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chicaotaku-fanfics · 5 months ago

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There’s Three of You?! Pt. 9

FINALLY!!! New chapter’s here. I’m sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy it, and again, thank you for giving this story a shot!

Warnings: foul language, might be some medical inconsistencies.

CHAPTER 9

Will gave me a ride to the hospital today, we spent some hours at Molly’s last night with Jay -I told them about the baby and how I really wanted to strangle the young mother, but they both helped me calm down-, we arrived and checked on our patients, discharged the ones that needed it, and as the day started, we received one of the most complicated cases I’d ever seen.

“Trauma 4. Incoming.” said Maggie, Will and I turned to look, I grabbed my protective glasses and put them on, just like Will did. And just in time.

In came Brett, her partner, Severide and another firefighter holding the chandelier on top of our patient.

“45-year-old male, multiple penetrating injuries to the chest. GCS 12, BP's 90 over palp.” Brett gave us the rundown.

“Did you give him anything for pain?” asked Will

“We've given him 4 morphine and 500 saline.” said Brett’s partner.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Chandelier fell from about 20 feet and landed right on him.” said the Lieutenant.

“How long ago was this?” asked Will.

“Maybe 30 minutes.” answered Severide.

“Did he lose consciousness?” I asked.

“No.” answered Severide again. Now that’s impressive. I got into position, near the other firefighter and close to the patient’s head.”

“All right. Let's get ready to move 'em.” said Will.

“Very gently on my count.” we said at the same time, we looked at each other and nodded. “One, two, three.” we said again and we all lifted, placing the board on the bed.

“Ah!” the poor man moaned in agony.

“All right, can you tell me your name?” asked my brother

“Ru-Russel Ro-Rollins.” answered the patient, very clearly struggling to speak.

“Russel?” asked Connor as he walked up to the patient.

“Connor, oh, thank God. Help me.” said the man on the bed.

“All right, we're going to, bud.” said Connor

“All right, airway's in tact. Get me a set of vitals. Someone draw a gas and get a chest X ray.” ordered my brother.

“You know him?” I asked Connor.

“Since I was a kid. Russel, can you move your fingers and toes?” said Connor.

“I think.” answered Russel with difficulty.

“Where did this happen?” asked Connor.

“At the store.” said a woman’s voice, making Connor turn.

“Claire?” he asked, I turned to look at the woman, then at Connor and then back at the patient.

Not my place to pry in.

“Sat's 90. Heart rate's 124.” said my brother.

“All right, everybody, quiet.” ordered Connor, the room was engulfed in silence, only the monitors were emitting sound. “Russel, take a deep breath for me, huh?” said Connor, having put on his stethoscope and placing it gently on the patient’s left back side.

“I don't hear much on the left side. We're gonna need a chest X-ray. It's not optimal, but we're gonna do it from here.” Connor declared, I started to worry about what might happen if done wrong.

“Am I going to die?” asked Russel

“Hey, Russel, listen to me. No, you are not.” said Connor, I looked at him.

“No, you are gonna be fine, Russel. You're gonna be fine.” said the young woman.

“You have to wait over here.” said April, gently moving her to give us doctors room to work.

The X-ray machine arrived, as well as the coats, I was handed one, as well as everyone else who was close to the patient.

“All right, I'm gonna hold the plate from here. You just shoot as head on as possible, okay?” said Connor.

“Here, Russ. Listen to me. You're doing great, buddy. I just need you to keep as still as possible, please.”

“X-ray. Everyone clear?” said the technician.

“Clear.” we all answered.

The machine makes its distinctive sound, then the sound of the monitors comes back, I’m just waiting to see the result of the X-ray.

“Big hemopneumothorax with some shift. He needs a chest tube.” said my brother, he went to get the tray with the chest tube kit, when Connor pretty much took it from Will’s hands.

“I got it.” said Connor, moving the tray. “Who's the trauma attending on call?” he asked, I saw Will pretty much ripping off his gloves and glasses as he stepped out of the trauma bay, pissed off at being pretty much pushed aside from the case, I stayed behind to help if needed.

I just hope its not…

“Dr. Zanetti.” said April.

God fucking dammit.

“Page her. Tell her we need her down here right now.” ordered Connor.

“Got it.” said April.

“I'm sorry, are you family?” Maggie asked the woman.

“I'm--I'm his employer.” she answered then made a pause. “Claire Rhodes from Dolan Rhodes.” she said then.

“The department store?” asked Maggie

“Yeah.” she answered.

“Dr. Rhodes, is he–” Maggie started, but the woman Claire interrupted her.

“He's my brother.” she said.

That explains why Connor seems to want to avoid his last name… not that I would think of him any differently, he’s one hell of a good doctor.

Just then, my personal nightmare arrived.

“What are we looking at?” Zanetti asked.

“45-year-old male. Impaled glass in his left chest. Arrived hypotensive, but responded to blood and fluids. Left tension pneumo.” answered Connor from where he was finishing with the tube.

“That's a cluster.” she said.

No kidding.

“Oh, God.” I heard Claire say from outside the trauma room. One look from Zanetti and Maggie got moving.

“Ma'am, let me show you where you can wait.” said the head nurse and ushered the distraught woman away.

“Got a chest tube in on the left side.” said Connor.

“Pressure's improved. Base deficit was 8.” I said, just then Zanetti turned to look at me, clearly not expecting that I was even helping with this case.

“We need to get this thing off to see what we're dealing with. What did you sedate him with?” she asked again, turning his attention to Connor.

“Got two of Versed with the chest tube.” said the raven surgeon.

“Which one of you is in charge?” asked Zanetti.

“That's me.” answered Severide.

“I need to remove it without allowing this piece to vibrate in the slightest, so I'm thinking cuts here, here, and here.” she said, signaling the places and parts necessary.

“Yes, ma'am.” the Lieutenant answered.

Then the blonde woman turned to me.

“Hey intern girl, you’re not a surgeon, leave my trauma bay and let us real doctors work.” she said, with that damn self-satisfied smirk and her holier-than-thou attitude I despise so much. Connor’s expression, as well as April’s and Severide’s was one of pure surprise and shock.

“Oh, I’m sorry Your Majesty. First of all, I was one of the primary when the patient arrived, second of all, I’m not an intern, I’m a junior resident now.” As soon as I said that, Zanetti’s expression changed to one of surprise. “Third of all, he’s my patient too. I’m not leaving, deal with it.” I said, she looked like I had just smacked her in the face. I hold my ground.

At some point Reese came in, I didn’t want her to experience Zanetti’s horrible attitude, but there was no escaping that woman’s ego.

“I want a CTA of his chest ASAP. Figure out exactly what's bleeding.” Zanetti said.

“Got to get him on his back before we get him upstairs.” said Connor, getting one of the hand saws to cut the glass.

“Oh, you're gonna use--“ started Reese, but Zanetti cut her off in a very rude way.

“Yes, he is. Can you hold the patient steady please? Thank you.” she said in the worst possible tone.

I was holding the patient’s head, stabilizing his neck.

“Would it kill you, Dr. Zanetti, to be nice? Or is that stick you have so far up your ass that it's your default mood now?” I asked, I then heard a snort come from where Connor was standing, Zanetti looked at me like she wanted to kill me, I didn’t care.

“All right, hang in there, Russ.” said Connor, having regained his composture, turning the saw on and effectively cutting the glass.

“All right, we're gonna flip him over onto his back gently on my count. One, two, three.” Zanetti said, we all moved to reposition Russel.

“Okay.” Connor and I said at the same time.

“All right, let's start to package him up. Newbie, start a femoral line.” said the blonde surgeon. I had moved from my position at the head of the bed to be closer to the exit, but I ended right beside Reese.

Reese got the kit, but started to take too long in Zanetti’s eyes, before she could intervene in the worst way possible, I took charge.

“I got this Reese, Maggie support his neck for me please. Connor, you need any help?” I asked him, he looked at me, I moved my eyes towards Reese and then back at what I was doing, and it was enough for him to take the hint.

“I do, actually. Reese, get over here and help me splint the glass to keep it still.” he said, Reese moved over to him, they got to work. “One wrong move on the way, and he could have a massive hemorrhage.” Connor added as an afterthought, I wanted to slap him, rich guy or not.

I was finishing the line when Zanetti spoke again.

“Maggie?”

“Yep.” asked the head nurse.

“Call the blood bank. Tell them I want five more blood, five plasma, and six platelets typed and crossed.” ordered the blonde surgeon.

“Yes, ma'am.” said Maggie.

“All right, are we ready?” just as Zanetti asked, I covered the line, signaling I was done. And just like that, they rolled the patient out of the ED.

I took off my gloves and glasses, and nodded to Reese to follow me. We made it to an empty room and we both got inside. As soon as I closed the door, I turned to look at the other girl.

“Reese, you good?” I asked her.

“Who was that?” she asked.

“That would be Dr. Zanetti. The trauma surgery attending. A woman who believes that, because she’s a surgeon, she’s better than us 'mere mortals': the ED docs, interns, med students, residents, etc.” I explained, she looked down.

“She’s awful.” said Reese, I snorted.

“Yeah, she is. Don’t let her get you down. You’re talented and a very good student. You’ll make a great doctor one day.” I told her honestly, she looked up and I smiled at her. “Come one, let’s get back to work.” I said, she nodded, then placed her hand on top of mine over her shoulder.

“Thanks Dr. Halstead. I needed that.” she said, I let out the Halstead Chuckle®.

“It’s always a pleasure working with you Reese. If you ever need help with anything, I’m here for you, okay?” I asked her, she nodded, “Oh, and before I forget.” I added, Resse turned to look at me. “Call me Lilly, Dr. Halstead actually gets confusing when there’s two of us.” I say to her with a smile, and just like that, we went back to the ED.

Done! Again, I’m sorry for the delay and I’ll try to post next chapter later today.

Thanks for giving my story a go, love you all!

#fanfic #one chicago #oc #will halstead #jay halstead #halstead sister #halstead brothers #connor rhodes #chicago fire #chicago med #chicago pd #fanfiction

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silver-rings-and-rabbits · 6 months ago

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Open Heart - Chapter 6

Housewarming

The next few days passed quickly. All the interns could talk about was the competition. The second- and third-year residents were furious, having just missed out, but none of the interns cared. They were already used to being treated like the scum of the earth for starting the first year of their medical careers.

