Chapter Text
I just walked through the doors of Massachusetts General Hospital, my new work place and i'm so damn excited, "hi! you look last. Let me guess... First day of your medical residency?" a friendly woman doctor asks, "your gonna need a photo ID. Just step over here, in front of the camera" she told me smiling, then she took the photo, "whoops! forgot to tell you to say apple! what do you think? i can retake it."
I looked at the photo and smile, "nah i look great."
"Great! next, spell your name for the ID?" i'd as i was told and wrote Harry Styles, "here you go Dr. Styles, i wish my ID photo looked that good!" i saw her ID and her name Dr. Maria Rose.
"My first day as a real doctor! am i dreaming?" i smile.
"I was in your shoes last year. Believe me, med school was nothing campared to this. Your three years of residency will be the toughest, most amazing years of your life!" she smile, the weirdest thing is i believe her though i just met her. "But this first year as an intern will be the craziest of all."
"I'm so ready for it, i'll been dreaming of working at Massachusetts General Hospital for years" i smile, "ever since i learned Zayn Malik was here. His research basically inspired me to apply to med school!, so... any words of advice?" i asks.
"Make friends, with your other interns, your senior residents even your patients! friends will get you through anything" she makes sense to me, "and, uh, try to not toannoy the attendings you do not want to get on your boss's bad side" and again she's on the money.
"Noted" i replied.
After i'm passing through the waiting room on the way to orientation... when i heard gasps behind me, "Nnh..." a woman callapese out of her seat! other waiting patients crowd around her.
It kinda shocked me a bit, "someone call a doctor."
"But... you are a doctor!" a male nurse said.
"Oh! right! i'll gotta help her!" i forget for a sec that i'm a doc now, i hurry over to the woman just as another doctor rushes in. he kneels at her side and checks her pulse.
"Pulse is weak, she's unresponsive" the doc in the white coat said, i'm guessing he's an attending, he then looks around and spots me, "you. Rookie. Get in here" he ordered.
"Of course, right away, doctor! coming" i hurried over as the doctor lifts the woman in his arms and sets her on a nearby gurney.
"What was she coming in for? did she fill out a form yet?."
"No she'd just walked in" the male nurse told.
"If we don't figure out what's wrong with her fast, she's gonna die on this table" he said a bit mad, "rookie, chech her B.P." he says worried.
i wrap a blood pressure cuff around the unconscious woman's arm and pump the bulb, peering at the numbers, "it's plummeting, she's hypotensive. We're gotta get fluids in her" i said, as the nurse places an I.V., i help the doctor examine the woman. There's a Bruise rapdly forming on her elbow.
"Nnh."
The woman weakly clutches my hand, i look down... and see her fingertips are turning blue, "doctor look at this bruise, it wasn't here a moment ago."
"You Sure?."
"Of course i'm sure" i replied.
"That's the elbow she landed on when she fell" he told, "a bruise forming that fast would suggest that this woman is a hemophiliac. Good catch, also see her fingertips? low oxygen saturation in her blood."
I slip my stethoscope into my ears and run the resonator over her ribs. "I cant' hear anything on her left side and her right lung is struggling!" i said worried, "doctor she's going to suffocate!" i feel panic rising inside, but the older doctor seems cool and collected.
"Nurse, we're got a code blue" the doctor told, he takes a bag mask from the nurse and begins to gently pump air into the woman's lungs.
"What do we do, doctor? what's happening to her?" i asks.
"Consider all the clues, it's all there, you know this rookie."
"It's... It's, uh..." shit my mind is going blank, i shake my head a bit and takes a deep breath, thinking back over everything i learned in medical school, (hemophilia... low blood oxygen... no lung expansion on one side...), suddenly it hits me!, "it's a hemothorax!" i said with widen eyes.
"Precisely. A blood vessel reptured and is filling her pleural cavity..."
"...blocking her lungs from expanding! that's why she can't breathe!" damn what a first day, "but we can't repair the blood vessel here!" i said with sadness in my voice.
"We'll have to do an emergency thoracotomy to drain the cavity instead. Nurse!" woo the doc sounds mad and annoyed, the nurse hurries over and handing me a chest tube and a scalpel.
I took it and gulp as the doctor lifts the woman's shirt to expose the side of her rib cage, "we need a local anesthetic--."
"We're outta time! do it now, or this woman's life is on you."
I move the scalpel tip toward the woman's skin, whispering to myself, "incision at the fifth intercostal space... anterior... to the mid axillary line..." the scalpel quivers in my nervous grip, the doctor steadies my trembling hand in his.
