just_muse_me: 9.9.4. Intensive Care
9.9.4. Intensive Care
Co-written with drcampbell | Set Boxing Day
[Follows THIS and everything prior HERE]
Chase was called into work in the very early hours of Boxing Day with a desperate plea for him to cover a shift in NICU. He did that occasionally when they were short-staffed and it seemed their Senior Attending for the day shift had come down with Christmas food poisoning. No one else but Chase had answered the call, likely all pissed off their heads following Christmas. Chase hadn’t drunk at all throughout the day and had been on standby in case Tara needed to deliver by caesarian. Sure, he wasn’t the only surgeon in the hospital, but Lachlan had personally asked him if he would be the surgeon if Tara had complications and needed a C-section. It was his best mate; there was no way Chase could refuse, nor would he want to.
But when he came to work earlier than needed to stop by Maternity and check on Tara and Wee Campbell’s progress, he got the shock of his life to find Room Eleven empty. It was already one of the best and private rooms in the hospital, so she couldn’t have been moved to a better location and it was barely hours since she gave birth, so she wouldn’t have been discharged. Chase felt like something had grabbed his throat and was choking him. This really could only mean one of two things; something had happened to the baby or something had happened to Tara.
Panicked, he ran directly to the nurses’ station to try and get some information, even just on where Lachlan or the baby was. If something happened to that little boy, he just knew neither Lachlan or Tara would be able to survive through it. He listened in horror as the nurse somberly told him Tara had been rushed to the ICU about two hours ago, but she couldn’t give him anymore information. He would have to speak to Lachlan.
Hospital and patient confidentiality and all that shit. Chase understood, even if it was infuriating when a friend or family member was in danger. He nodded and backed away to make a run for the elevators. He only realised then that he should have asked where the baby was. He was premmie and would need time in a humidicrib over the next week or so, but probably not to the point he needed to be in NICU. Was he with Lachlan or was he in the Maternity nursery? It would all come down to logistics… or the state Lachlan was in. What the fuck had happened?
Lachlan rested his head against the glass wall of Tara’s ICU room and watched as a small team of nurses hovered around Tara’s still form on the narrow bed. The morning after Christmas. The morning after the birth of their son. This shouldn’t be happening. She should be awake. She should be smiling. She should be nursing their son and learning to breast feed. Not lying there in a coma and on life support. Why didn’t he notice something was wrong with her? If he had just noticed, they might have caught it before she reached coma.
When he felt a hand rest on his shoulder he nearly jumped out of his skin. His head turned sharply to see who it was who had touched him and when he saw Chase, there was no stopping it; he slumped against the glass with a heart-wrenching sob. “She has to wake up! She’s missing him! He needs her… I need her…”
Chase pulled Lachlan into a secure hug against him. Over Lachlan’s shoulder, he could see Tara laid out on the ICU gurney with all the usual machines and equipment feeding into her. It wasn’t an uncommon sight for an ICU patient, but when it was one of your own? It was never easy to see. “What happened, mate? Where’s your son?” he asked quietly near Lachlan’s ear so he could keep his voice calm.
“The nursery,” Lachlan choked out, trying to wipe his eyes over Chase shoulder, but it just gave way for another flood of tears. “But he isnae staying there. He’s going to be here with her, just like I will be. I dinnae fucking care what anyone says. I’m a doctor, he’s my son. I know what’s best for him. He has to be with her. I’ll be changing him and bathing him and feeding him. Nay some faceless fucking nurse.”
Chase nodded. “Okay… it’s okay, mate. They’ll let you do that. I think you’re right.” He knew he would demand the same if this was his baby and that was Rogue lying in there. In fact, when he put himself in Lachlan’s shoes right now, he felt like he wanted to vomit. He didn’t think he would be able to cope. “Is it her diabetes?”
“Aye, but a post-partum infection caused it. Endometritis, likely caused because her waters broke so early.” Lachlan put his hand up to his forehead helplessly. “She didnae even say she was feeling ill! Just tired. But she had to have been. Last check, her BSL was low, but it wasnae in the danger zone, then before we know it, we cannae rouse her and she’s in full diabetic ketoacidosis. By the time she was moved to the ICU, she was in a coma. I-It felt like it all happened so quickly, but if I had known she was ailing, Chase! If I had just known, she wouldnae be in a coma!”
