"I don't plan on it." The line went dead.
"Don't plan on what?" a man with a Texas accent asked. "You put a call out for some additional medical support?"
"Tucker Hanlon, I’m glad you’re here.” He shared a one-armed hug with the "Friar," medical facility director for the DC branch.
"Pete called. I'm up on the politics. Where is she?" Tucker, dressed in Horizon scrubs, including an ID badge, looked down the dim hallway filled with nurses and residents.
"Two. Right next to Austin Bailey. The roof is about to blow. I got two calls—her proxy and alternate. He's sitting by her bedside. I’m putting in a page to the administration—and she isnota DNR.”
"Well, if he stays out of my way, there shouldn't be a problem. Otherwise, I'll toss him out on his ass. Pete's with her?"
Monitors beeped and pinged. Indistinct voices echoed throughout the unit. Sick was sick.
Pete and Governor Reed reacted to the slide of the glass door. "Governor, I'm PA Tucker Hanlon. I'm here to help Elizabeth." After shaking Pete's hand, he plopped his backpack on a chair.
"I'm sure Elizabeth will appreciate it. You boys don't like me much, do you?" He stood to stretch.
Pete Walter looked the man in the eye. "Don't know you well enough to form an opinion. I can tell you, she doesn't. I can also tell you she needs you to do right by her."
Governor Reed didn't have time to respond. Elizabeth's alarms blared as her heart beat in an erratic manner. Carts rolled down the corridor before the door flew open and medical staff flowed into the room.
"Atrial fibrillation overriding the pacer." A balding young doctor approached the bedside. Tucker hit a control on the bed to flatten it and make it hard, then started CPR. Pete injected the first round of medication.
Talbot yelled, “Let her be. She’s a DNR.”
"Check the pacemaker, Dr. Morton," Patrick told the cardiology fellow. "She's no longer a DNR."
Talbot took a step forward then stopped.
"Doc, she needs another lead." Tucker continued chest compressions.
"He's right. I need an atrial lead now," Dr. Morton, the cardiology fellow, said. Talbot Reed backed further into the corner.
"Bring in the portable fluoroscopy unit. Governor, we need you to step outside," Pete directed as he gloved and removed the dressing over the current pacing leads. Under Patrick's demanding gaze, Morton inserted the additional wire into the top of Elizabeth's heart.
Pete's gut tied in a knot. If this didn't work, there was nothing more to do. Elizabeth's condition was worsening despite all their attempts at intervention. The room seemed lost in a misty dream. Noises became muffled. The only thing in focus was the cardiac monitor.
Sweat dotted the cardiologist’s brow. "I'm there." After a long pause, her heart began to function again, re-establishing circulation.
Tucker broke the tension. "All right, darlin', you may be an attending, but it's not my first July. I don't need the testing." The young residents in the room laughed. "Folks, now vacate this area, so I can get this show under control." After the crowd left, he sighed at his old partner. "Why does a jump onto a frozen hostile mountain sound easier than this?"
"We were a lot younger then." Pete laughed.
Together, the two PAs worked to change her gown and the bedding. "How many episodes of bloody diarrhea?" Tucker asked.
"Continuous. I replaced four units of red cells so far. Hedges is taking an entry from her playbook taking this chance. Rid her system of the toxin versus bleeding and electrolyte issues. Dupart found what appears to nicotine. The picture is cloudy—Nicotine shouldn't do this alone."
"What did she eat?" Tucker cocked his head.
"Tate saw her drink some chamomile tea. This morning, they found tea and honey she received as a gift in the kitchen and sent it off to the lab. Martin said she had a yogurt yesterday. What are you thinking?"
"Azaleas, rhododendron, jimson weed, mushrooms. You said some honey? What kind?" Tucker had an exceptional memory.
"Is there more than one type of honey?"
"You don't cook, do you?" Tucker laughed.
"I cook, but not with fancy jars of honey."
