A Fresh Start

The Flashback

Author's Note: I own nothing. I just like to play with the characters that were created by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

This story is kind of cathartic for me and it's based in real life. Rated M for future lemons.

Chapter 5: The Flashback

January 27th, 2008. Seattle, Washington at Virginia Mason Medical Center

"Dr. Masen, I need you on a consult," asked Victoria, a pretty red-headed resident who was assigned to Dr. Masen as her attending.

"I'll be right there. I have to finish setting this shoulder. What room?" Dr. Masen asked.

"Curtain area three, Dr. Masen," she replied.

Dr. Masen, Edward, nodded and used his body, with the assistance of Cynthia, the charge nurse to set the dislocated shoulder in the fifty year old man. With a resounding pop, the shoulder returned into place. "Get post reduction films and I'll come back when he's awake."

"Of course, Dr. Masen," Cynthia said, giving her favorite doctor a smile.

Edward signed off on his orders on the patient's chart and walked toward curtain area three. He strode into the small area and found a young mother, cradling her shrieking child. The mother looked panicked and distraught. "Hello, I'm Dr. Masen. Dr. Hunter asked me to come in take a look at Toby," Edward said as he looked at the young man's chart. He was running a high fever and he had fluid on the lungs. Edward crouched down to look at the screaming boy. "Hi, Toby. I'm Edward. I'm going to take a look at you. Can you stop crying, little man?"

Toby looked at Edward with huge eyes. He burrowed into his mother's chest but stopped crying. Edward placed his hands onto the child's forehead, feeling for a temperature. He had one. He asked the nurse, Tiffany, to bring over a thermometer. He placed it in the child's ear and it registered at 104.7. Too high for such a young child. He was only two. Edward took out his stethoscope and warmed the bulb before putting it on Toby's heated chest. His heart was racing and he could hear fluid in his lungs. "What is Toby's other symptoms?" Edward asked the mother.

"He's tired all of the time and he can't pay attention to anything," Toby's mom said, her voice weary.

"Have you ordered a spinal tap, Dr. Hunter?" Edward asked.

"No, Dr. Masen. Would you recommend it?" Victoria asked.

"Yes. Set it up and I'll do it," Edward said, his voice filled with concern for the little boy. "Do you consent to give your son a spinal tap? He may have an infection called meningitis. Meningitis normally occurs as a complication from an infection in the bloodstream. Has your son been sick prior to this?"

"He's had an ear infection for a couple of weeks now. It just wouldn't go away."

"Okay. Can we do the spinal tap on Toby?" Edward asked. "It's the only way to know for sure if he has meningitis."

"Yes, please."

"Alright. Tiffany, put Toby into a gown and we'll be back in a few moments," Edward said as he got up from his crouched position. Victoria and Edward went to the storage closet and pulled out the necessary materials to perform a spinal tap. "Have you done a spinal on a child?"

"No, Dr. Masen," Victoria said, her eyes wide. "Can I do it on Toby?"

"How many spinals have you done?" Edward asked his resident.

"Only two. Both were on older patients," Victoria said, with a frown.

"You'll watch this time," Edward said, arching a brow over his glasses. With the tray filled with the spinal tap materials, Edward and Victoria came back into curtain area three. Edward took another look at Toby's chart, noticing that he had an ear infection for a month and a sinus infection for two months. He took a quick look at the last name and looked at Toby's mom. "Mrs. Pattinson, I'm going to numb a portion of Toby's back and insert a small catheter. From that catheter, I will drain a small portion of Toby's cerebral spinal fluid. After obtaining the sample, it will be sent to the lab for verification of what you son has. Do you have any questions?"