Chapter Text
Audrey Lim had been writing on a board, asking questions and then she suddenly she was in pain, her vitals were dropping and she was being put under for another surgery. Lim could hear the monitors blaring and suddenly a mask was placed over her face. Before her eyes closed completely she saw a beautiful site. His face was the last thing that she saw as her eyes closed.
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A month after the Murphy’s baby boy was born, Andrews resigned and Perez left for Texas to recover from his injuries.
Audrey Lim was at an out door cafe to have lunch with her former mentor and friend Aaron Glassman. She was not feeling her best. From having searing pain in her back (which left her feeling tired and nauseous) to numbness and tingling in her legs. Lim mentioned it to her physical therapist when it first started and tests were ordered. She got the news the same day as her now ex-boyfriend was offered a position to run a clinic near the Sudan. He would not be attached to an American unit. His team was was going to be attached to a British and French unit. Clay was excited to be going and she was happy for him. He left a few days after baby Steve was born. Lim was happy for him. Yes, she’d miss him, but she knew that this is what he needed to do and she was not going to stop him.
Lim never told him that the doctors told her that the spinal column rebuild was failing. They were looking into options, but more surgery was at this point a given. Though the way the repairs were failing was causing more damage to the surrounding area it probably would not help. The blood vessels that were originally damaged were being compromised again, but so were the nerves. Her team was not overly optimistic. She was was again facing paralysis.
Lim decided to go with a specialist outside of St. Bonaventure to see if there was any chance of keeping her walking. More tests were ordered, and that’s when they discovered the cause.
Dr. Will Landry was convinced that the failure of the spinal column rebuild was due to negligence. Steps that should have been taken were not. Audrey at first did not believe him. There was no way that Murphy would have made that kind of error. Then Glassman (who assisted on her surgery, and she later learned finished the procedure when Murphy had to step out. His wife called with an emergency) was found to have deficits in his surgical abilities. Lim wanted to be angry, but Glassman never intended for her to be hurt. She could not go at this like she did with Murphy. That was no good for the two of them or the team. Being angry at Murphy got her no where, alienating him and causing Glassman to be stuck in the middle. Audrey decided to keep the cause and for now her prognosis to herself. Dr. Landry agreed to keep the information between them. As Glassman was no longer operating Landry felt no need to make a report.
Dr. Landry in the meantime increased her physical therapy which she went to the one at the center where he worked. Landry also gave her stronger pain management and recommended that she start using her wheelchair again.
All of that had been three months ago. The latest tests showed that the failure was rapidly increasing and a revision surgery at this point would not be effective. Will was looking into other options. He again increased her pain management levels as well as her physical therapy. Lim was fine with the current game plan but the last recommendation…using the wheelchair was again highly recommended. She did not want to go back to needing the chair. That lasted for a week. She started using the chair more often when she was at home. Lim knew the day was quickly coming where she would have to let her team know what was happening, but first she wanted to tell Glassman.
Audrey was lost in thought when she heard her name being called she startled and turned to look at who called for her. She saw Aaron Glassman standing next to her. Lim tries to stand but he quickly waved her down,
“Don’t get up on my account. Sit, relax and let’s enjoy our lunch. Glassman sat opposite of her, their server came and took their orders. The colleagues caught up on all of the changes at the hospital over the last few weeks. Glassman told her that he was enjoying his time off, but was worried about the hospital being down a president.
“What is the board waiting for? They just need to appoint somebody at this point. Have they asked you?” The older doctor questioned her.
“No, why would they? I don’t want it right now and I don’t have the experience that they want either. Plus, I don’t have the time for it right now.” Lim informed her former boss.
Glassman seemed surprised that she didn’t want the position. After the way she and Melendez fought to get the chief of surgery spot, he thought for sure that she’d fight for this too. Aaron decided not to press the issue for the moment.
They continued to talk and their food soon came. Glassman tucked into his food while Lim casually went about to eat it. The food was fantastic, but with the pain her back was causing her to feel nauseous Lim just wasn’t all that hungry. She ate enough to make it look like she was eating but not enough to make her throw it back up. Lim was glad that after her lunch with Glassman she could go home, get into bed and just not move.
They finished lunch, and the check was paid. Glassman excused himself to the restroom. Lim told him that she would meet him near the stairs. The stairs led away from the out door cafe, to a small courtyard then to the main street. They also could continue to walk way and around to get to the main street.
Glassman showed up a few moments later.
“So, are you ready to tell me what’s really going on with you or are you just going to shut the world out some more?” Glassman asks her.
Audrey is about to answer when she sees a small group of men running towards the cafe, and they were being chased by another group. They had guns and began shooting at each other. Lim grabbed the older doctor and pulled him out of their path and behind her. Glassman tripped and stumbled down the steps. He strikes his head, but the last thing he hears is several pops of a gun and the suddenly he’s no longer laying on the steps alone.
As Aaron Glassman loses consciousness he opens his eyes one last time and sees his once former resident laying nearly unconscious just below him with blood pooling around her head. The balding doctor tries to reach out to her but he quickly loses consciousness.
Audrey Lim tries to lift herself up. She has to get to her boss. Her legs are useless to her, but her arms mostly work. She pushes herself upright. But, the world spins and as quickly as she sat up she’s falling back down. The darkness closes in and with one last look towards the sky and see a face she has long missed smiling at her…she loses consciousness.
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A steady beeping sound could be heard. Audrey Lim opened her eyes and saw stand just like the had nearly a year ago Murphy, Glassman and Andrews. “Why was Andrews here wearing scrubs?” She wondered.
A realization hit her, “Why was Glassman standing next to her bed and he wasn’t hurt? Where were the cuts and bruises from when he fell down the steps?” Lim asked herself in her mind.
The three men stared at her so she smile in confusion, “Morning.”
“Welcome back.” Glassman replied.
“Think I’m going to need a few personal days.” Audrey said repeating the same words that she had said months ago.
“Try not to go overboard. The boss is right there.” Glassman replied.
Lim now looked at him totally confused.
“We said this after I woke up from surgery from the stabbing. Andrews is not our boss anymore?” She thinks to herself but doesn’t say anything out loud. Instead she tries to move to get up.
Nothing happens. “No, no, no. They said that I had more time.” This time she said it out loud. Leaving the other three doctors confused.
“Dr. Lim? Who told you that you had more time for what?” Murphy asks in confusion.
“I’m having trouble with my legs.” Was all that she got out.
Glassman goes through checking her reflexes just as he had done a year ago.
Shaun told her she was paralyzed.
Audrey laid in the bed instead of broken hearted like she had last time, she looked confused. Her confusion multiplied when she heard the voice of someone she thought that she’d never hear from again,
“Mi Amor, it’s about time you woke up. We were all getting worried there for a minute.”
Lim’s eyes were wide when she saw Neil Melendez standing next to her bed.
The beeping rhythm of the heart monitor picked up.
Neil spoke again, “You all look like you lost your best friend and my wife looks like she’s seen a ghost! What the hell is going on?”
“Wife?” Was all that ran through Audrey’s thoughts. The beeping tripled. Her breathing quickens.
“Dr. Lim? You need to slow your breathing down.”
“Mi Amor? You’re hyperventilating there?”
“Audrey, take a deep breath!”
“She’s going out on us!!”
The words of the four men were all she heard as Audrey Lim blacked out from the shock.