Hi everyone. Here's another chapter, I hope you enjoy! Next chapter is mostly written, I hope to have it up in 24-48 hours. But of course, your reviews felt spur me on faster!
Notes at the end will hopefully explain the medical stuff, feel free to PM for any further explanation.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans but the plot line is all mine!
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Chapter 26
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Back in the ER
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On Friday night Dick arrived at work at 7 PM. He was in far too good of a mood for Vic not to comment.
"How are things with you and your girlfriend?" Vic teased.
To his surprise, Dick didn't freak out, but responded with a smile, "Ah, they're pretty great Vic. Kori's terrific."
"Man, I never thought I'd see the day, Dick Grayson in love!"
"I don't think we're there yet."
"I don't know, if you're not there you're close."
"Yeah, Vic, your probably right," Dick replied with a chuckle.
"Really man, that's great."
"Yeah, it is."
The night went fairly well. Kitten had tried to corner Dick but was fortunately unsuccessful and the patient load was heavy, but manageable.
It was just a bit before 11 PM and Dick was catching up on paperwork back in his office. He looked up to see a familiar face at his office door.
"Hi Kori, what brings you by?" Dick said, pleased but surprised.
"Work," Kori replied with a sweet smile.
He stood up and moved closer. "You didn't tell me you were working tonight," he said as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Karen called me at about 8 PM. She told me that you guys were short staffed," she looked back over to see three other nurses on for 11-7, "but perhaps she was misinformed."
It would not be beyond Karen to 'assist' Kori and Dick in the romance department, especially if Vic had anything to do with it.
Dick just then realized this was Kori's first shift in the ER since the Cooper incident. "Hey Kori, are you ready to come back?" he asked her softly.
"I will be fine."
"Of course you will, but..." he replied, his face full of concern.
"I do believe I will need you to sign off on my return to work," Kori said, not really wanting to dwell on her last shift in the ER.
"Oh," Dick wasn't sure if he needed to exam her or not, and if he did, she had a rib injury so he'd have to exam her chest. He was going to kill Vic and Karen if he found out that was part of their plan, if there was one. "Kori, are you okay with me examining you?"
That hadn't occurred to her. "Well, uh, lets see how its worded in the return to work forms. Perhaps you will not need to do a physical exam."
"Well, you did seem perfectly fine today playing tennis," he pointed out, offering her a reassuring smile.
"Ready for a rematch?"
"Sure, but I'd rather have you as my doubles partner."
"I would like that very much," Kori replied with a twinkle in her eye. She searched in her purse, "Here are the return to work forms." She paused, reading them over. He looked at her, thinking about how cute she looked as she concentrated. Once finished, she concluded, "looks like I just need you to sign off that I don't have any physical restrictions and that should be it."
"Are you sure?" Richard looked at her square in the eye, he thought he saw a bit of apprehension, and wondered if he should ask her about her mental state. As far as he knew, she never got any psychiatric help for the assault.
"I will be fine Richard," she assured him. "But I am glad you are here with me my first day back."
He didn't want to question her any further and was fairly certain she would not have agreed to work if she wasn't 100% or close to it. He signed off on the forms, and then said, "We are fairly busy tonight, so I'm glad you are here. But Kori, if anything, anything bothers you, let me know, okay?"
"Thank you Richard. I am going to change now. I will see you a little later."
"Okay sweetheart," Richard took her hand, pulling her gently back into the office and gave her a kiss on the lips.
Kori was a bit surprised by the endearment, but more than happy to hear it.
"Now Richard, we have to be professional here," she admonished him playfully, "From 11 to 7, we are simply colleagues."
Dick checked his watch. "Well, I better make the most of the next two minutes." With that he pushed his office door shut and started kissing her the way he had wanted to so many times before when they worked together, before they were going out.
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They certainly needed Kori's help that evening. It was early May and there was a bump in ER traffic due to the better weather with more people out and about and engaging in high risk activities. There were also some college kids admitted, having finished up with finals, partying heavily.
A Beamer slowed to a crawl in front of the ambulance bays and a teenager was rolled out it, unconscious. His considerate friends brought him to the ER without I.D. and left him there, alone, and barely breathing. The security guard, seeing what had transpired on the closed circuit camera, alerted the already busy ER staff as he ran out the front door to the ambulance bay.
