Mustn't Fall for the Patient

I was sleeping peacefully in the on-call room when my pager went crazy. I forced myself out of the bed and shoved my shoes on and ran to the pit.
“What do we have coming?” I asked our chief resident
“A tour bus exploded with the members and the driver aboard. Five guys.” She said
“Jesus.” I said
“I'm in the middle of surgery. Can you handle this?” She asked.
I stopped paying attention when three ambulances raced into the pit.
“Doctor Ashmore can you handle this?!” She yelled getting my attention
“Yes Doctor West.” I said
She nodded and ran back to her OR.
“West put you in charge?” My roommate Anastasia Moore asked.
“Yeah.” I said.
She nodded and I ran out to the first ambulance
“The only thing the one has said is his name is Alex. He's at least twenty five and multiple burns to his legs and chest.” The paramedic said
“Doctor Moore get him to trauma room one.” I said
She rolled him away and that ambulance left.
I unloaded the other two both with two men each. All john does around the same age as the first expect the older gentleman. I ran into rooms four, three, and two and then into one with Alex and he was awake and panicking.
“Sir please calm down.” Anastasia was saying.
“I need to know if my friends are okay.” He said
“Alex your bus driver is fine just a broken arm. Mr. Dawson is getting a CT to see how bad his head injury is and Mr. Merrick is in an MRI.” I said
“Our bus drivers name is Bill. Tell him we're sorry.” He said
“For what? What happened?” I asked
“Wait. Jack. How is Jack?” He asked panicked
“Which is Jack?” I asked
“His tall and skinny, has some blonde in his hair. Jack Barakat is his name. How is he?" He asked looking over at me
His light brown eyes were pleading.
“I don't know, I will go check on him. You need to tell us what happened. You're the only responsive one.” I said.
“I'm not sure, we were horsing around as usual and Zack said he smelled something and before we could get off the bus it blew.” He said.
“Which is Zack?" I asked
“Merrick. Rian Dawson is the other." He said
I nodded.
“I will go check on him.” I said
“Please, he's my best friend.” Alex said
“I will be back Alex.” I said touching the man’s hand and running to trauma room five.
I ran in and he was gone.
“Where is this man?!” I yelled
“John doe is on his way down for a MRI, a CT scan, and X-rays.” An intern said
“You come straight to me when that man gets back. His first name is Jack.” I said
He nodded and I walked back into Alex's room.
“Jack?” He asked
“He's getting tests done.” I said
“Is he going to make it?” He asked tears sliding down his face
“I don't know what his condition was or anything. I promise I will keep you updated.” I said
“Can you page plastics?” Anastasia asked me
“Already done. She should be down soon.” I said
“Plastics?” Alex asked
“You might need skin grafts, these burns are pretty bad.” I said
“Skin grafts. Will that hurt?” He asked
“Recovery will but during no, I promise. And we don't know if you actually need them.” I said touching his hand.
He nodded and squeezed my hand back.
“Doctor Moore. Is this the plastics guy?” Our plastic surgeon asked coming in
“Yes Doctor Olive. This is Alex Gaskarth, mild to severe burns to his legs and chest. We need to know if he needs grafts.” Ana said
“Alright Mr. Gaskarth I'm going to check them out.” Doctor Olive said.
He nodded and she checked over his burns.
“Well Mr. Gaskarth.” She said getting cut off
“Alex. Please. It's Alex.” He said
She smiled
“Okay Alex, you don't need grafts. But you will have tremendous scarring.” She said
“Okay, scarring isn't an issue. I'm okay with that. I don't need surgery?” He asked
“No, just bed rest. So admit him, watch him and he'll be out in a week or so.” She said
“Thank you Doctor Olive.” Ana said
She nodded and walked away, as soon as the door closed it was busted open again. It was an intern, my intern.
“Aussie, your guy is back.” He said
“I have five guys right now.” I snapped
“Blonde in his hair.” He said.
“That's Jack!” Alex said
“I'm going.” I said letting go of his hand and sprinting out of the room.
I sprinted down to Jack's trauma room yelling at people to get out of the way. I walked in and the nurse handed me the chart.
“Minor bleed in the liver, right humerus is broken, left tibia and fibula, broken tailbone.” I said looking up at the nurse. “Before I continue page ortho.” I said she nodded and I looked back down at the chart.