Chase shook his head and took both of Lachlan’s hands in is. “No, mate. You can’t do this to yourself. How were you to know? If she was sleeping, you would just be relieved at that. The birth was traumatic and stressful on her body, which wouldn’t have helped the DKA. If they were only taking her obs once every hour, you know her condition could’ve taken a rapid descent in sixty minutes and without monitors or Tara awake to indicate any symptoms. How would you have known? Lachlan, you can’t fall apart this time. It’s not like last time. This time, your son needs you to stay strong and take care of him so he isn’t left in the care of faceless nurses.”
“I cannae do it!” Lachlan sobbed, shaking his head. “I cannae do it without her!”
“Yes, you can,” Chase told him firmly. He squeezed Lachlan’s hand. “Come on, mate. Look at me for minute? You need to go home and take a shower, have something to eat, and try to get some sleep or you’ll burn out you’ll end up in here right next to her.”
Lachlan shook his head again, though he held Chase’s gaze, once again trying to wipe the tears away with his fingers. “No, I cannae. I have to stay here in case something happens. I have to be here when she wakes up and Riley needs to be fed soon.” This just caused another sob to catch in his throat. Tara should be feeding him for the first time. Lachlan was terrified something was going to go wrong with his son if he made one wrong move.
“She won’t wake yet, mate. Not if the infection has just started in her system and she will need at least twenty four hours of insulin therapy before her body even begins to respond to it. That means she will sleep for at least that amount of time, but this can’t be a completely bad thing for her rest and recuperate.” Chase chewed down on his lip while he thought for a few moments. “This is what we’re going to do. You’re going to feed your son and you’re going to cuddle him and reassure yourself he’s okay. Then I’m going to call Riley to come and pick you up and drive you home to shower, eat, and sleep. I’ll call Rogue, and she and I can stay here with Tara and the little one until you come back. Is that okay? Are you okay for us to do that for you? Don’t feel you have to say yes, mate. You have to call whatever shots you need for your family, but you need to do it without burning yourself out.”
Lachlan swallowed and pulled away from Chase to look into Tara’s room again. “Aye,” he finally choked out hoarsely. He glanced back at Chase, his eyes still red and wet. “Okay… t-thank you.”
Chase shook his head. “None of that. I’d do anything for you, mate. We all would. You aren’t alone. I promise you that.” He patted Lachlan lightly on the back and waited until his friend was ready to set the plan in action. He knew better than most what it would be like for the Scot to try and pull himself away from his wife right now. Chase would wait as long as it took. They could get someone else in NICU.
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,484
Co-written with drcampbell | Set Boxing Day
[Follows THIS and everything prior HERE]
Chase was called into work in the very early hours of Boxing Day with a desperate plea for him to cover a shift in NICU. He did that occasionally when they were short-staffed and it seemed their Senior Attending for the day shift had come down with Christmas food poisoning. No one else but Chase had answered the call, likely all pissed off their heads following Christmas. Chase hadn’t drunk at all throughout the day and had been on standby in case Tara needed to deliver by caesarian. Sure, he wasn’t the only surgeon in the hospital, but Lachlan had personally asked him if he would be the surgeon if Tara had complications and needed a C-section. It was his best mate; there was no way Chase could refuse, nor would he want to.
But when he came to work earlier than needed to stop by Maternity and check on Tara and Wee Campbell’s progress, he got the shock of his life to find Room Eleven empty. It was already one of the best and private rooms in the hospital, so she couldn’t have been moved to a better location and it was barely hours since she gave birth, so she wouldn’t have been discharged. Chase felt like something had grabbed his throat and was choking him. This really could only mean one of two things; something had happened to the baby or something had happened to Tara.
Panicked, he ran directly to the nurses’ station to try and get some information, even just on where Lachlan or the baby was. If something happened to that little boy, he just knew neither Lachlan or Tara would be able to survive through it. He listened in horror as the nurse somberly told him Tara had been rushed to the ICU about two hours ago, but she couldn’t give him anymore information. He would have to speak to Lachlan.
Hospital and patient confidentiality and all that shit. Chase understood, even if it was infuriating when a friend or family member was in danger. He nodded and backed away to make a run for the elevators. He only realised then that he should have asked where the baby was. He was premmie and would need time in a humidicrib over the next week or so, but probably not to the point he needed to be in NICU. Was he with Lachlan or was he in the Maternity nursery? It would all come down to logistics… or the state Lachlan was in. What the fuck had happened?
Lachlan rested his head against the glass wall of Tara’s ICU room and watched as a small team of nurses hovered around Tara’s still form on the narrow bed. The morning after Christmas. The morning after the birth of their son. This shouldn’t be happening. She should be awake. She should be smiling. She should be nursing their son and learning to breast feed. Not lying there in a coma and on life support. Why didn’t he notice something was wrong with her? If he had just noticed, they might have caught it before she reached coma.
