Chapter 2
Disclaimer - I own nothing but the plot line and a bunch of ill-fitting scrubs
Plot Summary - AU - Dick Grayson, MD falls hard for Kori Anders, RN when she comes to work temporarily at the ER where he is an attending physician. Has the notorious playboy finally met someone he could be happy with? Will Kori want to have anything to do with him?
Richard Grayson - ER doc/playboy
Kori Anders - Nurse practitioner/working temporarily as an ER nurse
Victor Stone - ER doctor
Karen Beecher - ER Nurse/Victor's Fiancé
Tara Markov - ER Nurse
Rachael Roth - ER doctor
Garfield Logan - ER Nurse
Wally West - Paramedic
Katrina "Kitten" Moth - Registration Clerk
Kori immediately took to Tara who was a real straight shooter. The shift was going as expected with Kori shadowing Tara as she assessed new patients, drew blood for laboratory tests, gave patients their instructions, arranging for hospital admission or arranging for discharge home. Tara was careful to show Kori where everything was in the supply closet, medications room, and elsewhere in the unit.
She introduced Kori around to the staff as they encountered them.
"This is the registration area." Tara walked over to the registration desk where a gum snapping bleach blond sat back, looking at her manicure.
"Hey Kat, meet Kori, she's a nurse that will be working with us for a while"
The registration clerk regarded her with a hard stare. "Kori. huh? Interesting name. Call me Kitten." Kitten paused and her face went into a very fake smile. "Oh, don't worry I won't bite. Just know your place and we'll get along just fine"
Kori did not have the best poker face. "Nice to meet you. too." she managed a tad confused over the hostility she felt from someone she just met.
"Come on Kori, we better get back to the nurse's station, we have work to do - you know saving lives and such."
They walked back into the ER. Tara barely hid her laughter. "She makes quite an impression."
Kori couldn't help but laugh as well. "I know its Friday night but is she not, um, over-dressed and over-made up for work? Plus, veiled threat much - what was that about?"
"Kitten sees you as competition."
"Oh, X'hal, how could I ever compete with that?"
"Yeah, well, she considers the work part of work a minor inconvenience to her night on the prowl."
"Oh good. Glad she has her priorities straight." Just then walked up to a beautiful violet eyed petite woman to Tara and Kori.
"Kori, this is Dr Rachael Roth one of the ER docs."
"Pleased to meet you."
"Likewise. Looks like you're already having fun. Good, you'll fit right in. Are you going to be with us for awhile?"
"I hope to have the agency send me here regularly. Its been a few years since I worked in the ER but it is most enjoyable."
Rachael was a bit mysterious, as well as very worldly, and of course was the one to pick it up that Kori was not from the US originally. Her exotic beauty, the intonation in her speech. "What country are you from?"
"Oh, I am from Tamaran" Kori quickly added "but I was educated here in the United States."
Tara was surprised. "Wow I didn't realize..."
"Most people do not pick it up." Kori said, a bit embarrassed, realizing her speech was beginning to change even more as she became self conscious - must remember to use contractions
"Is health care different there?"
"There area a many differences yes but I trained here in the Uni.., I mean the US, and have always worked here."
"Do you get home much?"
"No Tara, not very often." Kori did not want to talk about her home land and the conversation was leading to questions that Kori did not want to answer. It was not a well known area of the world and there had been years of civil unrest followed by the complete toppling of the government about 6 years ago. Kori always felt very fortunate to have been able to leave but she had lost so much. She loved Tamaran but did not have many good memories from there. She realized Tara was just being friendly.
It did not take Rachael's intuitive abilities bordering on empathy to realize Kori was uncomfortable, so she changed the subject.
"Have you done agency work long?"
"Well I am new here in Washington, but I have worked for other agencies before, yes. It fits in well with my other obligations."
Right then the radio connected with the county alarmed. "Lincoln ER inbound with unresponsive 70 year old mail. CPR in progress. ETA 5 minutes."
Rachel grabbed the radio - "Copy. Lincoln out"
Tara picked up the PA - "Code Blue room one, ETA 5 minutes."
She called the hospital operator to advise. Moments later an overhead page went out. "Code Blue ER Room 1, Code Blue ER Room 1"
"Come on Kori, lets go".
Before the ambulance arrived, room one was jumping. There was a blur of activity and a crush of humanity. All the house staff and students descended on the ER and joined the ER staff in the room. Tara barked orders and Rachael went to wash her hands. "I got this one Dick." Rachael said, not even turning her back.
Kori glanced up. Dick Grayson had appeared along with what seemed the rest of the hospital. He looked a tad disappointed, he actually enjoyed running the codes, but Rachael was senior. It actually gave him a chance to do a lot of teaching, his favorite part of the job.
Being wheeled in quicky on a gurney, already intubated and being worked on, the unfortunate patient arrived looking, well, dead. Wally West straddled the gurney giving chest compressions.
"How long was he down?" Dr Roth asked.
"Unknown Rachael" he replied his words not reflected his physical effort. "A family member found him unresponsive and initiated CPR."
"But he's cold!" Dr Roth said picking up a mottled and cold arm.
"You know I can't call it." Wally stated the obvious. It was current policy in their county that the medics were supposed to err on the side of life, so he continue CPR if it had been already initiated prior to his arrival. It was left up to the ER doctor could halt CPR and 'call the code'.
