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Zack Taylor looked up at the white ceilings in fear. He couldn't believe that he was going to be having brain surgery that day. He barely ate or thought about anything else the whole night before.
He just came to the hospital to repair the torn ligaments in his knee. He was dancing and his body went one way, while his knee went the other. Zack flinched, remembering the pain he felt when his knee slipped out of its socket.
His knee was, thank goodness, all better, thanks to the miracle work from Dr. Corbett, the resident orthopaedic surgeon. But Dr. Enrile, the intern on his case, found something that didn't make sense in his labs and recommended that the neurosurgeon, Dr. Scott, look at his labs. They advised him to allow an MRI and they found a brain aneurysm. Dr. Scott assured him that he would be able to reach the aneurysm and perform the surgery, but Zack couldn't help but feel extremely anxious. And nervous. And scared.
Zack looked around at the beeping machines. Those scared him even more. He looked out the window and saw Dr. Scott and Dr. Enrile talking at the nurses' station. After finding out that he needed brain surgery, Zack immediately took out his laptop and was grateful for the hospital's wireless connection. He used it to research Dr. Jason Scott. Apparently, he was one of the best, if not the best, neurosurgeons in the area. He graduated top of his class and had a reputation for never giving up on any of his patients. Zack asked around the hospital and found out that Dr. Scott was also one of the most loyal and reliable people in the world.
"Hi Zack, how are we doing today?" he asked, smiling as he opened the door to Zack's room.
"Oh you know," Zack answered, "trying to survive, one day at a time."
Jason grinned and winked at Zack. He motioned for the three interns to come in and report on Zack's case. One by one, Drs. Enrile, Russell, and Watanabe answered a bunch of Dr. Scott's questions and since he didn't understand much of it, Zack stopped paying attention to what they were saying. He noticed that Dr. Scott was very patient with his students and seemed like a very good teacher. His interns all seemed to respect him and like him.
"So, are we ready, Zack?" Dr. Scott looked at him with a reassuring smile.
Zack was glad that Dr. Scott was the one performing the surgery on his brain. He felt very comfortable with him and felt like there was some sort of familiarity about him. Zack looked up at the doctors and smiled. "Uh, I guess so. How much more ready do you need to be for brain surgery?"
Jason grinned and gently tapped a hand on Zack's shoulder. "Great. Dr. Enrile, get him prepped. I'll see you and Dr. Russell in OR2."
Dr. Enrile nodded to Drs. Watanabe and Russell as they followed Dr. Scott out. She smiled at Zack and spoke in a gentle voice. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I know it's scary, but...at least we caught it before it ruptured, right?"
Zack nodded. "I just wish it didn't have to involve more surgery."
Dr. Enrile smiled. "Well, you're in very capable hands. Dr. Scott is one of the best. Although you'd never hear him say it."
"I thought surgeons are supposed to have big egos."
Dr. Enrile laughed. "I guess in some ways we are, but some doctors maintain a more modest demeanor than others." she pressed a button to get a couple of nurses to help her move him.
"Oh? Hospital gossip? Do tell."
She raised her hands in mock-surrender. "I try to stay out of things here. It's the only way to get through each day!"
Zack laughed. "So who are the doctors that are less modest than others?"
Rose lowered her voice, pushing Zack's bed into the hall. "Well, you remember Dr. Russell?"
Zack nodded. "Yeah, I could see it. But isn't he still a baby doctor? Isn't that what the other doctor-what's his name-Dr...something, with the squinty eyes and the black hair...he calls you guys baby doctors."
"It's Myers, and yes, he calls us baby doctors because we're the youngest-surgical interns, you know," said Dr. Enrile, rolling her eyes. "He's probably..."
"The most less modest of all doctors?" asked Zack with a grin.
Dr. Enrile pursed her lips. "I was going to say that Dr. Eric Myers is probably the most difficult to please. But I guess being a cardiothoracic surgeon does that to you. He is one of the best."
"So if something's wrong with my heart, go to Myers?"
Dr. Enrile nodded, pushing Zack's bed into the big elevator. "Dr. Myers is one of the most skilled surgeons out there. So is Dr. Scott. And Dr. Corbett." She glanced down at Zack and grinned. "I'm really lucky to be interning here."
Zack raised an eyebrow as the two of them headed down a hall. "Eternal optimist, aren't you?"
Dr. Enrile laughed. "I think you have to be in this line of work. But I love it. I actually used to teach kindergarten."
"Oh? What made you stop?"
Dr. Enrile shrugged her shoulders. "I felt like my calling was to save lives. And I really hope I do."
"Well, catching things like this," Zack pointed to his brain, "does help you save lives. And when I wake up, I'll be sure to thank you."
"When you wake up? See, that's why I'm an optimist. It rubs off on people." She wheeled him into the operating room and left his side to sanitize and scrub in.
