New chapter. Review if you want another chapter.
Upon entering the break room Kayle went to her locker and worked on her lock's combination, knowing she had a hair band in her jacket. Her alone status was broken as an African-American woman – who couldn't be any older than her mid-thirties - entered the room. The woman stopped upon seeing Kayle, who had found her hair band and was putting her hair up into a messy bun.
"Oh. I'm sorry. Are you new here?" The woman asked, walking over to introduce herself.
Kayle nodded, extending her hand. "Kayle Brennan, new Attending."
The woman shook it. "Jeanie Boulet, Physician Assistant."
"I didn't get to work much with P.A.s at Jefferson. They opted for more nurses during this one budget meeting." Kayle responded. "Would've liked one though, P.A.s make things run a lot smoother."
"Glad to know you think that." Jeanie replied with a smile, "Some people just think we're fake doctors."
"Heck. You practically save someone's life and they're not even grateful." Kayle joked.
Jeanie laughed.
The door then opened once again, this time Dr. Greene stuck his head in. "Weaver and I need this room in a few minutes. That alright?"
Kayle nodded, "No problem. I was just stepping out anyway."
"Are you the new hire?"
Kayle nodded.
"Mark Greene." He paused, "I was actually going to ask you to stay if you don't mind."
Kayle was a bit flustered, she hadn't exactly expected to be called to a meeting this soon. "Alright." She replied, shutting her locker.
"Good. I'll go get Weaver and then be right back." Dr. Greene said with a small approving smile before he ducked back out again.
Kayle stepped over to the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water. "I wasn't exactly expecting a meeting on my first day." She said aloud, stepping back and shutting the fridge after grabbing a bottle.
"It's about the patient forms. They want to discuss changing them because of my HIV status." Jeanie responded suddenly.
Kayle's face blanched a bit, she set her water down on the table. "I'm guessing no one knows but the higher-ups?"
Jeanie nodded, a bit upset about having to talk about it, which Kayle sensed.
"I know the feeling." She responded sympathetically. "The whole secret part anyway," she paused, "Try keeping the fact that you're gay from your crazy Mormon family."
Jeanie did a mental double-take, not exactly sure about what she was hearing for she would have never believed it otherwise. "I'm guessing that didn't go well."
"The immediately disowned me after they visited me at work, only to find me making out with the hospital attorney in her office." Kayle elaborated with a smile. "It was all very dramatic."
Jeanie smiled as the door began to open again, she headed towards the door, "I'll keep it to me."
"Thanks." Kayle replied as Jeanie left, and Greene and Weaver entered.
They all sat down at the table, Weaver immediately turning to Kayle. "Were you informed?"
"Jeanie and I spoke." Kayle responded formally.
"Good. We need to discuss changing the forms to state that they have the possibility of being treated by someone with HIV." Weaver said, putting a file down on the table, presumably filled with ideas.
Kayle grabbed the file and leafed through the papers.
"But we can't just do that. It might turn people away." Greene added.
Kayle meanwhile was reading the current forms which she retrieved from the file, she put it down on the table facing her new colleagues. "There." She said, pointing to a specific section. "It says that they have the chance of being exposed to other sicknesses and the such. It's a common clause in all hospital paperwork. If it says that, I see no reason why we should change it, it'll only spur a witch hunt."
Greene looked at the section then nodded in agreement. "It makes sense Kerry. It's a perfectly viable loophole."
Weaver grabbed the paper and read the section intently, combing over every word. "I suppose we're done here then." She put all the papers back in the folder then left the room.
Greene got up and fixed himself a cup of coffee. "Want one?"
Kayle lifted her bottle of water as she got up from her seat, "I'll pass."
"Gotcha." Greene nodded before they both left the room and heading towards the front desk, his blue scrubs contrasting with Kayle's black top, jeans and labcoat. "So I heard you worked at Jefferson through your residencies, but you went to med school in Chicago."
"You did?" Kayle asked skeptically as they stopped at the front desk, Greene taking a seat in the admit chair – receiving a slight look of displeasure from Jerry. Kayle instead leaned up against the wall.
"I did my research once Kerry tipped me off earlier." He admitted, "But don't worry, I don't hold any unexplainable grudges towards you."
