October 13 2019
Week 5 – Emergency Trauma Case
Neuro OR Prep Room
The trauma pager went off like a siren in a mine.
Young female, 22, GCS 7, motor vehicle accident, possible brainstem injury.
Lexie was already halfway into her gloves when Parker and Ben rushed into the scrub room.
Ben -She's coding on the table
Ben said, eyes wide.
Dr. Sanchez walked in, already masked, her voice sharp and cold.
AJ- I need clean scans, fast vitals, and someone with a damn spine in that OR.
She looked at her team—then locked eyes with Lexie.
Aj - You're lead intern on this one.
Lexie froze.
Lexie - Me?
AJ- Yes, you. Read the CT, guide the team, anticipate the pressure spike. I don't have time to micromanage you today, Jackson is assisting me in the OR. Move.
Lexie's throat went dry—but she nodded.
**This was it.**
---
Neuro OR, 17 minutes later
Lexie stood over the sterile drapes, hands gloved, voice steady—but heart racing.
Lexie - ICP's climbing
she said.
Lexie- We need to prep for decompression.
Nurse- Are you sure?
asked the surgical nurse.
Lexie hesitated for half a second—then nodded.
AJ -I'm sure. Dr. Sanchez said this is brainstem compression. This is classic Duret hemorrhage. We wait, she dies.
AJ entered just as the prep finished. She glanced at the monitors.
AJ -What's happening?
Lexie answered clearly
Lexie- Prepped for suboccipital decompression. ICP spiked above 40. GCS dropped another point.
AJ paused—then nodded once.
AJ- Good call, Jackson. Let's go.
Lexie stepped back as AJ took over, but the look AJ gave her wasn't cold or dismissive—it was solid. Trusting.
---
Post-Op Conference, Later That Night
The interns gathered, exhausted but electric.
Jackson muttered
Jackson -I thought she was going to rip your head off.
Ben - She didn't
Ben added- She actually... praised you. Out loud. In front of other humans.
Lexie just smiled. Not wide. But it was real.
Camilla popped her head in from the hallway.
Camilla -Hey, hero. Heard you called the right move.
Lexie raised an eyebrow.
Lexie - AJ tell you that?
Camilla smirked.
Camilla - She didn't *have* to. I know what respect sounds like when it's spoken through gritted teeth and surgical clamps. And don't call her AJ in front of her
---
Final Beat:
As Lexie packed her bag, she noticed her locker door was slightly ajar.
Inside was a small folded piece of gauze taped to the inside panel. On it, written in Sharpie:
"Good instincts. Better control. Keep going."
— Sanchez
Lexie stared at it for a second. Then closed the locker, straightened her shoulders, and walked out with her coat slung over her arm—not like a student trying to prove herself.
But like a doctor who belonged.
