Chapter 3

A fighter

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I don't think I ever understood the expression dead tired until now. It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Seattle. The sun was out and the air was crisp. A glorious sunny day, rare for Seattle, and I am stuck in this hospital. Don't get me wrong I love it. This job is everything I have ever wanted, but a week of this cool weather made me long for home. I was only the first week of September but it's chilly here. In Florida kids would be in school trying to make friends with those who had boats. Adults and kids alike would be daydreaming of Labor Day barbecues. Both dreading and relishing in the intense heat and humidity that Florida brings in the summer. It would feel like you're swimming in the air. Damn breezes would cool you off and hopefully blow away pesky mosquitos. Bathing suits and and fall sweaters would both be going on sale. Yep Florida was a weird place. Here, I was lucky if it got up to 70 degrees. And I haven't even been to the beaches here yet. I missed my crazy little home state. Everyone there was either a senior citizen or 20. There is no in between. So, when working at a hospital in Florida, it wasn't as bad when someone died. You could always say they lived a long life. I hardly ever saw patients that were under 50 and their lives didn't rest in my small hands. Hands that I stretched out and looked at. Bailey has me and the frat boy, who I think is named Tyler, doing codes all day. I have seen codes before. It's an exhilarating experience. For the few minutes it takes to bring someone back or declare them dead everyone in the hospital gets along. Rank is pushed aside, titles don't exist, everyone is absorbed into one giant body with more arms than an octopus all trying to save the patient's life. The head of the body, the doctor usually, shouted orders and everybody takes place and follows in turn like a ballet. And I'm if you're lucky you get to feel like God, just for a minute. The power to bring someone back to life is an intoxicating feeling. So I couldn't blame frat boy, I mean Tyler, too much for bragging.

"Come on shorty, hurry up! We get to save lives today!" I think he might actually be skipping.

While childish, I couldn't help but smile. This was something really important. And Tyler's joy was infectious. He may be a frat boy but his raven colored hair, blue eyes, and perfect white smile was a heady combination many a girl could not resist. "Yes, we do" I looked up and grinned at him. Then frowned, "Don't call me shorty." I tried to serious and professional. He laughed and patted my hair. "You look like an angry tinkerbell. After you" he said this as we were getting onto the elevator.

I decided to ignore his need to nickname me. I didn't really care too much about it anyway. I like to think I'm easy going and he was cute so maybe I'll let it slide. "So how do you want to do this? We take turns taking lead?" I suggested to him.

"Sure, whatever you want. Me first!" He shouted this as we got off the elevator to hear the speaker announce a code blue. We ran to the room and looked at the body of the fifty-something year old man. We both froze for a second. Then I turned to him, "Well go!" I shouted at him. The nurses were looking at us like we were useless, but a doctor had to run the code since a doctor was the only one who could legally declare someone dead. "R-right. Alright he's in v-fib. Let's push one of Epi and get a crash cart in here." Tyler started to shout. He looked a little scared initially, but he pulled it together pretty well. He shouted orders like a general and we all complied. It's took only two shocks to get this guy back. He seemed a little loopy but after getting his vitals stable and checking for brain damage I decided he would be alright, barring any other complications. I picked up my iPad from where I dropped it by the nurses station and went back into the room to see Dr. Yang checking up on her patient. She was the one to give, who I now knew as Mr. Jenkins, a valve replacement.

"Good you two managed to not let my patient die. Frat Boy, you were in charge of the code what should we do next?" Yang stared him down. In japanese culture there was a fox demon called a Kitsune. Yang may be Korean, but looking at her reminded me of this tale. Kitsune create chaos and feed of fear. They fight dirty with teeth and claws and cunning.

"Uh- we should…" Tyler attempted to respond. But he was caught up in her death stare and kept stammering. Yang made a buzzer sound. "Too slow, what about you Prodigy?" I quickly responded back, too afraid to mess up. "Mr. Jenkins need an EKG and possibly an echo. I suspect his arteries are still a little clogged. If you don't think you are opening him up again I would start him on some blood thinners." I said all this while looking at Mr Jenkins, who was sleeping. I was watching the slightly unsteady rise and fall of his chest to watch his breathing.

