Mr. Peter Chapman

This is a three-part Romance story that slowly unwinds. I can barely apply a band-aid, so take zero medical advice from this story. Everyone having sex is at least 18. This is a work of fiction; I made it all up. Check reality at the door and enjoy it for what it is, a fun story. Special thanks to rancher46 and RF-Fast for editing my story and improving it.

*****

Chapter 8 -- Emergency

Peter's point of view:

For three days, nothing unusual happened. I assisted Paul with a normal appendix, and he did fine. He wasn't nearly as nervous. I'm sitting outside by the pool, talking with several women. They're all drinking while I have water, due to being on-call 24x7.

Out of nowhere, Kate asks me, "Can I take your class?"

That woke me up. What?

Kate follows up, "You hit 100% on the nursing test. I heard you were developing a new way to teach. I've failed three times to be a nurse now. What I'm doing isn't working. I want to be a nurse, but the knowledge doesn't stick. There is so much, I forget details. I have nothing to lose."

Pearl is immediately excited, "I failed when I tried. I would love to be a nurse as well. Can I be a guinea pig for you as well?"

I object, "It's not certified yet. The nursing association and the psychologists are still reviewing my system. It's far different than the current system."

Beth pushes me, "Oh, come on. Give them a chance. What's the worst that happens? They fail one more time. They pass if it's as good as you suspect, and we get two good nurses. Isn't that the whole point?"

I smile at Beth, and hers goes away, "OK. I'll make you a deal. I'll let them take my full course and the test preparation."

Beth comments, "Here it comes."

I laugh, "Oh yes. I want you to take my surgical nursing class. You made me a surgeon again; I want a quality nurse. While you're taking the class, they can take my class."

Gail asks, "Can I take the surgical class as well? I've always had an interest."

Jane asks, "I'd like to take the nurse's class. I want to see how different it is and maybe give you some feedback."

With the sound of defeat, "OK. I'll email you the link. Create an account and use my wife's first name, Ariel, to get started. You will have to change the password."

+++++

2:33 AM, my phone goes off.

Half asleep, I answer my phone, "Hawow. Hello."

The unknown voice says, "Dr. Peter Chapman?"

I reply, "Yes, that's me."

The voice says, "Sir, we need you to come in immediately. A tour bus overturned."

My reply is simple, "Fuck. Call Paul, Beth, and Gail. Are you calling in more?"

The voice says, "Yes, you were the first."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I'm running to get dressed. Today is going to suck. I'm glad I took that nap.

+++++

As I run in, there are a pair of ambulances already unloading. More are unloading from the police cars.

They have had good ER training. They created a triage area, and they're classifying the people. I don't see a lot of serious injuries. The nurses will handle most of it. They have three for surgery already. Oh, fuck, too many. I see Jinny.

I stop Jinny, who looks lost; I hold her at arm's length and make her look at me.

I am calm as I tell Jinny, "We have too many surgeries, and the worst ones aren't here yet. Start calling nearby hospitals and explain our issue. Your first call is to my dad. He's four hours away, but he will come. Then let's see what else we can get. Go."

I run to get scrubbed in. A nurse is reading me the chart and explaining what she can see on the x-ray. I at least have an idea of what I'm walking into. Paul is here and is scrubbing in.

I tell Paul, "We have two to start with. I'm taking the internal injury. You get the broken arm."

I yell; I know that Jinny is listening, "Jinny, get Beth and Gail scrubbed in. We need assistance in here."

I was half done before Gail and Beth came in. They were clueless, but at least they could hold the tray of instruments close by, wipe sweat, and quickly learn what the names were. Paul was doing well until he cut an artery and freaked out. I switched behind me, clamped it off with a clean clamp, and returned to my work. At four hours, mom, dad, two patients on gurneys, another doctor, and three experienced surgical nurses walked into the now cramped OR. They took a sterile blanket and put it over a gurney, and now we have three operations going.

Dad explains, "I stopped at the university and volunteered some help. We took ambulances here to make good time. It's good to see you, son."

Mom assisted dad, while two young women helped Paul and me. After another ten minutes, another surgeon came in and assisted Paul. I finished mine, and the next one was already wheeling in. I changed outfits and scrubbed in again.

I yell out again, "Jinny, we may need to start collecting more blood unless my parents brought in more blood."