He had so many broken bones, right humerus, left tibia and fibula, tailbone, right clavicle, his sternum, five true ribs and three false ribs. Did this kid go flying?
“Page neuro and ortho now!” I yelled
Soon after my yelling our orthopedic surgeon and neuro surgeon were standing next to me. I handed them the charts and they looked it over.
“I can get all of them bones set right now and then we have to get him into surgery for his brain, he has a slight bleed that Chris should be able to. And while he's doing that I'm going to go into his chest and get the some rib fragments out so they don't puncture his lungs.” She said
“Okay, get him in. Page me when he is out.” I said
Chris patted my back and I walked back to Alex's trauma room and he was gone. I got a page to an unknown room so I walked there and he was sitting in there and Ana was sitting with him.
“Morphine?” I asked with a smile
“Just enough to kill his pain. We have dermatology on their way with numbing cream for him.” Ana said
"Okay." I said.
"Jack?" He asked
I sighed and rubbed my hands down my face. I walked over to Alex's bed and sat down on the edge.
“Look Alex.” I said
“Did he die?” He asked
“No, no, no.” I said touching his arm.
He nodded and grabbed my hand.
“He has broken bones, about fifteen; I know that sounds like a lot but it could be more. A lot more. He's getting what can be reset done and then he's going in a double surgery.” I said
“What's a double surgery?” He asked
“Our neurosurgeon Doctor Chris Dexter is going to get his minor brain bleeds stopped and our orthopedic surgeon is going to go into his chest and get the rib fragments out before they puncture a lung. He's still not awake, but I will make sure his post op room is near you. Along with the other two guys.” I said
He ran his hand through his hair and tears fell down his face.
“How am I the only one who made it out okay? How?” He asked
“Front man’s luck?” Ana shrugged
He chuckled a bit.
“So you know us.” He said
“You're in a hospital in Baltimore yes we know you.” Ana said.
He smiled and another doctor appeared.
“Aussie can you scrub in?” He asked
“Which surgery?” I asked
“Mr. Barakat.” He said
“No! We need you in Mr. Merricks.” Another one said showing up at the door.
“I can do both.” I said.
They nodded and ran back to their own OR.
“Go, I'll stay with Alex and wait on derm.” Ana said
“If we both make it home tonight pizza on me?” I asked
She smiled and nodded. I got up and went to the OR that needed me first. Which was Jack, when I fished helping with him I went next door to Zack’s and helped them. He had an internal bleed that needed to be handled. I guess that was my thing for today; stopping internal bleeding. When I was done I scrubbed out and stood in the hall.
“Can you room Rian and Zack together, right next to Alex. I'm going to get Jack moved in with him.” I said
The doctor nodded and I walked back to Jacks OR and Chris was closing up.
“Chris?” I asked
“Yes Aussie?” He asked not looking up from Jack brain
“Can you post op him in Mr. Gaskarth’s room? It's a double and I need these four patients near one another.” I said
“Yes, as along as Mr. Gaskarth is okay with it.” He said
“He is.” I said
“Then I'll see you there.” He said.
I walked back out and to Alex's room, he looked up at me as the dermatologist was spreading cream on him.
“Let me take over Jayne.” I said
She looked up and me and handed me the tube, after snapping her gloves off she walked out of the room.
“They came in and started getting this bed ready. Who is coming in?” He asked
“Jack.” I said squeezing some ointment onto my hand.
“Really?” He asked
“Yeah, Jack will be in here and Zack and Rian right next door. This is the only special treatment you guys will be getting. It makes it easier on me and easier for security to keep the press out.” I said.
He nodded.
“So why aren't you using gloves? Is that special treatment?” He asked
“I know I'm supposed to but I'm a firm believer that skin to skin personal touch helps.” I said
He nodded.
“Doctor Ashmore how're my friends?” He asked
“You can call me Aussie. And Rian is good, just a small contusion that will heal on its own with time.” I said
“Zack?” He asked
“He had some internal bleeding, severe but I got it to stop and we’ll keep an eye in him. Jack is on his way out of surgery, he’s not going to look good at all and I need you to stay calm when you see him. He got chest surgery, brain surgery today and abdominal surgery; also he got many bones reset.” I said finishing rubbing the ointment on him.
I closed the cap to the tube and sat it on the sliding table.
