They found Mitch in the surgical waiting room. It was apparent that he had come here straight from leaving Meghan’s bedside in the ER: he still had his lab coat on, and was perched on a chair up against the wall, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, holding his stethoscope with his folded hands.

Dr. Brant pushed Meghan’s chair up close, and Mitch’s head came up. “Meghan!” He scrambled up and walked towards them. He shook Dr. Brant’s hand. “Thanks for bringing Meghan.”

Dr. Brant gave his friend a compassionate glance. “No problem, Mitch. What’s the latest on Kelsey?” He moved to pull up a chair close to the one Mitch had just vacated, Meghan already parked close.

Mitch ran a hand through his hair. “Well, not a lot of word yet. The nurse just called back to see if there’s an update. I know they’ve repaired the radial artery, but I’m not sure what all damage has occurred to the tendons. They were starting that repair a while back.”

Rick Brant nodded. “Yes, the wrist is a fiddly area to repair. Who’s the surgeon on her case?”

“They called in Chris Rothman.”

Rick nodded. “He’s the best in the area. I’d want him to do it, if it were me.”

A nurse came over to the group. “Dr. Branston? The OR called and said that Dr. Rothman is closing now. He’ll be out to see you in about 15 minutes.”

“Thank you, Renee.” Mitch took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out. “Thank goodness.”

Rick smiled. “Well, I need to go see to my charts: my admin loves to chew me out if I get behind.” He stood to leave. Mitch stood up as well. Rick took Meghan’s hand. “I’m going to leave you in Mitch’s hands. You get some rest, and I’ll see you in my office next week to take out those stitches.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Dr. Rick. I’ll be there.”

Rick let go of her hand, and looked at Mitch. “Can I speak to you privately for a moment?”

Mitch looked at Meghan. “I’ll be around the corner.” She nodded, and the two men went down the hall a little ways.

“What’s up, Rick?” Mitch leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest, weariness evident in his face and posture.

“I’m concerned about Meghan, Mitch. She mentioned something about your finding a cyst, and I’ve seen her wincing a lot that I know isn’t due to her leg.”

Mitch nodded. “Yes, I need to get an ultrasound scheduled for her. She was supposed to have one tomorrow, but Radiology cancelled the appointment.”

“Why not order an MRI or CT while she’s inpatient? It could get done tonight or in the morning.” Rick leaned against the wall next to his friend.

“That’s an excellent idea, and I will snitch it from you.” Mitch sighed. “Who’s her attending?”

“Ward Scott is on duty tonight. I’m sure he wouldn’t have an issue with it. She’s in a private room, 408, so you know where to return her. The nursing staff have been notified she’s off the ward and probably here, so you don’t have to worry about a manhunt.”

Mitch sighed and pushed off the wall. “Thanks, Rick, for your help.” He heard his name being paged. “I gotta go, man. Thanks again.” He waved and headed back towards the waiting room.

**********

Dr. Chris Rothman stood close by Meghan’s wheelchair when Mitch joined them. “Shall we head to the consult room?” He led the way, with Mitch pushing Meghan’s chair behind him. They entered the small room and closed the door.

“Mitch, good to see you again, although I regret the circumstances. And you are?” He looked at Meghan.

"Meghan McCoy, Kelsey’s sister.” She shook Dr. Rothman’s hand.

“Wait, were you the one who was with her when this happened?” Meghan nodded. “You did exactly the right thing, young lady. Your quick thinking made my job a lot easier and kept your sister alive. Do you have medical training, perhaps?”

Mitch gave a chuckle. “Chris, Meghan is a paramedic and teaches EMS classes at the community college.”

Dr. Rothman smiled. “Well, you make sure those students of yours pay attention in class.” He chuckled, then clasped his hands in front of him on the table. “So Kelsey is out of surgery and doing well. I repaired her radial artery first thing. Your wife’s knife is sharp, so the wound was clean without a lot of jagged edges, which is good for being able to approximate everything and stitch it together. But that also means that it cut a lot of things.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up a small chart of a wrist. “Specifically, both of her flexor tendons on the radial side. She has pins and wires in to help keep things as they need to be for the first couple weeks of healing, and then it’ll be a long haul of occupational therapy to make sure everything is back to full function.”

