I DO NOT OWN THE GOOD DOCTOR.

Prank Gone Wrong

It was a quiet day at St. Bonaventure Hospital. There weren't really that many patients to tend to. There were just a few that had mild cases of the flu. This wasn't just any day, though. This was a special day. It was the day of new resident pranking. Every time there's a new resident, it's tradition that the new resident gets pranked. And guess who this year's target is? Shaun Murphy.

Of course, Dr. Glassman knows about this... and he's been a target quite a few times himself. An example was when Melendez sprayed him with silly string, and he got completely covered. He actually found it funny and cracked up laughing. However, he didn't find it funny when he found out that Shaun was going to get pranked next.

Melendez, Claire and Jared were standing by the front desk in the emergency room. "So, I have the perfect prank for Murphy."

Claire said, "Neil, I don't think–"

"Trust me, Claire. It'll be fine. It's not like I'm gonna hurt the guy. It'll just be a harmless prank."

"I still don't know."

Jared said, "I agree with Claire. What if you hurt Shaun and put him into a meltdown?"

"I'm not gonna hurt him, Jared. Since when have my pranks hurt people?" Claire and Jared looked at each other and then glared back at him. "Physically. Since when have they physically hurt people?"

Jared said, "I still don't–"

"Good morning, everyone."

"Shh. Here he comes." Melendez turned around and saw Shaun a few feet in front of him. "Morning, Murphy." He looked at his watch. "Wow. Right on time too. I'm impressed."

"Thank you."

"Okay. Well, we don't have much to do today, so I'm putting you all on scut work."

Claire sighed. "Again? That's three days in a row."

Melendez shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, Claire. I don't make the rules." She was about to speak but was cut off. "Scut work means work. Get to it." Melendez turned around and walked off.

"'Scut work means work. Get to it.' Would it kill him to say please?"

"What's wrong, Claire? Don't like doing what the boss says all of a sudden?"

"Shut up, Jared. It's just my third day of scut work."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad." Claire just looked at him. "Maybe something good will happen today."

Shaun spoke up. "I actually enjoy scut work. It is a good learning experience."

Claire replied, "You're not helping, Shaun."

"I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go do what Melendez says... as usual." With that, the three residents went off to do their jobs.

When lunchtime came, Shaun was seated at a table in the cafeteria. He brought his lunch today, as he didn't feel like buying it. Melendez was hiding behind a pole, and he peered around it. He smirked as Shaun took out his lunch, which consisted of a sandwich, yogurt, an apple, juice and grapes.

"Neil?"

He was startled and turned around to find Glassman standing there. "Hey, Aaron."

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

Glassman peered at him over his glasses. "Neil."

"Okay, okay. I'm pranking Shaun."

"Neil, do you think that's such a good idea?"

"Look, you and I both know that the newest resident gets pranked... and this time, it's Murphy."

Glassman pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Just tell me what you're planning to do so I can yell at you about it... or better yet, kill you."

"Fine. I replaced Shaun's grapes... with prunes." Melendez chuckled.

Glassman raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes. "You what?"

"Yeah. Good, huh?"

Glassman shook his head. "No. Not good."

"What's the big deal, Aaron?"

"There's something you need to know."

Melendez turned around and saw Shaun take his container of "grapes" out. "Shh, shh. He's opening the container."

"Neil, I don't think–"

He shushed Glassman once again. "Shush!" He saw Shaun pick up a prune. "He's eating one."

Shaun popped a prune in his mouth. He chewed it up and swallowed it. He picked up another one and noticed that it wasn't a grape... It was a prune. He dropped it in the container. "What the heck?"

Melendez decided to make his presence known. He and Glassman came out. Melendez started laughing. "Ha, ha. I got you, Murphy. I got you."

"Got me?"

"Yeah. Pranked you. I switched your grapes with prunes. It was funny."

Shaun stood up and clasped his hands together. "I did not find it funny."

"Aw, come on. Why not? It's a harmless prank."

"I do not like pranks. This one was dangerous."

"Why?"

"It was dangerous because I am allergic to prunes."