Matthew had had a good few days, keeping half an eye out for Rafael but he hadn’t seen him since the game. And then one night his streak came to an abrupt end when he received an emergency page from Danny and sprinted into the patients room to find it in utter chaos.

“Dr Valentine! Your post-op patient is in distress!” Danny reported.

“What happened? I saw her two minutes ago, she was fine!” Matthew cried as he looked around wildly at the wailing machines. In the midst of it all, the patient lay unconscious on the bed, pale and completely motionless.

“She can’t breathe! She has fluid in her lungs,” Marlene said frantically.

“OK, so…”

Danny read the monitor with a yelp. “Atrial fibrillation! Rate’s pushing one hundred and sixty!”

“But…”

“Her BP’s crashing, she’s hypotensive,” Sarah warned.

Matthew’s head pounded. He felt like the walls were closing in.

“Her body temperature’s climbing, she’s burning up,” Danny groaned. “What do you want us to do, Doctor?”

“I…I…”

“Dr Valentine! We need an answer now!”

Matthew had failed them all. He couldn’t breathe, let along think. In the end, it was Marlene who had taken charge and led the intubation; with over twenty years of nursing experience, she had seen it all and Matthew felt like handing his title over to her. He signed the charts as if he had authorised the treatment as he should have done, but he didn’t want to think about what happened if…

“Matthew, are you listening?” Landry broke Matthew out of his haze.

“Hm? Sorry Landry. I got distracted.”

“Still thinking about that patient from last night?” Sienna rubbed his back comfortingly. “You can’t beat yourself up about it. She pulled through.”

“Only because the nurses were ready to bail me out.” Matthew combed his fingers through his hair. “I feel like I’m better at handling things going wrong, but this was a million things going wrong and I panicked. I can’t handle when everything’s spiralling out of control.”

Matthew was not surprised to find he had placed nineteenth in the first post of rankings for the fellowship competition. Jackie was fourth, Landry seventh, Elijah tenth and Sienna fourteenth. Aurora was in first place, much to Jackie’s suspicion. Matthew didn’t care, but a bet was a bet and now he had to pick up a keg for their upcoming housewarming party. Apparently, word had got round to everyone and everyone was buzzing. Elijah was thrilled. He had wanted to go big for his first housewarming.

Matthew faced up to Dr Ramsey, who seemed very distracted and was lurking around the construction area for the new wing of the hospital, but luckily for him Ramsey had already been updated. Even luckier was that Ramsey decided he wouldn’t berate him on the grounds that Matthew had guilt written all over his face already. Nonetheless, he reminded Matthew that he was lucky he was getting a next time. Matthew felt like he was walking on eggshells as he hesitantly knocked on the door of the patient’s room…only to find her sitting up, talking loudly into an earpiece and working on three screens at once.

“Mrs Turner?”

“Just a second, Dr Valentine…No, no, Charlie, have Steve deliver the signed settlements to the court, Jane can speak to the client…oh, hold on…Bastien? If we don’t file at the courthouse by close, they’ll dismiss our motion…OK, great. And my kid’s soccer practice was cancelled. I need Tom to pick them up at three, not five…Thanks Bastien…Charlie?...Yes, good idea…OK, I’ll speak to you later.”

She ended the call but continued to type, smiling at Matthew pleasantly.

“Just a million fires to put out, but I’m sure you can relate.”

“I’ll say,” Matthew muttered. “I just wanted to check in with how you’re feeling today?”

“I’m fine, just a little sore in the throat and operation scars.” She settled back on her bed. “I heard I gave you a scare last night?”

Matthew hesitated but Mrs Turner smiled.

“I might be a lawyer, but I’m not going to sue you for being honest.”

“I thought I was going to lose you,” Matthew admitted, shame-faced. “We’re lucky the nurses are so good at what they do.”

Mrs Turner grew sympathetic.

“You’ll be alright, Dr Valentine. I might not be a doctor, but I am the senior partner of a highly respected law firm. I know what it’s like to have a million things to do and only two hands.”

Matthew hesitated for a second before closing the door and crossing the room to her bedside.

“How do you do it?”

“Delegation. I have a great team behind me and I’m damned good at telling them what to do.” She looked surprised. “Didn’t your doctor bosses tell you that?”

“They tell us all the time to ask for help, but how do you stay calm enough to know what to do? Last night…it was like there was a traffic jam in my brain.”

“Well I just close my eyes, breathe, and count to three.”

Matthew blinked. It seemed…extremely underwhelming. It couldn’t possibly be that simple.

“That’s it?” he asked. Mrs Turner laughed.

“Well it works for me and I pay a life coach two grand an hour for crap like that, so consider it a bargain.” She winked at him. “Try it sometime.”

Later that night, Matthew lugged a keg on his shoulder all the way back to his apartment and found the place completely rammed with people. Interns, residents, attendings…even a few patients. It was amazing how many people could fit into the small space.

“Matthew!” Ines gave him a hug, a drink in her hand that sloshed down Matthew’s back. “Thanks so much for the invite!”

“That’s OK….er, hi Dr Mirani, glad you could make it!” Matthew said as Zaid strolled over.

“This is really great, Valentine. I’m loving this party,” he said, even raising his cup to Matthew as he passed. Matthew couldn’t work out whether he was being sarcastic as he struggled over to the table where he unceremoniously dumped the keg. He looked up to see Bryce, watching him with a big smile.

“Thanks for your help, Bryce!”

“Ah, you were doing a great job!”

Matthew laughed as he ducked into his bedroom and changed into one of his better shirts before rejoining the party. Bryce presented him with a beer and Jackie waved him over to the coffee table where she poured him a Sambuca shot. Matthew downed it, following with a mouthful of beer. Bryce whooped.

“You sure you want to mix those right away?”

“I’ve missed two hours of this party after sixteen hours at work. I’ll drink whatever the hell I like!”

“Hey guys!” Sienna had just joined them, pulling at the hand of a young man. “This is Wayne!”

Wayne had thick, shaggy hair and square glasses/ He looked around with an unimpressed air and, despite the fact he was the same height as Jackie and shorter than Bryce and Matthew, Matthew had the distinct impression he was looking down on them.

“Hey Wayne!” Landry and Elijah had just come over. “We were hoping you could join us for a movie night last weekend.”

Wayne snorted and straightened the knot on his tie.

“I don’t have time to come all the way over here to just hang out, or whatever. I have a very important job.”

Landry looked surprised, as did Bryce. Jackie pursed her lips whilst Sienna fiddled with the end of her braid.

“What is it you do?” Matthew asked. He wanted to keep the peace but was genuinely curious to know what was so important that Wayne couldn’t cut loose for a few hours.

“I’m the lead developer at a software company.”

“Oh yeah, super important,” Jackie said, glaring at Wayne, who puffed up.

“Well it is. No one in the company could do my job but any one of you interns can do Sienna’s job when she’s not there.”

“Wow, you’re a real piece of—”

“Is there any food at this thing?” Wayne practically turned his back on Jackie to look at Sienna, who plastered on a smile.

“Sure, come see the kitchen!”

Sienna led Wayne away, casting an apologetic look back at her friends. Bryce gave a low whistle.

“Quiet Bryce,” Matthew said. Bryce spluttered.

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“I’m gonna need another drink,” Jackie growled. “And now I owe Landry twenty bucks.” She grabbed a liquor bottle from the coffee table and took several swigs.

“Why? What did you do?”

“Jackie wanted to bet that Wayne didn’t exist,” Landry said, triumphant.

Despite the unpleasantness, Matthew was determined to have as much fun as possible. He drank a variety of liquors as he danced and chatted with his colleagues. It was interesting seeing everyone outside of work. Women who usually scraped their hair into a bun now had long flowing locks. Eyebags were covered up, and people who were constantly stressed and snappy were the life and soul of the party. An intern with shoulder length black hair suddenly caught Matthew in a dance. As they twirled together, Matthew spotted Zaid laughing uproariously. It was uncanny.

After his dance, Matthew joined Elijah and Bryce in beer pong. Bryce grabbed another surgical intern – Rosa – and it was a showdown between medical and surgical. Bryce had a good aim and Rosa had apparently been a beer pong champion…but medical came out victorious. Matthew caught Elijah into a clumsy victory hug and they attempted a complicated handshake. Bryce laughed when it fell apart. Apparently handshakes required more thought than ‘hoping the other person could read your mind’.

“Drunk rounds, Matthew?” Jackie called to him. She was sat at the coffee table, which now held a large jug of a very dark drink. Landry and the intern Matthew had danced with sat beside her. Matthew settled beside the other intern – the drink smelled extremely potent – and she smiled at him.

“I’m Meg, by the way. I think I forgot to mention that earlier!”

“Matthew.”

“Landry’s feeling himself because no one’s made him drink yet,” Meg giggled.

“And they never will!” Landry gloated. “Matthew, your turn. Name the five most common causes of post-operative fever!”

This was known as ‘the five Ws’ and was almost too easy.

“Wind, water, wound, walking aaaaand wonder drugs!”

“That was a softball!” Jackie howled. “Your turn to ask.”

An idea flicked through Matthew’s brain as a slow smile spread across his face.

“OK, your majesty, King Olsen. I’ve got one for you…what was the name of your patient in room 1157 today?”

“Wait, what?” Landry’s smug expression was replaced with pure panic. Jackie and Meg shared an excited look. Even a crowd of onlookers had started to gather.

“But…but…that’s not a medical question!” Landry floundered, glancing round the room for help.

“It’s at the hospital, it counts!” Meg insisted.

“It was…er…it was…oh god…”

“Drink, Landry!” Matthew commanded and, to the cheers of everyone watching, Landry forced the jug of liquor down his throat.

A little while later, Matthew poked his head out of the front door of the apartment – somehow there were even more people in the hallway – when he saw Sienna looking glum. She tried to perk up when she saw him.

“Hey Matthew!” She glanced around. “Is your paramedic friend here tonight?”

“No. I wanted to invite him but I haven’t seen him since the game.” It was a shame Matthew hadn’t thought to get his number before he’d left the helicopter.

“Oh.” Sienna looked disappointed and Matthew felt the same, but then she nudged him. “We’ll throw another party and you can invite him to that one.”

“That could work,” Matthew chuckled. “What about you? Where’s Wayne?”

“Oh, he had to leave. He starts work early tomorrow.”

Matthew frowned and Sienna spoke with a touch of desperation.

