I Believe in You

Alone

Walking into Chastain the day after Conrad left was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. Everyone who worked with us had always seen us as a couple. An unmovable force amongst ourselves. Being alone just didn't feel right.
I had to drop Ace off at my parent's house while I worked my twenty four hour shift.
"Dr. Bishop?" A female voice said from behind me immediately after I stepped onto the hospital floor.
"Yes." I answered turning around to look at the blonde woman in red scrubs.
"I'm Nicolette Nevin. My friends call me Nic. I'm a new nurse practitioner with Chastain. Mrs. Thorpe said I should work with you today." She said.
"Perfect." I smiled at her as my pager went off.
"Right this way." I instructed as I lead her towards the emergency room.
A young woman was wheeled in on a stretcher complaining of shortness of breath.
"Hello, Ms. Kendall, my name is Dr. Meghan Bishop and I'll be your doctor for this evening. You're chart says you're being treated by Dr. Lane Hunter for Leukemia, is that correct?" I asked and she nodded.
"I can't breathe." She looked at me.
"I'm going to place this oxygen mask over your mouth and nose to help you breathe, okay?" I asked and again she nodded.
Once the mask was in place I glanced back at her chart.
"My immediate thought is that you likely have a respiratory infection made worse by your weakened immune system due to the chemotherapy. I'm going to listen to your lungs for a moment then my nurse practitioner Ms. Nevin will draw some blood to rule out some bacteria and viruses that could be more serious then I'll send you up for a chest xray to rule out pneumonia. Your blood oxygen levels are lower than I'd like to see but they're improving with the mask." I explained and she nodded.
I helped her sit up and listened to her lungs.
"I need you to try and take a deep breath for me."
She drew in a breath and all I could hear was a low whistling, crackling sound.
"One more time." I instructed gently listening to the other side and finding the same whistling crackling.
"My preemptive diagnosis is pneumonia but I'd rather be sure before we start any treatment." I smiled at her.
"Nurse Nevin will draw blood and I think we'll set up an IV for fluids just to be on the safe side. How's your breathing?" I asked.
"Better. Thank you, Dr. Bishop."
"Meghan is fine." I smiled again.
About an hour later after the tests came back confirming the pneumonia diagnosis I began Lily Kendall on broad spectrum antibiotics with the approval of Dr. Lane Hunter along with continued oxygen.
"I will be in to check on you in a half hour or so, okay?" I asked gently adjusting her blankets.
She nodded but looked exhausted.
"Get some rest, Lily, okay? You're in good hands." I assured her.
"I know. I knew it when we first met." She smiled at me.
Nic met me outside her room handing me another file.
"Ryan Glenn, presenting with severe vomiting and diarrhea, abdominal pain and slight fever with fatigue, dizziness and chills, pale skin and white tongue, and finally general discomfort and chest pain." I read.
"Dr. Irving Feldman asked me to get your opinion." She explained.
"It's dehydration. Push fluids and monitor him for the next hour and let me know how he's doing." I instructed patiently.
"Okay. Thank you, Meghan." She smiled at me.
I finished writing up the paperwork for Lily's treatment plan before returning to check on her.
"How are you feeling Lily?" I asked sitting down beside her.
"Much better, Dr. Bishop. Thank you." She smiled at me.
"That's wonderful to hear. Call me Meghan, please." I smiled at her.
"Meghan. That's a pretty name." She smiled.
"Thank you. I like Lily too."
"Tell me about your fiance?" I asked hoping for a distraction to the absence that filled my heart.
"We were friends a long while before we started dating. We got engaged just before I was diagnosed. No one signs up for cancer." She sighed looking down at her ring.
"That's true. No one signs up for cancer, including the person who actually has cancer." I sighed covering her hand with both of mine.
"What about you? Are you seeing someone?" She asked seemingly looking for the same thing I was.
"I am. He's a doctor here." I answered.
"Can I meet him?" She asked.
"One day. He's also a medic in the marine corps. He left for Afghanistan yesterday." I answered trying my best to keep my voice even.
"I'm sure he's going to be just fine. He has you to come home to." She assured me.
"He bought me a puppy." I sighed not having told anyone about the gift nor his departure.
"Puppy? I love puppies." She smiled at me.
"I'll make sure you get a chance to meet him." I laughed.
She smiled at me as her eyes drooped a little.
"Are you feeling tired?" I asked her and she nodded.
"Get some rest Lily. I'll pop back in to check on you before I go home." I smiled
"Meghan? Meghan!" Irving called my name as I walked down the hallway.
"What's up Irving?" I asked.
"Your sister's here. It doesn't look good." He said breathlessly.
We ran back to the emergency room where my sister was laying on a gurney, blood matted her hair near her right temple. Trauma surgeons were preparing to wheel her up to surgery.
"It's blunt force trauma." Irving said.
"Where's Conrad? I'll send him to sit with you."
"Conrad's in Afghanistan. He left yesterday." I muttered watching my sister disappear into the elevator.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alec Norwood standing in the waiting room smirking at me through the window.
I pushed through the swinging double doors and slammed into him.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? You think it's your right to hit women? To beat my sister? Hit me. Hit me, you fucking coward. Come on." I screamed at him pushing him backwards.
Suddenly, the security guards were surrounding us. Jason had a hold of my waist and his partner Daniel tossed Alec to the ground as actual police officers came in and arrested him.
"You are under arrest for the assault and attempted murder of Elena Bishop. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?" The officer stated as I collapsed into Jason's arms as the waves of tears shook me.