Alternatively

Through and Through

       At the nurse's station, Will and Gwen are trying to stack charts in a giant house of cards. It had fallen a couple times, but they are working on the second tier now. The key is getting the hinges to stay at the right angle.

A couple nurses are idly watching, joking about when it will collapse again and making mock bets. It's slow in the middle of the third shift, only a handful of surgeries scheduled and a slow trickle in through the ER. Any nurse, orderly, and doctor worth their medical license could safely bet that rolley chair races will start up the next time Dr. Dion does his obligatory round; there was a tie to break from the last slow night.

"Ah!" Gwen yelps, saving the house from collapsing. "Whew, I saw my life flash before my eyes!"

"We need more charts," Will eyes the growing structure. "We really could go all the way."

Nurse Jenkins hands over a heavy stack without looking. "You two better look busy when your boss comes back around."

"And one of you better check on Mr. Bennet in 2235," Nurse Hale clicks through his Facebook feed. "He needs his saline switched out."

"That's an orderly's job," Dakota sighs as he passed off his own chart, draping himself over the counter.

Nurse Hale snorts. "Most important thing you'll learn in your residency: always be nice to your nurses and orderlies."

"No, the most important thing I'm learning is that I'll always be tired," he groans. "I'm crashing in the on call room, wake me up when the world's ending."

"You know if anyone actually on call catches you, you will be put on the worst shifts for the rest of the year."

He waves his hand as he walks down the hall. "Whatever, I love you all!"

Will snickers, slowly moving his chart to brace against Gwen's. "I'll miss him when the attendings murder him."

The lights are buzzing and there's a patient trying to shake down the vending machine at the end of the hall. It's calm, boring, and Will comments that after their shift, they should all go for pancakes.

"I'm more of a waffle person," Gwen squints at their tower.

"Oh, baby," Nurse Jenkins clucks. "Don't say such heinous things."

"I like to pour syrup in the little squares!"

The phone rings, but Nurse Jenkins shakes her head. "I was just starting to like you."

"It's the crunch," Nurse Hale likes a post about organic skin moisturizer.

"Well I never liked you."

The phone keeps ringing and Will rolls his neck out, flexing his fingers on the chart to top off the house. "I'm sure IHOP has waffles too, right?"

"It's the principal of the fact, hello?"

Gwen holds her breath as Will lowers the last chart, but they both pause when frantic footfalls slap from down the hall. They look up but neither have time to ask Dakota what's wrong before he shouts, "Turn on channel 6!"

"Is the world ending so soon?" Nurse Hale dryly asks, raising an eyebrow when Dakota just insists, now, do it now!

Will and Gwen watch in growing horror as breaking news reported a crash, a terrible train crash. There is smoke and flame everywhere and the camera can't focus too close on anything without showing the bodies.

Nurse Jenkins hangs up the phone with a stern, "Get to triage. Now."

The chart house collapses the instant the patients begin to flood through the ER doors.