In Her Eyes- Part I (Code Black) | ✔

In Her Eyes- Part I

Dr. Leanne Rorish was on the last stitch of sewing her three-year-old patient's head when her stomach twisted in knots. Any medical cases having to do with children, still cut her to the core. It had been nearly ten weeks since she had buried her own husband and children and nothing about the loss was getting any easier.

Even the most minor cases reminded her of what could have been. Her sons had always been jumping off the couch or bed and injuring themselves. Like this little boy, she had stitched her oldest son up in the midnight hour, after her husband had found him crumpled on the floor.

"Okay, Tommy. You are good to go." Leanne stated, pulling her gloves off and throwing them into the trash left of the examination table.

"Really? It's over?" The little boy's muffled reply as she sat up from behind his mother's arm.

"Really." Leanne flashed him a reassuring smile. "Your head is going to make a full recovery. Just don't go jumping off any more beds." She said before looking over at his mother with an amused twinkle in her eye. "Mom, you did great bringing him to the ER. Give the stitches at least two weeks to dissolve and be careful to not submerge his head in any water for at least a week. That goes for shampooing around the area before its fully healed."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Rorish."

"You're welcome." Leanne stated quietly as she exited the room and made a beeline towards the bathroom. However, not before Neal intercepted her in the hall.

"Hey, can we talk?" He asked in a pressing tone as they stood in the middle of the hall. Something about his body language told her this wasn't about their patients or the friendship they had established over the years.

"What's this really about, Neal?"

"You haven't answered any of my calls." He stated, tilting his head to the side in concern.

"I haven't answered a lot of people's calls." Leanne quipped as they walked further down the hall. "As much as I appreciate all the concern coming my way, I'm ready to stop talking about my loss and get back to work."

"That's understandable. Really, it is. But as your doctor and friend, I need to know you're taking care of yourself."

"I'm here, aren't I?" She waved her hands in a circle, gesturing to the hospital. "That alone should tell you I'm taking care of myself."

"Good. So you followed up with your doctor after the accident?" He asked as she tightly pursed her lips together.

"I did. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a matter to take care of so I can get back to my patients." Casting one last look over her shoulder, she smacked the door open with her hand as she disappeared into the bathroom. When she was sure she was alone, Leanne locked the door to the farthest stall and leaned against the cool metal wall.

She had worked at Angel's Memorial for nearly fifteen years and had broken down numerous amount of times in this stall. It was the only place she could find solace when patients had proved more difficult than expected, when she needed to regain her patience with nurses or doctors, or when she needed to grab a few minutes to herself.

Being a doctor was often a thankless job. It kept you on your toes at every moment, with hardly a quiet moment in between. The last time she had been here, she had been worrying about a patient who had been brought into the ER after a car accident. The woman's son and husband were killed and she had survived. Little did Leanne know, she would be in the same situation just three weeks later.

The thought made her stomach turn in knots again, this time causing the bile in her throat to rise as she finally emptied her meager breakfast of coffee and a bagel. Her appetite hadn't returned much since being in the hospital, and it was surprising more people hadn't commented on the weight she had lost since returning to work. However, she had only been back a couple days and opted to deal with patients needing minor care so she had to deal with her patients and not overly concerned doctors and nurses.