Kayle laughed. "I figured. But yeah, I went to med school here in Chicago and was accepted into an Emergency Medicine residency at Jefferson. Then after that I completed a fellowship in Orthopedic Surgery but went back to Emergency afterwards, wanted to keep busy I guess."
"Sometimes I wish I did a fellowship in something."
"It's nerve-racking." Kayle replied, checking the board. "Mind if I take the laceration in curtain two?" She signed her initials then grabbed the chart.
Greene shook his head. "Go ahead, I was just going to finish up some charts."
Kayle finished up her water and tossed the empty bottle before going to the patient. She opened the door, put on some gloves then made her way over to the male patient in the room, flipping through the chart as she went. "Jim Grant? I'm Doctor Brennan."
"The nurse told me I need sutures." Jim stated, "Are those like stitches?"
"They're the exact same thing." Kayle replied, sitting down and grabbing the suture tray.
He laughed, "You probably don't here stuff like that from people my age."
"Questions are good things to ask Mr. Grant." Kayle said as she finished flushing the wound, which also allowed her to get a closer look at it. She then applied the analgesic. "So what did you do to yourself?"
"Pruning shears. My wife was complaining about how overgrown our landscaping was getting." He winced as Kayle began the stitches.
Kayle nodded matter-of-factly, "You have to be careful with those."
"Don't I know it." He added, "You look young. Word to you, don't listen when someone says you need pricy landscaping. It can look good without being a pain." He then looked down at his arm as Kayle finished up and put some clear tape over the stitches. "I'm done?"
"You didn't need that many." She grabbed the chart and held the door open for him as they exited the room. "Just check out at the front desk, and you can come get them taken out when you're ready."
"Thanks." He replied as they headed to the front desk, he to checkout, her to finish the chart.
Kayle flipped through the pages, filling out the appropriate sections before signing her name, she then placed it in the discharged pile.
"Doctor Brennan, Carter needs help with leg pain in exam two." Jerry offered as she erased her patient off the board.
"Thanks." Kayle replied before heading off. She opened the door, causing Carter and the patient to look up in curiosity.
"Patty. This is one of our Attendings, Doctor Brennan." Carter introduced for the patient's benefit. "Patty here is experiencing intermittent leg pain following a fall down her apartment stairs." Carter handed Kayle the chart and she looked through it.
"You have an x-ray?" She asked, he followed her to the lightboard and turned it on, standing behind her to observe.
"I didn't see any fractures, and there's no muscle tenderness or great enough contusions. I also checked for blood clots and other common causes." Carter stated, watching Kayle observe the x-ray.
"Do you know what's wrong?" The patient asked.
Kayle looked back, "It's nothing to worry about," she confirmed as she pointed to a certain area on the x-ray for Carter's benefit. "See that there?"
"See what?" He asked, confused.
"The line, almost miniscule."
Carter nodded, "I thought that was just something on the x-ray film when it was developed."
"It's a hairline fracture, they're easy to miss sometimes. But you have to look close. See the small fat padding?" Kayle confirmed, pointing to another spot on the x-ray, turning and going back to the patient, she pointed to a spot on the afflicted leg. "The bruising might not be major, just enough to indicate a quick point of strong pressure; just because it's not big enough to cause the pain, doesn't mean that it can't help lead to the actual cause." Kayle focused to the patient. "It should heal in a few days so you don't need a cast. Just take it easy and use crutches if you want to. Doctor Carter or I can write a doctor's note for your boss."
"I don't need one, but can I ice it?" The patient asked.
Kayle nodded, "Just don't do it for too long because it can make the area sensitive sometimes."
Carter signed the chart then handed it to Kayle who co-signed it. "You can check out at the front desk."
"Thank you." She said before getting up, limping a bit. Carter held open the door but stayed behind in the exam room, as did Kayle.
"I would have never guessed that." Carter stated as he tidied up the room for the next patient who needed it.
Kayle gave him a friendly smile as he held the door open for her. "That's what I'm here for; to teach, supervise, treat patients and all sorts of other stuff."
"All sorts of other stuff?"
