Eternity

Twenty Three

"Bimalleolar ankle fractures" Callie comes over from the room that the obese patient is in, on his way up to CT he fell in pain and it took ten people to get him him onto a gurney. Right now it's Derek, Webber, Owen, Teddy, Bailey, Charles, Alex and I. I haven't spoken to Derek since he came when he was told the news "he was to weak to support his weight, he can go to CT now"

"He's not going to CT" Derek shakes his head no, Lexie is in the room checking his vitals as his wife who is very skinny is by his side.

"I think" Webber suggests "if we can position him"

"It's rated for half his weight" Derek reminds us, the CT can hold up to five hundred pounds. Not someone over a thousand "if it breaks, he gets hurt again it won't be available for the other fifty patients who need it today?"

"What about the zoo?" Percy asks, Percy is Charles last name "I mean they gotta have a CT for like rhinos or something, right?"

"Percy" Bailey orders "you're off the case"

"It wasn't a joke!" He exclaims "that was an actual suggestion"

"Go" she repeats

Percy heads off as Owen tilts his head "It wasn't a bad suggestion"

"It's a terrible idea" Teddy shakes her head no

"We will spare this man" Webber says "the indignity of treating him like a zoo animal" that is literally impossible given his weight, I mean it's a miracle he's still alive "if we can't get an image then we'll go with clinical labs and tests"

"I could do a nuclear stress test on his heart" Teddy suggests "I just wish I could get him on a treadmill"

Owen snorts "That's not going to happen"

"All right" Derek nodded his head "I have a lawyer waiting for me, I have to go" right, he basically agreed to a dying woman's wishes "but I want a meeting with all of you when his studies come back before we go any further down this road, okay?"

"Let's work him up" Owen motions and the attendings minus Bailey leave.

Lexie comes out with the wife "So a couple more questions" Lexie asks her "his diabetes, did he have it before he...he was im...immobilized?"

"No" shaking her head no "that's since he put on the weight"

"And that's been..." Lexie asks, she's struggling with the facial expressions and the sensitivity training "how long has...has..."

"How long" I ask "has your husband had all this extra weight on him?"

"Uh" she thinks about it looking at her husband then to us "five years ago, his company laid off three hundred employees" I guess she's trying to explain him eating so much "he tried to find work for two years and no one was hiring...and...and then he stopped trying. It was real hard on him"

"We are not judging" I assure her with a calm face and assuring tone "we just want to have all the information we need to give your husband the best medical care he can receive"

She nods her head and Bailey looks at me proud "I think" his wife says "he's been in pain for a while, he tells me it's just indigestion but I...I couldn't ignore it" she chuckles smiling "after the news, I just had to call"

"The news?" Lexie asks

"Well, we're...we're going to have a baby" she studies our facial expressions "have a baby, I'm pregnant" she probably thinks were thinking it's someone else's so she's waiting for us to ask and be offended or hurt.