January 20th, 2005

Week 9 of pregnancy

Okay, so Ray knew he had screwed up big time. Abby had been right. He had been using a lot of violence lately. He never had realized it. All his scars he had were because of stupid little fights. He had to stop this. He had a child on the way and he didn't want it to be raised in a violent family.

"Chuny, the IV is running dry in five. If you'd change it I would love you forever." Ray smiled.

"Don't need your love." Chuny winked as she walked away.

"A shoot and a miss." Morris chuckled stepping up behind Ray.

"I wasn't hitting on her. I have no need to hit on her. I have a girlfriend...Until some of us." Ray looked at him.

"From what I've heard, you're single again." Morris said with a smug smirk that Ray wanted to smack off of his rat like face.

"Well, you heard wrong." Ray said, "Abby and I are still dating. We're having a baby and we're happy."

"Ah huh..." Morris chuckled, "The grape vine isn't wrong."

"Yes it's always wrong. It said you were a smart and wonderful doctor but your anything but." Ray growled grabbing a chart, "Marina Melendez."

"That's me." The young woman stood up.

"Come right this way." Ray cast a mean glance back at Morris. "So, what seems to be the problem?"

"I've been bleeding a lot from...you know...down there." Marina said. Ray nodded as they entered the room.

"When was your last period?" Ray asked.

"What's that?" Marina asked.

"Menstruation cycle." He said.

"I'm not following." Marina said. Ray stared at her.

"How old are you, Marina?" He asked.

"Twenty-three." She said. Ray nodded and glanced at Sam.

"Would you like to take this, Sam?" He asked.

"Why me?" She laughed.

"You're a woman. You can explain it better." Ray said standing up, "I'll be back later, Marina, to check on you."

"Okay." She smiled. Ray stepped out of the room shaking his head. He couldn't believe that. A twenty-three year old not knowing what her period was. That was wrong.

"Hey." Abby stepped in front of Ray.

"Oh. Hey." Ray smiled.

"How are things?" She asked.

"Fine." Ray said, "How's the baby?"

"Still making me throw up." Abby chucked as Sam stepped out of the room.

"You might want to call Psyc down here. She still has no clue to what I'm talking about." Sam said walking to the admit desk. Abby arched her eyebrow.

"Trust me. You don't want to know." Ray chuckled. "Abby, I miss you."

"I miss you too." Abby smiled.

"Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? That is if you don't throw it all up." He said. Abby chuckled.

"I'd probably throw up if I was pregnant or not." Abby winked.

"Jeez, thanks." Ray chuckled as he planted a kiss on her forehead. He glanced over at Morris and gave him a look. He's just jealous, Ray thought. "So is everything cool between us?"

"I really hope so Ray." Abby said seriously, "If you ever use any of that violence towards me, myself and Ray jr are out of here."

"Number One I will never ever raise a hand to you. Number two we're not having a ray Jr." Ray said. Abby's eyes sparkled with delight as he mentioned the baby. He could see how excited she was.

"An Abby Jr?" She asked.

"No Junior." Ray chuckled as he went to the admit desk.

"This whole thing is going to be exciting." Abby said, "Choosing names and all of that."

"Archibald is nice." Morris said.

"It sucks." Abby gave him a look.

"So does Raymond." Morris muttered as he walked away.

"Archibald does suck." Ray laughed as Chuny came running down the hallway.

"Ray, your girl in five is bleeding out!" She cried.

"What? That's Marina. She has her period." Ray said.

"She's bleeding out" Chuny snapped. Ray and Abby took off down the hallway to marina's room. Ray's heart stopped when he saw the puddle of blood on the floor. Marina was passed out.

"Oh my god." Ray ran to her side, "Get four units of o-negative. Marina! Marina can you hear me?"

"Pulse is thready." Abby said, "This isn't her period, Ray."

"I know." He said as the monitor started to beep. "Oh god." Ray opened up her shirt. "Paddles. Charge to two hundred."

"Two hundred." Abby said turning the knob. Sam ran into the room.

"Oh my god." She cried, "What the hell happened?"

"You were the last one with her." Ray said, "Clear....Nothing...Charge to three hundred....Clear. Shit. Start compressions." Sam ran over to the bedside and began to apply compressions to marina's chest. Chuny ran in with the extra blood.

"The blood is here." She said as she began to hook it up.

"Let's push an epi." Ray said.

"What did she present with?" Abby asked him.

"I thought she just had her period." He said. The four of them worked on Marina for thirty minutes until the machine rang out her final heart beat. Ray looked at Abby. This was all his fault.


Ray sat in Kerry's office waiting for Kerry to arrive. He and Sam had been summoned up there only twenty minutes after Marina's death. He watched Sam pace back and forth in the large office.

"Taggert, sit down." Ray said. Sam shot him a look.

"I swear to god, Barnett, if I loose this frigging job because of you I'm going to kill you." Sam growled.

"You're not going to loose your job. This was my fault not yours." He told her.

"But she'll question me to why I didn't consult another doctor." Sam said, "I know how Kerry works. I can't afford to loose this job. I have a child to care for."

"So do I." Ray mumbled as Kerry walked in with two files in her hands.

"Sam...Ray...It's funny, you two would be the last ones I would have thought to be up here, but reading your files I wonder why I thought that. Sam, sit." Kerry sat behind her desk, pulling out Marina's chart. "So tell me what happened."

"Marina came in telling me she was bleeding. I assumed it was her period and I made Sam explain to her what her period was. I left and then like twenty minutes later she bled out." Ray said.

"Did you examine her?" Kerry asked. Ray shook his head.

"No I did not." He said.

"Why not?" Kerry asked.

"I used my judgment. I thought she was just having her period." Ray said.

"Regardless of whether or not she is menstruating, It is your job to examine every single patient you take under your wings." Kerry looked at Sam, "And same goes for you. You are the eyes and ears of this ER, Sam. If you see something not being done, it is your duty to come tell me. Why didn't you?"

"I honestly do not know, Dr. Weaver. I took Dr. Barnett's instructions and did what he said." Sam said.

"You didn't question it?" Kerry asked. Sam shook her head. "The two of you put me in a difficult situation. Every patient needs to be examined."

"I know that." Ray said, "Don't blame Sam. She only did what I told her to do."

"She's a grown woman. She should know what's right and wrong." Kerry said, "I have grounds to fire the two of you."

"Oh god please don't." Sam said.

"If I did, that would leave us very under staffed." Kerry said, "The two of you are on probation. One slight screw up and you will go in front of the board. Sam, I'm suspending you for one week without pay. Ray, two weeks without pay."

"Yes, Ma'am." Ray said.

"Get your stuff and leave." Kerry said, "The two of you practice medicine beautifully. You just need to use your heads more. I hope there won't be any other incidents like this again."

"There won't be, Ma'am." Ray said.

"Very good. You may go." Kerry said. Sam and Ray didn't hesitate. They rushed out of that room. As they made their way to the elevator, Sam glared at Ray.

"You're the worse doctor I've ever met. Take other peoples feelings into consideration before you just bulldoze over us all." Sam said.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Sam." Ray said.

"Oh I'm sure you are." Sam stepped onto the elevator. "I'm just so stupid for following along. I knew better."

"I knew better too but I was being lazy." Ray leaned against the wall, "At least you get to spend some quality time with Alex." Sam shot him a look. She wasn't in the mood for him to talk to her any longer. Ray closed his eyes. He wasn't doing very well with the women around him. He felt like he was apologizing all over the place. He needed to stop and smell the roses...These two weeks off will give him plenty of time for that.