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There is nothing that goes down in the Pitt that Dana Evans doesn't know about. Patients, doctors, nurses, orderlies. If you walk through those sliding doors, Dana has a read on you within two minutes.
She knows every piece of gauze pulled from the supply room and every bribe doughnut taken from the breakroom.
Running the ER isn’t just about the medicine, it's about the people.
Which is exactly why she noticed something was off with Emma Nolan the second she walked up to the Nurse’s Station this morning. She was usually sunshine in scrubs. Eager, bright-eyed, always ready to help and learn. The kind of nurse who reminded everyone why they got into the job in the first place.
But today? Her shoulders were slightly slumped, eyes a little glassy and the smiles seemed like they were going to be harder to come by.
Maybe she was hungover? Dana had powered through enough of those shifts herself, especially when she was Emma’s age. But this seemed different.
Dana eyed Emma a little suspiciously. Knowing everyone had their off days so she didn't want to push her, especially if it wasn't going to affect her work.
She had only known the girl a few months, but she developed an almost maternal instinct towards her. The price she pays for running the ER. She keeps this place and everyone inside it a float.
After the morning rush slowed a little, Dana noticed Emma still seemed off, so she nudged her gently. “Hey hon, why don’t we go check on a few things in the
supply room while we have a couple minutes”.
Emma quietly nodded, following Dana.
While they silently picked through the PPE, Dana casually tossed out “Anything up sweetheart? You don’t seem to be yourself today”.
Without looking up Emma shrugged and sheepishly said “Um, no. just a little tired”.
Dana gave a light laugh. “Listen hun I get it. 12 hour shifts will do that to ya.” She knew there was more to the story but she didn’t want to push it. Maybe she really was just hung over.
After a few moments of silence passed, Dana tried to keep things light asking if she had any Valentines Day plans.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Emma freeze for just a second and Dana mentally cursed herself.
Ah there it is…
Dana tried to walk it back a little. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be here. I’m covering for one of the new nurses. They were smart enough to book the dinner reservation, but not smart enough to request the time off. Nothing says romantic weekend like antiseptic and hospital sandwiches.”
She could see the tears starting to well in Emma’s eyes.
“Oh Em, ya don’t gotta get upset.” Dana said, her heart breaking slightly.
“I thought I was going to dinner, but the guy I have been talking to,” Emma said shyly. “Well apparently he has a girlfriend.” Her voice broke and there were tears in her eyes threatening to fall. “So he is taking her out instead.”
Dana crossed the room to console her, not sure how Emma would react to a hug, but Emma leaned into her and started sobbing. Dana started rubbing her back like she’d done a hundred times with her daughters when they were upset.
“I just feel so dumb.” Emma said crying into Dana’s shoulder
“Shhh,” Dana whispered. “It’s alright, honey. That boy doesn’t deserve you.”
After a few minutes Dana stepped back, breaking the hug, but keeping her hands on Emma’s upper arms.
“You know what?” Dana said decisively.” We’re gonna take care of this.”
Emma blinked, “What do you mean?”
“You know what restaurant he’s taking this hoochie to?” Dana asked.
A little confused, Emma said “Um Yeah, I think its Russos”
“Excellent” Dana said, turning on her heels and marching out of the supply room.
She crossed the ER like a woman on a mission. On her way to the nurses station, Dana clocked Santos looking for any type of distraction to avoid charting.
“Santos, do me a favor and look up the number for Russos,”Dana ordered.
Santos perked up instantly grabbing her phone. “Ohhhh D, I hear that place is GOOD. You trying to make a reservation?”
“No i am gona cancel one” Dana said matter of factly.
“What?!” Emma said trailing behind Dana looking mortified. “No, you can't."
“Course I can. Santos, what's the number?”
Santos, excited to be looped into the drama quickly recited the number to Dana.
“It's really not that big of a deal Dana.” Emma pleaded.
Dana ignored her and entered the number waiting for a sign of life on the other end of the line.
Santos stared at Dana from across the Nurses Station, her eyes eagerly begging for an explanation. “What’s happening?”
Dana looked back up at Santos.
“Turns out Emma’s little… boyfriend,” she said (putting heavy emphasis on the word boy) told her he was busy on Valentine's day because he was getting dinner with his girlfriend.”
“No???!!!” Santos said in shock
“Yes”, said Dana. Glasses perched on her nose.
What A FUCK Boy”, said Santos in disbelief
“Mouth Santos,” Dana said warningly. “....But yeah.”
The receiver finally connected and Dana was hit with a peppy “Hi this is Russo’s how can i help you?”
Dana took her glasses off and put her palm to her forehead, slipping into a sweet, soothing voice she reserved for nervous patients. “ Hi there,” she said warmly. “I wanted to call to cancel a reservation my boyfriend made. Unfortunately he has a nasty case of the stomach bug and we won't be able to make it.”
There was a response on the other end of the line.
“Ugh I know right, Happy Valentine's Day to me.” Dana said, forcing a laugh. “I work in the ER and probably brought it home with me.”
“What's going on?” McKay said in an almost whisper as she approached the Nurses station pushing up her sweatshirt sleeves..
Santos was more than happy to fill her in. “The guy Emma is talking to made a reservation with another girl for Valentines day so Dana is calling to cancel it.
“HA!” McKay cackled, tossing her head back. “That's fantastic”.
Dana turned to look at Emma and held her hand over the receiver. “What's his name Hun?”
Emma paused for a second looking mortified and Dana waved her on. “Uh Ryan…Ryan “O’Connor”
Dana rolled her eyes, and slipped back into a sticky sweet voice. “The reservation should be under Ryan O’Conner.”
There was another muffled response on the other end of the phone.
Dana leaned back on the desk crossing her ankles before responding “Yeah that is fine, take your time”.
