Page 2 of Code Love
“Doctor West, you will be heading room one, we are going to try to keep that one available for any cases needed pediatrics or obstetrics, you are the best qualified to take those patients,” Lillian continued.
“Doctor Thatcher, you will lead room two, Doctor Adams, three, and Doctor Nguyen, room four. Doctor Williams and Doctor Hu are on their way in and will float and assist where necessary.”
“What about post-op?” Dr. Noble asked, the lines on her face were tight.
“Do the best you can,” Lillian said with a nod. “Try to fit in as much as you can between surgeries and get them handed off to the general staff as quickly as possible. I know we won’t have a lot of time tonight for breaks, but as soon as the storm lets up, we will hopefully get a new shift to relieve us.” Lillian looked around at the tight eyes and pressed lips. “As you know, I’ve cleared the boards and the rooms are prepped and ready. I have the surgical nurses working on a tight crew, each one has their specific tasks, if you have any questions you can talk to me or Catriona, buteverything should run smoothly so long as we make sure we are taking care of our respective spaces.”
The doctors nodded. The crew Lillian was working with was diverse to say the least. With the exception of Dr. Noble, Lillian was the oldest present, which meant that there was not nearly as much experience as she would have liked in the operating rooms, but she had trained most of them personally and knew that they were very capable surgeons.
“I know you are all excellent surgeons, but I want to say this anyway, wecan notafford mistakes tonight,” Lillian continued. “We need to work fast, and we need to work hard, but mistakes will cost lives, and I don’t want to lose anyone tonight if I can help it.” It pleased Lillian to see the other surgeons nodding along with her statement. Their eyes took on a look of determination, and pride swelled in Lillian’s chest. “Go,” she said and nodded at the door. “Get your spaces prepped and make sure to keep your pagers on.”
“Of course, Doctor Holder,” one of the doctors said, while the rest nodded and added their platitudes. They walked out the door with squared shoulders, and Lillian couldn’t help the swelling of her ego. This is why she became a doctor; this is what she loved, and hated, about her job. They were the ones to help save the lives of others, the ones who were able to cheat death again and again. It was exhilarating. She glanced at the mirror one more time, noting the slight spark in her green eyes. “I’m ready for you, Kate,” she murmured to the mirror.
Lillian made her way back down to the emergency room and looked over the staff. She noticed several rolling carts had been added to the trauma rooms, and much to her chagrin, the supplies were all neatly organized and ready to be used at a moment's notice. She pressed her lips as she admitted to herself that maybe Dr. Lin had a decent process after all, though it didn’t seem she had arrived, yet.
Several of the surgical interns and residents were waiting by the doors already decked out in their yellow trauma gowns, ready for the first arrivals. A few patients had trickled in already, nothing major, some cuts and bruises, one teenager had a sprained wrist and was headed for radiology. Lillian glanced through the glass doors, noting that the rain was beginning to pound against them. Lillian had just turned to walk back into the emergency department when she heard laughter behind her.
She furrowed her brows and spun on her heel. Yes, doctors seemed to have a twisted sense of humor, but she couldn’t see where something would be funny in this situation. She opened her mouth to say as much when she noticed the reason behind the jovial atmosphere. Dr. Lin had arrived.
Dr. Lin strolled through the doors of the emergency department trailing water behind her. Her long dark hair was streaked with gray and streaming water down her back, and her clothes were soaked through. In her hand she held a large black helmet and she wore a black leather jacket that was dripping wet. Several of the staff had handed her towels that she was using to dry herself while the others were laughing.
Apparently, she had ridden her motorcycle. A motorcycle. During a hurricane. Irritation flashed through Lillian as she watched this ridiculous woman laughing and sopping up water while the other members of the staff just pranced around her like it was some sort of show. Lillian noticed how the water glistened on her high cheekbones, and her almond shaped eyes reflected the light despite their dark brown hue. Her skin was smooth and flawless, her wide mouth fixed in a dazzling smile as she laughed at her own absurdity. The smile seemed to be infectious, even Lillian noticed her own lips turning up at the corners as she watched the scene unfold.
A tingling sensation seemed to flow across her skin as she watched Dr. Lin strip off her soaked jacked to reveal a dark tanktop underneath. The wet fabric clung to her skin, accenting the curve of her breasts and the tight waist from hours spent in the gym. Her hips curved out beneath the hem of the shirt wrapped in dark jeans, though they were also soaked through, and her boots squelched as she walked across the room.
Dr. Lin’s dark eyes lit on Lillian as she headed for the locker room. No doubt she would come back out in scrubs, something the Chief of Medicine should not be wearing, though the staff never seemed to so much as notice. Lillian fought the urge to follow her into the locker room, telling her exactly that, but she knew how pointless it would be.
Lillian had tried before to address Dr. Lin’s lack of professionalism, at least in her eyes, but Dr. Lin would just brush it off with some snarky comment. Which, of course, would leave Lillian fuming. Regardless, Lillian was forced to admit that Dr. Lin was beautiful, and despite how much the woman irritated her, she always seemed to find herself nearby. She supposed that had to do with the job, she was the Chief of Surgery, and Dr. Lin was the Chief of Medicine, their jobs were forced to coincide with one another. Still, Lillian just wished Dr. Lin would take something seriously for once in her life. She just couldn’t wrap her mind around how someone like Dr. Lin could have made it to the head of staff like that.
