The Doc

Chapter 23

Alice was curled up in the armchair by the window. The house was quiet and the snow outside was falling peacefully. Joel and Tommy got called to go on an early run by Maria, who had received some reports of infected up north. Joel had reluctantly dragged himself out of bed, grabbed a quick cup of coffee and a banana. He threw some extra snacks into his bag and slung it over his shoulder before he left the house and headed to meet Tommy at the stables.

Alice was reading a book she'd found on one of Joel's bookshelves; Principles of Neural Science by Eric R. Kandel, James H. Schwartz and Thomas M. Jessell. How Joel had obtained this book, she had no clue. She chuckled to herself as she thought about the big, tough Texan trying to read about synaptic transmission and the neural basis of cognition. Not that he wouldn't be able to; Joel was just better with his hands. 

Her eyes drifted to the bassinet in the corner of the bedroom and a soft smile crossed her face. She had dropped Luke over to daycare and was due in the surgery in an hour so she was enjoying some quiet time before the chaos.

Her radio crackling to life made Alice snap out of her daydream.

"Al? We need you at the surgery, asap. It's urgent."

Maria's worried voice came in and out of focus as Alice sprang to her feet. She thought nothing of it, Maria regularly called her in if a kid cracked his head open on a table or if someone in the mess hall accidentally sliced their finger open while prepping. 

"On my way," she replied, slotting the radio onto her belt and tying up her hair. Heading downstairs, she stepped into her winter boots, shrugged on one of Joel's coats and left the house. Alice rounded the corner and the surgery came into view. Her heart dropped as she saw Ellie and Dina sitting on the steps outside. Ellie had her head in her hands and Dina had an arm wrapped around her. Alice quickened her pace, brushed past the girls, and burst into the reception area.

"Alice! Thank god!" Maria span around and grabbed Alice's arm. "I'm sorry to ask you but we don't have anyone else to call."

"Maria, what happened?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

"I...I'm sorry Al," Maria stammered. "I'm here to help, just let me know what to do."

"Where's Joel?" Alice asked, her heart in her throat. Maria couldn't bring herself to respond and simply nodded towards the closed surgery door. "Maria..."

Alice pushed open the surgery room and froze. Tommy sat in the corner, wiping blood off his face with a wet cloth while Danny was leaning over Joel, unconscious on the table.

"...oh my god, Joel," she whispered, standing frozen in the doorway. Her hands were trembling and her heart began racing as she took in the bloody sight that was her fiancé on the table. Tommy looked up and paled, even more than he already was. Maria rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it softly.

"I've got your back, Al," she whispered. "Just let me know what I can do." 

"Jesus Christ," Alice managed to whisper. She took a shaky breath and shook her head before her doctor instinct took over and she joined Danny at the table. "What've we got, Danny?"

"Multiple cuts across his head, I've stitched the largest ones," Danny began. "I think he has at least 2 broken ribs, a fractured wrist and...well..." He gestured to Joel's right leg. Alice took a deep breath before she began to walk Danny through what to do.

"Good work with the head wounds. Next I need pain meds," she began. "Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, whatever's the strongest you can find. And grab one of those bag valve masks too. If he has broken ribs, he needs to keep breathing as deep as he can to prevent pneumonia."