RP Log with halfway2heaven | Another New Face

[tenderluvnlisa]

[Follows THIS & THIS]

Lisa Tyler knew that she probably should have given her big brother a little more warning that she had managed to get a transfer to 'his' hospital, but so sue her if she wanted to surprise the pants off him. Only not literally - that was more something for his mysterious new girlfriend. The one she had yet to meet, but had heard all about and even spoken to on the phone a little when she'd been looking for Dave. Lisa was just far too nosy for own good, and if that meant moving from Jacksonville to Miami to check out what her brother was up to, then so be it. She could be the first Tyler family ambassador and report back to the rest of them.

She pulled her hair back and up into a ponytail as she looked at herself in the mirror of the bathroom on the oncology floor and tried to ignore the butterflies in the pit of her stomach as she adjusted her scrubs again so they looked neat, and tried to work out if glasses or no glasses was the go. In the end she voted for her glasses since she had yet to last one day in contacts without losing one while one the job. She was good at nursing so it wasn't like she was scared about failing and not being able to pull her weight. It just never seemed to amaze her how nervous she got about making friends and fitting in even when she had two sisters and a big brother to have practised on over the years.


Lisa pulled open the door and stepped out onto the ward as she brushed her hand against her butt as subtly as possible to make sure there was no toilet paper hanging out and clipped on her hospital ID badge before making her way to the nurses' station to report in. She just hoped this Doctor Watson was everything she'd heard. She smiled at a female doctor standing by the station, but it wasn't until her gaze flicked to the other woman's ID that she stood up a little straighter and held out her hand. "Dr Watson? Wow, good timing. I'm Lisa Tyler. Your new nurse."

Bella had been staring blankly at Rick's chart, hoping to all god that the name of a kidney donor would suddenly and miraculously jump out of the page at her. It wasn't happening, and it was lucky she managed to salvage back a little of her professionalism that morning after losing it the day before. It was amazing what a bit of sleep could do and a decent meal that Aaron had cooked her now that his stomach had stopped trying to launch itself out of his throat at regular intervals. In fact, he was back on the job that morning and she had told him to steer well clear of any food that wasn't freshly picked off a plant of some sort. There was no miraculous kidney donor, and the donor she was trying not to count on was... away. Serena hadn't been sure where Chris had gone at the time she had asked, but he had apparently taken Rick's car and he wasn't at the hospital that morning. She was losing hope. She had a horrible feeling in her gut (beyond the morning sickness) that was trying to tell her Chris wasn't going to come to the party.

For a moment, once she looked up, she just stared blankly at the nurse, no pennies actually initially dropping. New nurse? Today? "Oh... god," Bella cursed softly and closed Rick's file over to hold her hand out. "I'm so sorry. I did not even realise what the day was, otherwise I would have prepared for your arrival a little more. I promise, I'm not usually this absentminded. Did you get through HR okay? They didn't give you any hassles?" She couldn't help feeling flustered. She hated the fact she had forgotten something as important as her new nurse starting when her old faithful, ironically, went off on maternity leave with no plans to return to nursing after motherhood. It just didn't feel like her head was connected to the rest of her.

Lisa's eyebrows knitted together in concern as she watched her new boss for a moment before she shook her head. "No, no it's okay. Trust me, we can all get a little carried away. And I didn't want balloons or cake anyway. That kind of special treatment always makes it that much harder to fit in," she joked as she let go of Bella's hand. "You're forever that nurse who got the big welcome and no one respects you if they're the ones to miss out on a bit of cake. Seriously, it's fine. I can just jump in and feel my way around if you've got cases you need to be looking after. Timing can suck a bit in this job when the newbie starts."

"Oh you would be surprised in this place. Any excuse for cake. You'd be a celebrity," Bella joked and glanced back at the files on the desk. "I don't have anything pressing. I finished my rounds a little while ago, so I just have notes to catch up on. All the patients seem to be okay for the moment. I've got three pallatives down that corridor," she explained, gesturing with her hand. "We keep hourly obs on them for obvious reasons. I just need to be informed if they pass so I can arrange for our social worker to be present for the family. The other parallel corridor are our post-ops, in various degrees of care. You're welcome to read any of the files to get a feel for who you are nursing, and in fact, I encourage it. Along this corridor here are my medicals. Patients who could be having a tough time with chemo, or have had surgery previously but have got some complications now and need care. Then the last section of the ward are our peds patients. Kids with cancer. My office and clinic are at the back of the unit, where the doctors' lounge is. We can have a bit of a walk around if you like, so you can get a feel for the place?"

