Page 1 of Doctor Charmer

Chapter One

Reggie

Sirens piercing the cool winter air outside like screaming banshees on a mission, hurried footsteps a few feet away, excited yells, the squeaks of gurneys navigating the sterile halls. These are the sounds of a nightmare for others; for me, it’s my dream come to life. There’s nothing like the excitement of a hospital emergency room, and no place I’d rather be. I take a sip of black coffee, rocket fuel for my soul, the one addiction I allow myself to make it through my shift.

I pull back the curtain, dispose the coffee, adjust my white lab coat, and let my hand hover underneath the Purell hand sanitizer dispenser, a move that is second nature and which I repeat two dozen times an hour.

“Whadda we got?”

My team snaps to attention when I enter the exam room. A highly trained team I trust with my life and everyone else’s we are entrusted to save. Four years of training, tweaking, and micromanaging every element of Eastport General’s Emergency Room has it operating like a fine-tuned machine.

“Dr. Morgan. This is Timmy, aged nine. Attempted to ride his Christmas present skateboard in the hallway of his apartment building. Felt up to the challenge of the steps, and the stairs won.” Nurse Jimenez provides the update and hands me the iPad with the details. “Bumps, bruises, and looks like a fractured wrist.”

I scan the chart. Vitals are normal. “X-ray?”

“Just coming up.” Nurse Jimenez points to the digital screen on the wall above the bed. I slip on the exam gloves and read the scan. Her assessment is spot-on.

I step toward the kid, a pint-sized tot with tear-streaked cheeks and eyes wide with concern. “Hey there, champ. I’m Dr. Morgan, but you can call me Reggie. Looks like you had a Christmas to remember?” I keep my tone light, a contrast to the sterile and cold environment of an ER room. To him, this is his worst nightmare. To me, this is home.

I place a hand on his shoulder and press gently. Timmy sniffles and offers a wobbly smile. He’s a brave kid. “Mom told me to wait ’til tomorrow after they cleared the snow from the skate park, but I didn’t.”

“I’ve never been much for waiting, either. If you see something you like, go for it, even if it causes you to crash. You’ll have a cool scar and an even cooler story to tell.” I give him a wink. I raise my hands three inches above his ribs. “Let me know if anything I touch hurts.”

“My arm stings,” Timmy says as I press on his ribs and read his face for a reaction. Nothing. Good. I move on to his abdomen. Same outcome.

“Yeah, looks like you banged up that wrist pretty bad.” I glance back to the X-ray, this time taking my time to reconfirm that nothing’s been missed. No break, just a hairline fracture. I turn to face Timmy and give him a smile worthy of a brave warrior.“The good news is we have ice cream on a stick—only requires one good hand.”

“On it,” Nurse Jimenez says over my shoulder, picking up the baton. We are a team, working as one.

“And page Ortho. Let me know if Dr. Carmichael is on coverage tonight.”

Nurse Jimenez halts, one hand on the curtain, shooting me a knowing smirk over her shoulder. She’s worked with me for two years and is aware of my history with Dr. Carmichael. “She is.” Her smirk transforms into a full-on smile, already knowing what comes next.

My pulse kicks up with the news. “Timmy, you are the luckiest boy in all of Rhode Island. Dr. Carmichael is going to look at your hand. She’s super special, and just one look from her will make everything better.” I can’t prevent the snicker from escaping as I carried a crush on Angie for years. She unknowingly shared those looks with me, having no idea what they did to my insides. It came to an abrupt halt two years ago, and now we are colleagues and close friends. Probably my closest friend in the building.

“Nurse Jimenez is going to grab that ice cream and will be back to keep you company until Dr. Carmichael arrives. After that, we’re going to move you to one of our special rooms upstairs for a cool sleepover. I’m going to update your mom and dad but will be right outside those curtains if you want to chat again.”

I can’t resist raising my hand and offering him a high five with his good hand. “Am I going to have a cool scar?” he asks.

“Probably not.” I give him the truth. Angie is too talented, her precision techniques the best I’ve ever seen. When she’s done, you’ll never know which wrist she worked on. “But you’ll always have the cool story. Tell everyone it was from the twelfth floor ofthe Occidental Tower, and you were racing from security guards. If anyone says it’s not true, send them my way.”

“Really?”

“Really. Us impulsive guys have to stick together.” I laugh and turn, nodding for Nurse Jimenez to exit. I follow her out of the small exam room. She whispers to a technician, sending him to the cafeteria for the ice cream before heading back into the room to keep Timmy company. I scan the busy ER, the joyous sounds of monitors beeping, people racing in every direction, the sounds of my world. I place my hands on my hips, lift my chin, and pose next to the nurses’ station. “Who’s next?”

***

I’m in my second favorite place in the ER: the doctors’ lounge. My shoulders pressed against the wall, my feet crossed at my ankles, coffee in hand, I take a sip and catch the excited glance from Lyndsey, the new recruit from our local fire department. Her team just rescued a family from a Christmas tree fire. Every holiday season, we get our share. Pine trees dehydrated in warm houses, holiday candles lit for atmosphere, and adults indulging in too much eggnog falling asleep. Throw in an excited cat climbing the tree, an advertent pillow kicked off the couch by sleeping beauty, or a dozen other mishaps, and you have an inferno. This family was fortunate: a little smoke inhalation and a need to replace a room full of Christmas gifts and furniture.

“You should join us over at Molly’s after shift. This time of the year, there’s always someone in the bar buying us a round or two.” Lyndsey send for the third time a not-so-subtle invite in my direction. She’s aware of my reputation, which is why she’s found her way down to my ER. She finger combs her left hand through her fire-red hair, wagging her empty ring finger in my direction.

She’s bold, I will give her that. One look at the dusting of freckles across her face would have the younger version of me saying inappropriate things and skipping past the part where we make a pit stop at the bar before heading back to her place.

“Well, you’ll just have to look over your shoulder all night to see if I make it now, won’t you?” I give her what she’s come for. A tease of a connection, a rush of adrenaline, and a bit of gossip to share back at the firehouse.

“Tell Chief Boden he’s already reached his Christmas tree fire quota for the season.”

She giggles, picking up my playful tone. “That’s my fault. We’re supposed to split our patients between Eastport and Westport. But there’s something that has me twisting the rig in this direction. Care to guess what that might be?”

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