“I know this doesn’t matter or anything but did he lose all of his hair?” I asked
I chuckled and smiled at him.
“He only lost a patch of his hair, on the side. If he doesn’t gel it up it will cover it up.” I said
He smiled and nodded.
“Are you his doctor?” He asked
“I am, Doctor Moore is yours.” I said
“You called her Ana, is that her name?” He asked
“Anastasia.” I said
“She looked like an Anastasia.” He said
“What do you mean?” I asked
“I don’t know, she’s pretty perky and sweet. Just kind of seems like an Anastasia.” He said
“Oh don’t let that perky prettiness fool you. She’s one hundred percent badass, she will fight you if you call her perky or peppy.” I said
“You know her well?” He asked
“I live with her, well she lives with me.” I said
He nodded.
“Well Aussie? That’s a hair product.” He said
“Don’t I know it…? I’ve become at one with it. I actually think it’s kind of cute.” I said
“It’s different, but cute. I can agree.” He said
“Aussie help.” I heard Chris’s voice behind me
I got off of Alex’s bed and helped them move Jack from bed to bed.
“He’s stable right now Aussie, but I need you to keep an eye on him. Constant watch. Do you hear me?” He asked very sternly.
“Yes, I understand. No leaving the room unless I get an intern to watch.” I said
He smiled and patted me on the back and walked out of the room, after he left my favorite intern came and looked at me.
“Doctor I’ll watch him and you can go to the bathroom or whatever.” He said
I nodded and smiled at him and Alex as I waked out of the room, I walked down to the residents locker room and gabbed a few books from my locker and stopped in the bathroom.
“Aussie is that you?” I heard Ana ask
“Yes?” I asked flushing the toilet.
I walked out of the stall and she was standing there leaning on the sinks.
“You’re not making it home tonight are you?” She asked
“Sadly. I have to stay on constant watch on Mr. Barakat.” I said
“Did he get put in the same room with Alex?” She asked
“Yeah.” I said
“Will you keep an eye on him too? I hate to ask but you’re going to be in there already and Aric wants me to come over.” She smiled
“You dirty whore.” I laughed
“Come one, you know you want him.” She said
“Not Aric, maybe his brother but not Aric.” I said
“Their twins!” She yelled
“Fraternal twins. They don’t look the same.” I said
She rolled her eyes and laughed.
“Will you watch Alex too?” She asked
“Yeah, I’ll watch him.” I smiled
“You’re the best. Literally the best.” She said
I finished washing my hands and I splashed the water at her.
“Get to your patients!” She yelled
“Yes ma’am!” I yelled grabbing my books off the sink.
I walked out of the bathroom and down to Alex and Jack’s room, I walked in and Alex looked up at me and smiled. The glass door slid closed behind me and I took a seat on the couch right in between Alex and Jacks bed. I kicked my feet up and looked from Alex to Jack and back to Alex, I opened my Astronomy text book and drove into reading about the stars.
“Astronomy? You’re a surgeon.” Alex piped up.
“I am, but I really like space. The stars and vast openness of it. I think it’s beautiful.” I said not looking up from my book.
“I like space too.” He said
“Want this?” I asked holding up the textbook.
“You’re reading it.” He said
“I have another one.” I said
“Sure, I could read.” He said
I got up and handed him the book.
“This book is awesome. How much was this?” He asked
“That one was about fifty one dollars. And this one.” I said holding up my book. “Was about one hundred and two dollars.” I smiled.
“That much for a book?” He asked
“It’s important to me. My medical books were so much more.” I smiled.
He laughed.
“Lex. Can I call you Lex?” I asked
“Yes.” He said
“Um, I know it’s none of my business but do want us to call your mom? Family?” I asked.
“I called my girlfriend while you were in surgery. She’ll be here tomorrow, she has to fly in.” He said.
“What about Rian, Zack, or Jack?” I asked.
“My girlfriend is with Rian’s. Zack’s girlfriend won’t answer my calls because apparently she’s mad at me.” He smiled.
“Did you do something to her?” I asked.
“No, you sounded like my girlfriend right there. She asked the same thing.” He said.
“It’s a girl thing.” I said.
He smiled.
“Jack’s girlfriend?” I asked.
He just flattened his lips.
“He doesn’t have one?” I asked.
“Nope.” He said.
“Hmm.” I hummed opening my other book.

Notes

I just fixed a few things.