When he felt a hand rest on his shoulder he nearly jumped out of his skin. His head turned sharply to see who it was who had touched him and when he saw Chase, there was no stopping it; he slumped against the glass with a heart-wrenching sob. “She has to wake up! She’s missing him! He needs her… I need her…”
Chase pulled Lachlan into a secure hug against him. Over Lachlan’s shoulder, he could see Tara laid out on the ICU gurney with all the usual machines and equipment feeding into her. It wasn’t an uncommon sight for an ICU patient, but when it was one of your own? It was never easy to see. “What happened, mate? Where’s your son?” he asked quietly near Lachlan’s ear so he could keep his voice calm.
“The nursery,” Lachlan choked out, trying to wipe his eyes over Chase shoulder, but it just gave way for another flood of tears. “But he isnae staying there. He’s going to be here with her, just like I will be. I dinnae fucking care what anyone says. I’m a doctor, he’s my son. I know what’s best for him. He has to be with her. I’ll be changing him and bathing him and feeding him. Nay some faceless fucking nurse.”
Chase nodded. “Okay… it’s okay, mate. They’ll let you do that. I think you’re right.” He knew he would demand the same if this was his baby and that was Rogue lying in there. In fact, when he put himself in Lachlan’s shoes right now, he felt like he wanted to vomit. He didn’t think he would be able to cope. “Is it her diabetes?”
“Aye, but a post-partum infection caused it. Endometritis, likely caused because her waters broke so early.” Lachlan put his hand up to his forehead helplessly. “She didnae even say she was feeling ill! Just tired. But she had to have been. Last check, her BSL was low, but it wasnae in the danger zone, then before we know it, we cannae rouse her and she’s in full diabetic ketoacidosis. By the time she was moved to the ICU, she was in a coma. I-It felt like it all happened so quickly, but if I had known she was ailing, Chase! If I had just known, she wouldnae be in a coma!”
Chase shook his head and took both of Lachlan’s hands in is. “No, mate. You can’t do this to yourself. How were you to know? If she was sleeping, you would just be relieved at that. The birth was traumatic and stressful on her body, which wouldn’t have helped the DKA. If they were only taking her obs once every hour, you know her condition could’ve taken a rapid descent in sixty minutes and without monitors or Tara awake to indicate any symptoms. How would you have known? Lachlan, you can’t fall apart this time. It’s not like last time. This time, your son needs you to stay strong and take care of him so he isn’t left in the care of faceless nurses.”
“I cannae do it!” Lachlan sobbed, shaking his head. “I cannae do it without her!”
“Yes, you can,” Chase told him firmly. He squeezed Lachlan’s hand. “Come on, mate. Look at me for minute? You need to go home and take a shower, have something to eat, and try to get some sleep or you’ll burn out you’ll end up in here right next to her.”
Lachlan shook his head again, though he held Chase’s gaze, once again trying to wipe the tears away with his fingers. “No, I cannae. I have to stay here in case something happens. I have to be here when she wakes up and Riley needs to be fed soon.” This just caused another sob to catch in his throat. Tara should be feeding him for the first time. Lachlan was terrified something was going to go wrong with his son if he made one wrong move.
“She won’t wake yet, mate. Not if the infection has just started in her system and she will need at least twenty four hours of insulin therapy before her body even begins to respond to it. That means she will sleep for at least that amount of time, but this can’t be a completely bad thing for her rest and recuperate.” Chase chewed down on his lip while he thought for a few moments. “This is what we’re going to do. You’re going to feed your son and you’re going to cuddle him and reassure yourself he’s okay. Then I’m going to call Riley to come and pick you up and drive you home to shower, eat, and sleep. I’ll call Rogue, and she and I can stay here with Tara and the little one until you come back. Is that okay? Are you okay for us to do that for you? Don’t feel you have to say yes, mate. You have to call whatever shots you need for your family, but you need to do it without burning yourself out.”
Lachlan swallowed and pulled away from Chase to look into Tara’s room again. “Aye,” he finally choked out hoarsely. He glanced back at Chase, his eyes still red and wet. “Okay… t-thank you.”
Chase shook his head. “None of that. I’d do anything for you, mate. We all would. You aren’t alone. I promise you that.” He patted Lachlan lightly on the back and waited until his friend was ready to set the plan in action. He knew better than most what it would be like for the Scot to try and pull himself away from his wife right now. Chase would wait as long as it took. They could get someone else in NICU.
All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,484