Page 8 of Doctor's Surprise Twins

I jump to the side as a nurse wheels in the crash cart. I spin around in time to see Dr. Cole run into the room.

He stops before me, our eyes lock, and time stops.

Something is off about him now. His icy eyes seem darker. His brows are lifted in surprise, causing lines to form across his forehead. His thick lips are parted, and his breath is labored.

For a split second, it’s like we’re the only two in the world, but it’s over in the blink of an eye.

He rushes around me, moving over to the patient’s bed, and getting to work. There’s chaos all around me.

The blanket is pulled back from the boy’s thin body, and someone moves his gown aside.

Dr. Cole presses his stethoscope to the boy’s chest while everyone prepares for the next steps.

Val is holding the BVM to the boy’s face, squeezing the blue balloon-like piece to force air into his lungs.

I’m not sure what kind of experience I’m having. I can see everything going on, but I can’t move or help. I can’t hear anything but my heart pounding.

Dr. Cole is handed the paddles. He places them against the patient’s chest, and I see his lips move.

A second later, everyone steps away, even Val who pulls the mask from the boy’s face. His body arches off the bed as Dr. Cole pushes the buttons. Everyone turns to look at the monitors except Val, who goes right back to pumping him with oxygen.

Dr. Cole says something else, and everyone steps back. The patient’s body arches again, and everyone looks at the monitors.This time, the flat line begins to spike again. I still can’t hear anything, but everyone in the room takes a breath of relief.

“Ally, prepare the OR,” Dr. Cole says, looking at me.

What does that mean? Prepare the OR?

He can’t be talking to me, right? This is my first day. I don’t know how to prepare the OR. There must be someone else here named Ally.

“Ally!” he yells a little louder.

My body thaws. This time, my brows knit together as confusion sinks in. Who is he talking to, and why is he looking at me?

“Damnit, snap out of it, Ally!” he yells, and this time, his deep voice hits me in the chest, knocking me back to reality. He’s talking to me!

“Call the OR. Have the surgical staff scrub in. His surgery can’t wait until tomorrow. Got that?” he asks, looking only at me as the team prepares the boy for transport.

I nod and jump into action, running to the nurses’ station. I grab the phone and glance over at the directory for the extension to the OR. It rings once before someone picks up, and I pass along the orders.

The call ends abruptly, and I hang up just as the team pushes the boy’s gurney toward the elevator. Dr. Cole is right behind them.

As he passes, he looks over at me. “Did you alert the OR?”

I nod once, swallowing over my fear. “I did.”

“Good,” he bites out, picking up the pace as he rushes down the hall.

Suddenly, everything slows down and returns to quiet. I did nothing, and yet I feel as if I’ve run a marathon.

My hands are shaking, and my heart is pounding. My head is screaming, and I’m a little dizzy. I give in, falling onto the chair to catch my breath.

Tears flood my eyes as the shock wears off. My hands shake, and I can’t get enough air. Val stops on the other side of the nurses’ station.

She puts her elbow on the desk and looks over at me with a smile. “I bet you didn’t think you’d see that kind of action today, did you?”

My mouth falls open, but no words come out. I barely have enough control over my body to shake my head.

I watch the smile fall from her lips as a look of concern paints her features. She moves around the desk, grabs my hand, and squats so we’re at eye level.

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