It is an early Wednesday and I had just come back from Afghanistan a few weeks ago. I missed it. I really did, but in other ways I didn't. I didn't know why I missed it, I just, I don't know. I couldn't think about it, thinking about made it too hard.
I am currently driving my best friend/sister to work, she works in this hospital in town. Dauntless hospital or something. I wasn't really listening when she told me about it and asked me if I could drive her to work this morning, since I must get to work myself.
I work at a tattoo parlor here in Chicago. I couldn't go back to medicine, not after what happened in Afghanistan. I just can't, it's too painful.
I slow down the car when I see the other cars slowing down in front of me. Few meters longer, the car is fully stopped.
"God I'm gonna be late." Christina says. My best friend/sister.
"I thought you said your shift started at 9." I reply, looking at the clock in the car that says 08.36.
"Yeah it does, but I just want to be there early." She replies and I nod. I get it, she has always been a person that would rather come before the time than later.
I look out the window and look towards the sky. It's blue with a few white skies. It looks calming. I used to look up at the sky in Afghanistan too, it helped me calm down every time something hectic was going on.
"Tris you see that?" Christina asks me breaking me out of my thoughts. I turn around and look at her pointing at something out through the window.
"What?" I ask her back.
"The ambulances. There must have been an accident. Come on let's go." She says opening the door.
"Chris I can't just leave the car here."
"Yes, you can. Now come on." She says and jumps out of the car. I park the car and follow her. Running after the ambulance.
"Miss, you can't be here." The police officer says to her as we come to the accident.
"Sir, this is my sister and we are both surgeons." She replies and the officer nods and let us pass.
This is one of the reasons I can't go back to medicine. Everyone is running in opposition direction, while I freeze. I can't move.
There is one car totally crashed and is now stuck against the bridge post and the other car is turned upside down.
"Hey! Tris, you can't freeze, they need your help!" Christina shouts to me and I look at her and then back to the scene. I nod and run over to one of the ambulance with two paramedics working on one of the victims
"Her BP is dropping." Says one of the paramedics. This one has blond hair.
"I can't find a pulse. I'm losing her." Says the other one. This one though has brown hair.
I go over to them and push the one with brown hair away and start doing CPR.
"I need a crash cart or a defibrillator." I say as I continue doing CPR.
"Here." The one with brown hair says.
"Charge to 200." I say and she gives it to me. "Clear." And I shock her.
"Pulse?" I ask and the blond hair one shakes her head. "Charge to 300. Come on." I shock her and ask her again about pulse.
"Yes. BP is coming up. "She says.
"Okay drive to the nearest hospital, I don't know how long she is going to be stable and I would need an ultrasound to find out more about the internal bleeding, but I can't do that until I get to a hospital." I say and they nod.
I jump into the ambulance, with the brown haired paramedic and the blond one starts driving.
"I need an oxygen mask." I say, she nods and gives on to me. I put it on the victim and start looking for any external bleeding. Nothing that I find, not too important right now away. The I start feel her abdomen. It feels rigid. That's not good.
"What's your name?" The brown haired girl asks. I stop feeling and look at her. My name should be the last of her concerns. This girl might be 18-20 years old and might be dying for all we know, and she is asking about my name.
"Tris. My name is Tris, I need you to help me check if she has any bad external bleeding or not."
"I am Melanie." She replies and I nod.
"Dammit, I am losing her. I need to intubate."
"Here." Melanie says and I nod.
"Hospital is 1 minute away."
"Okay, I got it. What's her BP?"
"90/60."
"It's too low."
I keep look at Melanie and she looks at me. The doors to the ambulance open and I jump out.
"Female, about 18 years old, intubated, shocked twice, last checked BP 90/60, not any external bleeding I could find too important, but there is definitely internal bleeding, her abdomen is rigid. Multiple fractions most likely."
"Okay we got it." I look up and see a man with dark black hair, maybe around 27 maybe.
"She is my patient." I say as I run in with the patient.
"Go to trauma room 2." Someone shouts.
"We should have a neuron consult." I say as we get into trauma room 2."
"Do you know if there is any internal bleedings elsewhere?" This guy asks me. I shake my head and a nurse comes in and takes over the squeezing, the only thing that is keeping my patient alive.
"Page neuron." The other darker hair doctor say and another nurse nods. I walk around the table and starts feeling around on her abdomen.
"Her abdomen doesn't feel right." I say and he nods.
"We should get her up to CT or tomography." He says and I shake my head.
"How long is the waiting line?"
"Depends." He says.
"I don't want to take a risk. I know there is an internal bleeding now. If you have an ultrasound we could see how much bleeding there is." He nods and gives me the ultrasound. I look at the ultrasound and see the bleeding. It's in the liver. "What's your specialty?"
"Cardio." He replies and I nod. He can help operate. Good.