"Congrats Prodigy. You paid attention in school. Nice call on the blood thinners. Hopefully you don't kill anyone today." She took the chart from its place on the wall and scribbled some notes. "Don't you think you two should be answering that" she never looked up for her notes. I stared at her in confusion for a second before I heard the calm voice announce a code blue. "Shit!" I exclaimed and started to run. I think I heard some cackling as we sprinted down the hall.

Tyler had to ruin the good opinion I was starting to have of him by taking the next code too. Damn him and his long legs! The only consolation of being short is I'm at an excellent height to get a glimpse or two of his rather good looking bottom. This code was done on a 92 year old woman. I wasn't surprised that she didn't make it. It's still sad all the same.

"You can tell the family. I'll clean up here." Tyler said rather magnanimously. Well he tried. "Oh no. You killed her, you can explain what happened to the family." I grabbed the chart and looked for the page I need. Just as I was about to write the required information the chart was taken from me by Tyler. "Excuse me!" I grabbed the chart back. There was no way I was going to deal with a crying family that I had nothing to do with. I was not emotionally strong enough to deal with all the patients he will kill. "You're a girl you better with this stuff. So I'll Run the code and you can do what's left." The idiot actually smiled like he was doing me a favor. "So what you're really saying is you get the fun part while I can be your janitor and secretary. Oh! And let's not forget you're damn walking greeting card." I was steaming now. "This is a learning experience. We will have to run codes for the rest of our careers! We will also have to deal with the fallout when we fail to bring them back! Now put on your big kid pants, man-up, and two that poor family what they deserve to hear!" While I was saying this he walked over to the nurses station. So, we started to have an audience watch our argument.

"Damn girl chill. I was trying to give you the easy part."

"No you're trying to be a sexist pig! Or-or a-a stupid frat boy slacker! You need to do your damn job. Because one day there won't be tiny little blonde girls you can try to over power. Now give me the chart!" I grabbed it from his hands and went to sit on a chair behind the desk.

"Is there a problem here!" Dr. Bailey walked toward us. My head snapped up. I was freaking out. But I needed to stand my ground. I knew I had to stand my ground.

"No, I am going to finish this chart. Dr. Parker is going to inform Mrs. Truit's family that he was unable to revive her. Then, I will take the next code." I went back back to charting. A code blue was called over the intercom. I snapped up.

"Well, alright then. Looks like you have a code to handle. Let's go."

"You mean you're coming?" I asked while running. "I like to be entertained while I check my Facebook" she told me matter of factly. "Ok" I was nervous now. Codes aren't as bad as people think. The steps are very clear and almost always the same. The key to move fast. Bailey walked in and sat in a chair on the corner while nurses scattered about. I decided to ignore her while she pretended to play on her phone. Yeah, I knew she was pretending. No one can text while someone is on a table dying

"Alright, I need one of epi and let's get a crash cart in here! Move people!" I started compressions while a nurse I didn't recognize pushed the medicine through the IV. The crash cart came in. Finally!

"Ok. Charge to 100" I placed the paddles in the appropriate spot and shocked him. No response. "Alright. Charge to 180." I shocked him. No response. "Charge to 360! Come on Harold! You need to fight! You have a grand baby coming!"

We had Harold all week after he got a portion of his liver removed. It's funny how when a person is dead, even if only a minute, they don't even look the same.

I still wasn't getting a response. "That's it! Don't die!" I yelled in his ear then I punch him in the chest to shock his heart into beating. His heart beat twice then went out again. "Ok I need a milligram of adrenaline." At this point it had been about ten minutes since he coded.

"Please work!" I yelled and stabbed him the heart with the needle. I stared at the monitor. The three seconds it took to for his pulse to start up again took an eternity. "Oh thank Jesus!" I exclaimed. The room started to congratulate itself and then cleaned up. Bailey stood up at walked over. "He was down for ten minutes. Why did you other with the adrenaline. Most wouldn't bother."

Those are the steps. I went through them again. Adrenaline is one of the last resorts next to cardiac massage. "Because it was the last thing I could do." I told her. I was pretty confident that I did this right.

"You know, most interns would just declare him dead. But because you took extra measure you won't have to talk with the family. Like Parker still hasn't done!" She slapped the back of his head with the binder. "Get off your rump and do your job!" She continued to hit him and yelled through gritted teeth. He scattered away. "You can go to lunch. You unlike your buddies know how to learn a damn lesson."

"Thanks!" I yelled as she walked away. I was unsure what the lesson was but glad I wasn't sucking.