Dr. Lin had been the Chief of Medicine when Lillian was hired on at Oakridge Hospital, she had sat on the hiring board, and had even pushed for her to get through the interviews to get her spot as an attending so many years ago. Dr. Lin had also played a large part in making sure that Lillian kept climbing up the chain, and though Lillian was loath to admit it, she owed a lot to Dr. Lin for her position.
Lillian shook her head—she didn’t owe anyone anything. She worked hard, harder than most. She was more dedicated, more driven, more capable than anyone else, and Dr. Lin was simplysmart enough to realize that. No favors were involved in the decisions, just grit and determination, something that was an absolute necessity in the medical profession, especially surgery.
A flurry of activity ripped Lillian from her thoughts as the flashing lights of an ambulance suddenly appeared just outside the door. She heard the shouts of the team as they rushed out to bring the patients inside. Clipped bits of conversation and reports floated through the air. A car wreck, multiple injured persons. The first gurney rolled its way through the door as the patients came through. Lillian quickly grabbed a trauma gown and threw it over her clothes, lab coat and all, and tied it behind her as she rushed over to assist.
The first patient came through, a young woman, said to be in her early twenties, it appeared that she had several lacerations around her arms and face, but nothing life-threatening. The next patient was a male, mid-forties, Lillian assumed it was her father. The paramedics reported that he had been driving and hydroplaned into a guard rail. The man was not responsive and looked as though his nose had been broken. Lillian checked his vitals and instructed them to take him immediately to radiology for a CT scan to check for brain hemorrhaging while the third patient was being walked in from the rear. This one was a younger woman, probably late teens, but she looked shaken up but otherwise alright.
Lillian took the chart from the ER doctors and glanced through the report. The man’s name was Douglas Howard, and it seemed that the airbags had not deployed properly, which was what caused the facial injuries. She gave the chart back and followed the patient to radiology. She hoped she was being over cautious, but if she was right, then time was of the essence.
Lillian lengthened her stride as she walked down the hallway to catch up to the quickly moving gurney. As they moved, the EMT’s were removing their restraints and getting ready toswitch him to the hospital bed that would likely be waiting for them once they reached radiology. Lillian checked his vitals, prying his eyes open to shine a flashlight into them. Thankfully the pupils dilated when she did, though he was still not responding. She paged Dr. Hu, one of the orthopedic surgeons, the man was likely going to need some facial reconstruction.
Once he was through radiology, Lillian was able to relax slightly. His brain was not swollen and there didn’t seem to be any internal injuries. He would need surgery on his face, and it would likely be a long and painful recovery, but that was good news in this case. She washed her hands and headed back to the emergency room. Dr. Hu would be able to handle things from here, so the man would be his patient, but Lillian made sure to instruct Dr. Hu to let her know if there were any changes in his status.
When Lillian arrived back in emergency, she immediately spotted Dr. Lin in the room with the younger girl. She was smiling softly and gently touching the girl’s shoulder as she talked her through the accident, reassuring her at every turn. Of course, she was wearing scrubs and her silver-streaked hair was pulled up in a quick pony tail. Anyone who didn’t know better would likely mistake her for a nurse. Lillian shook her head trying to get rid of the useless thoughts. If Dr. Lin wanted to run around pretending that the responsibility of the hospital didn’t eventually fall to her, then so be it.
Dr. Lin’s eyes found Lillian’s from across the room, and her eyebrow lifted in a slight smirk, almost as though Dr. Lin could read Lillian’s mind. Lillian schooled her reaction, picking up one of the tablets so that she could pull up the patient’s chart. A huge clap of thunder rumbled the building, causing everyone’s eyes to lift toward the ceiling, but everything remained steady. Except Lillian’s heartbeat. When she glanced back down fromthe ceiling, she noticed Dr. Lin watching her and that warm tingling ran across her skin again.
2
Jade
Jade watched Lillian from across the room. For as put together as that woman always seemed to be, Jade had the ability to put her on edge. If she really thought about it, she rather enjoyed sending Lillian off kilter. Jade watched as Lillian turned her back, pretending that she didn’t catch Jade’s eye there for a moment.
Jade could admit that Lillian was gorgeous. Her long limbs draped seductively around her, Jade had noticed the slightly stretched hem of the dress Lillian was wearing, and she knew it was because of the slight wrinkle around her hips from sitting in her office chair. Jade also knew that Lillian didn’t like her very much, but that only made her want to pester her that much more. It was unprofessional of course, but if doctors didn’t find ways to enjoy their jobs, this profession could easily destroy them. Lillian would come around eventually, everyone did.
Jade turned her attention back to the young girl in front of her; the poor thing was in shock, but Jade had been able to comfort her and make her more comfortable. She already knewthat her father and sister weren’t in mortal danger and had quickly reassured her of this. However, now she needed to get back out on the floor; she had a feeling that this wreck had caused other injuries.
“If you need anything just press this button, okay?” Jade said to the girl as she stood up to leave the bedside.