Jinny says over the overhead speakers, "He brought enough for a year. We're good."

One less thing to worry about.

I go back in. My surgery was quick and easy. I was done in under two hours. Time for my third. Before I started, mom called me over. Dad seems frustrated.

Mom says, "This patient had a heart attack from the trauma. He's in bad shape and not responding well. Isn't this when your procedure is supposed to help?"

Dad stops, his shoulders fall, and he walks away.

He says, "I'll take your patient," as he walks away.

I tell mom, "Yes, good eye. Dad would have killed him if he kept trying."

Two hours into the surgery, I say, "I'm sorry. I should have told you."

I tie off a bleeder quickly.

Mom is cautious, "We can talk later. Thank you for calling."

I half-laugh, "I wake you up at 2:30 AM, make you drive four hours, spend ten hours in surgery, and you're thanking me for calling you. Wow, things have changed. Thanks for the help. Several lives have been saved because of you two. They'll probably erect a statue in your honor."

Mom says, "It's good to see you practicing again."

I laugh at mom, "I'm a nurse. Paul, he's the surgeon that dad sent out this way. I should be assisting him."

Mom laughs at me. How rude! Moms.

Mom asks, "Do you think it's a coincidence that Paul's here?"

Paul says with a loud voice, "I'm in the same room, you know."

Mom adds, "Yes, and I see you've improved. It appears that my son, the nurse, has taught you more than my husband, the famous surgeon did. I find that interesting."

Dad adds with an amused voice, "Dear, I'm also in the room."

Mom is so funny, "Yes, Honey, I'm assisting your son, the nurse, performing a procedure that you can't perform."

Dad asks the room, "Would anyone tell me why I brought her with me?"

Mom ends it, "He always gets grumpy when he doesn't get his sleep."

The next few needed surgery but were not critical. They went much faster and were less stressful. The Kansas City crew, less mom and dad, went back in the ambulances when we finished.

I tell Beth, "Someone needs to follow up on the surgeries. Dad's tired, and I don't trust Paul. Could you take my parents back to my place, put them in the guest bedroom, and I will go home as soon as I can. Dad will make rounds first thing in the morn...afternoon... no, it's morning again."

Paul's first patient was a disaster. I redid all the stitches. Otherwise, all the work was terrific. Dad is as good as advertised. Most of the doctors went home, so I had to prescribe some pain pills, then I went home.

I walk into the dark house, strip in my room, and then get in bed. I am exhausted. As I lay down, an arm wraps around me. I would have jumped out of bed had I not been so tired.

Beth says in a soft voice, "Shut up and go to sleep. You'll sleep better with me here."

I did.

+++++

The following day, I wake up, grab a shower, don my scrubs, and am greeted by my parents and Beth coming back from the hospital. Beth holds me, and we walk through the hospital and across the street to see Pearls.

While walking, I found out my parents did rounds with no issues, I explained about Pearls and how she got her name, and we walked through the door. Pearls makes a beeline to me and hugs me hard.

Mom quips, "Yes, I understand the name now. Hello Pearls, we're Peter's parents."

Pearls laughs loud and takes us to a large table. We order six breakfasts and some cinnamon rolls between the four of us. I catch mom and dad up on my life. A lot of tears were shed.

We're sitting around talking when Beth gets a call.

I hear, "Yes. I told him to turn it off. He needs rest. Get Paul, and I'll assist. WHAT! NO! NO! OK, I'll tell him."

I yell out, "Check, please!"

I look at Beth, "I'm not getting a day off, am I?"

Beth shakes her head, "A young woman with a heart condition is on her way to the airport and will be here soon. KU referred her to you. Your heart procedure is her only chance. They packed up all tests, images, and notes on her laptop. It's also been sent to our secure file server. I'll scrub in with you."

Dad is forceful, "No, I want to see what he's doing. His mother saw him last night. I want to see this magic he does. My wife is a much better surgical nurse than I am; I will stay out of the way and help only if needed. I'll take anything else that comes in."

I meet the young husband and wife. They ooze money. They could have gone anywhere in the world. They're here in Ness City, Kansas. The world is an exciting place.

As we're all scrubbing in, dad says, "Peter, that woman has enough money to go anywhere in the world. With a reputation like that, you can't play nurse. They came here specifically for you. You need to realize what you are. We don't want your company, your money, or your fame. We want our son back, and we want him to be the best man he can be."

