The interns huddled in the tunnels below the hospital. Allison leaned against the wall texting with Asher.
"Hot date," another woman asked.
"My husband," Allison replied.
"Husband," the woman asked.
"Rachel, I've been married 4 years," Allison replied.
"Really you're what 27," Rachel replied.
"26," Allison replied, "we've been together 9 years. Do you have some one?"
"Single," Rachel replied, "does hubby have any single friends?"
"Not really," Allison replied.
"So he's an intern at another hospital," Rachel guessed.
"No electrician," Allison replied, "here in Seattle. We grew up here. Our daughter's school is here."
"Daughter," Rachel asked.
"Everly is 8," Allison answered.
"You were 18," Rachel did the math quickly.
"Both Asher and I were," Allison replied.
"So when you were working with that 16 year old yesterday," Rachel said.
"I was 17, I understood," Allison replied, "so why Seattle?"
"An adventure," Rachel said, "where did you go to med school?"
"University of Washington I've never left Seattle for school," Allison replied, "you?"
"Texas Southwestern," Rachel replied.
"So you'd know my brother Leo Altma-Hunt," Allison replied.
"Leo is your brother," Rachel said, "nice guy."
"He is," Allison replied, "he's gone to the military now. I don't like it."
"Why did he," Rachel asked.
"Following our parents," Allison replied.
"Do you know what the connection between the older Dr Altman and the guy Dr Hunt is," Rachel asked.
"My parents, they've been together forever," Allison replied.
"Your parents," a guy asked, only hearing the last couple sentences.
"I changed my last name when I got married," Allison replied, "I wanted the same last name as my husband and daughter. My maiden name was Altman-Hunt."
"Whoa," another man replied, 'so which altman is your mom?"
"Teddy, adult cardio," Allison replied, 'the chief emeritus. Grace is my older sister."
"So do you know anything about the younger Riggs," a third woman asked.
"Ya," Allison replied, " Josh and Grace have been together since med school, have been married for 20 some odd years and have four kids. And he's in his 50s."
"How do you know," the first man questioned.
"Because I met Josh the day I was born," Allison replied, "him and my sister have been together longer than I've been alive. Theres 25 years between Grace and I."
"But he's nice and good looking," the third woman said.
"And Josh is married," Allison replied, "don't get involved with attendings. It never ends well for the residents. I've heard enough stories, black listed, taken off preferred services. Just don't do it it looks like your sleeping your way on to cases."
"So how do we get onto the good cases," the man asked.
"Work hard," Allison admitted, "the chief is my aunt. I know Auntie Meg. She's watching that we work hard and do it happily. She's old school."
"Your aunt," the second woman asked.
"My dad's sister," Allison replied, "I know all the senior attendings. They don't play games. When she's around, Yang is the worst."
"Hey bean," Annie called walking through the tunnel, "hiding from us?"
"Bean," the first woman asked.
"Allie Bean," annie smiled, 'have you eaten?"
"Yes," Allison replied, 'and you sound like mom."
"I'm going to check on a patient that if it's what I think it is you up for a peds altman in the morning,' Annie offered, 'how are your hours?"
"I came on at 9 for an 18 so I could," Allison replied.
"You're scrubbing in get something to eat," Annie replied, 'eat and nap because it'll be a long one. I'm on for 24."
"Dr Altman," the man asked.
'She put in the work in peds cardio earlier this week," Annie replied, "you do the work. Do the scut we assign. You want the surgeries but aren't doing the work. When your attendings say jump you say how high. We want you to succeed but you have to do the work two. Show me. Show me you want it. Go above and beyond. You were all top 10% of your class but good marks aren't enough now. Your interactions with patients and their families, with each other, senior residents, fellows and attendings. I'm watching how you talk to nurses, physio therapist, respiratory therapists, patients, families. I want to teach, i love to teach and mentor but I need to see that you want it."
"Watch out for Chris," Allison said.
"Chris,' Rachel asked.
"Christopher McKellar," Annie replied, 'my half brother, he's a trauma nurse swings between adults and adolescents and is a medevac pilot. He tells me all and is married to Dr Silverstone."
"Dr Altman how do we get on your service," Rachel asked.
"Work hard and show me you want it," Allie replied, "Cardio is hard, it's intense to begin with with kids it's harder, kids need to be cared for so gently parents need to be handled carefully. I asked Allie to scrub in with me because I know she can be gentle and connect with kids and with parents. The patient is 6. I'll start you on teens and older kids with me. My nicu babies take time to work towards. Both because of how delicate they are and because I want you to be ready. The nicu is hard emotionally on staff. I won't ask you if you're not ready. I'm not in the habit of destroying my interns. I want to build you up and make you the best surgeons you can be, I will not push you to your breaking point. I had attendings do that to me and my husband and it didn't make us better surgeons."
"So," a man asked.
"Well Spencer we work with you," Annie replied, "I'll send an email tomorrow that my husband and I are having all the interns over for a BBQ at our place. Josh Riggs and I are the attending mentors for your class until you specialise. Think of us as hospital parents, we're here to cheer you on, guide and support you. I'm always ready to be your shoulder to cry on and I always have chocolate in my office. If you need anything come see us, you have my number, text me or call me any time."
"If she's driving she doesn't answer,' Allison replied.
"True," Annie agreed, " but you will get there. You've been here a month. To put you straight into the nicu or icu would not be fair to you. We want you to start being successful. We know bad outcomes happen but that doesn't need to be your first experience. We are here to help you be the best surgeons possible and that starts with success. The chief agrees with me but she's my aunt and saw the way I was trained, she was trained and her and I are working on revamping the teaching program with my step dad."
"Annie,' Allison gasped.
