Just a short fun chapter after how intense the last one was.
Monday was Teddy's first day back at work and she was feeling a little anxious about leaving Allison at the daycare. She also knew it was to be an exciting day for the interns and she was looking forward to watching the intern bowl. The annual skills competition for interns, this year the prize was choosing an attending to work with for a week as well as one procedure to scrub in one.
In the skills lab Jo Wilson was giving directions for the intern bowl.
"When I blow the whistle you are going to open your envelope and complete the first task," Jo said, "complete each task correctly to move on to the next one. This is an individual challenge."
"Altman can't play," a woman yelled, "her mother is an attending."
"Dr. Altman is only returning from maternity leave today," Jo said, "she has no involvement in today's competition."
"Her step father," the woman pointed out.
"Riggs Uncle and Aunt," a man called.
"The competition is going ahead as scheduled," Jo said, "if you have an issue don't play and go see how you can be helpful in the clinic."
"They should get a time penalty," the woman said, "two minutes for being related to attendings."
"You can go to the clinic," Jo said, "on your marks, get set, go!"
Jo blew the whistle.
Annie tore open her envelope and dashed to the mannequins at the back of the lab to drape them for an open laparotomy. Edwards was standing there and handed Annie her next card, she took of for the ER with Josh and Duncan hot on her heels.
The three raced into the ER.
"Slow down," April shouted as they skidded up to her with their clue envelopes. They gave April the answers to their questions and she directed them outside for their next task. Jenna and Jeremy had caught up to them.
The heard of interns flew into the ambulance bay to find Owen waiting.
"Each if you has 10 paitents to triage," Owen said, "first two to complete the task with minimal losses get a skip to the next clue card to be used at any of the following 20 tasks. Every patient you lose that should have survived is a 1 minute penalty. Go!"
They rushed to the mats with their names on them.
"Major hunt," Duncan yelled.
Annie moves faster.
"Dr Hunt," screamed Jenna.
Owen checked Duncan's, "4 minute time penalty."
Jenna kept yelling.
"Three minute penalty," Owen declared. Jenna sat dwon and sulked.
"Dr. Riggs gets the bonus card," Owen announced.
Annie saw Josh dash to the next location.
"Dr Hunt," Jeremy called.
"Two minute penalty," Owen said
"Dr Hunt," Annie called.
"Good work Altman," Owen said, handing Annie the next clue.
She sprinted across the parking lot to the clinic.
Josh had already started the task when Bailey heard Annie's answer to the question on the card Owen had handed her.
"Altman," Bailey commanded, "you need to demonstrate how you would intubate and place a chest tube."
Annie worked as fast as she could, she heard the door open and saw Jenna and Duncan flying in.
Josh took off with his next clue, moments later Annie followed. She ran as hard as she could, she could catch him here.
The intern bowl took all day with challenges across all surgical areas. It was nearly 4pm and the competition was wrapping up. Attendings and residents lined the catwalk Bailey and Webber stood at the far end holding a piece of tape across the hallway. The final five were sprinting down the hall. Josh was in the lead followed by Duncan, Jeremy, Annie and Cassidy.
Teddy had Allison in her arms, "baby girl we need to cheer for your sister. Go Annie go! Go Annie go!"
Hearing the cheers Annie ran faster, she caught up to Josh who grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. Duncan sprang past them. The three of them hit the tape at the same time.
"It's a tie," Richard declared.
Bailey said, "I have one final tie breaker. The first one of you to complete the task wins."
"What's the task," Annie begged.
Bailey pulled the final envelope out of the pocket of her lab coat, "your patient presents with anemia, elevated TSH and T4 what is your diagnosis?"
"What is the TPO level," Annie asked.
"Elevated and a high white blood cell count," Bailey said.
"Hashimoto's Disease with anemia," Annie shouted.
At the same time josh shouted, "autoimmune hypothyroidism."
"Treatment," asked Bailey.
Annie responded, "50 micrograms levoxthyrine one iron infusion followed by daily feramax. Repeat blood work in 6 weeks to check levels."
"59 micrograms levoxothyrine, B12 and iron infusion and feramax follow up at 6 weeks ," Josh said.
"Riggs wins," Bailey declared.
"What," Teddy mumbled, "she gave a complete diagnosis."
Annie hugged josh, "congratulations!"