Santos and McKay were grinning wildly at the soap opera playing out in front of them.
Emma looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. “Dana It's ok you REALLLY don't need to do this” she said almost pleadingly.
Dana just put her hand over the receiver. “No he’s a…” Looking over at Santos waving her hand trying to remember the choice words.
“Fuck boy” Santos answered gleefully.
Dana pointed back at her saying “Right. He deserves what's coming”
Muttering out loud more to herself. “Pisses me off. Thank God I had girls.”
The voice on the headset came back to life and after a moment a smug smile crossed Dana’s face.
“Oh thank you so much, I really appreciate it…. You know what? There is one more thing. Can you check for reservations on Saturday and Sunday and cancel those as well? He never knows my schedule, and he was probably trying to cover his bases. We can free up a table. Someone else might as well enjoy a nice dinner.”
There was a question on the other end of the Line.
Dana responded “ Yeah I work at PTMC. In the ER”.
There was another beat.
“Ah no kidding.” Dana had a genuine smile on her face. “Glad we were able to help him out”. There was another comfortable pause on the line as Dana waited for the next response.
Dana looked up a little surprised. “Oh…wow really. That’d be great actually. Just give me a sec.”
She covered the phone again looking over at Emma.
“What’s your email?”
Emma blinked. “What?”
“Email, kid.” she said a little sharper this time.
Emma shook herself out of it “[email protected]”.
Dana repeated the email into the phone. “Yup you got it.” she said smiling. “Hey, I just wanted to say thanks again. You’ve been incredibly helpful.”
Dana wrapped the call saying “Alright, thanks bye”.
When she hung up the phone she had 3 sets of eyes staring at her.
Dana turned and squared herself up to Emma, clapping her hands together. “
“Alright. ALLLLL of Mr. O’Conner’s reservations have been canceled for this weekend.”
Emma stared at her in disbelief.
“Now a few things missy.” putting a finger up for emphasis. “One. You are going to cut off contact with this boy. No texts, instagrams, any of it. You are not to speak to him ever again.”
Emma just nodded.
Putting up a second finger Dana continued “Two. They’re emailing you a $50 gift card,” Dana said with a smile. “Go have a nice night with your girlfriends…and get some dessert".
Santos' jaw dropped “How’d you pull that off?”
“You doubt my charms Santos? Dana turned and smirked.
“I know better than that.” Santos said, sarcastically.
Dana rolled her eyes and snorted. “Despite our best efforts there is apparently at least ONE person who has had a pleasant experience here at PTMC…. and that person has the power to issue giftcards.” she shrugged.
“Thanks Dana, I don't know what to say.” Emma said awkwardly but genuinely.
Dana smiled warmly. “Don't mention it hun. Just know we’ve always got your back.”
Changing to a mock serious tone, Dana continued “And if a boy ever makes you cry in a supply room or anywhere else” she took a slight pause “ just know that will be his last mistake.”
McKay let out another cackle and Robbie approached the nurses station hearing the tailend of the threat.
Dana turned her back pretending to busy herself on the tablet in front of her.
“Why does it sound like I will be bailing my charge nurse out of jail?” Robbie asked flatly.
Without even looking up Dana threw back “feel free to leave me in there, I could use the vacation.”
“Do I even want to know?” Robbie replied exhaustedly rubbing his hands over his face looking at Santos and McKay.
McKay and Santos looked at each other, knowing they couldn't ignore their chief attending.
“Well,” Santos started “Emma’s Fuck Boy.”
“Santos.” Dana, said dangerously
“It turns out Emma’s Ex Love interest” she said with zero apology. “had another girlfriend the whole time he was seeing her.”
Robbie pursed his lips into a flat line and nodded. “Ah ha.”
Santos leaned in thrilled to have an audience and continued “Dana called the restaurant posing as this guy's girlfriend and canceled all his reservations.”
Robbie looked over at Dana in shock.
Dana continued to fiddle with the tablet. “What do you want me to say? The boy has the stomach bug.”
Robbie couldn't help but start laughing. “God help any man that crosses an Evans Woman.”
Dana finally looked up at him from over the top of her glass “And don't you forget it.”
“Thats not even the best part” McKay added. “They sent Emma a $50 gift card.”
Robbie looked over at Dana, impressed.
“How’d you pull that off?”
Dana tossed her hands up and with a feign sense of hurt said “Why does everyone here doubt my powers charisma and charm?”
“Careful, I might have you be the one who starts talking to Gloria.” Robbie joked.
“That is well above my pay grade, thank you very much.” Dana huffed a laugh. “The hostess apparently had a family member come through here a few weeks ago and I guess it was her way of saying thanks.”
“If only we could use that as a metric for patient satisfaction”. Robbie said with a sigh.
Dana snorted. “You’re welcome to try. Just don’t put my name on the paperwork.”
A trauma alarm suddenly blared overhead and someone called out “Trauma incoming. Ambulance bay, two minutes out!”
Dana put the tablet down shifting back into her charge-nurse mode.
“Alright show’s over. Back to work.”
Everyone started to scatter and she immediately turned to the board to see where they could put their incoming patient.
Emma shifted awkwardly, still standing next to Dana.
“Hey Dana?”
Dana looked down from the board. “Yeah hun?”
Emma hesitated, then said quietly, “Thanks Dana. Like, REALLY.”
Dana softened just a little.
She reached her arm around Emma’s shoulder.
“Anytime. It was light work”, Dana teased.
Just then a gurney rolled in through the sliding doors.
“Why don't you go help with this incoming case.” Dana said, handing Emma a pair of fresh gloves.
Emma nodded, giving Dana a genuine smile and was off.
Dana was happy to see the sunshine was back. She stood at the center of the chaos like she always did, happy to see that everything was back to normal. Well, normal for Pitt standards.