Mitch gave a tired nod. “Thanks, Chris. How long will Kelsey be a guest here?”

“Unless there are complications – and I don’t foresee any – I’ll probably keep her overnight on my end. I think she’s going to be on the 8th floor. I’m going to consult with the hospitalist on duty, just to keep an eye on your wife’s blood count tonight, but as far as I’m concerned she should be able to go home tomorrow afternoon.” Dr. Rothman stood. “You know how to get ahold of me, Mitch, if you have any questions or concerns.” He stretched. “I think I’m going to go find a coffee pot and drown myself in it.” He gave a rueful smile. “Eight hours into an on-call weekend and I’m already tired! I’ll check in on Kelsey later, but first let me smuggle y’all in to the Recovery. Follow me.”

**********

Meghan and Mitch followed Dr. Rothman into the Recovery room and were able to spend some time with Kelsey as she woke up from the anesthesia. Seeing Kelsey for herself was the best prescription someone could have given Meghan at that moment. She found herself breathing easier, knowing that her sister was okay and mending.

Mitch let the sisters have a bit of time together, but after half an hour, he ended the visit. Meghan was definitely flagging, and he wanted to get her into her room and in bed. He wheeled her back to the 4th floor, stopping by the nurse’s station on his way so they knew that Meghan was back.

“Here you are, home sweet home for the night!” He pushed the wheelchair up to the bedside and locked the wheels. June, the PCA, appeared at the door.

“Well, there you are! I was wondering if you’d escaped,” she teased. She helped Meghan up and into the bed. “As soon as this doctor is gone, honey, I’ll help you into some PJs. It’ll be good to get out of that breezy old gown, now won’t it?” She fussed for a moment with the covers, and then headed for the door. “Take your time, honey, but when you’re ready, just call me.” With that, June left and shut the door.

Mitch chuckled. “She’s gonna mother you the entire shift.”

Meghan smiled wanly. “Yep. And I think I may just let her.”

Mitch motioned to the edge of Meghan’s bed. “May I?”

She scooched over a bit on the bed and patted it. “Sure thing.”

Mitch perched on the edge of the bed. “I know you’re tired, so I’m not going to stay long. First, and foremost, Meghan, thank you. Thank you for saving Kelsey’s life today. I don’t know what I’d have done…” he paused, choking up. Composing himself, he turned to look at her again. “I also wanted to let you know that I spoke with Rick Brant for a moment. I’m not going to wait for Radiology to have an opening to get you scheduled for an ultrasound. Rather, I’m going to put in orders for an MRI to be done probably tonight or tomorrow morning. I know that cyst keeps hurting, and I don’t want to keep stalling on it. I just wanted you to know about the order.”

Meghan nodded and smiled. “Thanks for the heads’ up. And about Kelsey – you couldn’t drag me away from helping my sister. Thank you too, Mitch.”

“For what?”

“For all of the care and attention you’ve given me over the last couple weeks. I feel like I’m in my own personal train wreck at the moment, and you’ve been nothing but kind and compassionate. I really appreciate it, Mitch.” She nodded, punctuating her words.

“Hey, that’s what family – and friends – are for. I hope that you can see me as a friend, and not just your smart, handsome brother-in-law.” He winked at her.

Meghan laughed. “Yes, friends. Good thing I didn’t say big-headed.”

Mitch put an exaggerated hand to his chest. “OOH, wounded me! Well, I’m going to head out, put those orders in your chart, and go sit with Kelsey. If you need anything, have them page me. I plan to sit with her all night.” Mitch rose, said his goodbyes, and left the room, heading for the nurse’s station.

“Excuse me, but do you know the whereabouts of Dr. Scott?”

A head popped out from the anteroom behind the nurse’s station. “Yo! Mitch!”

“Hey Ward. Got a sec?”

“Sure thing.” Dr. Ward Scott walked out of the anteroom, made his way around the desk, and stopped by Mitch’s side. “Let’s go down to the cafeteria. I am jonesing for a large cup of coffee right about now, and you look like you could use some. C’mon.”

The men made their way down the corridor to the elevators and took one down to the cafeteria on the ground floor. Dr. Scott paid for the coffees and gestured to a table. “Sit down before you fall down, man.”

