Chapter 5

"Hey, Dr.Turtle, how's the ribs?"

The redhead surgeon sighed. "I'm fine, thank you. It's been a week, AJ, I'm totally okay."

The rebel smirked. "And you didn't even kick Richardson in the balls when he was touching you last week. You must have been in pain."

Dr.Turtle sighed. "He kept his little friend away from my legs at all times, or I would've."

"You redheads and your tempers...." AJ whistled.

"I do not have a temper!"

"Yeah, and pigs can fly," Dr.Richardson whispered as he turned in his paperwork at the front desk.

Annie's brown eyes narrowed as she faced the doctor. "You can fly, Dr.Richardson?"

The surgeon shook his head. "I fix your ribs and this is the thanks I get?"

Dr.Turtle shrugged. "I don't see why not, it's not like you ever bothered to say 'you're welcome'."

Nick Carter joined them smiling broadly Dr.Littrell at his side.

"What's the smile for, Carter?" AJ asked curiously.

"I managed to diagnose an illness without a kid vomiting on me!" the blonde cheered.

"Congratulations," Dr.Richardson said his voice monotone. "If you'll excuse me I have a broken leg to mend ."

"Well, I think it's great news," Annie told Nick finishing her notes. "I've got a case in exam three, you want to join me? You won't be vomited on, I promise."

"Sure," Nick replied following her lead.

"What can I do?" AJ called after them.

"Well, the patient we attended to in exam two has the results back. You want to go give them?"

"I can do that?" AJ asked a huge grin forming on his face.

The doctor nodded handing him the notes. "Sure, I'll already signed it off. You just go tell them what it says, the case isn't exactly rocket science."

"I'm one step closer to being more than a picked on med. student!" AJ beamed as he walked toward the door. He took a serious approach as he entered. "All right, the results are in," he told the young teen couple taking a seat infront of them.

"Please tell me the results are negative?" the angry male spat his hands becoming tight fists.

McLean lifted an eyebrow. "Well, Mr.Jones, if you're refering to the testing for STD's; you're both very forunate to have them all come back negative."

"I wasn't referin' to no damn STD, I don't give a shit about that! Is my bitch pregnant your not?"

"Joe..." his girlfriend whispered tears forming in her gray eyes.

AJ's jaw tightened. "Your girlfriend, Hazel, is pregnant."

"WHAT?"

Hazel smiled. "I'm gonna' have a baby?"

"Yes, indeed."

"That's bullshit!" Joe ranted becoming hysterical. "She cannot be pregnant!" He stood causing his chair to fall against the floor the noise echoing through the room. "I don't want no damn kid!"

"But it's your baby, too!" the mother-to-be cried.

"The hell it is!" he shouted walking to the door. "You're on your own!" Joe hollered storming out.

"WAIT!" AJ begged rushing down the hall after him, cornering him outside the lobby.

"Get the hell away from me!"

"I don't think so," AJ hissed glaring into the teen's evil eyes his flesh only inches away from the deadbeat. "So, you think you're so cool, huh?"

"What?"

"It's cool to fuck a girl, then drop her, huh?"

"You can't talk me that way!"

"The hell I can't!" McLean growled. "I could have a social worker assigned to this case, and after seeing your behavior you might land in jail."

"I ain't goin' to prison!" Joe grunted trying to get away.

"Not so fast!" the student demanded not moving. "You do the crime, you pay the time. Only this isn't a crime, this is a human life, and I can only hope it won't be anything like you!"

"You can't talk me like that!"

"And you can't treat your girl like that! It's not like she did it alone! You're the one that decided to plug yourself into her and let it rip, now it's time to pay the electric bill. Or I can setup the payment plan for you? Which is gonna' be? Get your head outta' your ass or do I need to surgically remove it?"

The young man paled. "I'll straighten up, I swear."

AJ pulled away. "Good, because if you don't I'll make your life a living hell." He smiled sweetly. "Now, would you like to go apologize to your girlfriend?"

Joe nodded repeatively. "Y-yeah, that sounds good."

"All right, let's head back."

The student groaned as he saw Dr.Littrell staring at him, who had witnessed the entire encounter. He took a deep breath. "You're going to tell Dr.Richardson, aren't you?"

The doctor raised his hands in the air. "Hey, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Deal?"

AJ nodded, finally feeling he had done something worthy during his stay in the tiny hospital . "Deal," he agreed returning to his patient.

Dr.Littrell glanced up from his notes as he heard Katie leaving the women's restroom. He frowned judging her pale appearance. "You okay?"

"I..um...just got a little sick," she muttered wiping the sweat from her brow.

"You been feelin' sick awhile?" he asked immediately entering his professional training technique.

The nurse shook her head. "No, it just started this morning. I doubt it's anything major, probably just something I ate."

"Still, I'm concerned."

Katie laughed. "It's okay, you don't have to always be coming to my aide all the time. I feel I'm more of a burden than help around here."