“He’s been really stressed out recently, you just didn’t meet him on the best day. He gets tired easily…parties aren’t really his scene.”

Matthew wanted to tell Sienna what he really thought, that she deserved much better than someone so dismissive and stuck-up and who appeared the exact opposite Sienna had described. But she was looking up at him, searching for his approval and his words died. Instead he wrapped an arm around her and squeezed.

“I think some more people arrived when you were showing him round. And Landry lost drunk rounds just now so he might not be in the best shape.”

“Oh dear,” Sienna sniggered. “I’ll do my hostess rounds and make sure everyone’s OK.”

She seemed genuinely cheered as she slipped back into the apartment. Matthew leaned against the wall, his mind wandering. He had hoped word of mouth had reached the paramedics and Rafael would show up, but that didn’t appear to be the case. He couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if Rafael was there. He could properly introduce him to his friends, show him round the apartment. Perhaps they could continue to share their conversation from the helicopter…maybe finally share that drink…

A squeal and the sound of glass breaking caught Matthew’s attention and brought him back to reality as Elijah rolled past.

“Hey Elijah…don’t you think this party’s getting out of hand?”

“Farley said we’re good until midnight.”

“It’s 11:58.”

“WHAT?!”

“Guys, it’s midnight!” Landry stumbled over, still a little pale and shaky from the aftermath of drunk rounds. Jackie followed him. “Why’s everyone still here?”

“Landry, I told you to relax. The apartment’s not going to turn into a pumpkin.”

“But if a neighbour complains it’ll turn into not-our-apartment. We’ll get kicked out!”

Sienna came barrelling over, looking frantic.

“I’ve just seen Farley coming over! Someone must have complained!”

“I hate snitches!” Jackie steamed.

Delegation…I’m damned good at telling them what to do…

“Here’s what’s gonna happen,” Matthew said, with an authority they had never heard before and made them all stop and stare. “Jackie, round up everyone in the hallway and get them inside. Elijah, turn down the music. Landry, break out the board games. Sienna, placate everyone with the treats we’ve got left. OK?”

“Sir, yes Sir!” Elijah cried, snapping a salute as they jumped into action.

By the time Farley was knocking on the door, the apartment was calm. A few guests had scattered as soon as they heard the word ‘landlord’ but the ones who had stayed were playing some of the board and card games Landry had passed around. Others were congregated in groups enjoying civilised conversation. Matthew opened the door to see Farley looking annoyed, and then baffled when he heard nothing but gentle indie music.

“What the hell is going on?” he demanded. “Mrs Edelstein just called me with a noise complaint. I was in the middle of Aliens Among Us.”

“We’ve still got a few friends over but the music’s been quiet since midnight,” Matthew fudged. “We didn’t think it would be heard but we can turn it off completely. Sorry if we’re still causing trouble.”

Farley blinked at Matthew’s openness, then shook his head.

“Mrs Edelstein’s such a damn whiner! Carry on, I’m going back to my show.”

“Enjoy, Farley! Thanks for stopping by!” Matthew said cheerfully, before closing the door and turning back to the sea of expectant faces. “You heard the man, carry on!”

The atmosphere relaxed as the guests resumed their boardgames. Matthew poured himself a glass of water and joined Jackie and a couple of others for Simpsons Monopoly. Landry had gone to bed.

It was an hour later when everyone started saying their goodbyes, hugging them and offering congratulations on a successful party. Matthew glanced around the living room: it was completely trashed with food wrappers, cups, cans and bottles all over the place…and he didn’t even care. From the look of satisfaction on Elijah’s face, he seemed to feel the same. They looked at each other and seemed to share a silent understanding: the clean-up was tomorrow’s problem.

“Quick thinking with Farley earlier,” Jackie said, clapping his back as she passed. “More of that and you’ll be top ten in no time.”

Matthew smiled, but he had just noticed Bryce tossing empty cups into a recycling bag and went to land a hand.

“Thanks Matthew.”

“Dude, you’re the one staying late to clean up after our party!”

Matthew hugged Bryce goodbye and then headed for his room, but not before he noticed Sienna and Danny on the couch. They were talking eagerly about books they had read when they were kids. Sienna’s expression was so uplifted, you never would have believed that she had been up for nearly twenty-four hours. Matthew, however, felt every minute of it.

He woke up a couple of later feeling just a little bit tender. He could hear the sound of someone – probably Landry – throwing up in the bathroom.

Matthew stumbled into the living room where Elijah was pouring a cup of coffee. He looked exhausted but grinned at Matthew and poured him a cup.

“The place is still a mess,” Matthew groaned, slumping at the dining table.

“Nope. Tomorrow’s problem.” Elijah nodded towards the sofa. “And look who stayed the night.”

Matthew glanced over to see Sienna and Danny fast asleep, curled up round each other. Her head was on his shoulder. It was picture-perfect really.

“That’s…actually pretty adorable.”

Eventually the six of them stumbled out the door – Sienna and Danny trying not to look to awkward, Landry popping painkillers – and made their way to work. It was only a few hours later when Matthew was paged by Danny himself: Mrs Turner was crashing again.

“Just like last time!” Danny groaned. “Body temp crashing, she’s in A-Fib, BP crashing, and she’s got a pulmonary edema!”

“Oh no…”

“Doctor, what do you want us to do?”

The team of nurses were looking at him frantically. There was no way he could let them bail him out a second time.

“I want to breathe…” Matthew groaned. He could only imagine failing again and Ramsey booting him out the door.

Except…it didn’t have to be that way.

Matthew closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath and counted to three before releasing it. When he opened his eyes, despite the chaos he knew exactly what to do.

“Sarah, prep the IV, she needs fluids. Marlene, get the ice packs and cool her down so she doesn’t get heatstroke. Danny, get the defibrillator and then we’ll intubate.”

“On it!”

“Right away, Dr Valentine!”

Matthew’s team worked efficiently, cooling Mrs Turner and stabilising her heart and breathing. She would be fine. She would be just fine. Matthew couldn’t help smiling.

“Thanks team!”

“Good work yourself, Doctor!” Marlene smiled at him. “You did it!”

Matthew was still grinning as he walked down the hall later still, when he came across Dr Ramsey who was carrying a file.

“Rookie. I heard you kept Mrs Turner alive.” He gave a rare smile. “Sounds like quite the litany of emergencies. Good work.”

“Thanks, Dr Ramsey!”

As Dr Ramsey turned to go, a CT scan fell out of his file. Matthew picked it up and handed it back, but not before seeing the name on the file: Patient X. Ramsey just took the scan with a mumbled ‘thanks’ before hurrying away. Something just didn’t quite add up.

Still, Matthew didn’t dwell on it too much, focusing on his patients instead, and was pleasantly surprised when he came up ranking tenth place in the next published rankings. Landry was thrilled to have moved up to fifth, Elijah was thirteenth and Sienna was seventeenth. Jackie was eleventh. She went quiet when she saw it and then stalked away before anyone could say anything. However, Matthew was more worried about Sienna who admitted that Dr Ramsey had caught her crying in a store cupboard. When he asked her about it, she only shrugged it off.

They resumed talking about the rankings over lunch: Landry and Jackie were fuming that Aurora still held top spot.

“Maybe we should get some one-on-one time with Dr Ramsey,” Sienna suggested. “Does he have office hours?”

“I don’t know if he even has time for interns right now. He seems really wrapped up in some secret case,” Matthew said, suddenly remembering.

“What do you mean?”

“I saw one of his files last week that had the name patient X. He seemed really distracted by it, and I’ve seen him hanging around the construction area more than once too.”

“Patient X sounds bad-ass. Maybe it’s a cutting-edge new treatment?” Elijah said.

“Maybe we could help him with it!”

“Um, I really don’t want to get on Dr Ramsey’s bad side by prying into his business,” Landry gasped.

“C’mon Landry,” Elijah coaxed. “You must want to know what he’s working on.”

“With every fibre of my being, but I have self-control,” Landry said, primly.

Jackie had been quiet throughout the meal, barely glancing at Matthew. He had to hurry to catch her before she left the cafeteria.

“Jackie��hey, wait!”

She turned to look at him, simply raising her eyebrows. Matthew gulped.

“Are you…mad at me for something? If I’ve done anything to upset you…”

“Jesus, Matthew,” Jackie snorted. “Don’t be such a martyr.”

“You’ve been ignoring me all day. I just want to know why.”

“I’m not mad at you, I’m mad at myself, OK?” Jackie told him, suddenly. “I came to Edenbrook to be the best, and right now I’m not. I can’t be distracted now.”

“What do you mean by distraction?”

But Jackie ignored him and walked away. Matthew watched her go, unhappily. What was distracting her and why did it make her take it out on him when she still seemed OK with Elijah, Sienna and Landry? He remembered their first day when they had made out in the closet…but they had already agreed it was just some casual fun and neither of them had mentioned it again, so what could be bugging Jackie?

He tried to forget about it as he worked on his patients. A young man with a surfing affinity had a wonderful philosophy that it was pointless to worry about what you couldn’t control. Matthew agreed but it was impossible to change his mindset just like that. On the positive side, the surfer’s bronchial infection had cleared up. He would be free to go soon, Matthew just wanted to run a quick test on a rash that had appeared on his leg.

This was followed with some unexpected entertainment when he and Bryce caught Dr Ramsey heading towards the construction area and Bryce flirted with Zaid and Ines to distract them, allowing Matthew to follow Ramsey. The baffled look on Dr Mirani’s face was priceless, but Ramsey caught Matthew before he could find out anything useful. Matthew played dumb and even got a coffee recommendation out of Dr Ramsey: the café round the corner – Derry Roasters, which Ethan ‘didn’t hate’ – served a good espresso Romana.

Matthew was just wrapping up for the day when he heard his voice.

“Matthew!”

Rafael was walking towards him, his smile wide, the warmth in his eyes soothing any lingering concerns of the day. Matthew was glad to see him.

“Hey Rafael!”

“I was hoping to see you around again,” Rafael admitted, making Matthew’s stomach flutter.

“Me too. Made any heroic rescues today?”

Rafael chuckled.

“I’m not sure what counts as heroic…but everyone got the help they needed. Is your shift over?”

“Just about,” Matthew said, as Danny jogged over.

“Sorry to interrupt, Dr Valentine, but I have the results from your patient’s biopsy.”

“Right! Remy’s tests…thanks Danny.”