Lisa nodded as she followed Bella's hand with her gaze, making notes about where all the different sections were. It was probably going to take her a couple days to get completely used to the new layout, but she was a quick study. She gave a nod as she offered Bella another smile. "Sure, that'd be great. At least I can start to get an idea of where everything is. The place I just came from I could probably walk in my sleep. It's been a while since I've had to get to know a ward from scratch. So there's nothing I immediately need to know about? How many kids do you have here right now?"

"Have you always wanted to work in Oncology, or did something precipitate that choice?" Bella asked her, tucking her pen back into the pocket of her lab coat so she could adjust her purple stethoscope around her neck. "Telephone interviews make it hard to get down to the nitty gritty, but your CV and references were extremely impressive. You leapt out from all the other candidates. I really don't think you'll have too many difficulties here. We are a busy unit, and our clinic days are crazy, but you'll get breathers and sometimes we don't have a lot of patients, which is always a good thing. Most of my staff are great, but you know how it goes. There's always gossips and bad apples. We have four kids, but they're older. Good kids. We're expecting two littlies next week, newly diagnosed leukemia patients. The moms will be staying with them, and we have the facilities for that. Probably our biggest and most pressing case at the moment is Mr Deleo in room eight. Renal cell carcinoma, he had his first kidney removed a few weeks ago and started his first round of chemo, but we have just learnt his second is failing. He's listed for dialysis and for transplant. His brother is a viable donor, but... it's complicated." There. She managed that without bursting into tears, and her voice only wavered once. She could do this. She could.

"Deleo?" Lisa couldn't hide her shock as she stared at Bella for a moment before blinking. That was one lead her brother had definitely buried. "Not Chris Deleo though, right? Dave would have said something if it was Chris... Surely. But to get back to your question, I always wanted to work in Oncology. I guess the reason I keep working in Oncology is what changed. Dave, my brother, he got cancer a little while back. It was hard. I mean, it's something I've been faced with everyday, but when it's your own family - something just changes. Some switch gets flipped and all of a sudden all you can do is try not to drown in the utter helplessness you can feel some days."

Bella stopped walking, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise as she connected the dots. "Oh, I had no idea you were Dave's sister. I'm sorry, I feel completely stupid now. Dave's my patient. He was transferred to my care when I moved here, but no. Not Chris. I would have addressed him as Dr Deleo, anyway, but no. This is actually Chris' older brother, Rick, which would probably explain why Dave didn't say anything. Chris is the viable donor I was referring to. It's an extremely complicated and stressful situation for everyone. The brothers haven't had a very close relationship. I do really understand, Lisa. I know how ill Dave was, and I can't even imagine how it must have been for you to cope with."

Lisa waved a hand slightly as she caught up with Dr Watson. "It's okay, really. It's not like I put my brother's name on my resume or anything. It's just one of those things. He's pretty much why I'm here, and why I wanted to make the move. I wasn't exactly thinking about the doctor versus mister thing when I kind of had a mini heart attack at the idea of it being Chris. You really don't have to explain about the complicated either. I've known Chris since he went to college with my big brother. His lack of familial relationships was no secret. He even spent a couple Christmases with us." She shrugged. "It was hard, don't get me wrong. But it's not like I wouldn't do it. It's just something family does. No questions. A lot of doubts, and fear, but no questions."

