‹ Prequel: Precaution
Status: In Progress
Warning
Kaboom!
Katarina Swenn burst through the scrub room doors and in one swift motion, pulled down her scrub mask and barreled into the operating room. Violet was still there, her large eyes filled with tears that absolutely refused to fall. She was a soldier, a fighter in the OR. This was just another surgery, just another opportunity to save a mans life. That’s the way she was trying to see it, anyways.
Kat went to the side of bomb squad leader, Brad Thompson, and told him something in a low, hushed voice. The cardiothorastics attending, Jackson Savard, and Neal Hansan crowded around her. Kat was was careful not to let her friend overhear as she spoke, echoing the concerns that were expressed by the chief and another member of the bomb squad upstairs in the lobby.
“Don’t do that.” Violet said, her voice unwavering. They all turned around to look at her, everyone donning the Flack jacket over their scrub gowns. “Don’t treat me like a patient. What’s going on?” she asked and Dr. Savard exhaled sharply.
“The operating room is above the main oxygen line.” Thompson said and a look of realization flooded Violet’s grey eyes. “We have to figure out some way to move the patient.”
“Move the patient. The patient with the bomb in his chest.” Violet said and they all nodded, Neal stared at her intently but Violet’s thoughts were far away from him. There was one thought in her head, it was as steady and resolved as anything else in her mind. It was unfaltering, boasting a remarkable amount of clarity that surprised even her. Where do you want to be on your last day on earth? And for Violet Anderson, the answer was easy: wherever Sidney was.
She stared down into the chest cavity, taking in her gloved hand covered in blood, observing the patients easy breathing. This couldn’t be it, this couldn’t be her swan song; a surgery that would end up killing them all. And more importantly, she couldn’t bear the thought of knowing she had made a mistake. She had feelings for Neal, but she didn’t love him. It would always be Sidney, every single time. No matter how hard it was or painful, that was her reality.
Violet’s eyes grew wetter upon the realization and she looked up, meeting Neal’s gaze. Her expression was regretful and as he looked back, Violet realized that he saw all the remorse on her face. She used her shoulder to forcefully push away a tear before nodding.
“We can do this. I can do it. Lets move him into OR 5, it’s across the way and far from the oxygen line.” She said and Kat hurried over to her.
“Are you insane, Violet? You realize your hand is on a bomb, right?” She asked, her tone harsh.
“We don’t have another option. From where I’m standing, this is the only thing we can do to save the patients life—and our lives. And not blow up the entire hospital.” She replied to Kat with the same forceful tone in her voice.
“And then what? What is the plan for when we are inside the OR? Maybe not blow up the entire hospital, but blow up our operating room?” Kat snapped back, and Thompson took a step closer to Violet.
“Then me and my guys will take the bomb away from the OR and try to deactivate it.” He said firmly, leaving both Kat and Violet without anything to say. The entire room grew quiet until Neal wandered over to Violet, watching her with that same gentle look that only reminded her of Sidney.
“You realize what you’re doing, right?” he asked in her ear, his voice soft and low. Violet didn’t know if he was talking about the bomb or about Sidney, but she turned her face and without a single hesitation, she nodded.
“Yeah.” She whispered. “I’m sure.”
Neal looked down before fixating his blue eyes back on her. “Alright.”
Brad Thompson looked the two over before clearing his throat and moving to the head of the table. Three more bomb squad members came to the bed, put up the rains and grabbed a hold of them. Thompson looked at Violet carefully, staring at her with a firm look. “Are you ready?” he asked and she nodded.
“Okay, on the count of three—“ Thompson said, taking his eyes away from her and onto his men.
“One—“
“Two—“
“Three—“
---
“Dr. Anderson? Dr. Ander—“
“Violet!”
Someone’s voice jostled me out of my sleep and I quickly sat up in my chair, my eyes flying open. I looked around—I wasn’t in the middle of a cold, sterilized operating room. I was in the resident’s lounge, slumping in an uncomfortable chair, my ungloved hand clutching a remote. My eyes wandered up to the TV that hung on the wall and I frowned. Grey’s Anatomy. I quickly shut it off and directed my attention to the voice that had roused me from my sleep. It was Mark, staring at me with a frown, and a scrub nurse by his side.
“Uh, yeah sorry. What’s up?” I asked and the nurse handed me a grey chart.
“Dr. Hansan paged, he said he needs you in OR 3 in a half hour for the sub-arachnoid hemmorage.” She said before wandering off, leaving just me and Mark in the room. I frowned and furrowed my brows.
“Sub-arach—wait, so I didn’t dream that?” I asked and he gave me a half smile.
“What are you talking about?” he asked and I shook my head, not really sure myself.
“I had a dream, Neal asked me to scrub in on the surgery during lunch and Sid was there and then I was holding a bomb—“
“Oh no, the cafeteria show down happened. I lost money on that. But the bomb thing…you dreamt you were on Grey’s Anatomy?” he asked, and his voice was slightly mocking. I just shook my head again.
“No, it was here and I was really holding a bomb—it doesn’t matter.” I said standing up. And suddenly, everything rushed back to me; the whole dream and everything I had been trying to avoid saying, or feeling even. I looked at Mark and it was his turn now to be confused.
“What?” he asked and I just handed the chart to him.
“Take my surgery. There’s somewhere I have to be.” I said, grabbing my coat and scarf before running out of the hospital and into the cool night. My fingers clung to my keys and in a second, the door to my car was open and before I knew it, I was on the highway.
My heart was racing and I could feel it pulse through every inch of my body, the noise loud in my ears. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I felt like it was what should have been done awhile ago.
If time had been going fast before, it was now heartbreakingly slow. It seemed like hours before I was able to pull my car into that familiar street, turn into the lot and beat furiously at the door.