Matthew accepted the chart gratefully and scanned over the results with a sigh of relief.

“Good news?” Rafael asked, and Matthew nodded.

“Panniculitis…stems from his infection, that’ll clear up soon…” He turned the page and his face fell. “Oh no…”

“What?” Rafael asked, gently.

Matthew indicated for Rafael to walk with him down the corridor and into the elevator. As the doors slid shut he turned to Rafael.

“He has the markers for genetic muscular dystrophy. It’s late onset but someday, years from now, he could lose the ability to walk.”

“Oh geez…” Rafael looked sympathetic.

“Surfing’s his life. This will devastate him. And it’s all because I was curious about something he didn’t care about,” Matthew lamented as the elevator slowed and the doors opened. He paused as they stepped into the hallway.

“But…it won’t come on for another twenty years almost. I could just…not tell him and let him enjoy his life.” Matthew bit his lip, turning to Rafael as if he had the answers.

Rafael rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“I haven’t been in your shoes but as a paramedic I have seen a lot of heavy things and had to comfort a lot of bereaved folks. But sometimes the truth does more damage than good.” He spoke cautiously. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Matthew murmured.

They stopped at a door where Rafael got a glimpse at the young man with floppy blonde hair casually playing on a ukulele. Matthew took a deep breath and turned to him.

“Would you mind waiting for me out here?”

“Of course I don’t mind.”

Matthew managed a grateful smile before heading into the patient’s room. Rafael gave him a supportive nod as he looked over his shoulder, then he leaned against the wall next to the door, waiting.

The room was quiet for a minute – just the indistinguishable hum of voices – until a sudden shout made Rafael jump. He heard the soft hum of Matthew’s voice, and then something hit the floor with a thud. The patient shouted that Matthew had ruined his life and needed to leave.

Rafael straightened up as Matthew stumbled out the door, looking pained.

“Are you alright?” Rafael asked gently.

Matthew pushed his hand through his hair.

“I really don’t know if I’ve done the right thing.”

Rafael put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and led him away from the patient’s room.

“You have to trust your gut, and yours said to tell the truth.”

Matthew nodded, but as he glanced behind him he didn’t look entirely convinced.

“How about I help you take your mind off this?” Rafael offered. “Let’s go get something to eat. I can take you somewhere you’ve never been before. The tour of Boston continues.”

He smiled. Matthew couldn’t help smiling back.

“…I would love that.”

Matthew got changed quickly and met up with Rafael in the atrium. He was excited, despite the difficult news with his patient; he had been hopeful to see him again soon.

Rafael took them on the T for a few stops before getting off and walking through the back streets. Matthew plagued Rafael with questions about where they were going and made him laugh.

“OK, OK, hang on a few more seconds, we’re almost there…”

They rounded a corner and came across a bustling night market, decorated with lanterns and colourful hangings, filled with a huge mix of people.

“It’s a bit of a melting pot,” Rafael said. “But it has the best street food you’ll ever find in Boston.”

He led Matthew through the market slowly, allowing him time to look around and take it all in, until they came to a group of various food vans: Indian, hot dogs, giant pizza slices, freshly made pasta, all kinds of worldly cuisine.

“What do you fancy?”

“I’m not sure…” Matthew looked around, spoilt for choice, but then saw a sign that looked interesting.

“How about ‘the best jerk chicken in Boston’?”

“My personal favourite!”

“Seriously?” Matthew smirked. “You’re not just saying that to impress me, are you?”

“No, I really mean it!” Rafael’s eyes were bright as he led Matthew to the counter, warmly greeting the woman behind it. She beamed at the two of them.

“Who’s your friend, Raf?”

“This is Matthew. He just moved to Boston to work at the hospital,” Rafael said, proudly. Matthew greeted the woman cheerfully.

“Just moved here, huh?” She said to him. “Well Matthew, stick with Raf and you’ll soon know all the best places to visit in Boston, better than what the guidebooks might tell you. And make sure you come here for food, you won’t find better. Trust me!”

“I will,” Matthew laughed.

The woman took their orders and brought said she’d bring it over. Rafael led Matthew to a small table under the lanterns. The evening was pleasantly warm and people cheerfully greeted Rafael as they passed.

“How many people do you know around here?” Matthew asked.

“Quite a few, I guess. I like using these markets, and a lot of these people live around my neighbourhood.” Even as he spoke, Rafael was nodding and smiling at the people who passed them.

Matthew’s eyes continued to roam around. Amongst the tightly-packed stalls, the canvas covers stretched overhead and the lanterns giving off a soft, ethereal light, he felt like he was far away from Boston. He could have been anywhere. The market was its own world.

“I love it,” he said, and Rafael glanced over at him. “You’ve got a real community here.”

“I love it too,” Rafael said. “Community is one of the most important things in my life.”

It was easy to picture Rafael being a figure in his community, carrying on his uncle’s legacy. The way people had been greeting him made it impossible to imagine anything else.

The woman brought their food over – steaming jerk chicken on a bed of fluffy rice and vegetables. They thanked her and as she left they both fell silent, focusing on their food.

It was one of the best things Matthew had tasted. Tender chicken flavours exploded like a firework in his mouth, gently cooled by the soft rice. From his sigh of contentment, Rafael was enjoying it too.

“This is exactly what I needed after today,” Matthew said as he stretched in his seat.

“I’m a strong believer in comfort food,” Rafael said emphatically. “So, what about you?”

“About me what?”

“Do you prefer community or your own space?”

“Oh! Well…” Matthew thought about it and frowned. “I used to very much keep to myself. When I was studying I was devoted to it, but I didn’t have any long-lasting friends. Don’t get me wrong,” he added. “I was invited out for birthday drinks or post-exam celebrations, but I wouldn’t just drop studying when someone suggested we hit the bar.” He sighed and looked at Rafael. “I didn’t expect to meet such a good group of friends so quick when I moved here…now that I have, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Besides,” he added. “Now that I know places like this are here, I want to visit more often! Have you seen the foods?”

Rafael laughed. “I know exactly what you mean about the foods,” He said. “Though I have to say, it’s surprising you were so introverted.”

“I wanted to do better on the social front when I graduated and realised I had no strong feelings about staying in touch with anyone,” Matthew admitted. “Good thing too, or I wouldn’t have made it through my first week.”

“Give yourself some credit, Matthew.”

The statement came out of nowhere, taking Matthew by surprise. He glanced away for a second, not knowing what to say. Luckily another employee came by to clear their plates and wish them a goodnight.

“Can I walk you home?” Rafael asked.

“I would like that.”

They took their time again as they went back through the market. A stall selling animal paintings caught Matthew’s attention but the vendor was wrapping up for the night.

“Would you, y’know, be able to bring me back here sometime?”

“Absolutely! There’s so many hidden gems if you know where to look.”

They kept up their conversation all the way home, a little talk about work, a lot of talk about life in Boston. Matthew wanted to tell Rafael about Casey…but it was hard, and there was a time and a place.

“This is me,” he said wistfully as they reached his apartment building. He couldn’t help wishing the walk was longer.

“So, did it work?” Rafael asked as they came to a stop. “Do you feel better?”

“I do,” Matthew said. “I’m really glad I ran into you tonight.”

“I start early tomorrow, so I guess I should say goodnight.” Rafael sounded like he didn’t want the night to end either.

Matthew looked up at him. His brown eyes twinkled and his lips looked so soft. Rafael slowly leaned in…until a cry down the street made them both jump. They looked over to see a small child had tripped over. Disappointment struck Matthew’s chest.

“Do you think he’s alright?” Rafael asked. The small boy’s father helped him up and brushed him down before giving him a cuddle. Within minutes, the boy was skipping alongside him again.

“He’ll be fine,” Matthew nodded, relaxing. “You’re off the clock tonight, Superman.”

“Superman.” Rafael shook his head. “That blew up out of nowhere. I don’t get it, I’m just a regular guy.”

Regular guys didn’t tend to run into burning buildings. Matthew gulped. “In all seriousness…please be safe. I’d hate for you to get hurt…” he trailed off, not wanting to think about it. Rafael squeezed his arm.

“I’ll do my best.” Then he looked a little nervous. “Matthew…could I have your number?”

“Oh, sure!”

They exchanged numbers and said good bye – Rafael promising to text Matthew when he got home – and Matthew opened his front door into his quiet apartment. He had a small smile on his face.

So they had almost kissed, but not quite. It was disappointing, but Matthew was hoping the chance would come again soon. He absently brushed his fingers over where Rafael had squeezed his arm and his smile got wider. Wandering into his bedroom, he grabbed his laptop and flopped onto his bed to check his emails.

He was just starting an email to Holly – he wanted to tell her about Rafael and the night market – when Sienna knocked on his door and poked her head round.

“How did it go?”

“What?”

“You and Rafael.” She came in and sat beside him on the bed. “I a few feet behind you and you looked all intimate, so I took a diversion round the block.” She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

“Nothing happened.”

“But you want it to.”

Matthew groaned. “Yeees I want to.” He glared at her. “And maybe he wants to as well.”

Sienna smiled in delight as she nudged up to him. “If you both want it to, it will happen. Trust me!”

Later that night, Matthew was sat in the living room, doodling in his sketchbook: a bustling market scene. He was waiting for Elijah, who had suggested they all watch Battlestar Galactica after hearing no one else had seen it.

“What are you drawing?” he asked as he rolled into the living room.

“Just doodling.” Matthew showed him the drawing.

“Damn! If that’s doodling, I wanna see a masterpiece!” Elijah rolled to the TV. “Would you ever do commissions?”

“Maybe. It just depends if I have the time.”

Sienna trotted into the living room and placed a tin of cookies on the coffee table before settling on the couch. Landry had also joined them.

“Is Jackie coming out too?” he asked.

“I asked her and she said she was studying. Then she closed the door in my face.” Matthew scowled as he remembered. “Apparently, being friends with me is distracting. I wish we’d never joined this stupid competition.”

“Hey, don’t lose sleep over it. We’re only a month into the year. The rankings will change and she’ll get over it,” Elijah reassured him.

“Do you want me to talk to her?” Sienna asked.

“Nah, don’t worry, I’ll deal with it somehow. Right now I just want to relax.” He smiled a little. Med-school Matthew would be proud of his socialising.

“Alright my friends! Prepare to be blown away!” Elijah announced dramatically, as he set up the TV show.