Bella laughed a little, and shook her head in disbelief. "Now you mention it, I can see it. You look alike. If it's any consolation, I can vouch for the fact Dave's health is currently top notch now he recovered from that flu. Of course you would know Chris. Forgive me, I've had a really stressful week. Even had my own brother showing up on my doorstep and scaring the hell out of me as a surprise, so go easy on your big bro. We're not as tough as we look sometimes. It's all happened very quickly, but it's Dave that has stepped into Chris' Alpha shoes so Chris can take care of his brother through chemo. Only, despite being tested, Chris is having cold feet, so I'm currently in the middle of scouring the country to try and find a viable donor kidney. I can truly see both sides of the story here, and you probably have thoughts about Rick being a bastard and all that, but he really isn't. He's trying really hard to make up for the mistakes he's made, so there is all that going on too. You will get pulled into it. It's hard not to, especially considering you're Dave's sister, and Chris is basically a celebrity doctor around this place. Dr C and Team Alpha are infamous."

"Is there anything I can do to help? Want me to make you some tea? I don't mind being the beverage bitch for the nice bosses. You look like you could use a few moments just to chill and smell the tea leaves. No offence." Lisa just smiled as she raised her hand. "Well, to be fair it's a bit unreasonable for you to automatically know all my family and all the little links from one phone call and a CV. I'm sure there's a lot of Tylers around the place that aren't related to Dave. Wow, guess all the siblings are popping up out of the woodwork, huh? My apologies on behalf of your big brother. Guess we all had something activate that made us swarm here. Maybe some kind of ESP even if Dave's health is up to scratch. I still worry about him. It's just what I do. Yeah, Dave's already told me a few stories about Alpha Team. And the not sleeping. Three hours a night plus weird dreams? It's a wonder if he'll ever be able to relax again. Okay, so Chris is the viable donor. Talk about awkward. I'm assuming it's a rare blood type if you have to keep scouring? And Mr Deleo's on the list of candidates, right? Anything that would prevent him actually getting a transplant? No alcoholism, anything like that?"

"No. No, no," Bella insisted, shaking her head. "None of my nurses are 'beverage bitches'. I can get my own drink, and it's probably not a good idea to be putting anything in my mouth right now. I've been feeling a bit dodgy this morning, but nothing I can't handle. This is true about the links, however Dave did tell me his sister was a nurse called Lisa, and considering both of your surnames are Tyler, I should have been a little bit more on the ball. I just didn't realise you specialised in oncology, but in saying that, Dave probably doesn't want reason to talk about cancer any more than he has to these days. He is actually the one to thank for getting Rick here in my care in the first place. He gave him a bit of a roughing up verbally and Rick listened. It's natural for you to worry about him and you have reason to. He still needs to be careful. Three hours? Chris has Superman genes, I swear, but Dave needs to take it easy. I think all us down here seem to have a lot going on to need our families around, to be honest." She nodded with a sigh as they approached Rick's room. She glanced inside and found him out like a light. "B Negative, unfortunately. It's an absolute bitch. He's on the list, I've had some emails this morning with available kidneys, but only to let me know they weren't matches. Like I need that. Squeaky clean family history, only an alcoholic father, and Chris with various sporting injuries over the years."

Lisa pressed her lips together as she looked in at Rick as well, already seeing the family resemblance. She'd have bet ten bucks on the fact he'd have killer blue eyes like his brother as well. Lisa had wanted to jump Chris the first time she'd met him, but she didn't want her brother turning around and killing his best friend for defiling his sister, so she'd kept her hands to herself. "I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling well. That really does suck. Hard enough to do the long hours let alone when you're not feeling a hundred percent. Dave's going to want to prove himself if he's been stepped up to Alpha Team. He's just got to acknowledge his limits sometimes. I thought his boss would have known about the cancer, but maybe I'm wrong. Chris really would wear his undies on the outside if he could get away with it, I swear. B Neg? Yikes, harsh. I can't really blame his brother for hesitating though."

"Ironically, he doesn't need to prove himself. He was picked because he has what it takes, and if you knew his current boss, you would see what I mean. The guy doesn't take shit, even if he is very polite and... British about it. But Trauma is a tough gig, and not everyone is cut out for it. There has just been a lot of shake ups over there recently. This is just one of them. Even just a few weeks ago, Chris was down a sink hole nearly getting buried alive so he could amputate a patient's leg. There's never a dull moment. I would find Chris so you guys could catch up, but he's dropped off the radar since he found out he might need to relinquish a kidney. You might also see a blonde resident doctor coming and going. Petite little thing, gorgeous. That's Chris' girlfriend, so she's a regular presence when she can be." Bella nodded into Rick's room. "He needs some obs done. Do you want to do them? He's out on pain meds, so it's unlikely he'll wake up for the moment. And I'm going to go for a bet that Chris owns Superman undies as it is."