"That's not true, nor did I mean for it to sound that way," the doctor quickly replied. "I'm just worried that you might have picked up an infection when your stitches were removed a few days ago, and since I was the one to help you through this far I might as well now."

"An infection?" the young nurse repeated.

"Just let me look," Brian said peeling back her sleeve. He squinted. "Well, it does look a bit red, but not terribly infected." He felt her forehead. "You may have a mild fever, but nothing too major."

Katie shook her head. "Will my luck ever get better ? This is ricidulous!"

The doctor offered her a sympathetic grin. "Things will get better, you'll see. I'll give you an antibotic and everything will be better in a few days. Until then, you can just handle less graphic cases."

"Everything in here is graphic," Katie sighed sitting down massaging her stomach.

"Hey, Brian!" Howie hollered walking up to them. "Some lady just brought her five barfing kids in, they're in exam one and I've got a fifteen-year-old with a terrible sore throat in exam four." The staff member rushed away. "I've got more people to get organized in the waiting room, it's crowded as can be."

"Crowded? This place?" Brian repeated in shock.

Howie sighed in exhuastion. "The waiting room is a frickin' zoo."

Katie bit her lip. "Five vomiting children? Suddenly, I don't feel so good...."

"Um, why don't you go get the vitals on the fifteen-year-old?" Brian offered hoping to aviod a sixth vomiting individual in his presence.

"Thank you," she breathed walking away.

"Pnemonia!" Nick grinned as he exited with Dr.Turtle from exam three. "I got it right, and the patient even liked me!"

Dr.Turtle patted his back. "A young woman sees a cute boy, it doesn't matter how high the fever is the hormones go into full force."

"Aw, you think I'm cute?" Nick pressed.

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, Nick, you're cute." Annie was distracted as her beeper sounded. "They need me upstairs! Emergency!" she exclaimed heading to the elevator.

Brian looked at his charts standing outside exam one. "I could really use your help, Carter."

"Glad to help!" Nick volunteered joining him. "What we got?"

"Five vomiting children."

"Aw, man!" Nick complained as they entered the loud room.

"Mommy, I wanna' go home!"

"This place smells funny!"

"I think I'm gonna' puke!"

Nick paled looking at the children. "I think I want to run far away...."

Brian extended his hand to the mother of the clan. "Hello, Mrs.Murphy,  I'm Dr.Littrell, this is Nick Carter. What seems to be the trouble?"

The woman pushed her messy brown hair away from her tired eyes. "Ya' see I came home from work and the babysitter tells me they've all been gettin' sick all day. I'm so sorry to bring them here, I know it's a hospital. But I've heard this place is also like a clinic?"

Brian waved his hand. "Don't worry, you did the right thing bringing them in. So, let's take a look shall we?" He knelt down to the small blonde-headed child before him. "Hi, sweetie, what's your name?"

"Debbie..." she sniffled.

"Hi, Debbie, can you tell me where you hurt?"

"My tummy."

"Aw, I'm sorry. Is it okay if I look at your tummy?"

"Yeah.." she granted lifting up her shirt.

"Thank you," he replied gently pressing against her skin. "Does it hurt when I press down?"

"No, same."

"Okay." He looked over his shoulder. "Nick, please start looking at the others. Check the adomen from all angles and near the intestines."

Nick nodded beginning to examine the redheaded boy before him. "Certainly."

Brian moved on to another child. "Have any of them taken anything for the pain?" he asked the Mrs.Murphy

"Yes, children's pepto bismol, but it's only worked a little. Helped lower the fever and ease the pain a little."

"Uh huh..Have any of them been ill previously?"

"Well, Shane, my redheaded boy," she said pointing to the young man. "Was sick a few nights ago, no matter what I gave him or did he didn't feel better. Just sick and weak."

"Have they had any new foods or rare dishes?" Nick asked bringing up the possibility of food posioning.

"No, they haven't. Is it serious?" the mother worried.

Dr.Littrell shook his head. "No, it's nothing of a serious nature."

"Then, what is it?"

He sighed. "A stomach virus. A highly contagious stomach virus. It could last anywhere from forty-eight to seven-two hours to clear up."

The woman lifted her youngest child into her lap. "What do I do to make them feel better?"

"Keep them well hydrated, try crackers and chicken broth once their stomaches are a little stronger and just let them know you're there for them. Unforunately, as a virus it has to run it's course, I can't prescribe anything to hurry that along."

Mrs.Murphy gave way to a sigh of relief. "Thank you, doctor."

"My pleasure. You kids you feel better," he said standing.

Nick lifted his brow watching the doctor. "Where are you going?"

Brian sighed opening the door. "To tell Katie not to bother taking the antibotics, they won't help her get over her ailment."

***********************************

"I need more suction," Richardson directed as he stood over his patient steadily performing his surgical tasks.