"Hey... you can do this" i nod and focus on my trembling hand... i zero in, pushing everything out of my mind except the doctor's voice and touch. My hand stops shaking!, "there you go, nice and easy.
(Okay, i'm reasy...) i made the cut perfectly between the space in the woman's ribs, "now the tube" together, we insert the chest tube. With a spurt, blood begins draining out of her chest and she starts breathing again!.
"Huhhh!."
"We... we did it!" i said in a wow sense.
The doctor gestures to the nurse, "she's stable, get her into surgery... She's gonna make it."
The nurse weel the patient away as onlookers applaud, i left feeling lightheaded after the intense moment, (wow that was everything i dreamed being a doctor would be like!) i can't take the smile off my face, "doctor... that was... absolutely amazing."
"Your right, it's pretty amazing you didn't get her killed" he replied.
My mouth fill open at that, "wait what?."
"Your examination was slow and superficial. Your scalpel technique, amateur at best."
"Amateur?, maybe you can give me private lessons" i tried to flirt a bit.
he smile "ha! i ust might, Doctor..." he grabs my new ID card off my lanyard and and reads it, "Styles but i sincerely doubt you could afford my salary" he tosses me back my ID and walks off.
I watch him go... "what an asshole" i said pissed.
Beside me, a couple of nurses make dreamy eyes at his retreating form, "yeah and i'm completely in love with him" a female nurse says.
"Don't worry about it, Dr. Malik is like that to everybody" another male nurse said.
My eyes widen at that, "did... did you just say... Dr. Malik? as in Dr. Zayn Malik?" my mouth fell open again.
"Yeah. I take it your a fan?" the male nurse asks.
"He's only my medical hero and greatest inspiration. i'll read all his research!."
"On the bright side, you'll get plenty more chances to impress him."
Looking down, i finally register that your scrubs are stained from the thoracotomy, "oh man i'm here for five minutes and i'm already a mess. I can't show up to orientation like this!."
"Don't sweat it, you can change at your locker. I'll show you the way...."
He'd and soon after i walk into the locker room, searching for my assigned locker number... and come face to face with a gorgeous woman in her underwear!, "i'm so sorry" i quickly avert my eyes, staring awkwardly at the floor.
"How'd you make it through medical school without ever seeing a bra before?" she smile friendly through the question.
"I'm sorry! i just wasn't expecting..."
I turn away, only to run into a muscular, shirtless guy, "go easy on him Jesy, it's the first day for all of us" he smile.
"Hey i can be friendly... if you stay out of my way" she smile.
The guy turns his attention back to me, "your awful quiet, hope Jesy isn't scaring you off already" he says.
"If you scared by me, a career in medicine probably wasn't the best choice."
"Please, i don't scare easy" i replied.
"Good neither do i" he smile, the guy extends his hand, giving me a playful wink, "Louis Tomlinson, aka your new fave surgical intern. pleasure's all mine."
"Ignore the meathead he's a scalpel jockey" Jesy said.
"Harry... Harry Styles. Internal medicine."
"Guess your with me then, c'mon we're gonna be late" Jesy pulls on her scrubs, looking my stained pair up and down, "you gonna change before orientation or what?."
I found my locker and got out of the stained one's, "give me one second, i'll be fast."
"Hey, no rush" Louis smile.
I saw Jesy eyes tracing my body, "what, you made it all the way through med school without ever seeing a pair of undershorts."
"Well played."
I pull on my crisp white doctor's coat, "i still feel like i'm playing dress-up" i smile.
"Don't let anybody else know it, they'll eat you alive here" Louis advice me.
"Let's go, i don't want to miss anything good. Louis, do you ever put clothes on?" Jesy asks.
"Hey if ya get it, flaunt it" he reply.
The three of us arrive in the main atrium, the rest of the new interns are already gathered in front of an impressive, statuesque woman. "Because as of today, you are no longer just students, you are doctors" she told us.
"Psst, who is that?" i asks.
"Seriously?" Jesy says in shock, "did you learn medicine in the woods or something?."
"That's Harper Gomez! the hospital's new chief" Louis let us know, "she's a total badass! world-famous head of neurosurgery before she got promoted. Guess she's just a scalpel jockey to, Jesy?."
"She's the exception that proves the rule" she smile.
"More will be demanded of you then your ever experienced" Harper told everyone, "some of you will buckle under the pressure, some of you will quit... But some... some of you will thrive" she smile but damn she's tough.
