DISCLAIMER:Don't own it... No money made... Just for fun and enjoyment.
SUMMARY: Sequel to Displacement. The CSI team and their recently hired coroner Stephanie are back to work solving cases, sharing companionship and generally making their way through the dire world of criminal investigation with humor and friendship... This one will show the development of the relationship between Grissom and Sara and there should be some other surprises down the road as well. Romance/Drama/Angst/Mature Situations
RATING: M for Mature - I'm starting this one out at "M", since we won't be waiting quite so long for the smut this time out ;) Also, there is a sprinkling of language throughout the story.
A/N: I'm a big proponent of bringing humanity to medicine... Sadly, that really is alternative medicine in most hospitals :( I have found the key is being a partner in your healthcare, and not the victim. Take charge and MAKE them treat you as a human :D The good ones will thank you for it :D Okay, enough preaching... Enjoy the chapter and get ready for the next one. :)
REVIEWS: I am always looking for ways to improve my writing, and your reviews let me know if I am hitting my mark. Thank you in advance for the time you take to read & review this story.
Chapter 44
The nurse's station was normally quiet at night, but it was shift change time and the overnight staff was just arriving. They exchanged pleasantries as the new shift shed coats and brought out their equipment, and then the old shift briefed them on patient info as they shed equipment and put on coats. The new shift started to settle as the oldest of the three women grabbed a handful of charts and said, "I'll take first rounds, and you gals get the med orders ready."
"Thanks, Barb… We'll have the coffee ready when you get back, too." They all smiled as the nurse with the graying hair walked down the hall.
She looked over the notes from the last series of rounds, checked the vitals of each of the patients under their care for the night and prepared to start the first series of rounds for her shift. She always hated midnight rounds, but in the ICU it was important to keep an eye on the patients at all times. The monitors were only so helpful, and determining patient status was much more than basic vitals. She also knew that midnight meant she would be tiptoeing around whatever family member was keeping vigil that night. However, as she rounded the corner into the first room, she was wholly unprepared for the sight she was to behold.
Inside the room of their most critical patient was a swarm of people, soft lights, music and quiet dialogue, which stood in sharp contrast to the severity of the atmosphere in the ICU. The nurse was deeply shaken by the sight before her, and the only reaction she was able to muster was indignance. "What are you people doing? You can't be in here like this." She immediately flipped on the overhead light switch and tried to make her way through the room, and around the various chairs that seemed to have appeared in the room. "This patient is being isolated for a reason, people. You're going to have to go back to the family room an-…"
"Please, just do what you need to do and leave." The young man beside the bed stood up slowly and backed away from the bed as he spoke with a tired voice.
"Sir, you cannot stay in her-…"
"This is my wife, and no one is going to tell me what I can and cannot do. There are two doctors and a lawyer in this room right now, so please don't push your luck." The woman's face began to fill with rage, but before she could begin to assert her own opinions, someone else entered the room.
"How's she doing, Thomas?" She spun toward the voice and discovered the chief of surgery standing in the doorway.
"BP has finally calmed back down to normal, pulse ox is slowly improving, but she still needs the vent and there's not been any sign of her coming around yet." The nurse looked back and forth from the young man to Dr. Fraser, as she tried to make sense of the situation.
"Well, I'm sure we're just dealing with a waiting game… I just got done in the OR, so I'm going to go crash out in my office for a while." He pulled the blanket back up around the shoulders of Dr. Wilbanks, as the young doctor dozed against the wall. "Page me if there's a change." He turned to the nurse and then said, "Barbara, just keep an eye on the monitors. If they need anything, I'm sure Wilbanks or O'Halloran will let you know. Leave these people be." As Dr. Fraser left the room the nurse followed quickly behind him, completely flustered by the experience.
From under the blanket pulled up to his chin, Stephan mumbled something, "She's just lucky Steph's unconscious… Nobody survives that kind of ass chewing…" That made those who were still mostly awake chuckle in amusement, but his next comment had them working to stifle their laughter, "I still can't sit right from my last one."
