Chapter Text
“You ready to look good for the cameras?” you ask Will, as you toss him a comb. “But that requires you to even look presentable for them.”
He gives you back the comb and scoffs at your comment. “I could page for the plastic surgeon right now, and you wouldn’t be any better off.”
“Don’t let me drag you down. I’m sure all the ladies will still be filling your inbox.”
“Alright, we need all our staff in the waiting room,” Goodwin yells across the department.
“I think that’s our cue. Here’s to hoping we don’t get paged in the middle of it,” you add, putting on your doctor’s coat.
“Hey, you still got something there,” Will replies. He points at your face before flicking you in the forehead.
You grab his hand in retaliation and look him dead in the eyes. “Ortho won’t be able to help you.”
Behind you, Maggie clears her throat. “Doctors, you two are needed in the waiting room.”
God knows you’re grateful for a new emergency department, but you could do without all the lights and cameras. Maybe you can tuck yourself in a corner where the cameras can’t spot you, but your brother might drag you out anyways. You’d rather be working back there than taking in the limelight. You don’t necessarily enjoy the unwarranted attention it could bring. Just sit back, do your job, and maybe listen to a bit of hospital gossip. What’s wrong with a good rumor here and there?
It could be time to just suck it up, remembering the whole incident that brought the hospital here in the first place. You weren’t scheduled for that day, but it was your brother’s first day. It was one hell of a way to make it memorable. As soon as you heard the news of the explosion, you wanted to rush in there head first. Who gives a damn about what you could get if you could tend to all the patients and make sure Will was okay. You called up Jay, begging if he could relay any information to you. There was no way you would stand by and do nothing, so you were speeding in your car to the hospital. Lucky for you, the cops were too busy with the very same situation you were in.
You parked streets away from the hospital, but your legs carried you faster than you could think. Shoving through people in the crowd, you scrambled to grab your badge in your pocket. You managed to sneak past the security and enter the parking lot leading to the ED.
“Excuse me, you can’t enter the area right now. The hospital is under quarantine,” a firefighter explained to you.
“Doctor Y/N L/N,” you explained, holding up your ID. “I work here. I need to talk to Goodwin.”
The firefighter signaled over to Goodwin, bringing her over.
“I heard about what happened. I’m here to help, with whatever’s needed.”
“How did you get in here? If I recall, you’re not scheduled for shift.”
“I was already on my way before all this happened. I was bringing Will some lunch. Promised I’d treat him nice on his first day,” you lie.
“You know you can’t enter until we find out what that man was infected with, and even still, you won’t be able to enter if it is deadly. Not unless you’re in full hazmat after that.”
“I understand. I’m just another hand if you need me here. If whatever’s in there isn’t infectious, I’m willing to pick up another shift to help with the aftermath.” Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Jay and Adam passing by. “If you’ll excuse me one moment.”
Goodwin nodded, as you made your way towards the pair.
“Hey, Jay. How’s the investigation going? Hear anything else from Will or anyone else inside?”
“Me, I’m doing fine. Just trying to figure out why and how the guy did this, but we don't even have a positive ID on him yet. Enough about me though, how are you holding up?” he asked, rubbing your shoulder for reassurance.
“I'm doing okay. I wish I could do more. My skills are useless just standing around here like this.”
“I just don't understand how this guy could have something worse than ebola,” Adam added.
“He might have traveled to another country infamous for a disease, but that's not a sure-fire way of getting infected. Even still, he'd have to do some good research into finding something deadly and where it's common.” You sighed, dragging your hand down your face. How did it all come to that? “Unless he knew what he was looking for.”
“What are you getting at? Doesn't that still apply if he was trying to catch it off of someone?” Jay asked.
“I don't remember the title off the top of my head, but people who study these kinds of stuff. He could've worked at a lab holding viruses or something similar. He could've been working at one or broken into a facility.”
“I think that's an angle worth looking into. You might just be onto something,” Adam replied.
“Hey listen, you stay safe,” Jay added as he made his way back to the tent.
“I'm not the one currently trapped inside a hospital.”
“I'll go ring up Will and tell him you said that.”
