Gossip
"Dr. Luka."
He almost shuddered to hear the little voice.
He turned on one heel slowly. She was there- her head bowed, her black hair pulled back severely, her arms crossed over chest covering something.
Luka wasn't expecting her to be here.
"Student Nurse Kowalski."
She didn't look up.
"I know I'm not supposed to talk to you," she said softly.
Luka shook his head.
"I meant that we aren't..."
She didn't let him finish.
"I don't think this is against the rules, though. I have something for you," she said. " I should give it to you now."
She removed her arms from her chest.
"I'm not working here so much now that I'm in class," she explained as she held up the gift wrapped in tissue paper. "Besides, they're bouncing me from oncology to obstetrics and all over the place so I won't get to benefit from your experience as much."
She pushed the gift closer.
"Here. For you."
Luka accepted the gift.
"Me?"
She coyly looked at him.
"Yes, Dr. Luka. For your birthday."
Luka smiled. Someone remembered.
"Of course. I didn't think anyone would know."
Ceila smiled coyly without looking at him.
"I did."
Luka nodded.
"Thank you."
Luka unwrapped the gift. It was a book of poetry.
"Ondaatje," Ceila pointed out. "You know, the guy who wrote The English Patient. You might like some of his stuff."
With that, Ceila took her leave.
"Thank you," Luka called after her. He then disappeared into the lounge with his new gift.
**
If I were a cinnamon peeler
I would ride your bed...
"Luka!"
Luka closed the book quickly, as if trying to conceal evidence of something.
Abby had walked into the lounge. She swung her arms forward in a gesture of childlike play.
"What's that?" she asked. "A present from someone?"
Luka was taken aback. She had seen the book.
"Oh! I..." he stuttered.
She grinned.
"I see I'm not the only one to remember your birthday."
Luka nodded quickly and gave a little nervous laugh.
"Yes, well..."
Abby smiled politely.
"I thought you might like lunch- on me- for your birthday. We can only run to Doc Magoo's but it's better than nothing."
Luka smiled.
"I would like that. Thank you."
Luka stopped smiling.
"But I cannot. It would not be appropriate."
Abby looked puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"I think you know," he said simply and started to walk out of the lounge.
He stopped before he walked out the door.
"Thank you."
Abby swung her hands before her once.
"Dammit!" she cussed.
**
Ceila was in a half-empty suture room, behind a curtain, quietly doing little chores. She started folding sheets. Two other nurses gathered on the other side of the curtain, also folding sheets and replacing tubing, gauze and other items. They were talking to each other.
"Where's Dr. Love?" asked one nurse. "I haven't seen him today."
"Kovac? Oh, he's here," replied the other nurse. "He's on lunch break. Disappeared with some book."
Ceila smiled. It appeared he liked the book.
"Abby wanted to take him out to lunch. He didn't go, though."
Ceila listened carefully.
"What? She charges too much?"
Laughter.
"I dunno. I guess. She wanted to take him without Carter knowing!"
"Ooooh! Don't let him find out or he'll be over the Croatian Sensation like glue again!"
Giggling.
"He's been a little mellow since his crash-and-burn."
"Over Abby? I thought he was through with her? They had a major blow-out."
"I think I know why."
"Why?"
Shrugging.
"Just how he is."
"You might not like him but I don't think he's so bad. He's sweet with the kids. I heard he beat up that guy who broke Abby's nose."
"I heard that, too! Geez! What a savage!"
"I guess that what they do in other countries. Anyway, he's always tried to be Mr. Knight-In-Shining-Armour with her. You know, he sent out an application for med school and she was all "my moods, you jerk" and he just rolled those pretty eyes of his like he didn't understand. I guess he was trying to do her a favour. I mean- after the hissyfit I heard she threw with her ex, you'd think she'd welcome the favour."
"I guess not. You know- I really think Abby hates her job. She's always talking to Carter about it."
"She's always talking to Carter! Like, excuse me, there is work to be done!"
"Yeah, right."
The nurses finished their chores and left the room.