It was noon so the cafeteria, which actually had good food, was packed. Today they had chicken Marsala as the main dish. It was one of my favorites. I doubt it tasted anything like my family could cook, but it can't be that bad. There was a table in the back that hadn't been taken yet. It only had room for four which was more than enough for me.

I had sat down for about 5 seconds before Dr. Yang set a tray down. "Prodigy, we need the table. Scram" she informed me bluntly.

"Please for the love of God don't make me go to the basement. I can eat again in that dark piece of hell while all the interns hate me."

I was practically whining. At this point Dr. Grey and Dr. Karev joined in at the table.

"She said no. Can interns say no?" Yang turned to Grey with the question. Since Karev sat next to me I turned to him. I put on my best puppy dogs eyes. Which was easy to do since they were the same blackish brown color. "I made you $100 last week. You owe me!" I said to him.

He leaned back in chair and crossed his arms. "Answer me a question and we will let you stay" he smiled at me. I rolled my head to crack my neck.

"Ok, hit me." I started preparing myself by mentally going over all the usual questions about infections and cancers. "Did you do everything you possibly could when you ran your code earlier?" He looked at me, staying in his casual position.

"Of course. I can't let someone just die without doing everything I know how. That's what we do right?" I was confused as to why he asked.

"Damn" Grey said and pulled out a twenty and Yang followed suit. "Ha. Knew it." Karev smiled at his winnings. "You are making me a killing Prodigy." I looked at them incredulously. "You bet on if I would do my job?"

"No. I bet that you wouldn't need that lesson." Karev informed me while chewing on come chicken. "What lesson?"

"That you need to try everything you possibly can before you go out and tell a family that their loved one was dead. That way you can tell them you did your best and mean it." Karev told me this matter of factly.

"Stupid empathy lessons" Cristina mumbled.

"Yeah she pulls that one every year" Grey informed me. "You have to teach people to have empathy?" I asked. "Yep we are a bunch of cutthroat sharks who want to do nothing but cut. You should get on board" Yang informed me. "I seem to be doing well without acting like a bitch." They all stopped to look at me. "I mean I'm very sympathetic. I don't get ahead by sneaking around. I just know more." They still stared. "I have worked in a hospital one way or another since I was 14. I started as a candy stripper and then I got my CNA license after I graduated from high school." I took a bite of my now cold chicken. I take back what I said earlier the food sucks. "This is a horrible excuse for Italian. I can do better than this with a campfire." I decided to eat my mashed potatoes instead.

"You were a candy stripper and you cook. And your a Christian. You sound like the beginning of every porno." Yang told me. While looking at the gold cross around my neck. I put my fingers to my little piece of home.

"Catholic actually." I responded, still eating.

"If it weren't for the fact that you're like 12 you would totally be a porn star." Karev said eying me sideways. "Well I guess I need to pay off those student loans somehow." I muttered. Yang and Grey got a page. "Aww and Prodigy was just getting interesting" Yang said and they both got up and left their trays on the table.

" Yang's right. You are getting interesting. Not just a bunch of brains up there you have a personality. Good for you."

"I'm glad you think so because you are going to be spending a lot of time with me." I informed him.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, I will be a pediatric and neonatal surgeon. Give me a few years and I'll cure childhood leukemia." I told him smiling.

"No. Now you're boring again. Little girl wants to hold the little babies."

"That's not why I want to be in peds" I told him.

"Oh yeah why?" He sat back and listened. I got the feeling this answer would define how he saw me as a potential pediatric surgeon. He had a very intense look on his face.

"I'm loud. I grew up in this big loud family so I know how to make my voice heard. And the kids need that you know. Parents like to think they know best, but honestly, after watching my parents and the rest of my family do it I know that there is no book for that kind of stuff and they just figure it out as they go along. But I read the books on surgery. I know how strong and weak a child's body can be. When you work with a child you have more than just a surgery. Pediatrics is a fight from all sides. I can take it." I looked at him and then looked down to collect myself. Being this brutally honest is painful. But when it comes to why someone wants to be a doctor and when that someone talks to a future mentor, you gotta get real.

"I like you. Don't screw it up." He said then collected his tray and the others and walked away.

"Hey!" I called out. "Why do you want to be in Peds?"

"I'm a fighter." He said simply and turned away.