Mom says, "Ray, shut up. Honey. You won't be a full-time surgeon if you plan to stay out here. You won't make as much money. I suspect you're OK with that. If you like being a nurse, I think you should continue."

Dad almost had a coronary, but mom cut him off.

With a determined voice, "RAY! Let me finish. It's OK to help people by being a nurse. However, you have a God-given talent as a surgeon. Do both. With bringing in outside work, you tell them what you want. If they say no, go farther west until someone says yes."

We walk in as the patient is brought in. I explain what I want, the order, and what I expect to happen, along with what I will do if certain things occur. Nobody can see it, but I smile as the classical music begins.

My only words are, "Thanks, mom."

We had a few complications, but nothing we didn't plan for. Nothing is ever easy in surgery.

As I'm closing, dad finally talks, "That was a special procedure. I wouldn't even try that. It takes speed and a deft touch I don't have anymore. She was a dead woman without that technique, and from what I saw, everything looked much stronger. I would guess she will live a normal life, right?"

I admit, "I had hoped it would. It was a process that I made in my mind. Ariel was my first patient. I ran into unexpected issues, and she didn't make it. I redid the entire surgery 1000 times in my mind. I've shown many people, and we did it on cadavers. Two days ago, I did it to perfection. I sent the results back to school, and it appears this is how they will reward me.

"I'm only one for three, but in my mind, I've done it 1000 times and know it along with all contingencies like the back of my hand. Nobody is ever going to die from that procedure again."

I start crying and can't continue. Dad finishes for me.

Dad comments, "Nobody does stitches like that. What are you doing? Didn't they teach you the right way?"

I'm distracted enough to respond, "It's a fine stitch. Stronger and more flexible, the only downside is it's slightly longer to do the stitching, and I use more string due to the crossing across stitches."

Mom's comment? "It's pretty."

After changing, we talk with the husband. He responds by crying. He's stuck here for a day, and then if they're gentle, she can leave tomorrow. We see the other surgery patients, several with severe injuries, and all the patients where I'm their nurse.

Billy and I had a pleasant conversation about football against my KU-loving dad. He believes there is only one university in the state. He is so much like Billy's dad.

We go through the ER to have Lunch with Pearls again. My parents refuse to eat in a hospital, no matter how good I tell them it is. Soon after walking around the corner, a heat-seeking missile almost dumps me on my ass. I got hit by a ground-to-ground Kate.

Kate has her arms wrapped around my body, squeezes the life out of me, and cries up a storm.

My reaction is to my parents, "No, she's not pregnant from me, and I'm not responsible for anything to cause this reaction. She's touched in the head."

Kate releases me while laughing, "Sorry, Peter, but you most definitely are responsible for that display of affection. I've been staying up late at night taking your nursing class. I LOVE IT! DAMN! The way the information is presented, I don't fall asleep. I see how each case builds on the previous one; that's so cool.

"I love the back-and-forth banter, how you deal with emotions, and the videos with the 360 views were awesome. I can't believe what a difference it is. I remember the article last week about the changes in the diabetes numbers. Your course had that information. That's unreal! Everything seems real, yet the same patient is used, so I know it's not. It's done very well."

Kate kisses me on the lips and then runs back to her desk.

I am stunned at her excitement, yet I tell my parents with a smile on my face, "That happens all the time here. Pay no attention."

At walking into the restaurant again, Pearls attacks me in a crushing hug, then sits us at a table.

Mom is amused as she says, "I see what you mean. Women throw themselves at you."

We order, and about a minute later, Mr. Jim La'Fluer, the husband of my heart patient, walks in. He's on a crash course for me.

I stand up, shake his hand, and offer, "Hi Jim, this is my mom Winnie and my dad Ray. Is there a problem? Is your wife in pain?"

Jim is a soft-spoken man, "Oh no. Everything is fine. I was told that I might find you here. I have some questions if you don't mind."

I ask, "Would you like to have breakfast with us? We just ordered. Pearls will add your order to ours."

Pearls take his order and add it to ours in a flash.

I ask Jim, "So, Jim, what can I do for you?"

Jim asks curiously, "Why did Kansas City send me to the middle of nowhere to a resident surgeon who's working as a nurse to save my wife's life?"