Ceila had since stopped folding. Her eyes bore a blank expression. She wondered how much of that was true and how much was just rumour?
**
Ceila wandered aimlessly out of the suture room. Malik rushed by her.
"Hey, Kowalski! There's a carpenter injured. Nasty thoracic lac."
She perked up a little, with the thoughts of the nurses' conversation still in her head..
"You couldn't drag me away."
Ceila charged into the trauma room with Malik and gowned up. Luka was working with Lizzie on the carpenter. He was bleeding from the chest and had since been intubated.
"He'll bleed out if we don't clamp!" Lizzie warned.
Luka concurred. He turned to Ceila, who was now ready to assist on the trauma.
"Ceila, we need a blood type and crossmatch for four, complete blood count, electrolytes, BUN, creatinine, glucose, PT, ABG, urine dip for blood, serum and urine toxicology screen. Can you handle that?"
Ceila wrote down the orders and began to work.
"Done!"
"Where's that chest x-ray?" Lizzie asked.
Malik handed her the x-ray.
Lizzie peered at it.
"That looks like..."
Ceila also peered it at with a macabre sense of awe.
"Part of an awl. Yummy."
Lizzie raised a curious brow.
"Not so yummy for him if he bleeds out," Lizzie noted. "He needs surgery."
Luka worked on the unfortunate man.
"He is not going anywhere until we stabilize him."
With that, Ceila read his blood pressure.
"20/40."
"Not good," Lizzie noted.
"See if the labs are back," Luka asked Ceila.
Ceila went to retrieve the labs. She gave them to Luka.
"His arterial pH is 7.1," Luka said.
"We've got to crack him open," Lizzie scowled. "He's bleeding everywhere in his chest cavity."
Malik lifted up foley to show how much blood was in the carpenter's urine.
Luka prepared to start a peritoneal lavage.
"There's no time!" Lizzie snapped.
"You want to crack him open!" Luka returned. "There's blood everywhere. We have to control the bleeding. I told you- he is not going anywhere until we can stabilize him."
Lizzie bit her tongue and helped Luka.
"His heart rate is dropping!" Ceila noted. "It's gone!"
Luka cussed under his breath.
"He needs a cardiac massage!" Luka said. "Get me the sternal saw!"
Malik handed him the saw. Lizzie made an incision along the sternum and Luka applied the saw to the man's chest. Once inside the man's chest cavity, Lizzie applied the defibrillating paddles.
"Clear!"
Everyone backed away. No sinus rhythm was seen on the monitor.
"Again!" Luka ordered.
Lizzie applied the paddles again. A familiar beeping sound indicated that the man' heart rate had returned.
Lizzie exhaled finally.
"Now, he's a surgical case!"
Malik helped her move the man out of the trauma room.
Ceila could help but laugh a little.
Luka spun around to her.
"There is nothing funny about a man's life."
Ceila shook her head.
"No! It's not that! It's just... I mean, that was really cool."
Luka cooled a little and snapped off his gloves.
"Cool is when he recovers from surgery and can go home."
Ceila started to clean up the trauma room.
"I think cool is when you have the confidence to bring a man back from the brink like that and can actually do it," she opined.
Luka disposed of empty drug vials.
"It's not always like that," he said sadly.
Ceila nodded.
"Yeah. I know."
Ceila heaped used pads into the wastebin.
Luka swallowed once, the soft sound of it filling a silent void. "It's good that you are benefiting from other doctors' experience," he said.
Ceila looked straight at him.
"I wonder when you will benefit from our experience again?" he asked.
He smiled beautifully, to match Ceila's own beaming smile.
"I still think what you did was cool," she quipped.
Luka took off his gown and smiled wickedly.
"Maybe it was."
He left the trauma room.
Ceila's smile broke into a quick laugh. A nurse, one from the suture room, came into the trauma room to help Ceila with the clean-up.
"What's so funny?"
Ceila shook her head.
"Nothing. Just saved someone from a crash-and-burn. That's all."
*
Author's note: The first two lines of "The Cinnamon Peeler" by Michael Ondaatje have been used here.
