Chapter 3
Clarke was checking on Harrison when the code blue was called. She excused herself quickly and rushed into the trauma bay where a man was seizing on the ground. Another man was being pushed into a room. Dr. Wells straddled his legs while performing chest compressions and a paramedic was pushing air into his lungs.
“What happened?” Clarke asked while slipping on gloves.
“Car accident,” Wells said. “They came in by ambulance. They were hit by a truck. Brothers, we think. That’s all we know so far.”
Clarke lifted the paddles from the charging station. She waited until Wells climbed down before calling clear and pressing them to the man’s chest. The monitor remained flatlined. Everyone continued compressions and oxygen. The nurses were cutting away clothing to see what damage had been caused elsewhere to his body. His leg was broken along with multiple ribs, but most of the trauma was internal.
“Clear,” she said again.
Indra grabbed the man’s wallet from his pants pocket. The monitor continued to flatline. Clarke turned up the charge and tried again. She could feel eyes on her back as she stared at the monitor.
“Come on,” she whispered as she pressed them to his chest once more.
She breathed a sigh of relief when his heart restarted. Clarke pushed the cart away as Indra hung bags of fluid.
“OR three is open,” she said. “Get him prepped and page ortho for his leg.”
“Good job, Dr. Griffin,” Indra said.
Clarke exited the room to prepare for a long surgery. She found Dr. Woods and Octavia in the next trauma room with the other man from the crash. He had stopped seizing but looked as bad as his brother. Both had severe internal trauma.
“Who’s taking lead?” she asked.
“We’re trying to determine brain function,” Dr. Woods said. “It doesn’t look good right now.”
“Do the surgery first,” she said. “Check function after. If he’s bleeding internally, it’ll make the brain damage worse. Get prepped and I’ll write you both in for OR one. Got it?”
“You want me to perform surgery on someone who could already be gone?” she asked.
“Yes. We’ll know more after. Seizures don’t necessarily mean he’s brain-dead. Indra, I need this man prepped, too.”
“Yes, Dr. Griffin,” the head nurse replied. “Excuse me, Dr. Woods. You can meet me in OR one. I’ll scrub in to assist.”
Clarke left the room frustrated by the argument. The man deserved a chance. Even if his brain was not functioning fully, he could potentially recover after the bleeding was controlled. If the other doctor was going to argue every decision Clarke made, they would have to have a private discussion when everything calmed. Clarke had worked in trauma since graduating from medical school. She knew more than anyone currently on the floor.
“Dr. Woods will take lead,” Octavia said as both doctors exited the room. “We’ll stop the bleeding first and check for other injuries. How is your patient?”
“Barely alive,” she said. “But I think he’ll pull through. Tell Raven to take over Harrison’s case until I’m done. I want to try weaning him from the meds. He might wake up today.”
“I’ll tell Murphy. Raven hasn’t come in yet. She should be here in about an hour.”
“Thanks, O.”
Octavia spoke quietly to Dr. Woods as they walked. She had her own surgery to focus on rather than the disagreement. She scrubbed her arms while mentally going over her plan to start. The internal trauma had to be addressed but his heart needed to be monitored. Ortho would come in when the most pressing issues were dealt with. She wanted this guy to survive without too much lasting trauma to his body. He was older but not elderly. He had plenty of life left to live if she could fix the problems caused by the accident. Clarke Griffin took a deep breath and stepped into the operating room.
Octavia stared at the monitor. She looked toward Dr. Woods after a moment to find her mask stripped off. She gripped the side of the bed with bloody gloves. Her head fell forward before sighing.
“Time of death, 15:37,” she said.
Their gloves were thrown into trash cans along with their surgical gowns. Octavia opened her mouth to speak but Dr. Woods put up one hand to stop her. They parted ways. Octavia followed Indra toward the nurse’s station and Dr. Woods headed toward the breakroom. Losing a patient was the worst part of their job and Dr. Woods had only just begun.
“Well, that sucked,” Octavia said.
Indra nodded once. “We did everything we could,” she said. “Two valves were almost fully blocked before we started. The accident was too much for his body to handle. I should check on Clarke. Has Raven come in yet?”
Octavia checked the board and saw her name written on the list of available doctors.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m supposed to fill her in on Clarke’s coma patient. Then I’ll fill out the chart.”