“I'm sure the patient will appreciate you dragging him away from work.”
You were relieved beyond belief after hearing the disease wasn’t infectious. You tossed on some scrubs and took another shift faster than you ever have before. You understood your place as a doctor. Yes, there were times you were annoyed at having to cover other people’s shifts, but rushing to save patients reminded you of why you took this job. You’ll gladly put away any bullshitting with your brother or coworkers because at the end of the day you’re here for the patients. Well, at least you try.
Clapping from the crowd snaps you out of your train of thought. Soon enough, beeps from pagers and ringing from cell phones overtake the noise in the waiting room.
“You just had to say it,” Will tells you.
“So much for hoping ambulances wouldn’t be interrupting the grand opening,” you reply.
“No better way to open up an emergency department.”
“CFD Plan 2, mas cas,” Maggie yells, walking through the ED doors. “Multiple trauma patients minutes away. Let’s go!”
Before you know it, the department becomes hectic. Gurneys and beds are taken all across the ED, doctors trying not to crash into each other.
“28-year-old male, crush injuries, severed artery, massive blood loss,” a new voice fills the ED. He’s performing chest compressions on the patient, but he isn’t dressed like a paramedic. The man’s dressed in a black dress shirt, and he’s got a decent cut on his arm. Must’ve been a victim in the crash, but that doesn’t exactly clear it up. Who does this guy think he is?
You don’t have a patient to treat, and your curiosity causes you to follow him.
“Trauma three just opened,” Maggie replies.
“Got a tourniquet on his right leg,” the mystery man continues. “Tried to intubate, but couldn’t get his jaw open. He lost his pulse on the ride.”
“Put him on our monitor and rapid transfuser. Grab four units of O-neg and start with a round of epi,” you say, following the gurney.
“Already hit him with the epi times two. Still no pulse. He’s in fib.”
“Let’s get him in the bay. I’ve got it from here.”
“Nope, he’s mine,” he interjects.
“Okay, who the hell is this guy,” Will asks, trailing just behind you.
“Says he’s a doc,” a paramedic replies.
“Get off the gurney, Doc. I’m senior resident in this ER,” your brother explains.
“Yeah? Well, I’m your new trauma fellow,” the man hits back.
“Dr. Halsted,” Maggie calls, dragging Will away from the situation.
You’re not done with your new supposed coworker, though. “Sir, I understand you may be the new trauma fellow, but we're gonna have to see some ID.”
“Back left pocket. You can find my license and badge in there. Feel free to grab it, if you’re not gonna get in the way.”
You want to scoff, but you restrain yourself from provoking him. This is one hell of a way to make a first impression. Here’s to hoping you won’t have many shifts scheduled alongside this guy. You sigh before walking into the trauma bay. Desperately not wanting it to get awkward, you grab his wallet and head out. “I’ll toss it in the break room when I’m done. Better hope you don’t have anything valuable in here.” You find his badge and ID while trying to find Goodwin. “There’s a guy in trauma three. Claims he’s the new trauma fellow.”
“Oh, yes. Connor Rhodes. It’s his first day today.”
You read his ID, nodding your head at Goodwin’s statement. “Hmm. Interesting. He gave me his ID to confirm it. Thanks for the clarification.” You catch Will on the way to the break room, and you jog to catch up to him. “I found out who the new fellow is. You wanna know who?”
“Do tell.”
“Connor Rhodes,” you reply, showing him the wallet in your hand. “I feel like I should pay for myself for just having to deal with him. The dude’s loaded. I’m sure he won’t notice a bill or two missing.”
“Split it fifty-fifty, and I never saw anything happen. The name feels familiar, but I can’t place my tongue on it.”
“Maybe I’ll take some another day when I have something to hold against him,” you say, as you toss his wallet into an empty safe. You plug in a new combination for him. It’s better that he doesn’t have anything against you or maybe you’re trying to convince yourself that you’re the bigger person here. “Hmm. Rhodes. He shares a last name with the department store, right? That’d explain a lot of things.”
“No way a Rhodes kid is working in an ED and not off on a yacht someplace. Do kids like that even work? Either way, I don’t get a good feeling off of him.”
