How do we go forward from here?

Chapter 2

Riley's room is instantly hectic. Amelia rushes in for possible head trauma, Callie quickly checks her bones and moves on, a PEDs attending stays nearby and April stands to the side, trying to do work ups with the allotted room. "She's gonna need a CT just to be sure," Amelia reports. "But I think she'll just suffer a concussion and need some stitches." "We'll need plastics." The PEDs attending says. April nods. "I know. First, I need an ultrasound, her stomach is rigid and there might be fluid in there." "On it!" Jo calls as she hurries out of the room and returns quickly with the machine. April shoots gel onto Riley's stomach and places the wand to it, trying hard to force the memories of her own ultrasounds out of her mind. The picture comes to the ultrasound machine and April observes it carefully. "There's fluid and blood. Book an OR now, we need to get in there." A nurse rushes out of the room to book the OR as April makes the bed mobile and with Jo's help pushes it down the hall. April looks down at Riley, getting lost in bought when suddenly, her eyes shoot open, the blue shining brightly with fear. "It's okay sweetie," April says softly. "We're going to take very good care of you." Riley's eyes meet April's and hold on to them. "It's okay," she says softly. "I promise." Jo pulls the gurney down the hall and outside the OR. April looks back down at Riley to find her staring back up at her. "I'll be back in there, I promise. For now, go with the nurses." Riley looks up at the nurses and then back at April as they pull her into the OR. Jo looks to April as the doors close. "Are you going to be okay Doctor Kepner?" April sighs as she leads Jo into the scrub room. "We'll see." April scrubs quickly, looking into the OR through the window the whole time. Now, it was real: was she truly ready for this? April shakes her hands into the sink and raises them up. "Wilson," she says softly. "Let's go." April walks into the OR and over to the table. "She's ready for you Doctor." The anesthesiologist says. April looks behind the curtain at Riley's soft face. "Are you sure?" she asks in fear. The anesthesiologist nods softly. "I promise." she says sympathetically. April takes a deep breath as Jo steps in front of her across the table. April looks to the scrub nurse. "Ten blade." she says softly. Bohkee hands the scalpel to April and she delicately makes the cut across Riley's stomach. This felt so strange to her. She hadn't been in an OR in at least a month. It felt out of routine, especially on a child. April pushes her feelings aside and works diligently on the girl, focusing on the problem at hand. This was not her child, this was someone else's child and she had to save her for her parents. No one else deserved to feel like she felt after Samuel died. No mother on her watch would ever feel that pain. Riley went into v-fib twice on the table, but April was able to bring her back both times. After she got the bleeding controlled and all of the fluid removed, the sliding doors of the OR pull back. "I was paged in here for a consult?" April sighs a deep sigh at the sound of her husband's voice. Tears rush to her eyes, but she blinks them away. "Yes," she replies softly. "Riley has some lasserations on her arms, legs and cheek that need to be stitched." "April," Jackson says softly as he steps beside her. "You're doing this surgery? Are you okay?" April nods softly and sniffles. "Yeah, I'm fine. Please just help Riley, okay? Her parents need her to be okay a-and I need to be able to know that I saved someone's child today so please stitch her up." Jackson nods. "Okay." he says as he walks over to the other side of the table. April looks up at her husband. She longed to go into his arms and feel the strength in them surrounding her, protecting her. But right now, he needed to save her. April takes her hands out of Riley's body and looks down at her shoes. "Wilson," she says softly. "Please close up."