Matthew wasn’t usually a sci-fi person, but the show seemed promising, with good characters and an interesting premise. It did start out slow, but started to pick up and Elijah promised another viewing party soon to finish the series. Matthew went to bed with a smile on his face.

The smile was gone the next morning when he went to check on his dystrophy patient.

“How are you feeling today, Remy?”

Last night had been lovely, but Matthew hadn’t forgotten the look on Remy’s face as Matthew had explained that one day he may lose the ability to walk and, once he did, would likely never surf again, with no cure for the condition. Remy now looked up at him with tired eyes and Matthew braced himself for another onslaught.

“Like an ass.” Matthew blinked. Remy looked uncomfortable. “I’m really sorry for what I said last night, about you ruining my life.”

“No, don’t apologise. What I told you would have been difficult for anyone to hear,” Matthew said, crossing the room to Remy’s side.

“I was thinking about it all last night…most people don’t know how long they’ve got, but now I do. I know I’ve got a good twenty years left in me so I’m going to appreciate them down to every last wave.” Determination crossed his face. “When the disease hits, I’ll know I used my time properly.”

“That’s…a poetic way of looking at it.” Remy’s acceptance filled the room with peace. Remy looked at the ukulele that was on his bedside table…and held it out to Matthew.

“Remy…I can’t take this…”

“It was, like, five bucks,” Remy dismissed. He looked at Matthew and Matthew was taken aback by the pure gratitude in his eyes. “Please. It’s an apology, and a thank you. For giving me my twenty years.”

Matthew’s hand shook slightly as he accepted the ukulele.

“I’ll keep it safe for you,” he promised.

Matthew put the ukulele in his locker, then had to take a second to blow his nose. He expected to give bad news, but Remy’s new outlook on life, and his kind gesture, he was unprepared for. It was elating to know he had done that for someone. No matter the outlook, he could make a positive difference in people’s lives. It was where he should be and that wasn’t going to change.

He still felt uplifted as he walked through the hospital and passed the construction area, where a definite gut feeling stopped him in his tracks. If no one knew about Patient X…and Dr Ramsey had been lurking around here a lot…

Matthew glanced around to make sure no one was watching before nervously ducking under the construction tape and edging around the building materials. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, or even why the construction had anything to do with it. He was sure he was being paranoid…except that there was a light on behind the window blinds up ahead.

Matthew gulped and edged closer, angling himself to get a better view.

It was Dr Banerji. He lay in a bed, dressed in a hospital gown and looking almost unbearably weak and frail. His eyes were only half-open behind his glasses. Matthew could see an IV in his hand and a dialysis machine, and something else too…

Dr Ramsey was there, looking right at him.

“…Shit!”

Matthew jumped back from the window, almost tripping over his own feet to get away but it was pointless. He heard the door being yanked open behind him and cringed. He was in so much trouble. He shouldn’t have come down this way. Why couldn’t he just mind his own business?

“Rookie, don’t move another step!”

“Dr Ramsey…I’m so sorry…I didn’t…”

“Matthew.”

Dr Ramsey put his hands on Matthew’s shoulders, but didn’t seem angry. He looked very, very grave. This close, Matthew could see the bags under his eyes and how thick his stubble had grown.

“Listen to me,” Ramsey commanded. Matthew couldn’t look away. “You cannot tell anyone what you’ve seen here. Do you understand?”

Matthew swallowed. He had stumbled on something bigger than he had imagined, much bigger than just the two of them.

“I understand,” he said. “But…didn’t Dr Banerji retire? What’s going on?”

“He…”

Ethan hesitated. His face paled and he was gripping Matthew’s shoulders as if to keep himself upright.

“He’s dying. Dr Banerji is dying.”

#playchoices #open heart #rafael aveiro #mc x rafael aveiro

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medea10 · 1 year ago

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Medea Played Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, The DLC's (Part II)

Okay, let's check out Blueberry Academy.

If you'll indulge me for a second...

BLUE HIS HOUSE

WITH A BLUE LITTLE WINDOW

AND A BLUE CORVETTE

AND EVERYTHING IS BLUE FOR HIM

I apologize for nothing. Moving away from the random musical interlude. This academy is a floating terarium in the Unova region.

And here's our first nod to the Black & White games. The girl with the pink hair is Lacey.

She came from this guy's penis.

Oh, there are more surprises this DLC has.

This rich-ass school has four places in this dome, the canyon, the coast, the savanna, and the polar. Many, many, many pokemon not in the original game are there. Yes, all the starters. There is however, a hefty price tag for that.

Aside from the vending machines at the rest areas, you are to pay with BP's (Blueberry Points). And you get that by doing Blueberry Picnics (BBQs). Unfortunately, the tasks are only worth like 100 or something cheap like that. And if you want ALL the starters, you have to have a grand total of 12,000 points. And so much more points if you want to decorate your club room, put music in it, print items, challenge the elite four, buy special items at the school cafeteria, get new features for selfies, learn new throwing styles, invite coaches like Larry, and catch legendaries.

Phew, that is a lot. My recommendation, host and/or join BBQs. If you're like me and are prone to playing solo, there are some Discord groups that offer a lot of opportunities. The group quests are something you'll need to get more legendaries. Moving on.

You will eventually meet up with Carmine. Her brother however...

Kieran becomes an angsty teenager who should just go back to his dorm room, put on some My Chemical Romance, and cry into his knock-off Ogerpon teal mask.

More importantly, Kieran is the champ of the school. Higher than the elite four. You know where this is going. You have to challenge the elite four and then Kieran.

That's when you're introduced to Drayton. And it better be obvious to you by looking at this kid. He's a slacker. He was the ex-champ. He's definitely a dragon-type trainer. But more importantly, he is the grandson to Unova gym leader Drayden.

And as you can tell, Carmine hates this guy's guts. Drayton will sucker you into challenging the elite four. There is pushback as you are merely an exchange student. But you do get the support of two members and Kieran just wants to defeat you. Yeah, we'll see how that turns out for you.

Okay, let's take on the E4. Please note that every single battle you do here are double battles. And give this game some credit, these are not easy battles. Not even the random trainers are.

Let's battle Amarys first. Just like the gyms in Paldea, you have to do certain tasks first before the battle. Amarys has you and Koraidon jump through hoops. Kinda like a Mario Party game.

I have my own theories about this girl as I think she's the product of Lenora and her white husband Hawes. But apparently, she's from Castelia City and Lenora is from a different town. So, that theory ends with me. Also, she's a steel-type trainer.

Next, let's battle Crispin.

He's a fire-type trainer. His first task is to make him a spicy sandwich. I have no theories of where this kid came from. The second I saw Crispin and his cooking attire and his pan...

And all I can think of is Kuga from Food Wars. They're both spicy boys who cook. And they're both in an elite group where they both are on the verge of getting kicked out.

Drayton's trial can be tricky if you're walking into this blindfolded. You have to face three trainers only using pokemon you caught in the Terarium. Raids in the terarium do not count. Traded pokemon technically caught in the terarium do not count. Once done, you can battle the dragon boy.

And as for Lacey...

Urp.

I'm resisting the urge to not bring up learning about Venonat's radar eyes from Tracey Sketchit in the second season. Oh wait, I still said it. You should know me by now.

Lacey's trial is a quiz with 5 questions. It's actually the easiest trial. As long as you know where she sleeps on Granbull and which is the true Sinistea.

Kid, I'm about ready to put you through a wall. Sigh. Let me just waste this wannabe punk.

You are going to battle Kieran. Much of the school and the E4 come out to watch you. And if you want to watch this boy suffer, put Ogerpon in your team.

So you defeat him.

Kieran pretty much has a mental breakdown and is beyond repair at this moment.

SELFIE TIME!!!

As much as I'd love to relish in this kid's agony, we have to move the story along. Because immediately after, Ms. Briar asks for you, Kieran, Carmine, and Drayton for help.

So all of us (minus Drayton because he's a lazy-fuck) are going to Area Zero. Briar was finally able to get permission from Geeta and Rika (who are there now). It's been a while since I saw Rika.

GAH! What did I do?!

Oh. I forgot about The Way Home arc already. When it's been a full year since playing, you tend to forget why you're being yelled at.

Geeta gives you the Indigo Disk (hence the name of this DLC). Has no idea what it is or why it is. But thinks you might have some use for it.

The Indigo Disk actually sends you to a lower level of Area Zero since it seems Professor Crazy Bitch's lab is locked down due to inactivity.

In the depths of Area Zero, you'll come across these special tera pokemon. They are stella-tera. And in the depthiest of depths, we will come across Terapagos.

Kieran decides he's going to use this opportunity to surpass you.

LADY, CONTROL YOUR STUDENT!

What am I, a judge in a Donald Trump trial?

More swipes at Trump. I thought I told you that we won't stop! I thought I told you that we won't stop!

Terapagos eventually emerges. But then...

This little shit catches it with a Master Ball. I'm impressed.

Kieran battles you with Terapagos. It fails. Then, Briar tells him to terastylize Terapagos.

Think of this as a Tera-raid from Hell. It puts up three barriers. Constantly takes away your ability to terastylize. And every now and then, it changes what type it is. All the while, Briar is having her wet-dream of seeing Terapagos in full form and Kieran is...

Yeah, this whole thing is a cluster-fuck. Time for you to end this nightmare and catch this fucker.

But wait, didn't Kieran catch it with a master ba...?

We good now? Okay. Let's take this behemoth down.

After finishing off Terapagos, you can then catch it, and 100% rate for this one. It better be after all the shit you go through.

Lady, Ms. Frizzle has more control than you do.

Well, that's the end of the main story to Indigo Disc. The pokemon is caught, the day is saved, we think Kieran is going back to normal, and the end credits play with a remix to Ed Sheeran's Celestial.

Okay, I think this is a perfect place to end my shit-post.

To be continued.

#pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #kieran #carmine #ms. briar #terapagos #amarys #drayton #lacey #clay #unova #crispin

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sarcasticbabywhispererjess · 1 year ago

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Attn: Talk of death and dying of babies. Please feel free to scroll on without reading (I also wrote a lot, so I doubt many people will take the time to read it).

I ended my three night stretch by being a post-mortem photographer since the last two nights at work have been madness.

