Page 1 of Her Braun
ONE
Dr. Kay Hatawas in her element in the Emergency Room at Cole Medical in Center City. Being busy kept her focused and the more that was going on around her, the calmer she felt. In the ER she had found her calling. It didn't matter who the patient was or what had happened to them, if they came into the ER instead of the coroner's office, she knew they had a chance.
And a chance was what she was going to give them. The best chance she could.
While Kay couldn't move heaven and earth, she could do a lot with the backing of an incredible staff and a very well-equipped hospital.
This place.
This job.
This is where she could make a difference, and she was determined to do it.
"Doctor Hata! Doctor-"
Kay turned on a dime and looked at one of their RNs, Baldwin Fiske. "What's going on?"
He held out a folder and came to a stop just short of where she'd stopped. "The lab came back with a report. They're not sure what strain of E. coli it is, but they're sure that it's a kind of E. coli."
Kay took the folder from his hand and opened it. She read through the notes quickly and looked over the current data. "Well, that's unfortunate."
Baldwin raised a particularly eloquent brow that she answered with a grim twist of her lips.
"Admit the patient to the forty-eight hour decision wing." Kay blew out a breath. "I don't like not having answers."
Baldwin nodded. "I could tell the lab was frustrated, too. One of the techs was grumbling about the inability to drink on the job."
Kay shook her head. "I understand the sentiment more than you know, but as much help as it might give me to ease my tension, I've always been a bit of a lightweight." She pulled a pen from her pocket and wrote a few notes on the paperwork in the folder. "Once you've transported her up to the decision wing, make sure that the nurses know to keep a close eye on her."
A low, shuddering groan turned her head, and she gave him a grim smile. "Let's go in and get that transfer started and make sure we get her started on some broad-spectrum antibiotics that will address the overall issues. Once we have a more definitive answer of the strain of E. coli, we'll re-evaluate."
"Yes, Doctor."
She gave Baldwin a nod. "Remember. Positive tone and attitude. We have every reason to be positive."
Baldwin smiled and they entered the ER bay where their patient was waiting.
Once she'd shared the information they had and their treatment plan, the patient, a young woman in her twenties who had come in fearing the worst was trying to smile and sighingwith tentative relief as Baldwin hung a bag of fluid and added some pain relief to it.
That's when Baldwin took over. The man was strong and not-so-silent. His presence was reassuring.
He managed to get the patient's belongings and settle them at the foot of the rolling bed and put the sides up in place for transport. "Okay, I'll take it from here, Doctor Hata."
Kay moved the curtain aside and took a step back.
"Doctor?"
Kay stepped up to the side of the bed, taking the hand that the patient reached out to her. "Yes?"
The young woman grimaced in pain, but it subsided a moment later. "Thank you. Coming in, I thought... I thought I was going to die."
Kay heard the truth in her words and leaned in to give her a gentle smile and meet her troubled gaze. "You came to the right place. We're going to get you fixed up and you'll be home soon. Okay?"
Relaxing back against the bed, she let go of Kay's hand.
"Thank you."
"You rest and relax. If you need anything when you get upstairs, be sure to let the staff know. I'll be up to check on you in a little while."
