General Hospital - Scrubs Fic - Come Back 3/20
Originally posted by: tkfaf Aug 24 2007, 03:27 PM
Thank you everyone for all your encouragement on my first story. Your compliments are so wonderful to hear and are encouraging me to hurry up and write more. So anyway, this chapter introduces 2 characters of my own creation - Melissa (based on my best friend and co-worker who really has a year of nursing school left) and Dr. Cooper (who is based on two of the best doctors I ever work with.) This chapter also has quite a bit of medical jargon in it which I hope is not overdone. Also, this chapter will be completely from Patrick's POV. Hope you all enjoy it.
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Chapter 3
Patrick hadn't moved when Emily and Liz returned. Liz went quietly to the IV bag and prepared to hang the piggy back.
"Patrick, I updated Dr. Cooper and he is looking at her records now. Melissa at the desk is getting her admitted so the electronic record should be available shortly."
"Thanks Emily."
"Dr. Drake?"
Patrick turned to look at the head of Infectious Diseases for GH standing in the doorway. His grey hair was slightly balding and his glasses were too big, but his eyes reflected the years of experience that made him so good at diagnostics. Patrick remained silent.
"Dr. Drake, why don't we speak at the desk while the ladies work?"
Patrick nodded, and then kissed Robin's hand before getting up and following Dr. Cooper out of the room.
Melissa looked up as the two doctors approached the desk. She tucked her blond hair behind her ears then set a laptop on the counter top above her station.
"I've got Dr. Scorpio in the system and pulled up the labs that are done."
Patrick saw Dr. Cooper smile at Melissa's effectiveness and initiative.
"Thank you Melissa."
Patrick watched Melissa smile back at Dr. Cooper and then turned her attention back to her work. Before things had gotten serious with Robin, he and Melissa had made more than a few people blush with the way they flirted. They still teased each other, but not at the same level they used to. He knew that Robin really liked the outgoing, friendly blond. She had been there one of the nights he had picked Robin up from Jake's after a particularly rambunctious girls' night out. Patrick felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Dr. Drake?"
"Sorry, Dr. Cooper. You were saying?"
"They are still working on the sed rate and chemistry tests, but the CBC shows that her white count is significantly elevated. That along with the high fever and decreased LOC makes me suspect viral rather than bacterial. How quickly did this hit her?"
Patrick stared at the screen. There were more red abnormals than normal black values.
"Patrick?"
"Um, she seemed fine when we got here this morning, but I haven't really seen her since."
Dr. Cooper turned back to the young tech who was busy organizing the charts in front of her.
"Melissa, did you see Dr. Scorpio today?"
Setting down the papers in her hand, Melissa ran her hands through her fine hair obviously trying to recall.
"It has been kinda crazy down here today, but I think she might have run through here earlier. I don't think she wasn't here very long though."
"Do you remember what time?"
"Maybe mid-morning like nine or ten, but I'm not positive. I could check around and see if anyone else knows for sure."
"Thank you dear. You are going to make a fine nurse when you graduate next year."
Patrick watched as Melissa flashed Dr. Cooper her friendly smile then hurried off to question the rest of the ER staff. He knew that if Robin had been there, Melissa would find out and report back. Could Robin have caught something in a quick visit to the ER? She wasn't on ER call today and had told him she had nothing planned except working on a research project that she was behind on. Why had she left the lab? The damn ER staff knew more about Robin's day than he did apparently. He ran his fingers though his hair for about the hundredth time in the last hour. A hand on his shoulder caused him to look back at the kindly doctor.
"Why don't we get her upstairs and then we can see what we can do about narrowing down the possibilities."
Patrick nodded and followed Dr. Cooper back to where his mind already was - Robin's side.
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Forty-five minutes later, Liz and Epiphany had just finished getting Robin settled in her room on the eleventh floor. From the moment the elevator doors opened, Epiphany had taken charge in her usual style that could knock even the most arrogant doctor down a few pegs. First, she directed Emily to pull up Robin's file for Dr. Cooper to look at the newest lab results and then took Liz with her to the room she had already set up for Robin. Patrick was irritated when she gruffly told him to keep his skinny butt out of the way so she could do her job. Epiphany must have seen that he was gearing up for a fight because she firmly placed her hand on his arm. Quietly, she told him the best thing for Robin would be if the nurses got her into her room quickly and working around a lovesick doctor boyfriend would not help get that done. Not being able to think of anything else to do, he had gone over to where Emily and Dr. Cooper were looking at the labs on the laptop at the nurse's station. The rest of the labs were in and they showed what everyone already knew. Robin was really sick. Now sitting beside her bed, Patrick could only wait for Dr. Cooper to come in. He was looking at her face and stroking her hair, when she started to stir.
"Robin? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can." He held onto her hand and willed her to do what he asked. It was ever so slight, but she did it.
"That's good sweetie." He brought her hand to his lips and held it there and her eyes opened for a brief moment.
