After hours

Chapter 1

It's been six years since my parents and 1 year old brother were murdered by intruders, I was only 19 at the time.

Today is the day I am visiting my family's grave today. I am the only real Stevens child left.

Tomorrow is my first day as a surgical intern at the Florida Hospital. I just graduated medical school in the spring. I attended Barry University for 6 years.

~

I open my eyes and see light poring through the windows. I forgot to set my alarm! I quickly take a shower and throw my hair into a braid, not bothering to do my makeup.

Once I arrive at the hospital I walk very quickly to the break room and put my stuff away in my locker.

I mistakingly look into the mirror and am frightened by what I see. I like a complete train wreck. Such a great way for a first impression.

"Hi, I'm Evangelina. you can call me Evi." I say turning to the girl on my left.

"I'm Alyssa Rios." She coldly replies. "Listen we can be friends or whatever, but I'm always going to chose surgery over you. Remember that."

"O-okay," i say shocked by her harsh words.

The door swings open and a tall lady enters.

"I'm Dr. Montgomery. I am your surgical resident. Today is your first day as a surgeon. Five of you will crack under the pressure. Six of you will be fired. And only one will rise to the top. The rest will be mediocre surgeons that stand in the back while that one person takes all of the surgeries out from under your noses. I hope you all choose the right profession. I wouldn't want to see all of that money, and time go to waste. Now, Stevens, Rios. You two are on Dr. West's service this week he is a cardio surgeon." She hands us charts and sends us to the cardio floor before continuing to the rest of the surgeons.

I guess i'll be spending a lot of time with Alyssa.

"Hello I'm Dr. West you will be with me this week. You move when I move. Blah, blah, blah. Now today you will give the man in room 403 a full work up and prepare him for surgery. You will both be scrubbing in on his heart transplant." He says walking so fast, and he hasn't even looked up from his files.

"Any questions?" He asked finally turning around. "Evi?"

Jacob? Jacob West? He was the football jock and prom king when we were in high school. We sort of dated in high school but i was never allowed to date. He broke up with me right before my parents died. I never would have thought he would be a doctor. He's few years older than me, but I took advanced classes. We had every one together. Heck, we were lab partners.

"Jacob? Oh my gosh I can't believe it."

"Wow, it's good to see you!" He leans forward and hugs me.

Alyssa clears her throat. "Are you both done with your reunion?"

"Uh, yeah," he stutters going back to his charts and turning away from me.

"Well this outta be something." She smirks crossing her arms.

Great.

What did I get myself into.

~

What a day. I can not wait to finish my shift and go home. I have one more patient and then I am done.

This job is crazy.

"Hey Alyssa, you want to go out for drinks? I could really use one right about now." I ask plopping down on the bench in the locker room.

"Yeah I could really use a couple shots of tequila."

"More like a bottle."

We made our way down the street, to the bar and drank what felt like our body weight in tequila.

I guess we passed out at the bar because the next thing I know both of our pagers were going off.

"Why?" I groan, straining to lift my head up.

"It's a 911 trauma we have to go." We both scramble to get our things and i already have a pounding headache.

"Shit, why did we drink so much."

"Come on we can get an IV when we get back to the hospital."

An IV and a cup of coffee later Alyssa and I race down to the ER to find Dr. West.

"God, there you two are. Come on we have multiple traumas that need assistance." He says checking a child's heart beat. "Dammit! Time of death 03:44. Will someone page Pediatrics! Stevens bed 43. Rios we have incoming traumas clear as many beds as you can. Everyone that is stable move them."

I quickly grab bed 43's chart and begin to read.

Trauma to the head. Possible broken bones. On a ventilator. Age 32.

"I need a head CT and and X-Rays on the upper right shoulder." I tell the nurse.

I begin to cut his shirt away and immediately see that his whole stomach is bruised.

"We've got internal bleeding! I need you to book an OR and page a general surgeon please!"

"Nice job Stevens. First take him to get a head CT and meet me in the OR there's no more general surgeons. I'll need your help you're scrubbing in." Jacob calls walking in the opposite direction.

I rush the patient to CT and discover he has a brain bleed.

"I need you to page Dr. Montgomery. And we can to get him to OR 3 stat. I don't know if he can survive this."

I quickly scrub in and meet Dr. West and Dr. Montgomery.

They decide to preform both surgeries at once to save time. I help Jacob find the source of the bleeding but we aren't having any luck.

"More lap pads. God where is all of this blood coming from! Wait clamp! Stevens hold the clamp, I'll stitch. Okay slowly let the clamp go."

I do as I'm told and release the clamp. As soon as I do the stitches bust.

"Dammit! Okay we have to clamp that bleeder."

"Guys I need quiet I am cutting into this mans brain." Dr. Montgomery commands.

All of the sudden the monitor starts beeping faster.

"Shit, the brain is swelling I need you to clamp that bleeder."

"There's too much blood I can't see anything."

"He's flatlining!"

"He's going into V fib. Stevens start chest compressions. Hang another bag of O neg."

"Nothing's happening."

"Stop compressions. He's been down too long. Time of death 04:02."

"What? You're going to give up just like that!?" I start chest compressions again.

"Evi, he's gone."

"No! He can't be!" I feel tears brimming my eyes.

"Evi!"

"No!" I feel the hot tears gliding down my cheeks as Jacob holds me up.

"Come on." He practically carries me out of the OR and sets me down on a bench.

I wipe my tears and take a few deep breaths. He just died. Right under my hands.

"It gets easier." He says first to break the silence.

"How? How does that get easier?"

"It just does." He replies as I lay my head in my shoulder. "It just does."