“Doc, you know as well as I do that you need to wear it at all times.”
“S-stupid sh-shit,” he said with another gasp.
It wasn’t hard to figure out that he not only had multiple broken ribs but internal injuries. He needed to be prepped for surgery, among other things.
“Do you have a surgeon on call?” he asked the nurse.
“You’re looking at him,” she said nodding to the gurney. “We do it all here. He’s head of surgery, emergency medicine, and delivers most of the babies around here.”
“Get me the anesthesiologist,” he said.
“I’m her,” said the nurse. “Like I said…”
“…you do it all here,” he nodded. “Okay. Get a surgery room prepped for him immediately.”
“Great. I’ll do that, you take care of the IV and pain meds for those two,” she said tossing him a key. “Drug locker is behind the desk.”
Bingo.
He could have taken what he needed and left. He could have. But he didn’t. He knew that the doctor would die without surgery and he knew the nurse would be the one taking the blame. For some reason, that bothered him.
So, he took what he needed, placing in a temporary locker in the staff dressing room.
It felt good to be helping. A rush filled him as he made the first exploratory cut and found the bleed internally. There were three broken ribs, bruised organs, and an internal bleed that he was able to stop.
When he was done, he went back down to the emergency room to ensure the others were okay. Most of the patients were sedated and doing well.
“I can’t thank you enough, Dr. Johns,” said the nurse. “We would have lost him and others without you here.”
“It looks like you need a doctor for a while. How about I stay? I was just looking for something to do for the summer anyway. I’m on hiatus from Boston General.”
“Boston General? That’s quite a change compared to our little corner of the south,” she grinned.
“I needed the change,” he said. “I’m staying at a little place along the beach for now. I can be here within seven minutes.”
“Normally Dr. Gaines would make the decision but since he’s incapacitated, I’ll have to risk my neck for this one.” Alden smiled at the woman, nodding. For some strange reason, his insides were churning, knowing that she was risking her license and most likely would take the fall for whatever he did.
“I promise, I won’t disappoint you.”
She nodded and walked away, checking on each of the patients. In his mind, he knew he would disappoint her but he could at least get his mother off his back and put some cash in his pocket.
“I’m going to take a shower and change clothes. I don’t think I got your name,” he smiled.
“It was a bit busy,” she grinned. “Sally Yoski but everyone calls me Yoz. We’ve got this now. Thanks again for jumping in. We didn’t even talk salary.”
“Don’t worry about that. We can talk later. I’ll be back in a little while to check on everyone.”
He left the small hospital and arranged to meet his mother at a small diner on the side of the ride. Never one to disappoint, she walked in wearing one of her finest outfits and all eyes stared at her, shaking their heads.
“Really, Alden. This is where we meet? Why not at the club or even my home?”
“Hello to you too, mother. I don’t need for everyone to see me. Nor do I need to see Lawrence suffering because of you.”
“He’s not suffering,” she said with a wave. “He’s just tired all the time. Besides, have you suddenly developed a conscience?”
Alden slid the bag across the table. It was marked ‘personal items’ from the hospital bags used when patients were admitted. There was more than expected and his mother’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
“This is lovely!” she exclaimed.