"Dr. Luka."
He almost shuddered to hear the little voice.
He turned on one heel slowly. She was there- her head bowed, her black hair pulled back severely, her arms crossed over chest covering something.
Luka wasn't expecting her to be here.
"Student Nurse Kowalski."
She didn't look up.
"I know I'm not supposed to talk to you," she said softly.
Luka shook his head.
"I meant that we aren't..."
She didn't let him finish.
"I don't think this is against the rules, though. I have something for you," she said. " I should give it to you now."
She removed her arms from her chest.
"I'm not working here so much now that I'm in class," she explained as she held up the gift wrapped in tissue paper. "Besides, they're bouncing me from oncology to obstetrics and all over the place so I won't get to benefit from your experience as much."
She pushed the gift closer.
"Here. For you."
Luka accepted the gift.
"Me?"
She coyly looked at him.
"Yes, Dr. Luka. For your birthday."
Luka smiled. Someone remembered.
"Of course. I didn't think anyone would know."
Ceila smiled coyly without looking at him.
"I did."
Luka nodded.
"Thank you."
Luka unwrapped the gift. It was a book of poetry.
"Ondaatje," Ceila pointed out. "You know, the guy who wrote The English Patient. You might like some of his stuff."
With that, Ceila took her leave.
"Thank you," Luka called after her. He then disappeared into the lounge with his new gift.
**
If I were a cinnamon peeler
I would ride your bed...
"Luka!"
Luka closed the book quickly, as if trying to conceal evidence of something.
Abby had walked into the lounge. She swung her arms forward in a gesture of childlike play.
"What's that?" she asked. "A present from someone?"
Luka was taken aback. She had seen the book.
"Oh! I..." he stuttered.
She grinned.
"I see I'm not the only one to remember your birthday."
Luka nodded quickly and gave a little nervous laugh.
"Yes, well..."
Abby smiled politely.
"I thought you might like lunch- on me- for your birthday. We can only run to Doc Magoo's but it's better than nothing."
Luka smiled.
"I would like that. Thank you."
Luka stopped smiling.
"But I cannot. It would not be appropriate."
Abby looked puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"I think you know," he said simply and started to walk out of the lounge.
He stopped before he walked out the door.
"Thank you."
Abby swung her hands before her once.
"Dammit!" she cussed.
**
Ceila was in a half-empty suture room, behind a curtain, quietly doing little chores. She started folding sheets. Two other nurses gathered on the other side of the curtain, also folding sheets and replacing tubing, gauze and other items. They were talking to each other.
"Where's Dr. Love?" asked one nurse. "I haven't seen him today."
"Kovac? Oh, he's here," replied the other nurse. "He's on lunch break. Disappeared with some book."
Ceila smiled. It appeared he liked the book.
"Abby wanted to take him out to lunch. He didn't go, though."
Ceila listened carefully.
"What? She charges too much?"
Laughter.
"I dunno. I guess. She wanted to take him without Carter knowing!"
"Ooooh! Don't let him find out or he'll be over the Croatian Sensation like glue again!"
Giggling.
"He's been a little mellow since his crash-and-burn."
"Over Abby? I thought he was through with her? They had a major blow-out."
"I think I know why."
"Why?"
Shrugging.
"Just how he is."
"You might not like him but I don't think he's so bad. He's sweet with the kids. I heard he beat up that guy who broke Abby's nose."
"I heard that, too! Geez! What a savage!"
"I guess that what they do in other countries. Anyway, he's always tried to be Mr. Knight-In-Shining-Armour with her. You know, he sent out an application for med school and she was all "my moods, you jerk" and he just rolled those pretty eyes of his like he didn't understand. I guess he was trying to do her a favour. I mean- after the hissyfit I heard she threw with her ex, you'd think she'd welcome the favour."
"I guess not. You know- I really think Abby hates her job. She's always talking to Carter about it."
"She's always talking to Carter! Like, excuse me, there is work to be done!"
"Yeah, right."
The nurses finished their chores and left the room.
