"Hey, look at you in the white coat. Who are you?" Natalie teased as Callie came through the door to the ED with the other fourth-year med students. She gave a little twirl, making sure to keep steady with the fracture boot on her leg.
"I am Callie Matthews. Youngest med student in the united states." She stated dramatically and smiled.
"Yes, you are." Natalie hugged her foster daughter. "And I am so proud of you." Callie pulled out of the hug and just stared at Natalie. "You okay?" The young brunette smiled.
"Sorry, it's just- It's been a long time since I've heard that." She explained.
"Well, get ready to hear it a lot more." Dr. Manning insisted. "Do you know who you're tailing?" Callie glanced at her paper.
"Yeah, Someone called Dr. Manning. Do you know her?" She joked.
"Okay, you have been living with me for two weeks and you're already making jokes. Nice to know you're settling in."
"Incoming! RTA! Mom and son. Rhodes, Dr. Manning, Matthews, you're up! Incoming, trauma two! Dr. Choi, Dr. Halstead you've got the mom, Room five!" Maggie called out.
"On it!" They all called darting to the door as they raced to put on their gloves.
"Casper Adams. Seven years old. GCS 13. Heart rate 162. BP 107 over 68. Stats 97%. Query dislocated right hip. CPR on the field but not intubated." The paramedic explained as they wheeled the young boy into the room.
"Okay, sweetie. My name is Dr. Manning I'm gonna take good care of you, okay?" Natalie assured. "Let's transfer on my count... 1...2...3." Natalie and Callie transferred the young boy to the bed. Callie used her stethoscope to check his lungs as Natalie and Connor attempted to stop the bleeding in the boy's shoulder and placed an oxygen mask over his face.
"Let's get a liter of O-neg!" Connor called.
"Decreased breath sounds on the left." She announced. "Chest x-ray?"
"Let's do it."
Less than a minute of rushing around and a quick x-ray later.
"He's got a slight pneumothorax on the left," Natalie noted.
"Not big enough to require a chest tube. Needle?" Callie thought.
"I'm on it," Rhodes assured.
"Mommy!" The young boy cried, reaching out his arm to grab whatever he could find and gasping for air. Callie took his hand and he squeezed it tightly.
"Okay, Casper. You're mommy's coming soon, okay. I need you to take slow deep breaths, can you do that for me?" He calmed a little and his breathing slowed. "Okay good job, now I want you to look at me and squeeze my hand as hard as you can."
The young boy winced as Connor placed the needle in his chest, allowing him to breathe easier. Natalie quickly got to work placing an IV in the back of his hand.
Callie pulled away some of the gauzes covering the wound on the boy's shoulder and blood shot up, covering her cheek and shirt. She quickly covered the wound back up.
"Torn subclavian artery." She announced.
"Okay, we have to tie it and get him up to the OR," Rhodes explained. "Zip tie?"
"Got it." Natalie reached into a drawer and handed Connor the zip tie.
"Okay, Matthews. When I take the pressure off the wound it gonna get messy again. I need you to find the artery and pinch it gently so I can tie it off. If you take too long he could bleed out."
"I got it." She nodded.
"Okay, on the count of three. 1... 2... 3." Rhodes quickly removed the cloth from the large wound and again blood started shooting out like a water pistol. Callie found the artery in record time and closed it off. Connor quickly tied it off.
"Okay, let's get him up to the OR." He called, wheeling the bed out of the room.
"You okay?" Dr. Manning checked as Callie stood holding her blood-covered hands in front of her, with blood staining her face and shirt.
"I'm good." She admitted, removing her gloves and tossing them in the trash.
"Dr. Manning! ETA 6 minutes out. Fifteen-year-old girl pushed down a flight of stairs at school." Maggie called.
"On it."
"I'll get cleaned up," Callie mentioned with an assuring nod.
***
Callie got cleaned up and headed out to where Natalie was treating a young girl.
"Okay, so it's just your ankle? No pain in your neck or head?" Dr. Manning asked the redhead as she checked for any neck injuries.
"No, it's just my ankle." She sighed.
"Olivia?" Callie furrowed her brow.
"Callista?"
"That's still not my name." The brunette rolled her eyes.
"You two know each other?" Natalie wondered.
"She goes to Berkeley high. We were in the same class." Callie mentioned.
"So you're a doctor now?" Olivia scoffed.
"I'm a med student, not a doctor," Callie explained. "What's the eval?"
"Head and C-spine are clear. Only complaint is her ankle. Care to take a look." Dr. Manning requested.
Callie started to examine Olivia's ankle. Placing slight pressure.
"Ow!" Olivia flinched.
"Sorry." Callie apologized. "The ankle doesn't appear bruised or swollen. But we should get an X-ray to be safe." She suggested. "I heard you were pushed down the stairs?"
"Western staircase. Science building. Right from the top." She told her.
"Dr. Manning. Can I have a word?" Both Callie and Natalie left the room. "The western staircase in the science building. It's the longest staircase in the entire school. If she had fallen from top to bottom, I think she would have more than a sore ankle."
"I agree," Natalie mentioned. "Let's get that x-ray and we'll go from there."
"Matthews!" Dr. Reese called. "The girl that pushed your patient was brought in for a psych eval but she's refusing to say anything without you present."
"Me?"
"I believe she's a friend of yours. Wilson, Alana?" Sarah explained.
"What?!" Callie turned to Natalie.
"You go, I'll handle Olivia."
"Thanks, Mo- Dr. Manning."
YOU ARE READING
The Apprentice
FanfictionA young prodigy has a tragic accident, attempted suicide or attempted murder. Unknown. With her parents both absent and nowhere to go, what will happen to the young girl?
