Pull Out Some Hope For Me

Previously: The intercom between the EMT’s and the ER broke down, a prostitute came in after being raped and beaten, bringing a three year old boy with her who has lived on the streets his whole life, and there is a rumour going round that Kerry and Carter are a couple….

It is night in the ER, although you wouldn’t know it since the stream of patients hasn’t changed. It is still relatively quiet for the ER despite the intercom having been fixed, and Lydia, Malik, Chuni and Conni are standing at the main desk in a huddle, whispering…
“No! Carter and WEAVER??!! What on earth would ever possess…
“I know! He must be desperate….”
“Well, he hasn’t been out with anyone for a while now, I’ve noticed.”
“You got your eye on him then Chuni?”
“No! He’s too young…”
“Hmm, still, I wonder what it is about Weaver that….”
“Maybe it’s her personality…”
Lots of laughter all round follows this comment.
“Maybe it’s that kinky crutch…”
“MALIK!”
“Hey you guys, twelve o’clock, enemy approaching…”
They hush quickly and look down at charts or rush off with the call ‘we’re out of Dimazapan….’ and ‘I think Mark’s calling…”
“Hey, Malik!” The voice cuts through the air like a serrated knife. Malik turns slowly, and all the other nurses stop and watch, convinced she heard the last comment.
“I need a hand in Curtain 2, I’ve got a guy who’s threatening to leave before the police get here.”
You can almost hear the huge sigh of relief from everyone.

In Exam room 1, Doug is asleep in a chair next to a bed. In the bed is Ben, also asleep with a scuffed, dirty pacifier in his mouth. Carol walks past the door, sees Doug in there and goes in quietly, creeping up to the bed. She looks at Ben’s chart, frowns a little and puts her hand to his forehead. She strokes his hair, then moves to the chair that Doug’s in and crouches down.
“Doug…. hey, Doug…. it’s 11….” Doug stirs, knocking his stethoscope to the floor. The slight noise it makes makes him jump, and he opens his eyes. “Doug, it’s 11, you’re off now. Go home or you’ll never be awake enough to take me out to dinner tomorrow.”
Doug chuckles quietly as he shuffles around in the chair, eventually leaning forward to kiss Carol on the head as she crouches on the floor. “Can’t go yet, I have to sort out a bed for this little guy…. he’s running a fever and I’m worried about his development.”
“Doug, that kid talks like a ten year old! He was telling me about rap music earlier!”
“I’m not worried about that, it’s his physical development I’m not sure about…he’s exceptionally small and I was checking his legs when he came in for any breaks, and there’s something wrong with the way they’re forming, I’ m sure of it.”
Carol looks thoughtful. “Yeah, we haven’t seen him walk, have we? Normally you can’t keep three year olds tied down…”
There is a short silence before Doug grunts and gets up from the chair, rubbing his eyes and stretching before looking over to Ben, still fast asleep. Doug smiles a little. “He wouldn’t sleep without that pacifier, I tried to get him to use a new one I got from the shop, but he had to have that one. God knows what diseases were crawling all over it, I made Haleh wash it properly before he used it.”
Carol smiles and heads slowly towards the door. Doug takes one last long look at Ben before following Carol, hands in pockets and head down.

They walk out into the corridor. Carol starts to say something as Lydia runs past, heading for the trauma rooms, and Doug stops her “Hey, is anyone free right now? I need someone to go and sit with Ben for a while.”
“I think everyone’s busy for the moment Dr. Ross, there’s a double MVA coming in. Ask Jerry.” She rushes off as Doug calls after her “Okay, thanks!”
“Double MVA? Sounds pretty bad.” said Carol.
“Yeah.” replied Doug. Just then, the paramedics came swooping round the corner at speed pushing two gurneys and yelling at the doctors and nurses who followed. They watched them pass, and then Carol said “I have to go Doug, I’ll catch up with you later.” Doug nodded, and went round to the desk, still seeming preoccupied. “Jerry?”
“Yeah, Dr.Ross?”
“Can you get me the peds ward on the phone and ask them if they’ve got any bed for a three year old with a fever and development problems….”
“Sure Dr. Ross.”
“Do you know if anyone’s free right now?”
“Uuuhh, I don’t think so…wait, Dr. Romano’s in the lounge taking a nap…”
“Hm. Yeah, I don’t think Romano’s the guy I’m looking for. You sure there’ s no-one else?”
“Yeah, they’re all busy with the two MVA’s, and Mark and Kerry are in a meeting with Anspaugh.”
“What about Jeannie?”
“She’s not in till 6.00”
“Dammit.”
Doug goes into the lounge and collapses into a chair. He turns his head very slowly to see Romano asleep, with his mouth open, in the chair by the door. Suddenly the door crashes open, smacking into the side of Romano’s chair and jolting him awake. “Oh, sorry Dr. Romano. Dr.Ross, peds are on the phone, they want to know the exact situation with the three year old.” Romano is looking mad at being so rudely awakened.
“Uuuurrr, okay Jerry, you’re gonna have to tell them to hold for a sec. Uuurrr, Robert, now you’re awake, I need to ask you a favour.”
Romano turns his head very slowly towards to Doug. He is not happy. “Well, since I’m awake now, thanks to that clumsy oaf you call a desk clerk, what is it? It better not take long, I have rounds in half an hour and this has been my only break in six hours. I’m not in the mood for any of you crazy tricks, Ross.”
“I just need you to watch a feverish kid in 1”
Romano heaves himself out of the chair, making a real meal out of the whole situation. He looks at Doug with the same expression, reaches for the door handle and leaves. Doug gets up and goes to the main desk to answer his call.