“Thanks.”
After speaking to Raven, Octavia finished the deceased man’s paperwork. Dr. Woods returned to the floor to make rounds. She added two more patients to her caseload after finding their symptoms severe enough to be admitted. Octavia nodded across the bay and breathed a sigh of relief when the new doctor nodded back.
Lincoln walked through the double doors with his backpack slung over one shoulder.
“Please tell me you brought food,” she said, leaning on her propped-up hand.
“And why would I do that?” he asked with a charming grin.
“Because you’re the best boyfriend in the world.”
Lincoln rolled his eyes but smiled as he unzipped the front pocket of his backpack. He held out her favorite granola bar which she accepted gratefully. He patted the larger pocket.
“I brought the leftovers for dinner,” he said.
“I have never been more attracted to you than I am right now,” she said.
Raven groaned from the other side of the counter. She covered both ears and walked away. As much as she griped and groaned when they flirted, Lincoln was one of Raven’s favorite people. They practiced kickboxing together a few days a week and went on runs when they both had a morning off. Octavia preferred sleeping in as long as possible.
“Let me change and put the food in the fridge,” he said.
“I have to check on Clarke in an OR anyway,” she said.
Octavia watched the two doctors through the glass in the prep room. The man’s chest was opened. Blood was pooling in his stomach. Clarke used forceps to close an artery. The bleeding slowed to a controllable amount. Wells suctioned away what he could to give Clarke better access to the organs.
“What happened to your patient?” Clarke asked without looking up.
“He died,” she said. “His heart was already in bad shape.”
“I wish Raven had been there.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered, Clarke. He was a cheeseburger away from a fatal heart attack.”
Clarke seemed unconvinced but remained focused on saving the man lying on her table. Wells checked the monitors while Clarke began stitching. Octavia sighed as she watched. The woman gave so much of herself to the hospital. Her entire life was work. It made Octavia appreciate her relationship with Lincoln even more. He kept her sane. She loved him more than anyone else in the world besides her brother. Rather than watch the rest of the surgery and become even more sentimental, Octavia exited the OR and went to check on her patients.
Raven was staring at an X-ray film when the new doctor entered the room. The two women stared at the image for a long moment before the silence was broken.
“Looks pretty bad,” Dr. Woods said.
She shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve seen worse,” she said. Raven removed the image and slid it back into the envelope.
“Want me to help with the reset?” she asked.
“You aren’t busy? I can get ortho down here.”
“No, I’m free for now. I’ll stay available in case something comes in. Plus, I’m looking for a new sparring partner.”
Raven raised an eyebrow at the woman. She scoffed, rolling her eyes, but there was a small grin on her face. “Already looking to get your ass beat?” she asked.
They stepped out of the small room together and started toward the nurse’s station to update the board. Lexa made sure her name was listed under available doctors for emergencies that came in while assisting Raven.
“You should probably wait to talk shit,” Lexa said.
“Nah, that’s the fun part,” she said. “Lincoln’s pretty good, too. Have you met him yet?”
“Not really, but I know he dates one of the other doctors. I think I know more about the people who work here than the actual people.”
Raven rinsed her arms and pushed the door open with her back. Two nurses were standing on either side of the young boy lying on the table. He was already sedated. Both his legs were broken on his family’s farm after he fell from a barn according to his parents. She made a mental note to speak to Dr. Winters about the situation. She did not think there was any abuse, but she would rather be safe than regret not speaking up. The boy had no other injuries or old trauma.
“Yeah, everyone knows everything about everyone here,” she said. “But we’re all pretty close.”
“Good to know.”
Raven stepped to the side and winced. She almost stumbled but caught herself before falling. Lexa watched but did not comment. She could tell Raven was frustrated but she could also tell the pain was worse than she was displaying. Lexa was surprised she was able to put her weight on the leg.
“Can you take lead for a bit?” Raven asked.
“Yes,” she said.
One of the nurses stepped from the room and was gone for a few minutes. When she returned, she assisted Raven with the knee brace. The brace kept her knee completely straight. Once better equipped, Raven was able to take over again.
With the leg set, she was able to put both legs in casts. He would be wheelchair-bound for a while, but he should recover well. Her leg ached from standing for two hours. The brace helped tremendously, but the added weight put unwanted pressure on her hips. She was tired of hurting.