"Yup." Kayle looked at her watch. "All sorts of other stuff, and I still have five more hours left on my shift."
The ambulance bay doors then opened again to two paramedics wheeling in a bloodied man on a gurney. Kayle hurried over, as did the dark-haired nurse from earlier, Carter and Malik.
"What do we got?" Carter asked as they hurried alongside the stretcher to trauma room one, more nurses helping them don protective gowns and gloves.
"Auto versus pedestrian. Late thirties, won't tell us his name. Morphine in the field, open fracture to the right fibula." The paramedic informed.
"Alright, careful now. On my count." Kayle ordered as they began to transfer the patient to the gurney. "One, two, three!" She turned to the paramedics as they waited for dismissal, "Thanks, we've got it from here."
After the paramedics reached the hallway, Carter began to stabilize the patient's breathing as the nurse's started IV lines and transfusion lines. "Sir. We need you to tell us your name."
The patient pushed off the oxygen mask, "Just fix my leg dammit!"
"Sir. You need to allow us to help you breathe." The dark-haired nurse said, taking over air flow and patient monitoring from Carter, who in turn went to help Kayle.
"What do you have?" He asked as Malik handed him a pair of protective glasses which he subsequently put on, Kayle already had hers on as she tended to the fracture.
"Open fib fracture apparently." She informed as she pulled away the gauze that was stopping the bleeding. A small stream of blood spurted out, hitting her in the chest. Carter immediately handed her more gauze which she used to stop the bleed again. "And a nicked vessel."
"I don't wanna lose my leg doc!" The patient shouted.
Malik calmed him down, "Doctor Brennan knows how to fix bones. She's taking good care of you."
"Someone call my wife! Someone call her. She's at Jackson Financial!"
"We need your name first sir." The dark-haired nurse said as she continued to work on his breathing.
"Samuel Hall. Her name is Dana."
The dark-haired nurse stopped and handed the job over to another nurse. "I'll go call her." She said before leaving the room.
"Carter, get the forceps and stop this bleed." Kayle ordered, putting Carter into a larger position. "You're going to need to take care as to not move the fracture or it could puncture another vessel."
"Alright, back to my surgery knowledge." Carter said more to himself as he grabbed the forceps and got to work, leaving Kayle to go deal with the patient himself.
"Mr. Hall you're going to be fine. Doctor Carter's going to stop your bleeding then take you up to Ortho to get that fixed. You're going to need some pins to hold the bones together, and it'll probably feel weird when you start walking again at first. But other than that you should be fine."
"Thank you doctors. Thank you."
"Dr. Brennan I stopped the bleed." Carter sounded, stepping back to allow Kayle a look.
"Good, take him up to Ortho then to get a CT to check for internal injuries. They're unlikely judging from the point of initial impact, but you can't be too careful. Malik, can you page them all and say we have a first priority?"
"Will do." Malik said, stepping to the phone to do just that as Carter and the nurses took the patient up.
Kayle took off the protective gown and her gloves then went over to the sink to wash up. Malik soon after removed his gown and gloves, Kayle stepped back and dried her hands as Malik washed his.
"You enjoying yourself yet?" He asked, turning to Kayle as he dried his hands.
"As much as I can." Kayle replied with a smile, checking her watch. "I've got three more hours of this today."
"Then you get to enjoy the ER staff holiday party." Malik said with a smile, "Chuny makes a pretty good pecan pie."
"I think I worked with her earlier, the Hispanic one?" Kayle asked, "Then if I remember correctly from what I've heard, Carol's the nurse we just worked with."
"Yeah. Don't take it personal if she doesn't warm up to you quickly. She has some sort of authority issues, younger people being her boss." Malik confirmed as they left the trauma room.
"Ah, gotcha. Thanks Malik."
"Anytime Doctor Brennan." Malik replied as he headed the opposite way as Kayle, who was heading towards the front desk.
"Doctor Brennan! Doctor Doyle needs an Attending in exam three." Jerry called across the room, a phone perched on his shoulder.
"Got it Jerry!" Kayle called back with a small wave to confirm the message was received. She headed to exam three, and upon opening the door saw Maggie arguing with a patient's mother. "I'm Dr. Brennan, what's going on here?"