Really classic full moon shift on Saturday. Our one kid that had come in during day shift and soft crashed onto ECMO (I say soft crashed because they managed to never lose a heart rate and need compressions because of many doses of Epi). I was support nurse both nights (aka I didn't have a patient assignment, I just help everyone out if/when they need it) and on Saturday my other support nurse and both charges spent most of their time with the patient on ECMO that wasn't doing well. Then at 0620 they lost their HR and a code was called. Which would have been less of an emergency if the ECMO machine was circulating well, but it really hadn't been all night. I was on the opposite side of the unit at the time and I hustled to get over there. Ultimately the code was successful in that we got the ECMO to work, but we never got the HR back. From the ECHO we did the heart was bad, we'd done a bedside CT during dayshift and it wasn't great. They did eventually did withdrawal and the baby passed.

Last night started out pretty slow. Then the little 500g preemie that had perfed their bowel and had bedside surgery on Friday to place drains (they usually opt to do that with the very little ones instead of fully opening the belly to remove any dead bowel) decided to start acting up. Their pressor had been turned off during the day, it was back on and higher than before. Their blood gas at midnight was terrible. The attending got very hyperfocused on thinking that it was maybe a pericardial effusion because they had had a deep PICC (though, she admitted later, her perception was skewed because of a baby that had recently had that happen). What was actually most likely happening was more of their bowel was dying. Although we didn't lose the HR for the first couple of hours (though there were a few deep bradys when we were putting the Bovi pad on to prep for another bedside surgery) because, again, we were giving Epi boluses and had started a drip. Unfortunately once the surgeons got the belly open the baby started to brady, we lost the IV access we'd been using for all our IV push drugs, and then they were asystolic. Per the conversation the attending had had with the family prior to starting surgery it was decided to just quickly close the baby up so family could hold before they died (though they were already mostly gone). After they had stopped manipulating the bowel we did get a bradycardic HR back (not sure if it was PEA or not since no one checked for a pulse, though we might not have been able to feel on either way since the BP was so low). The complexes fairly quickly became wider and slowed down until they again flatlined. Unfortunately they had fully passed just before we got family into the room. A while later after they'd had their bath and spent time with the family, I went in with the bedside nurse to get hand and footprints for the legacy boxes we make for these situations. Once we were done with that we started taking some pictures including some with parents. I'm not really much of a photographer especially with just an iPhone, but I got some fairly good pictures. My faves were close-ups of their tiny little hands and feet... probably because they look quite dead in all the pictures. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get the picture printer to work, so that became a day shift opportunity because it was like 0650 and I had to give report so I could go home.

It's been a while since I've had a group of shifts like that. I'm hoping this isn't starting another grouping of patient deaths like we had a while back. I have one day off and I'm back as support again on Tuesday night. I did have plans to maybe be semi productive today and make it to the gym, but I never got a break last night and I'm a little behind on sleep from the last few days... so I'm just going to nap and chill today.

#nurblr #nicu #patient death #full moon

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ferel6 · 2 years ago

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(Tldr: new research study, got my first 12 lead ekg 🥰)

Have a new research study that I'm going to participate in, but needed to go to an initial screening to make sure I qualified for the research (you know you need to start working out/eating better when they call you in for research because your BMI is over 30 😑)

Regardless, I am still VERY excited to be a part of it. They are testing Angiotensin, which is naturally created in our bodies, but they want to see if it will help with lowering blood pressure and spark metabolism in obese patients (that's me 😓)

The screening was a blast. Had to fast for 12 hours prior, got up in the morning and brought my wife and son with me to drop them off at the zoo for the day while I completed my screening. Long car ride, lots of time to get hype. Watching them eat breakfast only got me more excited (I wasn't really that hungry and the fact that I couldn't eat was just a reminder of the coming events).

I dropped the fam off at the zoo and made my way over to the familiar parking garage and began my walk over to the vascular center, past the main hospital entrance with patients and staff milling about, past the cancer center (feeling lucky that I was here for a different reason than those poor souls), and finally past the emergency room entrance, watching an EMS crew loading up an ambulance. I've always enjoyed this walk, getting the sounds and smells of the hospital, seeing all the staff everywhere in their scrubs. Anticipation mounts.

I got up to the Clinical Research floor and the study coordinator was already waiting for me. She greeted me like I was an old friend (I've done maybe 7 study sessions with them now, so I know the two main coordinators well, and I'm starting to recognize some of the techs) and we walked past our usual room, through a set of doors, and into a less lit hallway and back rooms I'd never been in. She explained there was another patient here for the study so we had to do the screening elsewhere.

As a note, I am VERY professional when it comes to these studies. While I do them primarily because of my fetish, in the moment I internalize all of that and quash it down hard to remain neutral and keep my vitals from going haywire and throwing off the research. But going through darkened hallways into secluded, partially lit rooms full of carts and tables and wires and tubes and trays and machines, just the coordinator and me, got my mind fantasizing something fierce 😬😈

Luckily, as with all studies, we needed to sit and talk through EVERYTHING they were going to do to me during our session, today and the next if my bloodwork came back acceptable. So I had plenty of time to temper myself while she explained.

The screening would include a DXA scan, full body composition. I'd also receive a full check up from a physician at the hospital and my first 12 lead EKG (!), which the physician would need to check over to make sure it looked good. Then a quick blood draw would round out the screening.

She explained the next visit would include two IVs, one in each arm, one for the infusion of saline or the drug they were testing (blinded) and the other for blood draws during the procedure. I'd have a 3 lead ekg to monitor heartrate, a BP cuff on my arm and a finometer on my finger and strapped around my wrist, a blood oxygen monitor clipped to my ear, blood flow sensors taped to my stomach, arm and leg, and a tent-like canopy over my head to capture my breathing. Unlike some of my other studies with them, she told me I could practically sleep through this one, as it is a LOT of sitting around during infusion and just listening to my breathing, so she said most of her patients literally take a nap 😅.

While all this talk would normally not allow me to relax my anticipation, I tried my best to return dialog, asking questions and getting the coordinator to open up about why they were testing certain things, what the blood draws were for, talking to her about the research I'd already done on the drug and it's effects, and hearing her thoughts on how the study was going. The longer we talked the more I could feel my heart slowing to a much more manageable rhythm 🤭

We finally got to it, hopping up and taking my shoes and socks off for height and weight, then straight over to the table for my first full fledged EKG!! As you can see on my channel here, I have a 5 lead patient monitor, and I've been to other studies where they used a 3 lead, but I've never had the pleasure of a full 12 lead reading before.

The coordinator dragged the machine over, more a printer with a keyboard than the brilliant colorful screen with the green line we all know and love. She already had the square medline electrodes attached to the leads so she set about hooking me up, a constant flow of conversation making me feel at ease and keeping me calm during something that in retrospect turned me on SO MUCH. I felt the cold sticky adhesive on my skin as she talked about how they would unfortunately pull on my hair coming off, if this had been a stress test she'd have to shave my chest because of all the sweat and movement, but it wasn't a big deal for a short resting EKG, how some of her older male patients would complain about the shave because they were going on cruises in a weeks time. Just a constant barrage of stories of her wiring up others just like me.

Once the leads were attached, she wrapped a BP cuff around my right arm and turned on a different monitor behind me, noting the beeping sound on it as the machine complaining that there was no temperature sensor hooked up, "But it broke a while ago, so we had to take it out and now it just yells at us all the time that there's none in there. But it's OK we won't have it on long, just going to take your blood pressure twice and I'll turn it back off again while your EKG is running. 138/85 a little high, it should come down, I'll run it again. Oop, EKGs printing, let's take a look. Oh looks great, but we'll still need to call the physician up to check it over, I'll text him now while I run the other blood pressure check. Ok, messaged, 133/86 better, better."

See what I mean? Constant stream of conversation. She's awesome. I would chime in from time to time, noting things like "oh that BP is a bit high for me" or whatnot, but mostly I just listened and enjoyed.

With my EKG readings printed off, she came back over, unstrapped the cuff from around my arm, unclipped the leads from the electrodes and wheeled the machine back to the corner. I thought maybe I could leave the stickies on my chest this time and have a bit of fun at home later and began to pull my shirt back down, but the coordinator reminded me of my imminent DXA scan and came back over to rip the patches from my chest.

We waited for a while longer, talking again of other patients, the study, what each of the tubes of blood would be used for during the procedure, until the physician finally arrived. He was young and tall, wearing those oh so lovely pale green scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck.

We fistbumped for cleanliness as he introduced himself, talked with the coordinator about what she needed from him, then looked at my EKG printout. He confirmed everything looked fantastic, noted my BP at the top and signed it. Then he turned to me and told me to hop back up on the exam table again so he could check me over.

He got out his stethoscope and began his inspection, asking me questions about my health or telling me to take a big breath and hold it.

Another note here: I am straight, but where my medical fetish is concerned professionals, even males, can REALLY get my heart racing, so I had to slam my breaks hard to not give anything away here. Id already had my BP taken and an EKG run and now a young, fit doctor listening closely to my heart. Man that was a tough one.

Done with his stethoscope, he threw it around his neck again, brisk hands checking the pulse in my neck, both my wrists, my ankles, my feet. All while asking if I took any medications or if I had had any health concerns lately.

We finished up and he was baffled by my perfectly healthy condition 😇. He told us he NEVER gets to examine healthy patients in his line of work and it was very refreshing. I apologized for not having something wrong with me, eliciting a chuckle from all of us in the room.

He signed off my paperwork again and we walked him out of the clinic on our way to the DXA scan. We talked the whole way, him asking if this was my first study (the coordinator cutting in "No he's one of our regulars!" 🥰) asking if I was close to the facility (told him I'm about two hours away, "Wow! That's far! Well thank you so much for the help with these studies!")

We parted ways and the coordinator led me to a tiny room with a bed and a scanner over top of it. I changed into shorts and laid on the bed while she got the program under way. 7 minutes of lying stock still while the bed moved me around, taking the whole composition of my body (it's a very light x-ray). She printed an extra copy of my body comp (if you ever need motivation to get fit...go get a DXA. It is the most unflattering picture ever).

Then we went back to our room and she had me hop up on the bed again for the final thing: a blood draw. She told me it'd be quick and mostly painless, as she only needed two vials and was just using a butterfly needle.

A pro as always, strapped a tourniquet around my arm, cold alcohol wipe, a quick flash and her stream of conversation started back up as she pushed on my bicep to get the blood flowing through the tubes.

She wrapped my arm up and sent me on my way with my packets of paperwork.