Mitch gratefully settled into the cushioned chair. He popped the top off of the coffee and blew on it before attempting to take a sip of the boiling brew.

“I heard about Kelsey, man. Tough luck. Is she out of surgery?” Dr. Scott took a tiny sip of his coffee and made a face. He dug out a packet of sugar from his coat pocket and dumped it in, stirring it with a stir stick.

Mitch nodded. “Yes, about an hour ago now. They repaired the radial artery and a couple of cut tendons. Recovery is going to be long.”

Dr. Scott shook his head. “Tough break. If you need anything, holler. So what did you want to talk about?”

“It’s about one of your patients. My sister-in-law, Meghan McCoy, is your guest tonight in room 408.”

Dr. Scott nodded. “Observation, fluids and pain control, right?”

“Yes. I need to write orders for her to have an MRI either tonight or tomorrow morning before she’s discharged. I did an exam on her a couple weeks ago, and she’s having pain and tenderness with an ovarian mass on the right. I believe that she has a cyst, but I need to know the size, etc. I tried a couple of times to get her scheduled in Radiology for a transvaginal ultrasound, but they keep cancelling the appointment.” Mitch sighed and sipped his coffee.

“So you’re asking me if you can butt in on my patient and place orders.” Dr. Scott looked amused.

“Yep, Ward, that’s exactly what I’m asking.” Mitch answered Dr. Scott’s smirk with one of his own.

“You always were grabby, even in med school! Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll let you put them in, so the results will funnel to you and not me.” He swallowed another swig of his coffee. “I’m not seeing anything so far that really warrants her staying outside of the 24 hour observation. I think she needs some rest, and of course keeping her comfortable pain-wise, but I’ll check on her when I get a moment. You’re going to have your hands busy with both her and your wife, so I’ll try to send her home in as good a condition as I can manage.” He put the cap back on his cup, pushed back his chair, and stood. “I need to be heading back. Ready?”

Mitch capped his own coffee and stood. They made their way back up the ward on the 4th floor, Dr. Scott breaking off to speak to a nurse who called him over. Mitch requested Meghan’s chart, made some notations and wrote down the orders for the MRI. He passed the chart on to the unit secretary. “I wrote orders for an MRI of pelvis and abdomen to be done urgently. Please see that they are submitted.”

The secretary nodded, opened the chart, looked at the orders, and picked up the phone. Mitch could hear her speaking with Radiology on the other end. She hung up the phone and slid the chart back into the rack. “Got it ordered, Dr. Branston. They said there are three patients in front of her, but it will get done tonight.”

“Thanks.” Mitch gave a thumbs-up and a wave to Dr. Scott, and headed for the elevators.

**********

Dr. Scott finally had a few minutes to check in on Meghan. She had indeed changed back into the hospital-issued PJs, and was sound asleep. He noticed that the dinner tray was untouched on the bedside table and wondered if it was because she had been sleeping or because she wasn’t hungry.

He shook her shoulder slightly and she stirred. “Hi there, Miss McCoy. Sorry to wake you.”

She stretched and yawned. “What time is it?”

“Almost 8 pm. I’m Dr. Ward Scott, the hospitalist for the unit tonight.”

Meghan shook his outstretched hand. “Hello, Dr. Scott.”

He pulled over a rolling stool and sat. “It sounds like you’ve had one heck of a day. I’ve been over your chart, and wanted to check on you and see how you’re doing.” He leaned forward.

Meghan sighed and thought for a moment. “My leg feels fine. I’ve got a bit of a headache, and feel like I could sleep for a week. Drained and kind of floaty, like I’m lightheaded, but not, if that makes sense.”

Dr. Scott nodded. “Are you having any pain, aside from the headache? Dr. Branston mentioned he was keeping an eye on an ovarian cyst, and I know you’re scheduled for an MRI in a little while.”

Meghan nodded. “It’s not hurting bad; it’s kind of a dull ache at the moment.”

Dr. Scott nodded again, and stood. “Let me check you out here real quick. Gotta keep people thinking I’m a doctor, you know!”

He listened to her lungs and heart, and auscultated over her abdomen. Wrapping the stethoscope over the back of his neck, he started palpating her abdomen, ending with her right lower quadrant. Meghan hissed when he hit the spot over her right ovary.