Twenty minutes later, Doug heads back to the exam room at a pace since crying can be heard. He pushes open the door to find Ben sitting on the bed crying loudly and Romano standing next to him, facing away from Doug. “Hey, look, just be quiet will you? He’ll be back in a moment…” Romano is saying to the boy in surprisingly gentle tones for him. Doug is surprised to hear Ben suddenly cry his name.
“Hey, buddy, hey, I’m here, it’s okay…” Doug goes up to the bed and picks Ben up, holding him to his shoulder as the boy’ s cries fade. Doug turns to look at Romano, who is standing there watching, with an expression that betrays his almost fear of the situation.
“He wouldn’t stop crying, calling for you….” Romano tails off, then looks at his watch and becomes himself again. “Next time you need a babysitter Ross, find a nurse. I have rounds to do.” And with that he whisked out of the room and marched off down the corridor.

Two hours later, and Carol once again find Doug asleep in exam 1 next to a sleeping Ben. She goes in, checks the boy’s chart again and finding little change. The clanking of the chart on the bed frame wakes Doug this time, and he looks up to see Carol looking at the chart. “Fever’s still up.” Carol jumps a little and looks up “God, Doug you scared me” Doug grinned and leaned back, running his hands over his hair. Carol hung the chart back over the bed frame and came round the bed to Doug and sat on his knees, looking at Ben. “What happened about getting him a bed?”
“Peds can’t accept him until someone from DCFS signs him in to their care, and DCFS won’ t sign him into their care until they know what’s wrong with him.”
Carol continues to watch Ben sleep. “Haven’t you found out why he’s not walking yet?”
“No, I thought he should sleep for a while, he’s still recovering from the trauma earlier.”
“But I thought I heard him crying a while ago?” “Yeah, after you went to work on the MVA’s, I couldn’t find anyone but Romano to watch him…”
“ROMANO??!!”
Doug laughs. “Yeah, I was desperate, peds were on the phone demanding an explanation for me admitting someone at one in the morning and he was the only person available.”
Carol is laughing too. “No wonder poor Ben was crying! What did Romano do?”
Doug is still chuckling. “I think he nearly collapsed with shock of someone not doing what he said! He was really unsure of himself for a change. I bet Ben could sense it, most kids can. That’s when they start to scream!”
“Well, good on you Ben, you gave Romano a scare!”
Carol says to the sleeping heap on the bed. “When he wakes up, I’ll run some X rays on his legs, take some bone samples and stuff, see if we can see what the problem is.”
“What about his fever?”
“I think that’s just a reaction after the hypothermia. It’s standard when they’re young.”
“Did you hear the woman he came in with left AMA?”
“Yeah, I spoke to Mark. He thinks it’s because he mentioned the police. Ben seems to have completely forgotten about her….”
They look over at the sleeping child, who shifts in his sleep a bit. They both stand up and Doug stretches. “Look Doug, it’s three in the morning. I want you to go home, have a shower and go to bed. I’ll stay here with Ben and order the tests for about nine am. He’ll be fine until then.”
“You sure? What if an emergency comes in?”
“Well, then I’ll get someone else to sit with him. No one can be worse than Romano, I’m sure I’ll be able to find someone. Now go home.”
Doug hangs his head and says “Okay, but only if you promise you’ll come out to dinner tomorrow night.”
“It’s a deal. Now go!”
“I’m going, I’m going!” He leans past Carol to the bed and rubs Ben’s hair lightly.
“See you tomorrow buddy, we’ll get those legs sorted out, okay?” he says softly. Then he turns, kisses Carol and leaves her with the little boy.

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