"What? You're allergic to prunes?"

"Yes. My throat tends to close, and I cannot breathe." Melendez widened his eyes. "Dr. Glassman did not tell you?"

Glassman looked ashamed. "Shaun, I– I-I–"

Melendez saved him. "He tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen." Shaun looked at him. "I'm sorry, Shaun." Shaun was about to speak but was cut off. "No time for that. Did you swallow any prunes?" Shaun looked down at his hands and fiddled with them. When Melendez didn't get an answer, he asked again a little louder. "Did you swallow any prunes?"

"N-No."

Glassman whispered something to Melendez, and he nodded. It was obvious that Shaun was nervous. He began to stim with his hands, wringing them together and rocking back and forth on his feet. "All right, Murphy. Come with me."

"Okay." Shaun was hesitant, but reluctantly obeyed. He followed Melendez out of the cafeteria.

While walking down the hall, Shaun started clawing his face. "Dr. Melendez?"

"Yes?" Melendez faced him. "Murphy! What are you doing?"

"My face itches." His face had red patches forming all over.

Melendez got closer and looked at Shaun's face. "Looks like hives. Must be a side effect of your allergy." Shaun continued to scratch at his face, but Melendez grabbed his wrists, stopping him. "Stop scratching or you'll make it worse."

Shaun clasped his hands together. "I cannot. My face itches."

"Well then, I'll put some ointment on you. Follow me."

"Okay."

Shaun followed him and they both went into the first room on the right. "Okay, Murphy. On the bed. I'll fix you up." Shaun complied and sat on the bed. Melendez turned and grabbed some latex gloves from the box by the sink. To occupy himself, Shaun started kicking his feet. Melendez put the gloves on and walked over to Shaun. He took out a tube of ointment from his pocket. He opened the tube and squeezed some out. "Don't worry, Murphy. This won't take long." He began applying the cream to Shaun's face, starting with his cheeks, and rubbing it in. "This is Eucerin cream. It'll help with the hives... and moisturize your skin. I use it whenever I have dry, itchy skin. Now, this won't clear up your hives, but it will help with the itching and irritation."

"Okay."

"Aaaand… Done." He finished applying the cream. "There. All done." He closed the tube and put it back in his pocket. "Told you I'd take care of you."

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Listen, Murphy, I'm really sorry. I didn't think my prank would actually hurt you. That's the last thing I'd wanna do. You're very special to me, Shaun."

"Okay. I would like to say something now."

"Sure."

"I have OAS."

"OAS? What's that?"

"Oral Allergy Syndrome. It's areaction I get in and around my mouth when I eat foods that I am allergic to."

"I'll say. One of the symptoms must also be hives."

Shaun nodded. "It is."

"Well, this cream will help with that."

"Thank you."

Melendez smiled. "No problem."

Shaun put a hand on his chest. "Dr. Melendez?"

"Yes?"

Shaun felt his chest tighten and started gasping for air. "I– I can't– I can't breathe."

Melendez widened his eyes in alarm as he tried to help Shaun, who was desperately trying to get air in. "Murphy! Murphy!" Shaun's grip on his chest tightened. "Shaun, hey! Lay down! Lay down!" He helped Shaun lay down. He took the penlight he had in his breast pocket and turned it on, looking in Shaun's throat. "Looks like your airway's closing." He turned his light off. "Which means I have no time to lose." He quickly pushed a button on the wall. "Code blue!" A couple of doctors and nurses quickly ran into the room. "I'm gonna intubate you, Shaun." Shaun was still gasping for air. "Get me an ET tube." While getting the tube ready, another doctor placed a medical bag over Shaun's mouth and started squeezing. "Okay, Shaun. Relax. I'm gonna help you." With the help of a laryngoscope, he got the tube down Shaun's throat. After the tube was inserted, he strapped a tube holder all the way around to the back of Shaun's neck to hold it in place. "Okay, Murphy. You're all set. The tube's in place, so you should be all right." Shaun just blinked. "No need to thank me." He patted Shaun's shoulder. "It's my job." He pulled his hand away and held both his hands up in surrender.

