The Ten Year Promise

Prologue

Prologue

“Code blue room 312, code blue room 312” the sound echoes throughout the hospital premises which signifies another patient is in critical condition and crashing.

I checked my watch and mentally groaned as I realized it was already 7:30 in the morning. I once again beat my own record of spending an eighteen hour straight shift by adding another two more hours which I unconsciously did.

Oh, let me introduce myself, I am Christian Sloan, 27 years old and I am a junior resident at Kaiser Grace Medical Center in California specializing in orthopedic surgery. Yes, yes; I know, I know; my colleagues call me Dr. Sloan and it is such a cliché when the idea of that wonderful piece of a meat doctor in the series Grey’s Anatomy comes to mind, but then I am an orthopedic doctor and not into plastic surgery, plus he’s more on the rugged side, me, not so. I prefer to keep myself clean shaven and smooth all around which I kept since I was young. Oh, one more thing I forgot to tell, I’m gay.

I have been a resident at Kaiser for almost two years now. I managed to adopt easily and gained several friends along the way. As I go through my final rounds before I call it a day, I decided to meet my friend Li. She’s also a junior resident and we both started at the same time but she specializes in cardio.

=====================================================================================

I saw Li in the nurse’s station meticulously working on her chart. I decided to sneak up on her.

“Boo!” as I startled her I noticed she’s doing her progress notes on a patient whom I supposed they coded earlier.

“Oh, so immature McSteamy!” she said sarcastically. I cursed beneath my breath. I hate that name she uses on me whenever I annoy her. Again another reference to my last name and Dr. Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy.

“I hate that name and I am not McSteamy! I prefer McDreamy he’s less arrogant than Sloan. And don’t start with the names Liliane.” she rolls her eyes as she finishes her chart and passing it to the nurse.

“Fine, fine, whatever McSteamy. God, I hate my name! By the way, how long have you been here? Don’t tell me you pulled another one of your ‘unconscious’ straight shifts?” she asked raising one of her perfectly threaded eyebrow.

“I’m just about to head home, my shift just ended a while ago.” I smiled at her putting my best smile totally changing the topic.

“You should be. Just look at the bags under your eyes! I’m guessing you spent another eighteen hour straight huh?” she asked full of concern in her voice.

“I should probably go now but first I need a hot shower to keep me awake till I reach my apart…” but before I could finish I was being paged in the ER.

“Requesting Dr. Sloan kindly proceed to the ER. Dr. Sloan to ER please.”

“It looks like you’ll beat another one of your records McSteamy.” with a wink from Li I walked to the nearest elevator and bid her goodbye.

=====================================================================================

Upon arriving at the ER department, I asked the nurse on duty of the scenario as well as the patient’s case. Nancy, a petite and quite the cheerful nurse told me a patient came with a swollen ankle complaining of pain and suspect it to be broken. She also told me they brought the patient for X-ray and should be returning soon.

I decided to sit on the station and waited for my patient to arrive, when suddenly a patient was wheeled in through a wheelchair. I stand up and prep myself to meet my patient.

As I took a glance of my patient, my world came crashing before my feet. I felt my heart skipped a beat. There he was, about to lie on the bed with his right ankle fully swollen. There he was, the man I thought I wouldn’t be seeing any time soon. There he was, the man who has changed my life. There he was…

“Jack”