Chapter Text
“’Thank you so much sweetie! So smart. And such a handsome boy too! You’re a rare gem,’” Ava mimicked through laughter.
Connor rolled his eyes, his face slightly pink, “Shut up, Ava. It’s not funny.”
They passed through a constricted access door as Ava kept laughing, “Oh, it’s hilarious. I think she likes you.”
Glaring, Connor defended, “She’s probably still loopy from the drugs. You know the effects of anesthesia can linger in older patients.”
Ava gave him an unconvinced smirk, “I don’t think so. Mrs. Anderson seemed fully aware of you and your attributes.”
He scowled and she gave him an innocent look before batting her eyelashes at him whilst saying ‘sweetie’ in a surgery voice.
Ava let out another peal of snickers as she flounced down the hallway to escape Connor’s angry gaze.
“Ava,” He hissed after her as she slid behind a desk, going to a computer in the pretense of doing some work all the while chuckling in amusement.
Connor was about to whack her on the shoulder (lightly) when Amber, one of the nurses, came jogging towards them, a serious look on her face and two tablets in her hand.
Ava turned towards the nurse, her smile faded into concern as Connor’s hand drifted down, no longer playing. The two shared a worried glance.
“Dr. Rhodes! Dr. Bekker!” Amber took a breath like she had been running, “They need you in the ED right away. There’s been a massive fire in one of the apartment buildings downtown.”
Both surgeons moved out from behind the counter, already walking towards the emergency room with Amber by their side.
The nurse glanced at Connor as she handed him a tablet, “Dr. Halstead needs you. His father was one of the victims.”
Connor shook his head, scrolling through the info as they walked through the hallways, “Great. Just what Mr. Halstead needs--Inhalation injuries on top of a quadruple bypass.”
Ava shot him a sympathetic look before focusing on Amber who was handing her the other tablet, “And Dr. Manning has asked for a consultation for a Blair Scott. Extreme burn injuries but the scans show that she also has an injury to her heart.”
Ava nodded as she swiped through the images, “It looks like it’s her right carotid artery. The damage is blocking blood flow; should be an easy fix.”
She cocked her head, “These burns however,” Ava shook her head, arching her eyebrow, “I’m afraid she has a long recovery ahead of her.”
“The burn center is going to be very busy,” Connor agreed as the three got off the elevator at the ED.
They turned, taking in the scene of the ED. People were swarming, doctors and nurses running around with patients, the noise humming loudly in the background. Unfortunately, this was an all too familiar sight. In a city as large as Chicago, mass casualty incidents happened more often than they would like.
Connor took a deep breath, turning to Amber, “Thanks for notifying us.”
The nurse frowned sadly and held up a hand as Ava and Connor started to leave, “There’s one more thing.”
Again, the two surgeons shared a glance.
“It’s Stella Kidd. She’s in pretty bad shape,” Amber looked between the doctors, “They’re probably going to need you before the day is over.”
Ava and Connor sighed in unison watching as the nurse took her leave, going to join the hub in the ED.
“This is going to be an exciting day, I can already tell,” Connor tapped his hand on his leg impatiently as they both stared at the bustling ED.
Ava rose her eyebrows, “Yeah,” She pursed her lips, “Well, good luck and I’ll see you later.”
She slipped into the emergency room, weaving in and out of the people before disappearing behind a curtain to one of the treatment rooms.
Connor shook his head ruefully, making his way to Will’s dad.
Never a dull moment.