The whole day was over in like an hour and a half, but was just so....chill. So relaxed. I'll update again on how my study goes once I go through that date, but I was just so excited to be examined, poked, prodded, carefully scrutinized again. And for my first ever full EKG.

These will always be long winded posts cause I need to get my feelings out, decompress. Feel free to message me to talk about similar experiences or if you have questions. Ya know...if you read this far 😅. I love talking to people about these feelings!

#ekg #cardiophile

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serenaew · 2 years ago

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Where to find me, and what to find...

Hello, and welcome to my blog! I'm happy to see you here!

Recent happenings:

(updated 12/06/2024)

My Dear Podficcer letter can be found here.

Find my most recent interview with @snapecentric linked here:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/snapechat/episodes/39--SerenaEW-e2i2lmt

The @severitus-big-bang 2024 HAS BEGUN!!

Snape Fan Spotlight (interview) on Always Snape! https://alwayssnape.com/forum/topic/snape-fan-spotlight-serenaew/

Updated my permissions statement: still BP for all fanworks, however, no crossposting and no feeding to AI without my express permission.

Winner of the Snapedom Awards 2023 in the categories Severitus and Fluffy One-Shot and runner-up in the categories Miscellaneous Art and Angsty One-Shot! Thank you so much!

This is where you can find me:

((*) means I'm not quite active on that platform (anymore))

Masterlists of my content:

Severitus | Snarry | HP: other ships and gen | Other fandoms

Poetry | Podfic | Filk | Meta | WIPs

Friends and mutuals, please don't take offense if you're one of my co-creators and didn't get tagged in the masterlists or my posts. I do very much appreciate you <3

I hope to keep them updated, along with work progress... Last updated mid-Sept 2023.

And PLEASE ask me about all my WIPs!!!! ;-))

Ongoing challenges:

Opus Harry Potter, a HP Classical Music fest (@opus-harry-potter)

Severitus Big Bang (@severitus-big-bang)

Play the List! Bingo (@play-the-list-bingo)

Poem of the week (@poem-of-the-week-challenge)

Assorted prompts: AO3 and P&S

Transformative Works Policy:

You need not ask my permission to podfic, translate, or create any kind of secondary fanworks of my fanworls providing you don't make money from it. If the fanwork you would like to use is derived from someone else's fanwork, please seek their permission.

(Podficcers may alter the wording of the original text slightly for easier line reading, provided the same meaning is preserved.)

If you do, please link back to the original fanwork and mark it as being officially related on AO3. If you cannot post to AO3, let me know with a link to your work and I will make an AO3 external bookmark for you.

I do not agree for my works to be cross-posted to other websites without my permission. I do not consent for my works being fed to Machine Learning / Artifical Intelligence systems without my express, written permission.

Should you find my works anywhere that is not one of the above websites or certain fest blogs/websites, or that was put up under any other name than SerenaEW, Serena W. or EleanorPhoenix, please assume it was not put up with my permission, and please let me know.

Dear Podficcer Letter:

More from and about me:

You can find me on the Fanfic Maverick Podcast, talking Snarry and Severitus, here:

I had the chance to answer some questions by Heatherlly at Always Snape (alwayssnape.com), a Snape-centric fan-site and forum.

It's also about Snape, Snarry and Severitus, and some self-rec <3 Check it out here:

I'm also honoured to be featured on the Snape Chat Podcast! Thank you, @snapecentric, for the wonderful opportunity to chat about all manners of random stuff that I do!

Feel free to drop me an ask anytime! And please let me know if there are any typos or bad links anywhere - I'd be really grateful for that.

Cheers,

Serena

#the master of masterlists #this is me #SerenaEW #transformative works policy #blanket permission #transformative works #drop me your rec requests #and your asks #meta

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largesunglasses · 1 year ago

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I had a follow up again for my blood pressure today. I ate like an absolute asshole this weekend. The fridge at home and work were full with stuff so I didn't really have room for my normal food I'd eat. No one ever uses the fridge at work but me and one coworker who are cool with moving each other's stuff around if we need to make room but my DM got us apps and they were occupying space. I ate snacks one day instead of bringing an actual meal. I just ate like an asshole. My weight was up and she questioned it only to see if I was retaining water/heart related stuff. I told her I was expecting my period any minute and I ate really bad the past four days. I also had my shoes and hoodie on that had my keys and phone in it. She said to let her know if I felt like I was retaining water and noticing any swelling just so we could make sure nothing was wrong. Before she came in the nurse took my blood pressure. A few weeks ago maybe it's been months when I went in I asked for a bigger cuff. They have to roll a different machine in so she puts the cuff on my arm and I'm confused because they've been using the brown one and she uses a blue one it almost instantly pops off and I say as polite as possible I think the other nurse had the best luck with the brown cuff. She put it on so tight it stopped and started again. I like to think I can handle some pain but I was so uncomfortable I asked if she could take it off. She waited for it to go down to get a reading which was high. Meanwhile the little thing is on my finger and she's telling me it's high. I wanted to say I was in pain and maybe we could check it again but I said nothing. She decided to do it manually like normal and my blood pressure was perfect. An hour later my arm still hurt and was red from the first attempts. Anyways my doctor said to keep checking my BP and if anything is off call right away. I have my physical in April so let's hope I don't have to go back before then.

I did my first day of 20 minutes on the treadmill. I'm really going to try and stick to it but if 10 is all I got on a day I worked then it's all I got.

#run on sentence queen #i just needed to get it out

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ndragoon · 1 year ago

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I think my nurse just intentionally destroyed my IV port???

Like, when she started her shift she made a remark about how "it looks like I need a new Iv" and that's whatever.

Except she comes in every hour to check my BP that nobody else has really bothered with (because they know these setups aren't the best and it's been giving WILDLY inappropriate numbers, like 195/116) and uses multiple cuffs and parts of my arm to see what's going on.

Except one of the times she decides to use my arm very close to the IV site...and it starts squeezing blood everywhere. I'm feeling EXTREMELY hot and nauseous and dizzy, and she's insisting it's because I can't stand blood despite how much I insist back that I'm more than used to seeing my blood by now.

Takes all the coverings off, and I notice the tube it slightly out and figure it's no big deal. But she covers it again and forces me to lay down.

Another twenty to thirty minutes later, my arm feels cold and I figure it's just the cold drugs and fluids going into my arm. Except I lift it up and it smells like medicine and is very much dripping everywhere. Half of gown is damp now and I call her back in. This time she just outright pulls it out and tells me I need to wait for the IV person to put a new one in my other arm.

Its also worth mentioning that she put the panels on the bad up on such a way that I cannot sit on the bed at all or reach anything when I'm laying down (including the cpap/bipap machine controls that stop it from screaming endlessly), changed the entire setup of the bed without asking if I even WANTED it changed, and spilled fluids around my feet before going "oops, guess you need to stay in bed so you don't slip anywhere!"

#Reki Personal #Reki Medical

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fairybond · 1 year ago

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talking with the squad(tm) a while back brought up the beauty of the Levy and Jenny potential and since I have Both of them as muses, I can make them friends :') which can in turn bring some different connections for them both. here's the gist.

Levy was familiar with Jenny, as most of Fiore was, via the articles and photoshoots in Sorcerer Weekly. She always admired Jenny's looks and apparent confidence, as well as her magic (my jen's public magic is Flower magic and Levy loves flowers). They met briefly in early X784, when Shadow Gear were interviewed by the magazine and Jenny was around doing a photoshoot at the same location.

Fast forward to X791. Levy sees Jenny is older and still popular, still so beautiful. They have a brief interaction at the ball after the games, where Levy compliments Jenny's magic and Jenny says its a shame Levy didn't get to compete, as she'd like to see her in action (Levy spends a while after trying to figure out if Jenny was flirting with her, which she lowkey was).

Their next interaction came via Levy's work with the Council during the disbandment year. As part of her duties, she visits various guilds to check they're following regulations. She stopped by Blue Pegasus and happened to find Jenny working on an upgrade to the Christina. Jenny's love of machines and engineering is a well kept secret, yet Levy ended up witnessing a full nerd moment of Jenny's and there was no denying it. Levy was impressed by Jenny's magic, skill, and knowledge, and they ended up talking about what she was doing and trying to achieve. They chatted excitedly for hours and worked together on the upgrade. This started their connection and friendship.

They regularly send each other articles and books they think the other would be interested in. They meet for coffee and go shopping together sometimes (this isn't always easy, as they're both recognisable figures, particularly Jenny).

They Get each other on an intellectual level, and also have a lot of fun, as they both can have quite teasing personalities around the right people.

Following the war, a few of their catch ups became more serious, they shared some of their fears and traumas, which helped deepen their bond. they found they relate on a lot, including having spent time in orphanages, and valuing birthdays.

Jenny became aware of Levy's occasional struggles with her body image, and she has been doing her best to bolster and encourage Levy, which has been appreciated. On the other side, Levy has been encouraging Jenny to think about embracing all aspects of herself and not hide her smarts.

Due to her friendship with Jenny, Levy visits Blue Pegasus quite regularly (which means she can be easy friends with BP muses). Jenny is also mentoring/teaching Kagura in Flower magic, which Levy is very interested in, so therefore....Levy is on good terms with Kagura (and Milli by extension, as they're together a lot).

On the other side, Jenny is now quite familiar with Levy's closest friends - Jet, Droy, Lucy, Natsu, and Lisanna, along with some of Levy's council friends (this could extend to include Gajeel and Pantherlily).

#im so sleepy rn so this is a Mess but yeah!#lev most Definitely had a crush on jen for a while #❰ ✿ ― levy. trivia. ❱#AU where levy wasnt on Tenrou and so is the same age as jen and they become Girlfriends tho

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aspenmissing · 1 year ago

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𝙸𝚗 𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝙳𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 (𝙿𝚝 𝟷)

The demon-possessing-a-truck-driver steps out of his truck and walks over. John, Dean, and Y/N are all unconscious. Sam, who is barely awake, swallows as the demon pulls the driver's side door off its hinges to reveal Sam pointing the Colt at him.

"Back. Or I'll kill you, I swear to God"

"You won't. You're saving that bullet for someone else" Sam cocks the gun.

"You wanna bet" It smiles, the black demon-ichor pours out of the man, who collapses. Sam uncocks the gun, drops his head back in relief.

"Oh my god!"

"Dad?" Sam asks, looking over at him.

"Did I do this?" The man asks.

