Chapter Text
It’s 5 am In Los Angeles and the Emergency Room in Ronald Reagan Medical Center is already bursting with life. Walking to the nurse’s station is Dr. Selene Angelos fighting a yawn tossing a beige color file down. “Oof, look at you, tough shift?” The nurse asked, sitting behind the station wearing mickey mouse scrubs.
Selene pushed her brunette hair into a ponytail and nodded.” Oh yes was it a full moon or something last night Anna? Because it was nonstop.” Selene said, leaning down on the station for a second just to take a breath. Anna Coleman is a 25-year-old blond-haired person, a blue-eyed nurse who recently moved to sunny California from Maine. The two have been friends since Anna started at the hospital.
Anna, sitting at the desk smiled softly and held up a coffee from Starbucks. “You are a godsend,” Selene said, taking the coffee from the nurse and looking at her. Anna laughed, shaking her as Selene sipped her coffee. Selene’s a 27-year-old doctor, Greek American with deep brown hair that had blonde highlights through her hair, deep brown eyes, olive skin, and was at the end of a long night shift.
“When does your shift end?” Anna asked, sipping her coffee and sitting back in her chair.
Selene sipped her coffee pulling out her phone from her lab coat, “Seven and I finally have a second to....” Selene was interrupted by the Emergency Room doors opening she sighed, took a big gulp of her coffee, and put her phone in her pocket.
The doctor walked over to the doors, meeting the paramedics pushing in a bloody, unconscious patient on a stretcher. “Car accident patient Kendra Lassiter has two broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, possibly a concussion, fractures in her legs, and a few lacerations.” The paramedic informed Selene as nurses ran to the stretcher.
Selene listened to every bit of information they gave her and ran a quick check on Kendra before calling out orders to the nurses with her as they ran to get her into the operating room for surgery.
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After an hour, Selene walked out of the operating room, letting out a small breath. She stood in the hallway, taking a minute for herself to breathe. “Selene, Kendra Lassiter’s family is here.” A nurse in Disney scrubs said.
Selene nodded, walking over to the nurse and accompanying her to the waiting room. The nurses opened the door and quietly pointed out to Selene the family of the car crash victim. Selene walked over to an older couple, a man who looked like he was in his thirties and a boy who Selene estimated to be about nine.
“Doctor?” the man said, standing up from his seat. The older couple looked at each other before standing up as Selene walked up to them.
“Your Kendra Lassiter’s family?” Selene asked, looking at the group.
The man nodded, looking at Selene with tears in his eyes. “Yes, I’m her husband. Zack, they are her parents. Is my wife ok doctor?” Zack asked in a shaky voice as tears fell from his eyes running down his face.
Selene nodded, smiling softly looking at the family and gesturing to the chairs behind them. When they sat down on the chairs, Selene followed and sat down in a chair across from them. “Kendra is going to be OK. the surgery went perfectly. She suffered three rib fractures which thankfully didn’t puncture her lungs or heart. She has compound fractures in both of her legs, a fractured collarbone, and lacerations on her face. And a concussion. But she’s going to be ok. Kendra is being moved into recovery, but we’re going to keep her for days to monitor her.” Selene explained to the family who all had faces of relief at hearing the news about Kendra.
Kendra’s mom let out a sob smiling brightly at the doctor,” Thank you so much, doctor. When can we see her?” she asked.
“Yes, once we have her set up in a room in the recovery section, I’ll send a nurse to come to get you,” Selene said standing up from her seat and looking at the family who all nodded, each of the adults had a smile on their tear-soaked faces.
Selene walked out of the waiting room, leaving the family alone. She felt relieved as the doors closed behind her. “Another death?” Dr. Liam Baker said against the wall, holding open a patient’s chart. Liam was lean-built with dark blonde hair, green eyes, and a light complexion.
“No, thank God I was just telling a family that their loved one was going to be ok. Why are you in the ER, Mr. PACU?” Selene asked, walking over to her friend leaning against the wall.
Liam smiled softly, closing the chart and handing it over to Selene. “I need you to read this. I need a second opinion,” he said.
Selene took the medical chart and opened it. Seeing the chart flipped the page she saw blood test results along with the patient profile. “It looks like juvenile hemochromatosis, but you know that, so why are you showing me this?” she asked, confused.
“Because I need a favor. I need you to talk to the family, the father does not believe that his son has juvenile hemochromatosis but something else. And the mother was too upset to speak" Liam explained, taking the patient file from Selene.
Selene looked at her friend and sighed softly, shaking her head. “Doesn’t the Acute Care Pediatrics Unit have other doctors who can do that, Liam?” Selene asked.
“Yes, they have, but none of them are specialized geneticists like you are. Plus, you owe me.” Liam added looking at Selene who sighed nodding looking at the time on her watch.
“Ok, let’s go,” Selene replied, pushing herself off the wall and started walking down the hall. And the two-headed to the elevator. They took the elevator up to the fifth floor, Acute Care Pediatrics Unit. The pediatric ICU.
The elevator stopped, and the two walked down the brightly colored cheery halls heading to the patient room, 587. " So, Selene any new men I should know about. Or are we adopting cats now?" Liam asked joking with his friend.
“Oh, my god no I am not adopting cats and you sound like my mom. Except for your missing Selene you’re getting old, you need to settle down with a good Greek man and make Greek babies,” Selene said, slipping into a Greek accent as she talked about her mother shaking her head.
Liam laughed as they walked down the busy PACU hospital every so often the two would look at the room number to make sure they didn’t walk past their room. “She’s acting like she doesn’t have four other kids who all have kids of their own like seriously.” Selene ranted as they turned to the left.
The two friends stopped in front of the room, which was the second one in the hall. Selene and Liam both sanitized their hands before knocking on the door and entering the room. Selene saw the same thing she has seen before hundreds of times.