Zack looked around. He saw that the gallery was filling with people and noticed Dr. Myers standing next to the door. He was actually glad that Dr. Myers wasn't the one operating on him. Zack felt a little...intimidated by him.
Jason smiled reassuringly at Zack. "You ready? Start counting down from 10." Zack watched him nod to the anasthesiaologist.
Zack fluttered his eyes open to see Dr. Enrile sitting next to him. She motioned through the window and smiled and grinned when she got a response.
"Oh good, you're awake," Dr. Scott said, walking in to Zack's room. "Take your time, you don't need to speak right away. You're still coming back from major brain surgery. Good news, we were able to take out the anuerysm without any complications, but we would like to continue to observe you and if you feel any pain or discomfort, please let us know as soon as possible." Dr. Scott smiled. He gestured to Dr. Enrile. "Dr. Enrile over here will help you out with anything you need." He nodded to her before walking out.
"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, checking his eyes.
Zack nodded. "Just...it kinda feels like my head's been split open."
Dr. Enrile laughed. "You'll be okay. Do you need me to call anyone?"
Zack shook his head. "Don't want to worry anybody."
Dr. Enrile nodded. "Well, if you change your mind."
"Thanks," Zack replied softly.
"Well, I've got to go," Dr. Enrile said. "But just press the button if you need assistance. Rest well, Mr. Taylor."
Zack didn't really hear Dr. Enrile's last statement. He closed his eyes and barely heard the door shut after she left his room. A few hours later, Zack opened his eyes, feeling someone in his room. "Mm...can I...can I he-help you with any-an-anything?" Zack asked, groggily trying to sit up.
A man in blue overalls shook his head. "No, but maybe I could help you with something."
Zack looked at him in confusion. "Wh-Who are yo-you?"
Taking advantage of the fact that Zack couldn't really move, Billy placed his hand on Zack's arm. Zack jerked, but didn't move it away. The two watched as a series of images and memories flashed through their minds. Zack saw himself dancing at the Youth Center and remembered writing and singing a song with Kimberly. He remembered when he thought his friends had forgotten his birthday and realized that they really hadn't. He saw himself standing in his high school with a spider on his shoulder and flinched at the memory. He remembered when he tried to perform magic in front of a bunch of kids. In reality, he was just trying to impress Angela. He remembered how excited he was to be going to Switzerland for the Peace Conference and how happy he was to be back home, when it ended. When the memories ended, Billy carefully removed his hand and looked at Zack.
Zack stared up at him with wonder and amazement in his eyes. "Wow..." he said. "I never-I wish-"
Billy smiled. "It's okay. We'll all be together soon."
"Yeah," agreed Zack. "We'll all be together soon."
Billy smiled at him and grabbed Zack's hand. "I'll see you later?"
Zack nodded. "Of course. If I have to run out of this bed, I will!"
Billy laughed. "See you later."
Zack smiled, watching Billy walk out of his room. He nodded through the window. Zack leaned back on his bed, grinning happily at the ceiling. He remembered everything that he had gone through, especially those stolen moments with his friends. He looked at the door when he heard it open.
"Mr. Taylor, is everything feeling okay, still?" Dr. Scott asked, walking in.
Zack looked at his doctor in wonder. Now he knew why he was so comfortable with Dr. Scott. Because this was the guy that he had grown up with, one of the best friends he had ever had-Jason Lee Scott. Zack grinned at Jason, "How are you feeling?"
Jason laughed in return. "I'm the doctor," he teased. "I'm supposed to be the one asking the questions." He approached Zack's bed and sat on it. "So, how is everything?"
"Everything's great," answered Zack. "Just great. Almost perfect, I would say."
"That's good to hear," replied Jason. "And what would make it perfect?"
Zack sat up, leaning towards Jason.
"No, Mr. Taylor!" exclaimed Jason. "You just got out of brain surgery. Don't overexert yourself."
"I'm fine, Jason!" Zack exclaimed, waving his arms around. "And I'll be fine."
Jason stood up, trying to check Zack's vitals. He held Zack's face in place and abruptly let go of it. Zack grinned up at Jason. "I know you saw that, too," he said. Jason shook his head, trying to get the images out of his head.
He ignored Zack and again tried to grab hold of Zack's face to check his eyes. Again, a sudden image filled their minds. Zack smiled at the sight. The two of them were in one of their many sparring battles at the Youth Center.
Jason dropped his hands and dropped the chart on Zack's bed. "I've got to go," Jason said.
"Jason?" Zack threw his bedsheets off of him as Jason rushed out of the room. He didn't think about his recent surgeries, he just knew that he needed to go after his friend. Zack threw his legs over the side of the bed and jumped off. He opened the door and ran after Jason.
Hope you enjoyed that!
Next chapter: Tommy