"How much do you want to play for?" Lisa asked, her eyes lighting up at that kind of a bet. If she could become friends with the girlfriend it would definitely help in discovering the answer. "Oh, right, Dave told me there was a girlfriend. I just hadn't met her yet. Not like I've been able to make it up here until now. Didn't even think about it being a place I wanted to live, just assumed it would be awesome. I mean, it's by the beach and enough people flock here. Part of me wishes I'd gone into trauma so I get get a piece of that action, but I think I'd spend half the time wetting myself in fright. Let me guess though, all the good looking docs are in MT1? Sure, I can do the obs. I can't resist the idea of poking a Deleo."

Bella laughed softly as she followed Lisa into the room. "How about a tenner and I'll shout you lunch? Serena's probably around your age, give or take. It's a bit of a touchy subject. They have been on the hush until just very recently, and well, you'll hear about it so I'm not spilling any beans, but she is the Alpha resident, so Chris was effectively her mentor. A bit messy, but to see them you would see they're made for each other. He's got a reputation for being more than a player, and I'd say she has tamed him, but she hasn't. He's still the same, he's just not out there for the taking anymore. It is awesome here, there is just a lot of us medical types that don't get much of a chance to enjoy it." She leant against the wall and crossed her arms, watching her new nurse in action... and watching Rick sleep. He still looked troubled and in pain, and her heart was clenching all over again. "I couldn't do Trauma. Surgeries, yes, but not that knife's edge adrenaline rush. It's not for me. The whole hospital had a good stock of good-looking docs, you might get lucky. You can always play with my brother. God knows he could use someone to take care of him. He gives me a headache sometimes."

Lisa looked up over the top of her glasses as she started to take Rick's obs. "You're willingly offering your brother up to me? I'm not sure if I should be flattered or bracing myself for my own headache. But sure, I'm not exactly above being pimped out right now. Things in Jacksonville kinda dried up. I have two other sisters, and it can sometimes become a bit of a game to nab someone that hasn't been nabbed, or was on the verge of being nabbed by one of them. Not to mention my recent tendency to be a grandma these days with early bedtimes and just nesting at home on my days off. So can I ask you what got you into Oncology?"

"He's not as bad as I make him sound. He's just... energetic. He's a flight medic for MT1, so you might see him around. No doubt he'll come and haunt me occasionally, as is his want. It's a big brother's job to be a pain in the butt, and he does it so well, how can I deny him?" Bella asked with a smirk. "Is he feverish? He looks a little flushed. If he spikes a fever, we could be on a lesser timeframe than I even thought. There's nothing wrong with being a grandma, I'm guilty of that myself." She came over to Rick's bedside and picked up his chart to check his overnight obs for any abnormalities. He was nauseated overnight, but nothing else really to worry about. "I'm a cancer survivor. It nearly claimed me when I was eleven."

Lisa smiled a little as she listened to her new boss talk about her big brother. It was exactly how she felt about Dave, even if she was sure he'd say his sisters were bigger pains in the butt. She frowned as she read Rick's temp and looked at his face again. "It's high, but I don't know if I'd call him feverish just yet... I think it's about to build, or he might just be finding the covers a little warm. Dave used to go through hot and cold spells. You can check for yourself, though," Lisa offered as she looked at Bella. "I swear we're breeding a whole generation of grandmas. All that clubbing crap is for the twenty-one to twenty-three crowd and then once they're employed it's grandma time. I'm really sorry to hear that, Dr Watson. It's not an easy disease as an adult, let alone as a kid."

