Brianna sat in the staff break room taking a small break before her next rounds. Her mind was a morass of thoughts. Was Callie alright? Was Brie herself doing the right thing? Well, there really was no help for it she thought. Callie was a grown woman, wasn't she?
Suddenly her pager went off, breaking into her thoughts as the overhead announcement blared "Code blue room 328. Code blue room 328. All visitors please refrain from using the elevators for the next five minutes. Thank you for your cooperation."
Brie jumped up from her chair, her mind going quickly to the job ahead and the patient in room 328. Josh was only seventeen and Brie had fallen in love with him in the three months she had been taking care of him. She had been working in her capacity as a respiratory therapist in the emergency department when he was brought in with third degree burns on July forth. Josh's dad was supposed to work the fireworks display in one of the local city parks but he had gotten drunk and passed out.
Josh knew they couldn't afford to lose the income, so he had taken his father's place. Unfortunately his father had made some faulty connections and when Josh went to fix it, the display blew up into a fireball. Josh had been at the center and had taken the brunt of the explosion. Since then his body had tried to fail him many times, but Brie had thought he was over the worst of it.
As she reached the room Brie summed up the situation. A nurse was doing compressions trying to restart his heart. Brie quickly moved to the head of the bed, took the bag, turned on the oxygen and started breathing for Josh. As she watched the nurses push drugs into his IV, she prayed that he would make it through this. Dr. Weaver entered the room and asked what had happened. Brie listened as Josh's nurse for the night shift filled him in. Dr. Weaver ordered atropine to be administered. Brie could only stare for a moment and then cut in.
"Dr. Weaver, you can't give him atropine."
"Don't tell me what I can't do! I said give him the drug!"
Brie took a deep breath before trying again, "Dr. Weaver, Josh is allergic to atropine."
The doctor just gave her a cold look and ordered that epinephrine keep being given. "Hold compressions." Brie looked at the monitor hoping for a sign of life. There! A blip, another, then another, Brie let out the breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. Dr. Weaver looked around, "good job team." He gave Brie one last look and left the room.
Brie hooked Josh back up to the ventilator and pushed the hair out of his eyes. As she looked at him, she couldn't help but think how much he had been through and how much he still had to go. She walked out of Josh's room and to the nurse's station. Betty, the night supervisor was there making notes. She looked up as Brie approached and her eyes filled with pity. "Brie, I know you have the patient's best interest at heart. I also know there will consequences from tonight. Dr. Weaver asked for your name."
"What can he do Betty? I didn't do anything wrong! You were here the last time Joshie was given atropine, it nearly killed him!"
"I know, but Dr. Weaver is the head of the burn unit. You could have been a little more diplomatic. You are one of the best therapists we have and I don't want to lose you! He could have you up on disciplinary charges before the board, not to mention your license."
"On what charge Betty? If he bothered to keep up with his patients he would have known that Joshie was allergic." In disgust Brie walked out of the unit back to the break room to take some aspirin. She knew Betty was right. Some doctors had the God complex down to a T. Dr. Weaver was definitely was of these. He walked around the hospital as if he owned the place, which, she supposed was not a bad analogy. The board of directors let him get away with practically everything and now she was in his firing line.
Brie managed to make it through the rest of the night without incident and went home. She needed to talk to Callie something fierce! But Callie was in Colorado meeting with a Dom. Brie really didn't understand what it was all about, but she was trying to support her friend in what she felt she needed to do. She called Callie's cell phone, listening to the ringing and then voice mail. Brie left a message thinking how bad she really needed her here. Deciding a hot bath would help, she went to the bathroom to run the water and add the oil. Thank goodness she didn't work tonight! She needed a couple of days to clear her head. She slipped into the hot water and eased back to let the warmth take the tension from her body. While she tried to clear her mind and relax the phone rang. She had a handset next to her on the floor so she looked at the caller ID. Great, the hospital, the machine could pick up. She would see what they wanted later.
Brie finally relaxed as the water grew cool. She was getting out of the tub when someone knocked on her door. She was wrapping a robe around her body when the knocking became pounding she went to see who was being so impatient. Brie looked through the peephole and fell back on her heels as her mind reeled. Dr. Weaver was pounding on her door looking like an avenging angel. "Just a minute!" Trying to compose herself, Brie took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. As she opened the door, Dr. Weaver pushed his way in. "Excuse me, but just what the hell do you think you are doing?" Brie demanded.
"Shut up and sit down!"
"First of all doctor, I am off the clock. Second, this is my home, not the hospital. You do not have the right to barge in!" Brie was so mad she was shaking.
Dr. Greg Weaver took stock of the woman before him. Brianna James was about 30, 5"3', 120 pounds with emerald eyes that were spitting sparks at him. He remembered flame colored hair that was up in a towel at the moment. "Please sit down, we need to talk." His tone changed to cajoling.
Brie contrarily did not want to sit just because he wanted her to. But her better sense won out, she knew she needed to straighten this out with him before it went any farther. She sat on the end of the couch as far from him as she could get. He sat down next to her. For some reason that Brie couldn't comprehend this disturbed her. Greg Weaver was a handsome man in his late 40's with black hair lightly peppered with grey. He had deep set brown eyes and a wide smile when he was getting his way.
"You wanted to talk, so talk." Brie told him.
He scowled at her as he gathered his thoughts which had quickly changed to other things when she had sat down and her robe had gaped open.
"What you did was inexcusable Brianna." He began.
"Stop for just one minute. What did I do that was so bad? I stopped you from giving a patient a drug that could kill him. I don't consider that a hanging offense."
"While that is true, you called me on it in front of the entire code team."
"Was I supposed to let the drug be given and then say by the way doctor, you screwed up?"
"Certainly not, but there are ways to respectfully address superiors."
"Doctor it was a code. Tensions are high. I'm sorry if I offended you, but I have taken care of Josh Myers for 3 months, in fact I was there when they brought him in. I know his chart front to back. If I am not an advocate for him, who will be?" She asked softly.
"Well, I have to admire your passion for your patient's welfare, but I wonder if you are not too close to this one?"
"This may get me fired, but maybe you are not close enough." Brie was startled by his burst of laughter.
"Okay, you may have a point, Brianna. Tell you what, let's try starting over. Why don't you get dressed and let me take you out to breakfast?"
"I really don't think that would be a good idea Dr. Weaver."
"Call me Greg."