Perceptions 13/66
Chapter13
April 20, 2013
"Doctor Malone to the ER. Doctor Malone to the ER." cried over the speakers of the pediatrics unit of St. Luke's Memorial Hospital.
Alexis glanced up at the nurse on the other side of the 15- yr old boy who'd had his appendix removed earlier in the day. "Any idea what that's about?" The nurse shook her head. "Ok, well, let's keep the iv going for another 200cc." She patted the boy's leg. "I'll be by later to check on ya, kiddo. No weight lifting till then." she joked. After leaving a final set of instructions with the nurse, she strode purposefully down the hallway and took the elevator down to the emergency room. She cornered one of the attending, Dr. Mark Flanders. "Hey Mark, why am I here?"
"35 year old female, GSW thru the left shoulder, facial lacerations, multiple bodily contusions and a possible concussion..." he started presenting the case but she interrupted.
"The last time I checked a 35 year old isn't a peds case."
"Special request. More like an order. Patient's name is Evangeline Benson." Alex's face drained of all color. "Do you know her?"
"Yeah where is she?" she asked curtly. He hesitated. She grabbed a hold of his lab coat with both hands, yanking him forward. Her eyes blazed in a mix of anger, fear and love. "Damn it Mark, I asked where is she?"
He gulped forcibly."Trauma two."
She roughly pushed him away, turned on her heel and ran full speed to the trauma area. Please god, let her be ok. I can't lose her. She's my life. She shoved open the door and almost passed out at the sight before her. Eve's left eye was almost swollen shut due to the cut below her eyebrow. Blood was evident on her bottom lip. The redness around the gaping hole in her shoulder bore testament to the amount of blood lost. Her arms and legs were scratched and bruised. "Why the hell isn't she in surgery?" Alex bellowed scaring the residents and nurses in the room.
"We have the bleeding under control, surgery is full and she's not a priority." replied the resident stitching Eve's eyebrow laceration.
Alex's eyes flashed angrily. "Bullshit! Get me Cabot on the phone. She's going to surgery."
"But Dr. Malone, Dr. Cabot's in surgery right now."
"Damn it all of you. OUT! NOW! Get out!" she ordered forcefully.
"But..."
"Goddamnit I said GET OUT!” she yelled. The tone of her voice and the dangerous gleam in her eyes made the residents and nurses flee the room. Eve chuckled softly. Alex took a deep steadying breath before approaching the bed. "What the hell do you think is so funny?"
"You are. You scared the pants off of those poor kids, who were just doing their jobs by the way." Alex picked up the abandoned needle and thread and focused on finishing the suturing of her girlfriends eyebrow. "Allie, I..."
"Got shot."
Eve snorted derisively. "Please don't make me laugh. It hurts too much."
"Ok then."
"Allie, hon, look at me."
"I am looking at you, Eve. I kind of need to so I can stitch your fucking eyebrow." She tried to remain calm but the hard edge to her voice gave her away. She bit her lip, focusing intently on the cut, added another stitch and placed a bandage over the eyebrow. She placed a gentle, loving kiss over the bandage. "I need to call an anesthesiologist down here so we can take care of that shoulder."
"Flanders said it was a clean wound, so there's no hurry." she sighed loudly leaning her head back on the pillow. "Can you just quit with the doctor mode for a few minutes?" She grasped Alex's nearest hand. "I don't want Dr. Malone right now. I want my Allie. Can you please just be my girlfriend for a few minutes?"
Alex chewed on her lip before quietly choking out a response. "I can't lose you, Evie. I'm nothing without you."
"Sweet heart, I'm not dead. I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere." Eve insisted. Alex squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears. "Allie... Allie, look at me." She opened her eyes. "Let the other doctors do their jobs. I love you, sweetie, but you're going to drive me crazy if you fix my shoulder." Eve brought their joined hands to her face so she could kiss Alex's knuckles. She grinned knowingly. "I'm sure you'll be badgering everyone for every detail until I'm out of here." Alex nodded sheepishly. “I’ll make sure Flanders and Cabot keep you apprised of my condition. Now you know I'm going to be ok and I've had my Allie fix. Let the students and nurses come finish what they started," Alex dropped her lover’s hand, her jaw tightening. She jammed her hands into the pocket of her lab coat and took a step backwards. Eve watched the change in her partner’s demeanor. She’s internalizing her feelings again. God, how many times have we fought over her reluctance to talk about her feelings. “Allie, don’t be like that.”
Alex glared angrily at her girlfriend. “Don’t be what? Pissed that you’re pushing me away? Scared of losing you…of you dying?”
“You’re not losing me and I’m laying her so I’m obviously not dying anytime soon.”
“Hurt that you don’t want me to care for you?”
“Ok I deserve that one.”
“What, Evangeline? Don’t be what?” Eve swallowed hard, ready to respond further when Alex shook her head sadly. “Forget it. Just fucking forget it.
“Allie, don’t do this.” Alex just rolled her eyes and stalked out of the room, leaving Eve with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Baby, don’t do this.”
