Wildest Dreams - Succession

Chapter Three: Lifeboats

I woke up in my cold apartment with the blare of my ringtone awakening me. I check to see who is calling and although every part of me doesn't want to answer due to the lack of sleep and just getting off a 12 hour I answered

"Hey, Max. Everything good?"

"Eh, not really. I know you just did a 12 but Ethans just called in and I have no one to cover the ED for like 6 hours." Feeling I already knew where this was going, I felt like crying my body craving more sleep "Can you do 8-2? Then Hannah will be in to take over." He informs me trying to get me to do another six hours "Please Laur? Pretty please" Although the sound of him begging was amusing I was already making my way to the bathroom to have a quick shower before heading in

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there in 30. Just so you know you owe me."

"Absolutely. See you soon. Thanks, Lauren you're a lifesaver" Max praised before hanging up the phone and letting me get ready. And the news wonders why there's such a high rate of burnout.

On the walk from my apartment to the hospital I text Shiv.

'Sorry can't do lunch today been called in to work" before putting it into my jacket pocket. I head into the ED with a bunch of chaos

I quickly get my jacket off and find the closest member of staff to tell me what has happened and why the ED is full of people. Packed to the brim.

"Lewis" This got the young resident's attention "What the fuck happened?" I questioned the hectic environment we were surrounded in. full of red, yellow and black tags

"a shooting at a baseball game downtown. 12 dead, 26 injured." Catching me up to speed with what has happened to create such a stressful room.

I went to a cubical where a woman maybe in her 70s was there.

"Hi Ma'am, I'm Doctor Roy. What seems to be to problem." Asking the woman what injuries she had suffered at the shooting.

"Oh, honey don't worry about me. I'll be fine" She dismisses her fears, selflessly pushing me to help another patient she thinks is more important

"Absolutely not. You are just as important Mrs....Palmer." Looking at her sheet giving a smile

"Ok, I just hit my shoulder running away from the gunshot. Nothing too serious sweetheart. However, I also have a bit of a headache. It's been bad since this morning."

"That sounds terrible! I'll get my colleague to give you some painkillers once I look over- "

"Can I get some help over here?" I heard someone shout as I saw a paramedic with a wounded victim. "Gunshot to the stomach; bullet still inside couldn't get it out in the field."

"Go Sweetheart I'll be fine. That boy needs your help more than my silly self." I gave her a small smile

"Thanks, guys. You and Sofia take him into resus and Lewis, I need you and Dr. Gold to look after all minor injuries. Especially the old woman in bay 6 I think she's fine but has a sore head, so give her some painkillers. Any serious injuries call Dr Jacobs from Cardio and Max they'll come to help." I rush into the separate room. The boy couldn't be older than 14. Sofia and James had cut open the shirt to see the bullet hole. Looking at his vitals they were declining, very quickly. "X-ray," I say, "We need to get a better look" Once we had a chance to see what was happening inside it looked just as bad as the outside did with the bullet fragmented and puncturing the liver causing him to bleed both external and internally. "We need to open him up?"

"Here!?" James exclaimed

"No in Alaska. Yes here!" I yelled back as Sofia began to put a gown on me and gave me a scalpel, can tell James is a tad new to guns and everything just moving from the UK. I cut open the middle of his abdomen with the sharp object handed to me using the X-ray that was previously shown to guide me to where the fragments were. When I looked down deep enough, I saw the first part