"Wow Dr. Gomez is inspiring!, i feel like nothing's gonna stop now" i smile happy.
"Well then, can you pipe down?, i'm trying to listen" Jesy asks.
"You've been entrusted with a sacred duty: the care and wellbeing of very man, woman, and child who enters this hospital, are you ready?" she smile.
I brust into applause with the rest of the interns and look around, sharing excited smiles with my new colleagues, i met a woman's eye, giving her a smile. She doesn't smile back, she's the only intern not clapping, she acrually looks mad.
"You'll be introduced to your senior residents tomorrow, but for now you'll be partnering up for your first patients. your assignments ae posted on the board, good luck doctors" Harper told us smiling.
"Later, meathead, have fun" Jesy said before she went off.
"Try not to miss me too much!" Louis call after her, he then grins at me as he jogs over to join the other surigcal interns.
As the medical interns gather around the board to learn their assignments, i stifle a yawn, "how are you tired already?" Jesy asks next to me, "your sixty seconds into a 14 hour shift.
"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night" i replied, "the 'room' i rented when i moved to Boston turned out to be just a closet under a very busy staircase" i scan the list for my name, "Looks like i'm partnering with...Dr. Gomez? what?" my mouth fell open.
"As in chief of medicine Harper Gomez?" i look over to see another intern next to me said that.
"No, as in medical intern Selena gomez" she said very annoyed.
Everyone turns to look at the unimpressed intern i noticed during Chief Gomez's speech, "wait... Are you related to Harper Gomez?" the intern asks in shock.
"She's my aunt" Selena answer.
"Oh, just great, now we have to compate with pedigree" Jesy joined in.
The other interns murmur in surprise and awe, "let's just get it out of the way: Yes i could get you a meeting with her, but i won't" she said mad, "and i won't tell her how you think she's 'the greatest surgeon of her generation' either" she said in the same manner.
"I mean... she actually is, though" another male intern join in.
"Wow. Selena Dr. Gomez's really your aunt?" i asks, "that must be so difficult."
"It's..." i saw a flicker of surprise in Selena's eyes before she narrows them, "did anyone ask you what you thought?, what do you say we go check on our patients? if your done with the pleasantries" she said in a calmer manner.
"Those were the pleasantries?" i asks.
Selena and i walk down a corridor, trying to get our bearings in the massive ward, "okay so our first parient is in room 532. Should we talk about how we're going to approach this case?."
"No need" she replied.
"Look Selena... I'm just trying to be friendly, this is a tough job. We should have each other backs."
"I can manage just fine on my own, thanks" she changes forward, purposely keeping a few steps aheah of me.
We got to the room and entered it, hesitating as i realize my first patient isn't much older then me, "oh! are you my doctors?."
Selena pushes past me to stand by the beside, her frown melts into a surprisingly kind smile, "we are, you must be Annie. I'm Dr. Gomez and this is Dr. Styles, we're here to take care of you."
(Wow. Apparently she is physically capable of being nice.)
"Annie, i'm going to take your vitals while Dr. Styles asks you some questions."
"Before we start, is there anyone we can call for you?, being in the hospital can be a little less scary with someone by your side."
"I just moved here for grad school, my family's on the other side of the country, and i don't really know anyone yet."
"I just moved here too" i smile, "maybe we can look out for each other while your here."
"Sure... Okay" she smile.
"Can you hold out your arm for me, Annie?" as Selena counts Annie's heart rate, i notice that the skin of Annie's arm has some marbled patches. She scratches at them nervously.
"Do you often suffer from itchy skin?" i asks.
"Not really, just these past few days."
"Your chart says you came in suffering from severe headaches, nausea, and vertigo."
"And my palms keep cramping up."
"When did these start?" i asks.
"About a week ago, i had to cut my vacation to indonesia short because of them."
"You did the right thing, Vertigo in a place your your unfamiliar with can be very dangerous" Selena replied nicely.
"Not to mention how scary it must have been" i agree.
"It still is, how long will i have to stay here?" Annie asks.
"As long as it take" i told her.
"So... you think i could be in here for a long time?."
She breathes heavily, starting to hyperventilate, Selena shoots me a hand glare, unimpressed by my blunt beside manner, "it's okay Annie just breathe Dr. Styles just means that we can't know for sure, but we'll have you out as soon as we can."
"Okay, i just... i have a lot of schoolwork to catch up on, i tend to panic when i get stressed out."
(This poor girl, she's stuck in a giant new hospital in a giant new city, all by herself. I know how that feels.)
