Heart Wars
Chapther Fourteen
By Triggersaurus
triggersaurus@hotmail.com

Well, this was finished on Christmas Day, isn’t that nice?! Well, not really, but hey, at least it is finished! LOL Hope everyone has had a good xmas and have a great new year and millennium too! Triggersaurus

Previously: A film production company wants to film in the ER, and the Taylors win custody of Ben.

The sun is up on an early spring day, which feels surprisingly warm for the time of year. The ambulance bay outside the ER is full of staff, trucks, medical equipment, small tents, chairs, umbrellas, standing lights, scaffolding and people with "CREW" printed on the backs of their shirts. The ER staff stand to one side of the bay, watching everything. Kerry arrives and joins the group made up of Doug, Mark, Carol and Carter.

"Ah, Mark. Did you check that they’d definitely be done by 3 o’clock?"

"Yes, yes I did. And yes, they should be."

Doug interrupts, "Providing of course that there are no freak weather conditions, any building collapses or lost actors."

Mark looks at him for a moment, then turns back to Kerry.

"So, they should be done by 3."

"Okay. So what are we doing in the meantime?"

"Just standing around for the moment. They want us all in scrubs for when they start filming, but I told them all the scrubs are in there," Carol points into the ER, where frantic movement can be seen, "and they won’t let us in there till they’re ready to film!"

"Oh."

"D’ya wanna go to Doc Magoo’s until they’re ready? Get some coffee?"

"Sure. Let’s go."

The group heads over the road to the café, and they all grab a booth to the back.

"Okay, what does everyone want?"

"Just coffee for me please Mark." Kerry slides in next to Carter.

"What’s on the menu?" Mark points to the big blackboard behind the counter, and Carter strains forward to read it.

"Doug?"

"Just coffee for me too thanks."

"Carol?"

"Ooh, some vegetable soup please Mark, without the onions though."

"Okay. Carter? You decided?"

"I’ll have the egg and sausage breakfast."

Everyone looks at him.

"No breakfast this morning Carter?"

"Uh, no."

"Most important meal of the day, you know…" Doug lectures as Mark goes to order. A few moments later, he slides back into the booth, next to Carol.

"So, what is everyone going to be doing in the background of this film then? Personally, I am going to do some sutures, I can’t be bothered to do anything else. I may even sleep if I’m not in the frame too much."

"I’m going to conduct brain surgery. And then a vital, life saving heart operation, followed by rescuing a damsel in distress from a jammed elevator."

"That damsel better be me!"

"Of course it is! Who else would I rescue?" Doug puts his arm around Carol, then throws a cunning look at Carter.

"Hey. I saw that."

He kisses her on the head.

"Where are they getting all the patients from, by the way?"

"I don’t know…probably some extras association."

"No, they’re going to use some of the patients from the wards."

"Really?! What wards?"

"Geriatrics, Peds, Gynae, Medicine and maybe some from Ortho."

"They must have a tight budget. They don’t want to pay for proper extras."

"I guess…"

"I’m surprised you didn’t know about using the patients actually Doug. I thought you’d been spending some time up on Peds recently, with that little boy."

"Uh, yeah. Well, I haven’t really been up there too much this past week."

"Oh no? Did he go home?"

"Uh, no."

Mark turns to look at both Doug and Carol, who look grim.

"Did the other family win?"

"Yeah."

"Oh jeez, guys, why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

"It’s just something we needed to take our own time with."

"I’m sorry, I don’t follow here…another family won?" Kerry looks confused and a little suspicious as Doug clears his throat and looks at the floor. Carol answers her.

"We were trying to foster the little boy who we were visiting on peds, but another family got custody."

"Oh. I’m sorry."

"That’s okay." A waitress arrives and puts down a tray full of the orders, and everyone helps themselves.

As they saunter out of Doc Magoo’s some time later, a frantic man runs up to them, and runs alongside as they walk. "Hello? Are you staff from the hospital? We’re filming now, so if you’d like to go and change, you can use that trailer there, oh and we need one of you to explain some medical jargon to the director as well, if that’s okay, and when you’re done, just wait there, by those doors and someone’ll come and get you."

He runs off, then returns and grabs Mark by the sleeve to go and talk to the director. Mark waves at the others with a sigh and disappears into the ER. The others put scrubs on and stand at the appointed place by the doors until a girl of no more than 18 comes out and holds the door open for them, taking them into the ER and sitting them in chairs without saying a word. There they sit and witness their own familiar workplace turned into a mess of cables, lamps, cameras and strange people. A few chairs down from them sits a queue of waiting patients, as the make-up people work on two patients at a time with fake blood and moulded lacerations. As they watch all this, the small man from earlier returns, this time shepherding a group of peds patients into a line to wait for make-up. They are all chattering loudly and looking round in amazement, and Carol turns around to see what the noise is. As she turns, she catches the eye of a kid at the back of the line, and draws her breath in sharply. It is Ben, who sees both her and Doug and slides out of his chair, onto the floor and crawls over to them, amongst the discarded tissues and blood puddles on the floor.

"Hello!"

"Well hey there."

"Ben! How’s it going?"

"I’m okay."

"How come you came over on your hands and knees buddy? I thought you were walking now?"

"Yeah…but it’s easier."

"Uh huh"

"So, have you been round to the Taylor’s house yet? The people you’re gonna stay with?"

"What? Oh, yeah…I think so.." He isn’t really paying too much attention, as an important looking person is wandering by, shouting into a megaphone.

"Was it nice?"

"What?"

"The Taylor’s house, did you like it?"