“That’s where your ovarian pain is?” She nodded. “Yes, I think that getting that MRI is going to tell us what’s going on. It’s good you’ll be getting that done tonight.” He finished checking her pulses in her feet. He straightened up and sat back down on the stool. “I’m concerned about that cyst, but I think Mitch has that well in hand. I’m also not liking your blood pressure being quite that low, since the records show that your normal range is a bit higher. I’m going to give you some more fluids, and do some bloodwork. Let’s make sure you’re not anemic.”

Dr. Scott stood. “A nurse will be in soon to hang another bag of IV fluids and play vampire. Oh! Almost forgot: are you nauseous?”

Meghan shook her head. “No, I’m not.” She followed his gaze to her food tray. “Unless saying yes will get me better stuff than that tray.”

He laughed. “It’s probably cold by now, anyway. I’ll see if I can coax someone to get you some soup from the cafeteria. Take care, and I’m on all night if you need anything.” He left her room.

Fifteen minutes later, a knock came at her door, and June bustled in. “Here, honey. Dr. Scott mentioned you’d probably prefer some hot food compared to that cold tray. I got some chicken noodle and some crackers and some Sprite. Lemme just move this tray outta the way, and we’ll get you all fixed up!” She picked up the tray and carried it out of the room. Returning, she moved the bedside table over the bed and closer to Meghan. She set down a Styrofoam bowl and removed the lid, unwrapped a spoon, opened a couple packets of crackers, and poured some of the can of Sprite into a plastic cup full of hospital ice. “There you go, sweetheart! Much better than that tray. I like meatloaf, but the kitchen’s version is vile, I have to say. I’ll let you eat. Let me know when you’re done and I’ll take care of the dishes.” With that, June bustled back out of the room.

The soup did smell good. Meghan raised the head of her bed so she was in more of a sitting position. She dipped her spoon into the bowl and raised it to her lips. It tasted heavenly. She had devoured more than half of the bowl when Mary Beth entered.

“Good! You’re awake. How’s the soup settling on your tummy?” She set supplies on the small Mayo stand in the room and washed her hands.

“It tastes good. I haven’t had the greatest appetite, and this seems to be what my body was craving.”

Mary Beth nodded. “The cafeteria makes the best chicken noodle soup I’ve had away from home.” She grabbed some gloves from a box on the wall and put them on. “I’m going to disturb your supper for a moment. I need to draw some blood and hook your IV up to some fluids.”

Meghan held out her right arm, and Mary Beth rolled the stool over so she had a place to sit. Swabbing the hep-lock port with an alcohol prep pad, she attached a syringe. She withdrew a waste syringe, then attached a vacutainer and drew several tubes to be sent to the lab. She hung a liter bag of Normal Saline and set the drip to administer over an hour.

“Dr. Scott wants this first bag to go in over an hour, and then we’ll keep you on a maintenance drip for the rest of the time. It’ll probably be an hour before we hear back on your lab work, and we’re still waiting for your MRI. It can get pretty busy down there, as they also get rush requests from the ER. If you’re lucky, they’ll come get you in the next couple hours. Otherwise, it might be a trip down to the scanner in the middle of the night.” She removed her gloves and disposed of them. She gathered up the test tubes and headed for the door. “Let us know if you need anything.”

Meghan watched the door close and glanced at the IV setup, confirming for herself that it was flowing properly. Self-assured, she returned to the soup. She ate a bit more, and was suddenly swamped with fatigue again. She finished off a partially-eaten cracker and gave up.

She paged for June, who came in a few minutes later. “Yes, I told ya that was good soup! Let me get these outta your way, and you just relax. I dunno if you like watchin’ TV, but the gal in the next room over was sayin’ that Diagnosis Murder reruns were about to come on, on Channel 15, if you’re interested.”

Meghan smiled at June. “I always liked that show. Channel 15?”

June nodded as she cleared the rest of the trash from Meghan’s tray. “There you go! Need anything else?”

Meghan shook her head. “No, I think I’m all good at the moment. Thanks, June.”

“Oh, darlin’, it’s my pleasure. I’ll be back in a little while to check on you. Page if you need a thing.” June headed out.

Meghan turned the TV on and flipped to Channel 15. A new-to-her episode was just starting, and Meghan settled back to enjoy the rerun.