Mom goes defensive as she looks at me, "Jim, you're asking him some painful questions. I want those same answers, too, but I don't want to break him."

My eyes are puffy, but I answer mom, 'I've been working with Cara. It's OK; I realize I need to talk about it."

I look at Jim, "I was an up-and-coming surgeon at Kansas City. I was developing new procedures which showed lots of promise. I grew up with two doctors, my dad a surgeon himself. I've been reading the journals for almost two decades. I had been working on the procedure I did on your wife for a year in my head.

"Right before an thirty-six-hour shift, my parents wanted part of my company, threatened to take away the house they own and my wife and child were living in, and charge me back rent. It was heartbreaking and emotional. They are both involved in upcoming lawsuits they will lose. Their malpractice insurance will skyrocket to the point they may retire. I now provide a nursing test for several states and have developed a nursing course."

Jim asks, "Nursing? You're a doctor."

I snicker, "Doctors don't like doing many things nurses do." I see the understanding in his eyes. "There is a shortage of nurses, so I developed a new way of teaching nurses in hopes that we can get more qualified nurses. I'm stuck in litigation and bureaucracy due to existing companies not wanting competition or to change the way they do business. They want to print outdated books that must be replaced often and pay retired nurses and doctors to write those books. I'm losing most of my income.

"My parents wanted extra income, and I was their meal ticket. I go to work surly. My first patient is a car crash victim. It's soon evident it was a case of physical abuse. I could not save her. I fell to pieces, and my dad told me to stiffen up and grow a backbone. So here I am crying in my locker when I am called in for a crash victim.

"She was in terrible shape. Bandages around her head, lacerations, bleeding, burns, the whole bit. She flatlines. I bring her back, and we find out she has a heart issue on top of everything. I realize my procedure is perfect. However, I try everything else first. My process has never been tried. As a last resort, I try it. At first, it looked very promising. Then something bad happened, soon followed by a second. She died because I wasn't expecting those two issues."

Tears are rolling down my face, saying, "I look closer, and I see a tattoo, 'Peter.' The woman on the table was my wife. Ten minutes later, it gets worse. My one-year-old son was DOA. I remember the funeral, yet I could not name a person there. The next thing I know, I'm in the motel across the street. Three weeks had elapsed.

"I stumble through the ER, ask for a job, and I do billing for three weeks. It's easy to memorize all the procedures and I already know all the terminology. My boss has me take the nursing test." I half-laugh. "I aced my own test." The table laughs as well. "So now I'm a nurse. I have my boss fix mistakes I see. Our surgeon goes on vacation, and in his place, they get the world's worst surgeon from Kansas City.

"Our OR nurse gets the flu, so they need a volunteer. I got volunteered. It was his first solo surgery. I corrected the instrument when he asked for the wrong size, and he didn't notice I gave him a different item than he requested. I walked him through a complication. Our staff physcologist called my parents and my old hospital. They took me off leave, and that made me a doctor again. That means working as a nurse and assisting the one surgery that came up.

"We had a bad bus accident. I had them call my parents and other hospitals as there was three days' worth of necessary surgery. I knew my parents would come. We spent almost a full day doing surgeries between my dad, Paul, and me. We had a day off, and then you and your wife popped up unexpectedly. Kansas City knew I was a surgeon again, and they knew about the procedure I was working on. This time, when I operated on your wife, I knew of several potential problems. We discussed the plan of action for each one. When they happened, mom was already handing me the instrument I needed. From there, you know everything."

Jim, mom, dad, Pearls, and Cara are all tears. When did Cara get here?

A man yells at Pearls, "Pearl! Food!"

Cara pulls up a chair, "Pearls called me when she figured out what you were doing. Are you OK?"

She leans over and hugs me hard, "Yeah. As you said, it does help to talk about it out loud. Thank you for coming."

During breakfast, Jim asks, "What makes your textbook different?"

The question was directed at me, yet Pearls walked by and took it for me, "It's not a textbook; it's online. Kate, Beth, Gail, and I are testing the course out. We begged him. Kate works at the ER front desk. We both failed the nursing exam and had lesser jobs in the hospital. He uses a conversational approach to teach, rather than a dry text book. Honestly, its ... more engaging. I learned how to do vital procedures by seeing several different models and the people doing it. There was an interactive lab; some videos were in a 360 view where I controlled the camera view.