"It’s okay. They have a big thing in their garden that you can climb on, but I’m not allowed till I’m better."

"Really? Well, that must be great. Are you looking forward to it?"

Ben looks confused. "What? Is it a surprise?"

"No, I mean are you looking forward to living with them."

"Living with who?"

"The Taylors!"

"I’m going to live with them?"

"Yeah! When you are well enough to come out of hospital, you’re going to go and live with Mr. and Mrs. Taylor and their kids…didn’t you know that?"

Ben looks surprised and a little worried. "No…what if I don’t wanna live there? Can’t I just stay here?"

"No, you only stay in hospital when you’re not very well Ben, you have to go home when you’re better so that other sick people can come here."

"But I like it here!" His bottom lip is wobbling a little and his eyes are tearing up. At this moment, two hands land on his shoulders and the small man whisks him away to a scene that is being filmed down the corridor somewhere. He turns and waves, rubbing an eye with a fist, then disappears. Doug bends over and picks up a piece of lint from the floor, running it around in his hands, deep in thought, and Carol runs a hand through her hair and looks at the ceiling.

"Cute kid."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah."

"I really am sorry that you didn’t get him, but I have to say, it is probably better for you both, professionally speaking."

"Hmm."

Before they can go any further with the conversation, they are spotted by a producer and put into a scene in the Trauma rooms.

After a long four hours, the staff are helping the crew to pack up all their equipment into several large lorries outside, under Kerry’s orders as she tries to regain order in the ER. "So, how many scenes did you all make?"

"I only got in two…that director was hopeless, I kept on telling him he couldn’t have a guy shot in the chest leap up and get into a fist fight, but he wouldn’t listen."

"I was in five! Beat that! I even got in front of one of the lead characters once, and asked if he was okay, but they cut it ‘cause it wasn’t scripted…"

"Check this out then - eight scenes! And they want me again to play a hostage later in the movie."

"Yeah, right Malik."

"No, they do! You don’t believe me, ask that guy there, he’s the one who asked me!"
"Okay, we believe you…so, you taking time of work for that?"

"Aww, c’mon Dr. Greene…"

Mark laughs. "That’s okay Malik, just kidding. Let’s get inside, clear up Trauma one, then we can open up for patients."

All three go into the ER, and assist in clearing the area. Within half an hour, the doors are open and a trauma is on its way. Patients filter in slowly, with mild complaints. Sirens can be heard outside, and Mark and Kerry run to the ambulance bay.

"Eight year old male, unconscious for about fifteen minutes, GCS 3, pulse 110, been suffering nausea, headaches, hallucinations all morning, has a rash that doesn’t fade, possible aversion to bright lights as well, know what I mean?"

"Okay, someone get Dr. Ross, into Trauma One. His parents with him?"

"His mother’s behind us."

"Name?"

"Clark, Clark Taylor."

"Call PICU, prepare for lumbar puncture, get him on a saline drip, wide open."

"Pulse is 115, bp 100 over 80."

"What have we got?" Doug pulls on some gloves.

"Clark Taylor, eight year old male, suspected meningitis C, nauseated all morning, hallucinations, fever, head and neck ache, and this rash."

"Sorry, what did you say? What’s his name?"

"Clark Taylor. Why?"

"Okay, okay. Have you called PICU?"

"Yeah. Moving him up there as soon as we’ve done the lumbar."

"Okay, well, let’s get that tray over here then, come on, let’s get moving people!"

He sits down, pulls a sterile drape over the boy and turns him. Chuni holds him in place as Doug inserts the drain and collects the fluid, moving as quickly as he can.

"Okay, go! Take him to the PICU!"

Everyone grabs equipment and the gurney, as Doug puts a seal on the test tube of liquid and follows the bed out of the room, handing the tube to Yosh to go up with him. As he does so, he turns and comes face to face with Mrs. Taylor, whose face is red and puffed up, with tears running down it.

"Oh Dr. Ross, please tell me he’s going to be okay? He was fine this morning, just a little ‘flu, and then I went upstairs to check on him, and…and…" She dissolves into tears again, and Doug gently moves her out of the way of another passing gurney. She wipes her nose with a tissue, and Doug takes her round a corner, where it is quieter.

"Mrs. Taylor, we think you’re son may be suffering from meningitis."

"No! Oh please, no." Tears run down her face again as she listens.

"We’re running some tests, in the meantime he has gone up to the children’s ICU where they can monitor him. I have to tell you now, meningitis is a very serious virus, and your son’s odds of coming out of this unscathed are pretty slim. The virus attacks the brain, so I am sorry to have to tell you that brain damage is a serious possibility, and it is also possible that Clark may not make it through this."

The woman is sobbing, and Doug moves her over slightly to chairs, where he guides her to a seat and sits down next to her.

"I should call Rick. And I have to make sure Rosie is okay getting home from school…"

She sniffs and wipes her eyes. "Can I go up and see him?"

"Sure, I’ll take you up there." They get up and go to the elevator bank.

"Oh thank you Dr. Ross, you’ve been so kind…will you be taking care of Clark?"

"Uh, no, the PICU will assign a doctor to Clark from the ward upstairs."

"Oh, of course, you’re an ER doc. Well, I’m sure they’ll do the best…the best they…can…"

She starts to cry again as they go into the lift, and Doug holds open the doors for a gurney coming in behind them.

Okay, sudden ending I know, but the storyline I have planned is too huge to continue here…so you’ll just have to wait till the next fic! Feedback to triggersaurus@hotmail.com please!!!!!!