A/N: Hey guys, there is some medical content in this chapter! Nothing with gore or anything graphic, but I am not a doctor or otherwise in the medical field, so I pieced it together via ER reruns and Google haha. Hope you enjoy it!

Janet waited outside a conference room at County General. She was about to appear before the review board to await the standards she'd be held to as she got back to work after another trip to rehab. Surely, from hers and Abby's experiences, she knew what this meant. More AA meetings. More random drug and BAL testing. More supervision from her chief of staff.

"Dr. Coburn," a secretary walked outside and nodded to her. "They're ready for you. Go right through these double doors and to your left."

Janet got up and tried to open the doors, but they felt stuck. Finally, she pried them open and walked into an empty room. It looked to be set up for a meeting, but no one was there. The secretary said to the left, right? Or did she say to the right? She felt confused and re-oriented herself, but the right just took her back out to the administration hallway. What's going on? Am I on the wrong floor? No, this is administration. OK, maybe they're just late and the secretary didn't realize that.

She walked back out into the hall, but the lights went out. Chicago was getting hit with rainstorms, and the hospital had just lost power. Janet overheard some custodial staff complaining about waiting for the generators, but she didn't have time for this. She had to find her meeting. I guess I'll just look for Dr. Anspaugh, she said to herself as the generators flicked on.

But as she walked back towards Anspaugh's office, she felt herself slip on a wet spot on the floor and had a hard time getting up. She couldn't move her legs and her neck was bothering her. She started crying for help, for a doctor...but no one would hear her as she laid on the floor helplessly.

Janet wiped away a cold sweat and stared at her cell phone clock. She exhaled when she looked around and could see she was not at County, but instead in her bedroom, where she had been sleeping just fine until this happened. The only thing true to her nightmare was that it was raining outside.

2:28 a.m.

Shit. I hate these nightmares.

Janet's relapse nightmares were her least favorite. And to make matters worse, she had to be up for work in less than three hours. But she had to reassure herself anyway. She took a slow walk through her condo and checked all the cabinets, the refrigerator and even under the sink to make sure there was no alcohol present. Then, she went on the state medical board website and confirmed her license was active and in good standing.

Thank God.

She looked at the clock as she went back to bed.

2:41 a.m.

God help me tomorrow.

Eight hours later, she stifled yet another yawn on the elevator on her way to a consult in the ER. This had been the worst possible day to be short of sleep. OB was short-staffed, her practice schedule was jammed for the afternoon and deliveries were never-ending. The biggest coffee pot in the world couldn't save her, but she was trying.

As she walked toward the ER front desk, she could hear the usual laughter and chatter of the staff as they milled around. But at the moment, she was so fatigued that it felt like her coworkers were yelling. She wanted to ask them to stop but realized they weren't doing anything wrong. It was just the brain fog talking.

"Anyone seen Dr. Gates?' she asked, resting her elbows for a minute. "He paged me for a consult."

"Severe morning sickness." Tony slid over to Janet. "First trimester. Patient can't keep anything down. She's had two miscarriages and is panicked about having a third. She's McLucas' patient but she didn't wait to be seen."

The two walked off to Curtain 3 as the staff relaxed, happy another conflict of treatment was avoided for now.

"I know I'm just an intern," Julia Wise looked up from a chart. "But why do you guys always look so afraid of her? I almost went into OB. My rotation was great."

"Honey, Dr. Coburn eats med students for breakfast," Haleh joked as Chuny laughed.

"Yeah and interns for lunch." Jerry added.

"Wish I could say I wasn't scared of my OB rotation," Chaz Pratt chimed in. "I'm not even in my third year yet and I'm already hearing horror stories. Among them, OB is a great place to work at County if you're either a robot or your backup career choice is the military. Even Banfield seems more relaxed."

"What are you using to measure THAT exactly?" Sam asked. "Anyway, I've been telling Coburn for almost six years now she can call me Sam and yet she keeps insisting on using Samantha. It's like having my mother work here. I think she just wants to get under my skin."

"She makes Kerry and Peter Benton look like rays of sunshine," Haleh snickered.