"You really have no reason to worry, Annie. Your health and wellbeing is our first priority, and if that means helping you with a pile of schoolwork, then... count Dr. Gomez and me in!" i smile.
"Count us in? i mean... sure, i guess."
"Really? thanks!" she brushes her hair away from her neck, revealing... a rash.
I quickly look over the rest of her body, noticing a cut on her ankle, that i also took a look at, "Annie, how did you get this rash on your neck?."
"I have a rash?" she asks in shock, i pass her a mirror, directing her attention toward her neck, "i didn't even know it was there, it might be from the scuba suit i rented in pulau Manjangan?."
"Your a scuba diver?" i asks.
"I'm still learning, i went for my diving license while i was on my trip."
"Alright, Annie. One last question, do you have any known allergies to medication?."
"None that i know of."
Selena finishes taking Annie's blood pressure, "we're all done here for now, we'll let you get some rest."
"You did really well, Annie" i smile.
"Thanks! you guys are super nice, i was expecting some old grumpy guy" she smile.
I laugh a bit, relieved to have gotten through my first real patient consultation in one piece, "to be honest, so was i!," Selena and i step into the corridor, closing the door behind me, "'Dr. Styles'... I don't think i'm ever going to get tired of hearing that" i smile.
"That's funny, i'm already tried of hearing it" wow a moment ago she was friendly, i sigh, focusing on work instead.
"How were Annie's vitals?."
"Good, but we should run a full workup."
"And we should order a screen for any viruses or bacteria, shecould have picked something up on her trip."
"Not the worst idea..."
"Paging Dr. Selena Gomez to Dr. Harper Gomez's office."
"And i guess that means your doing it."
"Seriously?" i asks a bit annoyed.
"I'll tell you what. When the Chief wants to see you, i'll run the labs, untill then..." she replied mad and walks away, leaving me with the grunt work.
"Gee, thanks, screw you."
My other patients keep me busy all morning, finally i have a minute to myself, i sagagainst the wall to catch my breath, i haven't sat down in hours, "Dr. Styles? your labs for the partient in 532" a female nurse said friendly.
I took Annie's lab results and read them over, "huh Annie's picked up an uncommon strain of bacteria. Could be the cource of her symptoms, let's give her 200 milligrams of cefpodoxime antibiotice every 12 hours and see how she does."
Later i'm trying to find my way back to Annie's room...(i am totally lost.)
Bewildered i turn around, looking for something familiar... "kff!."
I plow into another intern, who drops a textbook he was carrying!, "oof my bad!."
"No, no i'm sorry, that was probably my fault, i was too busy reading my book, hey i saw you at orientation. Harry styles right? i'm Liam... Liam Payne."
I kneel down to pick up Liam's dropped textbook but then i saw the cover, "whoa your reading Diagnostic Principles by Zayn Malik" i smile.
"Yeah i totally worship the guy, shrine in my basement and everything" then his face turn to shock, "kidding! i'm kidding. I never know if it's clear when i'm joking."
"Well, they say never meet your heroes.."
"God wait! it's you, isn't it? your the intern who did the thoracotomy with him this morning?."
"Yeah and he ripped me a new one in front of everyone, it was so unbelievably--."
"Lucky! Zayn Malik actually talked to you! ugh, this is what i get for getting to work an hour early, if i saw him in person, i'd probably just..." he stops talking and freezes up staring wide-eyed in panic.
"Yeah, it was pretty intimidating but... Liam? you okay?" he points past me, i turn around there, talking to a nurse down the hall is.. Dr. Zayn Malik, "oh crap! uh oh he's coming this way! hide me!" i whisper yell to Liam.
"Hide you?! Hide me!" he replies.
"Ugh! what am i doing?, i can't let my first go like this!, i'm... i'm gonna go talk to him."
"The man once tore apart the research of the A.M.A.'s president... during the president's keynote address! are you sure about this?."
"Nope, i'm doing this, hey let me borrow your copy of his book?" taking Liams' copy of Diagnostic Principles, i march down the hall toward Dr. Malik, who's stopping by an elderly patient's room... Even from the hall i can hear he patient hollering.
"I'm not going to ask you again Barb."
"Forget about it, Dr. Malik! i'm busting outta this joint!, i'll tie the bedsheets together and rappel out of the window!" a woman's voice said mad.
"Don't wait up on my account" wow he sounds happy, "in fact, i might break out of here with you."
"I mean it! i don't have my favorite armchair, and i'm bored without my puzzles!."