"Dad! Dean! Y/N? Guys!!" An hour later, a rescue helicopter descends to the site, and all four are being loaded onto stretchers. John, Dean, and Y/N are still unconscious, Sam is awake.

"Significant passenger side intrusion. Unresponsive. BP is 180 over 60, heart rate 95, 95"

"Tell me if they're okay!"

"You have to stay still" The paramedic woman says.

"Are they even alive?"

In a room, Dean sits up, works his jaw, gets out of bed. He is wearing a white t-shirt, blue hospital pants, and nothing else. He goes into the hallway.

"Sam? Y/N? Dad? Anybody?" Dean goes down the stairs to the front of the hospital and finds a nurse's station "Excuse me. Hi. I, uh, I think I was in a car accident, my dad, my brother, and my sister. I just need to find them" The nurse is unresponsive "Hello?" Dean snaps his fingers. He goes back upstairs, panicked, and goes back into his room, only to see his own body, attacked to wires and machines. Still reeling from the shock of seeing his unconscious body, Dean turns, relieved, as Sam enters. Sam stops at the door and stares at his brother's body, breathing heavily.

"Sammy! You look great. Considering"

"Oh, no"

"Man, tell me you can hear me. How's dad and Y/N? Are they okay? Come on, you're the psychic. Give me some ghost whispering or something!" A doctor enters.

"Your father's awake. You can go see him if you want"

"Thank god"

"Doc, what about my brother?" Sam asks.

"Well, he sustained serious injury: blood loss, contusions to his liver and kidney. But it's the head trauma I'm worried about. There are early signs of cerebral edema"

"Well, what can we do?" A voice asks. The doctor and Sam turn around to see Y/N leaning against the frame of the door, her face having bruises and her eye slightly swollen.

"Y/N. Thank god you're okay" Dean says.

"Well, we won't know his full condition until he wakes up. If he wakes up"

"If?" She questions.

"I have to be honest-"

"Oh, screw you, Doc, I'm waking up"

"Most people with this degree of injury wouldn't have survived this long. He's fighting very hard. And the only reason why he's lived this long is because of his sister, taking most of the impact. But you need to have realistic expectations"

"Come on, Sam, Y/N. Go find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on me. Sam?"

John is lying in a hospital bed, his arm in a sling. Awkwardly one-handed, he pulls something out of his wallet.

"Here. Give them my insurance" Sam takes the card John gives him, smiling as he reads it.

"Elron McGillicutty?" Sam asks.

"And his three loving children. So, what else did the doctor say about Dean?"

"Nothing. Look. The doctors won't do anything, then we'll have to, that's all. I don't know, I'll find some hoodoo priest and lay some mojo on him"

"We'll look for someone" John says.

"Yeah"

"But Sam, I don't know if we're gonna find anyone"

"Why not? I found that faith healer before"

"All right, that was, that was on in a million"

"So what? Do we just sit here with our thumb up our ass?"

"No, I said we'd look. All right? I'll check under every stone...Where's the Colt?"

"Your son is dying, and you're worried about the Colt?"

"We're hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us too. That gun may be our only card"

"It's in the trunk. They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83"

"All right. You've gotta clean out that trunk before some junk man sees what's inside"

"I already called Bobby. He's like an hour out, he's gonna tow the Impala back to his place"

"All right. You and Y/N go meet up with Bobby. You get that Colt, and you bring it back to me. And you watch out for hospital security"

"I think we've got it covered" He gets up to leaves; John stops him, picking up a sheet of paper.

"Hey. Here., I made a list of things I need, have Bobby pick them up for me"

"Acacia? Oil of Abramelin? What's this stuff for?" Sam asks.

"Protection"

"Hey, Dad? You know, the demon, he said he had plans for me, and children like me. Do you have any idea what he meant by that?"

"No, I don't" Sam leaves, shutting the door to reveal Dean, who has been leaning behind it.

"Well, you sure know something"

Sam enters Dean's room to see Y/N besides the bed in a chair, holding his hand, her head leaning on it. He goes to knock but he is cut off from Y/N talking.

"Please don't leave us, Dean" She lifts her head to look at Dean "I want. No, I need my twin brother back...We're supposed to be the dynamic twins. They say you won't make it...I don't believe them. I know your gonna make it out of this, alive. And I won't let you die...not while I'm still breathing" She lets some tears fall and puts her head back down. Sam looks at her, keeping his tears in and he walks away, not wanting to disturb his sister.

Sam looks down at the mangled car. Bobby is there as well.

"Oh man, Dean is gonna be pissed"

"Look, Sam. This...this just aint worth a tow. I say we empty the trunk, sell the rest for scrap"

"No. Dean would kill me if we did that. When he gets better, he's gonna want to fix this"

"There's nothing to fix. The frame's a pretzel, and the engine's ruined. There are barely any parts worth salvaging"

"Listen to me, Bobby. If there's only one working part, that's enough. We're not just going to give up on..."

"Okay. You got it"

"Here, uh, Dad asked for you to get this stuff for him" Sam hands over the list. Bobby looks at it, frowning.

"What's John want with this?" Bobby asks.

"Protection from the demons?" Bobby gives him a look "What?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just, uh-"

"Bobby? What's going on?"

John is sitting by Dean's bed while ghost Dean stands nearby.

"Come on, Dad. You've gotta help me. I've gotta get better, I've gotta get back in there. I mean, you haven't called a soul for help. You haven't even tried. Aren't you going to do anything? Aren't you even going to say anything?" He starts walking around the bed. He starts walking around the bed "I've done everything you have ever asked me. Everything. I have given everything I've ever had. And you're just going to sit there and you're going to watch me die? I mean, what the hell kind of father are you?" He pauses, hearing something.

"What is that?" Dean goes into the hallway and a spirit wooshes past him. He jumps back. Dean looks back at John. "I take it you didn't see that" Dean stalks the spirit down the hallways. He sees it go into a back hallway where a woman is lying on the floor, choking.

"Help! Help!"

"Hey! I need some help in here!"

"I can't... breath!" She pants loudly, trying desperately to breathe, then goes silent. Dean, leaning over her, looks on helplessly.

Sam stalks into the room with a duffel bag. Dean meets him at the door and starts trying to talk to him.

"Sammy! Tell me you can friggin' hear me, man, there's something in the hospital. Now, you've got to bring me back and we've got to hunt this thing. Sam!"

"You're quiet," Sam turns, fuming, and hurls the bag onto the bed with a crash.

"Do you think I wouldn't find out?" Sam says.

"What are you talking about?"

"That stuff from Bobby, you don't use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one. You're planning on bringing the demon here, aren't you? Having some stupid macho showdown?!"

"I have a plan, guys."

"That's exactly my point! Dean is dying, and you have a plan! You know what, you care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son!"

"No, no, no, guys, don't do this!" Dean says.

"Do not tell me how I feel! I am doing this for Dean."

"How? How is revenge going to help him? You're not thinking about anybody but yourself, it's the same selfish obsession!"

"Come on, guys, don't do this!"

"You know, it's funny, I thought it was your obsession too! This demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend. You begged me to be part of this hunt. Now if you'd killed that damn thing when you had the chance, none of this would have happened."

"It was possessing you, Dad. Sam would have killed you too. And do you really want that on his shoulders?"

"If he'd done it, then your brother would be awake right now."

"Shut up, all of you!"

"Go to hell," Sam says.

"I should have never taken you along in the first place. I knew it was a mistake, I knew I was wrong-"

"I said SHUT UP!" Dean smacks a glass of water off the table, and it goes flying, crashing to the floor. Sam and John look at each other, Dean looks stunned.

"Guys, I full-on Swayze'd that mother." Nurses and doctors start running by in the hallway.

"Something's going on out there." John jerks his head at Sam to go and look.

In Dean's room, monitors are beeping, a doctor and some nurses are surrounding someone on the floor. Sam stands in the doorway, stepping in slowly to see what's happening, and his heart stops at the sight.

"All clear." Sam is huddled in the doorway, tears in his eyes as he watches his sister crumbled on the floor, doctor and nurse surrounding her, resuscitating her. Sam goes to stand towards them, only for a nurse to pull him back.

"Sir, you have to stay back." She says, but Sam's body feels numb and his eyes don't leave Y/N's figure.

"Still no pulse," Another nurse says.

"Okay, let's go again, 360."

"Charging." Sam begins to let tears well up into his eyes. Dean comes slowly behind Sam, his eyes darting to Y/N on the floor but then noticing the ghostly figure floating over her body.

"You get the hell away from my sister." He runs to the bed and faces the thing down, yelling. "I said get back!" Sam blinks, looks confused, as if he's heard something. Dean grabs for the spirit, he latches on momentarily before it hurls him back and then soars out of the room as the monitors turn slow.

"We have a pulse. We're back into sinus rhythm. Take her to surgery, now!" They get Y/N onto a gurney before wheeling her out of the room and down the hallway. Dean runs into the hallway, looking for the spirit, breathing deeply when he sees it's now vanished. Sam sighs in relief and looks down he hallway, watching where they wheeled Y/N off to while Dean comes back and stands besides him.

"Don't worry, Sammy. I'm not going anywhere, neither is Y/N. I'm getting that thing before it gets us. It's some kind of spirit, but I could grab it. And if I can grab it, I can kill it." Sam looks over to where Dean was, confused. Dean wanders the halls, before a girl yelling.

Sam is standing next to Y/N holding her hand when John enters, his eyes widening at the sight of his daughter. She is hooked up to machines, tubes all over as well as a ventilator—her chest slowly rising.

"What happened?" John asks.

"The doctors say that the blood wasn't getting to her brain. She went into a seizure and her heart stopped. They say they found her in Dean's room on the floor, mid-seizure. If they found her minutes later then she might not have..." Sam couldn't finish the sentence. "It's because she took the impact for Dean. Nearly killed herself to protect him." John looks at the two with sad eyes. "You know, when Y/N was taken to surgery, I felt something on my shoulder."

"What do you mean, you felt something?" John asks.

"I mean it felt like, like Dean. Like he was there, saving Y/N, just out of eyeshot or something. I don't know if it's my psychic thing or what, it... But do you think it's even possible? I mean, do you think his spirit could be around?"

"Anything's possible."

"Well, there's one way to find out."

"Where are you going?"

"I gotta pick something up. I'll be back."

"Wait, Sam. I promise I won't hunt this demon. Not until we know Dean and Y/N's okay." Sam nods and leaves.

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