Bella hung Rick's chart at the end of the bed again and came around beside Lisa to take the thermometer off her. She carefully touched Rick's cheek to place it in his ear, hoping her perfume scent wouldn't wake him. He had commented on it the day before, something about knowing when she had been in his room. Still, it didn't stop her wearing it. In fact, it was some sort of comfort to her. She didn't know whenever a guy had complimented her choice of perfume before. Tuck bought some for her, but that was about it. She checked the reading with a small sigh and gave his shoulder a small rub as she handed the device back to Lisa. "It's quite a bit up from this morning. If he has an infection, we need to get that kidney out or it could be lethal. Start praying it's just a UTI. Hell, he's going to kill me for this, but I need to check that catheter and somehow not wake him up. I might leave it for fifteen and see if he wakes up." She gave Lisa a small smile. "Thanks, but it's okay. It just gave me a different outlook on life. Some people think I'm weird, I just think I'm lucky. Things happen for a reason..." If only she could placate herself with that little phrase for a certain other issue.

Lisa gave a nod. "Sure, no problem." She'd been watching the interaction, the little touches and the way Bella had been looking at Rick and she started to get curious if there was something more there. She wasn't going to ask though, nor was she going to say anything. It wasn't her place. She had never been a gossiping nurse. Lisa would just grill her brother if she felt like it. Surely he'd know the deal with Chris' big brother. "I don't think I've ever wanted someone to have a UTI so much in my life. The catheters are always hard on the guys. I don't really envy them that." Lisa smiled back as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm sure it's certainly helped to inform your job. You'd have a very unique perspective to offer patients."

Bella gave a nod in Rick's direction. "This guy in particular absolutely hates it and can be quite vocal about it. Then you have Chris, who is quite zen about all preventing infection, but I guarantee, if he ends up a patient, he'll be just as vocal. The well-endowed always hate it. It seems more awkward for them, for some reason. I can't say I have ever analysed the subject too much. I just put them in and take them out of the ones who don't specifically request a male doctor. The ones who are worried they'll get aroused a woman does it, but they seem to forget that someone trying to put a tube up there is really a killer on the arousal stakes. It happened to one guy in my time and he was so high on painkillers, he was singing Abba songs and trying to tell me the benefits of owning fluffy bunnies. It's helped me be more empathetic as to what they're going through, but it's also helped me see that no news isn't always good news. That you need to know everything to cope with it because delusion gets you nowhere. In saying that, most of my patients don't know. My staff do, but I only tell the patients who ask."

Lisa raised an eyebrow at Rick and then let her gaze slip to his lower body as she wondered about how well-endowed the Deleos really were. "Maybe it's the fact that there's a lot more for the tube to go up? Hell, there's a medical paper ready for you to write. I'm sure you can have lots of fun with the hands on research," she added jokingly. "I don't think I've ever had any kind of accidental arousal in a medical situation. Mostly we come in when there's needles and less than sexy things going on. Although there was one time I walked in on a couple who apparently wanted to make the most of a quick recovery and couldn't wait for the husband to get checked out." Lisa nodded. "Well, sure. That's fair enough. It's not really going to have a baring on your professionalism. You're still a capable doctor."

Bella smirked as she checked Rick's IV lines to make sure there wasn't any tight twists or chances of them falling out. It was usually a nurses job, but she was one of those doctors who usually just saw to those sorts of things if she was there with the patient for other reasons. "I've had a few. Changing a young guy's dressing when I was an intern. Poor lad was mortified. And don't think I don't know what you're thinking. The Deleos have a reputation for a reason," she added in amusement. "Are you serious? I can not think of a more unsexy place to get it on than a hospital. I really am a grandma, I even prefer it in a bed."

Lisa laughed as she flashed Bella a guilty look. "First time I met Chris I wanted to get a look in his pants. I couldn't help myself, but I still think there's a sacred bond between best friends and dating their sisters. So I just sat on my crush and moved on. It was a guilty pleasure seeing him and wondering, but nothing was ever going to happen. Now he's got a girlfriend and the truth is I couldn't be happier. It would be a lucky lady to land Dr C and not actually want to change him. I don't think the Deleos are meant to be changed. Just complimented." She held her hands up though as she made sure her gaze was well averted from Rick's crotch. "Okay, I'm done wondering. Promise. And I'm deadly serious! It was... mortifying. I'm just glad they didn't try and invite me to join and turn it into some kind of porno."