Wally and Kori grabbed a transport stretcher, backboard and collar and ran out to assess the patient. He was taking occasional agonal breaths, so they scooped him up without waiting to strap him to the board or collar him. Any injures sustained being pushed out of the car were incidental compared to whatever was going on that brought him to the ER in the first place.
Dick caught up to Wally and Kori as they entered the department. "What do we have?"
Wally answered, "Unresponsive, tachycardic, pinpoint pupils, agonal breathing...."
The patient began to vomit and Kori pulled him onto his side. Kori was first to notice that the vomit including white and orange partially digested pills, "looks like there are pills in the emesis, looks like an opiate overdose."
"Agreed," Dick said. "On my count, one, two, three" The patient was moved onto a regular stretcher from the transport one so there was more room to work. "Let's get Narcan on board as soon as you get a line Kori."
There was a flurry of activity, the well choreographed dance of the ER staff. As Kori started an IV line in the teen's right forearm, Wally cut off the boy's shirt, placing him on a heart monitor. Dick checked the boy's eyes and listened to his heart and lungs.
"He's crashing!" Wally exclaimed. The patient had stopped breathing, so he grabbed an ambu bag and turned the oxygen on. Placing the attached mask over the patient's mouth, he squeezed the bag every 3 seconds to breathe for the patient. Fortunately, the patient's heart was still beating on its own, but that was unlikely to continue.
Once the IV line was patent, Kori opened the medication box and drew up the amount Dick had ordered of Narcan, an opiate antagonist, used to counteract the effects of an opiate. She injected it slowly and within seconds the teen was struggling, trying to sit up. The Narcan had reversed the effects of whatever he was taking.
"Get off me," he yelled. He took a swing which connected with Kori's jaw. Luckily she had anticipated it, it certainly happens all the time with Narcan reversed overdoses, and had pulled back enough so the impact was relatively minor.
"Get him in restraints!" Dick ordered.
At this point Gar had joined them and grabbed the leather restraints off the back of the treatment room's door. Kori was holding down the patient's right arm, protecting the IV line, Dick had his other arm and Wally had his legs.
While the patient fought and cursed, leather restraints were fastened to both arms and legs. He was still struggling.
"Stop trying to get up. You've taken an overdose and we've reversed it. Lay quietly while we check you out." Dick told him firmly.
"Fuck you! I was having the best high..." the teen replied, pulling against the restraints, arching his back off the table.
Dick snapped at him, "and you basically died and we brought you back. You can thank us later. Stop pulling against the restraints."
"You can't tie me up!" the patient said ferociously.
"Yes we can you your safety!" Dick replied. "Hey Gar, can you tie him down?"
"What! No, fuck you!" the patient said and began to spit. This was also anticipated and Gar had a mask on as he hopped onto the stretcher and leaned on the patient. Kori handed him a bedsheet and the tied the patient to the stretcher with it.
Ignoring the patient's tirade, Dick asked, "what did you take?"
"I'm not going to tell you."
"Then I can't treat you. Would you like to stop breathing again? Tell me, what did you take?"
"Percocet. I took some Percocet and a couple Oxycontin."
"How many Percocet?"
"I don't know, 20 maybe."
"Oh, well let me tell you what happens next – we have to get you to vomit."
The patient looked down. "I already vomited."
"Yeah, but we have to get everything we can out of you."
"Why?"
"Because, if you took that much Percocet, the Tylenol in it will damage your liver. You could get sick enough to die of liver failure in about 4 or 5 days, when all this should be a memory. If we get the pills out of you, we will get a chance to treat you properly, and you should do fine."
The boy nodded, leaned back and closed his eyes, the entirety of the situation weighing heavily on him.
Kori sat down on the left side of the patient, "I'm going to have to draw some blood now." He nodded.
A short time later, after Kori and Wally had completed the remaining tests and procedures, they stepped out of the room.
"I've got this guy, Kori," Wally said.
"But - " she started.
"Yeah Kori, you kind of have a bruise on your jaw." Gar added.
"I do? He barely hit me."
"I think he tagged you pretty good," Wally replied.
"I am fine. I saw it coming. I will put ice on it, during my break." Great, another injury in the ER. But that wasn't what bothered her, seeing the overdose did.
"Your break is now, Kori. Then we'll make sure you're okay."
"I am undamaged - I mean, I am fine, really I am."