“Maybe you’re afraid he’ll be taking all the attention away from you.”
“I’m betting he’ll be treating this ED like it’s his in no time. He can steal away ladies’ hearts, but he can’t take mine.”
“That’s what they all say before they all have the same fate,” you joke. “I’ll be honest, though. I could go up to the highest floor of this hospital, and I still don’t think I’d be able to see his ego. I’ll be trying to keep my best away from him. God knows what past he could be dragging along behind him.”
Soon the ED calms down, and you’re able to catch a break. You should probably tell Rhodes about his wallet before you’re actually accused of stealing it. You spot him in a treatment room with his shirt off. Odd. So much for not wanting to be in an awkward situation with him.
“Hey, I just wanted to tell you I tossed your wallet in a safe. The combination’s 4579. Feel free to change it obviously. It’s the one with the empty coat rack below it. Sorry about that whole situation back there, by the way, and for Dr. Halsted, too.”
“No, I get it. Can’t have some stranger working on patients in the middle of an emergency,” he says, not looking up from his arm.
Your eyes follow him, and you notice the needle and thread in his hands. “You in the crash?”
“Yeah, must’ve snagged it on the wreckage.”
“You know we have doctors here. I should know I’m one of them.”
“I don’t need a doc right now. I’m good on my own.”
“Ok, Mr. Independent. If you need me, you at least know who to call.”
“Alright, if you’ve got no patients needing you, I guess I wouldn't mind the help.” Rhodes already wants to curse himself for almost committing self-isolation again. Sure, it wasn’t a perfect first meeting, but you made a lasting impression. You were making calls on the behalf of the patient. He appreciated your demeanor and wants to know you better or maybe he just wants to make certain he can keep his cool around you.
“Damn, you’ve cleaned that up nice. I thought you were trauma, not plastic. Where’d you learn that?”
“Riyadh,” he explains, earning an eyebrow raise from you. “Spent a year there after my residency. Saudis paid me well not to leave unsightly scars. Could you pinch those two sides together?” Time to test and see if can prevent himself from falling apart at the seams. He shouldn’t feel awkward about this.
“Sure thing. You up to date on shots?” You feel as if you’re breaking some code of conduct you don’t know about. There are a lot of things you never expected to see in the ED, but this is definitely not one of them. It’s one of the stranger bonding moments you’ve had with a colleague. You can practically hear the whispers already spreading about this.
“I’m current on everything…” He pauses as he leans in closer to read your badge. You’re just two doctors. Doing doctor things, alone, in a room, where everyone can peer in. “Dr. L/N.”
It's only awkward if you make it awkward. “Oh right, I never properly introduced myself. Y/N L/N, resident.”
He smiles at you, and you can’t help but smile back. The damn thing’s contagious. “Wish we could’ve met under better circumstances. You’ve been here a while?”
“Yeah, born and raised. Canaryville, to be exact. You?”
“Lake Shore Drive.” He earns a hum from you in response. Maybe your hunch wasn’t just a hunch. “Been away for a while though.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy your time here. I’ll try not to get too much under your skin. Can’t speak too much for Will, though.”
Rhodes raises an eyebrow at your response. He had seen you fraternizing with the doctor earlier. It surprised him when you apologized for Will. Rhodes wouldn't mind becoming friends outside of work, but your closeness to your colleague turned you into a wild card. Who knows what you two talked about behind closed doors.
“Just a fair warning. By the way, if you ever want a drink after work, most of us swing by Molly’s. It’s a local place, owned by a firefighter from house 51. It’s also got cops from the 21st. Tight-knit group in there, but it’s a nice atmosphere to wind down or just hang about.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Oh, that wasn’t an invitation,” you joke. “Haven’t even decided if I’ll be going there after shift, but after the day we’ve had, I probably will.”
“Well, I’ll know where not to sit if either of us do.” He puts his shirt back on, having finally finished the sutures on his wound. He prays on the inside, begging that wasn’t a sign he botched it again. “I’ll see you around.”
“See you around Dr. Rhodes,” you reply, a smile still on your face.