Bella smiled with a small shrug and lifted Rick's hand up to untangle the line from around his wrist. If things weren't so strained, she would joke with him about trying to jerk off with it. "You should have given it a shot. Dave probably would have been relieved you ended up with a guy like Chris. He's an amazing guy. Serena's a great chick. She's a bit of a firecracker, looks can be deceiving, let's just put it that way. She's put one of our nastiest doctors in the hospital in his place a couple of times, so people tend to not try to fuck with her so much. I think she's a great support for Chris. He tends to not freak out as much when she's a factor. I just can't help but think that she is the main factor right now in him getting cold feet. I don't think he's ready to check out on their relationship yet and leave her burdened." She shook her head and held up her hand. "Okay, TMI, but really, you would be surprised how many people have a medical kink."

Lisa stuck her tongue out briefly. "Yeesh, no thanks. I like my kink very much of the non-medical persuasion. Not that I even remember what my kink is anymore. Granny Tyler's memory's not so good these days," she said with a laugh as she tapped her temple. "Sounds like Chris and Serena really were made for each other so I'm glad I didn't get in the middle of that. Dave doesn't want me sleeping with dickheads and who can blame him? I told him he can have the pick of who I sleep with. Well, maybe after I meet your brother. Nothing wrong with living it up for a little while before I find my feet in Miami. So long as you don't think I'm a gigantic slut, because I'm not! And really, if I was in that kind of a relationship I'd probably be getting cold feet too. Giving up a kidney is huge. He shouldn't be making the decision lightly. It doesn't mean he'll back out, though."

"I dated a nurse for around a year, and even then, still had absolutely no urge for medical kink. I'm more a whipped cream and blindfold type person, if I'm feeling adventurous. Oh, and sex on the beach. Tends to be part of the staple diet in Miami. I can't talk for our Dr C, but I have heard Serena allude to his assets... and about twenty other nurses have said the same. Oh, and Kleebus, who apparently heard staff shower room stories. Kleebus is an ambo, has a massive crush on Chris. It's adorable," Bella laughed, amused. "I know exactly what you mean. Aaron is like a guard dog when it comes to my dates. I think the only reason Tuck made it past the mark was because he is a rather big lad and Aaron was probably crapping himself. Tuck wouldn't hurt a fly, though. Aaron has made some guys in my past literally pee themselves. I think he did me a favour. He pisses me off, but at the end of the day, I don't want to end up with any jerks either. I wouldn't think you were a slut, love. Everyone needs sex." She sighed and checked her watch. "It's been over twenty four hours since he heard. I have a bad feeling about it."

"Now a blindfold, whipped cream and beach sex, I can get on board for. Maybe a little chocolate sauce... Jeez, now I just really want some hot beach sex. Thanks for that," she teased Bella as she gave her a mock stern look. "I'm so glad he's passed out for this talk otherwise I really would be embarrassed right about now. Ooh, Dr C picked himself up a man crush? That's just too classic. I have to check out this Kleebus and find out what he's like. Sooner or later some guys have to slip past the Big Brother Radar otherwise we really would be lonely. So, if you don't mind me asking, you're not with the nurse now?" Lisa looked over Rick's face again, wondering if his fever really was a UTI or if that was hoping for too much. "Want me to give Dave a call to see if he's heard from him?"

Bella smirked but then she was looking down at Rick in concern. "He can't hear us. The night doctor has put him on a strong dose of pain meds. I think he had a hard night. I really need to check that catheter, so brace yourself for a cranky dude waking up annoyed I'm even trying to mess with that tube. Do you want to pull the curtain around the bed for me? If it's a UTI or infection in the site, we can hang another bag of antibiotics." She took some gloves from the dispenser and pulled them on. "Kleebus is a sweetie. Poor lad. He's a bit on the special side... completely naive and adorable. You should see the goofy grin when he's perving on Chris. No, I'm not still with Tuck. Schedules clashed and it just wasn't flowing, but we're still friends. There was no bad break up or anything like that. We still care about each other. As tempting as that is, Chris might get annoyed we're not giving him the time he asked for. Which he did. He said he needed time. It's just hard having something like that hanging over you."

