One Night In Amsterdam (13 page)

“I had to attend a party.” I replied.

“A party? How nice! What was the occasion?”

“My brother’s birthday. Also, it was a celebration of completing his mandatory community service, as if it was something worth celebrating.”

“You sound like you didn’t want to be there.”

“Honestly, I didn’t. He doesn’t deserve a party. You know he was charged with DUI for the second time this year. He is only eighteen. He shouldn’t be drinking.”

“He is just a kid Emma. He makes mistakes. We all make mistakes.”

“Not like his mistakes. This one could have cost him his life or he could have killed someone.”

“But he didn’t… I think you are exaggerating.”

“No I am not. He is always in so much trouble. After his accident, when the police reports got out, my father tried to keep it quiet, you know his usual way, handling everything with money, but it back fired this time. If my aunt didn’t interfere, he was going to get a minimum of four weeks jail time, but he got away with community service only. I hope he learned from his mistake, but I know him well enough not to get my hopes up too high for him.”

“Give him a break Emma, he has been through a lot this year. He lost his girlfriend. That’s not something easy to deal with at his age.” She said empathically.

“His girlfriend overdosed on drugs, Amy. Why doesn’t he hang out with normal people and have a normal relationship? I don’t care about all the drama in his life anymore. He brings it all on himself. If it happens again, I won’t help him. I am done with cleaning up his messes.”

“Okay, big sister! Calm down and lose that temper of yours right away. We have twelve long hours ahead of us. Our attendings are Dr. Marshall and Dr. Kim today. If you get Dr. Marshall, you are in for a rough night. He’s not in a good mood, I’m telling you.”

“Oh, tell me that you are kidding. I thought he was on vacation.”

“Nuh-uh! It’s the holiday season. All vacations are cancelled. Have you seen the emergency room? We are busy as hell.”

“Or heaven. Don’t you wish heaven would be busier than hell?” I replied with a smile.

“There you go…I like happy Emma better. Keep up that smile, and our shift will be over before you know it. Now let’s go.”

When we were out the door, I saw a swarm of grumpy people sulking, reading or chitchatting in the waiting area. Many coughs, sneezes and murmurs filled the room which was crowded to more than its capacity. I approached the head nurse, Mrs. Dorian. “Here we are,” I said, already dreading showing up early.

“Great, you guys are here early. We need you to start immediately. The waiting room is full with not-so-happy patients.” She spoke fast, moving around with a stack of yellow folders and registration forms piled up in her arms. “Emma, you are following Dr. Marshall. Amy, you are with Dr. Kim. And Emma, Dr. Marshall wants you to do the first assessments on all cases tonight. He will review your notes and then go in to see the patient after. We are trying to save time.  We have over twenty patients waiting to be seen already. Let’s go girls.” She explained and hurried to the admittance counter as we followed her like little ducklings.

When I saw the tall stack of folders and admittance forms waiting to be processed, I exclaimed in shock. “Oh, my god! What happened? Is there a natural disaster that I don’t know about?”

“Welcome to the holiday season in the ER, Emma. Wait till you see Christmas Day.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “Okay. Who is first?”

“Four year old boy. Joshua Tanner. Unknown object lodged in his nose.”

“Stuffed nose again!” I chuckled. “Didn’t we have a girl who stuck a Barbie shoe up her nose two weeks ago? Why do kids like to stuff things in places where they don’t belong? I wonder what this boy stuck in there.”

“Ten dollars for peas.” Nurse Dorian said smilingly. “Or french fries,” the younger Nurse Johnson chimed in.

“I bet it is another toy. I’d go with a Lego piece,” I said and took his folder.

I spent a few minutes checking both of his nostrils and assessing his general condition. Despite his constant crying, he was breathing fine with no aches around his sinuses. I noted that the object wasn’t lodged in too far.  It was visible from outside and could be extracted with tiny forceps. After my first assessment, I called in Dr. Marshall. Joshua’s mother nervously listened to my comments and waited for the doctor to arrive. As soon as he was in the room, they asked him the same questions that I already answered, which I suspected would happen. A med student didn’t give the same level of confidence to nervous parents as an attending doctor. “Only one more semester left and then I will be Dr. Collins, not the med student Emma, and things will be different.” I thought inwardly.