Later, Glassman was in his office sorting through files when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in." Melendez came in and he looked up. "Hey, Neil."

"Hey, Aaron."

Glassman looked back down at the file in his hand. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to tell you something."

"Oh, that reminds me: can you send Shaun up? I need to talk to him."

Melendez sucked in his lips. He looked down at his feet and then back up at Glassman. He clicked his tongue. "Yeeaah, that's not gonna happen."

"Why?"

"Because... Shaun isn't available."

Glassman looked up. "Why? Is he okay?"

"Umm..." Melendez tried to think of what to say. He tried thinking of a response in a way that wouldn't upset Glassman. No matter how he said it, though, Glassman would be upset either way. "Not exactly. He's– He's being treated. He had an... anaphylactic reaction."

Glassman widened his eyes and stood up. "What?!" Melendez nodded. "Is he okay?!"

"I intubated him." Glassman was at a loss for words. "He was having trouble breathing. I am so sorry, Aaron. I figured I'd tell you before you find out yourself." He sighed. "I get it if you wanna rip my head off now. I deserve it."

"I'm not gonna rip your head off, Neil. I might be thinking about it, but I won't do it."

"Gee, thanks."

"Can you please take me to Shaun?"

Melendez nodded. "Yes. That I can do." They both left Glassman's office to go see Shaun.

They got off the elevator on the first floor and rounded the corner to the first room on the right. When they entered, Shaun was sleeping. He had a breathing tube that was in place with a holder and the holder was strapped all the way around to the back of his neck. The tube was connected to a ventilator. An IV was stuck in his left arm. The only sounds in that room were the ventilator and the steady beeping of the heart monitor. "He's stable, don't worry. I made sure of that before I came to get you. I also gave him some medication to help him sleep, so he might be out of it for a while." Glassman took a deep breath and let it out.

At that moment, Shaun opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, but it cleared up. When it did, he saw the two doctors standing at the end of his bed. Glassman smiled. "Shaun." He walked up to Shaun's bed. "Hey." Shaun turned his head toward him... as much as the tube would let him. "Dr. Melendez told me what happened. I just wanna make sure you're okay." Shaun just blinked. "I take that as a yes." Glassman took a closer look at Shaun's face. "Looks like you broke out in hives too." Tears gathered in Shaun's eyes. Glassman ran his fingers through Shaun's hair. "Don't cry, Shaun. They should be gone by tomorrow." If Shaun could smile, he would.

"All right, Murphy." Melendez put on some latex gloves and walked over to Shaun. "Let's see how you're doing." He put his stethoscope in his ears and the other end on Shaun's chest, moving it around. "Sounds like you're moving air again." He put the stethoscope back around his neck. "So, we can take the tube out." Shaun's eyes lit up and Melendez laughed. "Okay." He got to work, starting with unstrapping the holder from Shaun's neck. From there, he removed the tube. Shaun coughed and gagged while he did so. "Okay. Aaaand… Done." The tube was finally out. "You did good, Murphy."

"Thank you."

"All part of my service."

"Okay." Shaun fluttered his eyes closed and went to sleep.

That evening, Glassman and Melendez were in Shaun's room. They were seated in the chairs on the opposite side of the room. Melendez started the conversation. "Are you mad at me, Aaron?"

"Well, I should be mad at you because of your prank... but you did save Shaun." Glassman turned his head toward Melendez. "So that makes up for it, kind of."

"I'll take it." They sat in silence for a minute. Melendez was hunched over a little in his chair. He put his hands on his face and sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?" He looked at Glassman.

Glassman wanted to slap him right then and there. "I did tell you, Neil. I told you not to prank Shaun... but as usual, you didn't listen." Melendez looked down. "Your prank day went too far this time."

He had enough. "Okay, Aaron!" He looked at his friend. "I get it! I messed up. I'm sorry. I feel bad enough without you beating me up about it."

"Okay, fine." Glassman looked at him. "Look, let's just put our differences aside for Shaun's sake. I don't want him to see us fighting. It'll make him feel worse than he does. I don't want that."