It was cold outside, but that wasn’t why I was anxious for the door to open. And when it finally did, I felt my face break in the most genuine smile I’d felt in a long time.
“Hey, Sid.”
Kat went to the side of bomb squad leader, Brad Thompson, and told him something in a low, hushed voice. The cardiothorastics attending, Jackson Savard, and Neal Hansan crowded around her. Kat was was careful not to let her friend overhear as she spoke, echoing the concerns that were expressed by the chief and another member of the bomb squad upstairs in the lobby.
“Don’t do that.” Violet said, her voice unwavering. They all turned around to look at her, everyone donning the Flack jacket over their scrub gowns. “Don’t treat me like a patient. What’s going on?” she asked and Dr. Savard exhaled sharply.
“The operating room is above the main oxygen line.” Thompson said and a look of realization flooded Violet’s grey eyes. “We have to figure out some way to move the patient.”
“Move the patient. The patient with the bomb in his chest.” Violet said and they all nodded, Neal stared at her intently but Violet’s thoughts were far away from him. There was one thought in her head, it was as steady and resolved as anything else in her mind. It was unfaltering, boasting a remarkable amount of clarity that surprised even her. Where do you want to be on your last day on earth? And for Violet Anderson, the answer was easy: wherever Sidney was.
She stared down into the chest cavity, taking in her gloved hand covered in blood, observing the patients easy breathing. This couldn’t be it, this couldn’t be her swan song; a surgery that would end up killing them all. And more importantly, she couldn’t bear the thought of knowing she had made a mistake. She had feelings for Neal, but she didn’t love him. It would always be Sidney, every single time. No matter how hard it was or painful, that was her reality.
Violet’s eyes grew wetter upon the realization and she looked up, meeting Neal’s gaze. Her expression was regretful and as he looked back, Violet realized that he saw all the remorse on her face. She used her shoulder to forcefully push away a tear before nodding.
“We can do this. I can do it. Lets move him into OR 5, it’s across the way and far from the oxygen line.” She said and Kat hurried over to her.
“Are you insane, Violet? You realize your hand is on a bomb, right?” She asked, her tone harsh.
“We don’t have another option. From where I’m standing, this is the only thing we can do to save the patients life—and our lives. And not blow up the entire hospital.” She replied to Kat with the same forceful tone in her voice.
“And then what? What is the plan for when we are inside the OR? Maybe not blow up the entire hospital, but blow up our operating room?” Kat snapped back, and Thompson took a step closer to Violet.
“Then me and my guys will take the bomb away from the OR and try to deactivate it.” He said firmly, leaving both Kat and Violet without anything to say. The entire room grew quiet until Neal wandered over to Violet, watching her with that same gentle look that only reminded her of Sidney.
“You realize what you’re doing, right?” he asked in her ear, his voice soft and low. Violet didn’t know if he was talking about the bomb or about Sidney, but she turned her face and without a single hesitation, she nodded.
“Yeah.” She whispered. “I’m sure.”
Neal looked down before fixating his blue eyes back on her. “Alright.”
Brad Thompson looked the two over before clearing his throat and moving to the head of the table. Three more bomb squad members came to the bed, put up the rains and grabbed a hold of them. Thompson looked at Violet carefully, staring at her with a firm look. “Are you ready?” he asked and she nodded.
“Okay, on the count of three—“ Thompson said, taking his eyes away from her and onto his men.
“One—“
“Two—“
“Three—“
---
“Dr. Anderson? Dr. Ander—“
“Violet!”
Someone’s voice jostled me out of my sleep and I quickly sat up in my chair, my eyes flying open. I looked around—I wasn’t in the middle of a cold, sterilized operating room. I was in the resident’s lounge, slumping in an uncomfortable chair, my ungloved hand clutching a remote. My eyes wandered up to the TV that hung on the wall and I frowned. Grey’s Anatomy. I quickly shut it off and directed my attention to the voice that had roused me from my sleep. It was Mark, staring at me with a frown, and a scrub nurse by his side.
“Uh, yeah sorry. What’s up?” I asked and the nurse handed me a grey chart.
“Dr. Hansan paged, he said he needs you in OR 3 in a half hour for the sub-arachnoid hemmorage.” She said before wandering off, leaving just me and Mark in the room. I frowned and furrowed my brows.
“Sub-arach—wait, so I didn’t dream that?” I asked and he gave me a half smile.
“What are you talking about?” he asked and I shook my head, not really sure myself.
“I had a dream, Neal asked me to scrub in on the surgery during lunch and Sid was there and then I was holding a bomb—“
“Oh no, the cafeteria show down happened. I lost money on that. But the bomb thing…you dreamt you were on Grey’s Anatomy?” he asked, and his voice was slightly mocking. I just shook my head again.
“No, it was here and I was really holding a bomb—it doesn’t matter.” I said standing up. And suddenly, everything rushed back to me; the whole dream and everything I had been trying to avoid saying, or feeling even. I looked at Mark and it was his turn now to be confused.
“What?” he asked and I just handed the chart to him.
“Take my surgery. There’s somewhere I have to be.” I said, grabbing my coat and scarf before running out of the hospital and into the cool night. My fingers clung to my keys and in a second, the door to my car was open and before I knew it, I was on the highway.
My heart was racing and I could feel it pulse through every inch of my body, the noise loud in my ears. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I felt like it was what should have been done awhile ago.
If time had been going fast before, it was now heartbreakingly slow. It seemed like hours before I was able to pull my car into that familiar street, turn into the lot and beat furiously at the door.
It was cold outside, but that wasn’t why I was anxious for the door to open. And when it finally did, I felt my face break in the most genuine smile I’d felt in a long time.
“Hey, Sid.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Kaboom! Ursula 1000