Page 26 of Doctor Mile High
“You’re going to tell me, a woman who has had to deal with men her entire life, that men put themselves out there like this doctor did? Please,” she scoffs and it’s followed by a sneeze.
I hand her a box of tissues, hoping it’s enough to interrupt the disagreement they’re about to have. “Okay, let’s not get too far off topic here.” I glance down, noticing a rash on the woman’s neck. Pushing her hair to the side, I examine the red flaky patch of skin. “How long have you had this rash, ma’am?”
She looks up at me with big watery brown eyes, her brows furrowing as she thinks. “I don’t know. A day, maybe two?”
“Nurse Rachel? Please escort this patient to an exam room.” I do my best not to sound alarmed. I don’t need anyone panicking.
“Is a rash bad?”
I pat her back in reassurance. “It could be a number of things. I’m just being cautious, okay? No need to worry.” I keep my voice full of a fake cheer that I’ve mastered to cover my worry.
With long, fast strides, I’m at the front desk. “She needs to be seen immediately,” I whisper, keeping my voice low so no one else can hear me.
“You worked wonders on the waiting room. Half the people do have the flu and they’re being sent home. Smart man.” Nurse Rachel taps her temple. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”
“Experience is all,” I state, needing her to pay attention. “Rachel, this waiting room might be infected with a deadly virus. I need you to test the patient with the rash, okay? And keep it under wraps. Contact the infectious disease doctors. Do you understand me? This does not need to get out or it will causechaos. I’m chief of surgery so I’m open to being wrong, and I hope I am.”
“Right away, Dr. Warrick. Want me to keep you updated?” She holds the phone to her ear by pressing her shoulder against it so her hands are free.
“Yes, keep me updated. Because that means every person in this room could be exposed.” I check my watch, noticing I only have a half hour before I have to report to Olivia.
Even though I’m her boss, let’s be honest here, Olivia is really the boss. I listen to her in order to have a successful day.
“What about everyone who just left?” Nurse Rachel asks, panic beginning to etch into the sides of her eyes.
“I don’t think we have to worry about that. She wasn’t anywhere near those people. All we can do is start with her and hope the rash and her other symptoms are two separate issues. Again, do not cause a frenzy. We have too many people in the pit right now. We have traumas coming in left and right. One of my residents just took a man to surgery to get his arm sewn back on. Today is one of those days. We have to keep it together. I’ll help here as much as I can. Page me if you need me. I have to go.”
“Thank you, Dr. Warrick.”
I give a curt nod, tossing my gloves in the trash and stealing a pump of hand sanitizer in my palm before rushing through the doors to the pit again.
Dr. Leighton has her face in the tablet where all medical charts are kept. Out of curiosity, I glance at the bed where her patient was to find it empty.
“Dr. Leighton, can I trouble you for a minute?” I steal the spot next to her, matching her walking pace.
She doesn’t bother looking in my direction. She’s still inputting information on her patient chart. “Fine, but you have to keep up with me. I have a C-section scheduled and I’m on my way up.”
“For the patient you just saw?” I probe, wanting to tread as gently as possible.
I open the doors in front of us, allowing her to walk through first. She takes a sharp right, not bothering to watch where she’s going. She’s always had a habit of that. Dr. Leighton, like most of us who’ve been here for years, knows this hospital like the back of her hand. She doesn’t get out of the way for anyone, but others do for her.
“No, no. The patient I saw seemed to be having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions over the last few days and this time she thought she was in labor. Which would be terrible because she told me she has to travel. So she needed my approval to do that. She got lucky. If she was thirty-six weeks, I would have had to say no, but she’s thirty-five weeks. She’s pushing it, but she explained to me that she had to go on this trip. It was essential for her to be able to care for the child. She’s only gone for the weekend. I told her to come see me the moment she comes home.”
“I’m surprised you approved her.”
“I am too.” She exhales, jamming the button on the elevator. “But she’s a single mom. She’s doing the best she can. Going on this trip allows her to be better prepared for the birth. If that helps her, then it helps the baby, and mentally prepares her to beready to be a mother, so it’s hard for me not to support it. If she waited to see me until next week, I would have said no.”
“And she’s young? Healthy?” I tiptoe the line with my curiosity.
We step inside the elevator and press the button to go the obstetrics floor. When the doors shut, she turns to me, giving me her full attention. She tucks her tablet under her arm and purses her lips. Wrinkles form above the mouth, showcasing her smoker lines.
I find it so odd that some doctors smoke. They know the dangers. But I also understand; this job is stressful, and being healthy sometimes isn’t part of the game when you’re pulling long hours like we have to.
“What is with the questions about my patient, Dr. Warrick? Do you not think I know how to do my job?”
This is exactly what I wanted to avoid.
“No, not at all, Dr. Leighton?—”