Janet came back out with Tony and was going over orders with him before signing the patient chart. After she was done, she checked her pager.

"Wow, I went 20 minutes without being paged. That has to be a record. But I won't jinx it. Anyway, does anyone care if I use the lounge or a spare room to relax? It's been a busy morning and I need to take five."

Everyone sat silently and shrugged.

"I guess not. OK, find me if you need me."

"Are you all right?" Julia asked, giving her a concerned look.

"Yeah, fine," Janet felt herself forcing a smile, knowing she wasn't being honest. "I'm just tired. Thanks, though."

Once Janet was in the lounge, she sat down on the couch and rubbed her eyes. Her headache was getting worse. She looked in the pocket of her lab coat, but didn't feel any Tylenol. She decided to check in the cabinets, but first looked in the coffee maker when she stood up. It was empty, and no one had started a new pot yet. But Janet didn't have the desire to worry about the ER's coffee pot and grabbed a tea bag instead. This would help her feel better until she could get back to her office for a protein bar, or maybe some fruit. That was the other thing. She felt too hungry and thirsty.

As she reached for the tea, she began to feel shaky, but she figured it was just the stress and the fact that she'd been jarred out of bed at 2:30 a.m. Still, she had a feeling she should sit down or lie down or something, but she was already struggling to focus and couldn't decide what to do. She even debated going back to the desk and asking for help but didn't have faith that she'd make it. Besides, the voices of the ER felt further and further away from her. She kept trying to tell herself she'd be fine, but she wasn't so certain anymore.

Janet tried to walk back to the couch but didn't get far. She sensed the lounge spinning, and just as she tried to gather her bearings to get herself on the floor, she fell over and her surroundings went black.

Janet still felt hazy, but no longer dizzy, as she sat on a bed in Exam 2. Everything that had happened in the last 10-15 minutes had been a blur, from the voices she heard approaching her as she was unconscious, the hands on her to do an initial assessment and take off her lab coat (which now hung on an unused IV pole), and even being put on a gurney once she'd woken up and was cleared to be moved. Sam was checking her vitals and hydration level as Archie took her history and asked questions about how she was feeling before she collapsed. Sam was also filling in the blanks of what happened between the time she fainted and woke up.

"I wanted a cup of coffee," Sam smiled and continued, "Of course, Tony did the same thing he does at home and took the last of it without making a new one, so he had warned me in advance. Anyway, just as I was about to open the door, I heard this crash and you were already on the floor. I know this feels scary, but it's OK. You're in good hands now."

Archie started a chart while ordering the same labs he'd asked for hundreds of times. "Sam let's get a CBC, chem panel, and EKG, and get her monitored. Do you have vitals?"

"BP is 98/70, heart rate tachy at 120, pulse ox 96," Sam answered. "Resps shallow but fast, 20."

"You guys really don't have to do all these tests," Janet panicked as she watched herself get put on a monitor. She had agreed to this while lying on the floor of the lounge but was having second thoughts. The last thing she needed was to be a patient in the ER when she had way too much to do. "Can't I just have some saline and go back to work? I'll tell one of my nurses to take out my IV. I won't even bother you guys again. It's probably just stress." She tried to lean forward but immediately felt woozy again, and Sam and Archie helped her lie back.

"Might be, but you did just pass out," Sam reminded her. "Just relax for a little bit. We really should take a look at you and send the labs. Better safe than sorry."

Archie turned back to Janet as Sam took her temperature. "How do you feel?"

"I'm pretty tired," she replied while rubbing her head. "And sore. I'm sure it was just a hard fall. It's really not a big deal." She reluctantly held her arm out so Sam could start an IV.

"Temp is 99.2," Sam told Archie. "No fever."

"Where are you right now?" he asked her.

"County ER."

"And what day of the week is it?"

"Tuesday."

"She's oriented," he confirmed and shined a penlight in her eyes. "Pupils are also equal and responsive. Any nausea or other concussion symptoms?"

