Chapter 72:

Anna rubbed her shoulder as she walked towards the EL. She fought her way onto the train. She got about to Northwestern unable to stop thinking about him. She debated on whether or not to call him before she started her shift or not. She walked into the locker room there throwing her stuff into the locker as she banged it shut. Hell if he didn't want to talk to her she could at least tell him how sorry she was. She flipped open her phone and leaned against the wall. She wasn't going to get emotional...she wasn't going to cry...just give him the chance to tell her to get lost if that's what he really wanted.

"Hey," She said softly, '"before you hang up on me. I just wanted to say that I am sorry that I didn't trust you, that I did come out and tell you the truth. I'm sorry that we fought in the car, I'm sorry that I nearly killed you, and I am really sorry about breaking your ribs. I'm shouldn't have left the way that I did, and I wouldn't blame you if you hated me right now or if you never wanted to see or talk to me again. What I did was thoughtless and selfish. But I wanted to say that I was wrong, and that maybe someday you could find it in your heart to forgive me."

Doug sighed; she must have said she was sorry fifteen times in five minutes. "Anna...I'm really sorry but I can't do this right now. I don't feel very good and I'm tired." Doug knew he was going to come off like he was still upset. In a way he was but it wasn't anything that he couldn't get over with time. "I'm glad you're ok though...this wasn't your fault, I didn't watch the road." He wasn't going to blame her for the fight right now. None of them needed any more stress today, besides there would be plenty of time for serious conversations later. "I didn't ask Abby to say any of that you know." he had words of his own to say to her later.

"Yeah I know." She said, "Get better; I'll be seeing you around." She started to head out of the lounge, "I have to get to work I'm late."

"Yeah sure..." he said softly."See ya around." Doug hung up the phone and thought about her. That must have taken some courage to call him after all that. Doug was upset with her but not enough to never talk to her again. They would work it out when they both were a little less hurt.

Anna threw herself into her work. An hour into her shift at Northwestern Kerry called her asking her to work at County tomorrow. She felt bad because it was now her fault that they were short handed. Romano had agreed because of the stress Anna was under at the time to let her suspension slid. That she was grateful for. Anna groaned when she realized that she was not getting off from Northwestern until 5 and that she had agreed to be at County at 7. She finished her shift at Northwestern and caught the EL. She swung into her apartment to change clothes before heading over to County. She was tired and stopped to get a cup of coffee before heading into the lounge and flopping down on the couch. She sipped at her coffee as she noticed Susan walk in. "Hey please tell me that I am working with you today?"

Susan smiled at Anna. "If you are on this morning you are on with me." she said patting her leg. "Rough day?"

"I am on this morning, if that's what it is." She said looking at her, "little people by night, big people by day." She joked. "I just pulled 12 at Northwestern, 12 here should be a cakewalk before going back to another 12 there."

Susan looked at her surprised. "You need to take a break...that can't be healthy." she poured herself a cup of coffee. "I might have to give you a caffeine injection in a second." Susan fixed her coffee and sat down next to her on the couch. "is everything ok? you've been gone for awhile so I never got to see how you were doing."

Anna chuckled, "drinking Jerry's coffee isn't healthy either. I'm as good as I am going to be. I had some forced time off, managed to screw up my relationship which is now probably broken beyond repair, about killed Doug in the entire process." She put her head down onto her hands, "work is the only thing I have left right now. Might as well stay as busy as I can you know. Gives me less time to think about the might have been's if I stay busy. Besides the coffee is better over there than it is here. It's just easier to put other people back together right now than worry about my own messed up life." She looked up at Susan, "that and I so missed being puked on, spit at and called babe."

Susan laughed at her. "Sounds like you've got your priorities a little off to me if being puked on is at the top of your list." she joked standing up. Susan could tell her friend was having problems and she wanted to leave her with a little light before starting the day. Before he left the lounge she stopped. "Anna, just know...nothing is as bad as it seems. Nothing is certain. Now come on, if you're working today you need to get out here. Weaver might attack you with her stick! Besides drinks are on me tonight if you find time to get out." She joked before leaving.

"Weaver beating me is the last thing I need right now." Anna said as she followed Susan out of the lounge and walked over to admit. Doug had said the same thing to her just a few nights ago. She wanted to believe that this was just a bump in the road for them but she had screwed them up to bad. she knew that. It would be a small miracle if he forgave her. She picked up a chart..."oh lovely." She said as she scribbled her initials on the board, "what a way to start my morning...please tell me it's to early for psych to be backed up, because I am going in with the 80 year old pregnant lady. If a nice trauma comes in please don't hesitate to get me."

