Disclaimers:
All is mine. Drunk driving is mentioned and so is physical injury, but nothing is too extreme. The usual goes for the loving leading ladies. There's intimacy, there's love, there's sex. Not necessarily in that order.
Comments: I am not a doctor so excuse any mistaken use of medical terminology. Otherwise, you are more than welcome to give me feedback; actually, you are more than encouraged to do so... Pretty please...
***
The raucous and confusion in the ER were growing by the second as more and more injured were brought in. The doors burst open for what seemed to be the millionth time that night, admitting a moaning figure on a stretcher pushed by two paramedics that were spouting vitals a mile a minute. The doctors gathered around the newcomer, visually assessing any flesh wounds while listening with half an ear to the paramedics. Reaching an available bed, they counted to three and moved the injured woman. The doctor in charge immediately went to work, assessing the damage, palpating the abdomen, listening to the lungs and ordering a set of tests all at the same time. He was very efficient in his work as a diagnosis slowly materialized in his mind. Bending closer to the patient, he used his penlight to determine the functioning of her pupils, as he asked her for her name. "Can you tell me your name, please?"
The woman groaned in pain; her pupils were abnormally dilated, and her breathing was shallow and rapid. Her insides hurt tremendously, which was the only indication that she was still very much alive. All she could remember was the flashing headlights of the semi right before it hit her head on. She remembered she had managed to swerve her car before impact and she imagined that was the reason she was still alive. Everything was hazy as she tried to close her eyes and blink them open into clarity. Nothing seemed to work, the pain was overpowering. She heard the doctor's question, but barely had the strength to answer. "Shane..." She whispered hoarsely.
The doctor smiled reassuringly as he continued to check her body in order to validate his diagnosis. "Good. Shane, where does it hurt?" He started pressing her stomach lightly, jerking his hands away for a second when she groaned in pain. "Alright. I'm sending you to the OR for surgery, you have some internal damage that needs to be taken care of. Do you have anyone we should call?" He asked before writing up the orders.
"No.." She managed to whisper before blissful unconsciousness took over.
Finally there was silence. A shard of fear pierced her heart when the thought of death crossed her mind. Shane tried to move and then the pain hit. With a strangled groan, she expressed her pain and unhappiness. A moment later she was simply happy to be alive. Pain meant she was still alive and that must be better. But not by much, she surmised. Blinking tired eyes open, she saw that she was alone in a hospital room. She glanced around, almost blinded by the stark white color of the walls. The ambiance was even more depressing than the way she felt. She wondered what had happened.
Before she could fall back asleep, someone knocked on her door and stepped in. All Shane could really make out was a small woman with blonde hair that was dressed in green scrubs. The rest was blurry in her drug-induced state.
"Hello," said the cheery doctor. "How are you feeling?"
A sarcastic reply was just about to make its way out of Shane's mouth when she managed to stop it. She wasn't sure what had stopped her, but the morphine sure helped calm her down some. "Fine.." She mumbled in a long drawl.
The doctor smiled, wrote something in her chart and left the room.
Shane would have shaken her head if she knew just how to do it. Her head felt miles away and it took less than a minute for her to fall back asleep. Rest was important in her weakened state and was quite mandatory for the healing process.
The next day passed uneventfully, with Shane coming in and out of consciousness. Finally, on the third day, Shane managed to shake some of the bleariness out of her mind, having had enough time to get the morphine out of her system. She was still very weak, tired and miserable, but things were looking up. For the first time since she was brought to the ward, she could see her doctor's face clearly, and what a sight for sore eyes that was. She was indeed petite and had bright blonde hair that combined perfectly with her soulful blue/green eyes. Her face was like an angel's; so radiant and pure. At that point, Shane was sure she had lost a few marbles during the operation, but she couldn't help herself; she simply couldn't stop looking at the beautiful doctor.
When the doctor came into the room, she was delighted to see her patient coherent and trying to sit up. "Hey, hey, take it easy. Let me help."
'You can help me anytime,' Shane thought to herself. "Thanks," was all that actually came out of her mouth.
Rearranged in a more comfortable position, Shane had to admit that she indeed felt a little better. The pain was still there, but it turned into a dull reminder of a very bad experience.
"How are you feeling today, Ms. Olson?"
Shane smiled, "I'm better, thanks. But please, call me Shane, Dr....?"
"I'm Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins, but everyone just calls me Liz." The doctor's smile was radiant and catching, as Shane found herself irresistibly smitten. Liz pulled up a chair to the bed and opened the chart she held in her hands. "Let's talk about what you went through, and before I forget, there are a couple of police officers that would like to talk to you about the accident. I told them they should wait at least until you're no longer drugged, and they said they would be back sometime today."
Shane nodded but kept silent. The whole issue wasn't easy on her, and she felt chills running up and down her spine. Every time the word accident came to mind, she couldn't stop the image of those flaring headlights moving rapidly in her direction. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for the news.
"I know this is hard on you, so we'll take it slow. You were in a pretty bad accident, but the damage wasn't as extensive as might have been expected. Would you rather I give you the worst first?" She asked tentatively. The doctor hated this part but she hated having to report bad news to the family even worse.
"Give me the worst you've got." Shane said in a slightly joking tone.
The doctor smiled. "Well, you had a ruptured spleen which we had to remove, but it's very possible to live a good and long life without one. You'll simply be more prone to infection and infectious diseases. Also, from the impact, you suffered from abdominal trauma that caused internal bleeding and had to be stopped in surgery. Both procedures went well and we foresee a full recovery. You had three broken ribs which luckily didn't perforate the lungs and which were set back in place and bandaged. Otherwise, you had multiple lacerations and bruises that will leave you aching for quite a while. But generally speaking, you were lucky and if everything goes according to plan you'll be on your way out of here by the end of next week."
After the doctor's long speech, it was Shane who took a deep, calming breath. It was a lot to take in, but the prognosis seemed encouraging. When she thought about it, the pain wasn't even that bad; as long as she stayed still, that is. It was a good thing she hadn't grown too attached to that spleen of hers or she might have missed it, she thought to herself. If only she could lay her hands on that other driver...Leaving the thought unfinished, she glanced at the still sitting doctor. She truly was a beauty, and she unwittingly made Shane smile.
Liz looked up from her chart and caught Shane's infectious smile. "What?"
Shane shook her head slowly, "Nothing, just admiring the view. If I'm to be at the hospital, at least I'll have something to take the pain off." A charming little smirk appeared at the corner of her lips. Vacation time was over. Now that the morphine left her system, she had to get back into the game. Shane was known as quite a player among the ladies. She enjoyed playing the game, but she was absolutely addicted to the rush of winning the game. The doctor seemed like the perfect candidate to test her powers of persuasion, wondering if her charm remained in tact.