"Me either." A few moments of silence passed before he spoke again. "Listen, Aaron... I've been thinking about what you said, and you're right. My prank day can be dangerous. That's why I've decided to be done with the whole thing. I'm done with prank days."

"What?"

Melendez nodded. "Yep. They're dangerous and hurtful, and one of my residents almost died because of me. I don't want that." He looked down. "Seemingly harmless pranks can turn into something more." He shook his head. "Murphy's right about me. I am arrogant."

"Well, you're right about that."

He laughed. "Thanks a lot."

"But I also know that you are a good doctor... and under all that arrogance, is a softie."

"Thanks, Aaron."

"No problem." Glassman thought of something. "Let me ask you: how's 'the king of pranks' gonna handle prank days now?"

"Okay, I did not think that one through." Melendez smirked. "Just gonna have to find another source of fun." They both smiled at each other.

Shaun began to stir, and he fluttered his eyes open. Like before, he saw the two doctors in the room. His voice was a little raspy. "Dr. Glassman? Dr. Melendez?"

Melendez said, "Looks like someone's awake." He and Glassman stood up.

"Yes. I am awake."

Glassman laughed as he walked up to Shaun. "Yes, you are. How're you feeling?"

"I am fine. My breathing is under control now."

"Good." He ran his fingers through Shaun's hair and smiled as he brushed Shaun's bangs aside. "That's good."

Melendez coughed, interrupting the two. "I'm really glad you're okay too, Murphy."

"Thank you."

He reached his hand and scratched the back of his head. "Listen, I'm really sorry I pranked you like that." He put his arm down. "I didn't think you'd have that kind of reaction. Dr. Glassman tried to tell me about it... and I didn't listen. I'm sorry, Shaun. I really am." Shaun just looked at him.

"I forgive you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Melendez sighed in relief. "Thank you. That means a lot." Suddenly, Claire and Jared ran into the room. "Jared, Claire. What a nice surprise. What are you doing here?"

Claire said, "Well, we heard about what happened and we wanna make sure Shaun's okay." She clapped her hands together. "How're you holding up, Shaun?"

"I am feeling better. Dr. Melendez took good care of me."

"Well, that's good to here."

"Yes. I do not like being a patient, though. I'm a doctor. I like being a doctor."

Melendez said, "We know you do, but your health comes first."

"Okay."

After about 10 minutes of visiting, Claire said, "We should probably get going. We have elsewhere to be... unfortunately. Trust me, we'd rather be right here with you, Shaun."

"That is nice. You are very nice, Claire. You and Jared both are."

"Why thank you, Shaun."

Jared looked at his watch. "Uh, Claire, we should get going."

"Oh, right." She and Jared headed toward the door. Claire turned around and said, "I'm glad you're okay, Shaun." When leaving, she turned her head and blew an air kiss to Shaun. Jared nudged her shoulder and they left.

Glassman and Melendez looked at each other and had mischievous grins on their faces. Glassman looked at Shaun and said, "Looks like you have an admirer, Shaun."

"Claire is my friend. She sometimes thinks of me as more than a friend, though."

Glassman was stunned, "Really?"

"Yes. I am lucky to have her as my friend."

Melendez thought of something. "Tell you what: since you feel better, I'm gonna let you go. You just gotta promise me to take it easy."

"Okay."

"Good."

The next day, Claire was at the first floor nurses' station reviewing patient files. She looked up and saw Shaun walking towards her. "Shaun."

"Good morning, Claire." He had his hands clasped together.

"How do you feel?"

"I am better. Thank you for asking."

"You're welcome."

"Murphy! Browne!" Melendez walked up to them. "You will be assisting me today with a bone graft for a 14-year-old boy. His name's Trevor. He had a broken arm before, but it didn't heal well. That's where the bone graft comes in." He handed his tablet to Claire. "Surgery's in 20 minutes." He turned around and made his way down the hall.

As he was walking, he thought about the events of yesterday... and how, because of his carelessness, he almost lost one of his residents. One of his most precious residents, whom he cared for very much.

From now on, he would take caution with his prank days... even though he told Glassman that he was done with them.