Upon checking Joshua’s nose, Dr. Marshall told them that I was going to remove the object under his supervision.  I sensed their hesitation at first but, thank God, I was able to get it out in my first attempt. When I put the little round marble on the table, Joshua screamed happily and his parents finally took a deep breath with obvious relief. I smiled and sighed heavily for successfully handling my first patient of the night. One down...many more to go.

As soon as I was out of the room, I went back to get the charts for the next patient from Nurse Kelly. Kelly was our twenty four year old, cutest and youngest nurse in the ER. She had such a bubbly character and was the favorite among patients and doctors alike. I enjoyed working with all the nurses, but Kelly was exceptionally pleasant.

“Okay, I am ready for the next one.” I said.

“Hi Emma.” She said happily. “Here is the information on your next patient. He is in for difficulty breathing, severe cough and fever. Blood pressure is normal 110 over 65. Fever is a bit high but not too much, around 100.”

“All right. Which room?” I asked.

“He is in room 104.” Kelly answered and giggled, “Emma, watch out, he is a cutie. I lost my count while I was measuring his blood pressure. I had to do it twice.”

“You and your cute patients! Thanks for the warning, though.” I said and chuckled. “I think you need a boyfriend.” I whispered.

“You, too!” She replied back, giggling again.

I took the registration form off her hand swiftly, raised my brows at her and started checking out the patient information immediately:

Last Name: Hamilton

First Name: Dylan

Gender: Male;

Address: 8857 5th Avenue, NYC, 10065

Age: 30

Height: 6ft 1in

Weight: 195 lb

Smoking: Yes

Drinking: Yes

Purpose of Visit Today: Trouble Breathing, Coughing and Fever

Existing Medication: None other than Protein Supplements and Vitamins

Medical History (check all that apply): No known problems

Allergies: None

Primary Care Physician: None

Other than the trouble in breathing part, which I knew that most patients tended to exaggerate, it looked like a straight forward case relating to the common cold or flu. General information about Dylan Hamilton was like any other patient.  Everything but his name.... even after five months, I couldn’t help but wonder every time I met someone named Dylan. Seeing his name and the description matching the man I couldn’t forget, made me nervous. I pushed my wayward thoughts away and with his file in my hand, I knocked on the door, wondering why a 5th Avenue guy was visiting Harlem’s ER, not Mt. Sinai and entered. A tall, dark haired man with a well-built body was standing in the middle of the room, facing away from the door. My heart started to race with the sight of his back. He was wearing a black shirt and jeans. ‘Could it be even possible?’ I thought.

“Good Evening, Mr. Hamilton.” I called his name nervously. I was about to say, “I am Emma, assisting Dr. Marshall” when he turned around. With the sight of his piercing blue eyes and disarming smile, I lost my already feeble balance and almost collapsed on the floor. I tried to recompose myself after the initial shock but my body didn’t obey me and swayed as if I was dizzy. Completely speechless, I couldn’t utter a word.

“Emma! Are you alright?” Dylan rushed towards me, holding me in his arms.

I straightened myself and took a step back, “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that question, Mr. Hamilton?”

“I guess you’re right! Dr. Collins.” He grinned.

“Why are you here, Dylan? What are you doing in the ER?”

“Really! Is that what you want to know after all these months? ” He asked insinuatingly. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through these last five months and all the things I have been doing to find you?” He said harshly. His eyes were wide and feral, demanding answers, I couldn’t give.

“Dylan, I have many patients waiting with real emergencies that need to be seen right away. This is not the time or the place to discuss this. I have to go and I think you should leave.”

“I am a patient too, Dr. Collins. Don’t I deserve the same attention that little Joshua got?”

“Joshua was a real patient. You, on the other hand…”

“I am here to be seen by a doctor too.”

“Okay, fine! Mr. Hamilton. Let’s start.” I replied in a fit of irritation.  “You stated that you have been coughing and have trouble breathing. Also, some mild fever. When did your coughing and trouble breathing start?”

“I think my trouble breathing started about five months ago and got worse every passing month. I’ve been coughing a lot more in the last few weeks, but my fever just started today.”

“Why have you waited five months to see a doctor?” I asked, trying to soften the edginess in my tone.