"Stop CPR, quiet everyone." Rachael called out, not particularly hiding her disgust over the unpleasant seen.
Everyone stilled in the room.
Flat line. Beeeeep.
"Official time of death, 4:53 PM. Thank you everyone." Then quietly to herself Rachael said "Uggh. Abuse of a corpse."
Generally unhappy personnel filed out slowly. Tara worked on the paperwork.
Before the room was empty, Kori asked Tara "Is there family here? I'll get him ready in case the family wants to see him in here." She started to straighten up the decedent, gently placing a pillow under his head and getting a new sheet to cover him up to his shoulders.
"Thanks Kori" Tara absently replied.
"He's ready as soon as we get the equipment away."
Tara looked up from her clipboard and help Kori put everything away. Tara walked to the door and stopped, looking back at Kori as she took the stethoscope that had been around her neck off, and moving it into her pants pocket. She then stopped at the dead man, touching his hand and dropping her head for a few seconds. She then dimmed the lights and walked out of the room with Tara, careful to leave the door cracked open.
Tara and Kori walked back silently to the nurse's station, and Tara said to her quietly. "You seem pretty comfortable with all that."
"Of course, death is part of life" It had been a large part of her life.
"Yes it is. Especially here unfortunately. May I ask, why did you move your stethoscope to your pocket?"
"A stethoscope implies a heart beat and life. If his family were to arrive when I was still with him they might have thought he was alive."
"I've never seen that done before."
"It seems like the kind thing to do."
"And the door, we usually close it."
"The door is left open to allow the spirit to leave. There was no window to open in that room. That is a Tamaranian custom and it makes me feel better to do it. I will close it now" Kori turned back to the room one.
Shortly after, Tara had insisted Kori take a 10 minute break under the guise that Tara had other matters to attend to. Kori was glad she needed a minute or two to collect herself. Kori went into the locker room to use the facilities and stopped to look at herself in the mirror. She decided to wash her face, comb her hair and reapply a little mascara and lip gloss. She thought of Kitten's heavy make up and now ridiculous it was. She giggled to herself - this was a very interesting place.
Her thoughts then turned to the dark haired doctor, one of the few people she had yet to meet. Another quick check in the mirror and she was satisfied with how she looked and smiled. Then she admonished herself - she was here to work - another thing other than the way makeup was applied that differentiated her from Kitten.
Walking back on the unit she looked around for Tara, who was in conversation with one Dick Grayson. Even though his back was to her, she knew it was him instantly and actually felt her heart skip a beat. That was weird. Kori found herself smiling as Tara looked up.
Dick turned and saw her. His at first impassive look turned into a dazzling smile. Wow, look at those blue eyes.
"Hey Kori, I haven't gotten a chance to introduce you to Dick Grayson yet. He's one of our ER's attending docs. Dick this is Kori Anders, the new nurse I was telling you about." Kori extended her hand. What had Tara told him about me? Why am I blushing?
"Nice to meet you"
"Please to meet you as well. I look forward to working with you." His gaze was so intense Kori felt her blush deepening. His handshake was strong, much like the men back home, not like so many of the ones here in the US.
Rachael called over from across the nurses station, "Hey Tara, the family's done with your guy in one. We should get him upstairs. The morgue tech will be down soon."
Dick was still holding on to Kori's hand. Tara took notice. "Sorry Dick, duty calls. Come on Kori. Remember where the supply closet is? We'll need a shroud kit - they are on the left hand side, toward the back".
"Um, I better go." Their eyes remained locked. Then softly, "I'll need my hand back." Kori giggled.
"Yeah, talk to you later." Dick let go of Kori's hand, moving it to the back of his neck to rub it. It was his turn to blush.
Kori suppressed a giggle as walked over to the supply closet and found the kit. When she returned to the treatment room Tara had a smirk on her face. Tara quickly ran up and closed the door behind Kori. "That was quite a rise you got out of him."
"Out of whom?" she tried to say innocently. Like she didn't know.
"He really isn't as bad as they say."
"Bad how?"
A voice came over the PA: "Tara, nurses station please"
"I'll tell you later" Tara said with a wink. "I'll be back in a sec to help you with the shroud."
Tara strode out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Kori was alone with the deceased patient and went over to pull the door shut. Alone in her thoughts, she thought about Dick. She was now very curious about him and wondered what Tara meant. Having the fairly unpleasant task at hand, she went ahead to work, filling out the toe-tags and moving the body to shroud it.
Tara opened the door, coming back into the room and stopped short. "Oh Kori, you didn't have to get him ready alone."
"I did not require assistance. Dr. Roth said the tech was on his way. I did not do anything wrong, did I?"
"Oh no, its just we never ask anyone to do it alone. Man, you must be strong, he is a pretty big guy."
"I am stronger than I look."
"Yeah, I guess you are. Come on, lets see how our other patients are."
TtTtTtTtTt
Don't worry, we'll get to the roof shortly!!!
Hope I didn't over do the death stuff, occupational hazard, but it is plot-related. Am I speaking normal or 'hospital-eze' too much?
XxGraysonGirlxX, Somewhere in Time, filipina-princessa, RoseXxxXThorn: Thank you so much for the reviews!
Leaving a window open after a person's passing is a known practice in certain cultures. The stethoscope thing: I always move the stethoscope from around my neck to a pocket after pronouncing people dead (I am a hospice nurse and we can pronounce in my state). Doubt its unique though.