Mom sitting on her child’s one side of the bed trying not to cry. The patient, a thirteen-year-old boy, laid down in the hospital bed confused and the dad standing on the other side of the bed looking angry at the world. “Doctor Baker, what is going on?” the mom asked, standing up and looking anxiously at the two doctors.
“This is Dr. Angelos, my colleague. She works in the Emergency Room but one of her specialties is Geneticist. I brought her with me to explain a little more about Hemochromatosis.” Liam explained, sitting down and looking at the parents who both had the same disbelieving look on their faces.
“Doctors, we made ourselves clear that Haemo thing is not wrong with our boy. He’s not dying, he just needs some medicine…” the father explained, but his wife reached over and placed a hand on him.
“David, please let’s hear them out.” The wife said to her husband who sighed nodding crossing his arms across his chest. The family stayed quiet; their attention turned over to Selene who was standing quietly at the room door.
Selene walked closer to the family, taking the iPad from Liam with the medical charts and test results from earlier pulled up. “Mr. and Ms. Reed, hemochromatosis is a rare hereditary condition where there is excess iron in various organs. Usually, this condition appears in adults, but when it appears in children and teens, it’s called juvenile hemochromatosis.” Selene explained she was careful not to dump everything on them all at once.
“Juvenile hemochromatosis is rare, but it’s not too rare where we don’t have treatments. Juvenile hemochromatosis is a hereditary disease from both parents usually who usually have recessive genes. Symptoms of this type of hemochromatosis include swollen liver, weakness, color change in the skin, enlarged heart, diabetes, fluid buildup in the body, and heart failure. Looking at Evan’s chart, he exhibits these symptoms, and one test that we performed shows he has this condition.” Selene explained and took a minute to let the information that she provided the parents sneak in.
Selene knew all too well that parents rarely believe doctors. They wanted to hear that their children are perfectly healthy and that these conditions can’t touch their families. “You said both parents and one test. So, he could not have this but something else right” Ms. Reed said, confused and concerned-looking between the duo.
“Yes, both of you need to have a recessive gene and there is more than the one test that was performed. We can certainly test again, but your son is showing symptoms of this, and having one test come back with this condition is concerning. Leaving juvenile hemochromatosis untreated can lead to liver function problems and enlarged liver, abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure, enlarged spleen, and diabetes.” Liam explained, giving the family the unwelcome news. Selene stood quiet nodding along with what he was saying, agreeing.
The parents looked at each other and in the hospital bed, Evan picked nervous and picked at the blankets laying on top of him. “Am I going to die?” the boy asked.
Both doctors’ hearts broke silently at the question, but it was one that they were used to hearing while working in the hospital, but when hearing those words from a child or a teen it stays with them. “No, you will not die, it sounds scarier than it is but most people with this condition live their whole lives, but they understand like you will there are some things you can’t have,” Selene explained to Evan calmly who nodded, taking a breath.
The group stayed silent. The parents looked at each other as if talking silently to each other. “Because your son has this condition, I would advise you both to get the test along with any other kids you may have. Because this is a hereditary disease.” Selene explained, looking at the parents and giving them all the information to make the best decision.
The mom nodded, sighing softly looking at her husband who also nodded, “Ok what do you two recommend?” the mom asked.
“First, I am going to order more tests, which are an iron level test, ferritin levels test, and genetic testing. Depending on the results, we will discuss treatment options then. Doctor Angelos will consult on your case and like she says we will test both of you today and any other children at a later date.” Liam said, looking at the family. The parents nodded, agreeing to what Liam recommended.
The two doctors walked out of the patient’s room, closing the door behind them. “I owe you,” Liam said, looking at Selene who smiled looking at him.
“Yes, you do, and I know how you can. By being my date to my brother’s wedding so I’m not alone the entire time.” Selene said as they walked to the nurse’s station. She stayed quiet as Liam updated the nurses and ordered the tests.
Afterward, the two walked back to the elevators, “Of course, but don’t you think it’s time for I don’t know you to get your boyfriend because my husband might worry if I continue to be your date for every family function.” Liam said as they walked back to the elevators.
Selene laughed softly, shrugging softly as they walked down the familiar hall,” I’m too busy and no one I’ve gone out with understands my job schedule. Or better yet, they only wanted to date me for a sexy doctor roleplay. Oh my god, then when I date someone in my field, they cheat on me like what the fuck.” Selene vented slightly to her friend and coworker looking as she cursed to make sure no kids or parents were around.
“Wasn’t that Jason the plastic surgeon from Beverly Hills who cheated on you?” Liam asked as they turned down another hallway. The two were casually walking back to the elevator more interested in their conversation than going back to work now.
Selene nodded, feeling her phone buzzing in her white lab coat. “Yeah, and the bastard didn’t even cheat on me with a Kardashian just with a bored housewife. Like if you’re going to cheat and more than half of your clients are A-list celebrities. You better fuck one of those celebrities or you're just a moron.” She said, pulling out her phone and seeing a text from one nurse in the ER.
Liam rolled his eyes, shaking his head at his friend as she responded to the text, “Ok then how about dating someone who is in the field where they understand the crazy and not a doctor? Like, umm a cop.” he suggested with some sass as they stopped in front of the elevator.
“umm no,” Selene said, shrugging rejecting the idea, and repeating his sass.
“A firefighter” Liam tried again.
Selene just shook her head not answering the suggestion and hit the call button for the elevator. “A paramedic or nurse?” Liam asked.
The ER physician shook her head, not answering as the elevator doors opened, and walked inside. " No one has or will catch my attention, I'm more focused on my job, friends, and family at the moment and I don’t need a boyfriend,” Selene said to Liam as the elevator doors closed between them as if telling them to get back to work.