Susan smiled looking at her own chart. "Hey it's better than the 13 year old pregnant girl I've got...trade ya." she said rolling her eyes. "trust me, you'll be the first to know if something good comes in. that drink offer still holds too." she said walking away.

Anna smiled as she backed into the exam room. After 15 minutes, a few claw marks, puked on and an elderly woman now under the effects of a good dose of vitamin h. Anna walked over to the supply closet and grabbed a set of scrubs. She quickly changed and walked over to admit. She picked up the phone and called psych...this was not going to be her day.

Doug laid in bed. He couldn't stand to be in his house all day. After popping some more meds he made his way out of bed. It took him a few minutes but he managed to put on some slacks and a nice shirt. he knew peoples eyes would be on him because of his injuries, so he better look nice. he knew he couldn't drive, and really didn't want to so he put on a jacket and slung a bag with some files over his shoulder and made his way to the EL. after a short trip to County Doug used his crutches to gimped into the ER. he hurt less and it was a lot easier to use them then it had been the day before. he put his head down as he saw Anna and Susan at admit. he waited a second to make his way to the desk. he stood across from Anna and put his crutches to the side and put his backpack on the table hoping she would say something.

Anna hung up the phone. "Hi Doug." She said to him, she was surprised to see him here. "You're not on today are you?"

Susan walked out from her patient who had gotten morning sickness and saw Anna had the same problem. "look we're twins" she joked. she saw Doug and touched him on the shoulder. "good to see ya Doug." she said as she made her way to get some new scrubs.

Doug shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know...it thought it was better to do something, maybe just paperwork. I need some money pretty bad after that accident." he pretended to look at his files. he still felt awkward around her, unsure how to act. "got any peds?"

Anna laughed..."yeah but yours isn't nuts." She looked back at him for a minute. "Not at the moment. If we did I wouldn't have been in there with grandma thinking she was pregnant. You should probably just stick to paperwork anyway." She stopped herself from walking away. "Maybe we can get coffee later if you feel up to it. I mean that is if you want too, we don't have to, oh man, I had better just go, there's a LOL weak and dizzy in 2 that I should see."

"Yeah sure." Doug said. He didn't want to do paperwork though. he started looking through charts until he found something close. "19 year old with a cough... doesn't sound too hard." he said to himself. Doug stuck the chart in his mouth to hold it and stuck the crutches back under his arms. it was important to him to look strong in front of Anna. he slowly moved past her on his way to curtain two.

She shook her head muttering to herself. She glanced up as she saw an ambulance pull into the bay. She dropped the chart that she was holding and ran over to them. She helped push the gurney into the trauma room. She listened to the bullet as she threw on a gown. It was a 15 year old hit and run. As one of the medics pushed the door open she yelled, "I need some help in here!" The kid wasn't moving any air as she grabbed an et tube and got ready to intubate. She slid the tube in and checked to make sure that she had gotten it all the way in. He was circling the drain pretty fast and she needed help to get him stabilized before it was too late.

Doug heard the commotion and went as fast as he could to the trauma room. "what do we have?" he asked grabbing some gloves. Lydia helped him put on a gown and he made his way over to the side of the gurney.

"15 year old, bicyclist vs. auto." Anna said looking at him, "Intubated him but he's going south on me. I need a 16 French and 6-0 on a needle driver. This kid needs a chest tube." Anna slid the tube in and secured in into place. Before she moved to the end of the bed, "no deep tendon reflexes, babinski is negative." She said as she moved back to the head of the bed.

Doug felt the kid's belly. It was getting bigger by the minute. "he's bleeding into his belly, we need to tap it." he said trying to move to get some materials. "Lydia page surgery, get Romano down here now." Doug felt a little useless since Anna had a pretty good grasp on things but his pride got the better of him, he didn't want to be shown up. "well doctor... this is you're trauma, what do you want to order?"

Anna just look up. "Give me a 14 gauge on a 50 cc syringe." She said looking up at him, "get x-ray in here I need c-spine, get a pelvic series too. CBC, lytes, type and cross. Push steroids this kid has a spinal injury." She took the needle and tapped the belly. "I need the sonosite too." She said as she hit blood in the kid's abdomen. She looked up at the monitor. "We've got a run of PVC's. Hang 2 more O neg and push a mig of epi."

Carter got off the bed, and decided to go downstairs and watch TV, he was bored up there. He walked down using the railing with his good arm. He finally made it to the TV room, and waited for Abby to come home

Abby parked the jeep and headed inside. She was tired and irate with Anna. She flopped down on the couch next to Carter. "What are ya watching?"