Ceila had since stopped folding. Her eyes bore a blank expression. She wondered how much of that was true and how much was just rumour?
**
Ceila wandered aimlessly out of the suture room. Malik rushed by her.
"Hey, Kowalski! There's a carpenter injured. Nasty thoracic lac."
She perked up a little, with the thoughts of the nurses' conversation still in her head..
"You couldn't drag me away."
Ceila charged into the trauma room with Malik and gowned up. Luka was working with Lizzie on the carpenter. He was bleeding from the chest and had since been intubated.
"He'll bleed out if we don't clamp!" Lizzie warned.
Luka concurred. He turned to Ceila, who was now ready to assist on the trauma.
"Ceila, we need a blood type and crossmatch for four, complete blood count, electrolytes, BUN, creatinine, glucose, PT, ABG, urine dip for blood, serum and urine toxicology screen. Can you handle that?"
Ceila wrote down the orders and began to work.
"Done!"
"Where's that chest x-ray?" Lizzie asked.
Malik handed her the x-ray.
Lizzie peered at it.
"That looks like..."
Ceila also peered it at with a macabre sense of awe.
"Part of an awl. Yummy."
Lizzie raised a curious brow.
"Not so yummy for him if he bleeds out," Lizzie noted. "He needs surgery."
Luka worked on the unfortunate man.
"He is not going anywhere until we stabilize him."
With that, Ceila read his blood pressure.
"20/40."
"Not good," Lizzie noted.
"See if the labs are back," Luka asked Ceila.
Ceila went to retrieve the labs. She gave them to Luka.
"His arterial pH is 7.1," Luka said.
"We've got to crack him open," Lizzie scowled. "He's bleeding everywhere in his chest cavity."
Malik lifted up foley to show how much blood was in the carpenter's urine.
Luka prepared to start a peritoneal lavage.
"There's no time!" Lizzie snapped.
"You want to crack him open!" Luka returned. "There's blood everywhere. We have to control the bleeding. I told you- he is not going anywhere until we can stabilize him."
Lizzie bit her tongue and helped Luka.
"His heart rate is dropping!" Ceila noted. "It's gone!"
Luka cussed under his breath.
"He needs a cardiac massage!" Luka said. "Get me the sternal saw!"
Malik handed him the saw. Lizzie made an incision along the sternum and Luka applied the saw to the man's chest. Once inside the man's chest cavity, Lizzie applied the defibrillating paddles.
"Clear!"
Everyone backed away. No sinus rhythm was seen on the monitor.
"Again!" Luka ordered.
Lizzie applied the paddles again. A familiar beeping sound indicated that the man' heart rate had returned.
Lizzie exhaled finally.
"Now, he's a surgical case!"
Malik helped her move the man out of the trauma room.
Ceila could help but laugh a little.
Luka spun around to her.
"There is nothing funny about a man's life."
Ceila shook her head.
"No! It's not that! It's just... I mean, that was really cool."
Luka cooled a little and snapped off his gloves.
"Cool is when he recovers from surgery and can go home."
Ceila started to clean up the trauma room.
"I think cool is when you have the confidence to bring a man back from the brink like that and can actually do it," she opined.
Luka disposed of empty drug vials.
"It's not always like that," he said sadly.
Ceila nodded.
"Yeah. I know."
Ceila heaped used pads into the wastebin.
Luka swallowed once, the soft sound of it filling a silent void. "It's good that you are benefiting from other doctors' experience," he said.
Ceila looked straight at him.
"I wonder when you will benefit from our experience again?" he asked.
He smiled beautifully, to match Ceila's own beaming smile.
"I still think what you did was cool," she quipped.
Luka took off his gown and smiled wickedly.
"Maybe it was."
He left the trauma room.
Ceila's smile broke into a quick laugh. A nurse, one from the suture room, came into the trauma room to help Ceila with the clean-up.
"What's so funny?"
Ceila shook her head.
"Nothing. Just saved someone from a crash-and-burn. That's all."
*
Author's note: The first two lines of "The Cinnamon Peeler" by Michael Ondaatje have been used here.