Lisa pulled on a pair of gloves as well just in case Bella needed any help after pulling the curtain closed and watched Rick carefully in case he was about to wake up and get cranky on them. She really didn't envy blokes this part at all. She couldn't imagine what it must feel like to them to have something shoved up the end of their penis. She bit down on her lip as she waited, everything in her body tensing for the angry bear to growl at them. "Poor guy. He was never going to be in with a chance. Chris is as straight as they come. Always has been. I know how it goes with the schedule thing. It is a pretty crap side of trying to date within the medical profession. I guess that's where Serena and Chris would be lucky since they're in the same unit. Of course it is. Hopefully he'll be in touch soon."

"On the other hand, Chris has probably given Kleebus some interesting fantasy material, getting around in those scrubs barking orders at the staff. They don't call them Alpha for nothing." Bella folded Rick's sheets down, watching his face. She was actually a little worried how out he was, too. She would have to speak to that night doctor about the dosage, because it had to be too strong. Rick didn't need to spend his days bombed out like this. It was more healthy for him to keep going as much as he could. "I think their schedules clash a little. Being the Chief Resident, Chris is on the on-call roster. It means he could clock on thirty to forty hour shifts some days, depending on the incoming they get. I've seen him walking around the place looking like a zombie some days. But in general, they seem to work and they get to see each other at work. That would be nice."

"It really would..." Lisa leaned forward, not sure if she actually saw Rick move or not. It felt like one of those moments in a horror movie where you just know the body's going to open it's eyes and snap at you or something. Lisa would have never forgiven herself if she screamed in front of her new boss just because she'd worked herself up so much. "He really does resemble his brother. He just looks... toughened. More chiselled. Does that make sense?"

Bella was pretty succinct in her checking. She wasn't going to interferre with him in his sleep anymore than she needed to. It looked fine, no signs of infection, so that wasn't what was giving him the temp, but that swelling in his groin was worse. "Damnit..." she murmured softly and then looked at her watch. "We could have them both on the table first thing in the morning if Chris agreed. He's getting worse. I might need to get him on the dialysis quicker than I thought. If we don't get any news with a donor in any way tomorrow, I'll need to give him the next round of chemo too. He'll hate me. Had a really tough time with it the first go." She cleared her throat. "But you're right, they're more similar than they realise. Rick doesn't realise how much of a softie he actually is."

Lisa frowned with concern at Bella's diagnosis and pulled back from Rick to let him continue resting. She glanced down at his groin and nearly swore at the sight of the swelling. No wonder things were getting desperate. "Are you sure you don't want me to ring Dave?"

Bella shook her head, lips pulled to the side in thought. "No, it's okay... it's okay for the moment. Worse comes to worse, he'll go on dialysis. Chris understands he is on a ticking clock. I'll try calling him if he's not back here by this evening. I might get you to take another round of bloods and keep up his obs ever thirty minutes. I'll need to know of any changes, and I want to put him in nil by mouth in case he needs surgery, so we'll put up another course IV fluids. His temp's up, he might wake up feeling sick, if he does, give him something for the nausea. The orders are already charted. Actually, it's your first day, and you could use an easy go of things, do you mind if I assign you just to Rick to keep him monitored? I'm worried about him. I want to keep a watch on that."

Lisa gave a shake of her head as she picked up the blood test kit kept nearby. "No, of course not. I understand completely. Besides, it's kind of nice to have a somewhat familiar face on my first day. Just wish the circumstances were different. I'll take good care of him, I promise. I'll let you know if anything changes straight away. It really is nice to meet you, Dr Watson. And thanks for the job. I appreciate it a lot."

Bella nodded as she pulled the covers back up to Rick's chest and smoothed his gown down. "I need to get on the phone to the renal unit and the transplant committee. He needs priority. And I'm going to talk to Proctor. If they get any donor's over there they can't save, he can act on it quickly. Just have me paged if you need anything or there are any changes. Oh, and most of the staff won't mind helping. Just ask if you're not sure of anything." She was already digging her phone out of her pocket as she left the room, but not before she glanced back at Rick and found herself feeling like she wanted to throw up again.