“I’ve seen couple others in different hospitals and states but none of them could solve my problem.  I have been trying to find the right doctor, and searching for her everywhere in the States.” He answered again playfully.

I shook my head, feeling frustrated. I crossed my arms in annoyance and glared at him. I was in the middle of my rounds and didn’t have time to play his little games. If Dr. Marshall found out I was here, wasting my time with a guy I’d been involved with months ago, I would be in trouble. It would be the end of my clinic here.

“Dylan, please, this is my work, and it is not a game. There are people who have been waiting in line for hours to be seen.  The triage nurse probably got you in quickly because you stated difficulty in breathing. It looks like you are breathing just fine.”

“I don’t feel good, Emma. I am serious.” He started coughing for real.

“Well, that cough doesn’t sound good,” I said. I was worried now. Maybe he wasn’t faking after all.  “You might have a chest infection. Alright, let me check you. Would you please unbutton your shirt and lay down. I need to listen to your chest.” I ordered him.

“With pleasure!” He answered smugly. I bit back an angry response and gave him a warning look to behave himself.

“Take deep breaths, in and out,” I said, lifting his chin up and I felt his chest rise. I placed both my hands on his chest, feeling the palpation inside of his body. It was text book inspection. After the initial visual and hand assessment, I grabbed the stethoscope and listened to his heart beat as well as his breathing.  He was about to say something when I silenced him. “Shush. Please turn around. I need to listen to your lungs from the back too.”

He did as I told, without objecting. His back turned towards me, I was able to escape his penetrating glare. I had to act professional; I couldn’t let him see how he affected me. If only he knew how I wanted to ruffle my hand through his chest hair and relive the magic of that night.

After listening to his lungs, his breathing and coughing for a few minutes, I finally broke the silence. “I hear some rattling sounds. It might be something serious like bronchitis or pneumonia. I am going to order a chest x-ray. Are you are coughing up phlegm… thick mucus, I mean?”

“No. I am not.”

“Do you have any pain in your chest? And is it any worse when you breathe in or out?”

“Yes, I have pain in my chest.  For over five months now.  It hurts all the time.”

“Dylan! Be serious.” I rolled my eyes and scolded him gruffly.

“Emma!” He exclaimed, mimicking me. “I am serious.”

“How much do you smoke?”

“About a pack a day.”

“You know that smoking will kill you and you need to quit. Don’t you?”

“Yeah. I know!” He replied without making eye contact. “It is not easy to quit when you have so many things on your mind.”

“You should just do it.”

He grabbed my arm and turned me around to face him. “One fight at a time, Emma. Maybe now that my biggest fight, the impossible search for Emma- the senior med student is over, I might consider quitting.” He said without blinking.

Oh Dylan! Damn you and your bluntness! I blushed deeply and turned away. I had to calm down if I wanted to make it through the night. I couldn’t let him see what his words and his touch did to me. I gestured towards the door, “Nurse Kelly will take you to radiology to get your chest x-ray.” I said.  “My attending Dr. Marshall will examine you after we get your x-ray results. He should be able to tell what’s going on in your lungs.”

“But I don’t want Dr. Marshall examining me. I want you, Dr. Collins.” He straightened up, sat on the bed and took my hands into his. His fingers were soft, caressing my palm softly and his eyes were warm and inviting again, just like I remembered.

“Dylan, please.” I uttered, begging.

He raked his hand through his hair. “Don’t, Emma. Don’t fucking say ‘please’!  I have been trying to find you for months. You could at least hear me out.” He sighed and shook his head.

“I will Dylan, but not now. Not in the middle of my rounds.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll wait. You will have a break at some point. Won’t you?”

“It’s a busy night. I don’t know when. You should go home after Dr. Marshall examines you and writes your prescription.”

“No. I won’t go home. I – will – wait – for – you – here.” He enunciated slowly.

“Fine, but don’t wait in the ER. There are many sick people in there. Your coughing could get worse. We have a cafeteria around the corner. Wait for me there. I will come as soon as I have a break.”

I left the room, panting. I was the one having difficulty breathing now. I dropped Dylan’s paperwork and my notes on Dr. Marshall’s desk, still shaking and went to check with Kelly for the next patient.