Rhekker || Never Let Go

Chapter 6: Puzzle

[Resuming from 4×2]

"Good morning Dr. Bekker." Handing his keys to the valet, Connor hops onto the curb and opens the door for Ava.

"Morning Dr. Rhodes." Ava lifts her eyebrows. She's clearly in a cheerful mood.

It's been several days since Connor decided to turn down the offer from Mayo. Their days have returned to what they were used to be. There hasn't been any movement from Cornelius Rhodes either. Ava's tightened nerves are finally starting to loosen. She must've just been paranoid, she thought to herself. Everything seems to be going in the right direction.

Although Connor was already guaranteed a position for the hybrid O.R., he is still going to spend his last few weeks in the CT department during the O.R.'s construction. After separating with Ava in the on-call room, he soon went into his first surgery.

As for Ava, the majority of the morning went by quietly. She doesn't have any surgeries scheduled for today. After rounds, she sits down at a computer to fill in the charts. Suddenly, her pager goes off — it's Maggie. Logging off, she hurries down to the E.D.

[Chicago Med, E.D.]

"I've reviewed the charts." Pulling the curtains aside, Ava walks into the treatment room. A fire broke out in a small apartment building. Not many were hurt, but this young girl's injuries were extremely severe.

"This is Dr. Bekker. She's a cardiothoracic surgeon." After checking her vitals for another time, Natalie introduces Ava to her parents.

Giving a reassuring nod to the terrified couple, Ava continues, "One of your daughter's injuries is to her right carotid artery, it's blocking blood flow to her brain." Pausing a second, she adds, easing the worry off the couple: "But the good news is, we have an O.R. open right now. We can take her upstairs immediately to excise her burns and repair her carotid artery."

With a comforting look at the couple, Ava proceeds to raise the side rails. "Please stop." Suddenly, the couple grabs the side of the gurney, "No treatments, no surgeries."

"I'm sorry?" Sharing a confused look with Ava, Natalie tries to explain, "If we don't take Blair up to the O.R. now, she won't survive —"

"My wife and I have talked about it." The father was adamant, "Blair wouldn't want this. These last few years have been so hard for Blair. She struggled with body issues, bullying. Just recently she was able to lose weight, change schools, and finally feel better about herself... And now this —"

"But people react differently to trauma. You don't know. Surviving this might actually make your daughter more resilient." Natalie tries to change their mind, but without luck.

Stepping forward, Ava tries one more time, "Mr. and Mrs. Scott —"

"No. We have to let her go."

[Chicago Med, CT Department]

With her head down, Ava walks briskly down the hallway, paying little attention to what's in front of her. Suddenly, she hits a firm chest head-on.

"Woah. Watch where you are going." A surprised voice sounds above her. It's Connor. Without looking up, Ava pushes the man aside and continues walking.

"Ava? Ava!" Noticing her bad mood, Connor quickly catches up and follows her inside the call room, "What's going on?"

Standing in front of her locker, Ava takes a deep breath. Finally, she turns to look at Connor, "The E.D. admitted a girl in a fire."