"Are you her boss?" The mother asked, turning her focus to Kayle.
"Yes, I'm an Attending Physician." Kayle replied, trying to keep the woman calm.
"This doctor wants to take my son's tonsils out! I didn't come in here for that kind of stuff!"
"He has acute tonsillitis. Judging by his history if we leave the tonsils in it'll turn into something greater. I tried to explain that to her, but she doesn't want the procedure done. I need you to sign off on it so we can continue." Maggie explained, handing Kayle the chart.
Kayle flipped through it and handed it back to Maggie, then she grabbed a otoscope from the wall mount and a tongue depressor and stepped in front of the young patient. "Can you say 'ah' for me?"
The child did so, sticking his tongue out as Kayle bent down and looked into his throat, pressing his tongue down with the depressor. She then stood up again, and replaced the otoscope – throwing away the depressor. Maggie then handed her the chart back and she signed off on it.
"You can't do that! I don't want it!" The mother screamed, trying to lunge at Kayle in order to throw a punch. Maggie held her back as Kayle signaled for a passing security guard who took over restraining the mother. "You can't do that!"
"I'm afraid I can m'am. If a parent doesn't consent to an obviously needed medical procedure, I can temporarily override parental consent rights in order to give the child treatment. You can take it up with the legal department if you wish." Kayle replied, handing the chart back to Maggie. The mother then broke free and managed to punch Kayle in the face knocking her back enough to knock her head on the lightboard.
The security guard grabbed the mother again and took her away as Kayle touched some fingers to her face, coming away with blood from a cut on her forehead. She then exited the room - with Maggie no more than eight feet behind her – as she went into the break room.
Maggie stopped Chuny by placing a hand on her shoulder as she passed. "Hey, can you call surgery down for the kid in exam three and stay with him? We had to override his mother in order to get him surgery; security just took her away after she attacked Doctor Brennan."
"Sure Maggie." Chuny replied, going to do just that.
Maggie then entered the break room herself to find Kayle searching the cabinets for the first aid kit. She took the liberty and came up behind her, opening an unsearched cabinet and retrieving it. "Sit," she said to Kayle referring to the couch. Kayle sat, Maggie taking a seat beside her and placing the kit between them. "Not expecting that?"
"Not exactly." Kayle said with a small laugh as Maggie opened the kit to retrieve an alcohol wipe. "But it always happens."
"Yeah. It does." Maggie replied, wiping the blood off Kayle's forehead. She then unwrapped a bandage, and put it on – getting a little bit closer. She then dropped the wrapper as she leaned in and kissed Kayle. She then broke away. "I'm sorry. I just..."
"It's okay." Kayle replied, then returning the favor with a kiss of her own. They then broke away a few seconds later as Weaver entered, Maggie jumped up, threw away the trash, and put the first aid kit away to hopefully clear away any perception of what could have just happened.
"I heard a patient attacked you." Weaver said to Kayle, "Did you file a report?"
"Patient's mother, and no. She was emotional, we had just overridden her consent, it happens. Doctor Doyle and I were just discussing it." Kayle replied, getting up and checking her bandage in the mirror. She then turned to Weaver. "Do you want me to or something? Because you can just say it."
"No. I was just checking in with you about the incident. It's part of my job as your immediate superior." Weaver replied, then leaving the room to avoid any further argument.
"I think I handled that nicely." Kayle replied with a smile towards Maggie.
"I think I was scared to say anything. One of you'd probably tear my eyes out." Maggie said, handing Kayle a cup of coffee, she then took a sip and immediately poured it down the sink drain and tossed the cup. Maggie herself did the same. "You want to go to Doc Magoos? The coffee there is almost actually worth tasting."
"The board is slow. Why not?" Kayle replied, checking to make sure she had her pager – just in case they needed her, Maggie did the same. "Then we can come back here for the holiday party Malik is so happy about."
"Jerry. Doctor Doyle and I are going to get coffee. Want any?" Kayle asked, heading to the front desk after exiting the break room.
"No thanks. I'm waiting for the egg nog. You hurt your head?" Jerry replied, gesturing to the bandage on Kayle's forehead.