"Patrick?"
"Yeah?"
"You look pale," she mumbled weakly.
"You don't look so hot yourself you know."
"Mmmm."
She was quiet again and her hand had gone slack causing Patrick's heart to race again.
"Robin?" Patrick searched for any sign that she heard him.
"Robin, answer me!"
"Shhhh. Your bedside manner is..." her voice trailed off.
"Robin?"
"...back sliding," she finished weakly.
"You are still trying to work on my bedside manner when you should be focusing on yourself." He thought she tried to smile at his attempt to goad her.
"Not gonna work Patrick."
"What's not going to work?"
"Starting a spat is not going to get me well," she barely managed to get out before her breath was gone.
"Just trying to learn from the great Doctor Scorpio." He watched her struggle to put her thoughts into words and say them.
"I drifted before, didn't I?"
"Drifted?"
"Mixed up" she weakly replied.
Patrick realized that she was referring to her earlier confusion when Elizabeth started her IV.
"Yeah, you drifted. You were talking about Mr. Craig."
"Thought I was back..."
It hurt him to watch her laying here so weak.
"It's okay sweetheart." He held onto her hand hoping that some of his strength would pass to her from his touch.
"Can't think..."
Patrick gently wiped away the small tear that was forming at the edge of her closed eyes. Hearing the tone of her monitors change, he looked up at the readings. Her oxygen sats were below normal and there were occasional heart arrhythmias starting to show up.
"It's going to be okay Robin. You're just tired. Rest."
Not letting go of her hand, Patrick reached for the call bell.
Elizabeth entered the room first followed closely by Dr. Cooper and Emily. Dr. Cooper nodded at Elizabeth and then turned to Patrick.
"Why don't we start with an oxygen mask for our girl, update her vitals, and then I’d like you to call your dad."
“My father? Why do you want me to call him?”
It came out sharper than he meant it to and he could see that Dr. Cooper was studying him carefully.
“Patrick, calm down. Why don’t we go get some coffee in the lounge and I can explain where I think we should go from here.”
Patrick sighed. He should probably hear the guy out and a caffeine boost probably wouldn’t hurt either. He met Dr. Cooper’s concerned stare and nodded. He looked at the tiny figure in the bed that was his whole world. Elizabeth and Emily looked up at him.
“We’ll take care of her,” Elizabeth told him.
“Go get some coffee Patrick. She’ll be right here when you get back,” Emily added.
After another lingering look at Robin, Patrick turned and followed Dr. Cooper out of the room.
Thank you everyone for all your encouragement on my first story. Your compliments are so wonderful to hear and are encouraging me to hurry up and write more. So anyway, this chapter introduces 2 characters of my own creation - Melissa (based on my best friend and co-worker who really has a year of nursing school left) and Dr. Cooper (who is based on two of the best doctors I ever work with.) This chapter also has quite a bit of medical jargon in it which I hope is not overdone. Also, this chapter will be completely from Patrick's POV. Hope you all enjoy it.
###############################################
Chapter 3
Patrick hadn't moved when Emily and Liz returned. Liz went quietly to the IV bag and prepared to hang the piggy back.
"Patrick, I updated Dr. Cooper and he is looking at her records now. Melissa at the desk is getting her admitted so the electronic record should be available shortly."
"Thanks Emily."
"Dr. Drake?"
Patrick turned to look at the head of Infectious Diseases for GH standing in the doorway. His grey hair was slightly balding and his glasses were too big, but his eyes reflected the years of experience that made him so good at diagnostics. Patrick remained silent.
"Dr. Drake, why don't we speak at the desk while the ladies work?"
Patrick nodded, and then kissed Robin's hand before getting up and following Dr. Cooper out of the room.
Melissa looked up as the two doctors approached the desk. She tucked her blond hair behind her ears then set a laptop on the counter top above her station.
"I've got Dr. Scorpio in the system and pulled up the labs that are done."
Patrick saw Dr. Cooper smile at Melissa's effectiveness and initiative.
"Thank you Melissa."
Patrick watched Melissa smile back at Dr. Cooper and then turned her attention back to her work. Before things had gotten serious with Robin, he and Melissa had made more than a few people blush with the way they flirted. They still teased each other, but not at the same level they used to. He knew that Robin really liked the outgoing, friendly blond. She had been there one of the nights he had picked Robin up from Jake's after a particularly rambunctious girls' night out. Patrick felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Dr. Drake?"
"Sorry, Dr. Cooper. You were saying?"
"They are still working on the sed rate and chemistry tests, but the CBC shows that her white count is significantly elevated. That along with the high fever and decreased LOC makes me suspect viral rather than bacterial. How quickly did this hit her?"
Patrick stared at the screen. There were more red abnormals than normal black values.
"Patrick?"
"Um, she seemed fine when we got here this morning, but I haven't really seen her since."
Dr. Cooper turned back to the young tech who was busy organizing the charts in front of her.