"Kori, I'm in charge tonight. I don't want to do the paperwork any more than you do, but with what happened before..." Gar said, immediately regretting saying anything to relate this to what had happened to Kori with Cooper.
She placed her hand on Gar's shoulder. "I will take my break and ice my jaw. Do not worry about me. Our friend here tonight is hardly the first to come out of an OD swinging."
"Okay Kori, ice that for at least 20 minutes but take a longer break if you need to. And if you need anything, let me know."
"Thank you Gar."
Kori finished her charting, then grabbed an icepack and headed to the roof.
Because he was the only doctor on at that hour, Dick had to attend to other patients after the unnamed boy had stabilized, but soon returned to his room.
"How are you doing?" Dick asked.
"Better. Can I get the restraints off?"
"As long as you don't hit anyone again." Dick realized he hadn't checked on Kori but had to remain focused.
"I won't, sir."
"Good, and no spitting."
"I won't sir."
"I'll get the nurse to take off the restraints, they have the keys. So what's your name?" The patient had never told them and arrived without I.D.
"Its Ed, sir. Edward Smith."
"Smith?" Dick questioned, sceptical of the common name.
"Really, it is."
"Okay, Ed. By the way, I'm Dr. Grayson. Sorry I came down so hard on you before. We really did save your life back there."
"I know. Thank you."
Right then Wally walked in with some ipecac to induce vomiting.
"I'll check back in on you later. Wally is going to be with you for now. If you have any questions for me or need anything, just ask, okay?"
"Yes Doctor. Oh, and doctor, tell the nurse I'm sorry I hit her."
"I will."
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Dick looked around the department and didn't see Kori. They had maintained a professional distance since the kisses in the office right before 11, but he was concerned about her. How did I let something happen to her again and on her first day back?
Gar came up from behind him, knowing what would be on Dick's mind. "Kori's on the roof. She's taking a break."
"How is she?"
"She's fine. Her jaw's bruised but she seems to be taking it into stride."
"I shouldn't have okayed her return to work back tonight."
"She was ready, Dick. Look, we are down to just three patients, and you've already seen them. All the others have been discharged home. Go check on Kori, I'll page you if we need you."
"Thanks, Gar."
"No problem."
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Dick exited the department and jogged down the hallway. He took the stairs to the roof two at a time. Kori turned when she heard him open the door.
He was by her side in a few long strides. He pulled her into a hug. "Kori," he murmured into her hair, holding her tight. He could feel the cold of her chin from having been icing it.
"Richard," she breathed, happy he had found her.
They didn't say anything for a short while, just holding each other.
He finally pulled out of the hug so he could look at her. He touched her chin, unable to really see the bruise in the dimly lit roof. "Are you okay?"
"I am fine."
"I'm sorry, I should have stopped him..."
"Richard, please do not say that. I saw it coming. It is not like it never happens. I am just very happy you are here with me now, although we have to get back to work."
"We have a few minutes. Everything is fine down there." He looked at her and saw something in her eyes that told him she wasn't completely alright.
"Kori, please tell me what you are thinking."
She let out a sigh. "Getting my jaw "tagged" as Wally would say does not concern me, nor does what happened the last time I worked." Perhaps it did bother her a bit, not that she would admit it then, not mentioning Cooper by name.
"Then what is it?"
"It was the overdose. It was Percocet, Richard. What if something like that happened to..."
He finished for her "Barbara?" He hadn't considered it before, but obviously Kori had. She was worried that Barbara could overdose and end up like Ed or worse.
"Yes, Barbara. I am worried for her."
He pulled her back into a hug. "We'll help her." He felt Kori give a little bit of a nod. And he also felt something else. Dick Grayson realized he loved Kori Anders.
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hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading and please review!
Some clarification:
Narcan – an opiate antagonist – competes for the same receptors and reverses the effect of opiates. It works that fast and boy sometimes people get angry when the high is gone.
Percocet – a drug that combines Tylenol (acetaminophen or APAP) and Oxycodone
Oxycontin – an opiate drug, brand name for oxycodone.
ipecac - it makes you vomit
emesis - technical term for vomiting
Why do I say opiates and not narcotics? Narcotics is more of a law enforcement term although they are used interchangeably.
Tylenol overdose does lead to death, 4 to 5 days later of liver failure and its a sucky way to die.
Although restraints are terrible things and should never be used in most patient settings, they are sometimes necessary in prehospital and ER settings.