Superstitions

Chapter 6 - Scar

Here's the new chapter. I was very sad to learn of the departure of Colin and Norma but their characters will always live through my mind and fiction. By the way, I hope you will enjoy this new chapter, don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it in commentary.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 6 - Scar

"Ava! I need a stretcher," Nathalie shouted.

When she woke up in a trauma room, she felt dizzy and nauseous. It got worse when she tried to get up. Nat had just the time to give her an emesis basin before she threw up.

"Okay Maggie can you page Latham or Rhodes?

- Wait no!

- Ava you've been shocked this morning, your heart rate is 120 and it's increasing. You fainted and threw up. It can match with heart condition.

- Don't page CT! It's not the heart. I've made an EKG this morning everything was fine.

- So how do you explain what happened?

- I told you it's just cramps ... I didn't take breakfast this morning and that's why I fainted, she said, grinning in pain.

- I'm gonna have a look to your abdomen"

As she was in pain, Ava didn't grumble. When Nat lifted up her shirt, she was horrified to saw all these bruises.

"Ava! What happened?

- I felt down in the stairs ...

- When did this happened? And how?

- This morning, when leaving the locker room. I've got a cramp and I felt.

- Since when did it started? Ask Nat by examining Ava stomach.

- This night"

Ava moans when Nat pressed on her scar. She was worried about Ava's condition and ask for a scan, an echo and a blood test.

"I've got your results. As we could expected your suffering from a concussion probably due to your fall. However the rest of your results are fine, so for the moment I don't know cramps come from. I'll give you some pain meds but I would like to keep you in observation because your heart rate and blood pressure are too high"

Nat had already prepared a whole argument to convince the young woman to stay but surprisingly Ava didn't oppose and directly accepted. Dr. Manning was happy but also worried, the pain should be unbearable for Ava to agree to stay.

Ava had been moved to the observation bay but painkillers didn't seem to work and her vitals becomes instable.

It was about 3.00 pm when Connor get out of surgery, now he wanted to know why Ava left surgery without any explanations. He went to the ER and asked a nurse where the Dr. Bekker was.

"I think she went to observation room 223," she said without specifying that Ava was there as a patient.

Connor went there and entered the room without looking who was inside.

"Dr. Bekker can I talk you? He said before seeing her in the bed.

- Don't panic, it's not the heart.

- What? What happened? Why are you being monitored?"

She explained him what had happened and why she left the OR.

The pain had become very hard to support. Dr. Manning didn't understood why the painkillers didn't work and had no idea of the source of the pain. She was in the ER and was reviewing Ava results. Ava had passed a battery of test but no one of them showed significant results.

"Everything Okay Dr. Manning? You seem disturbed, said Dr.Charles.

- It's about Dr. Bekker, she got severe abdominal pain but all her tests are normal and she doesn't respond to painkillers.

- Is the pain come from a specific localization?

- Her scar was the most sensible.

- Interesting, and what if her pain didn't come from physiologic reasons?

- What are you thinking about?

- Dr. Bekker was under a lot of stress one month ago, it may come from there. Moreover the earthquake can easily remind her the situation.

- You're thinking to PTSD?

- Let me talk to her and we will see"

When Dr.Charles came in, Ava was surprised and confused.

"What are you doing here?

- Just want to talk with you.

- Don't beat around the bush.

- I think you're suffering from PTSD.

- What! No! I'm not crazy, the pain is real.

- Yes of course you're not crazy and the pain is absolutely real but I think that she has no physiological source.

- No I'm fine that's stupid I shouldn't have accept to stay! Can you let me alone please"

At this moment Connor beeper turned on. Ava looked at him and told him to go, that she will be fine.

After one hour the pain seemed to have stopped so Ava decided to came back home.

When Connor finished his surgery he went back to Ava surprised to see that she wasn't there. He asked Dr. Manning who told him that she discharged herself and leave. Connor was furious why was she acting so stupidly? He decided to leave, worried about the fact that she took her car with a concussion.

He was relieved to see that his car was in front of his apparent. Nevertheless, when he entered, he heard crying comming from the bedroom. Ava was curled up on the floor of her dressing room. The room was very small, so small that you could hardly call it a dressing room.

"Ava?

- I can't ...

- What can't you do?

- Dr. Charles was right, I can't close the door..."

Connor came next to her, helped her to get up, leaded her to the bed and wrapped her in his arms.

"Ava, you're the most stubborn and strong woman I know. You're gonna get through all this, I'm sure. Everything is gonna be okay.

- Thank you Con, love you, she said before falling asleep"