"Hey Zeke." I look up and see another man around the same age. Ocean blue eyes, brown shaggy hair, he does look really good, and let's not even get started with his body, damn, you can see his muscle flex as he opens the door, damn, he must really work - God, Tris, you just met him, you don't even know his name. Slow down, plus he probably has a wife already, he must have, just look at him.
"Why don't you want to take him up for a tomography or a CT. It's more clear if we take her up." Zeke, I guess his names is, says.
"What have we got?" Ask another guy coming into the room. He looks just like Zeke, just shorter and maybe younger. "And who are you?"
"Because, I know what we are dealing with by just feeling her abdomen and just look at the ultrasound. She needs operation now, or she is going to bleed out." I reply Zeke.
"Yo Zeke, Chris is paging me, do you need a consult?" The good looking guy asks. God I really suck with nicknames.
I turn to look find Zeke looking at me and I look back at him. "What?"
"Do we need a consult?" He I nod.
"I said that didn't I?" I ask and he nods.
"I just - never mind." He says and I nod.
"Since when do you take orders from strangers?" The shorter version of Zeke asks.
"Who are you?" Zeke asks me.
"You are wondering who I am when we have a patient who is bleeding to death?" I ask and he nods. "Tris. I am Tris. A 27 year old surgeon, okay?" I ask and he nods.
"What hospital do you work at?" The shorter version of Zeke asks. I turn to look at him and then the good looking guy next to him.
"Can you give me the okay, so I can get to the OR?" I ask him and he nods.
He does his examination, while I look at Zeke and the younger version of him.
"I don't work at a hospital, not anymore." I say and they all stop.
"You are not allowed to operate on this person if you don't work at a hospital anymore." Zeke says and I look at him.
"She is my patient and I will finish with her, I can deal with the consequences afterwards. Now, neurosurgeon," I start and he looks at me, "can I get up to surgery now?" He nods and I nod.
"Zeke, right?" I ask and he nods. "Are you going to help me, or do I have to do this by myself?"
"We need a CT." He says and I shake my head.
"No we don't, you can feel the bleeding, plus you saw it on the ultrasound. Please I don't want to lose another one." I say and he nods. "Lead the way."
- PAGE BREAK -
"Great work in there." Zeke says as we come out from the OR after the eight hour surgery we had.
"Thank you, you weren't so bad yourself. I thought you might leave after the cramp you got in your hand, three hours ago." I say and he laughs.
"How did you know what would happen when we came into the OR?" He asks and I look at him.
"I -" I start, but I am soon interrupted.
"Since when do you let people you don't know operate on patients?" Asks this guy coming toward us.
"Sir - "Zeke starts, but I cut him of.
"Tris Prior." I say and put my hand out to shake his.
"Tris Prior." He says again, shaking my hand, trying to remember where he heard the name before. "You are Christina Silver's sister, right?"
"Yes, I am." I reply.
"Nice to meet you, Max Williams." He says and I nod.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." I reply and he nods.
"I heard you did fabulous work in there, too bad I can't get you to work for me." He says and I laugh.
"Sorry, I guess I need a break, I just, it's too painful." I reply and he nods.
"I understand, take your time, but if you ever want a job here, please let me know." He says and I smile.
"Will do Sir." I say and he nods to me than Zeke and leaves.
"Well that was cool. What did he mean with the job part?" He asks and I look at him.
"Sorry Zeke, I need to go." I say. "What way is the emergency room?" He points to the right and I run towards it. When I get there, I go and find my things and go to the nearest bathroom. I change out of my scrubs and into the clothes I came here with. I walk out of the bathroom again and throw the scrubs away and take my phone out, then I call Tori. My boss at the tattoo parlor.
"Where are you?" Tori shouts at me as she picks up.
"Sorry, I was stuck in traffic and it turns out it was an accident, so I helped, then I got stuck in surgery. I really apologize Tori."
"Are you okay?" She asks.
"Yeah I am fine, I am coming down now though."
"No don't worry, I will see you tomorrow instead." She replies and I smile. That's one of the reasons why I love her. She knows exactly when you need a break and she gives it to you.
"Thank you."
"Of course, see you tomorrow Prior." She says and ends the phone call. I smile.
I walk out of the hospital and find a cab and tell him to drive me to my apartment, when I get there I walk all the way to 5th floor and to apartment number 540 and unlock the door. I turn on the lights and head to the kitchen to start making an easy spaghetti and meat sauce.
When it's done, I eat and put the leftovers for Christina in the fridge. Then I go over to the couch, sit down, and turn on the TV.
My name is Beatrice Prior, shorted for Tris Prior. My parents are Andrew and Natalie Prior. I have a brother named Caleb. I worked as a medical doctor in the Army. I have brownish-blond hair and I don't have many curves, though I am not fat, I do exercise quite a lot. Anyways, I have always loved being a surgeon until the accident happened. I hate fashion, but Christina loves it and I don't have a boyfriend. That's me. For now.