Dr.Turtle grimaced. "Poor man, he must have been in so much pain up this point. Hopefully, his knee will heal quickly, allowing him to move on with his wife."

"Miss Turtle, it's our job to treat the patient physically while we're near them, not make judgements about their lives previously to this day."

The surgeon snarled as she assisted him. "Some of us prefer to always refer to our patients as human beings and not just bodies we open up."

"You're young, you'll grow out of it," Kevin replied. "Prepare to close," he ordered. "Nurse wipe my forehead, please!" he sighed as the sweat trickled down his brow.

The female doctor raised an eyebrow. "You've been sweating a lot during this surgery. Are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine!" he snapped.

"I was just asking," she whispered as she continued sewing up the incision.

He took a deep breath. "Besides, it's hot as hell in here."

"Actually, I'm rather cold," the other stated matter-of-factly.

Richardson stepped away from the operating table, shutting his eyes slowly as his skin tone became a ghastly shade.

"Doctor?" the nurse called softly in worry.

"Kevin?" Annie stated loudly with a clear tone. "Kevin, are you okay?"

He slowly opened his green eyes. "Just got a little dizzy...."

The doctor proceeded her duties. "Any nausea?"

Dr.Richardson brought his hand to his stomach as he looked at the patient's bloody knee. "Now there is!" he groaned rushing into the open hall heaving over an open trash can.

Dr.Turtle's beaming grin was hidden beneath her surgrical mask. "Revenge is so sweet....."

***************************

"Dr.Littrell!" Dr.Turtle called as she entered the busy open area of the hospital.

"Yes?" he answered in obvious fatigue.

"Is there a stomach bug or flu going around?"

"Yes!" Katie groaned lifting her head up from behind a huge stack of paper work. "And it's hell!" she whimpered hiding behind the papers once more.

Littrell turned back to the doctor. "Yes, why do you ask? Are you feeling ill?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine," she assured him. "But it appears your cousin has picked up this bug or whatever."

"Kevin?" Brian repeated a chuckle escaping his lips. "Even the mighty fall."

"He had to rush out of surgery to throw up," the redhead informed him.

"Don't mention throwing up!" Katie moaned.

Brian nodded reaching behind the high stack of papers rubbing the nurse's shoulder. "Yeah, don't give Katie any ideas," he sighed. "She's been bowing to throne a lot, therefore, explaining the paper work. Do you want me to go talk Kevin?"

"Oh, no," Dr.Turtle replied. "Allow me." With a smile the resident entered the elevator preparing to deal with Richardson.

Nick rushed into the small quarter standing at her side. "Hi!" he breathed leaning against the wall heavily.

"Hard day?" she wondered glancing at him.

"Very!" he gasped. "I've been puked on so many times. Am I a magnet or something? I'm really beginning to think I picked the wrong career."

"Don't think like that, Nick, some days are just harder than others. At some time or another every doctor will be puked on."

"That's reassuring," he grumbled. "So, how was your day, Dr.Turtle?"

She smirked as the elevator doors opened. "I'd say things are looking up." The doctor

made her hallway glancing in each of the small windows on the thick doors. She paused squinting. "Jackpot!"

The doctor opened the door stepping inside quietly. "Dr.Richardson?" she whispered to the man, who had laid down in an empty room drowning in his own misery.

"What?" he moaned.

"I'm here to make sure you're okay?"

He pouted. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Return the favor? You took care of me, only I'm afraid I'm not strong enough to carry you through the halls."

"Ha, ha," he said sarcastically.

She walked over to him. "Come on, let me take a look."

"I'm afraid it's something bad," Richardson worried holding his stomach.

"Why would you say that?" she asked sticking the thermometer into his ear.

"I'm hot then I'm cold, my stomach is doing flip-flops, my head is pounding..."

"100.3," Dr.Turtle read retrieving the object from his ear. "Why don't you just relax and let me take a look?"

"Could it be my appendix?" Kevin panicked.

"Maybe..." the female hummed gently lifting up his shirt. "Um, Dr.Richardson?"

"What?"

"It couldn't be your appendix...You um...have a scar from an appendectomy," she stated gently placing her hand on the scar.

He jumped. "God, your hands are like ice!"

"Well, excuse me," she responsed rolling her eyes.

Dr.Richardson took a deep breath. "Maybe I need a scope? Or could it be food poisoning? Oh, God the thought of being poisoned...."

Dr.Turtle looked at him sadly. "I don't believe that will be necessary. Now, listen to me."

He sat up slowly locking eyes with her. "What is it?"

"Now, for the next two or three days. You are going to be very sick. Fevers might come and go, your stomach will be in a great deal of pain in association with vomiting and diarrhea. You might suffer some dehydration," she told him softly as she stood walking to the door.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Kevin coughed.

She took a deep breath hanging her head, to hide her smile. "I'm afraid not, you have a stomach virus, Mr.Richardson."