"Melissa, did you see Dr. Scorpio today?"
Setting down the papers in her hand, Melissa ran her hands through her fine hair obviously trying to recall.
"It has been kinda crazy down here today, but I think she might have run through here earlier. I don't think she wasn't here very long though."
"Do you remember what time?"
"Maybe mid-morning like nine or ten, but I'm not positive. I could check around and see if anyone else knows for sure."
"Thank you dear. You are going to make a fine nurse when you graduate next year."
Patrick watched as Melissa flashed Dr. Cooper her friendly smile then hurried off to question the rest of the ER staff. He knew that if Robin had been there, Melissa would find out and report back. Could Robin have caught something in a quick visit to the ER? She wasn't on ER call today and had told him she had nothing planned except working on a research project that she was behind on. Why had she left the lab? The damn ER staff knew more about Robin's day than he did apparently. He ran his fingers though his hair for about the hundredth time in the last hour. A hand on his shoulder caused him to look back at the kindly doctor.
"Why don't we get her upstairs and then we can see what we can do about narrowing down the possibilities."
Patrick nodded and followed Dr. Cooper back to where his mind already was - Robin's side.
#################################
Forty-five minutes later, Liz and Epiphany had just finished getting Robin settled in her room on the eleventh floor. From the moment the elevator doors opened, Epiphany had taken charge in her usual style that could knock even the most arrogant doctor down a few pegs. First, she directed Emily to pull up Robin's file for Dr. Cooper to look at the newest lab results and then took Liz with her to the room she had already set up for Robin. Patrick was irritated when she gruffly told him to keep his skinny butt out of the way so she could do her job. Epiphany must have seen that he was gearing up for a fight because she firmly placed her hand on his arm. Quietly, she told him the best thing for Robin would be if the nurses got her into her room quickly and working around a lovesick doctor boyfriend would not help get that done. Not being able to think of anything else to do, he had gone over to where Emily and Dr. Cooper were looking at the labs on the laptop at the nurse's station. The rest of the labs were in and they showed what everyone already knew. Robin was really sick. Now sitting beside her bed, Patrick could only wait for Dr. Cooper to come in. He was looking at her face and stroking her hair, when she started to stir.
"Robin? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can." He held onto her hand and willed her to do what he asked. It was ever so slight, but she did it.
"That's good sweetie." He brought her hand to his lips and held it there and her eyes opened for a brief moment.
"Patrick?"
"Yeah?"
"You look pale," she mumbled weakly.
"You don't look so hot yourself you know."
"Mmmm."
She was quiet again and her hand had gone slack causing Patrick's heart to race again.
"Robin?" Patrick searched for any sign that she heard him.
"Robin, answer me!"
"Shhhh. Your bedside manner is..." her voice trailed off.
"Robin?"
"...back sliding," she finished weakly.
"You are still trying to work on my bedside manner when you should be focusing on yourself." He thought she tried to smile at his attempt to goad her.
"Not gonna work Patrick."
"What's not going to work?"
"Starting a spat is not going to get me well," she barely managed to get out before her breath was gone.
"Just trying to learn from the great Doctor Scorpio." He watched her struggle to put her thoughts into words and say them.
"I drifted before, didn't I?"
"Drifted?"
"Mixed up" she weakly replied.
Patrick realized that she was referring to her earlier confusion when Elizabeth started her IV.
"Yeah, you drifted. You were talking about Mr. Craig."
"Thought I was back..."
It hurt him to watch her laying here so weak.
"It's okay sweetheart." He held onto her hand hoping that some of his strength would pass to her from his touch.
"Can't think..."
Patrick gently wiped away the small tear that was forming at the edge of her closed eyes. Hearing the tone of her monitors change, he looked up at the readings. Her oxygen sats were below normal and there were occasional heart arrhythmias starting to show up.
"It's going to be okay Robin. You're just tired. Rest."
Not letting go of her hand, Patrick reached for the call bell.
Elizabeth entered the room first followed closely by Dr. Cooper and Emily. Dr. Cooper nodded at Elizabeth and then turned to Patrick.
"Why don't we start with an oxygen mask for our girl, update her vitals, and then I’d like you to call your dad."
“My father? Why do you want me to call him?”
It came out sharper than he meant it to and he could see that Dr. Cooper was studying him carefully.
“Patrick, calm down. Why don’t we go get some coffee in the lounge and I can explain where I think we should go from here.”
Patrick sighed. He should probably hear the guy out and a caffeine boost probably wouldn’t hurt either. He met Dr. Cooper’s concerned stare and nodded. He looked at the tiny figure in the bed that was his whole world. Elizabeth and Emily looked up at him.
“We’ll take care of her,” Elizabeth told him.
“Go get some coffee Patrick. She’ll be right here when you get back,” Emily added.
After another lingering look at Robin, Patrick turned and followed Dr. Cooper out of the room.