"Not really. My head hurt before I fainted and I probably made it worse with however I hit the ground. The last thing I remember was the vertigo….the lounge felt like it was tilted on its side, and next thing I knew, you guys were hustling around."

"I understand." He stepped back and had Janet follow his finger. "Well, you are oriented and your eyes look good, so those are good signs. We'll do head and neck and neuro exams, and if they check out, we shouldn't need to order a CT and we can just watch you for more symptoms. A mild concussion won't show up on film anyway."

"Do you have any chest pain?" he asked as he took out his stethoscope.

She gestured to the left side of her chest. "Right around here, yeah. I feel like I fell on my side for some reason."

"We'll get that checked out; no problem. Sit up and take some deep breaths for me."

Janet tried to breathe but winced. "I can't…"

"Just try," Sam assured her as she rested a hand on her shoulder. "Remember to breathe through your mouth, though; we can't get accurate breath sounds otherwise."

"Good job," Archie finished listening to her heart and lungs. "Decreased breath sounds on the left; good sounds on the right. Lungs are clear otherwise; no fluid or wheezes. Heart rate is still tachy, though." He laid her back again and felt the sides of her chest.

"Ow!" She pulled back in pain as Sam lifted her top to look.

"OK, sorry. Your ribs do feel a bit tender. How bad is the pain, 1-10?"

"A six."

"No visible bruising yet." Sam noted.

"OK let's keep an eye on that. In the meantime, add a chest film. Give radiology a call."

"Why?" Janet wasn't liking this idea any better than what she was already dealing with.

"We need to look for a rib fracture or any bruising on the lungs. It could be nothing at all, or a very small rib break that doesn't show up. But if you're having painful breathing, we should check it out."

"I'll call radiology," Sam said. "Just as soon as I find a blood vial...darn it, we're out in here. I'll be right back. Just going to the supply closet."

When Sam left, Archie started his head and neck exam. "Janet, can I call anyone for you?"

She hesitated. "My daughter. I'm going to warn you though. We don't exactly have a warm and fuzzy relationship. She'll come if she's available because that's what we do for each other, but it's one of those things, you know? Long story."

"Oh." He looked up after checking her ears. "We don't have to call her if that's a problem. Your choice. I just thought it might help. I want to monitor you for the next two hours at least so I thought in case we detect any problems there's someone here for you."

"No, do it. I'll get you her phone number. She works at Mercy, so if she doesn't answer her cell, you can call over there and ask for pediatrics. I think she's working today."

Sam came back in. "Do you care which arm I draw from?"

"Not particularly when I have an IV in one and the other is hooked to a machine. Just keep tormenting me, I guess."

"Ah come on," Sam smiled again. "Are we really that bad?"

"No...sorry I'm just frustrated. This couldn't have been worse timing. I'm not exactly a model patient, am I?"

"We'll forgive you," Sam winked as she drew the blood. "Archie, how's her concussion exam?"

"Good," he replied. "No signs of skull fracture or brain bleed. Full range of motion in the neck. Just a bruise on the left temple. I feel confident in holding off on a CT unless it becomes necessary. We'll just wait for a phone call to bring her upstairs for a chest film."

"They're probably going to be a while," Sam mentioned. She turned to Janet. "That's pretty normal. If it's not a matter of life and limb, radiology tends to slow to a crawl. But that gives you some extra time to relax."

"I'll call your daughter," Archie told her. "By the way...you didn't tell me her name."

"Oh sorry," Janet laughed. "Caitlyn. Or Cait if you find that easier. What happens to me from here?"

He made a note on her chart. "Well, like I said, you'll stay down here for some monitoring and observation of your vitals and your head injury. Sam will check on you every so often and we'll make sure you're still stable and the fluids are doing their job. If you need anything or start feeling worse, just buzz the front desk so we can have a nurse come by. We'll let you know when radiology is ready."

Janet tried to get comfortable once she was alone but found it impossible to do so with a monitor and various lines attached to her arms and chest, including the blood pressure cuff that inflated every few minutes. She sighed as she closed her eyes. Maybe she could get some rest while she waited for Caitlyn. That is, if she shows up at all.