“Thanks for your help,” Raven said.
“No problem,” she said. “I’m on until ten, so I’ll be around.”
She needed to find Dr. Winters before going on break. Her stomach growled as she considered what she wanted to eat. There were places nearby but walking to the next block was not appealing.
She found the psychiatrist on the third floor. She considered this part of the hospital the mental health wing because the rooms held short- and long-term patients along with the psychiatrists’ and psychologists’ offices. She often forgot how big Griffin Memorial was.
“Dr. Winters,” she greeted, knocking on the woman’s door. “Do you have a second?”
“Sure,” she said, standing. Costia followed her to the elevators. “What’s going on?”
“Young boy came in with two broken legs. I didn’t get to talk to him much, but his parents claim he fell off their barn. Just wanted to see if you could speak to them or see what you think.”
“Do you suspect abuse?”
“He doesn’t have bruises that I saw during surgery. No previous visits. He has asthma and was seen a few months ago.”
“I’ll speak to them. Doesn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary, but I’m glad you found me. Did the surgery go well?”
They stepped out of the elevator. Clarke walked past them, distracted by a piece of paper in her hand, and almost ran into Costia.
“Sorry,” Clarke said. “Oh, hi. Everything okay?”
“Just getting a consult,” Raven said. “Are you okay?”
“Um… yes. Yeah. Fine.”
Clarke pressed the elevator button and stepped inside when the doors opened. She was staring at the paper again. Her eyebrows furrowed. Before the doors closed, Raven saw the word oncology unit written at the top of the page. She would need to check on Clarke before eating.
After introducing Costia to the boy’s parents, Raven left them alone. She erased her name from the board and started for the elevators again. She tightened the brace straps on the way up. She walked through the hall until she found a nurse who directed her to a room where Clarke could be found. Instead of being inside the room, Clarke was talking to Dr. Jaha.
“There’s nothing more we can do,” he said softly.
“Yes, there is,” she said. “The experimental treatments. What happened to that plan?”
“Your mother doesn’t want to move forward. She and your father discussed it. He denied the treatment, Clarke. I’m sorry.”
She wiped her nose with the sleeve of her scrubs. “Let me talk to him,” she said. “I’ll find you later.”
Dr. Jaha nodded once at her and then at Raven over her shoulder. Clarke turned, spotted her friend, and quickly wiped her face clean. Dr. Jaha left the two women alone. Raven put her hand on Clarke’s arm and wrapped her fingers around the blonde’s wrist. She could not understand how she was feeling but wanted to be there in whatever way she could.
“The medicine is making him confused,” Clarke said.
“He’s on some pretty heavy stuff,” she agreed.
“The scans are bad, Rae. I just don’t understand.”
“I know, babe. Is he awake? You should go see him for a bit.”
“I only have a few minutes.”
Raven shook her head. She squeezed Clarke’s wrist. “Stay as long as you want,” she said. “I’ll cover for you downstairs. Don’t worry about it. Want me to go in with you for a second?”
“No, that’s okay. I have to talk to him about what happens next.”
“Clarke,” she said softly. “He knows what will happen next.”
Another tear slipped down her cheek which Raven wiped away. Her heart broke for her best friend who was the best person she had ever known. Clarke did not deserve this pain. Without another word, she slipped into her father’s room.
The emergency wing was calm when Raven returned. She wrote her name back on the board and erased Clarke’s instead. The woman deserved a break. She worked longer hours and more days than any other trauma doctor in their unit. She felt more responsibility for the wing than anyone else.
Raven: Take the rest of the day off
Clarke: Fuck off
The message made her smile.
“I think your assessment is correct,” Costia said.
“Good,” she said. “I’m glad. Thank you for coming down here.”
“No problem. How is Lexa adjusting?”
Raven was confused for a second. She remembered the rumor Octavia shared about them dating. She realized too late that she had stared at the other woman for too long to be ignored. She cleared her throat.
“Good,” she answered. “Fine, I think. She assisted me in the surgery earlier.”
“I knew it would be a good fit for her here,” she said. “I should say hi before I go back. Thanks again, Dr. Reyes.”
“No, thank you.”