"Well played Riggs jr and Mini Altman," Bailey said, "Riggs earned one week in the service of his choice and to scrub in on two procedures of his choosing. Altman gets one procedure of her choice for second place. In 11 years of this competition that is the closest finish this hospital has ever seen. It could have gone either way."
"Whose service do you want Josh," asked Richard.
"One of the Hunts sir," Josh said, "whichever will have me."
"I'm happy to have Riggs jr," Owen said.
"Mini Altman," Richard said, "have you chosen a procedure?"
"I'd like to wait for Dr. Riggs heart lung transplant, including the harvest," Annie replied.
"Annie," Teddy said, "dreaming big there?"
"I've been working with the patient for the last 8 weeks," Annie said, "I want in on the transplant from start to finish."
"You've got it mini Altman," Nathan smiled.
"Get back to work," Bailey called, "don't all of you have afternoon rounds."
The interns scattered to meet their senior residents and attendings for afternoon rounds.
"Are we taking Allison for rounds at 12 weeks old," Annie asked when she walked up to Teddy.
"No," Teddy said, "I'm taking her back to daycare and you'll meet me with my charts organized."
"Yes mama," Annie replied.
"Get going," Teddy said.
"I am," Annie said, "but first. See you soon Ali bean."
Annie kissed her baby sister's cheek before walking off.
Owen smiled.
"Our girls are cute together," Teddy said.
"They are," Owen agreed, "they both look like you."
"Allison has the Hunt hair," Teddy said, "she's a redhead for sure."
"But Allison has your eyes," Owen said, "that green gets me every time."
Teddy looked up at Owen, "really."
He gave her a quick kiss, "really. You go do rounds with Annie, I'll get Ali back to daycare."
"Thank you," Teddy said.
"I love seeing you with the girls," Owen said, "you're a natural with both of them. I love you."
Teddy kissed Owen again, "I love you too. See you after rounds. I'm here until 8:30, dinner in the cafeteria?"
"We'll grab the girls and Josh," Owen said, "we can eat together."
"Sounds great," Teddy said, "Annie is on for 24 hours after this."
Teddy met Annie to begin evening rounds, "well done today sweetheart that was close."
"It was," Annie said, "I should have remembered the B12. I take it everyday but I forgot to say it."
"You were faster than Josh," Teddy said, "in any other year you would have won. Bailey saw that. I would have given you two another tie breaker question That's why she gave a second place prize. You went big on that one, Nathan was going to have you do the transplant anyway."
"But now I can go with him for the harvest as well," Annie said, "I know it's hard on the family and the family is in a lot of pain."
"But you want to see the process," Teddy said, "experience it once."
"I do," Annie said, "I need to see things from start to finish to understand and learn them."
"You need to learn the whole process," Teddy said, "go with Nathan and learn from him."
Walking down the hall the angry woman from the morning grumbled, "of course Riggs won with Altman in second. Those two are always winning contests and doing the best in skills labs."
"What do you want to bet they practice at home with her mom," a man said.
"Her mother and step dad, is aunt and uncle they have support," the woman said.
"You have no idea how hard it is to be the child of a well known surgeon," Jackson said, "to be constantly held to a family legacy. You have to work 100 times harder to prove yourself. There's no being mediocre. You have to be flawless every day."
"Dr. Avery," the man said, "I didn't see you there."
"Obviously," Jackson said, "your intern exams and reviews are coming up. Comments like that do not make me want to give you positive reviews. Mini Altman and Riggs jr are not your competition they are your teammates. We make our first set of cuts next month, 5 of the 20 of you will be asked to leave."
Jackson walked away.
Around 6 Annie and Josh walked into the cafeteria.
"Do you know why mama paged us here," Annie asked.
"We thought you might want to do dinner with us," Teddy said.
"Family dinner in the hospital," Annie asked, "we told Jenna, Duncan, Cassidy and Jeremy we would eat with them."
"That's fine," Teddy said, "I didn't think."
"Why don't you join us," Annie said.
"Owen is coming with Allison," Teddy said, "I need to feed her while we eat. Your friends don't want to see that."
"Bring her to say hi to us," Annie said, "after she eats so she's smiley and cute."
"I will," Teddy said.
"I thought you were doing short days at first," Annie said.
"Maggie is off because her mom is sick," Teddy said, "I'm covering her service. She needs help."
"That makes sense," Annie said, "I hope her mom feels better soon."
"So do I," Teddy said, "but Owen and Allison are here so I'm going to meet them."
"Bring her to say hi when she's happy again," Annie said.
"I will," Teddy said.