Alex leaned against the wall outside of the trauma room, tears flowing down her own cheeks. You’re such an idiot, Doc. She doesn’t want you around. Why do you insist on pushing your way of life onto her? She closed her eyes and beat the back of her head against the wall. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
One of the residents who had been chased from the room approached her cautiously. “Dr. Malone?” Alex opened one eye in response. “They’re ready for her up in surgery. Is it ok to take her?”
Dr. Malone ruffled her hair with both hands then shoved both hands into the pockets of her white lab coat. "Ok. I want to be notified the minute she's settled in recovery. And if I'm not..." her grey eyes narrowed dangerously.
The resident nodded exuberantly. “I will, Dr. Malone. You can count on me.”
“Good. I’ll be up in my office.” She pushed away from the wall and trudged sadly to the elevator.
The young resident entered Trauma room 2. “They’re ready for you up in surgery now, Miss Benson.” She checked the monitors and stabilized the bed for transport.
Eve wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Sorry about that. Alexis can be…”
“Temperamental?”
“That’s one word for it. I was going to say overly protective and paranoid, especially when it comes to us.”
The medical resident stared at the door in shock. "I never knew Dr. Malone was a lesbian. If I'd known, I ..."
"Choose your words carefully, miss." Eve growled her eyes flashing open. "She's also very involved with an assistant district attorney who will hit you with a personal defamation suit so fast it'll make your head spin if she so much as hears a rumor of Dr. Malone being hit on."
"You're the lawyer girlfriend."
"Eight years in May." she grinned slightly. "She's very protective of those she loves, she's just not the greatest at showing it."
"I'd say. Nobody here had a clue until she roughed up Flanders and tossed us out earlier. Then everyone did the math fairly quickly."
"Don't be too hard on her. That's what she has me for." Eve joked.
"You're one lucky lady."
Eve closed her yes again. "You have no idea."
Later that night
Eve awoke to the worried expressions of her parents, Jim and Diane Benson. “Mom? Dad? Why are you two here?”
Diane breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, Eve, my poor baby. You’re in the hospital. It only makes sense that we’d be here for you. You really should have your family around you at a time like this.” She brushed a lock of her daughter’s raven hair away from her forehead.
The patient surveyed the room. Her eyebrows furrowed together when she only saw her parents. “Where’s Alex?”
“She…uh…”stuttered her mother.
“She’s in her office, waiting for word about you.” Interrupted her father. He smiled broadly at the two women. “I’ll go talk to her.”
Eve watched in confusion while her father left the room. “What are you two trying to hide from me about Allie?”
“There’s nothing to hide, dear.” Her mother smiled, patting her leg.
“Objection, your honor. The witness is evading answering the question.” Eve quipped snidely.
Diane sat slowly in the chair next to the hospital bed. “Alex was very distraught while you were in surgery.”
“Oh geez, what did she do?”
Jim Benson tapped lightly on the door to Dr. Alexis Malone’s office and opened it slowly. He shook his head when he saw Alex slumped over her desk, snoring; her head nestled on her left forearm, which bore a bright white new cast. He shook her shoulder gently. “Come on, sport. Time to wake up.”
“Huh? Evie?”
“Was awake and talking when I left. She seemed upset that you weren’t there.”
Alex harrumphed and wiped her eyes with her right hand. “Yeah. Right. And I’m Queen of England.”
“In any case, she was asking about you.” He nodded at her new cast. “Mind explaining what happened there?”
She shrugged carelessly. “My hand met the truck door. Door won.”
“And by chance was there a gentleman by the name of Jack involved?” he asked knowingly.
“Not this time. We became acquainted after the break was set.”
“You can’t keep doing things like this, Alex.”
“Things like what?” she slurred slightly.
“Getting drunk and hurting yourself. It doesn’t just hurt you, ya know.”
Several hours later, Eve awoke to a pounding headache and a heavy weight on her right thigh. What in the world? She looked down to see Alex’s head next to her thigh and Alex’s left forearm on her leg. God, Allie, what did you do this time? She ran her fingers over her lover’s curls. “What is your fascination with my hair?” mumbled Alex without opening her eyes.
“You have such pretty hair. I envy you your hair. Mine never wants to do anything.”
Alex opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at her partner. “How are you feeling?”
“My shoulder is a bit sore and I have a headache but I’m not allowed any more pain medication until morning.” Alex nodded distractedly. “What happened to your hand?”
“It got in a fight with my truck door. The big Dodge won.”
“Allie,” Eve groaned. “how many times have I told you…?”
“To quit punching things harder than a pillow. I know. I know.”
“Are you finally going to listen now that you’ve broken your hand?” Eve shook her head to ward of the answer. “Oh, forget it. This is you we’re talking about.”
Alex stood abruptly. “So that’s how this is going to play out, huh? You get shot and I get told I’m not good enough to care for you. I break my hand and get an ‘I told you so’. I don’t need this, Eve, particularly from you right now.” With those final words, the pediatrician stormed out of her lover’s room.