Chapter Text
7:00am
"Ogilvie, off the chest!"
"Clear"
"Still V-tach, but it looks weird."
"Agreed."
"No pulse."
"Start compressions, Joy."
The new student doctor, Joy, springs into action with little to no enthusiasm. She seems to be quite the bundle of joy... Whitaker smiles lightly to himself at that little play on words he just made.
These new student doctors are anything but joyful. Ogilvie is just narcissism wrapped up into a curly-headed human-shaped bundle, and Joy is, well, she's a bit hard to read, seeing as she never changes her facial expression from "get me tf out of here". That being said, it's nice not being one of the student doctors anymore. Sometimes Dennis forgets that his first day in The Pitt was so horrible. Over these past few years, he's worked so hard to become a doctor. All of his rotations had gone pretty smoothly until The Pitt. I mean, how unlucky can you be to have a mass shooting on your first day? It reminded him of all the fighting and suffering he had to go through all those years ago, back at Garside Grange, back with his family. Back when he was forced to decide between vampires and saving breathers. Back when -
"Stop compressions. We're calling it." Dr. Al-Hashimi walked in, pulling Dennis out of his thoughts. "Sorry. The patient's dead."
Everyone in the room looks down at the now dead practice dummy lying on the gurney below them. Al-Hashimi starts telling us what we did wrong. This is honestly bullshit. If Ogilvie wasn't such a stickler about everything, then the damn dummy would still be alive. Am I really feeling bad for a dummy?
Robby walks in, praise the lord; I can't try to save the life of another dummy right now.
"Trauma's a minute out," calls in Perlah.
Everyone scampers out of the room.
****
After the first big trauma of the morning, everything slowed down for a few minutes.
"I'm looking for someone to pick up," said Ogilvie from across the room. This guy isn't gonna last long if he thinks he can just pick and choose who he wants at 7 in the morning. The morning rush always starts around 7:30. Not to mention, when you're working in an ER, things never really slow down.
"Ethan Bostick, 79. Found altered this morning at assisted living...." Two EMTs were wheeling in the older man. Ogilvie was most definitely staring over my shoulder. I can feel his beady, perceptive little eyes boring a hole in my back. Joy, on the other hand, was ready to jump into action, walking along the opposite side of the gurney.
What the fuck? Dennis winced at the sharp pain that traveled through his entire body. It felt like he was standing on an airplane about to skydive. He was suddenly nauseous as the pain moved from his head, all the way down to his toes, causing them to curl in unease. Dennis jolted as a shiver traveled down his spine. His teeth ached, and his head pounded. Then suddenly it was over. Just as quickly as the unbearing, queasy, almost vomit-inducing pain had started, it was gone. Never in his life had Dennis ever felt a hunger this bad. That must be what it was, right? The aching, the nausea, his mouth hurting... He must be hungry. He hadn't had even a drop of blood since he left home. Since he ran away.... Why now?
"There's.. Then there's nothing for us to do." Ogilvie's voice pulled Dennis from his thoughts. Grabbing the clipboard out of Ogilvie's hands, Dennis glanced it over and sighed.
"Do not resuscitate does not mean do not treat, he may perk up with IV fluids.." Helping this man has to be the top priority right now, even if there's not much we can do. Even knowing this, Dennis couldn't ignore the aching in his stomach now. It may not be shrivelling pain, but it was there. Festering, growing stronger by the second.
"Argh," Dennis couldn't help the wince he made. Another set of stabbing pains jolted through his spine. Fuck. Everyone was staring at him.
"Are you ok, Whitaker?" Asked Joy, looking more amused than worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I just forgot to eat when I got home last night. I've been so busy..." Looking from person to person, Dennis slowly started to back toward the door. "I think I packed a protein bar, I'm gonna go grab that if you guys are going to be ok here." Not that he was leaving them much of an option, seeing as he was already walking out the door.
"Go ahead, we're fine." Joy crossed her arms and nodded toward the break room.
Dennis didn't run out to the ambulance bay, per se. One could say he just walked. Really fast.
This has never happened before. Even when he was a new vampire and refused to drink blood, he never felt like this. Is this because I'm turning into a full vampire again? Are my responsibilities as the chosen one starting to affect me physically? "Arghhh!" Dennis curled over, clutching his stomach. He felt like he was shriveling away. The overwhelming hunger was taking over his entire body. His every thought. He felt as if he had never eaten before in his entire life. Another wave hit him, sending him onto the ground. Shit, shit, shit.
Dennis pulled himself off the ground, bracing against the stone wall of the hospital. He staggered forward toward a nearby alley. Each step was like ripping his feet out of glue, then re-stepping into it and having to do it all over again.
"Hey, man! You all good over there?" An EMT stood by the hospital entrance, looking wearily at Dennis. He probably looked like shit right now. He sure felt like it.
"Yeah, I'm.. mmm.. I'm fine. Just getting some fresh air! I mean, you know what it can be like in there." Please leave me alone. Please. In this state he was in right now, Dennis wasn't confident that he wouldn't just kill the EMT right here. He was so hungry that he wouldn't be able to stop himself. Even right now, from all the way across the ambulance bay, he could smell the EMT's blood. The sweetness could be described as something close to honey, with a sour tang.. Fuck I'm gonna kill this guy if he doesn't leave right now.
"Yeah. I get it, man. Be careful out here!"
Dennis shared a wave and a slight nod to the EMT. Thank God. The EMT walked inside, leaving Dennis alone in his hunger again. he started walking toward the alley again, one foot in front of the other. He felt like he was bracing against the wall next to him with all the strength he had. The alley was getting closer with each step. Come on. You're so close. One foot... In front of the other... Only three more steps. One foot.. A trash can lid fell to the ground next to him with a loud clang that echoed throughout the alleyway. Then a squeak. The smallest, tiniest squeak coming from the trash can.
God dammit.
Dennis pulled himself over to the trash can with the last of his strength. He held himself over the now open can, bracing onto it as if his life depended on it. Squeak. Oh man.. Reaching down Dennis started rummaging through the contents of the trash can. Some leftover lunch from the hospital employees, diapers, and a liquid substance he definitely didn't want to be touching. And then, movement. Dennis grabbed the squealing rat with ease. He pulled the creature out of the can, now gripping it with both hands. Seeing the creature immediately eliminated all hesitation in him. The vampire side is taking over his entire being. His fangs grew out of his skull, sharp and ready to feel the sensation of blood covering them. He gripped the rat harder, squeezing it hard, but not hard enough to kill it. A few months ago, he caught a rat that looked a lot like this one, yet he didn't feel the overwhelming, all-consuming need to suck its blood as he does right now. He can feel Dennis slipping away. The fabricated identity he had made for himself all those years ago. Vlad was taking over. His vampire instincts are kicking back in. He could hear everything around him: the cars, blood pumping through veins, the hospital. He could smell everything as well. His senses in full swing, urging him on to give in to his instincts.
Squeak!
He sank his fangs into the rat.