"And i'm bored of your excuses, Barb. Whine all you want i'm not going anywhere untill you take your medication" Zayn mutters to himself as he walks to a vending machine in the hall, he slides a dollar bill into it... but then just stands there with his arms folded, not selecting anything.
"Um, hi Dr. Malik" he glances up at me for a split second.
"Rookie."
"I was hoping you might sign my book."
"Autographs? don't you have work to be doing?, or at least other attendings to irritate?."
"No just you" i smile.
"I should have guessed, well if you have something else to say then say it" he ordered.
"I just wanted to tell you that i won't let you down again" he still doesn't look up.
"Can you see the future?, if so, you'll make a remarkable physicican."
"I just meant--."
"You will let me down again, rookie what's more, you'll let yourself down over and over" i start to think this was a mistake... but at least, Zayn turns to look at me directly, "but what matters is that you get back on your feet each and very time, and push yourself to be better" i notice his eyes keep flicking to the chocolate bar in the top corner of the vending machine.
"I was always a Geysers Exploding Fruit Snacks guy myself" i try to help a bit.
"That's truly fascinating, but i'm not--."
"I know your not getting something for yourself, your trying to pick something to cheer up Barbara in there, right?."
"How'd you figure that?."
"Just paying attention, you know, i bet i could pick out just the thing" i smile.
He began to smile as well, "i doubt it, Barbara's even more stubborn then you, she's refused to take her pills for two days, but be my guest, it's a hopeless endeavor."
I scan the contents of the vending machine, (let's see they've got hot cocoa in there, that's always a comforting classic...) (and Chuckles Gum, that's the one with a joke written on every wrapper.) (What do i pick for Dr. Malik's patient?.)
The machine whirs, and a gaudy, multicolored pack of gum plunks out into the tray, "what in the hell is that?" he asks in surprise.
"You never had Chuckles Gum? they write jokes in the wrapper" i smile, i show Zayn one of the pieces, "see? this one's even a doctor joke. 'What type of blood did the author have?' type-O!" he just looks at me, "like a typo?."
"Oh, i got it, it's just not funny" he said.
"Tough crowd, look just give them to her okay? trust me" i told him, he heads back into Barbara's room, and soon returns with a preplexed look on his face.
"That got her to take her pills, i can't believe it, so are you gonna tell me how you worked that one out?."
I smirk "a guy's gotta have some secrets."
"Your really going to hold out on me?."
"I'm going for an air of mystery, is it working?."
"Mildly" he smile a bit.
I notice there still fifty cents left over from Zayn's dollar, (what else should i buy?) ah the chocolate bar of course, "and echo is that for?."
"You" i answer and toss Zayn the bar, "saw you kept staring at it earlier, you know, it's okay to treat yourself sometimes" i smile.
Zayn look down at the bar in his hands"... i'll keep that in mind" i turn to walk away..." Wait" he motions for the book, "give it here" he takes Liam's copy of Diagnostic Principles and scrawls a message inside before tossing it back, "now get back to work, Styles" he smile.
"You remembered my name?."
"...Just paying attention" he walks off, i open the book to read it what he wrote. Don't let me down. - Dr. Zayn Malik.
With a smile beaming on my face, i return to Liam and show him the book, he looks so surprised, "your still alive! and... I can't believe it! you got my copy signed!, whoa! that inscription is intence... And i absolutely love it" he squeezes you in an awkward hug!.
"Come on, i'm getting paged and, i dunno about you, but i'm still completely lost...
Later i check in on Annie, she's curled up in her bed, playing idly with her phone, she perks up a little when she sees me, forcing a smile, "oh hi Dr. Styles."
"I just came by to see how your feeling, Annie."
"The same, the nurse came by and gave me some medication a little while ago."
"Antibiotics, it's too soon to see any improvement yet, but hopefully we'll see some results soon" i touch her arm to comfort her, then turn to leave.
"Hey, could you stay a while? it's... kinda lonely, being here all on my own."
"Of course i can" i smile and pull up a chair, taking a seat beside her bed.
"Thanks, Dr. Styles."
"No thank you, i haven't been off my feet since i got out of bed this morning, so Annie when did you move here?."
She blinks, as if she's confused by the question, when she tries to answer, her words are slurred, "about... about a month... month..." she sways, hervoice woozy as she tries to finish her sentence.
"Annie? are you feeling okay?."
"Nnh..." she slumps back on her pillow, unconscious, her heart rate monitor sounds a long, flat as her heart stops.
"Ohmygod! Annie? Annie!" i call out in a scared shock, "code blue! code blue, i need some help in here!."