, I'll remember that." She looked at him for a moment and hugged him again. "Thanks, Mark."

"Not a problem. It's what I'm here for: moral support." He joked.

"The rock in the hard place." She said as she waited for others to get off the El before her. "That's you in a nutshell." They smiled at each other as the door closed. Mark waved at her through the window as it started up again and she returned it. Lucy didn't leave the station until the El was out of sight. When she did, Mark's words filled her head.

Chapter 13: Probable Cause

Preview: Chen helps Lucy to make a major decision.