DOC

Amanda sat in the break room trying to eat her lunch around nine in the evening, it was the only minute she got to herself. She was texting Sam goodnight as the soldier usually tried to sleep early and go for runs around 5 in the morning if not earlier. But the second she said goodnight, a nurse came rushing down the hall and EMS was shouting vitals as a woman screamed and groaned in pain. Amanda abandoned her phone and lunch and grabbed her lab coat before rushing into the ER room where two nurses were trying to stem the bleeding in the woman’s belly.

“What happened?” Amanda asked urgently as she brushed the woman’s hair back and checked her pupils and then looked at the woman’s left side where a nurse held gauze to try and stop the bleeding.

“She was mugged, stabbed and she still managed to call us,” one of the EMTs said. “She has an low blood pressure and we can’t find the bleed.”

Amanda was used to these kinds of injuries, she had a lot of bleeding soldiers on her hands overseas and managed to keep her cool as she gently sushed the maoning woman, brushing her hand through the patient’s hair.

“Hey, hey, you’re gunna be okay, okay? I’m Dr. Gregg but you can call me Amanda okay?”

“My baby,” the woman cried and Amanda’s face paled slightly.

“She’s pregnant?” she asked the EMT and nurses but they all just exchanged looks. “How far along?” Amanda calmly asked the woman.

“A month,” she replied and Amanda nodded before looking at the nurse to her left.

“Two bags of O Neg and get me an ultrasound,” she ordered before looking back at the scared woman who was trying desperately to reach her stomach but her hands were restrained. Amanda took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “What’s your name?” she asked with a gentle smile, “I just need you to take slow breathes for me, okay? I’m going to take care of you.”

“M-My name’s Ha-Haylee,” the woman said trying to calm her shallow breathing as Amanda calmly slipped her hand up from the woman’s hand to her injury. Amanda stemmed the bleeding with a gloved hand and slowly, gently, slid two fingers into the wound to feel for the bleed. Haylee let out a cry and Amanda gently sushed her, calmly holding her hand with her free one so Haylee could squeeze it.

“Well Haylee, what are you hoping for? Boy or girl?” Amanda tried to keep her talking, keep her conscious and her mind off the discomfort of her fingers in her belly. She could almost find it, she could feel the blood coming from somewhere but where?

“B-Boy,” Haylee stammered and Amanda smiled as the woman looked down to see the ring hanging around Amanda’s neck. “Wh-What’s his name?” she asked and Amanda gave her a curious look.

“Who?”

“Yo-Your husband.” She looked pointed at the ring and Amanda looked down, too, before her jaw set and she turned back to her work, finding the bleed and grabbing it with her fingers.

“I found the bleed get me some clamps and sutures in here!” she shouted but Haylee persisted,

“Fiance?”

“Riley,” Amanda said simply. Haylee smiled lightly as the nurses came in and helped Amanda stop the bleeding and rolled in an ultrasound machine. Amanda stayed with the technician to make sure the blood loss hadn’t hurt the baby and when the technician smiled at her, Amanda smiled at Haylee and said, “The baby’s fine Haylee, we’re going to get you to surgery to properly close your wound and stitch you up and I’ll check on you in a while after you rest. Is there anyone I can call for you?” She pulled her gloves off and disposed of them properly before washing her hands and turning to Haylee.

“My husband, his name’s James. His number’s in my phone under Corizone,” Amanda laughed softly and nodded lightly patting Haylee’s hand as the nurse began to wheel her out of ER and bring her up to surgery.

“I’ll call him myself.” Haylee smiled gratefully and Amanda watched her disappear into the elevator before she went to the nurse’s station and asked for the personal items. The nurse handed her the cut up shirt in a plastic bag, and a phone in another bag. Fortunately the mugger took her purse but not her phone otherwise Haylee may have bled out.

Amanda found the name and dialed shifting her feet nervously as a man answered,

“Hey baby, I can’t talk right now I’m at work-”

“Is this Haylee’s husband?” Amanda asked curiously and the man paused,

“Yes, who is this?”

“I’m sorry my name is Dr Gregg at St Luke’s Hospital, your wife was stabbed and-”

“What!? Is she okay? Where? When? I can be there in ten minutes, oh god, is the baby okay?” he started speaking Spanish and Amanda tried to cut in before loudly saying,

“Sir? Your wife and baby are well taken care of, we stopped the bleeding and checked on the baby, both mother and baby are safe and alright. She’ll be staying here for a day or two and the police will want to speak with her, but she’ll be able to see you once she’s through surgery.”

The man seemed to calm down enough to breathe and Amanda smiled lightly. She could tell he loved her very much. Amanda told him where he could go to sign in and see Haylee after her surgery and where he could wait for her, he thanked her once more and they hung up. Amanda slid the phone into the personal affects bag. Amanda leaned on the nurse’s station and looked at the ring hanging from her neck, her mind rewinding to Riley’s proposal and the hooting and hollering of their comrades.

Tears began to brim her eyes and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, tucking the ring in her blouse before straightening and fixing her messy hair, looking along the hall before her eyes settled on the nurse.

“Who’s the next patient?”

“Don’t you want to finish your break?”

“No, no it’s alright, who’s next?”