"Angry patient. Page me if you need us, we'll bring back extras." Kayle finished, heading out the bay doors to Maggie who was waiting – shivering in her lab coat.
"Come on. I'm freezing." Maggie said before they took off at a small jog across the street to the diner. She then went to the counter and ordered twelve coffees as Kayle sat down at a booth, she then took a seat across from her after she finished. "So, you ready to end your first shift and go home?"
"More like, end my first shift, go back to my car and find a hotel." Kayle replied with a smile as she flipped through the menu.
"You don't have a place yet?" Maggie asked, concerned.
Kayle shook her head. "Figured I'd get one once I got here."
"You can stay with me then." Maggie offered spur-of-the-moment. "I mean, I'm living at home to save money, but my parents won't mind. My brother liked you when he came with my parents to see me at med school. It'll be like a sleepover."
"Or a 'Kayle didn't book a hotel room and now she's sleeping on your bedroom floor.'" Kayle countered as a waitress approached them.
"Can I get you two anything?" The waitress asked, retrieving her pad and a pen.
Kayle studied the menu further. "I'll have a blueberry muffin."
The waitress turned to Maggie, "You M'am?"
"No thanks." Maggie replied as Kayle tucked her menu back behind the condiments. "Do you know when the coffees will be done?"
"In about ten minutes. We had to put on a new pot." The waitress replied before turning back towards the counter and getting Kayle a muffin.
"Thanks." Kayle replied as the muffin was placed in front of her. The waitress nodded before going back to the kitchen, leaving her free to talk with Maggie again. "Are you serious though?"
"Of course I am. You'd probably end up sleeping in your car, I can't let you do that." Maggie said, genuinely concerned. "But you wouldn't be sleeping on the floor."
"I'd be sleeping in your bed? Or on a nest of blankets? Because the blankets would seem a bit silly at my age." Kayle added with a goofy smile on her face.
"A twenty-eight year old sleeping on a giant pile of blankets? That seems familiar, except I vividly remember you being a few years younger."
"Med school was a trip. You open the door one night to have your drunken mentor crash on a pile of bed sheets."
"I had to take you to the hospital the next morning to get a banana bag, it really wasn't that funny to me." Maggie replied, just as the waitress brought over the coffees, she took out her wallet and paid before getting up from the table, grabbing one carrier of six coffees. "Ready?"
Kayle looked down at her untouched muffin and scooped it up into a napkin. "I'll just give it to Doctor Carter." She placed the muffin ontop the other carrier then grabbed it.
Then both then hurried back to the hospital, Carter spotting them as they set the coffees down at the main desk. "You bought us coffee on your first day?"
"Actually I bought the coffee." Maggie replied as Carter grabbed one.
"Thanks Doyle." He said with a smile, taking a sip.
Kayle grabbed the muffin and tossed it to Carter. "Blueberry. I never took a bite, I swear."
"Doyle treat you to the fabulous fare at Doc Magoos?" Carter asked, unwrapping the muffin and taking a bite.
Kayle nodded grabbing a coffee, "Apparently it's something you all do for the new docs."
"Especially new bosses. Doyle has it right on target, I forgot to pay my first time."
"So did I. Big fiasco." Another doctor in blue scrubs offered, grabbing a coffee then offering Kayle a hand. "Doug Ross, Pedes ER Attending."
"Kayle Brennan, ER Attending. Anspaugh told me about you." Kayle introduced herself, shaking his hand.
"Good stuff I hope." Doug replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
Kayle sipped at her own coffee, "He said you were a good doctor. Now I'm suggesting we all get to work so we can get on to this holiday party I'm hearing so much about."
"And right you are. Stomach pain in curtain two is calling me." Carter replied, finishing his muffin, and taking his coffee and a chart with him to curtain area two.
"I don't want to miss Chuny's pecan pie. I'll be taking the kid in exam one." Doug replied, taking the corresponding chart and heading to exam one. "Nice meeting you Kayle."
"You too." Kayle replied, taking a look at the board after he left. "I think I'll take the sutures in exam two. See you later."
"You too." Maggie replied. "It'll have to be the bed then."
Kayle smiled, "Sounds good."