Doug looked at Lydia. "You heard it, let's do it." Doug slid over by the kids head as be began to crash. "this kid need some blood. let's get it going wide open." after he wasn't stabilizing Doug grabbed a central line kit. he reached back and felt a surge of pain. "Ahhh." he gritted hit teeth together as he set the kit down. he hoped Anna didn't see that. "Anna you working on that x ray? I don't want to send him up before knowing what all he's got." Doug opened up the kit and took the needle trying to focus to put it in.

Anna threw the x-ray up and looked at him. "Damn it!" She said looking it over. "C3 is fractured so is 4 and 5...there's nerve damage here." She said as she threw up the next set. "His pelvis is fractured." Anna was having a hard time stomaching this. She turned and walked back over to the bed. "Tachycardia on the monitor."

"Not much, just surfing, do you want to watch a movie or something, or do you want to talk to me about what's going on, cause I'm a little confused what you are doing" he said to her

Abby looked at him, "what do you mean your confused by what I am doing. I picked Doug up from the airport and came back here...there's nothing confusing about that."

"Well I mean did you set him up with Anna, or did that fail, and where was Doug, and why did you have to pick him up from the airport, "he said. He couldn't ever forget that Doug had slept with his girlfriend once before.

Doug shook his head as he looked at the monitor. "V tach... God, damn it." he said. "paddles..." he said waiting for Lydia to pull it up to him."charge to 200...clear." he didn't want to loose such a young kid. Doug looked at the monitor again as it stayed the same. "250...clear"

"It's a long story Carter." Abby said, "Doug had a car accident when he was in Kentucky for his mom's funeral. And I really really don't want to talk about Anna...she's a bitch."

Carter understood. "Ok" he said to her. "Sorry, "he told her. "

Anna stayed clear while Doug shocked the kid, "you want another amp of epi?"

"I love you too." Abby said as she settled into the couch. "Why are you uncomfortable with me spending time with Doug?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be, but the last time one of my ex girlfriends was with Doug, when I was dating her, Well he slept with her" he said finally telling her what had happened, and that why it made him uncomfortable at times. "He's a good friend, but it is hard when you know that he slept with your girlfriend. I'm just afraid that's going to happen again" he said to her

Abby turned and faced him looking at him she was so serious right now, "do you have that little faith in me Carter? Do you think that I would stoop so low and cheat on you with Doug of all people? Do you not trust me?"

Carter couldn't believe how dumb he was. "I'm sorry Abby, I do have faith in you, and I know you wouldn't sleep with him. I'm such a jerk" he told her. "I should respect you better" he told her

"You got that right," She said to him, "that hurts Carter."

"Yeah" Doug said to her. "let's try this one more time... charge to 300. clear." Doug shocked him again with no luck. he stared at the monitor and rolled his neck. "the kids bleeding out, his hearts dry...you want to call it?"

Anna looked up at the clock on the way. "Time of death 11:38." She said as she yanked off the gown and snapped off her gloves. Before she smacked the doors to the trauma room open.

"Can you get a little more negative there Carter? My god you are turning into a perpetual black rain cloud. I thought I was the depressing one of the two of us." She said getting up off the couch. "I'm going outside."

Carter looked at her. "Yea but your always the one so depressed, why can't you make your self happy to. I'm not always happy either" he said angrily. "So that's what you expect of me, is to be happy" He said, He walked off in anger, and went to the kitchen to get a drink. He just needed to get his anger under control

"I have spent the last three days sitting by your side, I have watched a friend die...excuse me, and now here you think that I have the hot's for Doug Ross, oh come on Carter, you had the hots for Anna, how would you like it if I threw that in your face." Abby said as she slammed the door shut behind her.

Doug took off his gloves and tried to catch up to Anna. "Hey" he said following her out of the trauma room. "tough case...I didn't mean to step on your toes in there."

"You didn't step on my toes." She said stopping. "It's just been one of those never-ending days that's going to turn into a never-ending night."

Carter couldn't believe her, "Ah I know you were, and no you just don't have time to listen to others once in awhile." He said still steaming. He decided to get out of the house, he didn't need to be with Abby right now, and he might go and talk to Doug. He got the limo and had him taken to county, "Excuse me is Doug around" Carter said. He needed guy to guy talk. And Doug was a good friend.

Doug nodded at Anna. he couldn't think of anything to say to her so he made his way to the admit desk to do some paperwork. traumas wasn't a good idea in the shape he was in. Doug sat down in a chair in front of a computer and set his crutches to the side. he pulled up a file on the paper he was writing and started to work. maybe Anna would find him if she wanted to talk, if not he would let it go...all if it. he wasn't going to chase her anymore.