Heartbeat || A Good Girls Fanfic

Chapter 17

Rio and Charlie sped down the hallway, hot on Twitch's trail. If it hadn't been for him, Charlotte was sure a shouting match would have gone down in his office. She seethed at the thought that Rio had involved her family in his business, but it hurt her more that no one thought she was capable of handling that information. Because of that, her anger was evenly distributed between her sisters and him.

"We're not done talking, by the way," she said as she wrapped the stethoscope she had fished from her bag around her neck. "I intend to find out what the fuck you're doing working with my sisters."

"Yeah, didn't think so," he scoffed. "But I don't owe you explanations."

"Well, you're still gonna give them."

Twitch stopped at the doors of what had been an empty storage space the last time she had seen it. Worry was seen into the man's furrowed brows, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Charlotte couldn't help the dread that washed over her as she stared into his eyes. Whatever his uncle had seemed to be serious, and she worried she didn't have the knowledge or the skills to help him.

"Tell me what's going on, Twitch," Charlie said as she tied her hair up. "What am I walking into."

"Uh, my cousin Elena called me like half an hour ago to tell me that my uncle was not feeling well," the man started, his words trembling with fear. "He had been complaining that he was having some chest discomfort and a bit of shortness of breath for the last couple of days, but it got really bad tonight. She told me she found him on the sofa clutching his chest and almost like he was out of it. And they don't got health insurance, so I thought maybe you could help."

"Of course," she smiled softly. "What's your uncle's name?"

"Julián Colon," Twitch answered. "He don't really speak English, though."

"Oh, that's okay. I..."

"I'll translate," Rio interrupted.

Before Charlie could talk back, Rio opened the doors to the room, and all words died in her mouth. It wasn't the patient that left her dumbfounded, it was the way the room had transformed into every emergency doctor's dream. A well-equipped —even if just with the basic necessities— hybrid operating room. She knew she had been the one to make the wishlist and had spent many hours explaining to Rio the necessity for each machine. But she had never imagined that he had listened, much less that he had been able to get them.

Yet, her astonishment had to wait.

In the center of the room, lying on the exam bed, Julian lay still clutching his chest. His daughter was next to him, trying her best to calm him down, but she was also in a desperate mood. The only way either could feel better was if Charlotte got to work.

On a wooden perch on her right, a white coat with Dr. Charlotte Marks embroidered on the left side hung. She slipped it on as she got closer before putting on a pair of gloves, and prepared her mental checklist to ensure she didn't miss a single thing.

"Ay, doctora," ["Oh, doctor,"] Elena started before Charlotte could say a thing. "Que bueno que está usted aquí. Este es mi papá, Julián. Se sentía mal desde hace unos días pero no pensábamos que era algo tan serio. Pero hoy casi como que se me va y no sabía que hacer. Entonces le llamé a Tomás y pues él me dijo que la viniera a ver." ["I'm so glad you're here. This is my father, Julián. He's not been feeling well for a few days, but we never thought it was something serious. But today, he seemed out of it and didn't know what to do. Then, I called Tomás, and he told me to come see you."]

"What she said was..."

"No se preocupe, Elena. Voy a hacer todo lo posible para ayudar a su papá," ["Don't worry, Elena. I'm gonna do everything possible to help your dad."] Charlotte smiled, interrupting Rio as he had done before. The look of surprise on his face was one she wished she'd had the time to take a picture of and frame. That would be the last time he ever underestimated her. "Buenas, Señor Colón. Soy la doctora estudiante Charlotte Marks y le voy a estar atendiendo. Su sobrino me comentó que le está doliendo mucho el pecho. Antes de poder continuar con cualquier cosa, ¿puede hablar bien o necesita que su hija hable por usted." ["Hello, Mr. Colón. I am student doctor Charlotte Marks, and I'm gonna be seeing you today. Your nephew told me that your chest is hurting. Before anything else, are you able to speak, or do you need your daughter to speak for you?"]