"Legally what he is," Annie replied, 'it's not a lie he just hates the term."
"Annie," Rachel asked.
"Short form of my middle name it's a family nickname that my baby sister is going to learn not to use at work," Annie replied, "or I can keep calling you Bean."
"Siblings," Megan shook her head as she approached, " Dr Altman I need you in the peds OR major trauma 14 year old girl waiting on imaging but multiple crush injuries."
"Dr Spencer come on, " Annie replied turning to follow Megan through the rest of the tunnel to Peds.
"What am I doing,' Dr Spencer asked.
"Observing maybe being hands," Annie replied, "we'll see what's needed. But we will make sure you're successful."
"Dr Altman," Megan asked.
"They're interns with as much experience as I had when they brought you in," Annie replied, "Uncle Owen set me up for success with you. I was scared but he knew I could do it and I was the right intern for the job."
"You were," Megan smiled, "I loved my first intern. I expected your mother when he called Altman but you were the perfect choice. I loved you the instant you appeared, shy and hesitant but you were family. I could see how close you were to my brother even then."
"I met him when I was 19," Annie replied, "our patient?"
"I don't know the fellows paged me and cardio," Megan replied.
"So it's bad,' Annie answered, 'those fellows are confident and competent."
"Ready for a good one," Megan asked.
"I am," Annie replied, "one intern is enough?"
"Page a second I'm in the mood to teach," Megan replied.
"Rachel Bowers," Annie replied, 'I have an Altman after this I already to Allison to prep for."
"Okay," Megan replied.
Annie paged the second intern and waited for the young woman to come running.
"So your sister didn't choose you," a woman said.
"Melina she can't all the time," Allison replied, "she wants me to stand on my own two feet and I asked them to push me and be hard on me."
"What about Dr Riggs," Melina asked.
"My brother in law," Allison replied, "he's nice and will help you. Annie is the softer of the two though. Josh is quieter but he will help."
"So he's taken," Melina questioned.
"Very," Allison replied, "Annie and Josh are probably the most stable marriage I've ever seen."
"Are the Riggs related," Melina asked.
"Yes, Nathan is Josh's uncle then Uncle Nathan has an on and off thing with Auntie Meg," Allison replied, "it's a weird situation. Dad, Auntie Meg and Uncle Nate all went to Harvard for medical school and joined the army about the same time. Mom joined the army after 9/11 and met all of them. Her and dad were just friends until about a year before I was born. Mom had Annie in medical school so my dad is her step dad but Annie grew up with her dad and two other siblings. Uncle Nathan had a brother that passed away when I was really little but he was Josh's dad. Annie and Josh were never supposed to meet but they met in med school and became good friends then their last year a couple and have been together since."
"And your related to all of them," Melina asked.
"Yes," Allison replied, "I wanted to go somewhere else for residency. I wanted Mass Gen or UCLA but I'm here."
"Why didn't you want to be here," Melina asked.
"I was literally born in this hospital," Allison replied, "my parents, aunt and uncle, sister, brother in law. I wanted distance and to be me."
"You don't still live with your parents," Melina asked.
"No," Allison replied, "Ash and I just bought a house but until I graduated we were in mom and dad's basement suite for 8 years. We had to, I was in school, we have our daughter, Ash did his apprenticeship we had to but it wasn't our first choice. If we could have moved out we would have sooner but I wasn't working, our daughter has cerebral palsy and a lot of needs."
"Your daughter," Melina asked.
'Can walk," Allison replied, "prefers her crutches or walker but uses her chair when she's tired or not well. Everly is doing well, better then they thought she would and she'll be independent. She's on track academically, loves school and swims with a swim club that has a paralympic program, she likes her piano lessons and choir."
"How old," Melina asked.
"Eight, she's in third," Allison replied, "do you have some one?"
"No,' Melina asked, 'theres some cute Fellows thought."
"Residents," Allison advised, "fellows or attendings the chief will lose it. It used to happen from stories I've heard but Auntie Meg is really cautious about the resident not being taken advantage of or manipulated by someone in a position of power. Our surgical staff is really female heavy two that was started by Dr Bailey and continued by my mom and Auntie Meg. wonder women!"
"Its one reason I came here is 95% of department heads are women," Melina said, "the mentoring opportunities."
"I know," Allison replied, 'and it is family friendly. They're all moms."
"That helps you," Melina agreed.
"Most know my daughter," Allison replied, "she's good though. Misses me on 24s like this but it's hard I know it is."
"Her dad," Melina asked.
"They have swimming and choir today," Allison replied, 'and he was going to take her out for dinner. Just something quick and easy but they have their special things when I work over night."
"That's good," Melina replied, "my mom is an OB it sucked."
"It does," Allison replied, "no OB for you?"
"No I want peds," Melina replied.
"Peds what," Allison asked.
"General," Melina replied, "have you thought?"
"Peds ortho," Allison replied, 'but cardio will be pushed."
"That's not fair,' Melina agreed, 'and we all have to do trauma?"
"Trauma basics until we finish our 4th year," Allison replied, "peds and adult. Theres a story to that."
"I heard there was a shooting here," Melina replied.
"Ya," Allison replied, 'my parents were here for it. They lost a few residents, my dad was shot. I get it. My sister was still in college so it's a long time ago but they all remember. Mom drove up to UBC the next day to see Annie and make sure her daughter was okay. I don't know the whole story it's like the war they don't talk about it."
"What's your plan," Melina asked.
"Residency and find something close to here," Allison replied, "I'm not stuck at GSM but Seattle is better for my daughter."
"Do you have pictures of her," Melina asked.
"I do," Allison replied before showing Melina a couple recent ones.
"She's gorgeous," Melina smiled.
"Thank's," Allison replied.