Chapter Text
She was standing, blood on her hands, her mask, and even her hair, in front of a tiny body. The kid must be 7 or 8. She couldn’t do anything. He is dead. Her mind was blocked on the blood, so much blood for a so tiny human being.
“Dr. Lim, we have other children injured to come!”
Audrey’s brain didn’t react. The nurse came closer and repeated it.
“I have to change; I have too much blood on me”
She ran to the elevator; it was too long so she took the steps. She ran again, faster as she could to her office. Once in the corridor, she took off her blouse, entered her office, and completely changed her clothes. She still had blood on her face and her hair. She went to the bathroom and rapidly clean her face. Other kids were on their way, she didn’t have time to wash her hair. She found an old Claire’s large headband and put it to hide the blood from her roots.
She ran the other way to ER.
“Five other kids are here. One has a bullet on his shoulder, a girl has one in her leg, two fell.”
“And the fifth?”
“She didn’t make it; her body is going to the morgue”
“Oh my god, do her parents know?”
“Nobody asks for her yet”
The noise was everywhere. Audrey couldn’t think about what to do, where to go, how to act. She was frozen. She wasn’t able to say if she was overwhelmed or if she wasn’t feeling any emotion.
The door opening woke up her.
“I have another one, he has a bullet in his thorax.”
“Got him” Dr. Lim said “Park, I need you here!”
“I can’t Dr. Lim, I’m with another victim”
“I CAN HELP!”
“Yes – Wait who are you?” Audrey asked the woman
“Sorry, I’m Dr. Alice Thompson from San Francisco General, I’m a 2nd-year resident there”
“Why are you here?”
“I visit my family”
“I mean in the hospital.
“My ankle”
“How can you help me with your ankle in bad shape?”
“I’m here only because my friends drove me here because I’m complaining about it for a month but do nothing. Few minutes helping a dying kid are nothing.”
“Right but if it’s too much, you stop”
“Will I have problems with the chief if I work here without telling him or her?”
“I know it, we can go to the OR!”
The young doctor understood she was in front of the chief. Audrey’s mind was going normally right now. The resident kind of looks like Claire. She had curly hair like her, but she rather suffered than leave a patient.
Dr. Thompson and Dr. Lim were getting ready for the operation.
“Where did you study medicine?”
“Stanford, and you?”
“Hopkins” Audrey responded, “You seem pretty young to be a 2nd-year resident?”
“I graduated early from high school”
“Like at 10?”
“14”
“WHAT! How old are you then?”
“24”
Audrey didn’t respond to this. She was impressed. She didn’t understand why someone from San José didn’t ask to join the residency program from their hometown hospital.
They entered the block; they both knew what to do.
“I’m curious, what did you choose San Francisco?”
“Rather than San José?”
“Yes”
“My ex lived there so I only asked there but we broke up just after I was taken.”
“San Francisco General is a great hospital; you are learning with the bests.”
“I’m still away from my friend”
“It’s an hour away”
“I work a lot; I don’t have the time. And they are always working when I’m not.”
“Don’t you say it was your family?”
“I consider my friends like family. I don’t speak to the real one anymore. Are you in touch with yours?”
The monitor stopped the conversation.
“Shit, the pulmonary artery is damaged.” Dr. Lim told
“I got it” Dr. Thompson responded
After a few seconds and magical gestures, the monitor came back to the normal.
“I’m sorry doctor Lim but I have to seat for a minute” Alice said.
“You can go rest; I will personally come to check your ankle after the operation. Dr. Park is washing his hands while we’re talking. Thank you for the help.” Audrey answered
“You’re welcome”
The young resident left the OR. Park came in at the same time. He came closer and looked at the field.
“Who did that?” He asked
“Someone I should hire”
Audrey finished the operation and went to speak with the family.
“Excuse me, where is the woman who was in bed 5 earlier?”
“A nurse took her in the MRI. Her ankle was bad looking.”
“Thank you”
She went there. She astonished herself to run again.
“Hey!”
The nurse was leaving the room with Dr. Thompson in a wheelchair.
“Apparently, it’s worse than it seemed.”
“I take care of you now,” Audrey said, with a smile.
She took the nurse’s place and start to push Alice through the corridor.
“Wow, I have VIP treatment. The chief is using her valuable time for a sprain. Thank you.”
“Actually, I tried to avoid ER a bit. I saw enough blood for the day. A sprain is what I need. – Do you want to get a drink after that?”
“I’m a pedestrian today. I can’t drive or ride with my ankle.”
“I can be your cab. I came in my car. I recently had a motorcycle accident, and I can’t go back on it since.”
“I’m ok with the car too. – It takes time to get over a traumatic event. Don’t worry, you must be patient. One day, you will wake up with the need to ride.” Dr. Thompson said happily.
They arrived in a quiet room where Audrey found a splint and crutches. She stooped down and put the splint on her patient’s ankle.
“If you’re feeling any pain, take some Advil. You need to rest so no surgery for at least a week.”
“I will do my best”
Audrey straightened up.
“Have you finished your day?” Alice asked
“Today, I decided to finish on time. I have to go to my office grab my stuff. Do you want to visit?”
“Sure”
Dr. Thompson stood up.
“Stay sit, I gonna push you.”
Alice did what the older woman ordered. Audrey took the wheelchair and went in direction of the elevator. Once in her office, she remembered how she left it. The blouse with blood was on the floor. She touched her hair. She could feel the dry blood on it. The younger woman understood. She was here when all the kids arrived in the ER. At first, she was mad because she was waiting for two hours, then she heard the news on TV and saw a doctor trying to stop a massive hemorrhage. This same doctor was covered with blood, head to toes – It was Audrey Lim.
“You know what, I really need to check my email. I have to say to my boss that I can’t work Monday. It will take like 10 minutes. You should go change your clothes. I’m staying here, quietly.” Alice declared.
“Really? You don’t mind waiting?”
“I have some stuff to do anyway!”
“Thanks, I’ll be quick”
Audrey left the room with her clean clothes. She came back exactly fourteen minutes later. Her guest didn’t move. She was sitting on the couch. Audrey noticed how she was dressed: large suit pants, a large white shirt, a long pastel blue coat, a big purse, and sneakers. The only thing Alice did was tie her auburn hair up in a messy bun. Audrey started laughing. Alice raised her head.
“What?”
“We match our outfit”
The only difference between the two was the coat. Audrey never forgets her leather jacket, whatever the weather.
“We are women of taste!”
They smiled at each other.
“Good to go then?”
“Let’s go!”