Substance Assumptions

"Dr O'Callaghan! We've got an emergency with Lisa Mayfield - the burn patient from-"

"It's alright I remember her Jayne, I'm right behind you." John ran down the hall behind the young nurse and into the patient's room. The little girl on the bed was going into shock and losing body heat - fast.

"Right, get me oxygen and blankets, you'll have to tuck them around her we can't have them on the burns." He helped them to arrange the blankets on top of a thermal one around the girl and placed the mask on gently. She moved slightly and he stroked her hair as her heart rate slowed and she was sleeping soundly again.

"Monitor her closely, make sure she doesn't get too hot or cold." He left with that and went to reception in the ER to check who his next patient would be. Just as he was picking up a file and was about to call out a name of an elderly lady sat in the corner, there were several loud shouts, and two paramedics dragged in a drunk man screaming obscenities. John's pulse immediately quickened with anger as they sat him down and left the drunkard swaying around the ER, shouting and yelling at everyone. He could see the poor lady in the corner clutch her bag tightly and he quickly crossed over the room and pushed the catch on her wheelchair, beginning to wheel her away from the man.

"Is it Mrs Florence Sidle?" She nodded.

"It's alright, don't you worry. I'm going to take you over to a treatment room, and I'll come and talk to you in a few minutes alright? You don't want to be sat out here listening to that."

"Thank you dear." She said with a slightly pained smile and he closed the door behind him, when he returned the security guards were having to restrain him and a mother with her two children looked at him desperately.

"Right. That's it. Why is he here?"

"He's sustained an injury to his head and it looks like he's been stabbed - he's too drunk to notice just now." The receptionist whispered worriedly.

"Where's Hamilton? He's meant to be treating him, I've got two patients to be seeing to."

"I'm sorry John, it looks like you're the only doctor here at the moment." John cursed and strode over to the security guards grappling with the drunk man.

"Right, let him go. I trust Mr Sykes will be on his best behaviour seeing as I'm treating him straight away?" The man nodded and stuck his middle finger up at the two security guards, swaying dangerously on his feet.

"Right this way." He sighed as the man struggled to walk and he was forced to put an arm round his skinny waist and help him walk up to the nearest available treatment room.

"Sit there...Oliver." John said after checking the file,
"And drink this. I'll be back in one minute, alright?" The man nodded and started to drink the contents of the glass which contained water and a dissolving pill to help him sober up.

John rushed over to the old lady and started talking to her about her hip. By the time he'd realised what the problem was - severe arthritis mixed with a bad fall - he could hear the drunkard shouting and had to excuse himself.
When he got back into the room he was slightly more sober, but not enough to treat him.
"Mr Sykes I suggest you keep drinking these, and maybe try to sleep for a little while, until you're sober I can't treat you." The man got to his feet and tried to square up to John who remained motionless.

"What so you're not gonna fuckin' treat me? I've been...I need treatment-"

"Right. That's enough. Sit down- SIT DOWN!" The man was shocked and sat as he was told to.

"You don't deserve treatment. The little girl who has suffered third degree burns down the hall needs treatment. The elderly lady that you frightened with your drunken obscenities? She needs a hip replacement. Your injuries are a result of your own negligence and irresponsibility. You are wasting my time, but unfortunately I don't have the heart to call in an intern just to treat you - so drink the things I've given you and sober up." He was wide-eyed as John spoke and nodded slowly before he left angrily.

He booked the old lady in for surgery and checked on Lisa Mayfield before returning - very begrudgingly - to Oliver Sykes. The man was now entirely sober and was sat leant back on the pillows of the bed when John walked in. He noticed immediately that with his sober state, the pain must have kicked in and he felt a slight pang of concern at the ashen colour that filled the young man's cheeks.
"Oliver? Are you in pain?"

"Just...a.." He trailed off and nodded instead, wheezing slightly.

"Right, sit forward a little so I can get a look at the stab wound. The paramedics informed us that it wasn't anything serious-" He stopped as he helped Oli peel off his shirt and he realised that the wound was far more severe than he'd realised and was starting to bleed quite quickly now that they'd pulled the fabric of his t-shirt away from it.

"...doc?" The young man was obviously frightened as he met his eyes and he pushed him back onto the pillows gently.

"Oliver I need you to stay calm, alright? It's nothing serious but it's worse than the paramedics let on. I'm going to need to stitch it up. I'm just going to call for a nurse-" he leant out the door and shouted for help before returning.

They took him into surgery and John cleaned out the wound, finding a piece of broken glass in there, and stitched him up before placing a thick dressing on it.

"How's the drunk? I heard you had to take him into surgery." Mandy - the receptionist - asked when John went out for a quick break.

"We did. He's in recovery now. The bloody paramedics didn't tell me how bad it was."

"You should go home, John. Get some sleep. You've been here for sixteen hours now, you need rest." He threw his empty coffee cup at the bin and got it in, waving slightly in victory.

"I need to make sure he's alright, then I'll leave." Mandy shook her head but smiled and sighed.

"You're too good to people, you're gonna burn out one day."

"Not anytime soon-"

"Doctor! Oliver's awake-"

"I'm there." He rushed into recovery and Oli lay there looking awful.

"Hi Oliver. How are you feeling?"

"Rough. But better than before. Thanks." John nodded and sighed inwardly when he received no other sign of gratitude - he was really glad he stayed all that time just to ensure the idiot was ok now.

John checked the wound on his head again and the nurses left, he finished the job methodically and in silence before turning to leave. As he did, Oliver's voice stopped him.
"Wait, Doc-"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for wasting your time. Thank you, really." John couldn't resist a small smile and nodded, heading for home with a smile on his face, and completely unaware of it.