One Life ✓

Chapter 8: The Deployed Shift

A/N: Warning, drama!

One Week Later

Bella—San Antonio Memorial Hospital, San Antonio, TX

The number of files the subs left out of place was overwhelming. Luckily, Mollie and Jocelyn were able to fix it all as soon as they got back.

When I got the news that Grace was shot by an unstable patient, I freaked. The doctors are all my family, though I haven't known them for long. To lose Grace would be like losing the sister I never had.

The gang returned a few days back, Grace with a leg coated in gauze. I'm glad they came at all. The subs were very...um...strange. They couldn't even tell urine samples from stool samples. Just smell them!

Shannon beckons me. "Hey. Bella. C'mere."

"What?" I straighten a wayward document. "Did someone die?"

"Close enough." Shannon continues to wave at me. "Come here already!"

"Yeah, yeah." I slowly drag out the walk to Topher's Corner, where she stands.

"Military stuff is in the air," whispers Shannon. "And don't freak, okay, but Grace wants to go."

"You're kidding." I throw my hands up in the air. "The lady just got hurt and now she's gonna go jump in an active warzone? No way."

"You can't argue with Grace, Bella. She'll dropkick you or something." Shannon raises an eyebrow at me. "Are you underestimating the sisterhood of SAM?"

"Maybe..." I reply, meticulously running through the sub files one more time.

"Bella. Stop cleaning and look at me." Shannon sounds serious now.

"Chill, Dr. Rivera. Relax your soul." I turn to look at her.

"Do. Not. Tell TC. He's going to maul us all through for not stopping Grace, and if we stop Grace, you already know what's coming down," Shannon hisses. "We don't want a wrath raining on us. The guy is so protective of Grace, he'll kill us if we tell him. Don't tell a single person. We're going to assume that none of us know this. Now be on your way, Dr. Cummings."

"Hey." I give Shannon a sharp look. "I'm your senior here."

"And I'm the walking newsletter of Memorial, nice to meet you," hums Shannon, walking away.

TC—San Antonio Memorial Hospital, San Antonio, TX

I get this feeling—and I know you can't always trust those feelings, but I trust this one—that everyone in the hospital is keeping something from me. And I don't know what, which digs a fishhook of sorts into me, tempting me to remove it, even though I know it's going to hurt me.

I see Bella and Shannon talking. The doctors will whisper when I'm around.

I'm in Trauma 2 with Drew now. Everyone is gossiping while I'm left to push IV fluids, a nurse's job. Because all the actual nurses are chatting with Drew. This finally prompts me to blow. Which I do.

"What is so important," I shout, "that you cannot tell me?"

They all sigh.

"Tee, we don't want to tell you this," begins Drew.

"It sucks. I'm not sure if you can handle it," Jocelyn warns me.

"Only I know what I can handle," I mutter. "Please just tell me."

"Fine." Kenny takes a deep breath. "Taliban conflicts in Afghanistan are heating up. Kandahar base. The wounded count is increasing, and...they want to deploy some of our docs, along with Ethan Choi from Chicago Med."